This story takes place sometime after the events of GARGOYLES comic issue #7 'The Rock'. If you have not read the comics this story may not make sense to you. The new GARGOYLES comics are available through SLG publishing and can also be found on Amazon. These comics are written by Greg Weisman and are a continuation of the animated series after the episode "The Journey."

Sunday Morning written by Cormak

September, 2008

She had been surprised to find a note on her kitchen counter when she had come home from her shift. She would have recognized the elegant writing anywhere.

"Wear something casual, but be sure to dress warmly. Do not eat dinner. I will pick you up at nine."

She read the note all day, instead of sleeping, as she should have been. She kept finding some excuse to take it out of her pocket as she cleaned or ran errands to read it again and again.

"Just what are you up to, Goliath?"

Elisa Maza would have to wait and see.

The day seemed to be longer than usual and she knew it was because she was intrigued, excited and a little nervous about what Goliath had planned for them.

She agonized over what to wear, as it appeared to be a date. She pulled half of her clothes out of the closet, trying them on, and then taking them off to toss on the bed. Cagney was enjoying himself. The discarded clothes made a comfortable place to lay.

Elisa finally settled on wearing what she always wore. Jeans, a long sleeve shirt and her jacket. It wasn't as if she and Goliath could waltz into any restaurants. And after primping a bit for their first date and the disaster that followed she realized she didn't want to jinx this date. Her comfort clothes would have to be enough.

She turned to take in the mess she had made and laughed at Cagney buried amidst her clothes. She started putting them all away, much to Cagney's disappointment. She fed the smoke colored cat and paced in her living room. The sun had set while she had been cleaning up and all there was left to do was wait.

She kept glancing at her watch and true to his word; Goliath swooped down on her balcony at nine o'clock.

"You have been waiting for me." His lips turned up into a smile, revealing a little of his fangs.

"What can I say? You caught my attention."

"Good." Reaching into a small pouch attached to his belt he produced a piece of dark colored cloth. "I must ask you to put this on."

"A blindfold? Just where are you taking me?"

"It is a surprise," he whispered.

She stepped closer and took the blindfold, blushing fiercely when her hand made contact with his talon.

Goliath had to force himself not to pull her into his arms. There would be time for that later.

When the blindfold was securely in place, he picked her up and carried her out through the window. He leapt from the balcony wall and into the night, clutching his precious cargo and keeping her close to his heart.

They glided on for what felt like hours. Elisa kept wanting to ask "If they were there yet", but refrained. She remembered how much her father had loved that question when she and her brother and sister were children on road trips."

Elisa concentrated on using her other senses because she could not rely on her eyes. She noticed the air getting cooler and the wind picking up. Suddenly she inhaled the smell of salt.

"We're near the ocean. I can smell it."

"Always the detective, even when you are not on duty."

"Of course."

"You may take your blind fold off now."

She frowned. "But we haven't landed."

"I thought you might like to see the view from here."

Elisa removed the blindfold and gasped. She had been correct about the smell of the ocean. The Atlantic spread out toward the west. The sight of the vast body of water with a full moon and the light shining upon it would have taken anyone's breath away, but it was not the ocean Elisa focused upon.

"Oh, Goliath…"

He grinned and landed, gently released Elisa and helped her to her feet.

Her hand covered her mouth as she took in her surroundings. Candles placed on a grassy cliff overlooking the ocean. A red blanket spread out in the middle of them, with a basket, food and plates and even a bottle of wine.

Tears came to her eyes and Elisa had to choke out her words, "When did you…how did-"

He smiled gently. "I had a little help from Angela and Broadway. They came here directly after sunset to set things up for me. We are on the coast of Connecticut." Goliath told her, gesturing to their surroundings. "Safe from danger or interruptions."

In the bushes two shadows smiled to each other.

"Looks like our cue to leave," Broadway whispered to Angela. She nodded, spreading her wings to follow, but not before taking one last look at the happy couple her father and Elisa made. A couple that almost did not exist.

A few tears were streaming from Elisa's eyes. She was horrified at her open display of emotion, but she found she could not help it.

Goliath stepped closer to her and very gently used the tip of one talon to brush the tears from Elisa's cheeks.

"You expressed an interest in picnics. I know this is not a Sunday afternoon, but in a few hours it will be Sunday morning."

Without warning Elisa threw herself at him hugging him tightly. Goliath wrapped his wings around them both as he held her to him.

This was one of the many reasons why she loved Goliath.

"The other things you desire are something we both know I cannot give you, but I will do my best to always fulfill your needs and desires."

She blinked. He always thought about others before himself. "And what about yours, Goliath?"

"I have one of my biggest desires right here in my arms."

The tears came again, only this time Goliath was misty eyed himself as he stroked Elisa's hair and they held each other.

"What made you change your mind so fully?" he asked running one talon through her ebony locks.

Elisa moved back and Goliath released his grip, but kept her at arms length. His talons found her hands and held them.

"You were injured so badly…you might not have made it to sunrise. I thought about what would happen and how I would feel if I lost you and I couldn't bear the thought. I realized how much you mean to me, and how I need you in my life. It was wrong of me to ever suggest we break up and see other people. I hurt both of us and what's worse is that I got other people involved. I hurt Morgan and Delilah."

"We have obviously healed from it and perhaps it has brought us closer together. The others will need time."

She nodded. "At least I know the clan will accept us. Especially with how Angela acted when she realized I'd brought Morgan as a date."

"Angela has become highly protective, which I believe might come from her relationship with her mother."

"You mean her non-existent relationship with Demona?"

"Yes. She desires that at least one of her parents be happy. She knows that I find happiness with you. She wants your happiness as well. It is quite obvious that she loves you not only as a fellow clan member, but something of a big sister."

Elisa nodded.

"I am certain things will be different when the news reaches your family," Goliath noted quietly. "I have a feeling Talon will accept us, but I wonder how Diane and Peter will feel."

"I won't lie to you, Goliath. They are probably going to flip out. But I'm confident with time they will come around. I'll drop hints here and there so they can figure it out on their own."

"Enough talk for now. I think it's time we eat. You must be hungry."

"Famished."

Goliath grinned and stepped away to begin making plates for them.

Broadway and Angela had packed sandwiches; one for Elisa and several for Goliath. They also packed cheese and crackers, two pieces of apple pie and a bottle of wine.

Goliath and Elisa were fairly silent as they ate. They watched the ocean spread out before them and were lost in their own thoughts.

Goliath could hardly believe they were finally alone together.

Elisa could not believe she would have given up her relationship with Goliath for normalcy.

She sipped at her wine and laughed as she put the glass down. "I half expect Jackal or Hyena or even Demona to come out of the bushes and attack us."

"The quiet is strange indeed. It is not often that you and I are able to enjoy it. Especially while together."

She nodded and picked up her glass nervously sipping at it every so often as silence set in. She was aware of Goliath staring at her. She wasn't sure what to expect in a romantic relationship between them.

One night at a time, Maza.

Goliath extended a talon toward her. He had long finished his meal, while Elisa had taken her time. She put her wineglass down again and placed her hand in his talon, allowing him to draw her closer to him. He tipped her chin up so he could look into her eyes. He could sense her nervousness and could feel his own.

He leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on her mouth. It was a little clumsy, but that did not bother Elisa.

Pulling back, Goliath grinned.

"I must admit that kissing is a very addictive and satisfying human tradition."

Elisa frowned. "Gargoyles don't kiss?"

He shook his head, his sable hair falling on either side of his neck. "We show affection in other ways, although my daughter and Broadway have both accepted the human tradition."

"What do Gargoyles do if they don't kiss?" She wondered if she was ready for the answer.

"We very much enjoy touching a loved one's hair. It is a romantic gesture to do so."

"So every time you touch my hair it's like you're kissing me?" She unconsciously touched her head.

"Not every time. Sometimes it is done in concern, but in our case if I stroke your hair it means much more."

Elisa thought back to how many times he had touched her hair. It had not been many until recently.

"While touching your hair brings me great pleasure, I find pressing my mouth to yours electrifying."

"There's more to kissing than what we have done. There are different kinds of kisses. Some more passionate than others."

"Teach me."

Elisa swallowed hard. She took a deep breath to steady herself and moved closer. She pressed her lips to his and closed her eyes. She pressed at first and then began to move her lips. Goliath mimicked her motions and before long they were nipping and teasing each other.

She could feel the energy humming through her body. Goliath was a very fast learner. She licked his lips with her tongue and pushed it forward into his mouth. He startled, shattering the mood.

"Maybe that's enough for one night," she told him, blushing at the thought of what she was teaching him. She felt like a naughty teenager.

"I did not expect you to do that. I would like to try again."

Before she could protest, he kissed her and parted his lips, waiting for her to try again. She licked the outline of his mouth and could feel and hear his breathing quicken. His talon stroked her hair as she explored his mouth. She felt the sharpness of his fangs and could taste apples from the pie he had eaten.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and he pulled her closer to them. His wings started to come around them, but never enclosed them fully.

He licked the outline of her soft lips with his tongue and explored her mouth. He felt her rounded teeth and tasted the sweet wine. He could smell her arousal and he could feel his own building.

This human woman made him feel things no one had ever made him feel before. His heart was thundering in his chest and he found it difficult to breathe. He desired to explore more and pulled his mouth from hers, nuzzling his face into her neck to kiss the soft skin beneath her small rounded ears.

A breathless moan escaped her and he growled in response. He felt her push at his arm a moment later.

"I think…we need to stop…"

"Too much too soon," he told her understanding perfectly.

"Yeah." She took a few moments to settle her breathing and placed a chaste kiss on his lips. "One night at a time, okay Big Guy?"

He smiled and kissed her in return. It was hard to only give her a quick pressure of his mouth instead of the fascinating battle of tongues he had very much enjoyed.

"Agreed. One night a time, my love. Would you like to explore the coastline before we head back to the city?"

"I'd like that."

Together they packed up the dishes into the basket, along with the blanket. They blew out the candles, waited for the wax to cool and harden and packed those as well.

Elisa glanced down at her watch. "We've had five hours of piece and quiet, Goliath. I really could get used to this."

He picked her up into his arms and then picked up the picnic basket. "I could as well. I suppose this means we must try this again…and very soon."

She smiled up at him. "Indeed."

Goliath spread his wings and leapt from the cliff, gliding over the ocean. They followed the dark coastline until it grew lighter and lighter from the city lights.

Goliath took his time returning Elisa home. He had not wanted their time together to end. It was well after three-o clock in the morning when he finally landed on her balcony.

"Thank you for tonight."

"You are welcome. Will I see you tomorrow night?"

"I work 'til 4am, but I'll head to the castle after that."

"I look forward to seeing you again." He grinned, kissed her quickly before she could protest, and was gone, gliding off into the night.

Elisa touched her fingertips to her mouth, her lips still tingling. She grinned before heading to her bedroom to change.

Broadway and Angela were out on the high tower when Goliath swooped down and landed.

"How was your evening, father?" Angela asked.

Goliath grinned. "You must allow me to have some secrets, my daughter."

With that he was gone, leaving behind two giggling gargoyles.