Over the coming weeks, Brooklyn continued to recover physically, but mentally, his mind still turned in on itself. He still had daymares and nightmares. He usually wouldn't sleep at night, but right now, he just needed the extra rest.

Brooklyn was nowhere near ready to go patrolling or fighting at the moment. If he was left alone for too long, he would start to panic. He had begun to accept Angela back into his circle of space. Her, Lex, and Hudson were his closest comforters along with Bronx.

He was still very scared of humans, even ones that he knew. But Goliath pushed Brooklyn to accept Elisa back into his comfort zone. She read to him and brought him his food when she was available to come to the castle. She kept her distance from him to make him feel at ease.

David, Fox, and Owen still had to keep their distance too. It was so bizarre for them to see the red male so scared of them and even his own clan. Brooklyn had always been a strong kind of gargoyle mentally if not physically. But when they had heard what had happened, that would be enough to shatter even a strong male's mind.

Dr. Sato had only seen to Brooklyn's physical wounds and offered advice from a distance now that the injuries were healed. He also gave pamphlets to help deal with trauma caused by rape and other traumatic causes. He wanted the scared gargoyle to see his clan as his true allies and comforts again before he would ever go near him again, as long as there was no need to. Brooklyn needed the time to heal here at home.

Eventually, Elisa got an idea that might also ease Brooklyn's mind too. She thought of bringing little Alex into the equation too. Such a tiny human shouldn't be seen as a threat to him. She got the okay from Fox and David that she could try to reintroduce Alex to the red male.

When Elisa came next to see Brooklyn, she had a toddler in her arms. "Unce Brookie!" Alex cried out excitedly.

Brooklyn saw Elisa coming into his room to see him, keeping her distance but he hadn't seen Alex in a long while. "Hi, Brooklyn. I brought a new visitor for you to see. You remember Alexander, right? He has been missing you." She held him in her arms.

"Yeah, I remember him." Brook had a frown on his beak. His eye ridges raised in curiosity.

"You want to hold him? I was going to read to you both. Alex is heading to bed shortly." Elisa said.

"As long as I'm not doing anything else with him." Brook decided.

"That's fine. Just keep him there on the bed with you." Elisa instructed. She also had a book in her underarm too. "I'm going to read this book because he chose it."

Elisa slowly came over and handed the toddler to Brooklyn. Brook reached up actually to get a hold of him. Then he pulled him to his side. Elisa then sat down and read the two of them the children's book.

The book was Cat in the Hat by Dr. Suess. The words from the book even brought a smile to Brook's beak. He was slowly learning to be happy and giggle again. Then a second book was read. It was about a little caterpillar.

Brooklyn had little trouble with holding Alex to him because the boy was tired no doubt. After Elisa finished reading to them, she picked the boy up again. "Do you think you want to have story time with him sometimes?" she asked him.

"I… suppose." Brook stated hesitantly.

"That's good. We just need to keep on building on our interactions." Elisa gave him a smile.

After she left him alone, he frowned again. Despite all that the clan knew of his tortures and were trying to get him to socialize again with them to see that they weren't a threat to him, Brooklyn also went back to thinking about what life had been like before his kidnapping.

When he had been his normal healthy self, the whole clan had seemed to ignore him unless they were on patrol. Even when he tried to get someone's attention to hang out after patrols, even Lex, they would always go off and spend time with each other like he wasn't needed.

Goliath and Elisa would hang out or go to her place. Broadway and Angela would go on a date and hang in the library or go cooking food. Hudson and Bronx would go to the tv room or go to the park or even to Hudson's friend, Jeffrey Robbin's house. Lexington would go build something or help take of Alex.

Brooklyn would always be alone, and he would often go to his room to listen to music, sometimes read but not totally into the stories, and occasionally watch movies. Other times he hung out on the battlements just staring out over the city before going gliding to go stop some bad guys or something. He was just miserable before.

Now he had all of his clan's attention because they were concerned about him. Why did it have to take something like this to get them to pay attention to him? Despite his role of Second in Command, Brooklyn felt like he definitely couldn't be a leader right now. It started to make him cry. He still felt useless. Maybe the clan should have left him to die that night on the bridge. He would have died and be freed from the tortures of this life.

Brooklyn felt he wanted to end his life since he knew he would never win a girl's heart. He had been passed over time and again by any female that he came around. He didn't want to be just friends with a girl; he wanted and needed a real committed mate, a lover. He had been still feeling like this over the weeks while he was recovering.

The red male got off his bed and went to the kitchen. He had managed to walk around the castle too. Food was the last thing on his mind as he entered the kitchen and saw not even Broadway in there. He looked around and through drawers for a sharp knife.

He soon found one on a rack near the sink. He took one of the big ones. He was going to go outside and planned to slit his throat. He still remembered the torture on his neck, but it was the fastest way to bleed out, he figured.

From the office, David saw Brooklyn take the knife and left the kitchen. He was headed for the battlements. This was trouble. He had to go stop him. He also had to warn Goliath. Elisa was busy working tonight with Matt on a drug case.

"Goliath," David spoke into the earphone.

"Yes." Goliath responded. He was in the library.

"I just saw Brooklyn take a big sharp knife from the kitchen." David stated.

"What is he doing with a knife?" Goliath asked, concerned. It could mean trouble.

"I don't know, but it looks like he's heading for the north battlements." David declared.

"Alright, I'll get to him." Goliath replied. "Thank you." Then he hurriedly put the book down and went to find his Second. He had to stop him. What in the world would he need a sharp knife for? He had talons to break or tear through almost anything if it was something else.

Brooklyn made it to the battlement, and he was shaking tremendously. "You guys will be better off without me. Goodbye cruel world. It's time to say goodbye." He proclaimed as he started put to the knife to his throat.

Goliath made it to the exit of the battlement, and he saw his Second getting the knife closer to his throat. He gasped. What would possess Brooklyn to do this? He had to stop him and fast. He charged out the exit.

"Brooklyn! NO!" Goliath yelled.

Goliath's yell startled Brooklyn that he dropped the knife. His leader was charging at him, and he ran from him. He took to all fours with Goliath taking off after him. "Brooklyn, wait!" Goliath called after him.

Brooklyn ran towards the inside of the castle, but Goliath was quickly catching up. "Brooklyn! Stop!" Goliath ordered. He kept on running and Goliath soon had to make a jump as he was closing in on him and he jumped onto Brooklyn, getting a hold of him.

It knocked them both down. Goliath got up first, getting a hold on Brook's right arm. He helped him to his feet, but Brooklyn began struggling. "NO! NO! LET ME GO! PLEASE, DON'T HURT ME!" He shouted out in high distress. He pulled on his arm, but Goliath kept a grip on it.

"Brooklyn, it's me, Goliath. Calm down. I'm not going to hurt you." Goliath tried to calm his distressed Second.

"Oh, please let me go!" Brooklyn sobbed hysterically. He soon slowed his struggling but was heaving hard.

"Brooklyn, it's alright. You're safe here at the castle. Please, calm down and talk to me." Goliath coaxed him.

Tears were running from Brook's eyes. When he calmed down enough, he saw his leader before him. He had just panicked and saw Demona and those human men before him in his disillusioned mind.

"Goliath?" Brook finally asked.

"Brooklyn, are you alright now?" Goliath asked.

"What's happening?" Brook questioned.

"Brooklyn, what did you think you were doing back there on the battlement with that knife?" Goliath inquired. He spoke gently to not scare his Second. He still kept his hand on Brook's arm. He wasn't going to allow him to get away. He saw before him what seemed like a scared little hatchling at the moment.

Brooklyn only continued to sob. "Please, Brooklyn, talk to me." Goliath coaxed. "I want to help you."

"No one… can help me…" Brook sobbed. "You don't… know what I went through…"

"I know none of us have been what you went through, Brooklyn. It was very traumatic for you and being alone. But you are home now, and we all want to help you get past the trauma." Goliath explained to him.

"I… never should… have been hatched!" Brooklyn sobbed.

"Don't say that Brooklyn." Goliath was shocked his Second would even say that.

"Because… I'm… useless…"

"No, you're not. You are part of our clan. Always will be." Goliath said.

"I'm always… causing trouble… or getting into… trouble… Always Demona… or Coldsteel… trying to get me… use me…" Brook sobbed hard.

"That doesn't mean that you are useless, Brooklyn. You have a wonderful mind of a strategic warrior. You will one day make a great leader. We just got to get past this bad time in your life." Goliath coaxed. "I know it will always make you remember, but you are a strong young warrior. You've always come out on top of your problems and won. You've always managed to find a way to beat them."

"You have Elisa…" Brooklyn cried. "I have no one to love me!"

"Brooklyn, we all love you." Goliath said.

"It's not the same! You all have someone but me!" Brook sobbed. "As soon as… I get better, you'll all ignore me again!"

"Brooklyn, we don't mean to make you feel lonely. We just want you to get better and we want you to be a part of the clan once more. I know us giving you this extra attention right now isn't the same as a what a mate could give you, but until you find one, you can't give up, Brooklyn. We all need you." Goliath decreed.

Brooklyn had the saddest look in his eyes with his ears flattened. He sniffled. This was the most scared Goliath had ever seen his Second. "Brooklyn, do you promise not to run if I release your arm?" he asked.

Brooklyn nodded. Goliath let go of his arm. He didn't run but he sat down in the smallest position possible. "I just feel so…"

"Miserable, am I right?" Goliath stated.

Brooklyn avoided eye contact. He nodded. "I… just want the pain in my soul to stop." He said, still crying.

"Brooklyn, I know you will rise above this again one day. Your soul just needs to heal from what happened. We want to help you, and we'll make sure that you aren't lonely." Goliath advised. "But you have to let us in to help you. Come, why don't we go to your room and talk some more." He held a hand down to his Second and he helped him to his feet.

Goliath took Brooklyn to his room where they sat on the bed. Brooklyn still held his arms around his shoulders. Goliath knew how hatchlings needed comforting. "Here, Brooklyn. Come here."

"What?"

"Come over to me." Goliath said. Brook did and he was surprised when he enveloped Brook into a hug against him.

Brooklyn was surprised by that, but he started sobbing again and he grasped onto his leader. Goliath let Brooklyn hold him and just let the pain go.

By sunrise, Brooklyn had cried himself to sleep. Goliath just held him, but he eventually laid him on his bed to sleep. He pulled some of Brook's hair out of his face.

"I hope you find the strength to get past what happened, Brooklyn." Goliath declared. "I love you almost like a son too. Get some rest."

Goliath left the room as he knew that he would send for Hudson to keep him company tomorrow night.

David retrieved the knife from the battlement area so no one stepped on it out there should they not see it. All the sharp knives were then put into a certain drawer in the kitchen with a lock on it until further notice. If Broadway needed one for cooking, all he had to do was ask. David would tell him that night.

The clan have something special in mind for him next chapter to help aid in mentally healing him more so.