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 20

by Remtar85

"I'm taking my leave now, Fang," Sevarius told the mutate as he headed towards the door of the big penthouse they were currently occupying. "I'll return tomorrow morning."

"Sure thing, Doc," Fang called out from his spot on the large, fancy couch, where he had been indulging in some movies on the big screen TV.

It had been a little over a month since Fang had left with Sevarius to travel the world. Overall, the experiences hadn't been as thrilling as Fang hoped, but still good enough as time went by. Their first visit to Argentina lasted only a few days, a time Fang was glad for it to have been rather short, for he felt discomfort over how Sevarius's client, an elegantly dressed old man, always wanted Fang around, utterly fascinated by the mutate, which gave Fang the feeling that the old man wanted to keep him as a pet. Fang did his best to ignore the details of whatever the clients asked Sevarius to do; the man in Argentina seemed to want simpler things, something about perfect, high quality edible produce for the market that he would control, but that had been the most tame business outing as far as Fang knew.

Their second trip had been to Russia, this time a group of people wanting mutates of their own-albeit strictly animal mutates, no humans involved. Fang had gotten quite the scare when a large bear Sevarius had been experimenting on broke loose, thus requiring Fang to do the bodyguard job he had been hired to by Sevarius, protecting the scientist and everybody else in the lab by zapping the bear into unconsciousness. To Fang's relief, that was the only instance he had needed to jump in to protect Sevarius from anyone or anything. Afterwards, the experiments became more secure and Sevarius didn't need Fang by his side at all times, letting the cougar-man stay behind in their lodgings at times, which worked for Fang. He really did not wish to see the results of Sevarius's experiments, and much preferred to stay back and relax, going out flying sometimes.

The two had also visited Egypt, then South Africa, Germany, then had left for their current destination. Out of every stop they had had, their current one had been one of the ones that Fang had most been looking forward to being in after arriving. In the first two countries they visited, Fang had been required to be at Sevarius's side a lot of the time, thus there wasn't much for him to do and not much to distract him, other than watching TV and going flying for a while. In Egypt, due to it being a client Sevarius had made plenty of business with before, Fang was allowed to remain in their lodgings almost the whole time except for the first meeting with the client, but he always stayed indoors, not being a fan of the heat, especially with his fur, and even though the evenings were cool enough, he still preferred the penthouse.

South Africa had been more relaxing and Fang had more chances to go out, which he greatly enjoyed; whereas Germany had been almost a repeat of Russia and Argentina, being stuck with Sevarius plenty of time, but at least getting a couple of days off to relax and explore. But now at their current destination, Fang felt more free once again. This was another long-time client of Sevarius, so when the scientist announced that they would spend about a week or so there, with Sevarius holed up in a laboratory from nighttime till dawn working on "highly important and delicate experiments'" without needing Fang to be present, the mutate was ecstatic.

If there was something Fang had more than enjoyed during their travels so far, it had been the luxuries. The fancy meals, the expensive liquors, and especially the big private penthouses that he and Sevarius had been staying at. Fang more than indulged himself in the large, comfortable beds, the room service with great food and drink (which he would ask to be left outside the door and he'd get it afterwards to avoid being seen and causing a scene if Sevarius wasn't available to get it himself), the entertainment systems, showers and jacuzzis, though he still found it annoying to dry up from those. Due to his work with Sevarius, he only had some times to enjoy those penthouses, with the exception of Egypt, South Africa, and now their current destination, and he wanted to bask in the luxury as much as he could. But most important to Fang, with Sevarius gone all night, it meant he could go out, stretch his wings and explore all he wanted, then return to relax at the penthouse.

Fang watched Sevarius finish packing up some things he'd need, then walked out the door, closing it. The mutate smirked, using the remote to click the TV off. "Finally. I thought he'd never leave."

Dressed in denim shorts and a plain white sleeveless t-shirt, his most usual and comfortable attire, Fang walked to the double doors leading to the balcony. After exiting, he closed them and then took a running leap off the balcony, spreading his wings and taking flight. The mutate sighed contently as the wind rushed against his face, fur and wings as he swooped through the skies and looked down below, relishing the feel of the air in his wings holding him aloft. Though London was a big city, it didn't have as many tall buildings as Manhattan did, so in a way it felt more comfortable to fly in this place.

"Thank goodness it's not raining tonight," Fang said to himself, as it had rained the night before (which had been their first night there), preventing him from going out then. The air was cooler than it was in Manhattan, and Fang was glad his fur helped keep him warm enough.

For a good half hour or so, Fang simply flew around, taking in the sights, enjoying the exhilarating feeling of freedom that flight provided. He especially enjoyed that there were no Quarrymen or Talon or Goliath's clan to look out for, making this a most relaxing flight. After flying high for a while, Fang decided to go lower. Unlike in Manhattan, he didn't need to be as careful or discreet here, and he wanted to see the city closer, keeping track of landmarks and locations so he wouldn't lose his way while flying around, and be able to return to the hotel with relative ease. Though certainly a bustling city, it felt calmer than Manhattan to him.

"And here I thought England was gonna be a drag," Fang spoke out loud with a smirk on his face. "Guess it's not so bad."

Fang simply continued flying around for a while, noticing certain areas of the city seemed to be pretty calm, not a lot of traffic, so he stuck around those, enjoying the relative quiet and calmness. He pondered if he could do something else besides flying around, maybe some mischief, cause a bit of trouble here or there. But a few moments later he heard some shouting, which made the mutate curious. Veering towards where the shouting was coming from, Fang eventually landed on the rooftop of a two story building and carefully peered over the edge to what was happening across the rather deserted street.

What Fang saw was a duo of thuggish-looking men bothering some passersby. They had cornered an attractive young woman with light brown hair, who nervously clung on to her purse as one of the guys, who had a blue-dyed mohawk, tattoos and several piercings, held the purse's strap in one hand while looking at her menacingly. The other one, who had a shaved head and ratty looking clothes that didn't hide his own tattoos, was laughing at an older man who was clearly not willing to put up with their antics.

"I thought we told ya to back off, geezer," the shaved-head thug told the older man, trying to intimidate him.

"And I thought I told you two to stop bothering the young lady," the older man retorted. He tried stepping forward and all he received for his bravery was a punch in the gut that sent him down to his knees, clutching his stomach and gasping for breath, the two thugs laughing aloud.

"That's what you get for trying to be a hero," Fang scoffed, talking out loud. "Feels like right back home, just lowlifes and idiots out at night."

"C'mon, sweetheart, just 'and over the purse so we's can go get some drinks," the mohawk thug told the young woman, who looked about to have a nervous breakdown.

"P-please, just leave me be," she pleaded.

"You're in big trouble," the older man managed to utter out. "You know they'll not let you get away with this."

"Please," the bald thug scoffed, stooping to get closer to the man's face. "Those damn do-gooders can't be everywhere at once and you know it. Now fuck off or I'll beat ya right into an emergency room."

The thug shoved the man by the head, making him stumble backwards and flat onto his back, still clutching his stomach, then the thug joined his buddy in harassing the young woman. The good samaritan managed to get back on his feet again and tried charging the thugs, ony to get roughly shoved away to the ground once again, the thugs threatening him while preventing the young lady from escaping.

"C'mon, luv, seriously," the mohawk guy insisted. "Join us for a good time, won't ya?"

"Please, just leave me alone," she pleaded, but there was nobody else on the street in this area to help her, other than the old man who was clearly no match for these hooligans.

Up in the roof of the nearby building, Fang lost interest in the situation, shrugging his shoulders. "Bah. This is boring," he mumbled, turning away, ready to go back to flying.

"Oh, look here, she's being mean to us," one of the thugs taunted.

"Guess we oughta teach 'er some manners, eh?" the other one said.

Fang heard the young lady try to scream, but it was muffled. Taking a peek back, Fang saw the two thugs had gotten very hands-on with the young woman and were dragging her into an alley. She tried her best to squirm free, but it was to no avail. Seeing this, Fang hesitated for a moment. The two guys dragged her deep in the alley, the man rushing after them yet again, and moments later he was sent flying out, stumbling over some trash cans and falling. Fang's sharp feline eyes could make out what was happening in the alley, though, and he saw the men starting to try to tug the woman's clothes off.

And then Fang snapped. He would be the first to admit he was not really a good person, but there are lines he'd never cross, and seeing these men doing something Fang would never do, he couldn't bring himself to ignore it.

"Motherfuckers!" Fang growled, and without a second thought, he ran off the rooftop and spread his wings, landing at the entrance of the alleyway, the older man gasping as he noticed him.

Fang walked quickly into the alley, the thugs not noticing him due to their backs being turned to him, and the young woman was too distressed in trying to defend herself that she didn't notice him either. He was on top of them in seconds, and he reached over, grabbing them firmly by their necks with his big hands. The surprised thugs instantly let go of the woman and desperately clutched at the hands gripping their necks from behind.

"You know, I ain't one to talk about not doing bad things, 'cuz I've done my share. But I really fucking hate rapists!" Fang snarled with eyes glowing a bright white. With all his strength, he threw the thugs aside, sending them flying. The two thugs grunted as they skidded and stumbled along, then looked in Fang's direction and their eyes went wide.

"What the fuck?" the mohawk one uttered.

"It's one of 'em gargoyle freaks!" the bald one exclaimed.

"All the way from across the pond to fuck you up," Fang said with a growl, then scoffed in derision as the thugs got to their feet and pulled out switchblades. "Are you fucking kidding? You really wanna mess with me? Oh, I'm gonna enjoy this..."

The two thugs approached Fang with careful apprehension, then both shouted as they charged him from two different directions, switchblades ready to stab him. Fang was no fighter, but his mutation had given him some keen, sharp senses and reflexes, and he dodged their attacks with no problem, noticing that these guys were no accomplished fighters either. He followed it up by punching the bald thug on the face, sending him sprawling down, then kicking the mohawk one on the stomach to knock him back. The older man came into the alley and went right over to check on the woman, both of them hiding behind a nearby dumpster, looking at the thugs being beaten.

The thugs were down on the ground from Fang's fierce punch and kick, grunting and muttering curse words. They both got back up slowly, looking both angry and intimidated by the mutate. They both picked up their switchblades and eyed the entrance to the alleyway, but noticing this, Fang stepped to the side, as if to block it, making it clear they would not be running away from him. Fang then started gathering electricity in his hands, surprising all those present. The two intimidated thugs saw no other way out for them. The mohawk one threw his switchblade at Fang, who managed to barely dodge it, the other one suddenly charging Fang, ready to stab him. The mutate's feline reflexes made him react quicker than the thug could attack, and his electrically charged punch struck the man, sending him flying hard, crashing into his friend and knocking him to the ground.

"Taser punch, bitches," Fang growled, the glow in his eyes still shining bright. With an angry growl, he walked over to the fallen men, stooped down and grabbed one arm of each man, then let loose with his electricity. The two thugs screamed and writhed until they fell unconscious, and only then did Fang stop electrocuting them.

"Pieces of shit," he growled as he got up, his eyes not glowing anymore.

The mutate took a deep breath, feeling the adrenaline rush starting to leave his body. He felt himself almost losing some control there, and he remembered it having happened before; namely twice in the night Daniel helped him escape the Labyrinth, once when attacking Talon and the other when fighting first Brooklyn and then Owen Burnett. It was like an animal side that took over his senses when he got furious enough, and feeling it again now, he found it a little unsettling. He wondered if Talon felt like this when he was trying to kill Goliath, back when he thought the gargoyle had been responsible for Talon's mutation, the cougar-man remembering how uncontrollable the leader of the mutates was back then.

Fang then turned around and noticed the young woman and older man were still standing there, looking at him. Instantly he grew apprehensive. He had heard plenty about Goliath's clan saving and helping people from muggers and the like, only to have the people they saved scream at them, call them monsters and throw things at them before running off scared. He definitely wasn't in the mood to be on the receiving end of that.

"Oh-kay. You know, I'm just gonna head out and..."

What happened next, Fang did not expect at all. The woman dropped her purse and rushed towards Fang, then before he could react, she wrapped her arms around him in a hug. "Thank you! Thank you so much for saving me! Thank you!"

Fang's eyes were wide in astonishment, arms slightly raised to the sides in surprise. He expected these people to call him a freak, to scream at him to get away from them, but here this young woman was showing immense gratitude and Fang barely knew how to react. "Ah... hey, no problem, lady. Happy to help."

"That was amazing," the older man said with a big smile as he walked over as well. "Serves those bastards right."

"Oh, it was nothing. Just doing the right thing, you know," Fang said in a rather sheepish tone, keeping his arms up. He felt rather tempted to hug the woman as she was doing to him, but he didn't want to push his luck.

The woman finally let go of Fang with a bright, grateful smile on her face, then she looked over at the downed thugs. "But what about them?"

"This area's pretty rundown, barely anyone around," the older man said to her and Fang. "But my house is nearby, I can call the police. Would've done so earlier, but I didn't want to leave the lady alone with the bastards. They gonna be out long?"

"Oh, yeah, I gave 'em a good jolt. They'll be out for like a half hour or more," Fang said with a smirk. "But hey, you don't mind if I step out, do ya? I wouldn't want the cops taking a look at me."

"Oh. Bit shy, aren't you? No worries, then. But don't go anywhere, because I'd like to repay you for your help," the older man said with a smile as he started walking away.

"I'll go too, so I can give my statement to the police when they arrive," the woman said, picking her purse back up, then she made her way to Fang and gave him another quick hug and smile of gratitude. "Thank you again."

Fang watched them both walk away and couldn't help but smile. "Huh. Well, that was something. Guess this hero thing's not so bad. When people are grateful, at least."

Fang then casually walked over to the downed thugs, and with a menacing smirk on his face, he stooped down, grabbed a leg each and zapped them again. The unconscious thugs grunted, their bodies flailing, until Fang stopped a few seconds later while laughing, feeling quite cathartic. Having made sure they wouldn't awaken any time soon, Fang walked out of the alley, took a running leap and flapped his wings, getting back up to the rooftop he had been on before. The older man's words echoed in Fang's mind, about wanting to repay him for his good deed, and though a touch doubtful, his eagerness for a reward convinced Fang to stick around.

It took about ten minutes for two police cars to show up. After a talk with the older man and young woman, one police car took the unconscious thugs away after having had to carry them out of the alley, and the woman got into the other car on their way to the station. Then when the police were gone, the old man called out.

"You can come out now, if you're still around!"

Fang then swooped down from the building, landing near the old man, who smiled at the mutate. "Good to see you stuck around... ah, what do I call you, big guy?"

"Name's Fang," the mutate replied.

"Nice meeting you, Fang. Call me Glenn," the older man replied, then started walking away. "C'mon, then. I'll take you someplace you'll like."

"I dunno. Is it some place good for me, or some place where I'll get shot at or something?" Fang hesitated.

"Ah, don't worry, mate, I assure you it's safe," Glenn stopped and said with a smile. "I can tell from your accent that you're not from around here. New York, right? How long you been here?"

"Got here yesterday, with someone I know," Fang replied. "And yeah, I'm from New York. Guess the news of living gargoyles in Manhattan reached everywhere."

"And then some. Seeing all that happens there regarding gargoyles, I don't blame you for being suspicious here," Glenn said. "But over here in London, we like gargoyles quite a bit."

"Really?" Fang asked, starting to walk along, and now mutate and old man walked side by side.

"Well, you are walking around all casually in the middle of the street."

"Middle of an empty street," Fang pointed out.

Glenn chuckled. "Even if there was people around, nobody'd bother you. I don't understand why those New York blokes fear gargoyles so much. If someone helps someone else, then who cares what they look like? You saved that girl from getting raped, that's more than good enough for me. Over here, we appreciate what you gargoyles do."

Fang was still trying to take this all in, as it seemed too good to be true. "Well, thanks. It's nice to have people not treat me like a freak. So where are you taking me?"

"Restaurant I frequent," Glenn replied. "After what you did, I figure you deserve a meal and a good pint. My treat."

"Food and booze? Sign me up!" Fang exclaimed. He had not had dinner yet, figuring he could put it off till later and order a large meal from the hotel's room service when he got back. But getting a free meal and drinks out of helping some people, he wouldn't say no to that; and perhaps more appealing to him was the fact that it seemed he could just go into this place without causing a scene. He was slightly apprehensive but also very curious, and figured he could get out of trouble easily if something shifty happened.

"Ha! I figured you'd like that," Glenn told Fang with a friendly smirk. "Nothing like a hearty meal and a cold one to loosen up, right? You'll love it here in London, Fang."

"Well, you're definitely friendlier than most people I've met back home, so you're already racking up the points in my book," Fang told Glenn.

"Glad to hear that," Glenn said. "And that was some nice trick with the electricity with those punks. I'd never seen that before, that's quite some magic you got."

"Oh! Oh, yeah. I'm pretty damn proud of that," Fang said with a chuckle, manifesting some electricity in his hand to show off to his companion, thinking it was good that his ability to generate electricity was a non-issue now too. "Only kinda magic I know how to do, though."

"From what I saw back there, it looks like it's the only one you need," Glenn said, looking impressed with Fang's display. "We should be at the place in a few minutes. It's in a busier area than this."

As Glenn had said, after a few minutes of walking, the two eventually turned to a street that had some businesses open, others closed due to it now being nighttime, and few cars along the street. Fang's instincts screamed at him to hide to avoid scaring people and getting in trouble, just as he would have in Manhattan, but he realized with a feeling of elation that he didn't need to. As he walked alongside Glenn, some people just didn't pay attention to him, others smiled and waved, some calling out to him to say good evening, and nobody freaked out.

"Fuck me backwards," Fang muttered. "I think I love this city..."

Fang was in awe at this. It had been so long since he could just walk normally out in the open, he had almost forgotten what it felt like. When Glenn had told him they liked and appreciated gargoyles in this city and that he'd love it there, Fang couldn't imagine it would be to this extent, and he decided to keep it quiet that he wasn't a gargoyle. Curious about this, Fang wanted to ask Glenn about why such warmth and friendliness towards gargoyles, but before he could, his companion spoke up.

"Here we are," he said as they were almost to a building, where Fang could hear conversations taking place inside.

Fang didn't even take a look at the name of the place, his attention entirely focused on the inside of the building as he could see through the windows, as well as on the smell of food coming from inside that he had caught a whiff of some distance before arriving. It seemed like a simple, humble local eatery, several tables and chairs and a counter area with the cash register on it, not much in terms of decorations. Inside were about ten or so customers, mostly men, a couple of women, all enjoying food, some enjoying beers. Fang could also see a middle aged woman server bringing food to a table, and the cougar-man figured that the kitchen and cooks were at the back. Glenn opened the door and stepped inside. Almost everyone turned to see who was coming in as Fang stepping in after him.

"Hey, everyone! I brought along a new face," Glenn, who was clearly a regular at this place, announced out loud, then turned to Fang. "This here's Fang, from New York. He dropped by for a visit and just gave a proper beatdown to a pair of lowlifes trying to take advantage of a young lady."

"That's great!" someone called out.

"Good on you, mate," someone else called out.

"Aaah, it was nothing, just happy to help out," Fang said with a casual smile and shrug.

"Oh, don't be modest, that was a great thing you did," a woman said to him.

"So since Fang's come all the way out here and he's helping keep folks safe, I thought we oughta treat him to a good meal with good company," Glenn told everyone, turning to a portly, bald man over by the cash register. "What do you say, George?"

George, who clearly owned the place, smirked and nodded. "I'd say that's a good welcome for a visitor. C'mon in then, have a seat and lemme know if ya fancy anything."

"Don't mind if I do," Fang said with a smile on his face. He walked over to an empty table, pulling out a chair and sitting down, Glenn joining him. The cougar-man was a bit too big for the chair but he managed to stay comfortable enough, while out the corner of his eye he could see the cooks and the waitress were by the door leading to the kitchen, having a look at him.

George then walked to a table, menu in hand. "Here you go."

"Ah, thanks, but I kinda already know what I want," Fang said. "I mean, the smell of fried food's been hitting me since like a block away, and it's got my stomach cussing at me."

Glenn chuckled at this. "Ah, that's a good nose you got. This place makes some of the best fish and chips in town."

"The hell do you mean by 'some of the best', ya bastard?" George asked with a smirk. "We got the best, period. I'll bring our guest here a nice, big order of 'em."

"Bring some for me too then," Glenn said. "And don't forget the beers."

"Damn right!" Fang exclaimed with a grin.

As the smell of food cooking enticed Fang's appetite while he waited for his meal, the other patrons divided their time into enjoying their food and chatting with the mutate. They asked Fang questions regarding how was New York, how he managed there, how he was liking London so far. Fang didn't reveal too much about himself, didn't mention some things he felt no one needed to know, embellished other things to make himself look good, and was overall having a great time. This was the most normal he had felt since his mutation and he simply couldn't get enough. Eventually the food was brought before him, and the aroma alone was making Fang salivate. Before him were two nice, big chunks of perfectly fried fish, plenty of fries, as well as coleslaw, tartar sauce and ketchup.

"Awww, damn, this looks so good," Fang said. Though he had been living large and enjoying fancy meals during his travels, there was just something about humble, homey comfort food that Fang felt just couldn't be beat.

Fang immediately started to dig in even before George brought him and Glenn their beers. He dipped the fish in the tartar sauce, the fries in the ketchup, munching down on them and having some coleslaw as well to cut throw all the fattiness of the fried food. He had never been much of a seafood eater, but ever since he was mutated, he had changed his mind about it. He suspected it had to do with the feline genes, and he groaned in delight as he savored the fish and accompaniments.

"That's so damn tasty!" he exclaimed.

"Told you," Glenn said, digging in as well.

Fang nodded, swallowing a big mouthful of food. "Yup. Nothing beats fried food."

"Well, you know what they say," George said as he brought a couple of mugs full of beer and set them on the table, Fang's being clearly bigger. "Everything really good in life is either illegal, immoral or fattening."

Fang couldn't help but have a hearty laugh at this. Considering some of the things he had done, he knew about that saying all too well and it certainly fit him. The mutate then took the mug in his hand and raised it up high.

"Ain't that the truth!" he exclaimed. "You guys really are the best. Can I get a big cheer for all of you?"

Everyone in the small restaurant grinned and raised their own mugs of beer or whatever other beverage they were having, and with a loud "Cheers", they took big gulps of their drinks. Fang relished the cold beer, the good food and the simple fact that he was seated down at a restaurant enjoying a meal with good company. At first, he thought England would be a drab, boring place, but now his opinion had done a complete 180, and he couldn't be more pleased. The mutate wondered what else this city could have in store for him.

To be continued...

Author's extra note: Alright, so here we see some more of Fang's actual morals, and also have some info on where Fang has been and where he's at now. London. I'm pretty sure you dear readers know what this means for future chapters. The next several chapters will be dividing the focus between what happens with Fang in London and what happens back in Manhattan while he's away. Thank you all for reading, and be sure to stay at home and stay safe!