kittyluv is beta

Disclaimer: I don't own Gargoyles.

XXX

"Demona." The name was out of his mouth before he could stop it. He had never met her, only heard tales of the crazed female. He knew the tales of her own betrayal and madness and the never ending quest to rid the world of humans.

She stared down at him, considering. "You know my name, but I believe I do not know yours."

Lincoln was silent for a second. His clan didn't trust her, so he shouldn't. But she hadn't attacked him. In fact she looked relaxed and calm, but alert. It couldn't hurt. "Lincoln."

"Lincoln. How…original. So…tell me young one, how did you come about here? I know of only Goliath's clan." She asked calmly.

"Why should I trust you? I know of your past ramblings." Lincoln moved away, not liking that she was so curious.

"You look a lot like Brooklyn. You were hatched in the clan? So they have found mates?" she stayed where she was, though Lincoln had been moving away.

He froze. "How do you know?"

A laugh. "I haven't lived as long as I have by being stupid."

Lincoln grimaced and moved back again. He was ready to take off; thankful for once that he wasn't like gargoyles in the science of flying. They could only glide and even to do so had to catch a thermal. He could just take a small jump and take off that way. He moved to do just that when she placed a claw on his shoulder.

"Could you only hear me out? Just an ear. That's all I'm asking." Demona said.

Lincoln looked back over at her and considered. Considering her past…he sighed. Why not? He nodded, "But we need to leave this alley. I-" he looked over at the bodies again.

"Fine. Follow me-"

"No. I don't trust you. Follow me." With that he took that jump and beat his oversized wings, the tips brushing each wall on ether side of the alley. He rose and turned back to see Demona climbing the wall the to launch herself off into the air. He swung back around and flew several miles to the outsides of the city. It was one of his other hiding spots. An old burnt shell of a mansion. It wasn't the house itself that he loved, but the surrounding garden and woods. He loved the old rustic look to it. Many times he had went there to try to practice his routines and try to work his wings properly.

They touched down in the garden, old over grown weeping willow trees and over run flowers beds and several faded statues and a dried up fountain was in the center of the garden. He caped his wings as Demona did the same.

"All right. You have my ear, but don't expect anything." Lincoln warned, on his guard.

"Of course not." She looked away then back at him. She told him the story of her life. The unbridged version. She made her hatred for most humans known. She spoke of regrets over having burned her bridges with the clan. "My ruin with Nightstone Unlimited, the Quarrymen, everything…I'm tired of it all! You know of my immortality bind with Macbeth. I cannot die. I'm alone in his hell."

Lincoln listened with a receptive and sympathetic ear. He understood all to well. But…it still didn't change the fact that she was unstable at times. "You may not believe me when I say I understand, but I do. But I can't help but say that you did dig this 'hell' for yourself."

Demona barred her teeth slightly but then relaxed. "You are right."

"I just have a question. Do you hate all humans? Tell the truth. You can't have hated them all. You have formed alliances with them and not all have betrayed you." Lincoln asked. He had found a loophole. She claimed to hate humans, but yet she still hung around them, still at times worked with them.

"You are a smart one aren't you? Yes. I hate most, there are some that are worthy, but the others outnumber the few. The humans that you killed, I did nothing to them. They weren't even Quarrymen. Thugs, thieves that had found or bought the Quarrymen's old traps and hunting gear." She stopped and looked him over. Took in his furred tail, his blue eye, his teeth and the gray rosettes that flanked his arms, chest, back, legs and wings. "You killed that one human by an electric bolt. I know it wasn't magic. I know magic. What was it? You can't be a full gargoyle." She accused. Her dark gray eyes narrowed.

Lincoln winced. There was no way out now. She would probably kill him for having a once human mother. This was a bad idea, he decided. As the silence wore on and she began to get agitated, Lincoln defiantly raised his head. So what if my Mother was human? She died protecting the clan and me. She killed herself so that they would not use the 'monster' that they had created, he thought. "No. I'm not. My heritage is rather strange. Brooklyn is my father. As far as I know I age like humans, though I hatched from an egg. My mother, her name was Dr. Jacqueline Vinson. She was a veterinarian at the New York City Zoo. She also tampered in the genetics of blood. Another doctor approached her. Dr. Anton Sevarius. He was a true genetic. He asked for samples of animal's blood. She wouldn't give the samples to him so he had her kidnapped. He took the samples and twisted the DNA of several animals into a serum, which he injected into her and four other humans. It turned them into gargoyle like creatures. The differences were that they could fly and shoot bolts of electricity and didn't turn to stone in the day. The animals were a fruit bat, electric eels and big cats. Well, my mother and another female escaped. They got separated, and Jacqueline joined up with a Mike Holzman. He hid her as she tried to work on a cure and find Sevarius. She had several run ins with the clan, with Brooklyn. She ended up getting recaptured. Sevarius added advanced technology and or science. Maybe he dabbled in some magic. We never found out. But it gave her strong destructive powers. Like telekinesis. And she mutated even further. In fact, looked more like a gargoyle then a cat. It was after she was freed that she and Brooklyn became mate, hence me. But then again, she was captured again. This time was fully fitted with a controlling chip. She was to be used as a weapon. After a battle that the clan almost lost, she overpowered the chip and sent Sevarius and herself to their deaths." Lincoln took a deep breath. It was a rather long tale not as long as Demon's but maybe just as depressing.

Demona considered him for a moment. "A lot has indeed happened while I was away. Goliath's clan hid you well. " She looked to the east. The horizon was just staring to lighten. "You best go. Your clan would be worried about you."

"I doubt it."

Demona whipped her eyes back over to him. "What do you mean? You are part of their clan."

"I may be part of the clan, but it doesn't mean I'm a valued member." Lincoln said sharply.

"Why? Goliath was never too picky about whom he allowed into his clan. A human and a now a mutated human's and gargoyle's offspring."

"Brooklyn can't stand the sight of me. And the others…well they have given up on me." Lincoln looked away.

"Why? Tell me." She purred.

"I can't fight! I fall over myself and I can't fly right. I have not the strength of the others. Even Lexington can throw me and he's at least a foot shorter them me! I'm tired of everyone looking at me in pity! I'm tired of them just brushing me off." Lincoln snarled his blue eyes lighting up.

"There. I have to say I know how it feels." She placed a claw on his shoulder and thought for a moment. "You say you can't fight? I have taught many that seemed that they could not fight. You know one. I tell you what I'll teach you. Take up where they have stopped."

Lincoln backed away and eyed her warily. "Why do you want to help me?"

Demona turned away and wrapped her wings around her, "Nightstone Unlimited is destroyed, I have nothing, and Goliath would never welcome me back in his clan. I'm alone. I need a friend." She turned back to Lincoln. "Will you be that friend?"

Lincoln thought about it. She seemed sincere but it could be a trick. He then shrugged. "Yes."

She smiled. Not a sinister one, but a true genuine smile. "Good. As it is becoming dawn, you best go back. We meet here tomorrow night."

Lincoln nodded and took off. He didn't look back but flew on ahead. He knew he was taking a chance, but why not? His life was going nowhere and if she does keep her word and is able to teach him, then he would actually have one of the best-known gargoyle warrior for his teacher.