(Disclaimer: I do not own Gargoyles; just Briar Rose and my other OC's.)

(Authors Note: Hello dearest readers and fellow writers! First off, damn, it's been a hot minute since I updated this story! I'm so sorry for the long wait, but I've been super busy with work and life in general. Plus, most of my creativity has gone towards my Bad Guys fic, which is coming along nicely ;) Anyways, I hope you all enjoy this latest chapter. Feel free to comment as I appreciate the reviews. Until next time, keep it classy and make good choices. Peace out.)

Chapter 7

Upon learning she had gargoyle ancestry/DNA, Briar Rose nearly collapsed out of shock. Fortunately, there was a chair nearby for her to sit down in:

"Wow! I can't believe I actually have gargoyle ancestry! This has to be the most amazing discovery in my family's history since, well, ever," she noted with a bright smile lining her freckled face. "Also, what are the chances that my ancestor was one of your clanmates?"

At that, Hudson stroked his beard in thought, "Fate is a funny thing sometimes. Perhaps you were destined to meet us, or maybe we were destined to meet you. Either way, I'm happy to know that a part of my rookery brother still lives on in you, Miss Hagen."

"Thank you."

He nodded before Elisa approached and handed her a mug of tea. "How're you feeling? You looked a little flushed there for a minute."

"I'm good. A little shocked, but otherwise alright. I just find this whole scenario a bit too coincidental, but it's exciting nonetheless."

"I'll say," she agreed and sat across from her before Broadway spoke up:

"So, Rose, do you think the reason you're allergic to the sun is because of your gargoyle heritage?"

"Hmm, I suppose that could be a possibility; however, it's likely just a coincidence. While I'd like to think otherwise, I doubt I've inherited any gargoyle traits as it's been, what, over a thousand years? That's quite a long gap between myself and my ancestors."

"Oh, yea, I suppose it is. I sometimes forget that it's been a thousand years since we were placed under that sleep spell."

"Well, regardless of the generational gap, I can see a bit of my rookery brother and Mave in ya, lass. Ye've got his green eyes and her markings," Hudson noted with a smirk.

"Markings? You mean my freckles," she asked while looking at her speckled hands, to which he nodded:

"Aye, lass. Like you, Mave also had speckled skin. I remember Rain used to refer to them as a map of the night sky, for they apparently resembled star patterns."

Smiling, Briar Rose glanced back down at her freckled hands before Brooklyn spoke up:

"..I can see why he would think that…They're beautiful..," he bashfully added, prompting her to blush at his comment.

"..Thank you, Brooklyn."

"You're welcome," he smiled while his tail nervously twitched and his gaze momentarily shifted away from hers. In truth, Rose found his current bashfulness utterly adorable.

Glancing back and forth between Brooklyn and Briar Rose, Angela internally shrieked with excitement as she was witnessing love blossom before her eyes. She could tell both were smitten with one another, despite their short acquaintance.

XXXXX

For the next two hours, the gargoyles (mainly Husdon) regaled Rose with stories of their clan, which she eagerly listened to as she always loved learning about history, especially family history.

"..So, what was Lilias like? Was she a gargoyle like Rain," she curiously asked as she sat across from the clan elder, to which he smiled and sat back in his chair:

"Yes and no. While she certainly had a lot of his features, she had no wings, nor did she turn to stone at dawn; however, she did have some sensitivity to sunlight, from what I remember hearing."

"Huh, interesting."

"So, how come none of us knew about her," Lexington asked as he sat beside Brooklyn on one of the couches.

"As I said earlier, I promised to keep Rain and Mave's relationship a secret. That included their child. While I certainly wanted to tell you all about her, I couldn't risk it."

"I guess I can understand your reasoning. Still, it would have been..."

*KABOOM*

A loud crash of thunder suddenly erupted from outside the castle, causing Briar Rose to shriek as she jumped in her chair and covered her ears.

At this, Brooklyn moved to her side and gently placed his clawed hand on her shoulder, "Rose, it's okay. It's just the storm." Feeling her tremble beneath his hand, he sat on the arm of the chair and draped his wing over her smaller frame, causing her to look up at him with wide eyes and a rosy blush dusting her freckled cheeks:

"..T-Thank you, Brooklyn."

"..Sure. No problem," he bashfully smiled and rubbed the back of his neck, while she curiously/gently touched the sensitive membrane of his wing, causing him to internally shudder in absolute pleasure. Sure, he's had his wings touched before, but never in such a delicate manor, nor by someone so..beautiful. He felt his heart rate quicken at her close proximity, while noting her sweet vanilla fragrance. He wanted to cover himself in her scent; yet, he couldn't just outright nuzzle her when he barely knew her.

XXXXX

When it was time for Rose to return home, Brooklyn offered to escort her, which she gladly accepted as she quite enjoyed his company. Opting to land atop the fire escape, he gently set her down where she opened her apartment window and climbed inside her small unit before she motioned for him to follow.

"Thank you for escorting me home."

"No problem," he shrugged with a charming smile lining his beaked face. "I'm glad you came over for a visit."

"Same here. Who knew I'd learn so much about my own family in the process," she blushed while brushing her fingers along her cairngorm amulet. "But that aside: will I see you again tomorrow night?"

"You will," he winked. "Since it'll be Halloween, I won't need to hide; however, I'll still disguise my appearance to better blend in with your fellow humans."

"Well, whatever you wear, I'm sure you'll look dashing," she noted with a shy smile, to which he emitted a soft chuckle:

"Heh, thanks. Not many humans would refer to me as 'dashing'. Usually they scream or call me a monster."

A small frown flashed across her face at that, to which she gently grabbed a hold of his clawed hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "You're not a monster to me, Brooklyn." She then surprised him by placing a soft kiss upon his cheek, to which he ghosted his fingers over it, while his tail happily swished back and forth.

While he wasn't ready to leave her presence, he needed to return to the castle before he turned to stone. "..I-I should probably leave before the sun rises, but I'll see you tomorrow."

"Alright. Sleep well, Brooklyn."

"You too, Rose," he curtly nodded before gently taking a hold of her slender/freckled hand and placing a chaste kiss upon her outer palm, bringing a bright blush to her cheeks, while her heart raced within her chest at the affectionate gesture.