Cupid's Dust

Written by Donald E. Fleming II

Story concept by Donald E. Fleming II

Disclaimer: All Gargoyles characters are the property of Disney and Buena Vista Studios and are being used without their consent or permission. Other original characters are the property of Donald E. Fleming II. I am receiving no reward for this story other than the satisfaction of being able to share it with others as it is intended solely for my own entertainment and the entertainment of Gargoyle fandom everywhere.

Note: This story takes place some time after 'The Journey', but while there are references to certain events and characters in 'The Dying of the Light', it is not part of 'The Goliath Chronicles' continuity.

Sunday, October 20, 1996

Los Angeles

Demona walked silently through the manor, careful not to set off any alarms, both those of an electronic nature, and of a mystical kind. She was here for a specific reason, and she did not want to alert the owners of her trespass, not until it was too late.

According to local records, the home belonged to one Valentino Eros and his wife, and Demona had to shake her head in amusement when she planned this job. Could you be any more obvious, Cupid? she thought to herself. You could have chosen a less obvious name. She stole through the home, her eyes searching the darkness, looking for one thing in particular, and hoping that she wasn't there too much longer. She had little fear of stumbling upon the Fae Cupid, or his immortal human wife Psyche, since she had learned of the return of Oberon and his Children to Avalon, but she didn't want to take any chances. She wanted to find what she was after and be gone as quickly as possible.

Her quest through the home took her to one of the rooms Cupid used as an office for his human profession as a marriage counselor. That had amused her as well, but it did make an odd sort of sense. Who better than Cupid to 'counsel' couples on their marriage problems, she thought. No doubt, he uses his powers to 'reconcile' them. She looked around the office, searching. She approached the desk and began going through the drawers. When she came up empty, she began pulling books off the shelves. Eventually, she found a wall safe. She dug her talons into the metal and pulled the door off. Inside, she found a small chest.

"Very careless, Cupid," she said as she withdrew the chest. "Leaving this where anyone could find it." She placed the chest on a small table and opened it. The chest was filled with a fine powder the color of gold, but Demona knew that it wasn't gold dust. It was something else. Something far more precious. She carefully closed the chest and set about returning the room to its former condition, placing the books back on the shelves and closing the desk drawers, and then hid the ruined door to the safe behind a planter. She then placed the chest under her arm and headed for the door, smiling. By the time anyone discovers that this is missing, it will be too late.

Manhattan

Two days later…

Elisa pushed the cart down the aisle of the grocery store, stocking up on essentials. "Let's see," she said to herself. "What else do I need?" She paused her cart and grabbed a jar of instant coffee and a box of tea bags, then turned the cart around, heading back up the aisle as she looked at her shopping list again. Things had gotten easier since the clan's return to the castle. Her food bill no longer took quite so much out of her paycheck now, but there still were times when she pushed her budget to the limit, like now. Goliath was going to come over tonight for an intimate dinner, and she intended on giving him a meal to remember. She headed for the frozen food section, grabbing two bags of frozen broccoli, then headed for the Meat counter.

"Hey, detective," the butcher said as he saw her approach.

"Hey, Sam," she replied. "Got those steaks ready?"

"Got 'em right here," the butcher said. He went into the meat locker and came out with a large package. "Hope your boyfriend appreciates the time it's going to take to cook these things."

Elisa smiled at that. "Oh, I know he will," she said. She'd borrowed a grill from her father in order to grill the inch thick steaks, but she knew that Goliath could eat his raw if he wanted to. "I owe you one, Sam," she said as she took the package.

"Think nothing of it," he said. "Always glad to help out." He then turned to help the next customer in line.

Elisa set the package in her cart, then turned it towards the Checkout aisle. Goliath, get ready for a feast you won't soon forget.

Elisa paid for her groceries, then steered the cart towards her car when she exited the store. But when she got to her car, she found an unpleasant surprise.

"Oh, that's just perfect," she snarled as she looked at her right rear tire, which was completely flat. She gave the traitorous tire a swift kick before opening the trunk. She looked at her watch. "I don't have time for this," she groaned. She hated changing tires herself, especially since her mechanic always seemed to tighten the nuts just a little too tight for her to loosen, and she hated pulling the spare out of the trunk. Sighing, she took out the jack and the lug wrench.

"Problems?" she heard someone ask. She turned and saw an attractive and well-built man with dark hair approach.

"Yeah," she said with a sigh. "I've got a flat." She thought about telling him that she had the problem under control, not wanting to trust a stranger, but there was something familiar about him. "Can you help?"

"Sure thing," he said. He took the jack from her and set it under the Fairlane, then pulled the spare out of the trunk before taking the wheel cover off the flat tire and loosening the lug nuts.

He sure made that look easy, she mused, knowing that she would have had a hard time with the nuts herself. As her 'Good Samaritan' jacked up the car and began removing the loosened lug nuts, she stepped closer to him.

"I want to thank you for doing this," she said. "I always have problems getting the nuts off myself."

"No sweat," he said as he pulled off the flat tire. "I'm glad to help, miss…"

"Maza," she said. "Detective Maza, actually. NYPD."

Her rescuer turned to look at her. "Elisa Maza?" he asked.

Elisa stepped back slightly, surprised that he knew her name. "Yes," she said. "Do I know you?"

"It's me," he said. "Jimmy."

"Jimmy?"

"Jimmy Randall," he said. "Remember?"

Her eyes went wide in surprise. She remembered Jimmy Randall, a nerdy high school student whom she was friends with ten years ago, but she thought that the well-built hunk changing her tire just couldn't be him. "It can't be," she gasped.

Jimmy smiled at her. "It sure is," he said.

"But…you look so…" She paused as she tried to find the appropriate word. "So different," she said finally.

"Well, it has been ten years," he said.

"But the last time I saw you," she said. "You had trouble even doing chin-ups in gym class." She looked him over. "And you had those god-awful glasses. And braces. What happened?"

"The braces came off right after graduation," Jimmy said, smiling to show her his teeth. "And I had RK done to correct my vision a couple of years ago."

"What about the rest?" she asked, looking at his well-muscled arms.

Jimmy grinned. "A professional body builder out in California helped me build up my body after I designed a website for him," he said.

"I'd say he did a pretty good job," she said.

Jimmy smiled as he picked up the spare tire and began to set it in place. The 'old' Jimmy Randall would have had trouble just getting it out of the trunk, she thought.

"So, what are you up to now?" she asked. "Do you design websites for a living?"

"That's part of what I do now," he said as he got the holes in the rim lined up and set the spare in place. "Most of the time, I'm putting together networks or building servers or other things along those lines. I'm pulling down a six-figure salary doing what I used to do for fun in high school."

Elisa gulped soundly. Six figures? she thought. I'd do anything to be able to pull down a six-figure salary. Well, almost anything.

"So," he said as he began putting the lug nuts back in place. "Are you going to the reunion?"

"Reunion?" she asked.

"Class of '86," he said. "The reunion's Saturday."

"I didn't know," she said.

"Didn't you get an invitation?" he asked.

"When were they sent out?"

"I got mine about back in January," Jimmy said. "They were all mailed out at the same time."

January, Elisa thought, counting the months in her head. Back in January, I was on the skiff with Goliath, Angela and Bronx. "I was out of town," she said. "I might have overlooked it, or it could have just gotten lost in the mail."

"That's probably what happened," Jimmy said. He finished tightening the lugs on the tire and began lowering the jack. "So, do you think you might still go?"

"I'd have to think about it," she said. "Are you planning on going?"

"That's one of the reasons I'm in New York," he said. "That, and the job I'm doing for PIT."

Elisa smiled slightly at that. She'd heard of PIT, the People for Interspecies Tolerance, but this was the first time she had met anyone associated with them. It made her feel good knowing that she had an old friend from high school who was working towards universal acceptance of the gargoyles.

"Well, I'm going to have to check to see if I can get that night off," she said. She reached into her pocket and pulled out one of the cards she usually handed out to crime victims. "Can you give me a call and let me know where and when it's going to be held?" she asked as she jotted down her home phone number on the back.

Jimmy finished lowering the jack and pulled it out from under the car, then gave the lug nuts a few extra turns to finish tightening them and to ensure that they didn't come loose. "Sure thing," he said as he picked up the wheel cover and popped it into place. He took the card from her and pocketed it, then picked up the flat tire and set it in the trunk, followed by the jack and the lug wrench. "Well, you're all set," he said as he closed the trunk. "I'll give you a call later on and let you know where the reunion's going to be."

"Thanks, Jimmy," she said. As she began putting the groceries into the back seat of her car, she saw Jimmy turn towards the store. "And, Jimmy. One more thing," she called out.

Jimmy paused and looked at her. "Yeah?" he asked.

"It was good seeing you again," she said.

Jimmy smiled. "Same here," he replied. He turned and headed for the store.

Elisa smiled as she finished putting her groceries into the back seat and headed home.

Elisa's apartment

Goliath lifted the napkin, wiping his mouth. "That was an excellent meal, Elisa," he said as he set the napkin on his plate. "My compliments."

"Thanks," she said, setting aside her own plate. "Hope you left room for dessert."

"Of course," he said. He watched as Elisa gathered up the plates and carried them into the kitchen before getting up to follow her, his eyes following every movement of her body under the charcoal-gray dress she wore. His thought went back to earlier that evening, when Elisa had come out of the bedroom, the evening dress hugging her lithe figure in all the right places to make her every move seem sensuous. Now he noticed that her movements seemed a little more hesitant, as if there were something preying on her mind. "Is there a problem, Elisa?" he asked.

Elisa set the plates in the sink. "What makes you think anything's wrong?" she asked.

Goliath grumbled. "You've seemed distracted all night," he said. "I was wondering if something had happened to upset you."

Elisa turned to look at her lover. "No," she said reassuringly. "Nothing's wrong. I just…I ran into an old friend from high school today. It took me by surprise."

"An old…boyfriend?" he asked.

Elisa smiled. "No," she said. "Jimmy and I were friends, but that's all it ever was." She sighed. "Jimmy was a scrawny kid in high school. He wore braces and these god-awful glasses. He was the kind of kid everyone else used to make fun of."

"Even you?" he felt himself ask.

Elisa hesitated for a minute. "I was one of the few friends he had. Don't forget, Goliath. I'm the daughter of a mixed-marriage couple. I had more than my share of insults tossed my way. Jimmy and I just sort of hung out together because we were the outcasts." She sighed heavily. "When I saw him today, I was kinda thrown by how much he's changed over the years."

"Changed?" Goliath asked. "How?"

"He's different now," she said. "He's built himself up, lost the glasses. He looks like one of the guys who used to make fun of him and me in high school." She looked at Goliath's biceps. "I mean, he used to always have trouble keeping up in gym class," she said. "Now, he looks like he could be a quarterback for the Giants."

Goliath looked at her, seeing the worry in her eyes. "And this upsets you?" he asked.

"I…I don't know," she admitted. "Part of me is glad that he's done something to improve himself, but…"

"But you are also afraid that he may become like those who once thought of you as outcasts," he said. "Somehow, I do not think that could ever happen."

"What makes you so sure?" Elisa asked.

"I have observed that the attitudes of many humans tend to remain consistent throughout their lives," Goliath said. "You did say that you and he were friends in high school."

"Yeah," she said.

"Then it is likely that, while your friend may have changed his outward appearance," Goliath said. "His inner self should be the same as it was all those years ago."

Elisa smiled. "It's only been ten years," she said. "It's not like I haven't seen him for a thousand."

Goliath frowned slightly, and Elisa realized the mistake she made.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have said that. I know how you feel…"

Goliath turned away from her. "I keep wondering," he said. "If there was something I could have done to prevent what happened between us…"

Elisa reached out and gently touched his arm. "I know," she said. "But Demona made the choice to betray both you and the clan. I don't think you could have stopped what happened if you wanted to."

Goliath sighed. "You are right," he admitted. "But still…I wish things had turned out differently…"

Elisa turned her head as she heard the phone ring. She considered letting it ring, but Goliath looked at her. "It may be important," he said.

Elisa hesitantly picked up the phone. "Hello?" she said.

"Elisa, this is Jimmy," came the reply.

"Hi, Jimmy," she said, looking at Goliath. "What's up?"

"Though I'd call you and let you know about the reunion," he said.

"Oh yeah," she said. "Thanks." She picked up a pen. "When and where?"

"It's going to be in the main ballroom at the Park Manor Hotel," Jimmy said. "It starts at 7:00 PM on Saturday."

"How much to get in?" she asked.

"Seventy-five bucks a person at the door," Jimmy said. "That covers dinner and drinks." She heard him pause. "Are you going to bring someone with you?"

"I…" she started, but then she paused, looking over at Goliath. "I'll have to get back with you on that," she said.

"Okay," she heard Jimmy say. "I hope to see you there."

"Thanks, Jimmy," she said before hanging up the telephone. She let her hand linger on the phone for a minute before turning to Goliath.

"What was that about?" he asked.

"That was Jimmy," she said. "He called about the reunion on Saturday."

"Reunion?" he asked, a little confused.

"High school reunion," she said. "Class of '86. It's one of those traditions we humans have." She looked at Goliath, seeing the questioning look in his eyes. "After we graduate from high school, we like to get together after a number of years to see how things have turned out for everybody."

"Do you plan on attending?" he asked. "And why haven't you mentioned this to me earlier?"

"I didn't know about the reunion until today," she said. "Jimmy said the invitations were sent out back in January. Remember what we were doing then?"

"It was hard to forget," Goliath said. "At times, I wondered if Avalon would ever return us home."

"You and me both, Big Guy," she said, causing him to smile, as he often did when she called him that, which she used as a term of endearment. "I'd like to go," she continued. "But…"

"You would not be able to take me with you as a date," he said. "I understand."

"I don't think you do…" she started.

"I do, my Elisa," Goliath said. He took her hands in his. "You needn't be embarrassed. I am a gargoyle, and you are a human. Until the day when my kind can be accepted by humanity, we cannot openly declare our love for one another." He looked at the phone. "If you wish, you may attend this 'reunion' with your former classmate. I will feel no ill will."

"I wouldn't want to hurt your feelings…"

"My only wish is for you to be happy, Elisa," he said. "I would not wish for you to miss the opportunity to see your former classmates. I know how important these 'human' traditions are to you."

"Are you sure?" she asked. "I mean…"

"Elisa," he growled, his deep voice resonating through the apartment. "You can give me a thousand reasons why you should not attend, but none should be because of me. I would not wish to be the reason you feel you should not go to this 'reunion'."

Elisa sighed heavily. "I guess I can't argue with you on that," she said.

"No, you cannot," he said, smiling. "You should perhaps call your friend and let him know that you will need an escort."

Elisa smiled. "I'll do it later," she said. "Right now, how do you feel about a little dessert?"

Goliath set his hands on her slender waist. "Right now, I think I would prefer this," he said. He pulled her close and pressed his lips to hers. She put her arms around his broad neck and lost herself in his passionate embrace.

Wednesday, October 23

Destine Manor

Demona opened the chest, careful not to touch the powder inside, or to inhale it. The powder was powerful, as anyone who was exposed was immediately affected by it. The powder was what Cupid used to cause people to fall in love. In the past, Cupid's arrows were coated with the powder, and when he shot people with them, their targets became covered with the dust, and they invariably inhaled it as well. This would cause them to fall in love with the very first person they saw. Quite ingenious, she thought. Although, one could argue that it violated Oberon's decree of not interfering with human affairs. But then again, what could one expect of the Fae? I certainly know from personal experience that the Fae do as they wish, Oberon's decree notwithstanding. Demona opened a drawer of her desk and reached inside, pulling out a small leather bag. She then took a small scoop from inside the chest lid and began filling the bag. When she was done, she closed it and set it aside.

Step One was now complete, she thought. Now on to Step Two. She would drive a wedge between Goliath and his beloved Elisa, and no one would suspect her of a thing, not with what she had in mind. She turned her attention to her computer and began setting the next part of her plan in motion.

Thursday, October 24

The Eyrie Building

Owen was in his office, going over the household budget when he felt a sudden presence in the room. He looked up and saw a shimmering in the air in front of his desk. The shimmering grew more coherent until he saw the distinct outline of Oberon's mirror form before him. He set aside his pen and sat there waiting until he saw someone step through the portal and into the office.

"Hello, cousin," he said as the portal faded.

"Hello, Puck," the winged Fae known as Cupid said in return. "It's been too long."

Owen removed his glasses and set them aside. "Apparently not long enough," Owen said.

Cupid smiled. "Are you still sore about Psyche?" he asked.

Owen sighed. "You knew how I felt about her," he said.

"But she wasn't interested in you," Cupid said. "She fell in love with me. Besides," he added. "We still had some great times together."

Owen sat back in his chair. "True," he said. He smiled. "It was her idea to play that prank on Coyote, wasn't it?"

Cupid smiled. "You have to admit, he was a real good sport about it, wasn't he?"

"Coyote always did enjoy a good joke," Owen said. "Even when he ended up on the receiving end of it." His smile faded a bit. "But I assume you're not here to reminisce about old times."

"No," Cupid said. He sighed heavily. "There's been a theft."

Owen leaned forward. "From Avalon?" he asked.

"No," the Fae said. "My manor in Los Angeles. Someone broke in and took something rather…important."

Owen's eyes went wide. "You don't mean…"

"I do," Cupid said. "The dust."

"How…" he started, but then the door to his office opened.

"Owen," the 'uninvited' guest said as she entered. "Fox is wondering…oh!"

Owen stood up. "Miss Angela, how many times must I remind you to knock before entering my office?"

The lavender gargess looked at the winged Fae in surprise before turning her attention back to Owen. "I'm sorry, Owen," she said. "But Fox said it was important. I didn't know…"

"Angela, this is my cousin Cupid," Owen said. "Cupid, this is Angela."

Cupid turned and took the lavender female's hand. "A pleasure," he said as he brought the hand to his lips and lightly kissed the knuckles. "You are of Goliath's clan?"

"Yes," she said, blushing brightly. "Goliath is my father." She looked at Owen. "This is Cupid?" she asked. "I mean, the real…"

"The one and only," the winged Fae said, smiling.

"You're not here to…" she started.

"Do you really think you need my help?" he asked, already guessing what she was going to ask.

Angela blushed again. "No," she said sheepishly. "I guess not."

Owen coughed, drawing Angela's attention away from the Fae. "Miss Angela, inform Mrs. Xanatos that I will be along shortly. My cousin and I have something very urgent to discuss."

"What is it?" she asked.

"Nothing that need concern you…" Owen started, but then Cupid interrupted him.

"I think she should be told," he said. "After all, it was her mother who took the dust."

"What?" Angela gasped.

"How?" Owen asked.

"I don't know," Cupid said. "I do know that it was her because she was caught on video ripping open the door to my safe. That, and then there's this." He waved his hand and the ruined door to the safe appeared on Owen's desk. The surface had been gouged by gargoyle talons. "I will say this for Demona, she certainly knows her stuff. She got around the mystical defenses without any trouble, and she bypassed all the conventional alarms." He waved his hand again and the door vanished. "And she was after just one thing." He looked at Owen. "The dust."

Angela looked at Owen in confusion. "What kind of dust?" she asked.

"A special kind," Owen said. "It causes whoever is exposed to it to fall madly in love with the first person they lay eyes on."

"I though you used arrows," Angela said.

"I used to," he said. "I gave up the bow and arrow bit years ago because the world changed and humans began moving faster, not to mention the fact that there are more of them today than there were centuries ago. Do you have any idea how hard it is to draw a bead on one particular person in a city of millions? Especially when you're also trying to avoid becoming a mess on the front of a DC-10 at the same time. It just became too dangerous. Nowadays, I just slip a little of the dust into the drinks of those I counsel."

"You 'counsel'?"

"I'm a marriage counselor out in Los Angeles," he said. "At least, I was until the Gathering."

"Why didn't you take the dust with you to Avalon?" Owen asked.

"Oberon said no deal," Cupid said. "He remembers the last time you and I decided to have ourselves a little fun with the stuff. It took me hours just to convince him that this was a matter urgent enough for me to return here to warn you."

"Your warning is greatly appreciated," Owen said.

"I'm also going to need help recovering the dust," Cupid said. "I can't face Demona directly, since she knows I'm going to be coming after her, but I have to get the dust back somehow."

"I'll be glad to help," Angela said.

"Miss Angela…" Owen started.

"If I can catch her off guard," she said. "I think I can get the dust away from her without any trouble."

"Are you certain?" Owen asked. "She may be your mother, but she is still dangerous."

"My mother may have her faults," she said, looking at the exiled Fae. "But she'd never do anything to deliberately hurt me." She looked at Cupid. "Let me help," she said. "I can do this. I'm probably the only one who can."

Cupid looked at Owen. "She has a point, cousin," he said. "I would stand a better chance of recovering the dust with her help than without." He looked at the lovely young gargess and smiled. "Besides, I'd much rather have her for company than you."

Angela couldn't help but smile at the handsome Fae, but that didn't mean she was taken in by his charm. "I'm seeing someone already," she said. "Besides, didn't I read somewhere that you were already married?"

This time, Owen was the one who smiled. "I don't think you're going to charm this one, cousin," he said, grinning Puckishly.

Cupid looked at Angela. "Oh well, there was no harm in trying," he said. He turned and waved his hand, opening a portal. "Shall we be off?' he said.

Angela looked back at Owen.

"I shall inform your father where you went," he said. "And I shall also tell him what has happened."

"Thank you, Owen," she said. She disappeared through the portal. Cupid looked back at his cousin.

"Good luck," Owen said.

"Thanks," Cupid said. "I think I'm going to need it." He disappeared through the portal, which closed behind him. Owen sat there for a few minutes before reaching for the phone and picking it up. "Mr. Xanatos," he said. "I'm afraid we have a problem."

Destine Manor

Angela landed lightly on the balcony, followed closely by the Fae Cupid. She carefully approached the balcony doors and paused before touching the door handles.

"Anything?" Cupid asked.

"Nothing," she said. "But then again, Mother never expects anyone to get past the outer wall. And she's never tried to keep me out before."

"There's always a first time," Cupid said.

Angela realized that Cupid was right, but she tried the door anyway. The handle turned without hesitation and Angela carefully pushed the door open. She paused again before going inside. She turned when she realized Cupid was still outside.

"Aren't you coming in?" she asked.

"I think it better if I wait out here," he said. "Demona's mystical defenses might allow you to get inside, but I doubt she'd show me the same consideration."

"You could be right," she said. "Maybe you should wait out there." She looked around the room before stepping back to the open balcony doors. "What is it I should be looking for?" she asked.

"A small chest," he said. He held out his hands, one above the other. "About this size. Made of wood with fittings of white gold."

Angela resumed her search of the room. She went over to the desk and began opening drawers. She found a small chest in the bottom drawer. "Is this it?" she asked, removing the chest from the drawer. She quickly took it over to the Fae and handed it to him.

"Yes, this is it," he said, smiling. He opened the chest. "This is definitely the right chest." Then he frowned.

"What's wrong?" Angela asked.

"Some of the dust has been removed," he said.

Angela looked at the contents, not too closely as she didn't want to be affected by the dust. "How can you tell?" she asked.

"I can always sense when the dust has been disturbed," he said. "I can tell when even the tiniest speck is missing." He looked at Angela. "It's a Fae thing," he said.

"How much is missing?" Angela asked.

"Not much," Cupid said. "A handful at most, but not much more than that." He closed the chest. "Whatever she took is not enough to affect a population of this size. She obviously means to cause trouble for only a small handful of people." He looked at Angela. "Do you know anyone your mother might have a grudge against, other than the members of your clan?"

"I'm afraid so," she said.

The Eyrie Building

"Are you certain of this?" Goliath asked.

"Very certain," Cupid said.

Elisa, who was sitting on the couch, looked over at her lavender lover. "I can think of worse fates," she said with a smile.

"This is serious, Elisa," Goliath said. "If Demona were to use this dust on you, you would fall madly in love with the first person you saw. And it wouldn't necessarily be me you saw."

Elisa's expression grew serious. "You're right," she said. "God, what if the first person I saw was Matt, or Tony Dracon, or Owen, or even, God forbid, Xanatos!"

David Xanatos frowned at the apparent insult, but he didn't say anything in protest. Yet.

"Which is why you must remain here with us," Goliath said. "We cannot run the risk of Demona catching you unawares."

"Goliath, you can't ask me to do that!" she protested.

"But, Elisa…" he started.

"I'm a cop, remember?" she said. "I can't ignore my duty because Demona is out there itching for my scalp. I can't live like that."

Goliath sighed. "I only want you to be safe," he said. He walked over to her and knelt down in front of her. "I do not wish to lose you."

"You won't," she said. "I promise."

Xanatos watched the exchange between the two lovers. He turned his attention to the Fae. "So you're the famous Cupid," he said.

"I am," he said.

Xanatos looked at Elisa and Goliath again. "You didn't by any chance 'help' them along, did you?"

Cupid smiled at the billionaire. "Some people need my help to fall in love," he said. He then looked at the two. "Others can manage quite well on their own. And those two wouldn't have needed my help, even if they'd asked for it." He turned his attention back to Goliath and Elisa. "But be that as it may, I cannot reverse the effects of the dust if you were to be exposed to it. Even I am not completely immune to its full effect. And it needn't be the first male you see, either. The effect would be the same if the first person you see were a female."

Elisa's eyes went wide. "You mean, if the first person I saw were Demona…"

"You would fall madly in love with her," Cupid said.

Elisa shuddered. "God, that would be horrible," she said. She then looked at Angela. "No offense," she quickly added.

"None taken," Angela said. "I care about my mother, but even I wouldn't be able to forgive her if she did something to hurt you."

"Thanks, Angela," Elisa said. She looked back to Goliath. "I have to get going," she said. "My shift doesn't end for a while, and I still have some paperwork I have to catch up on. I'll try to stop by before sunrise."

Goliath watched as Elisa left, then turned his attention back to Cupid. "Is there anything more we can do?" he asked.

"Nothing," he said. "Not unless you can find Demona and recover the dust before she has a chance to use it." He turned to Owen. "Under the circumstances, I don't think Oberon will have any further objections about my keeping the dust on Avalon." He waved his hand and a portal opened. "If you manage to recover the stolen dust, give me a call and I'll come back for it." He disappeared through the portal.

"I get the feeling this is going to get worse before it gets any better," Brooklyn said.

Goliath couldn't help but agree with his second-in-command.

Saturday, October 26

Elisa's apartment

Elisa stepped out of the bedroom, pausing for a moment to turn around and give Goliath a good look at the dress she wore. "Well," she said. "What do you think?"

"Very lovely," Goliath said, growling appreciatively. Elisa was wearing the same charcoal-gray evening dress that she had worn earlier in the week. It shimmered in the light as she moved and she was wearing a pair of black high heels to match. In his mind, she looked absolutely lovely, lovelier than he had ever seen her before.

Elisa smiled. "Thanks," she said.

"I am curious as to why you chose to wear this dress tonight," he said.

Elisa caught a slight hint of jealousy in his voice. "I thought it would be okay if I wore it to the reunion tonight," she said. "And then surprise you when you got back from patrol." She stepped over to Goliath's side. "I wasn't expecting for you to drop by before Jimmy picked me up."

"I was worried…" he said.

"About Demona," she said. "I know." She reached up and kissed him on the cheek. "I promise I'll keep an eye out for her." She turned as she heard a knock at the door. "That'll be Jimmy," she said. "I promise I'll see you later," she said.

Goliath headed for the skylight and stepped outside as Elisa opened the door. He watched as Elisa's 'date' for the evening came inside.

"Wow!" Jimmy said. "You look great!"

"Thanks, Jimmy," she said. She went to the couch and picked up her purse and a wrap. Goliath noted that Jimmy kept his distance, not following Elisa into the apartment or doing anything to indicate he had any thoughts of taking advantage of her. "Let's go," she said.

"Sure thing," he said. He waited until Elisa was ready, then held the door for her as they left.

Goliath waited until he saw the door close, and then took off across the sky. It was apparent that Elisa was right and Jimmy was merely a friend, but he knew that if Demona had her way, things could change dramatically.

Park Manor Hotel

Later that evening…

Jimmy escorted his date out of the main entrance of the hotel, pausing for a moment as she leaned on his arm and reached down to remove the high heel shoe from her right foot. She shook it out, certain that there had been a piece of gravel the size of the Rock of Gibraltar digging into the ball of her foot. Satisfied she had ejected the offensive piece of stone, she put the shoe back on.

"So," he said. "Did you have a nice time?"

"I had a great time," Elisa said. "I'm glad I ran into you when I did. Otherwise, I would have missed seeing everyone." She looked back to the hotel, trying to remember each face she had seen. Dave Richards, former football captain, now working as a shift supervisor for a local construction firm. Teresa Richards, formerly Teresa Jones, Dave's wife, pregnant with their first child. Jackie Flanders, a disc jockey out in California. She had flown out especially for the reunion. Candy Fleming, a homemaker from Chicago. Jorge Thomas, an Army staff sergeant. Michael, Dean, Brandy, Scott…

"Kinda hard to believe so many showed up," Jimmy said.

"I was surprised Karen showed up at all," she said. "I figured she'd barely last through the summer." Karen Jasper had become addicted to cocaine during the final months of the senior year. She barely managed to graduate, but disappeared immediately afterwards.

"I'm just glad she managed to beat the addiction," Jimmy said. "Hopefully, she can keep her head straight from now on."

They paused at the intersection, waiting for the light to change, then proceeded across the street. Elisa looked up at Jimmy as they walked, taking note of the changes in his life. He certainly did change, she thought. He's older, more mature. He's got a great job and a good life. Too bad he hasn't found someone to settle down with, but I guess not everything can have a happy ending. If I wasn't involved with Goliath...She quickly shook that thought away, realizing the dangerous ground she was about to tread. I went down that road before with Jason, she reminded herself. I won't do that again.

"So," he said as their path took them towards Central Park. "You never told me if there was someone in your life. Or are you still keeping an eye out for Mr. Right?"

"Oh, I found him," she said quickly. "We met a couple of years ago, but I didn't know that he was the guy for me until a few months ago. Now we're pretty much inseparable."

"And the reason he didn't come with you tonight is…" he said.

Elisa smiled sheepishly, realizing that she was going to have to fib to her friend. "He had to work tonight," she attempted. "Patrol. You know how it is with us cops. Always on duty."

"I guess," he said. He paused as he looked ahead of them into the park. "Do you want to head back?"

Elisa turned around, then realized just how far they had come. "Not just yet," she said though. "I think I'd like to walk a little more. That dessert was kinda rich, and I need to work off the calories."

Jimmy laughed. "You were never this self-conscious about your weight in high school."

"Don't remind me," she said.

They continued down the path, arm-in-arm, unaware that their passage was being watched very carefully.

Demona watched as the two former classmates continued through the park. Oh, this is just too perfect, she thought. She looked at the small bag of dust in her hand. I might not even need to bother with this. If I wait, Goliath might find his sweet little Elisa in the arms of someone else, and I won't have done a single thing.

She'd been planning this for months, ever since she learned about the return of the Fae to Avalon, and a check of certain documents she had 'obtained' on Elisa revealed certain facts about the hated human. When she learned about the upcoming reunion of Elisa's fellow classmates, she knew that the detective would hardly miss a chance to congregate with her peers, even if it meant she would have to attend without her 'beloved' Goliath. And now I find her strolling through the park on the arm of someone else, she thought. So much for the much vaunted concept of human fidelity. She looked down at the pouch in her hand. Of course, I should do everything I can to ensure that things turn out just the way I want them to. Hefting the pouch in her hand, she followed after the pair.

Angela sailed through the sky, searching. She was certain her mother would be somewhere, just waiting for a chance to use the dust on Elisa. When Goliath told her that Elisa was attending a high school reunion with a former classmate, Angela realized that it would serve as the perfect opportunity for Demona to spring her trap. She was certain that Elisa knew it as well, but she had already said that she couldn't hide from Demona forever. She had to live her life, and the reunion was part of that. She wasn't going to give that up on the off chance that Demona was lying in wait nearby, just waiting for a chance to spring her trap.

Angela caught sight of her father as he perched on the roof of the Park Manor Hotel. She joined him on the roof.

"Any sign?" she asked.

"None," Goliath responded. "I have watched and waited for Elisa to emerge, but I have seen no sign." He sighed. "I should not have let her come here."

"You're worried," Angela said.

"Yes," he said.

"Don't be, Father," she said. "Elisa can take care of herself. She knows to keep an eye out for Demona. And you said she is with someone. An old friend. I am sure they are fine."

"That is what worries me," he said. "I saw this 'friend' when he arrived at Elisa's apartment." He sighed. "He is a fine looking human," he said. "One might say rather attractive. I worry that if Demona were to surprise Elisa while she is with her friend…"

"You're afraid that Elisa will fall in love with him," Angela realized.

"Yes," he said gravely.

"Don't be," she returned. When Goliath turned his head to look at her, Angela quickly continued. "Mother can never undo what the two of you have, father," she said. "No matter what she does, or tries to do, we will be there to stop her." She stood up and spread her wings. "I think I'll go check the park," she said. "Maybe Elisa and her friend decided to take a short stroll in order to talk about old times."

Goliath stood up to join her. "That seems like a good idea," he said, remembering the first time he and Elisa took a stroll through Central Park. Then he hit upon an idea. "And I think I know just where Demona may be lying in wait."

Demona watched as the pair walked towards her hiding place, listening absently as they talked. She had found the perfect spot for her ambush, and now she was only seconds away from springing it on the unsuspecting pair. She stood up slowly, smiling, as she drew back her arm to throw the bag of dust at her target.

"Mother!" she heard a familiar voice cry out. She turned, even as Angela barreled into her. Demona was ejected from her hiding spot, even as she heard an all-too familiar thump as Goliath dropped from the sky to place himself between herself and Elisa, and she lost her grip on the bag in her hand. She made a desperate grab for it as she fell backwards, but she missed it, only to have it land on her face. A cloud of dust erupted from the bag, enveloping Demona's face, and she involuntarily breathed in the particles.

"Goliath!" Elisa cried out in surprise.

Jimmy looked up at the seven-foot tall gargoyle standing before him. "Holy…"

"Elisa," Goliath said. "Thank the stars we arrived here in time."

Jimmy looked from Goliath to Elisa and then to the azure-blue gargess lying on the ground, rubbing her eyes. "Elisa, what's going on?" he asked. "Who…"

Elisa smiled sheepishly. "Jimmy, I'd like you to meet a couple of friends of mine," she said. "This is Goliath and Angela."

"They're gargoyles," he said.

"Yeah, they are," Elisa said. She stepped forward and rested her hand on Goliath's arm. "But they're okay," she added. "Like I said, they're my friends."

Jimmy took a step to move around Goliath to get a better look at the third gargoyle, who was already struggling to her feet. "And her?" he asked. "She's a friend, too?"

Demona raised her head at the sound of Jimmy's voice.

And then she opened her eyes.

"Whoa!" Jimmy said as he got his first real look at Demona, just as she got her first real good look at him. "She looks a little bit like…"

Demona's eyes went wide as she realized the mistake she had just made. She'd become affected by the dust, and now she could feel herself…

"No!" she cried out as she turned and ran, trying to put as much distance between herself…

And the human she could feel herself falling helplessly in love with.

Jimmy watched as the azure gargess fled into the night. When she vanished from sight, he turned to look at Elisa. "Someone want to explain to me what just happened?" he asked.

Elisa sighed as she looked to Goliath. "I think you better come with us, Jimmy," she said. "This is something you're going to have to see for yourself." She looked at the fallen bag lying on the ground. "What do we do…" she started.

Goliath took Elisa's wrap from her and carefully used it to bundle up the bag. "I shall return this to its rightful owner," he said to Elisa. He then looked at the bundle in his hand. "But if I should become affected by it…"

Elisa stepped forward. "I'll make sure the first person you see is me," she said. She reached up and kissed him lightly on the lips. She then stepped back as Goliath and Angela left, using a nearby tree to launch themselves into the night sky.

Jimmy looked at Elisa. "So, I'm guessing that you and he are…"

Elisa turned to look at him. "Yeah, we are," she said.

He sighed. "I get the feeling that this is the start of a very long night," he said.

Elisa smiled at him. "Jimmy, you don't know the half of it," she replied.

Destine Manor

Demona threw open the doors and raced upstairs, trying desperately to ignore the emotions that were welling up inside her. She reached the master bedroom and quickly ran into the bathroom, turning on the shower and stepping inside without even removing her garments.

She scrubbed at her skin furiously, trying to remove every trace of the dust from her body, even as her mind told her that it was a futile effort. She had inhaled the dust, and now she was going to suffer its full effect. Still, she remained under the scalding hot water, trying desperately to undo her mistake.

Eventually, she sagged against the far wall of the shower, and then slid down to the floor, trembling. She cradled her head in her hands and began sobbing, then tossed her head back and screamed in outrage at the top of her lungs.

The Eyrie Building

The Library

Jimmy looked around in amazement at the gargoyles surrounding him. One of them, a large beast that vaguely resembled a dog, was sniffing at him intensely.

"Ah, good boy," he said nervously. "Nice…ah, doggie."

Bronx snorted at the human.

"Don't let Bronx scare you, Jimmy," Elisa said with a smile. "He may look fierce, but he's really a big softie at heart." She went over and began scratching the big gar-beast behind the ear. "Aren't ya, boy?"

Bronx rumbled deep in his chest, and then stretched as he gave himself over to the human woman's touch.

"See?" Elisa said.

Jimmy relaxed considerably, then looked at the other gargoyles in the room. "This is just so…amazing," he said. "I mean, I never expected to actually meet…" He turned his attention to the big lavender male. "Elisa said your name was 'Goliath'?"

"Yes," Goliath said. "And you have already met my daughter, Angela," he added as he placed his hand on Angela's shoulder. "The others are Hudson," he said, gesturing to the aged gargoyle. "Brooklyn, my second-in-command." Jimmy looked over at the brick-red gargoyle and nodded. "Broadway." Jimmy then looked at the aqua-blue gargoyle standing at Angela's side. He could already tell that they were close by how they held hands. "And Lexington." Jimmy then looked at the small green gargoyle sitting on the couch, with a laptop perched in his lap.

"This is all that there is?" Jimmy asked. "Except for that other one I saw in the park?"

"No," Goliath said. "There are other gargoyle clans throughout the world." He looked over at Elisa, then turned his attention back to Jimmy. "When my clan and I awoke in this century, we thought we were the only gargoyles left in the world. But we have since learned of the existence of others of our kind. There are clans in Guatemala, London and Japan, and we hope that there are others we have not yet encountered. It is our hope that when humanity learns to accept us, that we may be able to find these 'lost clans' and live together in peace. Elisa has told me that you are working with an organization that promotes 'tolerance' towards our kind?"

"Yeah. PIT," he said. "'People for Interspecies Tolerance'. It's a new group, but their goal is to create worldwide acceptance of gargoyles."

"I've heard of them," Lex said. "I've been surfing the Internet to try and find their website…"

"It's not up yet," Jimmy said. "Terri still has me working on a few things."

"Terri?" Elisa asked.

"Terri Crandall," Jimmy said. "She was at the reunion tonight."

"I didn't know she was a member," Elisa said. "She didn't say anything about it tonight."

"Right now, we're keeping a few things quiet," Jimmy said. "There's a few of us who were at the reunion tonight who are members, but there's also one or two who are sympathetic to a group called the Quarrymen."

Goliath rumbled in displeasure as he looked over at Elisa. "We know all about these 'Quarrymen'," he said.

"Terri said that she's been harassed by a few of them ever since she began passing out leaflets for PIT," Jimmy said. "But she's not about to let that stop her from doing what she feels is right, even after what happened at the rec center last week."

"I can probably help out in that department," Elisa said. "If I can talk to her, maybe I can do something to get these guys off her back."

"I'm sure she'd appreciate that," Jimmy said. "It'd be nice to know that we have at least one friend in the NYPD."

"Well, you gotta admit I do have a pretty good reason for doing it," Elisa said, smiling as she casually wrapped her arm around Goliath's bicep. The lavender giant smiled back at her.

Jimmy looked at his watch. "Oh man, look at the time," he said. "I gotta get going. I promised Terri I'd stop by in the morning to try and get the site finished so we can get it on line before the end of the week."

"You are welcome to stay here the rest of the night," Goliath said. "I am certain that Xanatos would be able to provide you with suitable accommodations."

Jimmy paused for a moment. "I'd like to," he said. "But I really can't. All of the software that I'm using to design the website is back at my hotel room, and I'd really hate to lose it. It represents a considerable investment, and I'm not real comfortable with the idea of it being out of my sight for the rest of the night. Besides, I wouldn't want to be a bother."

"It wouldn't be a bother, lad," Hudson said. "Ye are one of Elisa's friends, and that makes ye our friend as well. And we have never turned away a friend."

"The offer is appreciated," Jimmy said, looking at the aged gargoyle. "But I really can't. I need to get back."

"Very well then," Goliath said.

"I'll walk you out, Jimmy," Elisa said. "And I'll see the rest of you guys later." She gave Goliath a brief hug before heading for the door, Jimmy following behind her as the rest of the clan said their good-byes.

"Well, this is a night I'll be remembering for a while," Jimmy said as Elisa led him towards the elevators. "I can't wait to tell…"

"Don't," Elisa said quickly. When Jimmy looked at her in confusion, she quickly continued. "Don't tell anyone about this."

"Why not?" Jimmy asked.

"Because there are a lot of people out there like the Quarrymen who would love to know exactly where the clan is at," she said. "Even Xanatos and his wife have had some problems because people suspect that he's hiding the clan here at the castle, but as long as no one knows for sure, they're safe. That's the way they'd like to keep it for now."

"And I'm guessing the fact that your boyfriend also happens to be a gargoyle is another why reason you want me to keep this under wraps," Jimmy said.

"Yeah, you could say that," Elisa said. "There aren't a lot of people who would understand about that."

"What about your folks?" he asked. "Do they know that you're..."

"Yeah, they know," she said. "They didn't know what to think when I told them about me and Goliath, but they're okay with it now."

"And Derek?" he asked.

"Derek's...another matter," she said hesitantly. "He's known about Goliath and the rest of the clan longer than Mom and Dad has, but he wasn't too thrilled with the idea of us being together. But I think that he'll come around eventually. At least he hasn't tried to cause as much trouble as Demona has."

"Demona?" Jimmy asked.

"She..." Elisa started hesitantly. She really didn't want to involve Jimmy in this any more than he already was, but she knew there was no way to avoid it now. "She's the other gargoyle you saw tonight," she said.

"The blue one that ran off?" he asked.

"Yeah," Elisa said. "Demona's kind of a touchy subject with the clan right now." She paused, then stopped walking. "You have to watch out for her, Jimmy," she said. "Demona blames humanity for all the problems she's had over the years, and more than once she's tried to wipe us out."

"Humanity?" he asked.

"Humanity," Elisa said. "The clan. Anyone she feels is responsible for what's happened to her. She'd like nothing more than to see us all wiped off the face of the earth, because of her belief that humanity will never learn to accept her kind."

"Maybe if someone tried to talk to her..." Jimmy started.

"Oh believe me, we've tried, Jimmy," Elisa said. "She just doesn't want to listen. She's so sure that everything that she believes is right that she won't listen to anybody. She won't even listen to her own daughter."

"Angela," he said.

"Yeah," Elisa said.

"I thought that there was a slight resemblance between the two," he said. "Does Angela share her mother's..."

"No," Elisa said. "As a matter of fact, Angela was raised by humans, so she knows that most of what her mother believes is wrong. But it's obviously not enough to convince Demona that humanity will eventually learn to accept the gargoyles."

"Maybe she'd change her mind if she had a chance to see how happy you and Goliath are..." he started, but then he stopped when he heard Elisa stifle a laugh.

"Not a chance of that ever happening," she said. When she saw the confused look on Jimmy's face, she continued. "Goliath and Demona have a...history, Jimmy," she said. "They were mates once a long time ago, and Demona hates me because she believes that I stole Goliath from her." She started to walk down the corridor again, but then she stopped to look back at him. "The thing is, I didn't even try," she said. "Demona pretty much pushed him away when she tried to kill him, and things just...happened...after that point. I mean, the two of us had a hard time admitting the feelings we had for each other up until a couple of weeks ago. If Demona wasn't so hell-bent on trying to kill every human on the face of the planet, she and Goliath might still be together, and I'd be out of the picture. It's not my fault that she doesn't play well with others."

"Is that what she was trying to do tonight?" he asked. "Trying to wipe out humanity?"

"I...I don't know what Demona was up to tonight, Jimmy," she said, even though she had a pretty good idea of what Demona had in mind. "But whatever it was, I can guarantee you it wasn't something you'd want to get mixed up in." She paused for a second to look at her watch. "Listen, Jimmy," she said. "I had a great time tonight. If I've got time tomorrow, I'll give you a call. Maybe we can get together and talk about old times."

Jimmy looked back in the direction of the library. "You sure your...uhm...boyfriend won't mind?" he asked.

"I'm sure," she said. "Goliath and I have a pretty good relationship. He trusts me enough that if I want to get together with some old friends, he won't object." She paused for a moment. "Just so long as I promise there won't be any hanky-panky," she added with a smile.

Her smile seemed to put him at ease, and he allowed Elisa to lead him towards the elevators.

Monday, October 28

Nightstone Unlimited

Candice watched as Dominique Destine strode purposely across the floor, heading straight for her office.

"Good morning, Ms. Des..." she started, but stopped when the CEO stopped and glared at her.

"There's hardly anything good about today," she snapped. She then turned and stormed into her office. Everyone on the floor flinched when they heard the heavy doors to the office slam shut.

"Wow," the temp who was standing by Candice's desk asked. "I wonder what's up with her?"

"I don't know," Candice replied. "But I'm not about to poke my nose in where it doesn't belong." She quickly turned her attention back to her computer.

Dominique leaned against the doors to her office, trying to reign in her anger. She had an important meeting scheduled for today, and she needed to have a clear head if she was going to get through it without falling completely apart.

Her plans had fallen apart on her. Worse still, she had become affected by the dust, and she knew that things were going to get steadily worse from that point on. The past thirty-six hours had been brutal. She had tried desperately to find some way to reverse the dust's effects on her, but her every attempt had met with failure. Finally giving in to exhaustion sometime last night, she had gone to sleep still plagued by the unwanted emotions she tried to suppress, but as soon as she closed her eyes, her unconscious mind began tormenting her with images of the human Elisa had been with. The human she was now falling helplessly and hopelessly in love with...

"This is your own fault, Demona," she heard an unfamiliar voice say. She opened her eyes and found a handsome blonde human male in a black business suit standing in front of her desk. She pushed herself away from the doors and began to stalk across the office.

"Who are you?" she snarled. "How dare you..."

The human raised his hand, and Dominique suddenly found herself unable to move. "I think you know who I am," he said.

"Cupid," she said.

"Actually, in this century I am known as Valentino Eros," Cupid said. Then he smiled at her. "But I think you already knew that, considering the fact that you broke into my home and stole something that was very dangerous."

"If you're here for your wretched dust..." she started.

"That's already been taken care of," he said. When he saw the surprised look on her face, he quickly continued. "Your daughter Angela was kind enough to retrieve it for me. And Goliath returned the remainder to me Saturday night." He paused for a second. "Minus, of course, the amount you so carelessly spilled on yourself."

Dominique growled at him as she tried to break the mystical hold he had on her. "If that is the case," she said. "Then why are you here? Shouldn't you be taking your worthless hide back to Avalon? Somehow, I doubt Oberon is going to let you stay here in the mortal realm with the Gathering under way."

"Titania owed me one or two favors," he said. "She said she'd smooth things over with Oberon while I take care of some 'unfinished business'."

Dominique was suddenly nervous, wondering what the Fae meant. "So you're here to punish me, then," she said, sounding defiant. "Do your worst, Cupid. Whatever you have planned, it can't be any worse than what those three harpies did to me a millennia ago."

Cupid smiled at her. "I don't have to do a thing, Demona," he said. "Anything I can do is nothing compared to what you'll be going through shortly. If you aren't already."

Dominique's eyes went wide. "No!" she suddenly cried out. "Cupid, you can't..."

"Oh, can't I?" he gloated. "You were the one who put these events into motion, Demona, not I. And you know that the effects of the dust are irreversible. You could try to fight it, but I can guarantee you that if you try, someone is going to end up getting seriously hurt."

"You have to do something," she began to plead. "Please, you can't let this..."

"Well..." Cupid said, pausing for a moment to stroke his chin. "There is one thing you could try."

"Anything," she said. "Please, I'll do anything if it means not having to go through this torment any more."

"Okay," he said. He walked up to her and whispered into her ear.

Her eyes went wide in alarm as he stepped back, a smile crossing his face. "You...you can't be serious!"

"Oh?" he returned. "I'm sorry if you're not particularly thrilled with my suggestion, but it's the only option available to you. It's either that, or let yourself go nuts." He started to leave. "That is, if you aren't already."

Dominique watched as the Fae disappeared in a flash of light, and then sank to her knees and cried out in outrage at the top of her lungs.

Outside, Candice's head shot up as the sound penetrated the wood, but no one was brave enough to go into the office and see what was wrong.

The Eyrie Building

"So that's it?" Elisa asked. "It's over? No more 'dire threat'?"

"My cousin didn't go into details," Owen said. "But as far as he's concerned, the matter is now closed."

"Great," Brooklyn said. "He's got his magical pixie dust back, so he's going to let us clean up the mess it caused in the first place."

"The only one who was exposed to the dust was Demona," Goliath said.

"As far as we know," Brooklyn quickly said.

"Cupid would have informed me if he knew of anyone Demona may have used the dust on," Owen said.

"I agree," Goliath said. He looked over at Elisa. "It is clear that you were her primary target. No doubt, she intended to drive a wedge between us by causing you and your friend to fall helplessly in love with each other."

"But her plan backfired," Elisa said. "And now, Demona's..." She paused, and Goliath caught the hesitation.

"What is it, Elisa?" he asked.

"Who was the first person Demona saw Saturday night?" she asked. "I mean, after the dust fell on her."

Goliath looked at his daughter, then at Elisa. "I am not sure," he said.

Elisa looked at Goliath. "It all happened so fast," she said. "The way she took off...It didn't occur to me until just now, but..." She looked at Angela. "There was just the four of us there when it happened, right?"

"Yes," Angela said. "You, me." She looked at Goliath. "Father." Then she looked back to Elisa. "And your friend Jimmy. But I'm not sure who Mother looked at first. I wasn't paying attention."

"So it could be any of us," Elisa said.

Brooklyn actually smiled. "Now that's what I call a real kick in the pants," he said, the humor clear in his voice.

"Be serious, Brooklyn," Goliath said in clear disapproval. "Demona is dangerous, and now that she has been exposed to the dust, she may be doubly so. There is no telling what she may do." He paused as he looked at Elisa. "Or who she may do it to."

"Maybe I should go talk..." Angela started, but then Goliath turned to glare at her.

"No," he snapped.

"But, Father..."

"No, Angela," he said. "Demona is dangerous, and I will not risk your safety..."

"Mother loves me, father," she said defiantly. "She would never do anything to hurt me."

"You cannot be certain of that," Goliath said. "Especially now that she has been exposed to Cupid's dust."

"Cupid said that it makes anyone whose been exposed to it to fall helplessly in love with the first person they saw," Angela reminded him. "He didn't say anything about it altering their feelings about everybody else."

"The Fae have a habit of never telling anyone the whole story, lass," Hudson said. "We know this from experience." Then he looked at Owen. "No offense, lad," he offered.

"None taken," Owen said in return. "But even though Miss Angela is correct, I myself would urge some measure of caution. Oberon had good reason to forbid Cupid bringing the dust to Avalon on the outset of the Gathering. The dust is very powerful, and while its effects are often irresistible, there are those who can resist for a very short time, although it too often leads to madness."

"Great," Brooklyn said. "Like she isn't crazy enough already."

"Is there anything we can do?" Angela asked. She was desperate to find some way to help her mother, even if it meant going against her father's wishes.

"Not really," Owen said. He looked at his watch. "If you will excuse me, it is time for Alex's lessons." He turned and left the room.

"I have to get going, too," Elisa said. When Goliath looked at her with apprehension, she sighed. "You know that I've got responsibilities, Goliath. I have a duty to protect this city the same way that you do. The only difference is I've got reports to fill out, and Captain Chavez hates it when I turn them in late." She walked over to the lavender giant and gently placed her hands against his chest. "I'll try to stop by sometime before sunrise," she said.

Goliath placed his hands over hers and gave them a gentle squeeze. "I just don't want you to come to any harm," he said.

"I'll be careful, I promise," she said softly in response. She then stood up on her tiptoes and placed a gentle kiss against his lips.

"And I shall hold you to that promise," he said. He reluctantly let go of Elisa's hands and watched as she left the library. "We should patrol," he said, then turned to look at his daughter. "Stay away from Demona, Angela," he said, then turned his attention towards the rest of the clan when he saw the outraged look on her face. "The same goes for the rest of you," he added. "Whatever misery Demona has brought down on herself, she deserves to suffer the consequences of her actions."

"Hey, you're not going to get any argument from me," Brooklyn chimed in as he turned to leave.

Midtown Manhattan

"Waiting for a particular shade of green, partner?" Matt Bluestone asked.

"What?" Elisa asked as she looked over at her partner.

Matt pointed towards the traffic signal. "The light's green," he said.

Elisa looked at the traffic signal, then muttered as she stepped on the gas. "Sorry about that, Matt," she said.

"Maybe I should drive," he suggested, which earned him a frown from Elisa. "You look like you've got something on your mind," he added.

"It's nothing," Elisa said.

"Trouble with Goliath?" he asked. When Elisa turned her head to glare at him, he quickly brought his hand up in defense. "I'm just wondering, that's all," he said. "You've been keeping your eyes on the sky instead of on the road all night, so I'm just asking..."

"It's not that," Elisa said, forcing herself to focus on the street ahead. "It's just..." She paused for a second. "You remember me telling you about Demona?"

"Evil bitch gargoyle out to take over the world, right?" he responded.

"That's the one," she said. "She tried something last week. Now she's gone nuts, and I'm keeping an eye out for her."

Suddenly, Matt started looking out the window, scanning the sky for any sign of the immortal gargess. "What did she do?" he asked.

"She got hold of some magic dust," she said. When Matt turned to look at her, his expression showing clear disbelief, she smiled. "Don't give me that look, Matt. You're the one who believes in UFO's, the Loch Ness Monster and secret societies. You can't tell me that you don't believe in magic."

"I do...kinda," he admitted. "It's just that...the way you said 'magic dust'. It makes me wonder if we shouldn't be calling DEA in on this one."

"It's not that kind of dust, Matt," Elisa said, rolling her eyes at his attempt at humor. "And even if it were, we'd have a hell of a time explaining Demona's involvement."

"So what does it do?" he asked. "Make people fly?"

"No," she said. "It makes people..." She paused for a second as she considered the implications of what she was about to say. "It makes people fall in love with the first person they see."

"You have got to be kidding!" he said in disbelief.

"I'm not," she said. "She swiped it from Cupid last week, and she tried to use it on me and an old high school friend over the weekend."

Matt quickly began scanning the skies again, searching desperately for any sign of Demona. He liked his partner, respected her in fact, but the last thing he wanted was to be hit with a faceful of magic dust and fall in love with her. "Uh, maybe we should head back to the station..."

Elisa caught the sound of nervousness in his voice. "Don't worry, Matt," she said. "Demona doesn't have the dust anymore. When she tried to use it on me, Angela and Goliath got in her way, and she ended up getting hit with the dust herself."

Matt let out a sigh of relief. "That's a relief," he said. "For a minute there, I was worried..." He paused then and looked at his partner as he realized the implications. "Wait a minute," he said. "Are you saying..."

"We're...really not sure who the first person Demona saw that night was," she admitted. "It could've been Goliath, it could've been Angela, it could've been Jimmy..."

"Jimmy?" Matt asked.

"Jimmy Randall," Elisa said. "He's the old high school friend I was with that night."

"What were the two of you doing?" he asked. "If you don't mind my asking."

"We went to a class reunion," Elisa said defensively. "Jimmy was my date because I couldn't go with Goliath."

"And Goliath was okay with that?" he asked.

Elisa looked at him. "Yes, Goliath was okay with it," she said. "It's not like I could stroll into the Park Manor Hotel with a seven-foot tall gargoyle as my escort."

"Yeah, I guess it would attract a lot of unwanted attention, wouldn't it," Matt admitted.

Elisa slowed the car to negotiate a right turn before turning her attention back to her partner. "And that's something I could do without right now," she said. "Bad enough Castaway and his Quarrymen chased me and Goliath all over town a few weeks ago. The last thing I needed was for someone at the reunion to see me with Goliath and let Castaway know exactly who I was."

"I guess that would cause a lot of problems," he said.

"Don't I know it," she responded.

Elisa continued to drive down the street while Matt cast an occasional eye out the window, hoping that the rest of the night would be devoid of any azure-blue, red-haired gargoyles with a grudge against his partner. After a few minutes, he looked over at her. "So when do you expect Demona to start sending flowers and candy and stuff like that?" he asked, hoping to lighten the mood.

The car screeched to a sudden halt, and Elisa turned to glare at her partner. "Do you want to start walking?" she warned.

"I'm sorry," he said quickly, even though he was having a hard time suppressing the grin. "I just thought..." He stopped when he saw the dangerous look in her eyes. "You said you weren't sure who the first person Demona saw that night was," he reminded her. "You stopped after you mentioned your friend Jimmy, but I think there's one person you overlooked."

"I didn't," she said. "I know that there's a real possibility that I'm...that Demona..." She paused for a second. "God, I can't even say it!" She looked at her partner. "But if you do, I swear to God, I'll shoot you," she warned.

"I just think it'd be kind of ironic," he said, taking Elisa's warning very seriously. When Elisa gave him a quizzical look, he continued. "She's spent the past couple of years trying to kill you one way or another because she hates you, and now she might have to spend the rest of eternity trying to kill you with love and affection. If you ask me..."

"I didn't ask you, Matt," she said, visibly shuddering at the thought. "So I'd appreciate it if you'd keep your opinions to yourself. My love life is complicated enough as it is without adding Demona to the mix."

"Whatever you say," he said. He did his best to hide his smile as he turned his head to look out the window.

High above, Demona watched intensely as the Ford Fairlane continued down the street.

Elisa brought the car to a halt outside one of their usual stops, a general store that was owned by an old friend of Matt's, Mr. Jaffe. She watched as Matt got out of the car and crossed the street, then got out of the car herself to stretch her legs.

She didn't even see the azure-blue blur that descended on her. All she heard was the screech before darkness overtook her.

Demona looked up from Elisa's limp form as Matt came racing out of the store, the storekeeper following close behind. Moving quickly, she slung Elisa's body over her shoulder and quickly jumped onto the roof of the Fairlane. She paused for a second as she saw Matt draw his gun.

"Do you really want to risk shooting me, detective?" she said. "You might hit your partner. Do you really want that on your conscience?"

Matt kept his revolver trained on the gargess. "What do you want with her, Demona?"

"Good, you know my name," she said. "That will make it easy for you to deliver a message. Tell Goliath that his little human friend and I have some matters to discuss. When I am finished with her, I will give him a call and he can come fetch her." With that, she leapt high into the air and began scaling the building across the street. Matt kept his gun trained on her, hoping to get a clear shot, but as she kept climbing, he realized that any shot he took ran the risk of hitting Elisa or worse, cause Demona to lose her grip on Elisa and drop her. He watched as Demona launched herself into the night sky. He quickly jumped into Elisa's car, intending to give chase, then cursed when he discovered that the keys were no longer in the ignition. He pounded helplessly on the steering wheel as he watched Demona disappear into the night sky with her captive.

23rd Precinct

The Clock Tower

Elisa moaned as she regained consciousness. This caught the attention of the azure gargess who was pacing back and forth anxiously.

"Good, you're awake," she said as she stepped over to Elisa. "I thought I was going to have to wait all night."

Elisa took a quick look around as her sense came into focus. She immediately realized where she was as she caught sight of the ruined clock face. She also realized that her jacket and shoulder holster were gone, and that Demona had handcuffed her hands over her head to one of the massive gears that had once moved the hands of the clock, now rendered motionless by the Hunters' attack a month earlier. After taking stock of her situation, she turned her attention back to Demona.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"What do you think?" she replied.

Elisa squirmed, trying to loosen the bonds. "I think I can guess," she said. "But I gotta tell you, Demona. Whatever you're planning to do with me, you might as well forget it. I don't swing in that particular direction."

Demona frowned at her, then her frown turned into a smile. "As if I'd want a pathetic specimen like you, detective," she said in clear disgust.

Elisa didn't know if she should be overjoyed or dejected by Demona's rejection. At least I can scratch myself off the list, she thought to herself, even as she reminded herself that Demona wasn't one of her biggest fans, and that she had tried to kill her on more than one occasion. "So who is it, Demona?" she asked. When she saw the frown return, she quickly pressed on. "You might as well tell me, Demona," she said. "We both know what's going to happen if you try and resist this thing, so you're probably better off..."

"It's Goliath, okay?" Demona snapped, and Elisa could already tell that she was lying. "I took one look at him and fell madly in love with him all over again, no thanks to you!"

Elisa watched as Demona turned away from her, and she could see the gargess' shoulders shaking in pent up frustration. "I can tell that you're lying, Demona."

Demona turned to glare at her. "I...I am not..." Suddenly, she rushed forward and sank to her knees in front of Elisa. "You have to tell me his name!" she said urgently, her talons digging into Elisa's knees. "Please, I'm begging you!"

"I...I can't," Elisa said, grimacing as she tried to block out the pain. When Demona relaxed her death-grip on Elisa's knees, she breathed a sigh of relief. "I...I don't think Jimmy..."

"Jimmy!" Demona said in triumph. "Yes, Jimmy. I remember hearing you say that name when you introduced him to Goliath and Angela. He has to have a last name, though. Quick, tell me what it is so I can go find him. Tell me what he likes to do. What kind of music does he like to listen to? What is his favorite food?"

Elisa started incredulously at the azure gargess kneeling in front of her. She could see the desperation in Demona's eyes, but she had no desire to see her sink her talons into him. "No," she said coldly.

"No?" Demona responded, seemingly confused by Elisa's refusal. "Why? Why won't you tell me his name? Do you hate me and my kind that much?"

Elisa frowned as Demona stood up, glaring down at her. "I never hated you, Demona. Or the rest of the clan. I love Goliath with all my heart, and if you'd put aside your hatred of humanity, you'd see that." She stopped to take a cleansing breath. "The reason I won't tell you is because I know what you're like, Demona. And I'll be damned if I'm going to let you get your talons into one of my friends!"

Demona quickly stalked over and wrapped her fingers around Elisa's throat. "I should..."

"What?" Elisa said defiantly. "Kill me? I'm sure that'll go over real good with Angela."

Elisa's defiance stunned Demona, and she loosened her grip on Elisa's throat, letting her hand fall away without drawing so much as a drop of blood, and then carefully stepped away from her captive. She frowned for a second as she considered her next move. She considered simply letting Elisa go as a sign of good will, but she knew there was no guarantee that Elisa would thank her by giving her what she wanted. And she knew that eventually the clan would come looking for her, if they weren't already. She had so little time...

A faint beeping drew her attention. She turned and looked to where Elisa's jacket and shoulder holster lay discarded on the floor. She quickly strode over and picked up the jacket, and then began a search for the source of the noise. She quickly found Elisa's cell phone. She frowned when she looked at the name that appeared on the display.

"Beth?" she asked.

"My sister," Elisa said. "She's away at college."

Demona considered answering the call, but decided not to. She waited until the phone went silent before tapping the 'Menu' button and going through Elisa's address book.

"You're not going to find his number in there," Elisa said, already guessing what Demona was up to. When the gargess looked at her, she continued. "I hadn't seen Jimmy in ten years," she said. "Not since we graduated high school. I didn't even know he was in town until I ran into him at the store last week and he told me about the reunion."

Demona frowned as she turned her attention back to the phone. After a few minutes, she smiled.

"Well," she said smugly. "This could prove useful."

The Eyrie Building

"I'm real sorry, Goliath," Matt said as he watched the lavender giant's talons dig furrows in the wall, while the rest of the clan paced back and forth anxiously. "I had no way of knowing..."

"It is not your fault, Bluestone," he said. "The fault is mine. I should have listened to my instincts and followed Elisa tonight, no matter how much she may have objected." He turned his attention back to Matt. "Did Demona say anything else other than what she told you to tell me? Anything that might tell us where she took Elisa."

"Believe me, Goliath," he said. "I'd tell you if she did. I want to find Elisa as much as you do." Matt kicked at a loose piece of stone skin that lay on the battlement. "I just wish..."

His cell phone rang. He quickly pulled it out of his pocket and looked at the Caller ID. "Elisa?" he said as he answered the call.

"Not hardly, detective," he heard the voice on the other end respond.

"Demona," Matt said, looking at Goliath.

Goliath quickly took the phone away from Matt. "Where are you, Demona?" he demanded. "What have you done..."

"You pretty little human pet is quite safe," Demona said. "For the moment. But that all depends on your cooperation."

"I have no intention on giving myself..." he started.

"It is not you I want, Goliath," Demona said. "Or my daughter. I want..."

"You want Elisa's friend," Goliath said in realization. "The one she was with Saturday night."

"Yes," she said. "I want you to bring him to me, so that I can tell him how I feel about him. So that he and I can be together forever."

"I will not..."

"Yes, you will, Goliath," Demona said, and Goliath could hear the warning tone in her voice. "You will bring Jimmy to me..." He heard her pause for a second. "Or your little pet will pay the consequences of you stubbornness."

"Very well," Goliath said. "But tell me where you are first. At least, that way I won't be searching the entire city for you after I retrieve him."

He heard Demona pause for a moment. "I'll let you know when I am certain I have your full cooperation. I trust you know what that means."

"I do," Goliath growled.

"Good," Demona said. "Call me when you have Jimmy's cooperation. And Goliath, a word of advice. Your little friend was armed when I grabbed her, but I don't think I have to tell you where that weapon is pointed right now. Don't try anything stupid. You know I have an itchy trigger finger."

"All too well," he said. He listened as he heard Demona break the connection.

"So, where is she?" Matt asked.

Goliath looked at Matt and the rest of his clan. "She would not say," he said. "But she did say that she would tell me once we give in to her demands."

"Great," Brooklyn said. "So we wait until she lets her guard down..."

"No," Goliath said.

"What?" Brooklyn said in disbelief.

"Father!" Angela gasped.

"No," he repeated. He looked at Brooklyn. "Demona has indicted that she has Elisa's gun, and she will use it if I do not do as she wants."

Brooklyn grumbled in frustration, while Broadway visibly paled at the thought of what Demona might do. "So Demona wants..." Angela started.

"Demona wants Elisa's friend," Goliath said. When he saw the surprised look on Angela's face, he continued. "It is obvious that he is the one Demona looked upon first that night. And now she wants him so she can declare her love for him."

"So what do we do?" Angela asked.

"We have no choice but to give in to Demona's demands and turn Elisa's friend over to her," Goliath said. He turned and looked out across the city. "The only problem is I do not know how we are going to find him."

"Maybe I can help in that department," Angela said.

Midtown Rec Center

The redhead watched as Jimmy's hands flew across the keyboard, making the changes she thought would grab the most attention. "How's that?" he asked.

"Perfect," Mary said. "I think that should about do it. I just hope we don't have any problems with hackers."

Jimmy placed a rewritable CD into the drive and clicked 'Save'. As he waited for the laptop to finish saving the program on the disk, he turned his attention to Mary. "That shouldn't be a problem," he said. "I keep the latest firewall and virus programs installed on all my servers. I haven't had a serious break-in in a long time." He turned his attention to his laptop as it finished saving the program, then his hands began flying across the keyboard as he began transferring it to his server. "This shouldn't take long."

"And we shouldn't have any trouble accessing it from here if we want to make changes?" a brown-haired male named Dave asked.

"Not at all," Jimmy said. He picked up a small pad and jotted down a few letters and numbers. "This is going to be the website address," he said as he handed the top sheet to Dave. "And this is the password you'll need to make changes." He jotted down a combination of six numbers and letters and handed the sheet to Mary. He then ejected the CD disk and placed it in a case. "That should do it."

"Thanks for your help, Jimmy," an attractive blonde said.

"It was my pleasure, Terri," Jimmy said. He set the laptop aside and gave her a brief hug. "I'm planning on being in town for a few more days. Maybe the two of us could have lunch sometime."

"Are you sure that'd be okay?" she asked. "You and Elisa looked kinda tight at the reunion. Are you sure the two of you aren't..."

"She's already taken," Jimmy said. "And believe me, I wouldn't..."

Suddenly, Mary gasped. Jimmy quickly turned to find the imposing figure of Goliath in the doorway.

"Oh, my..." Terri started.

Mary suddenly rushed forward as another gargoyle entered in behind him. "I didn't think I'd ever see you again!" she said excitedly as she threw her arms around the newcomer.

"It's good to see you again," Angela said as she held Mary at arm's length. "This is my father, Goliath."

Mary craned her head up to look at him. "The name certainly fits," she said.

Dave stepped forward and extended his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you," he said.

Goliath smiled as he took Dave's hand, and Dave's eyes widened in surprise as he felt the talons tighten around his fingers. Goliath quickly released his grip as he saw the sudden look of panic in the human's eyes.

"Can you stay?" Mary asked. "There's so many things I want to ask you..."

"Unfortunately, we cannot," Goliath said. He turned his attention towards Jimmy. "We have something urgent to discuss."

Terri looked at Jimmy. "You didn't tell me you knew the gargoyles," she said.

"Elisa asked me to keep it a secret," he said.

"Elisa knows them, too?" she gasped. "Was there anyone at the reunion who didn't know the gargoyles except for me?"

"As far as I know, Elisa and I were the only ones at the reunion who knew them," Jimmy quickly said. He looked at Goliath. "What's this about?" he asked.

"It is something that is best talked about in private," he said. He indicated the door.

"Sure thing," he said. He shut down his laptop and placed it in its case. "This shouldn't take too long," he said. Picking up the case, he followed Goliath and Angela outside. "What's going on?" he asked.

"Do you remember the gargoyle you and Elisa encountered Saturday night?" he asked.

"Demona," Jimmy said. When Goliath looked at him in surprise, he continued. "Elisa told me all about her. Why? What's she done now?"

Goliath looked at his daughter for a second. "She has kidnapped Elisa." He paused for a second. "And she has made an unusual demand for Elisa's safe return."

"What?" Jimmy asked.

"You."

Jimmy's eyes went wide in surprise. But as he opened his mouth to protest, Goliath suddenly turned away. He quickly pulled a small transmitter out of the pouch on his belt and held it up to his mouth.

"Yes, Lexington," he said urgently. "What is it?"

"I think I got a fix on where Demona and Elisa are," he said.

The Clock Tower

Demona scanned the skies, waiting for them. She smiled when she thought about the things she would tell Jimmy. "Well, you and Goliath will soon be reunited," she said. "And I will be introduced to my new mate. You should be happy."

"Somehow, I doubt you're just going to let us walk out of here in one piece, Demona," Elisa said venomously.

"I will admit the thought of setting a lethal trap for Goliath with you as the bait did cross my mind," she admitted. "But then I thought about what Jimmy's reaction might be if he found out I caused your untimely demise. So I decided not to." She walked over to where Elisa sat, still handcuffed to the gear. "But I suggest that you try to restrain Goliath and not let him attempt to follow me when this is over. I have no intention of killing you just yet, human. But I will not say the same for Goliath if he were to attack me and cause me to drop Jimmy to his death." She looked down at the cell phone. "What could be taking him so long?" she said in obvious frustration. "Goliath should have found him by now." She called up the address book and found Matt Bluestone's cell phone number.

"That will not be necessary, Demona," she heard a voice behind her. She turned and found Goliath standing at the ruined clock face.

"Goliath," she snarled.

"Goliath!" Elisa called out at the same time.

Demona turned to glare at Elisa before turning her attention back to her former mate. "So you managed to find me," she said. "How..."

"Lexington was able to use one of Xanatos' satellites to pinpoint the location of Elisa's cell phone," he said as he stepped into the clock tower.

Demona frowned when she saw that Goliath was alone. "And Jimmy?"

"I was not about to surrender an innocent into your clutches, Demona," he said. "Especially when that innocent is one of Elisa's friends."

"Then you just wasted..." Demona snarled as she pulled Elisa's gun from her belt.

"Demona, wait!" he quickly said. When Demona turned to face him again, he quickly continued. "I said that I was unwilling to deliver Jimmy to you," he said. "But I did not say that he was not willing to meet you."

That seemed to calm her for a moment. "J...Jimmy...is willing...to see me?" she stammered.

"Yes," Goliath said. He took a cautious step towards Demona, who took a quick step backwards. He extended his hand. "Release Elisa," he said. "And I will take you to him this very hour."

Demona looked at Goliath's proffered hand, and then turned to look at Elisa, her emotions warring inside her. Part of her wanted desperately to believe Goliath, that he would indeed take her to meet Jimmy if she let Elisa go free, but another part of her, the distrustful part of her, wasn't quite so easily swayed. "No," she said, backing away, but lowering the gun, which Goliath took as a good sign.

"Demona..." Goliath said.

"No," she repeated. "I've been betrayed too many times in my life, Goliath. By the Captain, by Macbeth, by Thailog. By you. I will not be betrayed again."

"I have no intention of betraying you, Demona," he said, even as he saw Jimmy appear in the open trap door that lead downstairs. The plan had been simple. Goliath would lead Demona away from the clock tower while Jimmy effected a rescue, and once they were certain Elisa was safe and unharmed, the rest of the clan would ambush Demona, counting on the dust's effect on her to make her careless. But one thing they hadn't counted on was her distrustful nature reasserting itself. "Please, Demona," he said, trying to draw the azure gargess attention fully on him as Jimmy silently made his way across the floor towards Elisa. "At least give me the weapon. Nothing will be gained by senseless violence."

Demona looked down at the gun in her hand. Goliath was far enough away that he would never be able to react in time if she were to suddenly turn and shoot Elisa, but then she would undoubtedly lose her bargaining chip. Looking up at Goliath for a brief moment, she ejected the clip from the hangun, and then pulled back the slide, ejecting the round from the chamber. She then tossed the firearm aside. "As a sign of good faith," she said as she extended her hand. "I want your communicator, so you cannot contact the clan."

Goliath watched discretely as Jimmy reached Elisa's side and quickly placed a finger across her lips to silence her before reaching into his belt pouch and pulling out the transmitter. He took a step towards Demona and placed the transmitter in her palm. "A sign of good faith," he replied.

Demona dropped the transmitter and crushed it under her foot. "Now you can..." she started, but then her ears caught the sound of metal knocking against metal. She spun around to see Jimmy at Elisa's side, her hands already freed. "You bastard!" she swore angrily as she turned on Goliath. "You betrayed me!" She shoved him away and made a dive for the gun.

Goliath lost precious moments as he stepped on a weakened section of the floor and his foot broke through. He roared in pain and outrage as he tried to free himself, all the while watching helplessly as Demona scooped up Elisa's sidearm and began looking around for the clip. "Go!" he shouted when he saw Elisa hesitate when she realized the trouble he was in, but then Jimmy quickly grabbed her and pushed her towards the trap door.

Goliath pulled his leg free just as Demona found the clip and shoved it home, then began pulling the slide back to load a round into the chamber. But before she could turn to use it, Goliath was already on top of her, driving her to the floor, and forcing her to point the gun in what he thought would be a safe direction. Demona's finger tightened on the trigger.

They both flinched as their ears picked up the roar as the gun went off. Then they both heard a cry of pain. A human cry of pain.

Demona pivoted her head and caught sight of Jimmy lying on his stomach by the trap door, his back covered in blood. Suddenly, it felt as if someone had pumped her stomach full on liquid nitrogen. She felt cold and numb as she saw Jimmy lying there motionless.

"No," she gasped in disbelief. "No!" She quickly shoved Goliath of off her and bolted towards the man she loved. She shoved Elisa angrily away from him. "Get away from him," she cried out. She hesitantly pulled Jimmy's motionless body in her arms and began crying as she sat there, rocking him gently. "I'm sorry!" she sobbed. "I'm so sorry!"

Goliath started towards Demona, but Elisa quickly stepped in front of him, blocking his path as she looked over her shoulder at the azure gargess. With Jimmy held tightly in Demona's arms, Elisa didn't want to risk further injury to him if he was still alive, and it looked to her as if the fight had suddenly gone out of the gargess. When she saw Goliath relax slightly, she turned her attention back to where Demona sat, crying.

"Demona," she said gently. "I need..."

"No!" she snapped bitterly. "This is all your...this is all...all..." She began sobbing again as she tightened her grip on him.

"Demona, you're going to hurt him even worse if you keep doing that." She watched as Demona continued to rock Jimmy, seemingly oblivious to her words. She started to reach out. "Can you at least give me the gun?"

Demona looked at Elisa, confused, but then she realized she still had the gun in her hand. She limply handed it over to Elisa, who quickly tucked it into her belt until she could retrieve her shoulder holster, and then wrapped her arms around Jimmy's motionless body again. Elisa carefully reached forward and placed her fingers to the side of Jimmy's neck, searching for a pulse. She found it, but it was weak, barely perceptible. Looking around, she quickly located her cell phone and pressed three buttons.

"9-1-1 emergency," she heard the emergency operator say.

"This is Detective Maza," she said. "I need paramedics and an ambulance at the 23rd Precinct clock tower, and I need them here ASAP." She paused for a second to look at Demona. If Demona noticed her actions at all, she was obviously too distraught to protest, or she simply didn't care. All she knew was that she had destroyed the only chance she'd had for true happiness.

And it was all her fault.

The Labyrinth

Three days later...

Talon turned as his sister came walking down the tunnel, Goliath in tow. "How is she?" she asked.

"Take a look," Talon said.

Elisa looked at the cell that held Demona. The sight that greeted her surprised both her and Goliath. Demona sat on the cot in the far corner of the cell, her arms wrapped tightly around her knees, rocking back and forth and apparently oblivious to the activity going on around her.

"How long has she been like this?" she asked.

"Ever since Goliath brought her here," Talon said. "She didn't even put up a fight when we put her in the cell. She just retreated to the corner, and she's been there ever since."

Elisa took a closer look at Demona. The normally full face seemed drawn and hollow, and despite the fact she knew the gargess was immortal, she looked a lot older than she was. "She hasn't eaten?" she asked.

"She hasn't eaten," Talon said. "She hasn't slept. The only thing she has done is go through her transformations, but no one's heard her cry out in pain. It's like she's too numb to even feel that." He looked at his sister. "Why the sudden concern?" he asked. "Personally, I'm relieved we finally got her back down here, locked up..."

"We cannot leave her down here, Talon," Goliath said. "She must be released."

"What?" Talon shouted in disbelief. "You can't be serious..."

"As much as I'd like to agree with you, Derek..." Elisa started, but then her brother cut her off.

"This is Demona you're talking about!" he shouted. He turned to look at the catatonic gargess sitting inside the cell. "She deserves to be locked away until the end of time..."

"It's not that simple, Derek," Elisa said. "Demona...she...she's got a life up top. A life..."

"And what about the lives of the people she smashed last year?" he spat. "Or all the others she's killed over the centuries? Are they any less important..."

"Not all of them are the head of a major multi-million dollar company," Elisa said.

Talon's eyes went wide in disbelief. "You have got to be kidding!"

"I'm not," Elisa said. She looked at Demona. "I did some checking, and Xanatos pretty much confirmed what I'm about to tell you. Demona owns Nightstone Unlimited. She and Thailog apparently formed the company while they were together in Paris, and over the past year, they made quite a name for themselves in the business world. Right now, the company's undergoing a reorganization to fill the void Thailog left when he...disappeared, but..."

"I get the picture," Talon grumbled. "But I'm not real comfortable with the idea of letting her go. She might..." He paused for a moment. "She'll be no use to her company in the state she's in now. Nightstone might be better off..."

"Her disappearance has already caused problems, Talon," Goliath said. "Xanatos has said that several of the business dealings she has made over the past few months are vital to the country's infrastructure, and dependant on her presence." He paused to look at his one-time love. "I do not fully understand the intricate dealings of the business world, Talon, nor do I wish to. But I can see the parallels between what is involved in running a business like Xanatos', and being the leader of a clan. Without it's leader, a clan would be easy to destroy, and I suspect the same holds true for what will happen to Nightstone without Demona at its helm."

Talon sighed in resignation. "Fine," he said. "I'll let her go." He took the keys to the cells off his belt. "But if you ask me, I still think she'd be better off down here. It's not like she's going to be making any major financial decisions in the near future."

Elisa took the keys from her brother and watched as he left. She then turned her attention to Goliath. "Here I go," she said. "Be ready."

Goliath looked at Demona for a brief instant before turning his attention back to Elisa, who was approaching the cell. He flinched as Elisa unlocked the cell and cautiously stepped inside.

"Evening, Demona," she said. When she didn't get a response from the gargess, she paused before pressing forward. "You'll be happy to know we're letting you go."

Still no response. In fact, the only thing Demona seemed capable of was rocking back and forth in the corner. Elisa took a few cautious steps forward. When Demona didn't respond, she carefully sat down on the edge of the cot.

"I...I saw Jimmy today," she offered. "The doctors say..." She paused when Demona stopped rocking for a brief instant. "He's going to be okay, Demona. You didn't do any serious damage when you..." She paused when she heard a sob escape from the gargess.

"Is...is he..." she stammered.

Elisa turned slightly to face the gargess, taking her responsiveness as a positive sign. "He's okay," she said. "The bullet missed the spine and didn't hit any major organs. The doctors said he should be up and around in a week or two."

Demona gulped. "That...that's good," she muttered. "Now, if you will excuse me..." she said as she started rocking back and forth, seemingly withdrawing into herself again.

Elisa looked over at Goliath for a second before focusing on Demona. "He's been asking about you," she said.

That caused Demona's head to snap up, and her eyes went wide. "He...he has?" she asked.

Elisa smiled, finally seeing a sign of hope. "Yeah," she said. "He wants to get to know you. I told him that he was nuts. That you were too dangerous and shouldn't be trusted anywhere near..." She paused when she saw the look of alarm in Demona's eyes, followed by a moment of clear outrage. "But he's got it in his mind that he wants to get to know you for some strange reason," she quickly said. "Don't ask me why."

Demona's expression seemed to soften a bit. "But...but I hurt him," she said. "I'd think that he wouldn't want to have anything to do..."

"I thought that myself," Elisa said, heartened by the fact that not only was Demona talking, but she was also showing no sign of lashing out at her. "I asked him about that. I asked him why would he want to have anything to do with a crazed gargoyle who shot him in the back. He said he couldn't explain it." She paused for a moment. "I don't know," she said. "Maybe it's one of those stupid 'guy' things. You know how males are. They're idiots."

Demona actually smiled, and she let out a slight laugh, even as Goliath frowned at Elisa's apparent insult. But he let the affront pass. For now. All that mattered was the fact that Elisa was getting through to Demona, and was making apparent progress. But later...

Elisa pulled a handkerchief out of her jacket pocket and passed it to Demona. The azure gargess took it and began drying her tear-filled eyes. "Can...can I see him?"

Elisa looked at Goliath for a moment. "Yeah," she said, which brought a hint of a smile to Demona's face. "But, there are a few things we're going to have discuss first," she said.

Demona frowned slightly, not sure she was going to like what she knew she was about to hear.

Midtown Rec Center

Three weeks later...

Demona frowned as she looked at the rec center, suddenly unsure if she could go through with this part of the bargain.

She knew that there would be conditions if she wanted to see Jimmy again, and Elisa had asked for a lot. A truce with the clan. Promises that she would give up her attempts to wipe out humanity. Reparations to the families of her victims. Anger management programs... It seemed as if the list would go on forever, and she worried that there was no way she could go along with it and retain her sanity. But she promised that she would give it a try.

"Are you nervous, Mother?" Angela asked.

Demona looked at her daughter, her apparent link to the clan and her sanity. Over the past three weeks, Angela had been there when she could, coaching her mother on, trying to do everything she could to make Demona see the error of her ways. And Demona had tried, tried desperately to succeed. The past three weeks had been rough, but she was about to take that final step in her recovery.

"Yes," she said. "I am uncomfortable..."

"I know you are, Mother," she said. "But it's okay. I was nervous too, the first time they asked me to one of their meetings."

They, she thought. Humans, in other words. But she set aside her doubts. Somewhere, a part of her still told her that humans were not to be trusted, that one day they would betray and destroy the clan, but as she looked at the sign by the door, she wondered for the first time in centuries if that voice was actually wrong for once. She took a deep breath and entered the rec center.

All eyes turned to the two gargoyles as they entered the room. Demona felt a moment of complete panic as one of them, a redhead, stepped forward.

"I'm glad you came, Angela," the young woman said as she took Angela's hand. "But I didn't know you were bringing a friend."

"This is my mother," she said.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you," Mary said eagerly. "Uh, what do I call you?"

"Demona," she replied.

"Demona?" Mary asked. "That's an unusual name."

"I'm not what you'd call your usual gargoyle," Demona stated. She paused to look around for a moment, taking in the large number of pamphlets and rolled-up posters that lay on one table. "I see that you've been busy."

"Yeah," Dave said as he walked up. "We got a sizable donation last week from an anonymous benefactor. At first we couldn't believe that anyone would be willing to give us that much money anonymously, but as you can see, we put it to good use."

"Gee, I wonder who it could have been?" Angela asked, casting a surreptitious glance at her mother.

"Perhaps you will find out someday," Demona said with a big smile.

Mary and Dave watched the exchange between mother and daughter, but couldn't figure out the obvious joke. Neither one of them had any way of knowing that it was Demona herself who was the 'anonymous benefactor', in her daytime guise as Dominique Destine. "We're about to get the meeting started," Mary asked. "Are the two of you planning on staying?"

Angela looked at her mother, with hope in her eyes.

"We wouldn't miss it," Demona said.

Mary smiled. "Great," she said. "I'll find you a couple of chairs."

Demona breathed a sigh of relief as Mary and Dave headed across the room.

"You're doing great, Mother," Angela said in reassurance. "I told you that this was a good idea."

"Yes, you did," she returned. "But I still..."

Then she caught sight of him, and her heart stopped.

He stood on the opposite side of the room, his back turned towards them, but Demona had no doubt that it was Jimmy. His right arm was in a sling, and would be for several more weeks while his injuries healed, a painful reminder of what she had almost done. He was working on something on his laptop, Demona couldn't tell what, but she suspected that it had to do with the meeting that was about to get underway.

Angela noticed the way her mother had her eyes locked on Jimmy, and she smiled. "Do you want to..." she started.

"No, not yet," Demona quickly said. "I...I'm still not..."

"I understand," she said.

Demona almost looked away as Jimmy turned around and caught sight of them. He smiled, and Demona somehow managed to smile back at him, but she knew that she wasn't ready to take that step yet. She wondered if she ever would be.

Mary ended the moment by bringing over the promised chairs, and Demona pulled her eyes off of Jimmy long enough to sit down as the meeting officially got underway.

Maybe someday, she thought. When humans and gargoyles can truly live in peace with one another. Until then, I can only wait and hope he cares for me the same way I care for him.

Avalon

Cupid smiled as the image in Oberon's mirror shimmered. He turned to consider the Fae Queen who stood at his side.

"Are you pleased?" he asked.

"Splendid work, Cupid," Titania said. "I had no doubt that your plan would succeed, but I will admit I did not expect it to turn out so well."

Cupid smiled as he considered the image. For the first time in centuries, Demona was in the company of humans, and not tearing them limb from limb. Even better, she had completely lost her heart to one of them, and now the threat she posed to humanity in general and Titania's grandson Alexander in particular, had been eliminated. He stroked his chin as he considered the image.

"One thing I am curious about, though," Titania asked. "Why haven't you used the dust on the mortal she is in love with? It could help speed things along."

"Patience, my queen," Cupid said. "These things cannot be rushed. I am certain that, given time, he will realize for himself what the future holds in store for himself and Demona." He watched as Jimmy picked up a chair and carried it over to where Demona and Angela sat. "After all, they have all the time in the world."

The End