(Disclaimer: I do not own Gargoyles; just my OC.)

(Authors Note: Hello dear readers and fellow writers! I'm happy to finally present my first ever Gargoyles FF! I've been meaning to upload it for a while, but I just never got around to doing so. That, and my other stories have been keeping me distracted. Regardless, thank you for giving my story a read and feel free to leave a comment (no hate, please) as I would appreciate the feedback. Enjoy!)

Chapter 1

As night fell upon the Manhattan cityscape, 24 year old Briar Rose Hagen stepped out of her apartment building and headed over to the nearby subway station, where she boarded the train and rode it to her intended destination. Standing at 5'7' and weighing roughly 105lbs, she had an attractive pear-shaped figure and pale ivory skin with beautiful light brown freckles dotting her entire frame. Her enchanting eyes were a bright shade of emerald green, while her long, honey blonde hair was currently braided back and tucked into the hood of her sweater jacket.

While many women would rather avoid going outside after dark, Rose didn't have much of a choice in the matter as her PMLE (Polymorphous Light Eruption) made it uncomfortable to be out during daylight hours without any sort of covering to protect her exposed skin. Thankfully, her condition wasn't as severe during the colder months, but during spring and summer, she practically avoided going out during the day.

Of course, not being able to go outside in the daytime meant she couldn't do most of the activities every other New Yorker took for granted: like taking a midday walk through Central Park, attending music festivals, or shopping at the local farmers markets. Yet, despite all that, Briar Rose had learned to adapt her lifestyle around her condition and kept a diligent maintenance of it whenever she was forced to go out during the day. This usually meant wearing layers of sunblock and covering the exposed areas of her skin with additional clothes, or staying underneath the shade of her trusty umbrella.

Fortunately, she had no need for such drastic coverage at this time; however, she always opted to wear 'train clothes' while on any sort of public transport. At the moment, she was currently wearing an oversize gray NY hoodie jacket, blue jeans, a Yankees baseball cap, and a pair of black and white tennis shoes. As much as she wanted to wear a summer dress or even one of her crop-tops, Rose knew there were a lot of creeps that emerged from the shadows at night to prey upon unsuspecting women. In her mind, the less feminine she looked, the safer she was.

Staying vigilant of her surroundings and gripping onto the shoulder straps of her backpack for personal assurance, Briar Rose soon exited the subway car and ascended up to the surface, where she then walked half a block further until she reached her destination: Ginger's Breadbox. It was a quaint little bakery that was conveniently located in midtown, which made it ideal for patrons looking to acquire fresh breads, cakes and pastries. Stepping into the adjacent alley and approaching the back door, Rose produced a lanyard with a set of keys from around her neck and underneath her hoodie, to which she removed it and unlocked the door before stepping inside.

Upon locking the door behind her, Briar Rose removed her backpack and placed her keys within the front pocket before unzipping and removing her sweater jacket. Afterwards, she placed her belongings atop the shelf where employees kept their possessions while at work before clocking herself in and stepped into the kitchen, where she was greeted by a pair of older women:

"Evening, Rosie," they simultaneously addressed her with warm smiles lining their faces. One was a plump, gray-haired woman of fifty years, while the other was in her mid forties and had short brown hair.

"Evening, Martha. Evening, Francine," she replied with a smile. "How long have you two been here?"

"Oh, not too long," Martha answered. "We actually came in about fifteen minutes ago and just started mixing dough for the pumpkin bread."

"Ooh, yum! I'll be sure to set one aside to take home with me later."

"We figured you would," Francine teased. "By the way, Ms. Ginger left a note requesting that you make some more of that coffee cake. Apparently, she had over a dozen people inquire about it yesterday."

A smile lined the younger woman's face upon hearing that, to which she emitted a soft chuckle, "I'm not surprised. My grandmother's coffee cake was always popular; however, I don't think mine are as good as hers were."

"Psh, you don't give yourself enough credit."

"I suppose you're right," she shrugged before washing her hands, donning an apron and gathering the necessary ingredients to make said cake. Of course, she made a mental note to set aside a couple cakes for her special friends.

XXXXX

-0415-

While the humans went about their evening routines, the Manhattan Clan were finishing up with their patrols. At the moment, Broadway and Brooklyn were flying over midtown when the potbelly gargoyle directed them to a quaint little bakery called Ginger's Breadbox.

"What are we doing here," the crimson male asked his rookery brother, to which he gave him a smile and simply answered:

"Isn't it obvious? I'm picking up some baked goods to take back to the castle."

"How? The place is closed and we can't just waltz in there and take stuff without paying for it."

"It's not stealing if it's a gift," he casually replied as they landed atop the roof. "Angela and I met one of the bakers a few weeks ago, after we saved her from a group of thugs that were harassing her. For our help, she insisted on repaying us by offering some of her homemade bread and pastries."

"And she wasn't scared of you," he asked, intrigued.

"Well, she was surprised, but she certainly wasn't scared. If anything, she was just grateful for our help," the potbelly answered with a smile. "Since then, we stop by every Friday to visit and she always insists on providing us with baked goods. She and Angela have also recently started borrowing books from one another."

"I'm surprised I haven't heard about her until now. Do the others know?"

"No. Angela and I were hoping to introduce her to the Clan, but we've all been so busy lately that we just kinda forgot," he sheepishly admitted with a shrug before they noticed three humans exit the shop and bid each other farewell before parting ways.

Once the first two left, the third glanced up towards the rooftops, to which Broadway descended down into the alley and greeted her with a smile, "Evening, Rose."

"Broadway, it's so nice to see you again," she approached and hugged the potbelly gargoyle as he reciprocated the kind gesture. "Where's Angela?"

"Goliath assigned her to patrol with Lexington tonight, but she told me to give you a hug and to also tell you that she really enjoyed the last book you lent her," he added as he then produced a well-loved copy of Little Women from a leather satchel.

Accepting the book, she gave him a bright smile, "I'm glad she liked it. By the way, I have another book for her, as well a loaf of fresh pumpkin bread and some of my homemade coffee cake for all of you," she then presented him with a copy of Jane Eyre, as well as a paper bag containing the sweet treats.

"Thanks, Rose. By the way, I brought another one of my Clanmates to meet you tonight."

"Really?!"

"Yep," he then silently motioned for his rookery brother to join them, to which a crimson-colored gargoyle descended from the roof and landed beside him. "Rose, meet Brooklyn."

Upon seeing the new figure, she immediately took in his appearance: he was tall in height (despite his slouched posture) and had a full head of long silver/white hair. His eyes were a warm amber brown color, and he had a beak for a mouth, though it wasn't at all like a bird's beak, but more like a dragon's snout/maw. He also had a lithe/muscular build and a pair of horns atop his head, which only added to his magnificent appearance.

Mentally shaking her head and composing herself, Rose offered the newcomer a warm smile and introduced herself: "Salutations! My name is Briar Rose Hagen, but everyone calls me Rose," she then offered her hand in greeting, to which he gently took a hold of her smaller appendage and politely shook it:

"Nice to meet you, Rose." Looking at this human, the crimson gargoyle took in her facial appearance and was amazed at how stunningly unique she was compared to Elisa and the other humans he saw. For one, he'd never seen a human with so many freckles dotting their skin (or what he could see of her skin), nor had he seen such beautiful green eyes before: they were like two flawless emeralds gleaming in the faded light. Sure, he'd seen his fair share of green eyes before, but they all paled in comparison to the ones he was currently gazing into:

"Likewise. I've heard a lot about you and your fellow Clanmates from Angela and Broadway here."

"Oh? Like what?"

"Well, for one, I know you and your Clan are not originally from this era, but rather, 994 a.d. Two, I know you live in a Scottish castle that was purchased and brought to Manhattan by Mr. David Xanatos, who in doing so, broke the spell which released you all from the thousand year stone slumber that had been placed upon you. And three, I know you're close friends with a woman named Elisa Maza, who works as a detective for the NYPD."

"Impressive. You know more than I initially thought," he replied with a slight smirk, causing an adorable dusting of pink to appear across her freckled cheeks.

"Oh, that's just a fraction of what I know. Now, if it's alright with the both of you, I'd rather continue this discussion indoors rather than a dark alley."

"Sounds fair," Broadway answered before asking, "Would you like us to take you back to your apartment?"

"Really?! I mean, I certainly wouldn't mind, but only if it's okay with the both of you. I don't want to keep you two from your patrol."

"Actually, we just finished for the night," he assured before his rookery brother stepped forward:

"I'll carry you, Rose. I mean, if you'd like?"

At his offer, she couldn't help but smile, "Sure. Thanks, Brooklyn."

He curtly nodded before turning around and motioning for her to hop onto his back while he and Broadway climbed up the adjacent brick wall with ease. Once the three of them were on the roof, she slid off his back and allowed herself to be scooped up bridal-style by the crimson gargoyle:

"Hold on."

Before she could respond, Briar Rose felt the wind hit her face as he suddenly leapt off the edge of the building and spread out his large, magnificent wings, to which he caught a strong current and effortlessly began gliding through the sky. Squeezing her eyes shut, she tightened her grip on the male and slightly began to tremble.

In response, Brooklyn gently squeezed her and spoke in a soft, reassuring voice, "It's alright, Rose. I got you." Opening her emerald eyes, she stole a glance up at him and blushed when she was met with a charming smile. "You're doing great for your first glide."

"Well, I suppose it helps knowing that I don't have to worry about you dropping me," she jokingly replied, causing him to emit a slight chuckle.

"I guess it does. Regardless, I would never intentionally drop you," he kindly assured while her freckled cheeks maintained their rosy hue.

From where he was gliding nearby, Broadway couldn't help the grin that spread across his face upon seeing their interaction. He knew Brooklyn's previous attempts at courtship were met with heartache and failure, but something in the back of his mind told him that this time would be different.