Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews. Glad to know I'm still doing things right. :) If you have any comments or suggestions feel free to let me know. And without further ado, I give you chapter nine. Oh, and before I forget...there's going to be a bit of jumping back and forth here. Hope it doesn't get confusing, and if it does I apologize in advance. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: None the the Gargoyle characters belong to me. Audri is mine. My pride and joy!
Another Spell Broken
Chapter Nine
Brooklyn stared out over the city wishing things were different. Wishing that Demona was mortal and that Audri had killed her. A terrible thought, but it was justified by the fact that because of Demona, Brooklyn may loose the woman he had been waiting for his whole life. The woman he loved. But no amount of wishing could possibly help him. He had to tell Audri the truth.
"Something's going to happen sooner or later." he said to Goliath. "Audri needs to know about it before it does. We have to tell her that Demona's not dead. That Demona is here." He turned around to face his leader.
Goliath crossed his arms over his massive chest. "Are you prepared for what might happen?" the giant asked. Brooklyn had already thought about this a million times over the past week. Of course he wasn't ready. He would never be ready. "Yeah."
Goliath placed a hand on his shoulder. "Come then. Let us find Audri and tell her about Demona." The two turned to go back in and immediately froze. There stood Audri leaning against the tower wall and gripping her stomach. Her bright blue eyes shimmered with tears.
Brooklyn felt a chill sweep over him, leaving everything inside him feeling cold and empty. She had heard everything. The pain in her eyes was unmistakable proof that she had been standing there the whole time. "Audri-." he started.
"Demona is here? In New York?" she asked in a quiet voice. The two nodded. Audri shook her head in disbelief ""How?"
Goliath took a step forward. "Demona is immortal, Audri. She cannot be killed."
Audri turned her accusing gaze on Brooklyn. Her voice wavered as she spoke. "Why...did you not tell me?" she asked.
He felt about as helpless as a new born hatchling. "I wanted to Audri. Believe me, I did. I just didn't know how." he tried to explain.
Audri pushed away from the tower. Her face contorted with pain as she searched his eyes. "How...how could you keep something like this from me?" Tears slid down her cheeks and he fists clenched and unclenched at her sides. "After everything that has happened between us....how could you Brooklyn?"
His answer meant nothing to her. Heart breaking, Audri whirled away from the two and left the courtyard.
Brooklyn groaned and buried his head in his hands. "Damn it! What the hell am I supposed to do now?" he muttered to himself. He had just single handedly ruined the one thing that he had been wanting his whole life. Would she ever forgive him?
"I'm sure that, given time, she'll understand." Goliath said. Brooklyn chocked back a humorless bark of laughter and shook his head. "Yeah...right." He turned away from Goliath and faced the city. He'd be lucky if Audri ever spoke to him again.
"Brooklyn...Goliath!" a voice yelled, dragging Brooklyn's attention away from his thoughts. They both turned and looked up. Lex, Broadway and Angela glided down into the court yard, landing one right after the other. "We just saw Audri take off by herself. And she looked really upset. What's going on?" Lex asked.
Brooklyn sighed and ran his talons through his long hair. "I'm a complete dumb ass, that's what's going on." he said.
Lex gave him a funny look. "Why's that?"
"I...I kept something from Audri that I really....really shouldn't have.I didn't tell Audri that Demona was here in New York." At their confused looks, Brooklyn painfully continued. " Most of her story isn't mine to tell. But the gist of it is that Audri's clan took Demona in as a guest. Demona and her army of willing humans destroyed Audri's family, killed them off one by one, and...they made Audri watch them do it."
Angela gasped. Broadway flinched. "Why didn't you tell her?" Lex asked.
"She told me that after her mother was killed, she ran Demona through with a sword. She thought that she had killed Demona." Brooklyn said. Audri had told him the rest of the story when he had taken her out for a walk. She hadn't cried. It was her story of survival. The reason she was alive today. At least that's what she had said after telling him the story.
"Oh God, poor Audri." Angela whispered. "Did she find out the truth then?"
"Yes, she overheard Brooklyn and I discussing the matter." Goliath said to his daughter.
"And now she's gone." Brooklyn murmured. He leaned back against the ledge, his head hung in silent defeat, silently cursing himself over and over again. This was bad. If he couldn't even forgive himself, why should he expect Audri to forgive him. She never would. He wondered if his predicament could possibly get any worse.
Lex suddenly spoke up, a note of alarm in his voice. "Audri went out alone. Brooklyn..."
His words hit Brooklyn like a bucket of ice. Fear unlike any he had ever known sifted through him until he was consumed with it. Apparently, his predicament could get worse. Much worse. He looked up at Lex, the word he spoke ringing in his ears. "Quarrymen."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Audri glided above the buildings of the city unable to see where she was going through the tears that blinded her. The wind stung her tear soaked face. She wanted to go to Central Park. She needed to think and ever since Brooklyn had taken her there on their first date, it had become one of her favorite places to be. All she wanted to do was get there so she could be alone to cry and sort things out in her head. She felt so angry and hurt inside. The pain was almost unbearable. But there was a small nagging voice whispering in her ear that she needed to at least try to understand.
Looking down she spotted Central Park and started to descend. She landed with a soft thud on a paved walkway next to a pond and started walking slowly along the path. The sounds of the night surrounded her, crickets chirping, the lonely hooting of an owl wrenching her heart. She felt so alone.
"But you don't have to be. If you would just understand..." the voice whispered.
Audri pushed it away and sniffled, brushing away the tears that clung to her cheeks. She wanted to try and understand but the hurt ran too deep. How could he keep something like that from her? All the time, Demona had been alive, here in the same city as her, and Brooklyn had not even tried to tell her.
The insistent voice called to her again. "You don't know that Audri....he could have tried thousands of times. He wanted to tell you tonight...didn't he?" It's last question tore at her soul. She fell to her knees in the grass and cried until she could no more. She cried away the pain, the anger, the confusion until there was nothing left for her to do but try and understand.
She dried her face with the hem of her skirt and then closed her eyes, thinking back to the night when she and Brooklyn had first met. She could remember how caring he had been, how he had held her while she cried. She remember telling him about what Demona had done to her family. He had looked so upset. Audri tried thinking about it the other way around. If what had happened to her had happened to Brooklyn, she would have probably had a very difficult time trying to figure out how to tell him.
Realization came. She had never been mad at Brooklyn. She knew that now. She had been mad at Demona. Mad at her for being alive even though Audri had thought her dead so long ago. Mad at Demona for coming back to haunt her just when she had started to feel safe again.
But she wasn't mad at Brooklyn. She had been hurt and confused. But she had never been mad at him. She could never be mad at Brooklyn. She loved him...would always love him. And because she loved him she could forgive him, because wasn't part of loving someone forgiving them for their mistakes?
Audri nodded. She would forgive him. And then, once that was done, he could help her figure out what to do about Demona. Audri jumped to her feet. All she had to do was get back to the castle, find Brooklyn and-.
"Well, hey there pretty. We meet again."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"You three, circle the Park. Hudson and I will check the pier. I'll notify Elisa immediately and Angela, you stay here in case she returns." Goliath barked out his orders quickly and efficiently. Then they departed, the two groups heading in separate directions. Brooklyn was the first to leap from the parapets and glide towards Central park. He had only one thought on his mind; getting to Audri before the Quarrymen did.
Broadway and Lex followed, trailing behind with their worried gazes locked on the back of their rookery brother. Lex threw a glance over to Broadway and motioned forward with a nod of his head. They tucked their wings and sped up, coming up on either side of the red gargoyle.
"Hey Brook....you okay?" Broadway asked.
"What do you think?" was Brooklyn's terse response.
Broadway looked helplessly over to Lex who could only offer him no more then a shrug. Sighing, Broadway tried again. "I guess Audri didn't take the news about Demona so well, huh?"
"You guess right."
"I'm sorry Brooklyn."
Brooklyn sadly shook his head back and forth. "So am I." he said quietly. He released a bitter laugh. "It just figures though, doesn't it?"
Lex looked from Broadway to Brooklyn. "What figures?"
"That I should screw things up. I go and fall for Audri then loose her. And...it's my fault. If I would have told her.." his anguished voice died away into the night. Broadway reached over and placed a large hand on Brooklyn's shoulder. "You haven't lost her yet."
Brooklyn raised hopeful eyes to his rookery brother. "I hope to God that you're right, Broadway."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A chill ran down Audri's spine, the hairs on the back of her neck rose and stood on end. She turned around slowly, ever so slowly, afraid of what she would see, her heart slamming against her ribs. She stifled a gasp. She was surrounded by over ten masked Quarrymen. They had moved around her, circling her, trapping her.
"So where's your big tough boyfriend now, huh?" the one standing in front of her asked in a mocking voice. Audri remember him. He was the one who had attacked her and Lex the other night. Audri straightened her back and tried to look calm. "He should be here shortly." she replied, waving her hand dismissivley. She scanned the area slowly, searching for an escape. Every nerve in her body stretched, threatening to give out, leaving her with no other option then to panic. "You had best go before he gets here or there shall be hell to pay." she said, looking down her nose at the human.
He surprised her by laughing. The cruel sound echoed in her ears until she was sorely tempted to raise her hands and cover them. She remained still. "I'm sure there will be." he said. He gave a nod to his accomplices and two men stepped forward, yanking Audri's arms painfully behind her. She grimaced as a heavy boot came down on her tail. "Move that tail and I'll cut the damn thing off, got that?" the man in front of her warned.
Audri took a few steadying breaths but it was pointless. Panic closed in around her, making her take short, gasping breaths. She gave up the pretense of acting calm and let her fear fuel her actions. She pulled her arms forward, along with the two men holding them, and cracked their skulls together. The two men fell to the ground, unconscious. Four more took their place. Audri struggled against them, knowing already that it was futile. She raised blazing, electric blue-green eyes to the man in front of her. "What do you want from me?"
Something silver flashed in the moonlight next to his thigh. "I should think that would be pretty easy to figure out, monster." He raised the object clenched in his hand. A knife. Audri swallowed hard as she looked at the wide, seven inch blade that curved slightly at the end. She had never seen any of the soldiers carry a knife such as this one.
"I want...your life." he said, turning the blade this way and that to catch the glow of the moon. "Only problem is, I don't really know how to go about tourchering you to death."
Audri's lips curved in a hateful sneer. "Go to hell." she growled, trying once more to escape from the hands of the men who held her. A fist came down across her face with a jarring impact that sent her staggering backwards. Audri gasped and raised her eyes to the man with the knife. She watched him toss the knife from one hand to the one he had just struck her with.
"Bring the bitch over here!" he commanded. Hands pulled her up and forward until she was face to face with wielding psychopath, a man she had recently chosen to loath with a passion. The man raised the knife to her neck and she felt the cool steel press against her skin. She held perfectly still, afraid to do so much as swallow, and kept her gaze trained on him, trying to gauge his next move.
The man shook his head slowly. "No...not there. That would be too quick." he murmured. He slid the blade over her skin, down her neck, lower and lower still. Audri drew in a sharp breath when the blade passed over the curve of her breast and moved lower, pausing at her stomach. The man appeared to be considering something. Then he abruptly brought the knife up and slashed it past her stomach, piercing the soft flesh. Audri cried out in pain and tried to pull her arms free again. She had to cover the gash. She had to stop the bleeding. She had to live or else she would never be able to tell Brooklyn she loved him.
Finally freeing her hands she pressed them against the wound. Her eyes widened in horror as blood seeped through her hands and rolled over her knuckles. "Why are you doing this?!" She screamed.
Again she was struck. With no one holding her, Audri was hardly able to remain standing, but she did. The metallic flavor of blood filled her moth. She raised a hand to her lip and pressed talons to them, brining her had back to see it smeared with more of her own blood.
All around her the men laughed. Their mocking voices called out to her. She had been here before. Her mind flashed an image of a blazing, fire lit sky, a courtyard littered with bodies of the dead, soldiers with their painted faces and blood thirsty eyes staring at her. The vision faded and left her back in the future, surrounded by jeering Quarrymen who were slowly closing in around her.
"Come on demon slut!! Fight for your life. Even tough it really wont do you any good!!"
Fate stepped in at that moment and Audri looked up into the sky. Three winged figures passed over the moon, approaching Central Park. Hope sparked in her and grew as the other gargoyles drew closer. She was saved.
Audri pulled together the last bit of her quickly draining strength, hearing a loud snap behind her followed by an electric hum. The noise was familiar and it struck terror into Audri's heart. She looked up again, hoping that the others were close enough to hear her, took a deep breath and screamed, "Brooklyn!!"
The trio was just passing over Central Park when they heard the scream. "That was Audri." Brooklyn said in a low voice. Dread closed in around him, suffocating him. He searched the large expanse of lawn until he found her surrounded by Quarrymen, struggling for freedom. His entire body went numb. A tidal wave of anger washed over him, turning his usually soft brown eyes to a blazing, fearsome white. "No." he whispered, watching as on of the Quarrymen lifted his sledge hammer and brought it down on Audri's back, bringing the little female to her knees."
"AUDRI!!" Blind with rage, Brooklyn tucked his wings and swooped descended on the group of Quarrymen like a hawk after it's prey. He landed hard in the middle of the group, one foot planted on either side of his fallen love. He released a chilling growl and the entire group retreated a step. 'That's right,' Brooklyn though. 'Run for your god damn lives.' He reached forward and seized the hammer out of the hands of the man who had dared to hit Audri with it. The anger consuming him robbed him of his ability to think so he acted on emotions alone. Yanking down the handle and charging the hammer, he sent it flying into the chest of the man. It landed with a sickening crack, more then likely breaking a few ribs. The man released a strangled cry and crumpled to the ground.
"Anyone else up for a fight?" Brooklyn asked in a menacing voice. The Quarrymen looked at each other, then cried out and lunged at Brooklyn. The gargoyle threw one punch after another, all the while attempting to dodge the ones thrown at him. "A little...help here...guys!?" he yelled.
Broadway and Lex landed just as Brooklyn called out for help and pulled some of the Quarrymen away from him, beating them unconscious and tossing them aside. Before long there was only one Quarryman left standing. He faced off with Brooklyn, crouched low and holding a knife in front of him.
Brooklyn looked over at Lex, then Broadway and the three shook their heads. "You want to keep an eye on him while I take care of the rest of 'em?" Broadway asked Lex. Lex nodded and moved forward. "Yeah sure." The both cast a quick glance at Brooklyn, then Broadway went to clean up and Lex turned his attention back to the loan Quarryman.
Brooklyn knelt beside Audri and slowly turned her over, sliding his arm under her neck. He checked her pulse. She was still alive, just very badly beaten. He cautiously traced the bruise forming on her jaw and she made a small noise in the back of her throat, her brow furrowing slightly.
"I'm so sorry, Audri." He whispered. He moved his hand down her neck, checking fro bruises and saw the gash cut across her side. "Shit." he muttered. Looking around for something to stop the blood from flowing, he spotted Broadway tying up the unconscious Quarrymen. "Broadway! Bring me one of those masks, quick!" he called out. Broadway jerked one of the masks off a Quarryman and lumbered over.
Crouching down on the other side of Audri, he handed the mask to Brooklyn. "What happened?"
"I don't know." Brooklyn said. He pressed the cloth firmly against the wound. "It looks like someone cut her with..." his voice drifted away and his mind finished the sentence for him. With a knife. Brooklyn jerked his gaze up to the Quarryman Lex was watching; the one with the seven inch blade in his hand.
Broadway looked over at the Quarryman and saw it too. "Brooklyn..." he said warily.
"You're gonna DIE you bastard!!" Brooklyn yelled. He let at the Quarryman and took him down, throwing him against the hard pavement. "I should kill you for what you did to her!!" Brooklyn pulled back his fist and slammed it into the Quarryman's jaw. The man grunted and kicked at him, sending them into a roll. Landing on top the Quarryman pinned one of Brooklyn's shoulders beneath his knee and raised his hands above his head, the silver, blood stained blade of the knife catching the moonlight. "Die freak!!" the man spat.
Brooklyn caught his hands as they came down, stopping the knife an inch from his throat. He pushed the Quarryman's hands over, away from his neck. "Not tonight." he said, planting his food in the Quarryman's midsection and kicking him back. The knife slipped free from the Quarryman's grasp as he went sailing over Brooklyn's head.
"They should just give up already." Brooklyn muttered to himself. He rolled over and pushed himself up. Picking up the knife, he walked over to where the Quarryman was getting to his feet. "I think you dropped something." he called.
The Quarryman spun around and shrank back. "Not so tough without your weapon, are ya?" Brooklyn grabbed the man's collar and hauled him into the air. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now." he demanded. The Quarryman whimpered a pitiful answer. Brooklyn shook his head. "Not good enough."
"Brooklyn." A soft, familiar voice called. He immediately dropped the man and turned around. Audri was leaning heavily on Broadway, clutching the cloth mask to her stomach and giving him a pleading look. Forcing himself to calm down, Brooklyn turned back to the Quarryman and raised the knife above his head. He ignored Audri's startled gasp and brought the handle of the knife down on the base of the man's skull, rendering him unconscious. "You're not worth my time." Brooklyn said.
He walked back to where Lex and Broadway stood, holding Audri between them. "You okay?" Broadway asked. Brooklyn nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Audri-." He was at a loss for words. He had no idea what he could say to her that would make everything better. "I...I'm sorry." he whispered.
Audri's luminous blue eyes stared at him, unwavering. Then she uttered a small sob and threw herself into his arms. Brooklyn released a huge sigh of relief. He wrapped his arms and wings protectively around her. "You're forgiven." He heard her murmur against his neck. "I did not think I was going to escape them alive. Thank you."
He felt her tears against his skin and felt his own eyes start to burn. "No. It was all my fault this whole thing happened Audri. I should have told you about Demona...but I didn't know how to." he said.
"I know...I know. I understand that now." She ran her talons through his hair and held him close, loving the feel of his arms around her, loving him. She would spend the rest of her life making sure he knew that.
Brooklyn pushed her away and held her at arms length. He smiled down at her, pushed her hair out of her eyes and cupped her face in his hands. The movement, the entire action was so perfect, so touching that it brought forth more tears. If he kept it up, she would never stop crying.
"Audri." he said, his voice hoarse with emotion. "I'm still sorry that I didn't tell you. I had no right keeping that from you. If I would have told you before, none of this," he gestured to the Quarrymen then brushed his talons over her bruised jaw, "or this would have happened. When that guy hit you, I though I had lost you. It felt like my world had shattered apart."
Audri tilted her head into her palm and gave him a watery smile. "But you did not lose me." she whispered.
"I thought I had." he whispered back, his eyes becoming suspiciously bright. "I'm going to spend the rest of my life doing everything I can to keep you from being hurt like that again. Audri....I...I love you."
Audri felt her heart grow and fill for love with him. He was all she wanted. Demona didn't matter. The Quarrymen didn't matter. All that mattered is that he loved her. "I love you too, Brooklyn." she said softly.
"You do?"
Audri laughed weakly. "Aye. I do." She placed her palm lovingly against his cheek. "I wanted to tell you earlier tonight. That is why I was...looking..for you..." Audri's vision blurred and she pitched forward, falling against Brooklyn.
Carefully lifting her in his arms, Brooklyn cradled her slight weight against him. "Why don't we get you back home, huh?" He asked quietly, forcing back the tears that had come from hearing her declaration of love. She murmured a reply and her eyes fluttered shut. Brooklyn smiled and placed a kiss on her forehead. His love would rest peacefully now.
Pulling back the cloth mask to reveal the mess there, Brooklyn grimaced. It wasn't good. "We need to get her back to the castle." He said to Broadway and Lex. "This mask isn't holding up. It's almost soaked through."
"I'll go find Goliath and Hudson and let them know we found her." Broadway said. "Meet you back at the castle." Brooklyn and Lex watched him disappear, then started walking towards the entrance of the park to find a place to take off from.
Lex leaned up as they walked and peered at the dozing Audri. "Poor thing. If I were her, I'd want to sleep until dawn." He looked up at Brooklyn. "What are we going to do when she waked up?" he asked.
Brooklyn looked down at Audri. She looked so serene when she slept, like an angel. Part of him wanted her to sleep until the sun came up, but the other wanted her to wake up so that he could hear her say she loved him again.
"I don't know, Lex. Guess we'll face that time when it comes. For now, lets just focus on getting back to the castle."
Disclaimer: None the the Gargoyle characters belong to me. Audri is mine. My pride and joy!
Another Spell Broken
Chapter Nine
Brooklyn stared out over the city wishing things were different. Wishing that Demona was mortal and that Audri had killed her. A terrible thought, but it was justified by the fact that because of Demona, Brooklyn may loose the woman he had been waiting for his whole life. The woman he loved. But no amount of wishing could possibly help him. He had to tell Audri the truth.
"Something's going to happen sooner or later." he said to Goliath. "Audri needs to know about it before it does. We have to tell her that Demona's not dead. That Demona is here." He turned around to face his leader.
Goliath crossed his arms over his massive chest. "Are you prepared for what might happen?" the giant asked. Brooklyn had already thought about this a million times over the past week. Of course he wasn't ready. He would never be ready. "Yeah."
Goliath placed a hand on his shoulder. "Come then. Let us find Audri and tell her about Demona." The two turned to go back in and immediately froze. There stood Audri leaning against the tower wall and gripping her stomach. Her bright blue eyes shimmered with tears.
Brooklyn felt a chill sweep over him, leaving everything inside him feeling cold and empty. She had heard everything. The pain in her eyes was unmistakable proof that she had been standing there the whole time. "Audri-." he started.
"Demona is here? In New York?" she asked in a quiet voice. The two nodded. Audri shook her head in disbelief ""How?"
Goliath took a step forward. "Demona is immortal, Audri. She cannot be killed."
Audri turned her accusing gaze on Brooklyn. Her voice wavered as she spoke. "Why...did you not tell me?" she asked.
He felt about as helpless as a new born hatchling. "I wanted to Audri. Believe me, I did. I just didn't know how." he tried to explain.
Audri pushed away from the tower. Her face contorted with pain as she searched his eyes. "How...how could you keep something like this from me?" Tears slid down her cheeks and he fists clenched and unclenched at her sides. "After everything that has happened between us....how could you Brooklyn?"
His answer meant nothing to her. Heart breaking, Audri whirled away from the two and left the courtyard.
Brooklyn groaned and buried his head in his hands. "Damn it! What the hell am I supposed to do now?" he muttered to himself. He had just single handedly ruined the one thing that he had been wanting his whole life. Would she ever forgive him?
"I'm sure that, given time, she'll understand." Goliath said. Brooklyn chocked back a humorless bark of laughter and shook his head. "Yeah...right." He turned away from Goliath and faced the city. He'd be lucky if Audri ever spoke to him again.
"Brooklyn...Goliath!" a voice yelled, dragging Brooklyn's attention away from his thoughts. They both turned and looked up. Lex, Broadway and Angela glided down into the court yard, landing one right after the other. "We just saw Audri take off by herself. And she looked really upset. What's going on?" Lex asked.
Brooklyn sighed and ran his talons through his long hair. "I'm a complete dumb ass, that's what's going on." he said.
Lex gave him a funny look. "Why's that?"
"I...I kept something from Audri that I really....really shouldn't have.I didn't tell Audri that Demona was here in New York." At their confused looks, Brooklyn painfully continued. " Most of her story isn't mine to tell. But the gist of it is that Audri's clan took Demona in as a guest. Demona and her army of willing humans destroyed Audri's family, killed them off one by one, and...they made Audri watch them do it."
Angela gasped. Broadway flinched. "Why didn't you tell her?" Lex asked.
"She told me that after her mother was killed, she ran Demona through with a sword. She thought that she had killed Demona." Brooklyn said. Audri had told him the rest of the story when he had taken her out for a walk. She hadn't cried. It was her story of survival. The reason she was alive today. At least that's what she had said after telling him the story.
"Oh God, poor Audri." Angela whispered. "Did she find out the truth then?"
"Yes, she overheard Brooklyn and I discussing the matter." Goliath said to his daughter.
"And now she's gone." Brooklyn murmured. He leaned back against the ledge, his head hung in silent defeat, silently cursing himself over and over again. This was bad. If he couldn't even forgive himself, why should he expect Audri to forgive him. She never would. He wondered if his predicament could possibly get any worse.
Lex suddenly spoke up, a note of alarm in his voice. "Audri went out alone. Brooklyn..."
His words hit Brooklyn like a bucket of ice. Fear unlike any he had ever known sifted through him until he was consumed with it. Apparently, his predicament could get worse. Much worse. He looked up at Lex, the word he spoke ringing in his ears. "Quarrymen."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Audri glided above the buildings of the city unable to see where she was going through the tears that blinded her. The wind stung her tear soaked face. She wanted to go to Central Park. She needed to think and ever since Brooklyn had taken her there on their first date, it had become one of her favorite places to be. All she wanted to do was get there so she could be alone to cry and sort things out in her head. She felt so angry and hurt inside. The pain was almost unbearable. But there was a small nagging voice whispering in her ear that she needed to at least try to understand.
Looking down she spotted Central Park and started to descend. She landed with a soft thud on a paved walkway next to a pond and started walking slowly along the path. The sounds of the night surrounded her, crickets chirping, the lonely hooting of an owl wrenching her heart. She felt so alone.
"But you don't have to be. If you would just understand..." the voice whispered.
Audri pushed it away and sniffled, brushing away the tears that clung to her cheeks. She wanted to try and understand but the hurt ran too deep. How could he keep something like that from her? All the time, Demona had been alive, here in the same city as her, and Brooklyn had not even tried to tell her.
The insistent voice called to her again. "You don't know that Audri....he could have tried thousands of times. He wanted to tell you tonight...didn't he?" It's last question tore at her soul. She fell to her knees in the grass and cried until she could no more. She cried away the pain, the anger, the confusion until there was nothing left for her to do but try and understand.
She dried her face with the hem of her skirt and then closed her eyes, thinking back to the night when she and Brooklyn had first met. She could remember how caring he had been, how he had held her while she cried. She remember telling him about what Demona had done to her family. He had looked so upset. Audri tried thinking about it the other way around. If what had happened to her had happened to Brooklyn, she would have probably had a very difficult time trying to figure out how to tell him.
Realization came. She had never been mad at Brooklyn. She knew that now. She had been mad at Demona. Mad at her for being alive even though Audri had thought her dead so long ago. Mad at Demona for coming back to haunt her just when she had started to feel safe again.
But she wasn't mad at Brooklyn. She had been hurt and confused. But she had never been mad at him. She could never be mad at Brooklyn. She loved him...would always love him. And because she loved him she could forgive him, because wasn't part of loving someone forgiving them for their mistakes?
Audri nodded. She would forgive him. And then, once that was done, he could help her figure out what to do about Demona. Audri jumped to her feet. All she had to do was get back to the castle, find Brooklyn and-.
"Well, hey there pretty. We meet again."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"You three, circle the Park. Hudson and I will check the pier. I'll notify Elisa immediately and Angela, you stay here in case she returns." Goliath barked out his orders quickly and efficiently. Then they departed, the two groups heading in separate directions. Brooklyn was the first to leap from the parapets and glide towards Central park. He had only one thought on his mind; getting to Audri before the Quarrymen did.
Broadway and Lex followed, trailing behind with their worried gazes locked on the back of their rookery brother. Lex threw a glance over to Broadway and motioned forward with a nod of his head. They tucked their wings and sped up, coming up on either side of the red gargoyle.
"Hey Brook....you okay?" Broadway asked.
"What do you think?" was Brooklyn's terse response.
Broadway looked helplessly over to Lex who could only offer him no more then a shrug. Sighing, Broadway tried again. "I guess Audri didn't take the news about Demona so well, huh?"
"You guess right."
"I'm sorry Brooklyn."
Brooklyn sadly shook his head back and forth. "So am I." he said quietly. He released a bitter laugh. "It just figures though, doesn't it?"
Lex looked from Broadway to Brooklyn. "What figures?"
"That I should screw things up. I go and fall for Audri then loose her. And...it's my fault. If I would have told her.." his anguished voice died away into the night. Broadway reached over and placed a large hand on Brooklyn's shoulder. "You haven't lost her yet."
Brooklyn raised hopeful eyes to his rookery brother. "I hope to God that you're right, Broadway."
*~*~*~*~*~*~*
A chill ran down Audri's spine, the hairs on the back of her neck rose and stood on end. She turned around slowly, ever so slowly, afraid of what she would see, her heart slamming against her ribs. She stifled a gasp. She was surrounded by over ten masked Quarrymen. They had moved around her, circling her, trapping her.
"So where's your big tough boyfriend now, huh?" the one standing in front of her asked in a mocking voice. Audri remember him. He was the one who had attacked her and Lex the other night. Audri straightened her back and tried to look calm. "He should be here shortly." she replied, waving her hand dismissivley. She scanned the area slowly, searching for an escape. Every nerve in her body stretched, threatening to give out, leaving her with no other option then to panic. "You had best go before he gets here or there shall be hell to pay." she said, looking down her nose at the human.
He surprised her by laughing. The cruel sound echoed in her ears until she was sorely tempted to raise her hands and cover them. She remained still. "I'm sure there will be." he said. He gave a nod to his accomplices and two men stepped forward, yanking Audri's arms painfully behind her. She grimaced as a heavy boot came down on her tail. "Move that tail and I'll cut the damn thing off, got that?" the man in front of her warned.
Audri took a few steadying breaths but it was pointless. Panic closed in around her, making her take short, gasping breaths. She gave up the pretense of acting calm and let her fear fuel her actions. She pulled her arms forward, along with the two men holding them, and cracked their skulls together. The two men fell to the ground, unconscious. Four more took their place. Audri struggled against them, knowing already that it was futile. She raised blazing, electric blue-green eyes to the man in front of her. "What do you want from me?"
Something silver flashed in the moonlight next to his thigh. "I should think that would be pretty easy to figure out, monster." He raised the object clenched in his hand. A knife. Audri swallowed hard as she looked at the wide, seven inch blade that curved slightly at the end. She had never seen any of the soldiers carry a knife such as this one.
"I want...your life." he said, turning the blade this way and that to catch the glow of the moon. "Only problem is, I don't really know how to go about tourchering you to death."
Audri's lips curved in a hateful sneer. "Go to hell." she growled, trying once more to escape from the hands of the men who held her. A fist came down across her face with a jarring impact that sent her staggering backwards. Audri gasped and raised her eyes to the man with the knife. She watched him toss the knife from one hand to the one he had just struck her with.
"Bring the bitch over here!" he commanded. Hands pulled her up and forward until she was face to face with wielding psychopath, a man she had recently chosen to loath with a passion. The man raised the knife to her neck and she felt the cool steel press against her skin. She held perfectly still, afraid to do so much as swallow, and kept her gaze trained on him, trying to gauge his next move.
The man shook his head slowly. "No...not there. That would be too quick." he murmured. He slid the blade over her skin, down her neck, lower and lower still. Audri drew in a sharp breath when the blade passed over the curve of her breast and moved lower, pausing at her stomach. The man appeared to be considering something. Then he abruptly brought the knife up and slashed it past her stomach, piercing the soft flesh. Audri cried out in pain and tried to pull her arms free again. She had to cover the gash. She had to stop the bleeding. She had to live or else she would never be able to tell Brooklyn she loved him.
Finally freeing her hands she pressed them against the wound. Her eyes widened in horror as blood seeped through her hands and rolled over her knuckles. "Why are you doing this?!" She screamed.
Again she was struck. With no one holding her, Audri was hardly able to remain standing, but she did. The metallic flavor of blood filled her moth. She raised a hand to her lip and pressed talons to them, brining her had back to see it smeared with more of her own blood.
All around her the men laughed. Their mocking voices called out to her. She had been here before. Her mind flashed an image of a blazing, fire lit sky, a courtyard littered with bodies of the dead, soldiers with their painted faces and blood thirsty eyes staring at her. The vision faded and left her back in the future, surrounded by jeering Quarrymen who were slowly closing in around her.
"Come on demon slut!! Fight for your life. Even tough it really wont do you any good!!"
Fate stepped in at that moment and Audri looked up into the sky. Three winged figures passed over the moon, approaching Central Park. Hope sparked in her and grew as the other gargoyles drew closer. She was saved.
Audri pulled together the last bit of her quickly draining strength, hearing a loud snap behind her followed by an electric hum. The noise was familiar and it struck terror into Audri's heart. She looked up again, hoping that the others were close enough to hear her, took a deep breath and screamed, "Brooklyn!!"
The trio was just passing over Central Park when they heard the scream. "That was Audri." Brooklyn said in a low voice. Dread closed in around him, suffocating him. He searched the large expanse of lawn until he found her surrounded by Quarrymen, struggling for freedom. His entire body went numb. A tidal wave of anger washed over him, turning his usually soft brown eyes to a blazing, fearsome white. "No." he whispered, watching as on of the Quarrymen lifted his sledge hammer and brought it down on Audri's back, bringing the little female to her knees."
"AUDRI!!" Blind with rage, Brooklyn tucked his wings and swooped descended on the group of Quarrymen like a hawk after it's prey. He landed hard in the middle of the group, one foot planted on either side of his fallen love. He released a chilling growl and the entire group retreated a step. 'That's right,' Brooklyn though. 'Run for your god damn lives.' He reached forward and seized the hammer out of the hands of the man who had dared to hit Audri with it. The anger consuming him robbed him of his ability to think so he acted on emotions alone. Yanking down the handle and charging the hammer, he sent it flying into the chest of the man. It landed with a sickening crack, more then likely breaking a few ribs. The man released a strangled cry and crumpled to the ground.
"Anyone else up for a fight?" Brooklyn asked in a menacing voice. The Quarrymen looked at each other, then cried out and lunged at Brooklyn. The gargoyle threw one punch after another, all the while attempting to dodge the ones thrown at him. "A little...help here...guys!?" he yelled.
Broadway and Lex landed just as Brooklyn called out for help and pulled some of the Quarrymen away from him, beating them unconscious and tossing them aside. Before long there was only one Quarryman left standing. He faced off with Brooklyn, crouched low and holding a knife in front of him.
Brooklyn looked over at Lex, then Broadway and the three shook their heads. "You want to keep an eye on him while I take care of the rest of 'em?" Broadway asked Lex. Lex nodded and moved forward. "Yeah sure." The both cast a quick glance at Brooklyn, then Broadway went to clean up and Lex turned his attention back to the loan Quarryman.
Brooklyn knelt beside Audri and slowly turned her over, sliding his arm under her neck. He checked her pulse. She was still alive, just very badly beaten. He cautiously traced the bruise forming on her jaw and she made a small noise in the back of her throat, her brow furrowing slightly.
"I'm so sorry, Audri." He whispered. He moved his hand down her neck, checking fro bruises and saw the gash cut across her side. "Shit." he muttered. Looking around for something to stop the blood from flowing, he spotted Broadway tying up the unconscious Quarrymen. "Broadway! Bring me one of those masks, quick!" he called out. Broadway jerked one of the masks off a Quarryman and lumbered over.
Crouching down on the other side of Audri, he handed the mask to Brooklyn. "What happened?"
"I don't know." Brooklyn said. He pressed the cloth firmly against the wound. "It looks like someone cut her with..." his voice drifted away and his mind finished the sentence for him. With a knife. Brooklyn jerked his gaze up to the Quarryman Lex was watching; the one with the seven inch blade in his hand.
Broadway looked over at the Quarryman and saw it too. "Brooklyn..." he said warily.
"You're gonna DIE you bastard!!" Brooklyn yelled. He let at the Quarryman and took him down, throwing him against the hard pavement. "I should kill you for what you did to her!!" Brooklyn pulled back his fist and slammed it into the Quarryman's jaw. The man grunted and kicked at him, sending them into a roll. Landing on top the Quarryman pinned one of Brooklyn's shoulders beneath his knee and raised his hands above his head, the silver, blood stained blade of the knife catching the moonlight. "Die freak!!" the man spat.
Brooklyn caught his hands as they came down, stopping the knife an inch from his throat. He pushed the Quarryman's hands over, away from his neck. "Not tonight." he said, planting his food in the Quarryman's midsection and kicking him back. The knife slipped free from the Quarryman's grasp as he went sailing over Brooklyn's head.
"They should just give up already." Brooklyn muttered to himself. He rolled over and pushed himself up. Picking up the knife, he walked over to where the Quarryman was getting to his feet. "I think you dropped something." he called.
The Quarryman spun around and shrank back. "Not so tough without your weapon, are ya?" Brooklyn grabbed the man's collar and hauled him into the air. "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now." he demanded. The Quarryman whimpered a pitiful answer. Brooklyn shook his head. "Not good enough."
"Brooklyn." A soft, familiar voice called. He immediately dropped the man and turned around. Audri was leaning heavily on Broadway, clutching the cloth mask to her stomach and giving him a pleading look. Forcing himself to calm down, Brooklyn turned back to the Quarryman and raised the knife above his head. He ignored Audri's startled gasp and brought the handle of the knife down on the base of the man's skull, rendering him unconscious. "You're not worth my time." Brooklyn said.
He walked back to where Lex and Broadway stood, holding Audri between them. "You okay?" Broadway asked. Brooklyn nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Audri-." He was at a loss for words. He had no idea what he could say to her that would make everything better. "I...I'm sorry." he whispered.
Audri's luminous blue eyes stared at him, unwavering. Then she uttered a small sob and threw herself into his arms. Brooklyn released a huge sigh of relief. He wrapped his arms and wings protectively around her. "You're forgiven." He heard her murmur against his neck. "I did not think I was going to escape them alive. Thank you."
He felt her tears against his skin and felt his own eyes start to burn. "No. It was all my fault this whole thing happened Audri. I should have told you about Demona...but I didn't know how to." he said.
"I know...I know. I understand that now." She ran her talons through his hair and held him close, loving the feel of his arms around her, loving him. She would spend the rest of her life making sure he knew that.
Brooklyn pushed her away and held her at arms length. He smiled down at her, pushed her hair out of her eyes and cupped her face in his hands. The movement, the entire action was so perfect, so touching that it brought forth more tears. If he kept it up, she would never stop crying.
"Audri." he said, his voice hoarse with emotion. "I'm still sorry that I didn't tell you. I had no right keeping that from you. If I would have told you before, none of this," he gestured to the Quarrymen then brushed his talons over her bruised jaw, "or this would have happened. When that guy hit you, I though I had lost you. It felt like my world had shattered apart."
Audri tilted her head into her palm and gave him a watery smile. "But you did not lose me." she whispered.
"I thought I had." he whispered back, his eyes becoming suspiciously bright. "I'm going to spend the rest of my life doing everything I can to keep you from being hurt like that again. Audri....I...I love you."
Audri felt her heart grow and fill for love with him. He was all she wanted. Demona didn't matter. The Quarrymen didn't matter. All that mattered is that he loved her. "I love you too, Brooklyn." she said softly.
"You do?"
Audri laughed weakly. "Aye. I do." She placed her palm lovingly against his cheek. "I wanted to tell you earlier tonight. That is why I was...looking..for you..." Audri's vision blurred and she pitched forward, falling against Brooklyn.
Carefully lifting her in his arms, Brooklyn cradled her slight weight against him. "Why don't we get you back home, huh?" He asked quietly, forcing back the tears that had come from hearing her declaration of love. She murmured a reply and her eyes fluttered shut. Brooklyn smiled and placed a kiss on her forehead. His love would rest peacefully now.
Pulling back the cloth mask to reveal the mess there, Brooklyn grimaced. It wasn't good. "We need to get her back to the castle." He said to Broadway and Lex. "This mask isn't holding up. It's almost soaked through."
"I'll go find Goliath and Hudson and let them know we found her." Broadway said. "Meet you back at the castle." Brooklyn and Lex watched him disappear, then started walking towards the entrance of the park to find a place to take off from.
Lex leaned up as they walked and peered at the dozing Audri. "Poor thing. If I were her, I'd want to sleep until dawn." He looked up at Brooklyn. "What are we going to do when she waked up?" he asked.
Brooklyn looked down at Audri. She looked so serene when she slept, like an angel. Part of him wanted her to sleep until the sun came up, but the other wanted her to wake up so that he could hear her say she loved him again.
"I don't know, Lex. Guess we'll face that time when it comes. For now, lets just focus on getting back to the castle."