Flu Bug

Written by Donald E. Fleming II

[email protected]

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 Gargoyle characters are the property of The Gargoyle Saga (TGS) writing staff and also are being used without their permission. 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.

"Would someone please just kill me and put me out of my misery?" Elisa groaned.

Goliath stood by and watched as his love sneezed and coughed, then sagged heavily against the pillows.

"God, I hate being sick," she said.

Elisa had the flu, a particular nasty strain at that, that had most of the city in bed. She'd picked it up during a visit down to the Labyrinth to see her brother who, for some reason, seemed to be resistant to it.

"Do not fear, Elisa," Goliath said. "We will watch over you until you are well."

"We?" she asked.

"You don't think I'd let you suffer any longer than necessary, do you?" she heard Demona say as the azure gargess entered the bedroom. "After all, I can't let my favorite detective stay sick. It pretty much puts the brakes on everything, doesn't it?"

"I guess," Elisa said tiredly as Demona sat on the bed next to her. She put a cold compress on Elisa's forehead. "Looks like our plans for the weekend are pretty much shot to hell."

"They would have been even if you hadn't gotten sick," Demona said. "Half of my secretarial staff is down with this wretched bug, and that means those that aren't are going to have to work through the weekend to get us ready for next month's audit. Myself included."

"Sorry to hear that," Elisa moaned.

"It couldn't be helped," Demona said.

"You're sure it's okay for the two of you to be in here with me," Elisa said. "I mean, this flu bug is pretty contagious..."

"Gargoyles do not succumb to human ailments that readily," Goliath said.

"Not to mention the fact that my immortality gives me an added resistance," Demona said. "We should be safe." She pulled aside the blanket that covered Elisa and helped her up into a seated position. "You going to need to take this off," she said, fingering the nightshirt Elisa wore.

"Okay," Elisa said. She moaned as she took off the nightshirt, then her bra and panties when Demona indicated that those were going to have to be removed as well.

"What for?" she asked.

"The potion I'm making for you will work better that way," Demona said. "Don't ask why."

"Are you sure you're not just saying that just to get me out of my clothes?" Elisa quipped.

Demona looked at Elisa's bared figure. "Well," she said with a hint of a smile. "Maybe just a little..." She shifted slightly on the bed in order to move closer to her.

"Now, now," Goliath said, taking Demona by the hand. "Aren't you supposed to be preparing the potion?"

"You're right," she said. Getting off the bed, she moved towards the door. "I'll only be a moment."

Goliath sat down where Demona had been after the gargess left the room. "I must say that Demona may have had a good idea," he said as he reached out and gently cupped Elisa's left breast. Elisa let out a slight moan.

"No fondling her, Goliath," Demona called out.

Goliath started to pull his hand away as he cast a frown towards the door, but then he changed his mind and gave the flesh a slight squeeze.

"I think she means it," Elisa said quietly.

Goliath took his hand away. "I believe so too," he said.

Demona came back into the bedroom a moment later, a small ornate cup in her hand. She crossed over to the bed and sat down on the side opposite Goliath. "Here," she said, handing the cup to Elisa. "Drink this slowly."

Elisa took a small sip of the potion, then screwed up her face in a grimace. "Ugh," she said, shuddering at the taste. "That tastes like crap!" She stuck out her tongue in disgust.

"True enough," Demona said. "But as you humans say, it's the only way to know that the medicine really works." She looked at Elisa. "Now, another sip."

Elisa took a couple of deep breaths, bracing herself for the horrendous taste of the potion. She took another sip, shuddering as the smell assailed her nose, then quickly passed it back to Demona. "Sometimes I think they say that just to get us to take the stuff. God, that stuff smelled worse than it tasted. I hope I don't have to drink more of that gunk."

"Not right away, no," Demona said. "But you will eventually." This caused Elisa to moan in distress. "Don't worry," she quickly added. "It won't be for another twelve hours."

"At least it's something not to look forward to," Elisa said. "I just wish..." She paused as she tried unsuccessfully to suppress a yawn.

"Tired?" Demona asked.

"Tired isn't the word I'd use," Elisa said, trying desperately to suppress another yawn.

"Good," Demona said. "That means the potion's taking effect. In a little while, you won't even be able to keep your eyes open."

"Great," Elisa said. "I suppose you did it so the two of you could have your way with me. Poor, sick, helpless, defenseless, unconscious Elisa."

Demona smiled as she looked at Goliath, then sat down on the bed next to her. "It is a tempting idea, but no," she said. "Right now, your immune system has been severely compromised, and it wouldn't be able to handle the extra...exertion." She looked over at Goliath. "That means no sex."

Goliath rumbled, and Elisa frowned. "Aw, are you sure?" she asked. "Not even a little?"

"Not even a little," Demona said.

"Darn it," Elisa said.

"Just think how I feel about it," Demona said. She snuggled close to Elisa. "Personally, I would much rather spend the weekend in bed with the two of you than spend it going over my company's financial records for the past year. Talk about boring."

"Poor baby," Elisa quipped.

"Yeah, poor me," Demona said. "Oh, well. It can't be helped. I guess I'm just going to have to settle for this." She leaned over and gave Elisa a kiss on the cheek. "Now," she continued. "I want you to just lay back and relax. Give the potion time to work."

"Yes, dear," Elisa said, then coughed again. "God, I hate being sick."

"I think you said that already," Goliath said, then frowned as Elisa coughed again. "Is there anything you can give her for that?"

"I have just the thing," Demona said. She left the room, then came back with a small jar. She opened it and held it under Elisa's nose. "Inhale," she said.

Elisa breathed in, the vapors coming from the jar entering through her nose, and she coughed again, only this time it wasn't as harsh as before. "What is that stuff?" she asked. "It smells like..."

"I know," Demona said. "It has the same basic ingredients, but it's a bit stronger than what you'd find in the stores." She sat on the bed, then pulled back the covers, exposing Elisa's chest. Pouring a little of the liquid into the palm of her hand, Demona spread it across the Elisa's skin, massaging it in while uttering an incantation. "This will help clear up your chest," she said.

"I hope so," Elisa said, relaxing as Demona continued to apply the liquid. She smiled when Demona's hands drifted over her breasts. "Are you being thorough, or are you just trying to cop a feel?"

Demona smiled wickedly, then pulled back her hand. "You know me too well, it seems," she said. "I guess that's enough for now." She moved back, allowing Elisa to get comfortable in the bed, then turned her attention to Goliath. "Add a little more in a few hours," she said. "That is, unless you feel you can't do it without become too...involved."

Goliath took the jar from Demona's hand. "I think I can control myself," he said. He paused for a moment to look at the jar. "I do not have to..." he started.

"No," Demona said. "The spell only needed to be invoked once. I know how uncomfortable you are about magic, particularly after our mutual experience with the Archmage and the Weird Sisters..."

"As long as it helps speed Elisa' recovery, I will set aside my dislike of it for the time being," he said.

"Glad to hear it," Demona said. She quickly reached up and gave Goliath a quick kiss on the cheek. "Just remember. No sex. I don't want to come back here tomorrow morning and find her in worse shape than she is now because you couldn't control yourself."

"I will behave myself," Goliath said, sighing.

"Good," Demona said. She looked over at Elisa, who was settling in under the covers. "I'll try and make it back here before sunrise. See you later."

Goliath watched as his azure mate left the bedroom before turning and heading back towards the bed.

Elisa yawned, then looked over at Goliath. "I guess she's calling it a night."

"She said she will try to return before sunrise," Goliath said. "I guess she wants to care for you during the day."

"Every little bit helps," Elisa said tiredly. She yawned again, and this time it caused Goliath to smile in amusement.

"You should just surrender to the potion's effects and go to sleep, my Elisa," he said. "There is no use fighting it."

"God, I know," she said. She looked over at him and Goliath could already see sleep beginning to claim her. "You'll be here when I wake up, right?" she asked.

"You know I shall," he said. He gave her a kiss on the forehead and stepped back as her eyes finally began to close.

The phone rang. Elisa's eyes shot open and she instinctively tried to reach for it, but couldn't quite get it. Without giving it much thought, Goliath picked up the phone. "Hello?" he asked.

"I'm sorry," came the reply. "I must have dialed the wrong number. I was trying to reach Elisa Maza."

"No, you have the right number, Bluestone," Goliath said, even as Elisa reached for the phone. He covered the mouthpiece with his hand. "It is your partner," he said as he handed over the phone.

Elisa took the phone from her. "Hello?" she said, sounding miserable.

"Hey, Elisa," Matt said. "How are you doing?"

"Lousy," Elisa said. "How do you think?"

"Just making sure you're not trying to fake us out," she heard him say. "By the way, who's over there? I thought I heard..."

"I've got some company," she said looking over at Goliath. "Someone to keep me...occupied."

"Are you sure you're up to that much...activity?" he asked.

"Ha, ha," Elisa said, but that ended up becoming a hacking cough. She held the phone away from her as she continued coughing, then finally managed to bring it under control. "Sorry about that, Matt," she said.

"That's okay," he said. "At least we know that I can't catch this thing over the phone."

"You never know," Elisa quipped. "So tell me, Matt. What's the real reason you called?"

"Well..." she heard Matt say. "I was wondering if you've seen the file on Kinner. I can't seem to find it."

"Kinner...Kinner," Elisa said, trying to place the name through the potion-induced weariness. "Wasn't he that flasher we picked up?"

"Flasher?" Goliath said, amused.

"I think the file is in my top desk drawer," Elisa quickly said. "Did you check there?"

"Not yet," he said. "Just a minute..." Elisa heard him move from his desk to hers and open up the drawer. "Got it," she heard him say. She waited until she heard him sit down in his own chair before getting ready to continue, but he quickly cut her off. "So," he said. "When are you going to quit the sick routine and come back to work?"

"A few days," Elisa said. "Demona was over here a little while ago and..."

"What?" Matt gasped. "Demona was over there? Holy shit, Elisa! Why didn't you say something? I'll call a SWAT team and..."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Elisa said quickly. "Cool your jets, Matt. She wasn't here to make trouble. Actually, she came here to help."

"I think you're delirious," he said. "But don't worry. I can have a squad over there..."

"Bluestone," Goliath said, taking the phone from Elisa as she handed it to him. "Elisa was in no danger from Demona, I assure you."

"Goliath?" Matt said, confused. "Are you sure about that? I mean, I know what Elisa said about her trying to kill you guys..."

"She has given up her past ways," Goliath said. He looked at Elisa. "For something better."

"I don't..." Matt started, but then Elisa took the phone from Goliath's hand.

"Listen, Matt," she said. "I told you before that Demona's no longer a danger, not unless someone does something stupid and pisses her off. Believe it or not, she's even given me something to help me get over the flu, so don't worry."

"She gave you something?" Matt asked.

"Yeah," she said, yawning slightly. "One of her healing potions, actually. It tastes like shit, but she assures me that it'll work wonders. I should be up and around again in a couple of days."

"I still think..."

"Matt," Elisa said quickly. "Don't think, okay? Like I said, everything's fine here. Don't cause a panic by sending SWAT team in to rescue me, because I don't need 'em." She paused as she looked at Goliath. "And Goliath'll probably beat the crap out of them if they bust in here at the wrong time."

"And I would," Goliath said, just loud enough for Matt to hear on the other end.

"Okay," Matt said. "As long as you're absolutely sure about this..."

Elisa sighed in exasperation. "I am, Matt," she said. "Now hang up and let me get some rest, okay? I'll see you in a few days."

She listened as she heard Matt hang up the phone, then fell back against the pillows in exhaustion. Goliath took the phone from her hand.

"I certainly hope that's the last call I get for a while," Elisa said. "I don't think I can handle another one."

"If necessary, I shall rip the phone from the wall and throw it out the window," Goliath quipped.

"That won't be necessary," she said. She picked up the phone and turned off the ringer, then had Goliath bring her cell phone from the other room. When he returned with it, she turned it off and put it in the drawer of the bedside table. "Now maybe I can get some sleep," she said. She coughed slightly.

"Perhaps you need a little more of this," Goliath said, picking up the jar.

"What I really need is you," she said tiredly.

"Now, now," Goliath said. "You heard Demona. No sex."

Elisa moaned in disappointment. "Can't you at least me...halfway?" she asked.

"Halfway?" Goliath asked. "I do not understand..."

"I'm not asking that you screw my brains out, Goliath," she said. "Couldn't you just...cuddle...with me?"

Goliath smiled. "I think I can manage that," he said. Setting the jar on the table, he took off his loincloth and climbed into the bed with her. Elisa noted with a bit of a smile that he was already slightly hardened by the sight of her nude form as she lifted the covers so he could slip in with her, and she deliberately brushed the back of her hand against his shaft, eliciting a groan from him. It was with some measure of control that he was able to keep himself from turning her in his arms and filling her utterly.

"You did that on purpose," he said.

"You're right," she said. "I did." Then she yawned again, this time heavily, and Goliath realized that she wasn't going to be able to fight off sleep this time. He shifted in the bed until he was sitting up against the headboard, and wrapped his arms around Elisa's waist, pulling her against his body. She murmured in contentment as she settled against him. "But I guess we can't do anything about it now anyway," she added tiredly.

"No," he said. "But I might be able to give you something to look forward to," he added, spying the jar. He picked it up and poured a little of the liquid into the palm of his hand, then rubbed it into Elisa's chest. He could see her smile as his hands drifted over her breasts, then gently cupped the tender mounds.

"Oh, that feels good," she said sleepily. "But I think I'll..."

Goliath smiled as he felt Elisa sag against him as sleep finally claimed her. Carefully, he reached for the covers and pulled them so they covered her lower body, then gently wrapped his wings around her.

Diane opened the door and stepped into the apartment, setting down the bag before turning and closing the door, locking it. Elisa was down with the flu, and that made her worry. She hated it when her children got sick, and it was even worse when they didn't answer the phone. She had tried calling, but no one had answered. So she gathered up a few items, things her own mother had sworn by, and came over. She spied Cagney napping on the couch and crossed over to the bedroom door. She opened it slowly and peeked inside. "Elisa," she said quietly. "Are you awake?"

"Shhh," she heard someone hiss. "She is sleeping."

"Who..." she asked, but then she started when she saw the large shape on the bed.

"It is only me, Diane," she heard him say. "Goliath."

Diane relaxed as she entered the room, then went over and reached for the light switch. "Thank goodness," she said. "For a minute, I thought..."

"Do not turn on the light," she heard Goliath say urgently.

"Why not?" Diane asked as her fingers found the dimmer switch. She gave it a quick turn.

"Because..." Goliath started, just before the lights came on.

Diane's eyes went wide in alarm. "What is going on?" she asked.

Goliath was sitting there on the bed, Elisa laying against him and beginning to stir under the envelope of his wings, but her lower body had become uncovered and Diane gasped as she realized that her eldest daughter was utterly nude. Goliath quickly covered as much of her body as he could with his wings while he tried to recover the blanket with his tail. Diane blushed, but then stalked over to the bed and grabbed the blanket, pulling it over Elisa's body to cover her.

"Don't you realize how sick she is?" she said, chastising Goliath, and blushing again when she spotted his loincloth on the floor, realizing that he was as naked as Elisa was. "She's supposed to be covered up and dressed, not naked as a jay bird! And you..."

"It's okay, mom," Elisa said, finally dragging herself to wakefulness. "I'm feeling better."

"You only think you are," Diane said, focusing on Elisa before fixing her gaze on Goliath again. "I swear, bad enough that Elisa's come down with the flu, but you're not going to make things easy for her if you insist on having sex with her..."

"We weren't having sex, mom," Elisa quickly said, coming to Goliath's rescue. "Goliath and I were just...cuddling, that's all."

"Humph," Diane said, crossing her arms. "Really."

"Yes, really," Elisa said. "Mom, I'm okay. Honest."

Diane put her hand against Elisa's forehead. "Well, your fever's gone down a little," she said. "But you really do need to get dressed. God only knows what made you get undressed in the first place." She picked up Elisa's discarded nightshirt and handed it to her. "If you would please..."

Elisa sat up and reached for the nightshirt, holding the blanket against her chest as she did, and Diane turned away as she felt Elisa take hold of the garment. Goliath used the momentary distraction to reach down and grab his loincloth. When both he and Elisa were sufficiently clothed, Diane turned back towards them.

"Can I have a minute alone with my daughter?" she asked.

"Of course," Goliath said. He got out of the bed, pausing for a minute to give Elisa a quick kiss on the cheek, then headed into the living room.

Diane waited until Goliath had left the room and closed the door before sitting down on the bed. "Now, " she said. "Just when were you planning to tell us about this?"

"Well," Elisa said sheepishly. "We were hoping to tell you...sometime..."

"Soon?" Diane said. "Elisa, you know how we feel about Goliath. Your father and I both like him, but..." She paused, sniffing the air. "What is that smell?" she asked.

Elisa looked over at the table. "It's probably that stuff," she said, pointing to the cup.

Diane picked up the cup and held it under her nose. "This smells terrible," she said. "What is it?"

"It's a potion Demona brewed up to help..." she said, then immediately stopped when she saw the look on her mother's face. Aw, shit, she thought, realizing her slip-up. She sighed, then continued. "It's a healing potion. It's supposed to help me get over the flu."

Diane set the cup down. "But isn't Demona the one who tried to..." She looked at the cup. "Didn't she try to poison you once?"

"She's kind of given up on that," Elisa said. "She's not out to wipe out humanity anymore."

"That's a relief," Diane said. "But why? I mean, are you sure she's not up to something else? I remember what you told us about her, and I saw her a few times down in the Labyrinth when you and Goliath had her locked away down there..."

"She's...changed," Elisa said. "She..." Elisa stopped, then reached over and pulled a small stack of pictures out of the drawer of the bedside table. "I think you might want to sit down for this, mom," she said. "It's going to be a bit of a shock."

"How much of a shock?" Diane asked.

"Well, they say a picture is worth a thousand words," she said. She picked out one picture and handed it to her mother.

"I get the feeling I'm not going to..." she started, then she took the picture and looked at it. Her eyes went wide. "Elisa!" she gasped.

"I guess I have some explaining to do," she said.

"You most certainly do, young lady," Diane said as she set down the picture of Elisa and Demona, locked together in a passionate embrace. "And you can start by telling me exactly when this all started."

"Well," Elisa said sheepishly. "I guess you could say it started a few months ago, after Angela had a fight with her mother..."

The End