Gordon and the Gargoyles
.
.
Chapter 4: May the Force be Deadly
.
.
5:55 P.M.
.
.
Peyton walked across the illuminated hallway of the castle as she headed towards the top to meet the gargoyles, her Ninja Turtles dufflebag hung on her shoulder.
She looked at the wooden doors that were all lined up on both sides of the hallway.
The girl then noticed a note that was pinned one of the doors.
It was from Hudson.
The olive skinned seven year old took the note off the door and read it.
Dear Peyton,
We overheard Elisa talking about her not liking when you stay at her….apartment to much when she's working late.
So me and the lads pitched in and prepared a room for you for when you have to stay overnight.
I hope you enjoy it.
Best regards,
Hudson.
Peyton opened the wooden door slowly and flipped the switch to turn on the lights.
Her eyes lit up as she saw the room before her.
The dungeon like bench was now turned into a bed, with a mattress, pillow, and a green comforter laid neatly on top, on the side of the bed was a little shelf where she could put her glasses before she went to sleep and below the bed was a little wooden ladder so she could climb into and out of bed.
On the right side of the bed, was a little bedside table with a drawer and a little oil lamp was on top of the drawer. On the left of the bed was a yellow bookshelf with tons of her favorite books. On top of the bookshelf was a framed photograph of her with the gargoyles and Elisa that was taken a few days after their first meeting together and a phone while on the bottom of the shelf, there was a box filled with different tools and supplies that she could use to make repairs and build things in the castle, and a radio so that she could listen to her music. There was also a large TV set with a box full of VHS's, video games, and DVD's so that she could watch with the remote on top and across from the TV was a green recliner with cup holders and a pouch on the right side for the remote.
A large wooden closet was at the right side of the wall, and a mint green rug was on the floor with a coat hanger and an orange trampoline with a blue handlebar. There was also a large easel with a drawing pad and a box filled with art supplies on the side and on the right wall, was a window shaped like a semi-circle with orange curtains.
Peyton's eyes scanned the room as she walked in and set her dufflebag on the bed, a wide smile was on her face at the sight of her guest room.
Looking out the small window she saw the setting sun and smiled.
.
.
.
.
7:55 P.M.
.
.
.
.
The sun began to set once Peyton walked up to the tall tower of the castle. The gargoyles then awoken from their stone slumber with a set of roars as they stretched and yawned.
"See you later guys!" said Broadway as he glided away from the castle.
Brooklyn stood by Lexington and the little green gargoyle waved goodbye to Broadway as Goliath glided down to them.
"Where's he off to in such a rush?" he asked.
"Oh, he's going to see Showdown again." replied Lexington.
"Showdown?" asked Goliath.
"Yeah," said Brooklyn. "It's a new Western; great movie, we all saw it the other day."
"Y'know. Cowboys, horses, guns." Lexington said as he pretended to use his claw like a gun.
"Hmm, it must be good he didn't even have his dinner first," joked Goliath.
"Movies, television, video games; these days its hard to tell what's real and what's not." said Hudson as a few words of wisdom, shaking his head.
"Hey guys."
The gargoyles turned to see Peyton walking towards them and they all smiled.
Bronx couldn't contain his excitement that Peyton was here, so, he hopped off his pedestal and pounced on Peyton and began to lick her face.
"H-Hi Bronx!" she laughed between breaths.
The gargoyles said nothing but smile at interaction between the girl and gardog.
"Now there's a sound I've been waiting all day." smiled Hudson, pulling Peyton up from the floor.
"Hi Hudson."
Peyton hugged Hudson and the pale brown gargoyle hugged her back with his wings closed.
Soon, the gargoyles and Peyton headed inside the castle.
"By the way," Peyton said as she walked behind Hudson. "Thanks for making a room for me guys. It looks really cool!"
"Hey, no problem." Lexington smiled. "What are friends for right?"
Peyton giggled and replied, "Yeah."
"So, what do you wanna do d'night?" asked Brooklyn, looking for something to do.
Peyton remembered that she brought a few things for her to do at the castle while she was staying.
"I think I have a few ideas." said Peyton.
.
.
.
.
9:22 P.M.
.
.
.
.
Chief Great Big Tealman (Peyton) carefully scanned the area across the stoned desert, her bow and arrows at the ready.
Her eyes narrowed as she quietly creped across the stoned desert, cautious of the enemy.
Soon, she saw them.
Cowboys.
"Ah, ha!" the chief whispered.
One had a red 10 gallon hat and the smaller one had a green 10 gallon hat and just like the chief, they were scanning the area as well.
The chief aimed her arrow at the little green cowboy, but the cowboy was slicker than Chief Great Big Tealman. Taking out his white pistol, he began firing.
The little Indian chief dodged all the orange and blue bullets while firing her arrows at the two cowboys. Sure enough, the taller red cowboy began to take action as well and he to, started firing orange and blue bullets.
Soon, a couple of bullet became close to between 100 and 103.
The little Indian chief tried to dodge all of the cowboys bullets and she was currently running out of arrows.
"Uh oh.." she said lowly.
Then, she had an idea.
*whistle*
The two cowboys then turned up to see something charging in from the shadows towards them and the little chief.
The figure pounced on the two cowboys, knocking them both to the ground.
Lurking out of the shadows was a huge dark blue coyote, his pupil-less golden eyes glowed at the two cowboys as he lowly growled at them. He grabbed Chief Great Big Tealman by the scruff of her neck and placed her on his back.
"Oh, not good partner.." the red cowboy said to the little green cowboy.
"No kidding." the little green cowboy retorted back to his partner.
Both cowboys backed away slowly from the giant blue coyote as he howled at the top of his lungs.
Chief Great Big Tealman petted the giant coyote on the head and filled her satchel with arrows again.
"Now what?" the little green cowboy asked his partner.
"Um.."
5 Seconds Later…
"AHHHHH!"
The two cowboys ran for the lives as the little Indian chief was chasing them while shooting her arrows on the back of her dark blue coyote.
Chief Great Big Tealman let out a battle cry as she fired her arrows at the two cowboys.
The coyote went on full speed ahead, trying to catch up to the enemies.
"Faster boy!" the little chief said to the coyote. "Faster! C'mon! There getting a-WOAH!"
The coyote tripped over a rock and started tumbling towards the two cowboys.
The two cowboys spotted the coyote heading towards them and tried to run….they ended up getting caught in the rubble and plummeted down a huge canyon.
….
Peyton groaned as she brushed herself up and got up from Bronx's back as started to pick up her toy suction cup arrows from the floor and staircase.
Bronx on the other hand grumbled and started sniffing for any sign of Lexington.
"Mmph! Mmph! Mmph!"
The dark blue gar-dog saw Lex's little green talon from under him and sniffed it.
"Bronx!" Lexington said, muffled. " . !"
Bronx's fin-like ears perked up and got off of Lexington.
The little green gargoyle slowly got up from the floor and shook himself as he brushed the dust off of him and took off his clear Styrofoam bullet proof glasses from his eyes.
"WOAH! YEAH!" Brooklyn exclaimed as he jumped up with excitement and playfully punched Bronx gently. "WHOO! WHO'S UP FOR ROUND TWO?!"
Lexington glared at his older rookery brother as he helped Peyton clean up.
Brooklyn smiled sheepishly and said, "…Um…ahem….t-t-tell Bronx to be a bit more careful."
Lex just groaned.
.
.
.
.
10:37 P.M.
.
.
.
.
"THANKS ALEJANDRO! SEE YA NEXT WEEK!"
Peyton (with her socks on) jumped off the lounge chair from Hudson's room and picked up three boxes of pizzas from Pizza Hut and one pasta container and headed to her new guest room where Brooklyn, Lexington, and Bronx were watching TV.
There was also a pack of Toddynho milk cartons, a plate of microwave s'mores, a stack of Zoo Pals plates, napkins, and two canisters of Pringles Original Potato Chips on a small plastic table they set up a few minutes ago.
The seven year old gently kicked the door open and said behind the boxes, "Soups On!"
Brooklyn saw Peyton with the heavy pizza boxes in her hand and got up from his seat on the floor.
"Let me help ya with that kid." the red gargoyle said as he took the pasta box and pizza box in his talons.
"Thanks Brooklyn." Peyton thanked as she set the remaining pizza boxes down on the floor by Lexington.
"So, whos box is whos?" Lexington asked.
"Well, let me see."
The seven year old took the receipt and read it over. "Um, Brooklyn, yours is the four cheese, Lex yours is the vegetarian option minus the bell peppers, Bronx, the container of pasta meat is yours, and mines is the three cheese and meat option."
Brooklyn and Lexington took their boxes, grabbed some plates and napkins, and served themselves.
While the two gargoyles were munching away, Peyton placed some of the pasta meat and Toddynho in Bronx's food and drink bowls. The giant gargoyle beast whimpered happily and began to scarf down his food.
Lexington laughed with his mouth full of pizza and said, "Mm, these are great."
"Mm-hm!" Brooklyn said while sipping on some Toddynho. "Broadway doesn't know what he's missin'!"
Lex started nibbling some of his chips when he asked Peyton, "Shouldn't we save some for Goliath, Broadway, and Hudson?"
"Broadway's is in the fridge already and Goliath and Hudson didn't want any so I made some chicken salads for them." replied Peyton, munching on a slice of her pizza.
"Mm, so…now what Pey?" asked Brooklyn as he ate one of his microwavable s'mores.
"Mmm…how about a movie?" asked Peyton, eating some chips and sipping on her carton of Toddynho. "What do you guys wanna watch?"
"What are the options?" asked Lexington, grabbing another slice of his veggie pizza.
"Let me check."
The olive skinned seven year old went to the cardboard box by the TV set and went through a bunch of the VHS's.
"OK we got Lion King, Aladdin, Darkwing Duck, Chip n' Dale Rescue Rangers, Tailspin, Ducktales, Rugrats, Batman, the Mask, Power Rangers,Bill Nye, some Charlie Brown tapes, Muppet movies and Muppet Babies, Ninja Turt-"
Something caught Peyton's eye, and her cerulean eyes widened like saucers.
"Holy cow!" she exclaimed.
"What?" asked Lexington, sipping on some Toddynho.
"I didn't think Hudson could get his hands….well, claws on this!" Peyton continued.
"What is it Peyton?" asked Brooklyn, putting down his flamingo shaped ZooPals plate.
The olive skinned seven year old held up an old VHS cover and blew off the dust on her left.
"Hudson managed to nab an old VHS copy of one of my favorite movies ever!" she said grinning, showing off her missing tooth and chipped front tooth.
Brooklyn examined the cover of the VHS.
"What is this movie kid?" Brooklyn asked her.
"It's called 'The Labyrinth'." she said, putting the tape inside the VHS player.
"What's it about?" asked Lex, taking a bite of his s'more.
"It's about this girl who's wishes her baby brother away a-"
Brooklyn interrupted.
"Why would she wish her brother away?" he asked.
"That's cause he was cryin' way to much and it was driving her bananas." Peyton explained. "Anyways, she wishes her brother away and a bunch of goblins grant her wish, so, by order of the goblin king Jareth, Sarah. Oh, that's the girls name by the way, has only 13 hours to get though the labyrinth and to the goblin king's castle and get her brother Toby back. Also, Toby's the name of Sarah's brother in the movie."
"Wow..cool!" Lex exclaimed with a mouthful of pizza and Toddynho.
Soon, Peyton sat next to Bronx as the music on the TV started playing and the four of them began to watch the movie together, while enjoying their meal together.
.
(A/N: For those who don't know what Toddynho or Toddy is, it's chocolate milk native to Brazil. My mom used to drink that stuff a lot when she was a little kid and I love it to! It's SUPER freaking delicious and my mom was able to find some at a Brazilian market a few miles away from where I live and since Peyton, like me, is half Brazilian from her dad's side of the family *her dad was adopted from Wisconsin and lived in Brazil till he was in college*, I wanted to include that Peyton loves Toddynho)
.
.
.
.
1 hour and 41 minutes later…
.
.
.
.
*grunting*
"L-LEFT HAND O-ON RED!"
Brooklyn, Lexington, and Peyton were tied up in a huge knot on the floor.
The two gargoyles and little girl were amongst each other in a game of Twister and placed their left hands (talons in Brooklyn and Lexington's case) on different red circles on the game mat.
"Got mine!" exclaimed Brooklyn.
"Me to!" called Peyton.
Lexington groaned and said, "Your turn Brooklyn!"
Brooklyn tried to reach the spinner with his free talon, but it was to far out of his reach, and he was caught in a human/gargoyle pretzel knot that he couldn't reach.
"I-I can't reach it!" the red gargoyle exclaimed to his younger rookery brother.
Lexington grunted and replied, "Try using your tail!"
Brooklyn stretched out his tail and spun the spinner with his tail.
The red gargoyle turned to the olive green gargoyle and the olive skinned seven year old and said, "Right foot on yellow!"
The two gargoyles and little girl groaned and grunted as they put their right feet on random yellow circles on the game mat.
"I'm up.." Peyton grunted as she spun the spinner again and called out, "Right hand on green!"
The three friends placed their right hands, and talons, on random green spots on the game mat.
"S-So, what's the purpose of this game again Pey?" Brooklyn asked as he groaned.
"I-I think it makes you and your f-friends g-g-get tied up in knots the size of Auntie Ann pretzels.." replied Peyton as she struggled to gain her balance.
All three friends struggled to gain their balance on the game mat.
From outside Peyton's guest room, Bronx was wandering around the halls after getting bored of watching TV with Hudson.
The giant gardog's fin like ears perked up to hear Brooklyn, Lexington, and Peyton groaning and grunting and ran off to Peyton's guest room to investigate.
Bronx walked into the open door and found the three friends all tangled up in a huge knot on the game mat.
The beast cocked his head to the side in confusion but soon perked up when he saw a dislocated tennis ball on the side of Peyton's dungeon like bed.
Bronx crouched down and crept towards the ball with a low growl.
The two gargoyles and Peyton noticed and looked towards the garbeast.
"Bronx.." Brooklyn said to the dark blue beast. "Bronx don't do it.."
Lexington added, "Bronx, leave it. Seriously, it already happened twice this week."
Bronx didn't pay attention to the two gargoyles and kept his eye on the ball.
Suddenly, his creeping began to look like running and he ran towards the tennis ball, knocking down the two gargoyles and little girl in the process.
The three friends sat themselves up on the floor while stretching and rubbing either their heads, backs, arms, or legs.
Lexington glared at Bronx as he happily gnawed on the tennis ball with drool trickling down his mouth and chin.
He flicked Bronx on the forehead, gaining the gardog's attention.
"No…treats.." Lexington said as he rubbed his head.
.
.
.
.
Meanwhile ….
Elisa's Apartment
4:45 A.M.
.
.
.
.
After finishing Showdown, Broadway glided across the luminescent city before he dove down and landed perfectly on the balcony of Elisa's apartment.
Sliding the glass window open, he looked around in search of the police officer.
"Elisa," the aquamarine gargoyle called out. "You home?"
"Is that you Broadway?" Elisa asked from the kitchen. She now wore her black shirt that was under her red jacket but with the same pants and shoes.
Broadway entered the apartment and replied, "I was in the neighborhood."
"Make yourself comfortable. I'll throw on a couple of steaks." she chuckled with a wink.
Broadway smiled and replied, "Thanks."
As Elisa cooked, the aquamarine gargoyle turned around and took a good look at Elisa's apartment. He noticed a black and white framed picture sitting on her TV. He took the picture in his claws and smiled.
Broadway then noticed a white door with a wooden sign decorated in blue with bubbles and two little fish.
The sign had green and teal lettering that read: 'Peyton's Room.'
Curious, he opened the door with his free claw and flicked on the light.
His cyan eyes lit up as he saw Peyton's room.
It was big compared to Elisa's!
He scanned the seven year old's bedroom. He saw her closet with her many clothes and supplies, her desk with books, notebooks, paper and other art supplies laid scattered around her computer, her bed with Ducktales bedsheets that laid neatly, and the many toys, books in the bookshelf, her TV set that laid on the floor, her frog, lizard, tortoise, goldfish, and rabbit in their natural living establishments (A/N: the reason why I mentioned the tortoise, goldfish, and rabbit was because that a few days after the events of chapter 3, Peyton adopted a tortoise she named Geo, a goldfish she named Cliff, and a bunny rabbit she named Strella *short for Estrella which means 'star' in Spanish*), the brightly colored posters that hung on the walls, and other knick-knacks she owns.
Broadway smiled at the sight of Peyton's room and closed the door slightly behind him.
Soon, something else caught the aquamarine gargoyle's eye. He dropped the photograph on the floor and made his way towards the gun that was hanging on the coat hanger beside Elisa's jacket.
Taking it in his claws he said in a low tone, "Cool."
Then, with Elisa's gun in his claws, he imagined a scene he saw from his film. He quoted, "Let's go pilgrim, and don't forget the horse!"
Broadway jumped around the living room as he imagined to shoot down the good guys from the movie as Elisa cooked.
Suddenly (and accidentally of course), Broadway pulled the trigger and a loud banging sound rings the air.
"Sorry!" he called out. "My fault, I was playing with the gun. Stupid of me. Hope I didn't break anything."
Broadway smiled sheepishly as he waited for Elisa to respond; only this time, she never did. Broadway looked in the direction where Elisa was standing before and she was no where to be found.
Confused, Broadway stood up and walked to the kitchen and called, "Elisa?"
Soon, Broadway found Elisa laid on the ground with a small pool of blood next to her waist.
"No.." Broadway whispered with his fin ears drooped as he saw the sight of the police officer.
With the gun in his claw, Broadway slowly approached the limp police officer and called out, "Elisa?"
He saw the gun and threw it on the ground and rushed to Elisa, cupping her head into his claws.
"Elisa!" he called out again in panic.
Elisa weakly opened her soft brown eyes and looked at Broadway before her eyes shut slowly again.
"Sorry," Broadway whispered in guilt. "I'm sorry."
Broadway then turned off the stove and carried Elisa carefully in bridal style formation before he glided out the window.
Cagney watched on.
.
.
.
.
*in a French Narration accent* Two Hours Later…
.
.
.
.
It was a bright and sunny morning in New York City and Peyton happily hopped off the bus to the front of Elisa's apartment.
She couldn't wait to tell her all the exciting things that she did with the gargoyles while she was working.
Taking out her light saber themed keys, she opened the door and happily called out, "Elisa!"
Closing the door she examined the empty apartment.
"Elisa! I'm home!" Peyton called out again.
Silence.
"Elisa?" Peyton called again, confused.
The olive skinned seven year old looked at all the places where Elisa could be.
The bathroom, the storage closet, the living room, Cagney's little sleeping and litterbox area, and the kitchen.
The little girl noticed the pool of blood on the floor near the stove.
"Huh? Cagney, did you cough out those huge hairballs again?" she asked the gray cat, rubbing her head.
Cagney purred in response.
"Guess I'd better clean up or somethin'.." she said to herself.
And so she did, the little girl also fed Cagney her daily can of cat food before grabbing some breakfast herself.
Peyton took out a huge box of Chocolate Mud n' Bugs cereal (Lion King themed cereal) and put them in a bowl and poured some milk in it before making some Puetro Rican toast (after taking out the welly cooked steak Elisa made from the pan and putting it in the fridge) and grabbing a leftover carton of Toddynho.
After she finished making herself some breakfast, she went to find Elisa again.
Peyton deiced to check Elisa's bedroom for her.
Quietly, the girl creeped into the room and soon noticed that the bed was empty.
"Huh.." she said to herself. "That's weird. Elisa should be here…Maybe she left for another shift or something.."
Shrugging off the thought, she left the room and went to enjoy her breakfast.
.
.
.
.
8:39 A.M.
.
.
.
.
A hour later, Elisa still hadn't returned!
Peyton tried to call her a few times but she didn't answer, which was weird cause she always answers her phone.
But, Peyton wasn't worried, she knew that Elisa might be busy running errands or cracking a case at the police station and that she couldn't pick up the phone cause she was busy.
So, she enjoyed her breakfast that morning while watching a rerun of Animaniacs on the TV, with Cagney by her side.
.
.
A few seconds later..
.
.
*knocking*
Peyton looked up from her bowl of cereal and placed her food on the coffee table and left for the door.
She looked through the peep hole while standing on her tiptoes.
It was Owen.
"Mr. Brunette?" she thought to herself. "Why would he be here?"
Peyton opened the door to let Owen in.
"Um….G-Good morning Mr. Brunette.." Peyton said. "It's weird seeing you here in the mornings…..and in Elisa's home to. Oh! Speaking of Elisa, do you know where she is? I tried to call her but she wouldn't answer her phone."
"That's why I came here Ms. Gordon.." Owen replied. "I'm afraid I have to inform you with some bad news.."
"What do you mean Mr. Brunette?" Peyton asked both confused and worried. "Are the gargoyles OK? Is the sky scrapper on fire? Did a mothership of aliens come to Earth and you came to tell us to evacuate to Canada?!"
Owen raised a brow at the last thing Peyton said.
"None of the above Ms. Gordon.." Owen replied.
"So…..what is it?" asked Peyton.
"Your friend and guardian Elisa Maza has been shot." Owen said without sugar coating it. "They're not sure if she'll live."
Peyton just stared at Owen for about 5 seconds.
"Shot?" she asked. "As in like a needle shot?"
Owen sighed and rubbed his forehead as he replied, "No Ms. Gordon, she's been shot, she did not receive an injection. They're not sure if she'll live."
Peyton laughed and replied, "No Mr. Brunette. Like ya said, one way of getting shot at is with a needle with the doctor. Now, the other way of getting shot at is when a person has a-"
Soon, the realization hit the seven year old.
"WHAT?!"
.
.
.
.
9:45 A.M.
.
.
.
.
Peyton stood at the door that lead to Elisa's hospital room and looked in the little window on the top.
She laid on the stretcher, unconscious.
The doctors and nurses were preparing her for surgery to remove the bullet from her body.
The little girl gasped in horror at the sight of Elisa.
Her breath began to be shaky, she trembled a bit in her spot, her cerulean orbs were the size of saucers.
"H-How long till-"
Owen interrupted.
"Dr. Soto and his team doesn't know for sure how long she'll be here for." he replied. "They aren't even sure if she'll survive even after the procedure."
Peyton's eyes went wider than ever.
"N-No!" she thought to herself. "No! Not again!"
Owen looked at the sight of Peyton.
She felt cold, she looked like she was gonna puke. The color was almost completely drained from her face.
"I will….allow you to have some privacy Ms. Gordon.." said Owen as he began to walk towards the exit. "Good day.."
As soon as Owen left, Peyton sat down on the floor.
Guns! Why did it have to be guns?!
The more she thought about it, the more anxious she became.
"S-She can't die! She can't die!" she thought to herself. "I-I can't loose her like I l-lost mom and dad…."
The little girl felt her eyes watering up. She wanted to cry, but Elisa knew that she had to be strong so she kept her feelings under control.
She softly said to herself, "She can't die…..she's not gonna die…"
.
.
.
.
7:30 P.M.
.
.
.
.
Throughout the time she was in the hospital waiting on an update on Elisa, she called to cancel her daily lessons with her homeschool teacher, she was moved to the waiting room instead by Elisa's door (by one of the nurses that worked for Dr. Soto), and all she could do was sit, read boring grown up magazines instead of comics or the Disney Adventures Magazines or the Nickelodeon magazines that were at her local doctor and dentists office, eat lunch and dinner at the hospital cafeteria, and watch TV shows that could only come from the 50's or longer than that.
But all day, she couldn't get the thought of Elisa being gunned down by somebody.
It was like her learning about her parent's being dead all over again.
She remembered that day well. It was the day that changed her life forever.
.
(Flashback)
"Hey Peyton.." Elisa greeted back, "How was school today?"
Peyton un-rolled the piece of paper and showed it to Elisa and Maria. It was a drawing of her re-uniting with her mom and dad.
"It was great!" she said. "I made this for my mom and dad, where are they?"
Once she said 'mom and dad', Elisa's eyes were glistening with tears again and Derick pulled her big sister into a hug. Maria on the other hand was trying to hold back her tears.
Peyton looked at everyone.
She turned to Maria and said, "Something's wrong…isn't it?"
"Um, Pey.." started Derick. "W-When you went to school this morning, E-Elisa called me and s-said that your parents were unconscious and not responding s-so Elisa called 911 and they rushed them to the hospital…"
"They went under thirty hours of surgery," Maria continued. "And the doctors tried to respond them back b-but it was too late…Peyton I'm sorry, both your parents died fifteen minutes ago.."
Peyton was shocked and her eyes narrowed in confusion and sorrow.
"What?" she asked as if she were about to cry.
"T-They were both shot and hanged to death and….they're hearts gave out after the surgery.." Maria said, tears were falling from her eyes.
"N-No.." Peyton said shakily. "N-No they can't be dead! NO! MOM! DAD!"
Peyton rushed away into her parents hospital room only to find their bodies lying on the stretchers and nurses unhooking the IV's and heart monitors and left to grab sheets to cover their bodies with.
Her cerulean blue eyes were glistening with forming tears and she trembled in shock.
"MOM! DAD!" she yelled, running to her dead father's side.
She then whispered with shaky breaths, "Mom…Dad…Mommy….Daddy…"
(End of Flashback)
.
Peyton shivered at the thought and felt like she was gonna cry. But, once again, she kept it together.
A blue jacket was placed over her shoulders.
Peyton looked up.
"Ya look kinda cold there kid…" a familiar voice said. "Need a jacket?"
She turned to find Derick, and two other people behind them.
"Derick!" said Peyton, she ran into his arms and they wrapped each other up an a big hug.
"Hey squirt.." he greeted back. "Dr. Soto called us and told us everything….You OK?"
"I-I guess so.." she replied shakily.
Derick rubbed her back as they hugged.
Peyton looked up at the man and woman staring at the two.
Derick looked back and told Peyton, "You might recognize them from your own parents funeral. This is mine and Elisa's mom and dad. Mom, Pop, this is the kid Elisa's lookin' after, this is Peyton."
Peyton said, "I-It's nice to meet you Mr. and Mrs. Maza.."
"Call me Sargent Maza kid." Peter replied, shaking Peyton's hand.
Peyton shook Diane's hand and she said, "We heard about everything….how are feeling Peyton."
"S-Scared I guess.." Peyton said, looking down at her brown sneakers. "A-And-"
"Us to dear.." Diane retorted, showing her sympathy to the seven year old. "Us to.."
.
.
.
.
9:55 P.M.
.
.
.
.
Outside the hospital building, Goliath landed on the balcony of Elisa's room and see's the police officer unconscious, a hear monitor and a breathing tube are attached to her body. The lavender giant gargoyle watched until the door opens and he began to hide behind the window, out of the view.
Dr. Soto, Peter, Diane, Peyton, and Derick entered Elisa's hospital room.
Diane kneeled down and held Elisa's hand in her hands.
"Don't sugar coat it Dr. Soto, she's our daughter.." said Peter, placing his hands on Diane's shoulders.
"I wish I could tell you she'll be OK but the internal damage is extensive." said Dr. Soto. "The bullet hit high on the chest, ricocheted off the collar bone, nicked the heart muscle, and passed the right lung." Peyton sniffled a bit, her eyes were starting to glisten with tears again, but she kept those tears bottled up as she hugged Derick's waist. Derick looked down at Peyton and rubbed her back again. "I've removed it from the base of her spine. The good news is that she survived ten hours of surgery. The next twelve hours are crucial."
"Should we have her sister fly in from Arizona?" asked Peter.
"Don't talk like that dad," said Derick, placing a hand on his father's shoulder. "She'll be OK."
"Y-Yeah, sh-she has to be!" exclaimed Peyton as her lip trembled a little. "E-Elisa's not gonna die!"
Derick placed a hand on her shoulder to comfort her.
The girl was trying her very best not to cry.
"Well, what can we do?!" Peter asked in panic. "Diane-"
"We can pray Peter." replied Diane. "We can pray."
Diane stroked Elisa's hand gingerly.
Dr. Soto was about to leave till Maria entered the room.
"Don't stay long, she needs rest." Dr. Soto said, leaving the room.
"Maria," said Diane, gratefully. "Thank you for coming."
"C-Captain Chavez.." Peyton said, rushing to hug her.
Maria opened her arms out to the poor seven year old and hugged her as she gingerly caressed her curly brown hair.
"Mrs. Maza, Sargent Maza, Peyton, Derick." she greeted. "I'm sorry to see you all under these circumstances."
"Just tell me you know who shot my sister!" said Derick enraged.
"Witnesses say that she faced Tony Dracon at the Park Manor." Maria replied. "He stole an armed shipment and she was pretty determined to get those guns off the streets. Our guess is that one of Dracon's men snuck into her apartment and shot her with her own gun. Dracon may have even done it himself."
From outside, Goliath overheard everything and saw the states that Peyton and Elisa were in. The poor girl was about to burst into tears, but he knew that she was trying to conceal them.
"Any prints on the gun?" asked Peter.
"Some," replied Maria, "but so badly smudged that they don't even look human."
The head of the police shook her head and put on a face that showed determination to catch and arrest who ever shot Elisa. "Whoever the shooter is, we'll find him or her. No one hits a cop and gets away with it. No one."
Diane looked at Elisa, "I think we should let her sleep."
The family agreed and started to leave but Maria stayed behind to comfort Peyton.
"Don't worry sweetheart, we'll find the person responsible for this." Maria said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Just keep staying strong."
Peyton nodded and watched as Maria walked out with the rest of the family.
"Kid, you comin?" asked Derick. "There's pudding at the cafeteria.."
"…I-I'll catch up with you guys later.." said Peyton, softly.
"Sure," replied Derick, "take all the time ya need."
Derick closed the door behind him and Peyton was all alone in the room with Elisa…..for about 10 seconds before Goliath entered the room.
"G-Goliath?"
The seven year old went to the giant gargoyle's side and watched as he took Elisa's limp hand into his giant claws.
"Keep fighting Elisa," Goliath said softly, "Don't give up, come back to us. Know that, I will finish what you've started. I will find the man who did this to you, and I will make him pay."
His dark brown eyes glowed white with a face of determination.
Peyton hugged his arm with glistening eyes.
The lavender gargoyle noticed and turned to the girl.
"Peyton." said Goliath, placing his claws on her shoulders. "Owen told us everything. Are you-"
"I-I'm O-Ok Goliath.." Peyton replied, trying to sound strong for her friend.
"Peyton." Goliath said with sympathy. "…Whatever it is, you can always tell me or the others…you know that right?"
The olive skinned seven year old's eyes began to water up again. She said with a crack in her voice, "…I-I can't loose her like I lost my…like I lost my parents…."
Goliath remembered when the first time they met, Peyton blurted out to Demona that both her mother and father were killed by an unknown murderer. She always hated explaining what happened that fateful day.
"You have reminded us about your parents untimely death Peyton.." said Goliath. "But, you've never mentioned that they were shot along with the hanging.."
"I-I don't like talking about this stuff Goliath…" Peyton said shakily.
The tears were building up and Goliath noticed.
"I-I can't go through this again Goliath.." said Peyton as she trembled. "I-I can't loose her like I-I lost my mom and dad..I-I don't wanna be alone! I-I don't wanna be alone or-"
Goliath said no more but pulled the child into a huge hug, his wings were protectively wrapped around her.
Soon, he then felt something wet on his chest.
The lavender gargoyle looked down.
At last, the tears that Peyton was keeping together were being let out. One tear became many, and they all trickled down her freckled cheeks and her chin. She sniffed and her lips were harshly trembling.
Goliath noticed the tears that were trickling down his chest, but he didn't mind.
The lavender gargoyle stroked the girl's hair and had a neutral look on his face as he shut his eyes.
After the short thirty second silence, Goliath opened his eyes again and looked down at Peyton.
The girl was still sobbing, but not as hard as she was before.
Goliath pulled the girl from the hug, placing his claws on her shoulders and she sniffled.
"Don't worry Peyton…" said Goliath as he wiped away the tears from her freckled cheeks and adjusted her glasses. "Trust me as I say that I will find the person responsible and Elisa will have her revenge through me…Just promise me one thing.."
Peyton sniffled and asked, "What?"
"Remain strong…" Goliath said, narrowing his eyes. "Keep doing what your doing and keep being brave…"
Peyton nodded and the two hugged again.
Soon, Goliath took one last look at Elisa and Peyton before he climbed out the window and glided into the city.
.
.
.
.
12:20 A.M.
.
.
.
.
*…beeeeeeeeeeeeeepppp*
"Code blue! Code blue! I see you!" said a nurse.
Peyton was awoken from her short sleep by one of the nurses, who asked her to get out of the room.
"H-Huh?" Peyton mumbled sleepily. "What's happening?"
"Stay out here sweetie.." said one of the nurses, slamming the door.
The olive skinned seven year old looked at the door's window and went from sleepy to shocked once she saw what was going on.
"FLAT LINE!" called out the light blonde nurse, "NO PULSE!"
Peyton gasped in shock.
Elisa was dead?!
"No, no, NO!" she cried.
One of the nurses pulled Peyton into a hug and she buried her face in her chest.
Inside the Elisa's room, Dr. Soto was accompanied by a doctor and blonde haired nurse.
"Epinephrine!" he called.
One of the doctors handed Dr. Soto a needle containing the Epinephrine and stuck the needle down to Elisa's heart as he injected the Epinephrine into her body system.
The nurse checked the heart monitor, "Still flat."
"Get the paddles!" said Dr. Soto, "400 watt seconds! Clear!"
The doctor placed the paddles on Elisa's chest and with a shock, Elisa's heart started beating again.
"Got her!" the blonde haired nurse said with a smile, "Normal sinus rhythm."
Dr. Soto let out a sigh of relief and told the doctor, "Bring the family and the girl back in."
Outside the room, Peyton was crying into the nurses chest. The blonde haired nurse came in and said, "You can come in now. Ms. Maza has a normal heart beat."
"You mean, Elisa's not dead?!" she said, wiping away her tears.
"She's alright," said the nurse. "For now. All we have to do now is wait for her to come through."
Peyton looked at Elisa and nodded.
The nurse who was watching Peyton heard her stomach growl.
"You hungry kid?" she asked.
"Yeah.." replied Peyton with a sniffle.
The nurse led her to the cafeteria to meet up with the Maza's.
.
.
.
.
12:45 A.M.
.
.
.
.
Walking back to Elisa's hospital room, Peyton only stared at her sneakers as she walked.
Suddenly, something caught her eye.
It was a note, and it had her name on the front.
Picking it up from the floor she unfolded it and said:
Meet me on the roof.
I have something to tell you.
-Broadway
Peyton saw the family walking into Elisa's hospital room and told Derick, "Um Derick…I'm gonna go use the bathroom.."
"OK, try not to get lost, the hospital's pretty big.." he said.
Peyton nodded and started to walk to the roof.
.
.
.
.
1:34 A.M.
.
.
.
.
Peyton made her way to the roof and found Broadway sitting near the edge, twiddling his claws.
"Broadway? You OK?" the girl asked. "What is it that you wanted to tell me?"
The aquamarine gargoyle looked at Peyton with red cyan eyes.
"Broadway? W-Were you crying?" she asked.
The gargoyle wiped his eyes and sniffled. His fin ears dropped all the way.
"U-Um.." he stammered.
"Broadway.." Peyton said, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Y'know whatever you have to say you can tell me. Right?"
Broadway inhaled and exhaled deeply before he turned to Peyton and said, "I-I'm the one who shot Elisa….but, it was an accident! I-I was watching Showdown and I-I was re-enacting a scene from the movie with Elisa's gun a-and I pulled the trigger by mistake and…." Broadway sighed. "L-Look, I know you're mad at me and everything and….I get that you don't wanna be my friend anymore."
Peyton just stared at him with her eyes widened and her jaw dropped.
He shot Elisa?!
Why would he-?!
Peyton wanted to put him in a chokehold till he turned dark blue, but, at the same time, she now knew that it was an accident. After all, Broadway and the rest of the clan are still new to this time period and aren't familiar with the gadgets and other stuff that the city offers.
Should she forgive or kill Broadway?
….
"….No, he should be forgiven.." she thought. "After all, it was a mistake and he's still kinda new to the city.."
"Broadway…"
The aquamarine gargoyle looked down at Peyton, anticipating the backlash she was about to give him, but instead, the little girl hugged his arm and rubbed her cheek against it.
"I know it was an accident…" said Peyton. "You guys are still kinda new to the city and the century …it was a mistake and others, even me sometimes, make mistakes…"
Broadway looked at Peyton and Peyton looked back up at Broadway. The aquamarine gargoyle smiled and hugged Peyton with all the love in his heart.
"Thanks, Peyton." he said.
"Anytime Big B.." Peyton replied.
She then remembered what Maria said to the Maza family a few hours ago.
Goliath had been listening to, and now he thinks that Dracon was the one who shot Elisa.
"Broadway, we gotta find Goliath and tell him what really happened." said Peyton.
"What?!"
Broadway backed away a little, his fin like ears dropped and his cyan eyes widened.
"I-I can't face Goliath!" he exclaimed, "Do you know what he did to me the last time I made a mistake like this one?!"
"No." Peyton replied.
Broadway looked both ways before he whispered to Peyton, "He made me scoop up horse manure!"
"…Lucky…" Peyton groaned.
The little girl then said, "Never mind, c'mon, we gotta find Goliath and tell him the truth."
"I-I can't.." Broadway said.
"Broadway, c'mon." said Peyton, holding Broadway's claw in her hands. "I'll be right with you…."
Broadway thought about it very carefully.
Then he replied with a deep breath, "…OK.."
Peyton smiled and climbed on his back and Broadway glided off into the city to find Goliath.
.
.
.
.
3:56 A.M.
.
.
.
.
Peyton look for Goliath through her binoculars as Broadway glided carefully through the docks.
The little girl then spotted a giant lavender figure on top of shed.
"There he is!" she exclaimed.
Broadway saw Goliath on the shed roof and sighed deeply before he landed behind him, Peyton slide off his back.
Suddenly, Goliath turned his head to look at Broadway and Peyton. "How did you two-?! Nevermind, you both are just in time to help me deal with the one who shot Elisa."
"What?" gasped Broadway.
"That's right Broadway you don't know," said Goliath. "Elisa was shot, and the human responsible is inside that building," the lavender gargoyle's anger boiled up as he looked down the building Dracon was in.
"Um, Goliath," piped up Peyton, "Broadway has to-"
"Come," he interrupted, unleashing his wings, "There's no more time for talk."
The giant lavender beast glided down to the building.
"Right," Broadway said softly to himself has he placed Peyton on his back and glided behind him.
.
.
.
.
4:24 A.M.
.
.
.
.
"What?! Glasses you're not making sense! Calm down!"
Peyton quietly crept up behind some crates as he heard the man she now knew as Mr. Tony Dracon, yelling on the phone.
Dracon turned to his men and exclaimed, "We'd better get this stuff moved outta here!"
At that moment, Goliath teared down the wall and roared with Broadway behind him.
Dracon and his men became frightened for a few seconds before Dracon commanded, "Shoot them!"
His men obeyed and they grabbed a gun before starting to shoot at the two gargoyles.
Peyton ran up to her two friends like Sonic the Hedgehog to catch up to them.
"What now?" panted Peyton.
"Split up!" replied Goliath.
The gargoyles and Peyton split up behind some of the shipping crates. Goliath then noticed a power source on the wall and smashed it to pieces, causing the lights to go off.
Peyton grabbed her flashlight and shone a dimmed luminesced light around the shed. She had trouble seeing in the dark, but not the gargoyles.
Broadway climbed up a beam and dropped behind Dracon's men, startling them. "You're mine! All of you!"
The fear of guns hurting people, especially his loved ones, began to take over him and the aquamarine gargoyle started attacking the men.
Peyton tugged on Dracon's shirt and he turned around.
"You forgot that I'm here to."
Within a split second, she stepped on Dracon's foot, causing him to scream in pain.
"You little-"
He tried to grab Peyton but she rolled forward underneath Dracon's legs and did a side kick, knocking him down to the ground.
She soon caught up to Broadway and helped him attack the rest of Dracon's men.
The little girl soon saw Goliath attacking Dracon from above and notion's Broadway.
"Broadway!" she says to him. "C'mon, we gotta stop Goliath from killing Dracon. He thinks he shot Elisa, we have to tell him the truth!"
Broadway's eyes widened and stepped back.
"Broadway, c'mon!" she exclaims.
The aquamarine gargoyle's ears drop.
Peyton held her hand out to his claw.
"I got your back.." she said softly.
Broadway looked a Peyton for a while before he nodded and rushed to stop Goliath.
From above one of the pillars, Goliath wraps his tail around Dracon's wrist and he flipped the gun out of his hand. Goliath tore up the metal plane up and gets to where Dracon is.
Broadway and Peyton saw Goliath dangling Dracon by his ankle and both of their eyes widened.
The seven year old soon saw some chains hanging from above and got an idea.
"Follow me!" said Peyton as she started to climb the chains and swing from them as if she were a monkey. Broadway followed behind her and finally gathered up the strength to tell Goliath the truth.
Goliath growled, "You are the one who shot Elisa Maza,"
"W-What?!" Dracon responded, to shocked for words.
When Goliath was ready to rip Dracon apart, he heard Broadway shout, "Goliath, No! You can't kill him."
"You think not? Elisa will have her revenge through me!" growled Goliath as his claw reached Dracon's face.
Broadway and Peyton got on the metal plane and Broadway admitted, "Dracon's innocent! He didn't shoot Elisa….I did it."
"What?" said Goliath as his eyes returned to normal, his anger died down.
"It was an accident," replied Broadway. "I was looking at her gun and…it went off…I-I'm sorry."
Goliath looked down at Peyton and she added, "It's true.."
Goliath's anger boiled down more. He grabbed a metal pipe from the railing and ties Dracon with it. "Come," Goliath said in a low tone, "we have much to talk about.."
Broadway lowered his head down, his wings cloaked his shoulders, and his ears were dropped all the way down.
Peyton looked at Broadway, and looked back at Goliath.
The silence between the three lasted for almost a minute when Peyton silently piped up, "Um…Goliath?"
Goliath looked down at Peyton as she held onto his elbow.
"Don't be mad at Broadway," she said, "H-He didn't mean to do it…he told me everything and…well, some people do make mistakes sometimes, I do, but my parents always said to me that it's our mistakes that make and mold us into who we are."
Goliath looked back at Broadway, it looked like he was gonna start bursting into tears, he looked down at Peyton and with a sigh, he smiled and replied, "Very well Peyton…..you are right…"
.
.
.
.
5:40 A.M.
.
.
.
.
As Broadway, Goliath, and Peyton were deciding on what to do next when the door to the shed opens.
The three turned to see Owen walking inside.
"Mr. Brunette?" said Peyton in disbelief.
"You are the buyer!" Goliath growled.
"Mr. Xanatos had to get the guns back somehow," said Owen, walking past the two gargoyles and Peyton to stand by the table containing the guns, "excellent job by the way. He will be pleased that you recovered his property."
Goliath growled after hearing Xanatos's name. "Are all the weapons that were stolen here?"
"Hard to say for certain," said Owen as he took out a piece of paper and inspected the guns. "But I would estimate that about thirty-seven guns, riffles, and heavy weapons are missing. No doubt that they've already been sold out in the streets."
Goliath picked up one of the laser guns and aims at the table of guns.
"What are you doing?" asked Owen.
"Making sure that no more of these fall into the wrong hands" Goliath replied.
"Wait-"
Too late.
Goliath stepped back and fired at the weapons, and all of them melt into nothing.
"Mr. Xanatos isn't going to like this," Owen mumbled.
"I'll be happy to discuss the matter with him," said Goliath.
The lavender gargoyle broke the laser gun in two and placed them in front of Dracon and his men.
Peyton stood beside him, crossing her arms and narrowing her eyes.
"Hey!" Dracon exclaimed. "What are you doing?"
"Making sure the police will link you with the stolen property." replied Goliath. Taking Peyton's hand into his claw and placing her on his back he turned to Broadway and said, "Come. We have a sick friend to visit."
"Yeah," added Peyton. "I gotta get back, Elisa's family's gonna be worried about me."
Broadway lifted his head and asked with a wide smile, "You mean, Elisa isn't dead?!"
Goliath turned back without saying a word.
.
.
.
.
6:03 A.M.
.
.
.
.
Outside the window of Elisa's hospital room, Broadway and Goliath watched as Elisa's family sat beside her hospital bed.
Peyton on the other hand, was sitting lost in thought on the bed she made from the couch of the hospital room.
Suddenly, Elisa's limp hand twitched a little and, for the first time all night, her soft brown eyes opened weakly to her family.
Elisa groaned and said, "Mom?"
The family's eyes open and Peyton's head perked up as she gasped with a bit of a smile.
"Elisa!" said Peter.
"You're awake!" exclaimed Derick.
"Oh, thank goodness." Diane said, holding Elisa's hand.
"Elisa!" exclaimed Peyton, gently hugging her, a few tears of joy fell down her face. "I-I thought I-I would never see you again!"
"I'll be OK kid." replied Elisa, weekly.
"How do you feel?" asked Derick.
"Lousy I guess," replied Elisa with a groan. "What happened?"
"That's what we'd like to know." stepped in Peter as he stood by Diane.
"Captain Chavez just called," explained Derick. "Dracon's been arrested for grand theft. They found him in a warehouse with Xanatos's guns, all of them destroyed. He was babbling about monsters attacking him and his men."
Elisa smiled weakly and Peyton smiled back, wiping her tears away.
Then, the blonde haired nursed entered and tinkered with vials that were connected to Elisa and told the family, "You'll have to leave now. She's passed the crisis point but she needs her rest."
Diane, Peter, and Derick understood and left without another word (and after a few waves and hugs goodbye to and from Peyton) with the nurse behind them.
Once everyone was gone, Peyton motioned for Broadway and Goliath to come inside through the window.
Elisa turned to Goliath and Broadway and softly smiled, "Hi guys.."
"Elisa…it was all my fault." said Broadway with his fin ears dropped. "I was….playing with your gun and…it went off," Elisa weakly held out her hand to Broadway, and Broadway carefully took it in his claws. "I'll never touch a gun again." he promised.
"I've should've been more careful 'bout where I left it," Elisa said. "We both made mistakes."
"Yeah, but you nearly paid for those mistakes with your life." said Broadway, sorrowfully.
"Then let's not repeat them.." replied Elisa.
Broadway turned away, his eyes were shut and his ears were dropped all the way down.
"Aw, don't feel bad Broadway…" said Peyton with a smile. "I know you didn't mean it.."
"She's right Broadway." added Goliath. "It took a lot of courage to admit your wrong doing. And besides, humans, even gargoyles, make mistakes all the time…but, it's those mistakes that shape us into who we are made to be…but, next time you do something like this, come to me, we're your family Broadway, you can tell us anything and nothing will ever change that.."
Broadway nods and then asked, "So…you guys forgive me for all of this happening."
Goliath and Peyton looked back at Elisa who smiled weakly.
"We forgive you.." said Peyton.
Broadway jumped up and wrapped Goliath and Peyton in a huge bear hug and exclaimed, "Thanks! You guys are great friends!"
"So are you guys to." said Peyton as Broadway released them from the hug.
She walked over to her makeshift bed on the hospital couch and took off her shoes.
"Peyton," said Goliath, playing a claw behind Peyton's back, "thank you. I was almost about to lecture Broadway until you came to him with a more gentler approach."
"Ah, it was nothing." said Peyton.
"How do you know to deal with situations like tonight's?" asked Goliath.
Peyton rubbed her eye a little and replied, "My parents. They've always told me this stuff over and over again and the more they told me, the more I used this stuff when I'm out."
"You're mom and dad must've been good folks Pey.." said Broadway.
The olive skinned seven year old stretched and said, "They sure were…I miss them everyday. But its cool now since I have Elisa and you guys, you're like the part of my family I've never known about until now."
"Really?" asked Broadway.
"Uh-hu.." Peyton yawned.
Broadway looked concerned. "You ok?"
"Yeah," said Peyton in a tired tone. "I'm just tired, that's it…who knew worrying about Elisa could make you feel this beat?"
Broadway said, "Yeah, at least we know Elisa's OK now.."
Peyton smiled tiredly and said, "I'm glad you guys came up here to check up on me."
"Hey, what are friends for right?" said Broadway.
"You bet.."
"Come. They need their rest." Goliath told Broadway.
Broadway hugged Peyton goodbye and goodnight (good day in his and Goliath's case) and followed Goliath out the window.
Peyton got herself situated in the couch bed and pulled the covers close to her as she watched Broadway and Goliath get ready for their stone sleep for the day.
"Goliath," started Peyton. "I-"
The lavender gargoyle turned to her and leaned down to her level, "Shhhhh…..Sleep now. You're safe…..both of you are."
Goliath softly caressed her curly brown hair before he closed the window.
The seven year old turned to her left and slowly drifted off to sleep along with Elisa.
But little did the two know that Broadway and Goliath, who were now stone statues as the sun rose, were sat by window of the hospital room, guarding them from any harm that would come to them.
Peyton smiled in her sleep, knowing that her friends were always right beside her, just as she was beside them.
.
.
.
.
(That's the end of chapter 4 ladies and gents! I'm so excited that school's almost out for summer! More updates coming who knows when, so read, review, and no hateful comments plz!)