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 38

by Remtar85

After a rather eventful early evening of trick-or-treating, mainly due to the intervention of Talon, Claw and Brooklyn, Fang and Malibu decided to take a bit of a break before the adult festivities could commence, considering all they had walked. They headed to Fang's home in the office building, where they made sure to use the bathroom and rest their legs for a while.

It was a little after 11:00 PM when they headed out again, with Malibu following the mutate's lead as to where they should go to. It didn't take long to reach an area of the city where there were many businesses, some of them with residences on the second floor. Bakeries, convenience stores, clothing stores, bars, eateries-and at that time of night, some eateries and bars remained open for the late night adult crowd.

Finding a specific area where there were multiple bars and quite a number of people both inside said businesses and out on the streets having a good time, Fang and Malibu descended, making their way to a rooftop and then, carefully, down into an alley. Fortunately, there was nobody looking that way, and the two managed to sneak out onto the street without any issue.

People in all manner of costumes, many of them gargoyle-themed, talked enthusiastically, danced to music playing on speakers set up on the street, ate food from eateries and food stalls that had been set up, and drank beverages both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. Everyone was having a blast, and Malibu chuckled as he took it all in.

"Now this is a party!" the gargoyle exclaimed.

"Just like I remember they used to be," Fang said. "Late night's always the best part of Halloween."

"And just how late are you planning to stay out here?" Malibu asked.

"Mal, buddy, I'm not thinking about it. I'll just go for it and head back home when the crowds and the party die down."

"Ha! Yeah, I expected as much," Malibu commented in amusement, as the two started walking towards the bigger crowds. "I'll try the same, just need to keep a lookout on the time. Don't wanna get turned to stone in the middle of a buncha people, after all."

Fang reached over and patted Malibu's shoulder. "Alright, then. Let's party till we can't no more, or till it's five o' clock. If it gets to five, we hightail it right back to my place, and you can spend the day there."

"Sounds like a plan!" Malibu exclaimed. And as they walked along the crowd, there came the praises on their costumes that the two had been hearing all night (and part of the daytime for Fang).

"Yo, awesome costumes!"

"Those look so real!"

"Ooooh, a rocker gargoyle! Awesome!"

"I don't know who he's supposed to be, but the cat gargoyle part of the costume is really original."

Fang found himself rolling his eyes at that particular remark regarding his costume. "Y'know, it's gonna take a damn movie for most people to learn who the hell Thor is. Anyway, which place do we hit first?"

Malibu looked around, and groaned in disappointment. "Damn, maybe we shouldn't have eaten earlier with the kids. The food on those stalls is smelling too damn good, and you've said that street food's the best food."

"Oh, don't worry about that, these stay there till way past midnight," Fang told his friend. "We can catch some grub later, after we've gotten good and boozed."

"Alright. Long as we don't get too drunk, or else we won't be able to glide back."

"Ah, don't worry so much, we'll be fine," Fang said with a confident smile.

With that said, the duo walked a bit more, spotting a particularly lively bar, with music they could hear even outside, and costumed people going in and coming out of it. The two decided to make that their spot for most of the evening and walked in. The place was pretty crowded but not to the point of being unable to properly walk through it. They found that most people were already entertained enough by drinking and either talking or dancing together, thus they didn't attract too much attention as they entered and headed towards the bar. Once there, Fang reached into the inner pocket of the lower part of his costume for his wallet and produced some money, which he set on the bar as he called for the bartender to serve them two beers.

"Aaah, starting the night with the regular stuff, that's good," Malibu commented. "Moving on to the heavier stuff later?"

"You betcha," Fang confirmed. "Gotta get in the mood first before we go big and party hard, hehe."

"Bring it on, then! Let's have the best night we can!"

"Someone sounds all pumped," the bartender, a man in his late 20's, commented as he handed them their mugs of beer.

"My buddy here's having his first Halloween in the big city," Fang said, taking his mug.

"Oh. You from a small town?" the bartender asked.

"And then some," Malibu said with a chuckle as he grabbed his own mug. "Just a podunk little place, nothing like this."

The bartender smiled. "Then I hope you have a great time. Hit me up again if you want more drinks. Just don't ruin those awesome costumes."

"We'll take real good care of 'em," Fang assured, then he gently clinked his mug to Malibu's as the bartender moved away to tend to other customers. "To the best Halloween ever, Mal."

"To the best Halloween," Malibu echoed, and the two guzzled down their cold beers.

After enjoying their first beverage of the evening, the two started to mingle with the crowd, not wanting to be standing in a corner by themselves all the time. Malibu was especially keen on talking and interacting with people outside of his child friends and the Labyrinth residents, and Fang was impressed at how well his best friend engaged with the humans. Malibu made casual conversation easily, charmed the people he spoke with, loved showing off his wings, perfectly playing the facade of him and Fang supposedly being normal people wearing highly elaborate costumes.

Fang was also having a great time, having experienced it in London and now getting to enjoy it on his home turf. He was loud, energetic, and cracking up bad, crude jokes to anyone who would listen; and to his relief, most people did, the mutate figuring that the alcohol intake helped in loosening people up and having them not mind his crass sense of humor much at all.

Fang found himself mostly proud and slightly annoyed at seeing Malibu having such an easy time talking to people, even easier than Fang himself was having. As Fang was moving around the place and mingling with whoever he'd bump into or would give him attention for his "costume", the cougar-man noticed that Malibu had been talking to the same two attractive young women for a while now.

One was dressed as a cheerleader in red, white and black, another as Chun-Li from the Street Fighter games. They had been having quite enthusiastic conversations with the gargoyle clone after having admired his "costume", and the two of them alongside Malibu had occupied a table together for a while now. Fang shook his head and rolled his eyes, certain that Malibu more than likely offered to pay for their drinks and put it on Fang's tab. The cougar-man quickly shrugged that off, though; he had money to spare and he didn't want to hold back, not tonight of all nights. He wouldn't hold it against his friend to go on a bit of a spending spree in order to impress people on this night of all nights.

It was only minutes later, when Fang returned from a bathroom break, that Malibu approached him. "Hey, Fang, I need a favor."

"What is it?"

Malibu pointed over his shoulder at the two young women he had been spending time with, who stood near the door, talking animatedly. "I'm having a great time with these girls. Hell, they even said they wish this wasn't a costume! They're part of something called the P.I.T Crew."

"Pit crew? So they're mechanics?"

"That's what I thought at first," Malibu said. "But it turns out that P.I.T stands for "People for Interspecies Tolerance". They're pretty much the opposite of Quarrymen. People who think that gargoyles really are intelligent beings and that we can co-exist peacefully with humans. They even have meetings and all, and it's why they said they wish I was a real gargoyle instead of wearing a "costume". Isn't it cool?"

Fang chuckled. "Well, whaddaya know? You got a fan club."

"Yup! I'm just gonna see where this goes," Malibu said, then grinned. "So, can ya spot me a twenty? Me and the ladies are wanting a snack, and there's a stand outside serving up loaded tater tots, and I kinda promised to treat them."

Fang sighed, rolled his eyes, but still fished out the wallet from his costume's inner pocket and gave his friend a twenty-dollar bill. "Here ya go. But if you take 'em someplace private and get lucky, you better damn well tell me about it."

"Haha! You bet," Malibu exclaimed with a laugh, then went off to rejoin the women. "Be back soon-ish!"

Fang couldn't help but smile at his friend's enthusiasm, especially because he understood it. Being able to go out and about in public was a thrill for Fang as a mutated human, so he could only imagine how it was for Malibu, as it was the clone's very first night out in public, among people outside his Labyrinth community. The clone gargoyle was possitively giddy and brimming with energy. Deciding to go back to having fun, Fang pondered what to do next. He opted to get another drink before seeing if he'd stay inside longer or go outside like Malibu did.

People kept going in and out of the place, and Fang had to weave a bit through the crowd to reach the bar. Part of the bar was particularly crowded, a few people deciding to lounge there while drinking and talking, so Fang avoided that spot and headed towards a far corner. That part was quieter and felt less smothering and more comfortable, especially since there was only one person occupying that corner of the bar.

Fang was about to call the bartender over when suddenly his senses urged him to stop and take a closer look. The guy next to him was big; bigger than Fang himself in terms of body build, and also a little taller. His clothes were simple denim shorts that reached down to just slightly above his knees and a sleeveless muscle-shirt, black in color, which helped accentuate how muscular the man was. His costume was that of a grey-furred wolfman, with pointed ears, a long mane of smooth white hair, and even a white goatee.

It was a stunning costume, very realistic, but as the guy drank beer from a big mug, Fang's sharp sense of smell told him that the man next to him was wearing no costume-instead, the man next to him was, like Fang himself, a mutate. One that Fang now recognized despite having never seen him before, from a talk he had had with Daniel and his friends during the afternoon.

As if on cue, the lupine mutate realized he was being watched and turned his gaze to Fang, glaring at him. "The hell are you lookin' at?"

Fang wasn't fazed, simply smirking. "The famous Wolf. Heard about you from my kid. Sevarius got you mutated too, huh?"

"Got me nothing. I volunteered, asshole," Wolf said in a threatening tone.

"Alright, no big," Fang said, raising his hands amicably, then taking a quick look around, making sure nobody was standing near them before he spoke again in a lower tone. "So we both like being mutants. Just got a question for ya."

"What is it?" Wolf snarled, clearly not in any mood for conversation.

"What'cha think of Goliath and his bunch?"

At this, Wolf snarled, showing some very sharp teeth. "All of 'em are going down sooner or later. And I'm taking Goliath down myself."

Fang said nothing for a moment, then he grinned and turned to the bartender, who was currently not serving anyone. "Hey, bartender! Give the man here any drink he wants, on me."

Wolf frowned at this. "Alright, what're you trying to pull?"

"Hey, I hate those guys too," Fang said, still grinning. "So, y'know, just gonna show my appreciation for you wanting to turn 'em into mulch."

"Listen, asshole," Wolf growled. "I'm not gonna say no to free drinks, but Halloween's my one night of the year where I can go anywhere to relax and have a good time on my own terms. I'm not out here to make friends."

Fifteen minutes later...

"Hahahaha! I would've paid to have seen you smash that beaked bastard right through Xanatos's desk!" Wolf exclaimed.

"Ah, it was so damn satisfying, I tell ya!" Fang replied heartily.

"I'll make sure to smash 'im through something even harder than a desk next time I see that scrawny little shit," Wolf added with a smirk.

All it had taken were two glasses of whiskey and Fang questioning Wolf about encounters with the Manhattan Clan while mentioning his own, and to Fang's surprise, Wolf had begun loosening up and engaging with him in conversation. Their mutual dislike of the Manhattan Clan and the grief they gave to Fang and Wolf, as well as the trouble that the two mutates caused for the clan, helped in making the two start getting along. Thankfully, the bar had gotten a bit more crowded again, and between all the conversations, the music, and the two mutates keeping to themselves in that corner, they were able to speak without worries, just having to deal with short interruptions by people admiring their supposed costumes.

After getting a third round of whiskey, Fang spoke again after the bartender moved away to tend to other customers. "So, how's a celebrity-turned-criminal keep breaking out of jail and staying free long enough to get to go out on Halloween?"

"I got my ways. And when I don't, I got someone else with the ways to break me loose," Wolf replied. "I used to be a mercenary before I joined that stupid TV show, then I went right back to it after getting mutated. Got plenty of connections in and out of the slammer. Connections that even Fox and the others don't know about."

"Damn. I got let out of my prison cell in the underground dump I used to live in by my eleven-year-old son, then hid at his apartment till Xanatos gave me a job and a place to stay," Fang said. "You definitely got me beat in the break out and stay out thing."

"Heh. Sounds to me like you need to grow a pair and get work more hardcore than that security-and-stealing gig Xanatos got you doing. That'll toughen ya up."

Fang chuckled and shook his head. "Nah, I'm good like this. I like kicking some mook's ass as much as anyone, but at the end of the day, I just wanna live an easy, comfy life without much trouble. I'll leave the fights and ass kickings to you, Wolf. Especially if it means dealing with Goliath and his sorry bunch."

Wolf smirked at this. "Have it your way. Next time I duke it out with whichever of those gargoyles, I'll give 'em a few good beatdowns for ya. As thanks for paying for all this good booze."

"I'll drink to that!" Fang said with a smile. Both mutates then raised their glasses and gulped down their liquor.

"Aah, that hits the spot," Wolf said, then looked over at Fang. "Y'know, for a flying electric cat wimp, you're a pretty alright guy."

"And you're a pretty alright guy too, for a Lon Chaney Jr. reject with the best hair stylist in New York," Fang retorted, then gave a wise-ass smirk to the lupine mutate. "Seriously, women would stab a bitch to have hair as luxurious as yours. Hahaha!"

Wolf growled at this, but he was smirking too. "I'll take some more whiskey in exchange for not kicking your ass for that remark."

"Hehe. Alright then," Fang said, calling the bartender over, who was at that moment about to finish serving a few drinks. "I'd still zap all the fur off you well into unconsciousness before you could beat me up, though."

"Care to test that out?"

"Care to miss out on more free drinks?"

Wolf's reply was a hearty laugh and an even heartier smack to Fang's back, which elicited an "oof" from the winged mutate. "Ha! Yeah, you're definitely an alright guy."

The bartender came over and served them more whiskey, and by now the both of them had gotten rather tipsy. The two mutates continued to talk for a while longer, until Wolf looked towards the bar's entrance and smirked. He got up, stretched a little and gave Fang a pat on one of his shoulders.

"Dunno if we'll ever meet again or not, but thanks again for paying for the drinks, Fang," he told the cougar-man.

"Oh? You're heading out?"

"Yup. My dates just came back; probably already got some more good booze and the condoms I asked for all ready and waiting," the lupine mutate said with a sleazy smirk on his face. "See ya, cat."

"Yeah, take care... wait... dates?!" Fang called out, watching as the wolf-man walked away and met up with two people at the entrance. Wolf casually and confidenly put his arms around them both and walked out with them. The cougar-man just stared after them in disbelief. "That damn mutt, how the hell'd he manage that..."

Shaking his head, the cougar-man decided to take a break from drinking. He paid up his whole tab and walked out, deciding to follow Malibu's example and get some food, especially as he could feel himself close to being actually drunk, and he didn't want to reach that stage, so he figured that filling his stomach with some hearty food might help. He also hoped, out of sheer curiosity, that he could get a better glimpse of Wolf's dates before they moved out of sight, but the former TV star turned criminal and his companions were nowhere to be seen by the time Fang walked out.

Shrugging it off, Fang headed to a nearby food stall, and several minutes later, he was standing a bit away from whatever nearby crowds there were, carrying two big burgers. He ate nice and slowly, taking his time to relax, let the food weight on his tummy, and trying to ignore all the noise around him. Much as he was enjoying the evening, even Fang needed a bit of peace and quiet to relax. This did not last as much as he'd like, however, as after just a few minutes of finishing his meal, Malibu came from out of nowhere and grabbed Fang's arm.

"Finally found you!"

"Whoa, Mal!" Fang exclaimed. "What's with you? Where's the fire?"

"C'mon, man!" a very enthusiastic gargoyle yanked on his friend to get him moving. "They just put it up not long ago and we have to try it!"

"The hell are you talking about? Try what?" Fang asked in irritation as he got dragged along.

Suddenly, Malibu stopped near a number of stalls and pointed at a space set across from said stalls. "That! C'mon, we can't end tonight without doing that!"

Fang's eyes grew wide, and he shook his head in a negatory response. "Oooh no. No, no, no, no, no. Sorry, Mal, but I gotta draw the line at that. No way am I embarrassing myself like that in front of people."

Malibu looked at his friend with a raised eyebrow. "You do realize that nobody here knows you and won't know you after tonight anyway, right? You could do whatever the hell you want and not worry about what people will think tomorrow."

Fang, who was certainly not quite drunk but still definitely not sober, just looked back at his friend. He was silent for a few moments, but then took a deep breath and brought his fists up, cracking his knuckles. "Fuck it. Let's rip this damn thing a new one."

To Be Continued...

Author's Extra Note 1: This chapter was originally not going be too long, but yet it ended up getting longer than I expected, so I had to divide it into two parts, with next part being longer than this one. I just got hit with a sudden dash of inspiration and ended up adding the whole meeting between Fang and Wolf. The idea of those two jerks getting along was too much fun to not explore, so I hope you dear readers like their interaction. Their bonding moment after the "Fifteen minutes later" part is from Fang telling Wolf about the time he fought Brooklyn in Xanatos's office and eventually smashed him right through the desk, way back in Chapter 7.

Author's Extra Note 2: You will have noticed my mention of the P.I.T Crew in this chapter, an idea explored in the episode "The Dying of the Light", from The Goliath Chronicles, and even though that season is non-canon except for the first episode, I found the P.I.T Crew idea to be a good one, especially to serve as a contrast to the Quarrymen, having both sides of the spectrum in regards to how people would react to gargoyles. I just really wanted to use the concept in my story, and figured this would be the perfect chance. Now, as for what Malibu is so enthusiastic about Fang trying out with him, you'll have to wait for next chapter. Thanks for reading!