Sorry for the long wait. I reached the end of my pre-written chapters. And...well, things have happened that distracted me from working on them, though I have found some time to write as evidenced by the couple of one-shots and updates to other stories I've managed since my last post. Hopefully I can get another surplus of chapters going, but no promises.
Chapter 14
"Are you sure this is safe?" Harry asked as he and Demona stood to the side of the tarmac.
Demona sighed. "While I can't say I trust humans, we really don't have much of a choice at the moment," she admitted as the two gargoyles in human form watched the work crew carefully lower the crate containing Constance in her stone sleep onto the back of a flatbed truck. "But this is a private airfield, and the employees are paid to be careful."
Harry looked over at his mother a moment before asking, "How did you first come to America, I doubt even you could glide across the ocean."
Demona grinned lightly. "Your right." With a sigh she explained. "I stowed away on a ship back in … I think it was 1510. I hoped that I could disappear from your father in this 'New World' and perhaps even find more gargoyles." The redhead paused momentarily before she finished her explanation. "I crossed the continent and saw the pacific long before Lewis and Clarke made the attempt. To be honest, I thought it was paradise. The native humans weren't as numerous as the humans in Europe, I could travel weeks without encountering a human if I traveled the right direction. Game was plentiful. And for a time, your father couldn't even find me. I spent decades in the American wilderness, happier than I had been in a long time. Sadly, Europeans drifted west...built a nation. Manifest Destiny was perhaps the worst thing to happen to this continent."
Harry grinned. "I take you aren't a fan of the United States?"
"I'm not a fan of any human nation," Demona admitted. "And while I may no longer want to try and destroy all humans, I still dislike most of them. In fact, the only humans I have met in my long life I have any respect for are your father, an apothecary named Michel de Nostredame, and Detective Elisa Maza."
"Why is that last name familiar?"
"She's an ally of the Manhattan Clan. And a friend of your sister's...even if I don't like her."
Harry frowned. "But you just said you respected her?"
Demona grinned. "Respect and like are two different things Harry."
Harry nodded, but remained silent as the two watched the crate holding Constance get secured to the flatbed.
000000000000000000000000000000000000000
A few hours later, the three gargoyles were awake in Dominique Destine's Manor.
"So why can't I come with you tomorrow?" Harry asked.
"Because I don't trust Xanatos, his wife, or his assistant at all," Demona explained. "And while I acknowledge that he'll find out about you through the clan, and perhaps even discover that Dominique Destine has a son, I'm going to try and keep the fact that you can change from gargoyle to human as I do as secret as possible for as long as I can."
"Do you think it's a safe environment for eggs?" Constance asked , knowing that these people Demona didn't trust lived with the Manhattan Clan.
"Honestly...I couldn't say," Demona admitted. "Xanatos is a conniving and cunning individual. And there is plenty of bad blood between him and I. That said, even I've noticed that he's changed some since the birth of his son. And Goliath, as much as I disagree with his decisions as a leader, would die before he allowed eggs to be harmed."
The gargoyles were silent for a few moments. Demona looked up at a clock in the room and stood from her seat. "I'm going to go to bed, since I need to be human tomorrow. You both know where the kitchen is. That said, feel free to explore the manor. I just ask you to stay out of the basement, as it's my potions lab and armory, my bedroom, which is the last door in the east hallway on the second floor, and my home office, which is the first door on the right when you leave this room."
The redheaded gargoyle began to walk away, but paused when she reached the entryway. Turning to look at the two younger gargoyles she added, "The bathroom on this floor is just as spacious and equipped as the one back at Macbeth's London townhouse," before heading up to her bedroom.
She smirked as she heard Constance ask Harry, "Want to bathe together again?" behind her.
She fully expected the two to be mated by the New Year, perhaps even sooner if they had enough time alone together.
000000000000000000000000000000000000
The first thing Demona, in her human guise, did when she woke up the next morning was to check on the stone statues that were Harry and Constance. Satisfied with their chosen perches, the redhead proceeded to her closet, where she selected her clothes for the day.
Since she was going to met Xanatos to arrange a meeting, she pulled out one of her standard red dress suits.
As she pulled out the rest of her clothes to go with the suit, she picked up her phone and called the driving company she used. She hadn't had time to get herself a car yet. Before her memories as Lily returned, the gargoyle only knew the basic of how to drive, though she did have a license as Dominique Destine (only for show however). As Lily however, she had loved to drive. It was one of the few things she did that wasn't magical in nature. By the dragon, she raced at a race track near Godric's Hollow before she and Macbeth had gone into hiding.
Now that she remembered how much fun she had driving, she fully intended to purchase her own car. She doubted it would be fun to drive in New York, yet she only used the driving company out of necessity. The redhead didn't like relying on others for such simple task as traveling, she just hadn't had much choice before.
It would have been suspicious for a woman of Dominique Destine's age and wealth to take driving lessons. Of course it wouldn't be unheard of, but it would be odd. And anything that drew scrutiny to Dominique could undo her identity...in theory anyway. Demona was confident in Dominique identity, but she was still cautious.
Perhaps after meeting with Xanatos, she'd stop at a dealership.
Besides, she was sure that she could find a track she could teach Harry to drive on. He'd probably enjoy it as much as she did.
000000000000000000000000000000000000
"I must say, this is quite the surprise," Xanatos said as Demona stepped out of the elevator. "I thought you were out of the country?"
"I recently returned," she told the businessman a little coldly.
Xanatos raised an eyebrow. "Still, you usually call when you want a meeting?"
"Well I don't wish to run the risk of being overheard."
"I take it this is gargoyle business and not business business then?" he said, more than a little amused.
Demona took a breath to steel herself against the arrogant human. "You know there are other gargoyle clans in the world?"
"I do," Xanatos admitted as he walked to the desk in the castle's entryway. Leaning back against the desk he crossed his arms and explained, "Goliath tried to keep it secret, but aside from Hudson, the others aren't so...practiced at keeping secrets. Of course no one's mentioned locations yet." He grinned slightly. "The clan doesn't seem to trust me that much yet."
"That's a small mercy," Demona told him flatly. "Regardless, I encountered another clan, I will not say where. But Goliath has interacted with the clan before, and their Leader sent her Second here with me." She took a breath, not wanting to trust Xanatos with this much information, but having little choice if she wanted peaceful meeting between the clan, Harry, and Constance. She doubted their treatment of her at their last meeting would engender much trust between the clan and her son, or Constance for that matter. And while she may not approve of Goliath's decisions, she wanted the meeting to go well, both because it would be good for the both the Manhattan and London Clans, and because she did want Angela and Harry to get along. "She is to assess the clan to see if they are worthy of allowing the unmated males to travel to this other clan to try and find mates, and if they are secure and protected enough to allow the clan to have several of this other clan's eggs."
Xanatos was silent for a moment as he digested what the redhead had told him. "This is a big deal, isn't it?"
"A very big deal," Demona assured him. "If the clan cannot convince this other clan's second they are worthy of either of these privileges, the odds of them convincing another clan are low. And without either of these offers, the clan will not survive beyond this generation."
"I will speak to Goliath when he awakens tonight," Xanatos assured her. "I imagine he'll want to meet as soon as possible."
"Any time tomorrow night is acceptable," Demona informed him. "Just call my private number with the time, though you will likely need to leave a message. But leave only the time, I don't trust the Quarrymen not to have somehow tapped into your phone lines."
Xanatos chuckled. "I think you overestimate them."
"And I think you underestimate them," she said coldly.
The business man shrugged. "Anything else I should tell Goliath?"
"There will be three of us arriving at the meeting," Demona said, even as she turned to walk back to the elevator.
"Three?" Xanatos asked warily, as the door to the elevator opened.
Demona grinned and stepped into the elevator. Turning to face Xanatos she said, "I, the other clan's second, and my son."
Before the doors closed, she could see the expression of surprise cross Xanatos' face.
000000000000000000000000000000000000
"Son?" Fox questioned. Her face showing her own surprise. "She said she'd be bringing her son?"
"She did," Xanatos confirmed.
"Well that's...interesting."
Xanatos snorted.
"Oh shut up," his wife told him. "You can't say you're not shocked."
"True," he admitted. Turning to his assistant he asked, "What are your thoughts Owen?"
"I am as surprised as you are," he told the two. "I admit that even I was unaware she had more children than Angela. That said, what she offers is of vital importance to the clan, if it is real of course."
"Do you think..." Fox stopped her question as the door opened, and Hermione, David's niece, walked in with Alex in her arms. All three noticed the serious look on the teens face "Did you need something Hermione?"
"Do unexplainable things happen around Alex often?" she asked.
Fox and Xanatos shared a look, while Owen remained stoic as ever, merely raising an eyebrow.
Looking back at his sister's daughter, Xanatos asked, "What do you mean by unexplainable?"
"I was playing with Alex when he levitated up to the top shelf of his room to grab a book, which he then handed to me," she said flatly.
"Oh Alex," Fox groaned.
"Hermione...we can explain," Xanatos offered.
"You already know about magic?" Hermione asked. Looking at Fox she asked, "Are you a witch?"
"Not exactly," Fox supplied. "But how do you know about magic?"
Hermione reached to her left wrist, before pulling her wand out of her holster.
"It would seem Ms. Granger is a witch," Owen said as he saw her draw her wand. "Since you live primarily in England, is it safe to assume you are studying at Hogwarts?"
"I am," Hermione confirmed.
"Well, this changes things," Xanatos said dryly. "Tell me Hermione, what do you know of Gargoyles?"
000000000000000000000000000000000000
Please Review, Check out the Challenges in My Forums (Link in Profile) and the Stories I have Up for Adoption Under The Title: Please Adopt Me!