Author's Notes: Well, just as promised, lots of Gargoyle goodness in this chapter along with plenty of action. Please remember that this story is rated T for language. Just to let you know, when you see dialog like (this), someone is speaking in German. Thanks to all of my reviewers so far and please leave one when you're done reading.
"So, think they're done eating yet?" Brooklyn asks as he and Lex glide over Fifth Ave.
"Wouldn't hurt to swing by and check up on them," Lex replies.
"No, it wouldn't," Brooklyn agrees as he tilts his wings to make the turn, relishing the feel of the wind sliding past his wings.
A few minutes later, they're flying low over Rockefeller Plaza but they don't spot the couple they're looking for.
"Maybe we should double check, just to be sure," Brooklyn suggests.
"Sounds good to me," Lex responds and the two loop back around for another pass.
Three passes later and they finally catch sight of the couple walking out of the plaza and turning down Fifth Ave. The young gargoyles hop from building to building as the couple slowly makes their way down the street, occasionally stopping to look at something in a store front window. They watch as Gwen runs her hands up and down her arms to try and warm herself up and then see her date immediately slide his jacket off and place it on her shoulders. She smiles at the man she's with and he looks like the happiest man in the world.
"She didn't smile at Matt like that," Lex observes from their latest perch.
"I wonder who he is," Brooklyn muses as the humans they're watching cross the street and head into Central Park.
The two gargoyles take to the air again carefully landing in the park just out of sight of the path. They creep among the trees, staying to the shadows as they follow Gwen and her date as they walk along the path next to The Pond. Just as they're getting to a large rocky outcropping, Gwen and the man stop and she turns to face him. He pulls one her arms towards him and starts to stroke it as she begins telling him something that takes some time. Brooklyn and Lex sneak closer to them and hear her as she finishes telling her date about her first meeting with the Clan and the two gargoyles cringe at the memory.
"I can't say as I'm happy that you willingly went into that situation," the man finally says quietly. "But as you pointed out earlier, you are a grown woman and I have no right to tell you what to do with your life. But as someone who cares very deeply for you, I hope you never do that again."
"I doubt that Angela's going to be mating again anytime soon and since she now knows that I don't mean her or her clan any harm, I doubt she's going to try and drop me over the side of a building again," Gwen replies looking up at him and smiling.
"Good," he softly states as he brings a hand up and gently strokes the side of her face. "I don't want to hate gargoyles, but it's really hard to like creatures that intentionally hurt you."
"Brooklyn didn't realize what he was doing," she replies.
"So you said," he whispers as he brings his face closer to hers.
"He's going to kiss her," Lex hisses as they watch, unable to tear their eyes away from this rather private moment.
So transfixed are they, that they never see it coming.
"I swear I know that woman," Angela mutters as she crawls over the rocky outcropping she and Broadway have been sitting on.
"Other than Elisa and Fox, how many women do you know?" Broadway asks as he reluctantly starts to follow his mate.
She ignores him as she stares at the couple as the man starts stroking one of the woman's arms and she begins to talk. She talks for quite a while, never quite looking up at her companion's face. When she's done, they stand there in silence for a while and then realization dawns on Angela.
"It's that vet that fixed Brooklyn's wing," she states, rather proud of herself.
"How can you be sure?" Broadway questions as squints at the human couple.
"Well, for one thing, her arm is badly bruised and it's the same arm that I had hold of when I nearly dropped her off of the side of the castle," she answers.
"Not one of your better moments," Broadway mumbles and she silently agrees with him.
"For another thing," she continues with a smirk, "why else would Brooklyn and Lex be spying on them?"
Broadway looks to where she's pointing and sees his rookery brothers eagerly watching the humans. He chuckles as she turns and grins at him and then he quickly glances over at the human couple.
"He's about to kiss her," he whispers as one of his arms sneaks around her waist.
"I can't say as I blame them," she replies coyly, looking down at the other couple. "A moonlit night, a stroll through the park…"
"Can't say I blame them either," he nearly purrs as he turns her face towards him and their lips gently meet.
The kiss deepens and they lose track of what's going on around them as their focus narrows down to just the two of them. They only break apart when the roaring starts.
Anger and frustration fill her being as she glides high over the city, intent on causing someone some pain, preferably Goliath or better yet, that human. If the little bitch hadn't had a gun with her, she would have been torn from Goliath's arms and sent plummeting to her death that night while Goliath eased her need to mate. If she had been thinking clearly that night, it wouldn't have been a contest.
For centuries she's endured the mating pangs, knowing that there was no chance of her finding a mate to ease them. Not that she's really interested in laying another egg, much less raising the little whelp that would eventually hatch from it, but when one is in the midst of the Cycle, one doesn't think about those things. She supposes that she should be glad that it only happens only once every fifty years for her, instead of the once every ten years that Angela will have to endure.
When she brought the Book to Xanatos all those years ago, she knew that she would be having another Cycle after Wyvern Castle had been moved and the Clan awoken from their thousand year sleep. Her plans were to have Goliath and the Clan completely under her control by the time her Cycle started, but the blasted male had met that human and gone all noble on her. A growl resonates through her chest as the memory of him reaching to save that human instead of trying to save his proper mate resurfaces in her mind.
A flash of yellow and red catches her attention from the corner of her eye and she turns to see Lexington and Brooklyn gliding into Central park. Curiosity and the need for revenge make her follow them from far enough away that they don't notice her. Centuries of surviving by her wits makes it nearly impossible for them to detect her, not that they're really paying attention to what's going on around them.
They seem intent on a human couple that they're following and she takes a look at them to see what could be so interesting about them. The female is maybe five foot if she didn't have her shoes on and the male is several inches short of the six foot mark. She's a mousy looking thing with her brown hair and eyes and the male is only slightly better with sandy blond hair and hazel eyes. She doesn't see what it is about these two worthless beings that have the two males so fascinated, but if it keeps them from noticing her, that's fine by her.
She creeps closer and closer until she can hear the humans talking about the Clan and her first meeting with them. Angela nearly dropped the female over the side of the castle? Maybe there's hope for her daughter yet.
"He's going to kiss her," she hears Lexington hiss and she knows now is her chance to strike.
Without a second thought, she strikes faster than a snake and before either of the two can react, Lexington is firmly in her talons and struggling to get free as she slowly cuts off his air. With a roar of anger, Brooklyn is after her like a shot and they pass the startled human couple without so much as glancing at them. She heads for the rocky outcropping only to be suddenly stopped by her own daughter and that big fat oaf of a mate of hers.
A quick look around and she realizes that no matter which way she goes, one of the others will be able to cut her off from escaping. She lets out a frustrated growl as Lexington continues to struggle and his talons leave gouges in her arm that heal within a matter of seconds. She simply tightens her grip around his neck and quickly starts to subdue.
"Mother, what are you doing?" Angela demands.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" Demona sarcastically retorts. "I'm paying Goliath back for all the pain and suffering and humiliation he's caused me."
"You brought that on yourself," Broadway snaps, his eyes glowing white.
"Let him go Demona," Brooklyn growls and she smirks.
"I don't think so," she sneers as Lex gasps for air. "I think if you want to see your little friend again…"
WHAP!
Demona looks down to see what just hit her in the head and she sees a high heeled shoe. She looks over to where the shoe came from and sees the mousy looking woman holding the shoe's mate in her hand and trembling with rage. She's not sure who's more surprised, her, the other gargoyles or the human's male companion.
"(That was for Jet, you bitch)," Gwen growls.
"You're pretty brave for a human," Demona admits and then her eyes start to glow red. "But maybe I shouldn't confuse bravery with stupidity. You will pay for that."
"(They treated you as one of their own and you betrayed them)," Gwen snarls, her voice shaking with anger. "(If anyone's going to pay, it's going to be you.)"
"I don't know what your saying, human, but I don't like your tone," Demona growls as she turns and faces the small human.
Before the other gargoyles can react, Demona launches herself at the diminutive woman, dropping Lex in her haste. John grabs for Gwen just as she dashes towards Demona, only barely evading his grasp. The man watches in horror as Gwen ducks under Demona's talons and slams her shoulder into the female gargoyle's midsection, knocking the wind out of her.
They both go down like a ton of bricks as Gwen screams in pain and curls up into a ball, clutching her foot. Demona reaches for the woman and finds her arms suddenly grabbed and held tightly. With a snarl, she turns towards the one who would dare grab her and comes face to face with her red eyed, growling daughter.
"Leave her alone, Mother," Angela snarls as Brooklyn grabs Gwen off of Demona and practically throws her to John as the man comes running up.
Demona twists her hands around, grabs hold of Angela's wrists and throws her into Broadway as he comes to his mate's aide, sending them both to the ground. Demona springs to her feet as Lex flings himself at her landing on her back and sinking his talons into her flesh. While she struggles to get Lex off of her, Brooklyn grabs one her wings in both hands and snaps the bones.
Demona shrieks in pain as she gets a hold of Lex and flings him into Brooklyn. She gives her wing a shake and the bones pop back in place and quickly start to mend. She turns to make a break for it and sees the humans under one of the lamps that lights the path, the man is checking the woman's foot. With a growl, the angry female charges towards them and the woman eyes grow wide when she sees what's coming at them.
"JOHN!" Gwen screams, trying to push him away.
John turns to see what's got her so scared and barely blocks Demona's attack, her talons managing to leave their mark on his upper arm. John yells in pain as he lands a punch on her face and she snarls angrily as blood drips out of her nose. She lunges at him and he grabs a hold of her arm and flips her onto her back.
Demona looks over and sees Gwen only a few feet away. With a scream of anger, she launches herself at the woman only to be kicked in the head by John. She shakes her head clear and then leaps at the man just as Brooklyn tackles her to the ground.
They roll around a few seconds before she manages to break free by taking a swipe at Brooklyn's face and leaving a couple of cuts on the red gargoyle's beak. She sees the others coming for her and she quickly makes her escape. A few seconds later they hear her scream of anger and frustration as she takes to the skies once more.
Those still on the ground spend a few seconds catching their breath before John returns to Gwen, dropping down to his knees in front of her, not caring if he ruins his slacks. He gently lifts the foot she's clutching and takes a better look at it, ignoring the blood dripping onto his hands and pants. Off in the distance they can hear sirens blaring and the gargoyles know that they should be leaving soon, but aren't quite ready to go yet.
"I can't see anything in there, but you're going to need stitches," he tells her as he pulls his handkerchief out of his pocket and places it on the wound on the bottom of her foot.
"What happened to her foot?" Brooklyn asks while he moves closer to the humans.
"I stepped on something," Gwen whimpers as John applies pressure with one hand and pulls his tie off with the other.
"It looks like a piece of glass or a sharp rock is what got you," John adds while he ties his makeshift compress to her foot.
"Looks like Demona got you, too," Lex points out as John's sleeve is quickly becoming soaked with blood.
Before John can respond, Gwen reaches over, grabs the front of his shirt where it's buttoned up and rips it open, sending buttons flying everywhere.
"Don't you think you should wait until I get you home before you start ripping my clothes off?" he jokes and she glares at him.
"Off, now," she orders and he smirks.
"Yes, Dr. Knight," he replies as he easily slips one arm out of the ruined shirt, but the other one takes a little bit longer.
"Someone rip the sleeves off of the shirt, please," Gwen commands.
Brooklyn complies after taking the shirt from John, handing the pieces to Gwen when he's done. She quickly takes the larger piece of cloth and folds it up until it's big enough to cover the three talon marks in his bicep. He winces as she uses the sleeves to secure his compress to his wound and they can hear yelling in the distance.
"Brooklyn, Lexington, come here please," Gwen requests and the two flank John as they come up to her.
John can feel his heart starting to pound and the adrenaline starting to flow being so close to these beings. It doesn't help that one of their kind was trying to hurt her and did manage to do damage to him. He eyes them a bit suspiciously and they stare right back with the same amount of trust.
"So, who's your friend?" Lex finally asks as Gwen checks Brooklyn's beak.
"This is John," she replies distractedly. "John, this is Brooklyn and Lexington. The scratches aren't very deep and are already starting to scab over. You'll be fine until dawn."
"So, how'd you guys meet?" Brooklyn asks as she turns her attention to Lex.
"We work together," she answers as she practically pulls Lex into her lap to examine his neck. "Looks like there's some bruising, but luckily her talons didn't go very deep. You'll be fine too."
"Thanks, doc," Lex smiles at her.
"You're welcome," she replies with a smile of her own. "You guys should get going, I can hear people headed this way."
"You two going to be alright?" Brooklyn questions.
"We'll be fine," she assures him as she pats his shoulder. "Now get going."
Reluctantly, the young males leave them and start to scale the outcropping as Angela and Broadway step up to the humans. John manages not to show his nervousness of these large beings as they approach them, or more importantly, Gwen. He resists the urge to put himself between them and the woman and quietly watches as Angela hands Gwen her shoes back.
"I'm sorry about trying to drop you over the side of the castle and about your arm," Angela says as Gwen takes her shoes.
"It's ok," Gwen replies with a smile that's becoming a bit strained. "Thanks for picking up my shoes."
"Here, you dropped these too," Broadway says as he hands John's jacket and Gwen's wrap back to the couple.
"Thank you, Broadway," Gwen replies as she takes the items.
The gargoyle couple quickly follows their clan mates, soaring off into the night a few moments later. Before she can object, he takes his jacket and puts it over her shoulders again. He tries not to wince as what can only be described as a searing pain runs through his arm and shoulders.
"What are you doing?" she asks as he settles the jacket around her shoulders.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" he counters, trying not to snicker.
"You need this more than I do," she states and starts trying to shrug out of it.
"No, you wear it," he insists, grabbing a hold of the lapels so she can't get out of it despite the pain in his arm. "I'll be fine."
"Are you nuts?" she demands. "You don't even have a shirt on."
"Yes, I am," he grins as he points at his bleeding arm and its makeshift bandage. "It's right here."
"Klugscheißer," she grumbles at him and he laughs.
"One of these days I'm going to learn German just so I know what swear words you're using," he tells her as he carefully sits down beside her.
"Like they're going to be teaching those words in a classroom," she snickers while he puts his arm around her shoulders and pulls her towards him. "I'm sorry."
"For what?" he asks as the first of New York's finest appear down the path from them.
"For our date getting ruined," she answers as the adrenalin starts to leave her body and she can feel her body start to shake from the shock.
"It's ok," he replies as he holds her even closer.
"It is?" she asks while trying to turn and look at him.
"Yeah," he smirks and he looks down at her with a mischievous glint in his eye. "Now you have to go out with me again to make up for this one."