Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or locations from Gargoyles, those belong to their owners.

Author's note: This story takes place the summer following "The Journey", and though it ignores the comic's continuity, I'm using Fang's real name, revealed in Bad Guys #2.

Chance Meetings

Chapter 18

by Remtar85

"Pass! I'm open, pass!"

Tyler Jenkins shouted at his best friend Daniel Sykes, waving his arms above his head. Daniel, meanwhile, was dribbling a basketball, trying to keep Claw from taking it. In the almost three weeks that followed their visit to the Labyrinth that turned into a trip to the Eyrie Building, the boys had done their best to visit the Labyrinth as often as they could, spending time mainly with Claw, but also with Malibu, helping the clone in keeping his newfound intelligence a secret, and even aiding him in sneaking out whenever they could. Class would be starting soon for the boys, their friends Yvonne Goodwin and Cynthia Linley having returned by now from their respective vacations as well, so the boys had to find a fine balancing act between spending time with family, with their friends, and also down at the Labyrinth, but they had been managing relatively well.

Their families thought the boys had gone to the movies, but having snuck down to the Labyrinth, they were now playing a two-on-one basketball match with Claw, using an old basket mounted up on a wall. The boys were never athletic and it was obvious to anyone, including themselves, that Claw was taking it far too easy on them. While he would at times use his large size to make easy baskets or block the boys' shots, many a time did he pretend to slip up or be careless to allow the boys to pass him and shoot, though even then they rarely managed to score any points. Nevertheless, all three were having a lot of fun.

"C'mon, dude, over here!" Tyler shouted again as Daniel looked up at the smiling tiger-man who blocked his way.

"I'm trying!" Daniel replied.

Daniel tried to go one way, which Claw blocked, then he went the other way. As Daniel did so, Claw stumbled. Both boys knew he had done it on purpose, but they didn't mind. Daniel finally managed to pass Tyler the ball, then Tyler turned to face the basket and shoot. The sound of rapid footsteps was heard, but they weren't Claw's, as he was behind Tyler, and these sounds came from his left. Paying it no mind, the boy shot the ball up to the basket, only for a portly, peachy-orange colored clone to come jumping in front of him and smack the ball away.

Tyler stumbled a few steps back in surprise as Hollywood landed heavily a couple of feet from him, the ball rolling away, and the clone let out a loud whoop and threw a fist in the air. "Oh yeah! Intercepted!"

"Dude, what the hell?" Tyler protested. "You scared me!"

"Yeah, you came out of nowhere," Daniel added as he and Claw walked over. "And you butted in on our game."

"But you're playing two against Claw," the clone said. "Two against two is fair."

"Not when you guys are so much bigger than us," Tyler said.

"Maybe," Hollywood said with a casual smirk, then he patted Tyler's shoulder with a big hand. "Then you and Hollywood take on Claw and your friend, and kick their butts."

"Uuh... I guess we could?" Tyler spoke a bit hesitantly, with Daniel looking slightly confused as well, whereas Claw looked rather amused.

Just then, Talon and Maggie approached the group, having been nearby and witnessing the whole thing. "I never knew you were into sports, Hollywood," Maggie said.

"Neither did Hollywood," the clone said with a smile on his face. "But suddenly it seems fun."

"Well, it's not that unusual," Talon piped up. "The clones have shown sudden interests in other things before. Although never so... enthusiastically."

"Yeah, a little warning would've been nice, you know?" Tyler said to the clone.

Hollywood chuckled. "Okay. I'm sorry for the scare."

The reaction of the three mutates was very noticeable to the boys. "Wait..." Talon uttered.

"Hollywood, you just referred to yourself in the first person," Maggie said.

"Really?" the clone asked. "That's when you use "I", right? Hollywood didn't notice. I guess I did use it."

"You did it again," Talon said, a smile on his face.

"Is it really that unusual?" Daniel asked. "I mean, we don't know the clones much, but still..."

Claw nodded to the boys, and Maggie spoke as well. "They've never done it before. Not until now."

"Oh," Tyler said, then looked at the clone. "How come you're doing it now, Hollywood?"

Hollywood shrugged casually. "Don't know. It's like Hollywood's mind has been... relaxing? Thinking clearer."

"You're learning," Talon said, looking quite happy. "You're really learning more and progressing."

"Who is learning more and progressing?" a voice said from behind the group, and they all turned to see Malibu approaching.

"Hollywood is," Daniel replied.

"He's not doing the whole Hulk talk thing as much," Tyler added.

"Yup!" Hollywood said with a satisfied grin. "Hollywood... no... I'm getting smarter."

"Oooh. That's great!" Malibu exclaimed with a smile. "I wish Malibu could get smarter too."

The entire group then stared at Malibu, and Hollywood pointed at his fellow clone. "Hey, you're doing it too!"

Malibu made a confused face. "I am?"

"You are," Talon said, letting out a little laugh. "Guys, this is great!"

"We should go find the other clones and see if it's happening with them too," Maggie suggested.

"I agree," Talon said, then turned to the rest of the group. "You guys wanna come?"

Claw shook his head, pointing at the boys and then at the basketball hoop. Then Tyler spoke afterwards. "Yeah, I wanna play some more with Claw."

"Me too," Daniel said. "But we'd like to hear about it if the others are learning too."

"Hollywood staying too," Hollywood said, "I wanna play with the guys."

"I'll go!" Malibu said enthusiastically.

"Okay then. Let's get going. Maybe we can think of more advanced lessons for you guys, raise your education levels," Talon said, then he and Maggie started walking away.

Hollywood then ran to where the basketball had rolled over, grabbed it and came back, dribbling in front of Claw with a smirk on his face, as if trying to show off. Claw smirked in return, silently accepting the challenge. He got into a defensive position as Hollywood laughed and tried passing him. Malibu also approached, heading to the two boys, putting a hand on a shoulder of each one.

"Malibu spend time with two friends later then," he said in a normal volume of voice, and when he noticed that Claw and Hollywood were distracted, he smirked and winked at the boys, whispering in a low voice. "I am soooo damn smooth."

With that, he left to catch up with Talon and Maggie, and the two boys looked at each other. "It's really working!" Daniel whispered.

"So it probably won't be too long till Malibu can go out without having to be sneaky about it," Tyler added, also speaking in whispers.

"Yeah, but it's a bummer that class will have begun by then," Daniel replied.

Tyler shrugged lightly at this. "Yeah, which means we'll have to take advantage of those weekend nights."

"Hey," Hollywood called out to them both. "Can we all play now?"

Both boys turned and found Hollywood dribbling the ball underneath the basket, Claw by his side, waiting on them both. The boys quickly hurried to join the mutate and the clone to play some more. By the time they were done, they were both exhausted but had had quite a lot of fun, Claw flying them both home shortly afterwards. They were more than eager to return to the Labyrinth again.

Fang hummed to himself as he exited a side office in the Nightstone Unlimited building. He held on to an envelope, which contained the payment for his most recent job for Demona, which she had left behind for him, the gargate not present in her building at the time. Over the past couple of weeks, she had now twice asked for the mutate's services in keeping an eye from the sky on vehicles carrying things she needed. Essentially he would serve as a security guard in case anybody tried to steal whatever Demona would receive, but the jobs had been calm and with no incidents. As such, the pay for them had been less than what Fang had received for his first job, but it was still a significant amount, so he didn't mind. He was smart enough to know he shouldn't complain to Demona anyway.

Satisfied with making easy money for just flying around and keeping an eye on some vehicle, Fang walked down the hall towrds the roof when a voice called out to him. "Aaah, Mr. Sykes! Just the mutate I was looking for."

Recognizing the voice, Fang turned to find Sevarius heading towards him. "Oh, hey, Doc. What's up?"

"I come to you with a proposition," Sevarius said. "I've seen the good work you've been putting in for Demona, and I'd like to ask for your services as well, in a more personal manner."

Fang raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Gee, thanks, Doc, but I don't swing that way," he remarked dryly.

Sevarius remained unflappable as he continued, seemingly not bothered by the mutate's remarks. "What I mean, Fang, is that I have spoken with Demona in regards to my endeavors outside of my work for her. She sees no problem in my leaving for some time so I may travel to do other jobs and research. As such, I'd like to ask you to accompany me, as a bodyguard."

Fang was taken aback. "What? Me, as your bodyguard? Uh... can you go into a bit more detail, Doc?"

"Well, I don't just work for Demona, Thailog and Mr. Xanatos. I go to where my genius is needed and wanted," Sevarius said, a smug smile on his face. "I have a list of potential clients from various parts of the world, all wishing for my services, and I now have an available window of time to be able to go to them. Of course, I do need security, and I believe you to be the perfect candidate."

"Travel the world? Gee, that does sound good," Fang said. "I've never even been out of New York. But I think I'll pass, Doc. Being stuck in a plane's cargo hold for hours on end's not my idea of a nice trip."

Sevarius chuckled at this. "Why, Fang, you won't have to travel in the cargo hold at all. You'll join me in a private jet, and also in meeting my clients."

This stunned the cougar-man. "Wait, meeting your clients? But won't they freak out? They'll think you brought them a gargoyle or something, and I ain't planning on being a guinea pig. Once was more than enough, I'm fine the way I am."

"Oh, you misunderstand, Fang. Nobody shall experiment on you at all," Sevarius said. "You won't just be my security detail. You being there will be living, breathing proof of my genius to my newer clients."

Fang scoffed. "So I'm security and your showcase model too?"

"In a manner of speaking, yes," Sevarius replied. "And of course, I will pay you most handsomely."

Fang gave pause to this. He was all for being paid handsomely, but he still had doubts. "And how long would this trip last?"

"I estimate around four to six weeks," Sevarius answered. "It will depend on what my clients ask me to do."

Fang nodded at this reply, pondering a bit more. "Actually, can I get back to you about this whole thing, Doc? You kinda just sprang it on me outta nowhere, I gotta think about it."

"Of course," Sevarius said, turning to walk away. "But I will need your response in two days, because I leave the day after."

Fang stood there for a few more moments, letting this new development sink in a bit more, and he headed outside to the building's rooftop and up into the skies, still thinking about it. He flew around aimlessly, trying to make sense of the whole thing, when a familiar voice called out to him.

"Hey, Fang!"

Shaken out of his thoughts, the mutate became suddenly tense. With teeth gritted and ready to defend himself, he looked to the direction of the voice, then he relaxed and sighed in relief. "Damn it, Mal, don't catch me by surprise like that! I'm still not used to you having the same voice as Brooklyn."

Malibu had taken to hanging out with Fang for the few times Daniel and Tyler helped him sneak out of the Labyrinth. The clone and the mutate had become fast friends and enjoyed swooping around the skies, joking around and getting into mischief. They had stolen beers from some unsuspecting folks just like Fang had done before, giving Malibu his first taste of alcohol, which took the clone some getting used to. Most memorably, upon listening to some jerk mouth off to some people for no reason outside of a bar as they hung on a rooftop having some beers they had swiped off of some drunk revelers, the mutate and clone gleefully awaited for nobody to be around to dump a few garbage cans onto the guy's parked car. Fang even went the extra step to blow out the car's windows and windshield with his electric blasts, the duo fleeing being anyone could spot them, having a hearty laugh. Needless to say, Fang was having a lot of fun with someone by his side that he could cause some trouble with.

"That's the fun of it," Malibu replied to Fang's statement about his voice, an amused smirk on his beaked face as the duo now glided together. "How'd the job go?"

"Totally uneventful, which is good for me," Fang replied with a smirk, showing Malibu the envelope his payment was in. "I literally got paid for just following a van."

"Heh. Lucky bastard. And how many more jobs are you gonna do for Demona till you ditch her for Xanatos?"

Fang's smile faded. "I was planning on about two or three more, but just out of nowhere, Sevarius offered me a whole different job. He wants me to go traveling with him out of the country as he goes around doing whatever freaky experiments he'll do for whoever pays him. Tells me he wants me to be his bodyguard and also a sample of what he can do."

"For real? Damn, that's really sudden," Malibu said. "So, are you gonna take him up on that offer?"

"Aaah, I don't know," Fang said with a sigh. "He said he's gonna pay me some good money, and I'd get a chance to travel and shit, 'cuz I've never traveled before. But having to be stuck with Sevarius for so long sounds like a drag. Plus there's also Danny."

"C'mon now, you know Danny'd understand," Malibu said.

Fang raised an eyebrow. "Are you telling me I should take Sevarius up on his offer?"

Malibu shrugged. "I dunno, maybe. If you feel like you can put up with his shit. I mean, from everything I've learned about the guy, he sounds like the type to never go back to his old experiments, so it's most likely he won't experiment on you. Not if he's got use for you anyway, since you're gonna be his bodyguard and selling point too."

"I guess," Fang said. "And I'd also fry the fucker to a crisp if he so much as tried to mess with me."

"Exactly. Plus it'll be worth it if the pay's good. You can come right back and just get to work for Xanatos and say adios to Demona. And best of all, with you gone, that'll sure throw Goliath and his clan for a loop."

Fang couldn't help but grin at that last bit. "Hey, yeah, you're right. I've been having to lay low for too long, always having to be careful when I go out, always cooped up, and those damn do-gooders watching me like hawks. Going away for a while'd be like a big middle finger to 'em. Plus I won't have to worry about not counting on Danny during the day while he's at school, at least not for a while."

"Then it's decided?"

"Yup, thanks to you," Fang said with a smile. "I'll let Sevarius know tomorrow night, and I'll start packing soon as I can. Trip may last a whole month, maybe more."

"Great!" Malibu exclaimed with a smile of his own. "Now, I was hoping you'd come with me after a quick stop at your place."

"Go with you where?"

"To meet Owen," Malibu replied. "See, before he got to give the kids the most recent dose of potion, I asked them to tell him that I'd get the next dose myself, so I could ask for another little favor."

"Aah, so that's why they went down to the Labyrinth tonight," Fang said. Despite promising to keep it a secret, Malibu had told Fang everything that had happened at the Eyrie Building, figuring that if Xanatos wanted both Malibu and Fang by his side, then he wouldn't mind the clone filling the mutate in on things. For his part, Fang was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that Owen Burnett was actually a magical fae teaching magic to the Xanatos child.

"Yup. Helps that I knew Talon and Maggie'd be out tonight visiting Talon's family. Anyway, since I'm gonna be asking for a favor, how about you bring that hammer you stole from the Quarrymen? You did say you wanted to modify it."

"Yeah, I did," Fang said. "Think they'll actually do it, though?"

Malibu smirked and nodded. "Damn right I do. I know that Xanatos wants me on his side, so I'm gonna take advantage of it to ask for a couple favors here and there."

"Man, you're so lucky," Fang said.

"You may get to be lucky too, once you finally get to work for Xanatos."

The duo continued towards Daniel's apartment, and once nearby, Malibu stayed at another's building rooftop so the hidden camera drones wouldn't see him. Fang proceeded to go into the apartment through his usual window, hid the money and retrieved the hammer, rejoining Malibu a few minutes later. Malibu led Fang towards the same spot that he had taken off and dragged the kids with him to Xanatos's castle. As the area was rather rundown with some abandoned buildings and few, if any people in the area, they could move around more freely without fear of being seen. As the clone and mutate ducked down in an alley, they didn't have to wait long for a car to park nearby, and Owen Burnett entered the alley. He did not look the slightest bit surprised at seeing Fang with Malibu, seemingly having figured that Malibu would have told Fang about everything.

"Hey there, Owen!" Malibu enthusiastically greeted the man.

"Hey, Burnett," Fang said too, quite casually, considering that the last time he and Owen saw each other, they had fought and Fang had robbed Owen's money after electrocuting him into unconsciousness. "No hard feelings over last time?"

"None at all, Fang. The children told me you wished to make this pick up yourself, Malibu," Owen said as he reached into an inner pocket of his suit jacket, extracting a small bottle, which he handed over to the clone. "I assume you wish to ask for something?"

"That's right. I kinda need a small favor from you. It's magical stuff, you know, but no worries, I'm sure it's super simple," Malibu said with a smile as he took the bottle.

"And what might that be?" Owen asked.

"I want my eyes, teeth, and the inside of my mouth to look normal," Malibu stated. "Can you do that?"

Fang let out a funny little sound, what was clearly him stifling a guffaw, and even the normally unflappable Owen looked slightly confused. "That's all?" Owen asked.

"Well, yeah," Malibu replied. "I mean, look at my eyes, and my teeth, and the whole inside of my mouth. I'm a gargoyle and a clone, that's freaky enough as it is without needing to have these screwed-up colors. Can't you do something to make them look like they do on normal gargoyles?"

"I could. Though I won't deny that it seems such a... banal thing to ask for," Owen replied, and a slight giggle escaped Fang.

"C'mon, man, just do me that favor, you know I'll do my best to pay it back," Malibu insisted.

"You do realize that if I am to do this, it would also mean it needs to be done to the other clones as well, so nobody suspects anything?" Owen stated rather than asked. "And even if you manage that, how would you explain the sudden change of colors?"

Malibu grinned and nodded. "Oh, I got that already planned. I remember one time when I heard Maggie telling some kids how the mutates used to look different. You know, like they had tails and all."

"And Talon looked like a carbon copy of me," Fang added. "I sure don't miss that tail, I tell you that much."

Malibu nodded and continued. "So, it took you mutates some time to end up looking like you do now. So for this color change thing, who's to say it's not just a change brought along with time for us clones, like how it happened for the mutates?"

"Yeah, that does sound like a good excuse," Fang said. "But wait, what about Thailog? He's a clone too, and he's been around longer than you guys."

"I know. But like you said, he's been around longer than any of us, and no one besides Xanatos, Sevarius and Owen here knew what he looked like when he was first created. So it's not like anyone could tell if he looks or doesn't look the same now as he did when he first popped out of that cloning machine."

Fang smirked at this. "You slick bastard. You really did think of everything,"

"Damn right," Malibu said with a smirk of his own, then turned back to Owen. "So could you please do that for me? It's all I ask."

Owen sighed slightly. "Very well. I will make sure to teach Alexander how to make a potion for that specific type of effect and have it ready for the next delivery."

"Hey, look on the bright side. Kid his age, he's gonna love being able to color change everything," Fang said with a grin.

Owen then turned his gaze towards the cougar-man. "Am I right to assume you wish to ask for something as well, Fang?"

"Oh, right," Fang said, raising the Quarryman sledgehammer. "I mean, if it ain't too much to ask, but could you get this modified into something that doesn't scream 'Quarrymen'? I've gotten kinda attached to this thing, honestly, but I'd rather have it be my own thing."

"I'll see what I can do," Owen said, taking the hammer. "It should prove interesting."

"Hey, thanks. Oh, and if you could let your boss know that I'm gonna be taking a trip in a couple days, but the moment I come back, I'll be free and ready to work for him," Fang added with a smile on his face.

"And you know that Mr. Xanatos can count on me for anything too, he just has to name it," Malibu said.

"Understood. Mr. Xanatos will be pleased to hear that," Owen said. "I will take my leave now. Let the children know they can come make the pick up during the next Saturday at the usual time, unless you wish to do it yourself, Malibu."

With that said, Owen turned around and left the alley towards his car. Watching him go, Fang and Malibu then proceeded to the roof of the abandoned building, where they took off into the sky once again. "Okay, I'm kinda surprised at how well that went," Fang said.

Malibu chuckled, a smirk on his face. "Considering how Xanatos wants us in his proverbial pocket, I'm not that surprised. And I'm fine with that, 'cuz everything just sounds more fun when you're on Xanatos's side."

"Oh, it is, believe me," Fang said, also smirking now. "Which is why I've been wanting to work for him since I busted out, and I'm damn glad I'll finally have a chance to, after this trip."

"If you don't strangle Sevarius first, that is," Malibu joked.

"Yeah. Hope I can survive hanging around that nutbag for weeks on end."

"Hope so too, man."

A smirk then came on to Fang's face. "So, you're wanting to change the color of your eyes and stuff, eh? Who're you getting prettier for, Mal?"

"For everyone," Malibu replied with a smirk of his own. "And it's not 'pretty', it's 'handsome'. Or well, more handsome."

"Ha! In your dreams, beaked boy," Fang joked. "Hell, even Burnett thought it was lame."

Malibu scoffed. "Hey, have someone mess up your natural coloration, see how fast you'd want them to be normal again. As for Owen, I guess that's just his Puck side showing. Puck seems like he's all about having fun. Something like changing colors must be super boring for him. But hey, long as he gets the job done, who cares if he's having fun or not. No skin off my back."

"Heh. Hope he comes through for you on that," Fang said, then after a few moments, he spoke again. "And don't you get in too much trouble while I'm gone, you hear? I won't be here to bail your ass out if you get in over your head."

"Oh, I'll be fine," Malibu said with a smug smile. "A little vandalism here, a touch of spooking jerks there. I can have a good time and make it home safe and..."

"No, Mal, I mean it," Fang interrupted, looking serious for once. "Look, I never thought I'd say this about a gargoyle, but I actually like you, man, for real. You're my bud, so I want you to take care of yourself while I'm gone. Be safe, stay away from cops, and stay away from those Quarrymen. I only ever met 'em once, but I really don't want to again, and I don't want 'em after you either."

Malibu was serious now too, and he looked touched as Fang said those things. "Alright, Fang. I promise, I'll stay safe. And me and Claw will keep an eye on the kids too, and so will all of Goliath's clan, thanks to those hidden cameras, so you know they'll be in plenty of good hands. We'll all be okay and waiting for you to come back."

"Thanks, Mal," Fang said with a smile of his own.

"Thanks to you, Fang. Anyway, I better get back to the Labyrinth before anyone starts missing me," Malibu said. "See you 'round, Fuzzball!"

"Right back at'cha, Chickenface!" Fang called out as Malibu veered off in a different direction. Satisfied with what had been accomplished that night, Fang headed for home.

Upon arriving at the building, Fang made his usual careful way down the fire escape and into Daniel's bedroom. Once there, he started going through the clothes he had Daniel buy for him. As he didn't have many, it didn't take long for him to fold them up all neat and tidy for his upcoming trip. However, he realized he had nothing to carry them in. Daniel didn't own a suitcase or travel bag and he couldn't just take any possible one from Carmen and her husband's room without them noticing something had gone missing.

"Guess I'll send Daniel to buy me one from the thrift store," Fang muttered to himself. "If Sevarius is really gonna pay me a lot for this trip, then this'll be worth it."

Fang then started tidying up the bit of a mess he made, then carefully listened in, and hearing nobody in the apartment, he went to the kitchen to get a drink of water. As he did so, his ears picked up movement from Danny's room. Two sets of footsteps, meaning the kids were back. Right on time, as Fang did need to inform Daniel of the impending trip.

"Hey kids!" Fang called out. "Come to the kitchen."

"Coming, Uncle!" Daniel called out, coming out of his bedroom, Tyler right behind him.

"Alright, come with me," Fang told them, moving to the living room and sitting on the sofa. "I got something important to talk to you guys about."

"What is it, Uncle?" Daniel asked as he and Tyler joined Fang, sitting on the floor in front of him.

"Is it about your job? Did something go wrong tonight?" Tyler added.

"Uh, yes and no. I mean, yes about work, no about trouble. Listen, kids, something came up and it turns out I'm gonna be leaving on a trip in a few days," Fang told them.

The two boys were taken aback. "Wait, leaving on a trip to where?" Daniel asked.

"Out of the country," Fang replied.

Daniel did not look pleased, prompting Tyler to ask more. "For how long?"

"Yeah, for how long?" Daniel asked as well, sounding uncomfortable. "I mean, you are coming back, right?"

"A few weeks at most," Fang answered. "Look, I know it sounds like a long time, but it's just a month, maybe a little longer than that at most. It'll pass before you know it. Trust me, I wasn't digging the idea at first, but I see it's for the best now, for all of us."

"How?" Daniel asked while looking unconvinced. Clearly the idea of his uncle being away again did not sit well with him.

"Well, for starters, I'm gonna get paid a lot of money from this trip while not really doing much, just being a security guard, same thing I've been doing till now," Fang told them, his first job for Demona of stealing something still in the back of his mind, as he had never told the boys about it. "And when I come back, I'll have a lot of money, so maybe I can stop working for Demona for some time. You know, easier to stay out of trouble that way."

"That does sound good," Tyler said.

"Damn right," Fang said. "Who knows, maybe I'll even find a place to stay after I come back. Which brings me to my other point. You guys are starting school in a couple days, which means you won't have to worry about me. You can go to school and do your usual stuff without worrying about leaving me alone here, and no risk of getting caught at all. Plus that also gets Talon and the gargoyles off my back for a while. And you guys can keep going to the Labyrinth on the weekend and have fun, maybe finally take the gargoyles up on their offer to take you to the castle again. You guys'll be fine, and I'll be back before you know it."

"Okay, I guess you're right," Daniel said, still looking rather bummed. "But I'm gonna miss you while you're away."

This made Fang smile. "Heh. I know you will. You've gotten used to having the coolest uncle ever around you all the time, huh?"

Daniel's only reply was a sheepish smile and nod, prompting a snicker from Tyler, who spoke to both of them. "Of course he has. Even I'm jealous. You have a big winged electric mutant cat man in your family, living with you, which is the coolest thing ever. Shame you can't brag about it to everyone at school."

"Yeah, and it's really tempting," Daniel remarked with a chuckle. "Anyone would wanna brag about having someone like Uncle Fang in their family."

"I know, I know. I'm just that damned awesome," Fang bragged smugly.

"Yeah, you absolutely are," Daniel said.

"The biggest, baddest, most amazing mutant in the city! No, the world! And I take no prisoners!" Fang said in an exaggerated, grandiose manner, and then he suddenly pounced on the two boys, pinning them to the floor and tickling them.

Daniel and Tyler yelped loudly and started laughing, trying to squirm out of the mutate's grasp. Fang started snarling and roaring at them like a beast, but in an exaggerated, playful manner as he relentlessly tickled the boys, grabbing and dragging them back whenever they managed to squirm away too far, both boys laughing and yelping non-stop. Fang had been hoping to lighten the mood after the news he had just given the boys, and he had clearly succeeded. Then a loud blow echoed in the living room as a heavy object struck Fang in the head. Pain invaded the mutate, and the tickles and laughter stopped.

To be continued...

Author's Extra Note: Hey, all. Thanks for sticking with my story! I know it's slow going, but it's been a rough year. Hopefully I'll have next chapter up before too long. Thanks once more for reading my humble story, and bets wishes to you all!