All That Meets the Eyes
by: Jen the Seafarer
E-mail: gobailey@accessweb.com
Synopsis: Elisa is in for a rough ride when she has a date with a
goddess named Fate.

Disclaimer: Everyone/thing in this story, save for Fate, Time,
and perhaps the sun, are owned by Disney/Buena Vista. They are
used here without their written consent.

Well, I'm back. Yeah, yeah, stop groaning. This was the first
fanfic I've done, but the second I've posted. It's a quirky (yes,
quirky) little tale that bit me one night and I've been typing
away at ever since. I think its harmless and very far from the
genius of other fanfics which are much better, oh, like say (wow,
this is a subtle plug): "Athena" and the following stories by
Ryan Stout, "Kittens" by Christen Morgan, "Thy hand, Belinda" by
Jewel Faulkner, ANY story by Diane R. Flynn, especially "No Rest
Between Fire and Ice", and "Beastly Knights" by Leva Mevis. Thanx
goes to Diane R. Flynn for her help. Send any comments to the
above address.  This story takes place two months after Hunter's Moon
BUT before The Journey. And now, on with the show!
                  
                All That Meets The Eyes

      Elisa scanned the darkening skies, looking out for the
flashes of lightening that illuminated the western  sky. The
weather had been unbearably hot that week, as evidence by the
hundreds of people that had died from heat stroke. In fact, Matt
and her had just finished pulling out two homeless people from a
sewer tunnel in the sweltering heat. The doctors were doubtful
that they would survive.
     "This weather is fit for the dogs," Matt observed earlier in
the day, quickly changing into a different shirt as they  left
the stinky scene. 
     "Even dogs wouldn't survive this heat," she amended, wiping
her forehead. She  hadn't been wearing her jacket and jeans that
day, oh no. This was tank top and cutoffs weather.
    "Did you hear about Sgt. Wood's family?"
    Elisa had shook her head and got in the car.
    "Well, his folks got stuck in their old Suburban when they
had a flat on the I-90. By the time the 'crews got to them, his
old man had a heart attack and died, and his mom is still in
hospital," Matt explained wearily, easing himself in the searing
vinyl car seat.
    Elisa then guilty thought of her mother, working with the
Food Bank in this weather, with her blood pressure. Strangely,
she began to think of other things, like the look on her mom's
face when Derek first appeared as Talon, or when Elisa suddenly
appeared in Africa, or when Elisa had to explain all about the
Hunters and the Clock tower . . .
    Elisa had always been an independent girl, right from day
one. As the oldest, it was her duty to test the limits of her
parent's will, rebel as much as she could. Though this was lost
on her father, a die-hard-fight-the-power kind of guy, her mother
had taken it all and usually it had been her demanding to know
why Elisa was two hours late or why her boyfriend had longer hair
than her. Her mother latched onto Elisa and treated her as if she
was the most fragile thing the Earth had ever produced; her
first, beautiful child born in a time where mixed marriages were
frowned upon. In retrospect, Elisa loved her for that, but at the
time, she resented it and flung it in her mother's face. She
 knew how to hurt her mother and did it many times, even now.
    After all Elisa had been through, from cyber-space to magical
Fey, she wished that she had told her mother everything from the
start, instead of releasing that floodgate in Africa. Smiling,
she remembered when she was a little kid and she had nightmares,
her mom used to sing this song in Swahili - roughly translated it
was "Angel wings, Precious things, a mother's voice of love she
sings"- and it gave Elisa peace. The kind of peace only a mother
can give. Elisa could have had a shoulder to cry on when the pain
was to great, and rock to hold onto when she was lost in the
magic.
    Oh well.
    Now, as the streaks of lightening made her move into the
protection of the castle, she waited for her stone clan to
awaken. She could hear Owen's nimble form making his way up the
spiral staircase. Since The Gathering, from what Goliath had told
her, she saw little reason to trust him.
   "Hello, trickster. Up here to catch the fireworks or did
diaper duty do you in?"
   Owen shifted his glasses. "Detective, although as Owen I would
appreciated it that you call me Owen, it is nice to hear someone
with a sense of humour for a while," he  said without the
slightest crack of a smile.~Poor Preston, if he was a model for
Puck, his dating life must be as healthy as the Hudson River~ she
thought wryly.
     "So, is the kid healthy? Does he make his toys fly around?"
She smiled, leaning herself against the door, waiting for the sun
to dip another foot.
    "He's as healthy as a baby can be. The Xanatos's are very
proud of him."
    "Yeah, I'll bet," she snapped suddenly, quickly recalling her
brother, Talon. Owen frowned.
     "Detective- Elisa, if you mind, I know you must . . .hate
Mr. Xanatos for what he did, but I assure you, Alexander's birth
has changed him. For the better. I recall the incident with the
Eye of Odin, when Mr. Xanatos gave you a lift to help Goliath
with Fox; you trusted him there. Surely your hate cannot have
grown."
    "No Owen, I'm not going to morph into Demona's twin. It is
just that, well-" The sun  disappeared as the rain began to fall.
She tightened up involuntarily.
    "Detective?" Owen inquired, curious to see what was hidden
beneath one of the most stubborn mortals he'd ever met. The sound
of rain and shattering stone drowned out what Elisa said, but he
got the gist of it.
    "- if it wasn't for him, I'd have my family and my life back
to normal."
    She bounded out in the rain, meeting Bronx as he leaped up to
her. Owen, uncharacteristically taken aback, removed himself from
the scene and went downstairs.
    He thought about what the dark beauty had said. He knew that
she loved Goliath and the others more than life itself, but why
did she so wish to have her life as nothing had ever happened
between her and six statues from Scotland? As the Puck, he could
almost feel the electricity between them when he first changed
her to a Gargoyle, and had lamented that he didn't keep her that
way. 
    But he had felt her deep guilt, with many levels of
frustration and grief. Of course, he knew that Elisa's destiny
was probably one of the most important ones in this age, but it
was never preordained that she hated it.
     Fate was such a funny thing.
     As Owen, he merely observed this and stored it away for
potential use, but as Puck, he toyed with it and soon great plans
formed in his mind.
*    *    *
     
     Elisa swept back her rain-slicked hair and forced a grin as
Goliath landed softly in front of her, right on cue as a clash of
thunder echoed.
     "Hard landing?" She smiled, and Goliath chuckled. The trio,
darting within the portal, had started laughing as well.
    "This is the fifth straight night of storms. How hot was it
today?" He asked, pushing away his wet hair.
    "115, and the humidity was the real killer. We had to fish
out truckloads of people, dead from the heat. I think the
criminal element is too sunburnt to be very active tonight."
     Goliath murmured a response, but the rain drove it away. He
motioned towards the door, and both walked inside. Goliath was
trying very hard to not ask Elisa why her eyes were red-rimmed
and
full of grief. If she had reason to not tell him, than it wasn't
really his business to pry. But it torn him up inside to see her,
silent in her suffering and he unable to correct her pain. He
would move the very mountains . . .
    "Goliath?" Her voice yanked him to reality.
    "Yes, Elisa?"
    "Do you ever wonder what it would have been like if you had
let me fall that first night or had gone against me when I told
you about Xanatos?" Her tone chilled him much more the her
question.
    "I tend not to. Without you, I would have never been able to
live. Everything," he swept his hand around the entrance of the
Great Hall, "would be gone if you were not there to save us, and
me." He cupped her face, trying to force her to believe this as
he  did. She warily smiled, but he could see the pain reflect in
her eyes. "Elisa, please tell me what is troubling you. I cannot
bear to see you so saddened."
    "Oh Goliath," she replied, trying to lift her voice. "I'm
just beat from the heat, honest. It's depressing to find five
elderly, homeless people rotting in the sun." Her coarse words
stunned him, but maybe if it was the heat . . .
    "Girl Scouts' honour, Goliath. That is the most scared oath I
can give you," she assured when she saw his doubt, though she
could barely contain herself from telling him her real pain. It
was so strong, and getting stronger, but it would break Goliath's
heart if and after the entire Hunter thing, he really didn't need
it.
    He smiled reassurance, stroked her ink black hair, and
explained to her that he was just going to talk to Brooklyn about
something. She nodded listlessly, and told him she was going home
for a nap. Goliath felt a sudden dread, and abruptly pulled the
Detective into a hug.
    "Elisa, I promise you I will visit you later. Then you can
tell me all about what happened," he spoke with a note of fear in
his voice.
   "Okay, okay," she said, pushing herself away to get breathing
room. "Don't worry! I'll see you later." Confused at his sudden
over-protectiveness, she managed a grin and with all her
strength, marshalled herself towards the elevator shaft.
    Goliath knew that he would never see her again.
*    *    *

    Owen watched the scene via a television monitor, concern
etched in his usually neutral expression. The Detective was
obviously not herself, and was getting worse by the minute. When
he left her, it seem as though she had merely a depressing
thought, but now he could physically feel her despair, radiating
from her with a magical force. He realized that this was
obviously not normal, and he could foresee that it had to stop
now, or else.
    He tapped a small key on his data pad and requested the
address of Nightstone Unlimited.
*    *    *

    Elisa felt even worse after talking to Goliath, his very
presence numbing her heart. She reached the floor level, hurried
past security, and stumbled to her car, tears streaming down her
face. In her mind she heard her mother's accusing voice,
demanding why Elisa hadn't told her everything. She saw her
father's bitter anger at Xanatos for changing Derek, knowing that
it was all her fault. The agony threatened to tear her apart, and
she was rapidly losing control.
    What had started as a guilty thought about her mother in the
heat had escalated into a full-fledged panic attack. Belatedly,
she wished she hadn't left Goliath, even if it meant breaking his
heart, but at least he could help her. She started to choke on
her sobs by the time she reached the garage, leaving the keys in
the ignition.
    Elisa sprinted past the night guard, who tried to stop her
and help, but she moved by him blindly. Collapsing in the
elevator, she crumbled in the corner and screamed in anguish.
Mentally, she was now re-living the destruction of the Wyvern
clan, pain searing her as it had the stone creatures a millennia
ago.
    The door couldn't open fast enough and she threw herself
through the widening gap, ignoring the sickening crack as her
left wrist hit the door. As she raised a trembling key, she tried
to muffle her wails with her numb wrist, but soon the neighbours
opened their doors and looked at her groggily. 
    That Maza woman always had strange noises coming from her
suite . . .
    She fled to the safety of her apartment, ragged breaths
tearing from her as she immediately reached for the latch on her
huge window, giving her the view of a chaotic sky. Goliath's cry
of pure pain surged her adrenalin, the looks of the stunned trio
as they surveyed there dead brothers and sisters electrified her
heart. Distantly, a voice in her head told her to stop, but it
was lost as she stepped out into the pounding rain.
*    *    *

     Owen, sensing he was losing time, transformed to Puck and
teleported himself to Alex's crib. The child was awake with a
look of fear etched in his innocent features.
    "I know, kid. Though you're a little young to drive, I need
your taxi service," the fey quickly whispered in the baby's ear.
The room flashed and both were gone just as Fox entered the room.
    "Owen, was that you? Alex-?"
    They appeared in Dominique Destine's private room not a
moment later. Not surprisingly, Demona sat hunched over a small
mirror covered in water, a pink, glowing orb floating above it.
Noticing them, she was on her feet in a flash and bared her
teeth.
    "Get out of here Puck! I will kill-"
    Puck silenced her with a gesture, "shush, there are young
ears in the room." Demona raged silently. "Well, we leave you
alone for only a couple of months and already you're on the
rebound," Puck sneered as he placed a captivated Alex on the
floor out of harm's way.
    He stopped smiling and levitated Demona two feet off the
ground, holding her there, paralysed. If looks could kill, Puck
would have been Coldstone in a junkyard.
    "Demona, I have very limited patience with you right now.
Though you're rather creative, I will not have you harm Elisa
Maza as you are doing. If you want to do it yourself, then fine,
but if you use Avalon's magic," he nodded towards the glowing
orb, one of Titania's many toys, "it's my deal. And I don't like
it."
    Demona mentally uttered three simple Latin words and regained
her ability to speak. 
    "Fool," she spat predictably. "You couldn't stopped me now
even if you dragged Oberon into this. This spell is set in motion
and it cannot be reversed."
     Puck glanced at the orb, pulsating steadily, and recognised
the pouch Goliath used to carry the Phoenix Gate hovering above
it. He then saw a single, ruby drop of blood floating just below
the orb, and knew it was the Detective's. Puck growled in a most
Bronx-like fashion.
     "Witch! If it weren't for my stupid sisters you'd be a
nutrient in Scotland's soil right now."
    "My, my, Puck, anger doesn't become you. Why are you so
concerned over such a pathetic mortal as Maza?" Demona asked with
a cruel air. "You certainly didn't mind turning her life upside
down when I had Titania's mirror."
     "Well, she made a better gargoyle than you and I like her,
that dark hair and all," he smiled, and then got a thought. "Why
haven't you given up on trying to steal Goliath back?" He teased,
noting the gargoyle's eyes flash in anger. Quickly, while she was
distracted, he signalled Alex and the youngster sent a warning to
Goliath.
*    *    *

     Goliath paced uneasily, just inside of the castle. He saw
Elisa's haunted eyes over and over, and the urge to go and get
her was so strong. But he knew it would look silly if he just
dropped in and held her until he know she was alright. The looks
he got from Lexington, Broadway, and Brooklyn were bad enough.
    Suddenly, Goliath jerked and was sent sprawling outside, his
slide stopped by the stone guard ringing the edge of the
battlement. Dazed, he could *see* Elisa standing hysterically
on the edge of her building, staring down eleven floors to the
street below.
    "Go to her, Goliath. She will die, hurry!" A small voice
raced through his mind.
    Not wasting a second, he leaped off the battlement and spread
his wings.
*    *    *

    Demona tried to jerk her paralysed limbs, but Alexander's
magic held them firmly in place. She had seen the little signal
Puck had given the toddler, and knew that something of a warning
had been given to someone.
    "It doesn't matter if you warn anyone, idiot. The damage was
already done."
    Puck clapped his hands and levitated himself up to Demona's
level. "Ooh, is this the part when you tell me all your plans to
kill everyone without wings? Let me get the popcorn!"
   "Laugh now, but when Goliath is picking up Elisa Maza's broken
body off the street, I don't think you'll be so full of
chuckles," she warned, but Puck merely grinned at her. "You see,
my dear Puck, this spell is reserved for highly depressed people,
such as our Detective Maza. She has a lot of grief about her
brother and always having to hide things from her mother. I
thought, well, if the human doesn't like it,  maybe she should
have never had the *honour* of knowing the clan or anyone else,"
Demona said smugly and was obviously enjoying herself.
   "So forcing her to take a leap of faith is going to do that?"
   "Yes. She will be gone and Goliath and the others will live
without her."
   "Oh, I'm so glad you cleared that up. So when Goliath comes,
saves Elisa, and mops the floor with you, it'll still be
alright?" Puck asked sarcastically, eyeing the mirror.
   "But Puck, as the trickster this is the part you'll love the
best. You see, I made it so that whenever Goliath comes near
Maza, she responds to the spell better, absorbing everyone and
everything's guilt. Her own, the fate of my clan's, and Goliath's
pain all in one thought. So," Demona smiled wickedly, "if whoever
got that warning of yours was Goliath, say good bye to Elisa
Maza."
    Puck thought quickly, but he needed to stick it to Demona
first.
    "I guess with Maza out of the way, Goliath will fling himself
back into your arms? He'd probably be attracted to Xanatos before
he'd touch you," Puck said easily. He floated back to Alex, who
was starting to tire, picked him up, and as Demona was about  to
kill him for the truth, disappeared.
*    *    *

    The rain was stinging his eyes, forcing Goliath to glide
blind. The only good thing about gliding in the storm was that
the wind currents were swift and strong. He caught a giant
updraft and powered his way to Elisa's building.
    When he rounded the corner, he was shocked to see her
teetering on the edge, crying with such a ferocity that each sob
rocked her back and forth.
    "Elisa!" he cried. She looked at him, startled. Her face was
a study of grief.
    "I'm sorry! I never meant to do this to you! To my family!
I've ruined everything!" she screamed, taking a shaky step
sideways, away from him. His shock grew as he saw the awkward
angle her left wrist was placed in, but her words confused him.
He pushed his wings downward to go faster.
    "Please, Elisa. Get down, please! You're hurt and you aren't
yourself, please!"
    Elisa grabbed the sides of her head. "NNNOOOO!" she shrieked,
and stepped off the building.
    Goliath was too stunned to move fast enough.
    Just as the months before, he was too far away to save her.
His wail was lost in the wind, and he looked away in disconsolate
rage.
    There was a dull thud that was audible in the howling winds.
*    *    *

    Puck materialised in Elisa Maza's apartment a second later,
and was disappointed to see her huge window open, rain soaking
the carpet. He  looked at the toddler in his arms.
    "Alex, I think the calvary arrived a little to late," he
sighed. 
    Puck really wasn't saddened, but as a Fey, he was a
discouraged as one could be. Placing Alex on the sofa, he
ventured outside and was not surprised to find no one on the
balcony. Gingerly, he looked over the brick railing.
    "Oops, " he muttered, closing his eyes. Still, the mental
picture of big Goliath cradling Elisa Maza's disjoined form out
on the street played through his head. Puck hesitantly floated
down. Goliath didn't look up at him.
    "Hey, Goliath," he called softly. The big Gargoyle shuddered
and held her tighter.
    "Fix this, Puck. This is not the Elisa that I know. She is
stronger . . . and she would have told me . . . oh . . .my love,"
Goliath sobbed. Puck felt like crawling into a sewer grate.
    "Goliath, I-I have no power over this, I-" He began, but
Goliath made a grab for his throat.
    "This IS Avalon's magic!" The enraged gargoyles snapped. "She
would never do this!"
    For the first time in a long time, Puck actually felt afraid-
no, more like guilty. Goliath was nose to nose with him, the
glare of his eyes blinding Puck. Suddenly, a burst of light
interrupted him.
   "Goliath," a calm, low voice called. Both looked up to see
Luna, Seline, and Phoebe.
   "Beating up the Puck, although enjoyable, is wrong and will
not bring back the human Elisa Maza," Seline studied the lavender
gargoyle.
   "However, you are correct that her death was caused by
Avalon's
magic. By Oberon's law, no Fey is to interfere in the lives of    
                                           mortals," Phoebe was a
solemn as her sisters. Puck smiled
as Goliath's face twisted in rage.
    "Oh, oh. I smell an apology coming on!" he cried gleefully.
The Weird Sisters sent him a withering look, but they appeared
severely chastised.
   "As the immortal gargoyle Demona is our creation," they spoke
in unison. "She is our responsibility, and 'extension' of our
power. The human's death was by an unnatural way."
    Goliath jaw went slack, and his eyes seemed to glaze over. He
dropped Puck and moved back to Elisa's body. The Weird Sisters
had braced themselves, but were surprised that his building rage
did not surface. Luna, silver hair flowing, stepped forward
uncertainly.
    "Goliath, Demona procured one of Queen Titania's crystal
balls and used it to . . . affect the human in a negative way,"
she stated diplomatically. He didn't move an inch. 
     A gust of wind rolled around the small group and Demona's
sleeping form came to rest near Phoebe. Goliath still didn't
respond, but seemed to looked hard at Elisa's face.
    "We have been permitted to return Elisa's life back . . ."
    His head snapped up like a rubber band, startling all four
fey. "What did you say?"
    "We can give her a life that now she has lack . . ."
    "DO IT!" He roared, slamming his fist on the sidewalk,
forcing small cracks in the concrete. Phoebe and Seline joined
their sister and together, raised Elisa's body up off the ground
until it hovered next to Demona. Goliath pick himself up and
glared at them.
    "Goliath, if we give her life back, she cannot re-inherit her
former body, as it is far too damaged to repair, even magically.
This means that she will enter another," they explained slowly.
He looked down at Elisa's silken black hair and imagined her warm
brown eyes that would never open again. 
     "Will she remember her life up to this point?" He spoke
quietly.
     "It is hard to say. She might recall bits of it, but in
order to save her sanity, she would not remember anything to do
with this event. Her family would also forget her, and anyone
else connected to her."
    "Would I forget her as well?"
    "Yes, unless you desire otherwise . . ."
    "Yes, I do desire otherwise," he said with a note of
finality. There was a brief silence."Then, to give her life . . .
she will forget everything. Never to see the clan, her job,  her
loved ones . . . me," he whispered, head bowed. Puck, who
remained largely silent,  moved up to both of the floating forms.
He glanced at his sisters.
     "So you've decided to start controlling Ms.
Destroy-Everything-and-All *now*? What about the gazillion other
times she has 'interfered' with human lives?"
     "Fate was . . . much displeased that this particular human's
destiny was . . .interrupted," Luna explained simply. Puck knew
that if Fate was in this, than they must have been in BIG
trouble. He was silent for a moment, watching Goliath cradle his
impossible love.
    "There is no other way? Why don't you just switch both of
these babes' souls around, after all, Elisa might like red hair-"
     "Shut up, fool! It is impossible to do that. Think hard,
Puck. Although this might be tough for you to grasp, we're in
enough bad favour with *only* Oberon as it is. To make Elisa an
immortal as well would be as foolish a thing to do," Luna hissed.
A car passed by, though the entire group was hidden from mortal
eyes.
    "You guys have all the fun," Puck sniffed, but he backed away
as soon as he saw Goliath look up.
    "Weird Sisters!" he commanded, "I will have you return Elisa
back to life. However, know this; if ever you interfere again
with any human or gargoyles' life, I will hunt you down and
punish you worse than Oberon ever could," Goliath's voice chilled
them as much as iron did. He threw a glance at Demona, "it goes
for her as well."
    The three fey stepped back and raised their arms. A strike of
lightening clashed down, and as soon as everyone's eyes
recovered, they could see that Elisa was gone. Not wasting a
moment, Demona and the Weird Sisters vanished.
*    *    *

    In the city of Vancouver, Canada, at one of the major trauma
centres, eighteen year old Jessica Wayland took a very startled
breath of life. A stinging energy was coursing through her body
and she twisted in agony, ripping the paper sheet that was lain
over her. Groggily, she sat up and tore the remains off her.
    "Where the hell am I?" She wondered aloud, looking around.
She was in a pale yellow room, stocked to the ceiling with
medical equipment, with the floor covered in medical garbage and
blood. Looking down, she noticed that her formally white hospital
 gown was splattered with blood as well. In her arm was a dry IV
tube and stuck to her face was tape, which she promptly ripped
off. She tumbled off the gurney she was on and got to her feet.
     What alarmed her more than the blood, IV, and the red *dead*
tag on her toe was the fact that she had absolutely no idea on
where, what, how, when, or  who she was.
     Looking at her hands, she instinctively knew they weren't
hers. When she glanced at a mirror, the face that stared back was
a stranger's.
    Suddenly, the door swung open and a young man in a white coat
stared at her in shock.
    "Who in the blazes are you? What the hell are you doing in
here?"
    "I-I don't know . . ." she stammered, placing a hand on her
aching head.
    He grabbed  a walkie-talkie and said a code number. "I don't
know what you're doing in here, but this is a restricted area.
I'm calling security," he snapped.
    "Well, you must be the courteous employee of the month.
Listen, I do not understand what has happened to me and I need
help," she motioned to her bloody front. He gave her a cold look
and stepped forward. He noticed the tag on her foot.
    "Sit down."
    He ripped off the tag and read it slowly. She watched him
critically, trying to lose the shaky feeling she had.
    "Well, it seems your name is Jessica Wayland and you died of
a drug overdose not but fifteen minutes ago, " he said, trying to
sound doubtful. He looked at her appearance, the fact that all
she wore was a patient smock and still had an IV in her arm, and
knew that something was wrong. Her blue eyes were dilated and her
short, cropped hair was exceptionally bright, the brown and black
glints catching a rather unnatural light. He put a hand on her
shoulder just as security arrived.
   "Dr. Keith? Is there a problem?" The uniformed guard asked,
hand on his holster.
    Jessica stared agape at this man, as if it jogged something
within her.
    "Ah . . . no, just a misunderstanding. Could you alert
Receiving and ask them to pull the file on  Jessica Wayland?" The
officer nodded, and left the room.
    A few hours later,  Jessica was discharged from the hospital
(of course, under strict instructions not to say a word about her
apparent death to the press ). She was healthy, except for a
slight cloudiness in her eyes, due to a strange type of glaucoma 
she had since her *childhood*. The doctor commented that it
seemed as though her body had been given a second chance, as all
her test results came back clean. She was supposed to go back in
five days, as a precautionary step, but she doubted very much
she'd step into that place again.
    Walking down the street, she desperately tried to remember
her supposed life. According to her rather large medical file,
she had been admitted five times before for drug and alcohol
overdoses, had been in several fights, and was listed as a
 *uncontrollable patient*. The doctor told her that the *friends*
that usually brought her in were just as stoned as her, and that
her life was probably not much more than a pack of cigarettes and
a bottle of Vodka.
     Of course, she knew that wasn't true. Instinctively, she
knew she didn't smoke, drink, do drugs, and hang around with
greasers. It also told her that she wasn't an Asian-Canadian,
either. In fact, nothing about her made sense. The file said her
parents were deceased, but she was sure that she was still
somebody's daughter somewhere. It also said that she had lived in
Canada all her life, but from somewhere, she saw flashes of a
tropical jungle, a mystical island, and one image struck her the
most. In her mind's eye, she was up high, viewing a huge city
below, the wind whistling through her hair, which was . . . much,
much longer than it was now.
    She felt safe thinking like that, but when she looked up the
buildings on the street now, a sudden dread swept through her at
being that high off the ground. She shook her head, frustrated. A
soft song whispered through her head in an odd language she
couldn't remember . . . Angel wings, precious things, a mother's
voice of love she sings . . .
   "Hey! Jess! Wait up!" a strange voice called. She turned and
saw a young woman running up to her. The woman was dressed rather
skimpily, her brass coloured hair so cemented by gel that the
wind didn't even move it. She was breathless from the short
run to Jessica, and she could smell the cigarette odour radiating
off the young woman.
   "Hey, what's the hurry?" The woman asked, gulping for breath.
   "Do I know you?" Jessica raised a cynical eyebrow at her. The
woman gave her a cool look.
    "What? You drink so much your brain's drowned or sumptin'?
Lose the snob act, Jess."
    "I'm sorry, er, but I don't know you or anything ever since I
got out."
    The girls eyes judged her harshly for a moment, but she could
see Jessica's confusion in her eyes.
    "You really don't remember me? That's wicked. What a trip you
must have had," she smiled, then stuck out a yellowish hand. "My
name's Gabrielle, but my real name's Amy. You an' I have been
pals forever, in fact, we live together. Me an' Toby (he's your
guy) dragged you to the hospital last night after you passed out.
We thought you might have done too much last night, an' the dudes
at the door," she threw a look back towards the hospital, " told
us you were probably gonna die. Of course, I never believed
them." Gabrielle threw an arm around Jessica. Jessica couldn't
help but feel repulsed by her.
*    *    *

        David Xanatos stood easily on the tallest of the
parapets, cradling his very sleepy son. Alex loved to be outside,
and nothing worked better to stop his crying than a trip to the 
top. He looked down at Alex's fire red hair, and, although Fox
always grew annoyed with him when he did it, check to see if
Alex's ears were starting to go pointy.
       The wind gusted suddenly, and David looked up to see that
the sun had inched its way down to the horizon. With a sudden
impulse, he looked back to the stairwell and have expected to see
someone coming up to see the Gargoyles with him. ~Odd~ he
thought, no one never comes up here without his authority. In
fact, as he pondered it more, it felt as if something was
missing. As unsettled as David Xanatos could be, he was.
     Alex woke up from a dream just as the first shards of stone
hit the cobbled floor, his anxious face peering around. The
toddler re-positioned himself to look over his father's
shoulder, and then started to reach for the stair well.
    "Good evening, Xanatos," rumbled Goliath. 
    "Hello, er, Goliath," he tried as Alex attempted leaping out
of his arms. Xanatos caught a smile on the large Gargoyle.
    "Your son seems . . . rather active for this time of night,"
he observed. Alex began a loud string of baby babble, still
trying to reach the stairs.
    "Yes, well, it seems he believes that someone's coming,"
Goliath's eyes shut and he was very still. Xanatos was intrigued.
"Actually, I can't help but feel the same way. Like I'm expecting
a good friend to arrive."
    "A friend who would just as soon kiss Hyena then smile at
you," Goliath muttered under his breath. 
    Being the keeper of perhaps the worst pain he'd know (and he
knew a lot) was unbearable, in fact the only solace he got was
that none of his comrades remembered her. Still . . .
    "Did you say something?"
    "No, I was just clearing my throat. Yes, it  . . .does feel
that way. Of course, with all humans after the clan and I, it is
understandable to be unnerved."
    ~Well handled Goliath~ mused Xanatos as he soothed his son.
He saw the pained look Goliath held for a second. ~Well, well,
well~
    "I wouldn't worry about these Quarrymen, Goliath. After all,
you're up here, in probably the most secured building to humans
and faeries from hell. Shush, Alex, you didn't hear that."
   Goliath shrugged dismissively and opened his wings, letting
the wind fill them and lift him up. He touched the pouch at his
side, feeling the contours of Elisa's badge. ~Maybe one day I'll
find you~ he reflected ~ and we will be together . . .
   "Maybe . . ." sang the wind.
*    *    *

    Jessica's first week (well, she considered it her first week
because she simply did not believe she existed as Jessica before)
was full of disgust and pity for her formal life. It took her
seven days to find out she was a dealer's girlfriend, whom she
promptly removed herself from and turned him in to the police.
That act thankfully relieved her of all her obnoxious and stoned
*friends*, but she still got rude messages on her answering
machine. She felt so out of place up in Canada that she decided
to move and start over again. Of course, this was not
enthusiastically supported by her only friend, Dr. Keith.
    The doctor was pleased with her decision to drop her habits
(though she never recalled having them to begin with) but he had
unfortunate news for her. Although all the tests she took
revealed a damaged body healed, she was going blind.  Her slow
-growing glaucoma had rapidly increased in the last week and it
was expected that she would go completely blind by the end of the
month.
     "As I was saying, it's really strange. In your lengthy file,
the glaucoma hasn't even been noticeably in all of your check-ups
and now  all the sudden, BANG!"
     She wasn't really paying attention to him.
     Blind.
     "There-there's no way to fix it? I mean, isn't there like,
glaucoma surgery I can have?"
     For a funny reason, she felt disappointed because now she
couldn't become a cop.
     Cop?
     "Ahem? Look at me, Jess. Your type of glaucoma is
incurable." He took her hand. "I'm so sorry Jess. I have some
pamphlets and numbers for you, like the Canadian Association for
the Blind and-"
    "I'm not going to stay in Canada for long, David," she
addressed him with his first name. She looked into his eyes. "Are
you sure there's no chance I can stop this, no procedure?"
    He shook his head, took her hand, and placed the papers in
it. But she saw a image in his eyes, and instinctively knew he
was hiding something.
    "Tell me," she commanded. He looked at her in amazement, then
in sheepishness.
   "It's a real long shot-"
   "Tell me!"
   "Well, there's a pharmaceutical company that has recently come
out with a treatment for glaucoma, BUT  it is highly
experimental."
    "Where is it? I want names, numbers," she gripped his hand
with an inhuman strength, and he winced.
   "Jess! I don't think this is your best option, but what the
hell, you'll probably kill me if I don't," his words chilled her,
but he continued. "This company is a branch of Xanatos
enterprises and it is based out in New York, in the States. You
can't get in touch with them directly, only through a physician.
Jess, I don't like this, but I'll do it any ways. Hey Jess,
paying attention?"
   She was lost in a fog. At the mention of the name "Xanatos"
and the city of New York, she was lost. Flailing, actually,
through a thick grey fog. She saw glimpses of images, strange
flying creatures, a castle, a sea, three women chanting around
her, and a huge, sobbing creature that called her a name not her
own . . .
    "Jessica!"
    "Uuhhh . . . I'm-sorry, I think," she tried to sound normal.
He looked at her sceptically.
    "You know, it doesn't exactly encourage me to do this for you
when you do that. Does your head hurt?" He asked tersely, doubt
coming through like a bell.
    "No," she lied. "David, I want you to phone them now. As in
this instant, in my sight. I know that you won't unless I watch
you like a hawk."
    Grudgingly, he reached for his small, white touch-tone phone,
took a brief glance at something in one of the pamphlets and
dialled in a very long string of numbers. He gave her a
reproaching look as he waited for the connection to New York
form.
    "Yes? This is Dr. David Keith from St. Paul's in Vancouver,
Canada. I need to get in touch with the pharmaceutical department
. . .Specifically? Well, I have a patient that wants to try the
experimental treatment for glaucoma your company offers . . .Yes,
glaucoma, as in the eyes . . .Sure, I'll hold."
    "Thanks," she whispered, honouring him with one of her very
rare smiles. He glared at her grumpily, but his frown lifted a
bit.
    "For the millionth time, I don't recommend this method of
flying-by-the-seat-of-your-pants-- hello? Oh, yeah . . .What! Why
are you transferring me to Genetic Research? Do you know the
difference between the eye and some reject mutated creature?" His
voice had risen in pitch; he had heard ugly rumours about the
kind of Genetic  'Research' that Xanatos Enterprises were
conducting. "Whatever. Yes, I'll hold . . Hello? This is Dr. 
David Keith, from a hospital in Vancouver, and I am inquiring
about your new glaucoma treatment for a patient of mine . . . Ah,
sure, Doctor---Sevarius? Um, sure, I can send you the patient
info via e-mail."
     Jessica stopped paying attention after he spoke the name
'Sevarius'. The name drew her closer to something she could not
grasp. It was like banging into a brick wall. Absentmindedly, she
tapped her fingers along the table in his office, and brushed
against an old newspaper. She looked down, noticed it was the New
York Times, and read the headline:
    ' MONSTERS OR URBAN MYTH? ANOTHER CASE OF MASS HYSTERIA?'
    Puzzled and intrigued, she flipped to the page and read the
article on these so-called monsters called Gargoyles. She scanned
the accompanying photo, a fuzzy zoom-in which showed something
akin to a hawk fleeing across a full moon. The entire story was
dated about a year ago, and suddenly the click of the phone
returning to its cradle alerted her that the doctor was done.
    "So?"
    "I have to send them your file before they will consider you
a candidate and if they do, you'd have to get to New York by
yourself. They aren't going to fund your trip."
    "So?" 
    He took her hand that was resting on the Times, and forced
her to look in his eyes. 
    "Jess, I don't know if you'd remember this, but you have
basically nothing. Your . . .Past habits have taken care any
inheritance you received from your parents."
    She curled her hand into a fist and stared at nothing for a
moment, trying to understand. Distantly, she heard herself answer
him.
    "Well, send my stuff any ways. I know certain things about
Xanatos Enterprises that I don't this David Xanatos would like
the press to hear."
    He jerked back and looked at her as if she had slapped him.
    "What did you say?"
    "Um, nothing. Just send the stuff on me," she covered. She
didn't quite understand herself either. The doctor still looked
stung and she had to get out of there. Collecting her stuff, she
gave him an understanding look and walked out of his office.
     Upon reaching the street, she took a breath of the clear
sea-salt air and sighed. Why did she keep on blurting out these
stupid things? First it was mentioning to the 7-11 clerk
that the sea breeze in Vancouver was excellent for *gliding* on
and now this! But as she looked to the full moon, a calm peace
settled on her and she instinctively knew that all her questions
would be answered if and when she got to New York, New York.
*    *    *

   Dr. Maurice Crawler hesitated a second before he was supposed
to dial Owen Burnett's personal number. A Dr. Sevarius (which was
an odd thing because the only Dr. Sevarius he knew was his
unfortunate DEAD predecessor) had just told him to phone Mr.
Burnett, aide to MR. XANATOS. It was very odd that Mr. Burnett
was so very right about his prediction.
   About a week or so ago, Mr. Burnett had sent a memo to Dr.
Crawler's department and asked that if anyone phoned in regards
to the company's new glaucoma treatment that he was to be alerted
immediately. He instructed Crawler that it would probably be a
young woman and that he should get all of her information in that
first call. That was a direct violation of the Company's strict
rule of conduct for receiving patients for experimental
treatments (though as the new head of Genetic Research, he'd
heard rumours about that conduct and its limits). Odd indeed,
seeing as Mr. Burnett was the creator of that rule book and lived
by it fanatically.
   Crawler scanned the photo on his computer screen, and even
though the image was grainy, the woman was extremely attractive.
Obviously multi-ethnic, she had stunning almond shaped blue eyes
and short, brown hair. Her skin was dusty colour and she 
appeared to be very much in shape. There was something unusual
about her presence, and even in the photograph he felt humbled
and alone, as if under intense scrutiny.
    He dialled Mr. Burnett with reluctance.
    "Yes? This is Dr. Crawler. A Dr. Sevarius phoned me- we don't
have any _Dr. Sevariuses_ on staff, do we? . . .Oh. Yes, I
remember to *mind my own business in future*. Anyways, I'm
calling in regards to your unexplicit interest in our first
patient for the new glaucoma treatment. As you so predicted, a
woman by the name of Jessica Wayland . . . Vancouver, Canada. Any
ways, if you- yes, of course I'll send it to you now."
    He briefly clicked the mouse and the information was now in
Mr. Burnett's hands. He looked thoughtfully at photo, shoved it
into the drawer, and couldn't help but feel like he was about to
walk someone up from a never-ending dream.
*    *    *

    Owen stared in amazement at the *patient's* photo. You
couldn't even find a remote resemblance to her former body, but
all the same, she was striking. Of course, physically she was
beautiful, but her aura was incredibly strong, leaving Owen in no
doubt that he was looking at the face of Elisa Maza.
     He rested his hand on his desk and looked out the window
thoughtfully. What kind of odds was it that the disembodied
spirit of Elisa would show up. Out of a world of six billion,
what were the odds.
   "Owen?" Xanatos inquired, shockingly beside Owen. Surprised at
not hearing his boss approaching, Owen clumsily got up and
knocked over the chair he was sitting in.
   "Mr. Xanatos, I-I didn't hear your arrival." In his haste, he
also knocked over his data pad.
    "Hmm, what's this? Are we deciding to enter the dating game?"
    "This is," he cleared his throat. "This is a young woman who
goes by the name of Jessica Wayland. She is a prospective
recipient of our new glaucoma treatment, and I was just going
over her file. If you want . . ."
   "I do, Owen. This girl intrigues me, it's almost like a sense
of deja vu," Xanatos smoothed, watching his major domo's
impassive face. If you knew where to look, you could see Owen's
reaction. Right now, he was struggling to control his surprise.
   "She needs-"
   "She'll get it. Flight money, hotel accommodations, a terry
cotton robe, whatever. Just get her here, and maybe we can work
out a deal."
   "Deal sir?" Owen's tone was wary; for a mortal Xanatos was one
of the most cunning he had ever met.
   "Well, obviously she wants something of ours," he explained.
"And even though I'm not entirely sure, I believe she has
something I need."
   Owen smothered his disbelief.
*    *    *

     As Goliath's mighty roar still echoed off the battlements,
little Alex was already making a grab for the stone pieces
scattered on the floor. Xanatos quickly scooped up the toddler
as the gargoyle turned around and gave him a cool look. 
    "Xanatos. I trust you are well this evening."
    "Diplomatically put, Goliath. I want to show you someone that
is going to be joining us shortly," the multi-billionaire said
with light tone as he handed a small picture to him. Goliath
examined the picture with startling concern.
   "What is it lad?" Hudson's eyes narrowed on Xanatos.
   "Oh, it's a new client were taking on. Seems she's creating
quite a stir with everyone. Recognize her?"
   The elder gargoyles glanced at a different photo the
billionaire held in his hand. A tall woman  with short
black/brown hair, frozen in mid-stride on a crowded street.
Confused by his recognition of someone he was sure he had never
met, Hudson eyed Xanatos.
   "Who is she? What does she want?"
   "I cannot believe it . . ." Goliath's gravelly voice
interjected. Never mind the face, but it was her!
   "Goliath, what's this all about? Ye dinna half to keep it all
to yerself, lad."
   Goliath looked like a stricken animal. His eyes were
unnaturally bright, and for a second it seemed as if he'd been
*touched* by a fey (Hudson had seen many a gargoyle dazed and
confused after an encounter with a fairy). 
    "I need . . .To be alone, Hudson. Please see to it I'm
not--disturbed," Goliath whispered, suddenly opening his wings
and crushing the picture. He leapt to the edge of the castle and
took off as if pursued.
   "What have ye done?" Hudson took a menacing step towards him.
Xanatos held up his hands.
    "Hudson, I know nothing of what this girl means to Goliath or
to the clan. She has held my curiosity too, and no doubt yours as
well. However, I am surprised that Goliath reacted so strongly,"
Xanatos admitted, with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.
   "He has reason to keep whatever it is ta himself. But Xanatos,
ye have promised to us that ye  would not harm us." Hudson
warned, hand on his sword hilt.
   "I would not break that. I'm not sure who she is to
everything, but I'm not going to threaten you," he guaranteed,
looking at his son.
*    *    *

   Jessica almost choked the second she stepped out of La Guardia
airport. The air was so laden with pollution that she could
barely make out New York's extensive skyline, but as she
recovered, her eye was instinctively drawn to the massive tower
that must have been the Eyrie building. It rose up like a
obelisk, dwarfing all the other skyscrapers as if they were
matchsticks. A shudder ran through her as see spotted the
infamous Castle Wyvern perched on the top.
   "Ms. Wayland?" A pale, willowy man inquired from her left,
startling her.
   "Uh, yes?"
   "My name is Mr. Burnett, personal assistant to Mr. David
Xanatos, head of Xanatos Enterprises. I am here to take you to
your accommodations and offer you whatever you need."
    He stuck her as some sort of cyborg. His manner was cold, but
his eyes sparkled and danced as if they contained some sort of
inner fire. She reluctantly nodded her assent and followed him to
the large stretched limousine. As she ducked inside, he mumbled
something under his breath.
   "Welcome home."
*    *    *

    Like a shadow, the disembodied immortal left the airport,
leaving the chosen one and the Puck, only to reappeared at Castle
Wyvern, and innocently watched a television over David Xanatos's
shoulder. Though she controlled everything except Time (who was
her undying love) Fate was troubled that this situation had
become
so out of control. 
   Elisa Maza's *fateline* was not following its' predetermined
course. In all her eons, this had only occurred once before, and
it had disastrous results.
   Now, as she looked over the human's shoulder, she was trying
to figure out how to resolve this mess before it got really ugly
and tore apart her world. Of course, she had summoned the fey
known as Seline, Phoebe, and Luna and questioned them thoroughly,
but she learned nothing of use. Hopefully, this human would exude
more.
    "I wonder, human, if you realize that I hold all that will
happen to you in my hands," she said idly, though he didn't hear
her. 
    She tucked a lock of fire-coloured hair behind a pointed ear,
as the fey by the name of Puck entered the human's office, in
human guise.
   "Well Owen? I trust our guest in comfortably settled. What do
you think of her?" The human asked cunningly.
     Puck look the Goddess's way for a moment, startled, but she
knew that he couldn't fully see her as his powers were weak.
However, he was aware of her presence, as all of her creations
were, their senses acknowledging their creator (though humans
were almost numb to it, whereas the Fey and Gargoyles knew her
instantly).
    "She is well, Mr. Xanatos. I . . .believe she is an
interesting girl," he resounded smoothly.
    ~Good for you, Puck~ she thought. Of course, Xanatos being
the human he was, and although rarely touched by loyalty, was a
bit disturbed at his servant's outright lying. Fate walked around
and sat on the front of Xanatos's desk, trying to get a better
view of his reactions.
   "You know Owen, she does that for me too," he smiled. "And to
think that if I had only met her a year ago."
    Owen stood up more stiffly, and seemed to have a difficult
time trying to keep his eyes on Xanatos and not on his desk. 
    "Owen?"
    "Is there anything else you need to inquire about, sir?" 
    "I suppose not," Xanatos answered, amused at Owen's
behaviour. "You can go."
    Xanatos believed that if Owen ever went into sprinting, the
world record would be in serious trouble.
    Fate watched Puck's exit with a smile. She knew what she must
do.
*    *    *

    The hotel was a classic, and as classics go, it was pricey
too. Jessica gaped at the prices, noting that the few hundred
she'd managed to squander away for this trip would about cover
half the cost of a single room. And she was in the top suite.
Ironically, she remembered Dr. Keith's cynical description of
Xanatos Enterprises infamous cost cutting measures, which
included no patient accommodations. And she was in the top suite.
    Shoving that thought from her mind,  she readily enjoyed the
luxury that was offered to her, taking a long bath in lake the
hotel considered a bath tub, eating an excellent Italian meal
(she felt queasy about eating meat), and sampling the extensive
bar. Flopping down in a terry cotton robe, she stretched out to
take a nap.
    As the edges of sleep began to overtake her, she felt a
presence enter her room.
    "Mmmph?" She struggled to speak, trying to shake the
comforting numbness that had entered her limbs.
    "Shhh, my daughter, sleep," a warm, soft voice whispered.
Drowsily, her head dropped on her satin pillow and she knew
nothing.
    Fate stepped back from the sleeping girl and watched her
breathe. Fate was quite surprised that the girl acknowledge her,
as it was usually that humans were too insensitive to notice her.
She stepped back then, and thought hard about what she would do
to fix this enormous problem that this girl had inadvertently
caused. To do this she enlisted use of her power; if one
particular suggestion would seem favourable, her godly powers
would kick in and she would immediately know the outcome of it.
Of course, like her most favourite creations, its power was often
random and at times, unpredictable. So, it was not unusual to
read a fateline the wrong way, as she had with Elisa Maza, which
was as twisted as fatelines could get.
    The fatelines she created were usually always followed, even
by her most powerful creations, the fey. However, by some huge
mistake or misreading of one, a fateline could be altered, which
of course usually affected every other fateline of each of her
creations. She had learned her lesson once before when it had
happen, and with disastrous results. Hopefully, she could fix
this one without destroying an innocent life.
    But as she gazed at the sleeping form of Elisa Maza, no
heavenly solution came to mind. The only way out would call on
Fate to use her forbidden power, which was impossible to do
without her love, Time. And since Time was not into destroying
both their existences for one mesially human, it would not
happen. She sighed and capped her illuminating wings, and decided
to pay a visit to her love. She had to try.
*    *    *

    "Absolutely not, my dear. Do you remember the last time I had
to do this?" Time responded rather harshly, making Fate flinch. 
    Time was a handsome and wise being, but now he was a ghost of
his former self, as was she, resulted by a mistake that Fate had
done eons ago. To save Fate's life, the world she had created,
and himself, Time had to use both Fate's and his own Forbidden
Magic- magic that made up the core of his being - destroying
their physical bodies. Now they existed in spirit form and moved
unseen when once they were honoured by all. Still, however, he
loved her.
    "Time, my love, I know what happened and I do not need to be
reminded of my youth's inexperience and folly," she reproached,
looking into his deep brown eyes. "But this human could alter
everything. She was my only hope to re-contact the Light, let
them know we were still out here."
    Time softened, his transparent hands clasping her own. "Truly
I did not mean to hurt you. If this . . . . Human, is the only
chance we have, I suppose I could let you do this."
    "But?"
    "But there is a cost, as you well know. This is a last
resort. You have to try and find another way out, or . . ."
    "I will never do that," she answered tersely. Ever since her
great mistake which effectively enslaved both of them to her
creations, he had asked her repeatedly to abandon her Earth and
her children: she could not. She would not be responsible of
being lost with Time and he knew it too, by the look of defeat in
his features.
    "Fate, you are my life, both figuratively and sentimentally.
I know that you are so found of your humans and such, but please
try to find another way to save her. It is so dangerous to do
what you want to, and you know that."
    She kissed him softly, acknowledging her great respect of
Time, as he would always be there for her. 
*    *    *

     "So, you must be Ms. Jessica Wayland. It is a pleasure to
meet you, my dear," Mr. Xanatos spoke a trifle too loud for
Jessica's ears. 
    Standing up in the castle part of the Eyrie Building, in the
Great Hall, she felt small and trapped. Mr. Xanatos, his wife,
and Jess stood at a ridiculously long oak table, the couple at
one end and Jess *alone* at the other. Though he had shown
nothing but kindness since she arrived, there was a darkness in
his face that made her very edgy. Even his wife made her uneasy.
They both had a look of hunger in their eyes as if they were
hunting something neither could get.
    "Um, likewise," she shook his hand hard, ignoring her fear.
She felt very odd, like as if she knew these strange people and
each word spoken between them made her feel all the more
confused. Frustrated, she turned her attention back to Mr.
Xanatos. He stepped back and sat down in the throne that was
supposed to be a chair,  his wife mirroring him and both motioned
for her to do the same.
   There was an uncomfortable silence.
   "So, I'd imagine you  have questions."
   "Well, your assistant pretty much ran through everything for
me already. I know all the risks and how little chance I have of
a full recovery, but at least it's a chance," Jessica tapped
her fingers in agitation, but kept a grateful smile on her face.
Something was going on, whether it was in the air or whatever,
but she sensed something loosening within her. Control.
    "We here at Xanatos Enterprises are gearing toward a more
technological age, and your surgery is one of the many examples
of how computers can help us," Xanatos oozed. Bored and nervous,
she glanced out the window quickly and was startled to see a
large object swoop past.
    "I just saw something fly past the window," she said slowly,
fixed on the window.
    "Oh?" There was a chuckle shared between the two, obviously a
joke, but she didn't turn her head. It oddly seemed . . .expected
from them.
    "Is it true there are gargoyles living in this castle?" She
could almost hear Mr. Xanatos's surprise.
    "Well, aside from a few bats in the bell tower, I don't think
so."
    "Ms. Wayland, " Fox interrupted, getting up and coming to her
side. Jessica was a bit startled but she rose, smoothing out her
icy blue skirt. She heard a distant thumping on the stone walls,
and the great chandelier above them began to sway slightly.
     "What the-"
     "Come now, we have so much to see," Fox pulled her arm a
little too hard. " This castle is pretty spooky at night."
    "Uh, sure . . ."
     Mr. Xanatos had risen too, but she caught the annoyed look
he threw towards the great door that led to the court yard before
he gave her a *charming* smile. Suddenly, the was a great bang
that fractured the hall, and she and Fox were thrown to the
floor. Dazed, Jess watched Mr and Mrs. Xanatos whip out small
concealed guns and cautiously moved to the door. This too, seem
predictable.
    "Hey, what's going on!?" She shook bits of stone dust from
her hair.
    "Nothing, stay still!" Fox whispered violently as Xanatos
mumbled into a small receiver. Jessica crouched near the chair,
baffled but alert.
    "Owen!?" Fox uttered tersely to her husband.
    "With Alex. On *go*?" He responded intently.
    "Go!"
    The couple burst through the heavy oak door, each covering a
different side. There was a brief flash of green light followed
by a heavy whiff of ozone, and the great doors were slammed shut.
    She was alone. The lights flickered, and she gingerly
steadied herself. There was an amazing light show going on
outside the windows, each flash accompanied by a resounding
boom. An intense thought of getting out there and doing something
made her chew her fingernails in frustration.
   "Dammit, Jess, if nothing else in your life makes sense, then
this fits in just perfectly," she said aloud, and as she was
about to find out who started the fireworks, something blue
smashed through a window.
   Of course, at that moment the lights decided to die out as
well, leaving Jessica with a blue . . . something and what
sounded like World War III outside. Cautiously, she started in
the direction she thought it might have landed, almost
immediately tripping over a fallen chair and cutting her hands.
Deciding to crawl because that way she could feel her way around,
concentrating hard on the finding that *thing*. A groggy moan
broke her attention and alerted her that whatever had fallen
through the window was now right in front of her. Oddly, there
was a strong odour of cement and blood.
   "Are you okay?" She reached out and touched it, it's skin
rough and wet. Reaching upwards where she thought the head might
be, she was alarmed to find hard spikes, and what could only be
imagined as ears. The thing moaned and whimpered.
   "Oh Jesus . . ."
   Suddenly, a beam of light flashed just shy of her, setting
fire to the chair she had been sitting in previously. The
dog-like creature moaned again as if to catch her attention, and
as she looked back, she could barely make out the outline of an
armoured man behind them. Running on instinct (her thoughts had
suddenly took on a life of its own when she saw the strange
creature; what scared her more than the assassin in front of her
was the fact she might *know* this creature!), she wrapped her
arms around the injured thing and hefted it away from the man,
who turned her way.
    "Hey!" The gruff voice called. She pulled harder, and could
here the safety of his gun snap loud and clear. Panic-stricken,
she froze, thankfully half hidden by a pile of smoking rubbish.
   "I said, hey! Who the hell are you? Answer me!" The assailant
called, taking a step towards her. The creature in her arms was
bleeding and warm, and the whole ridiculousness of the situation
almost made her laugh. She was absolutely terrified!
   "I'm the cleaning lady," she chuckled from the darkness,
letting her sanity go.   "What the-?" 
   Suddenly, the man was pitched forward with such ferocity that
his head splintered through the thick oak table. Jess took that
*diversion*, pulled herself and the thing from the smoking rubble
to the middle of the room and under the table, a foot away from
the former assailant. She clutched the creature harder and stared
out into the darkness, waiting.
    "Bronx?  Er boy, come on out now. Bronx?" A heavily accented
voice called, probably coming from the person responsible for the
former assassin. 
    There was a massive shuffling coming towards the table, and,
confused with laughter and fear, Jess decided to go out and met
him.
*    *    *

    Hudson was worried. The attack was so sudden that his heart
was still thumping hard. He had seen the blast that had hurled
Bronx into the Great hall and knew that he wasn't going to be in
good shape, and the sun was so far away in rising . . .
   "Are you looking for some one?" A feminine voice asked,
dripping with sarcasm. In a flash, the old warrior had his sword
drawn and he ventured in the direction of the voice.
   "Aye, lass, I do. Ye might ta seen him round here, and if ye'd
be so kinda as ta step into the light o'er here, I could ask ye,"
he said slowly, stretching his wings wide.
   A lithesome girl with short, black hair stepped shakily into
the small pool of light a wayward emergency station cast. It was
the girl from the photograph that had so disturbed Goliath.
Hudson noted that her blue outfit was covered in blood, and by
the smell of it, it was Gargoyles.
   "Where's Bronx?" he stated evenly, taking another step.
   "Who wants to know?" She challenged. As he peered into her
face, he felt a vague sense of kinship with this girl. But her
blue eyes seemed mad and uncontrollable, as if something wasn't
really there.
   "Listen lass, just let me know where my friend is and no harm
will come ta ye."
   "Sure," she hissed, then dove for his legs. 
   Stunned, Hudson tried to jerk back to soften her impact, but
she had leapt so fast that when she hit his legs, he fell like a
log. At the moment, the hall was shocked again and a large beam
landed horizontally across the aged gargoyle's thighs. As intense
pain  momentarily blocked his good eye, he saw the fuzzy girl
dive back under the table where Hudson had thrown the first
attacker. Night then slowly faded in, and the old gargoyle
drifted away into unconsciousness.
*    *    *

   "Goliath! Behind you!" Brooklyn yelled just as he tore away an
attacker's gun. 
   The attack had been all so sudden that it still left him
reeling. He already had a small cut above his brow, and now the
blood was dripping down into his eyes. Blindly, he picked up the
young thug and threw him away, not knowing if it was off the
building or towards the thug's own gun. Great.
   "Brooklyn!" Angela called, and rubbing his stinging eyes, he
heard the tigress's roar and a rough impact just to his left.
   "Thanks! I owe you!" He turned towards the direction of her
voice; even in the midst of battle, her voice, even if it sounded
really cheesy, made things better. If only Broadway . . .
   "Brooklyn! Are you deaf? Come on! We're needed at the tower!"
Out of his revere, Brooklyn hastily cleared his eyes and clawed
his way from the main courtyard up to Angela's position. Her
wings were spread wide and she looked cross. The second he had
reached her, she leapt to the air. He scrambled after her.
  "Geez! I was calling you for the last five minutes! Bronx is
down!" She reached for the topmost battlement where she could see
the smaller courtyard and the great doors that lead to the main
hall, splintered and broken.
   "Momentary distraction. What's this about Bronx?" 
   "Just after you warned Goliath, Hudson hit the, what . . . the
panic button, I think," Brooklyn nodded his assertion as she
continued. "It was sent to all of our signals. I saw Goliath
motioned at us to follow him, but I had to wait for you," she
spoke sombrely. Angela always got a little tense when her father
played hero, and that happened way too often. 
   Brooklyn sent her an understanding look and then gave his
small comm signal a tap. If he hadn't heard the panic signal,
then maybe his didn't work. Well, it never hurt to try.
   "Lex! Broadway! We've got trouble up in the Great Hall. Bronx
and possibly Hudson are down; I'm not sure about Goliath-" An
explosion cut him off and both he and Angela stealthily slipped
down to the broken doors for cover.
   A dark man raced along the top of the tower they were just on;
he aimed his assault rifle at them and Brooklyn knew they were
sitting ducks. He dived towards Angela, determined to be
gallant even in death, when the lone assassin was shoved off the
ledge suddenly.
    "Oww! Brooklyn, get off of me! I'm on a splinter!"
    Brooklyn ignored Angela for the moment; he watched the former
spot of the trigger man and was relieved to see Lex land and give
him the thumbs up. Quickly, he got to his feet and helped Angela
up just as Broadway landed with an audible thump. He looked a
trifle annoyed and was about to say something when a enraged roar
ripped through the air.
*    *    *

    "Goliath! Behind you!" Brooklyn had yelled suddenly, and
Goliath ducked in response. 
    The laser shot just grazed the hair on his head. The mighty
leader spun around, his tail knocking the gun out of the
approaching warrior's hands and throwing him off balance,
sending him off the wall to the cobbled floor below. Goliath
winced at the sharp reminder to his heart, but it was interrupted
by the unexpected burst of static from his small transmitter
Elisa (though the clan believed Xanatos) had given them months
before.
    "Bronx  . . .girl, the great h-hall. I cannae . . ," Hudson's
weak voice came through. A Panic signal.
    Goliath threw a glance at Angela and motioned for her to
follow, then he leapt up and glided down, heart beating fast. He
cautiously ducked under the splintered remains of the oak door
and peered into the darkness, trying to block out the distracting
sounds of battle from main courtyard. Straining to listen, he
could faintly pick up the sound of laboured breathing and using
instinct, moved towards the centre of the room. 
   Goliath contained his shock at the sight of his old friend;
Hudson was pinned down by a heavy beam and Goliath could see the
glistening blood that flowed from his mouth.
   "Hudson . . ." he spoke low and breathily, gently reaching
down and touching the elder gargoyle. Hudson somewhat startled at
his voice and opened his eyes, though Goliath had a feeling not
all of him woke up.
   "Lad . . .I dinna think I can make it till the sun . . ."
   "Ssh, calm yourself. You will make it," Goliath grunted and
tried to heft the heavy wood up. It would not budge.
   "Gol-iath, Bronx . . .this strange girl has him," Hudson spoke
wearily. Goliath stopped trying the beam and gripped his
comrade's trapped hand.
   "Yes, I'll get him and the girl, don't-"
   "Nay!" Hudson cried out feebly, silencing Goliath. "The lass- 
she's familiar to me. I dinna think she wants to hurt
Bronx."
   "But the beam . . ."
   "My own foolish fault. She is . . . strange. I cannae
remember, but-"
   "Hudson please! You can make it if you'd be silent, old
friend-Hudson!"
   "-neither can she."  Hudson's eyes sealed themselves with a
resolute finality. His chest ceased to rise and his whole body
seemed to relax. Goliath's eyes involuntarily filled with
tears. Not again!
    "NNNNNNNOOOOOOO!!!!!!"
    "Father! What's wrong?"Angela called from behind him,
bursting through the remains of the door.
    "Goliath!" Brooklyn called, quick on her tail. Neither could
see what was in front of Goliath. Broadway smashed through the
stoned wall to Goliath's left and was the only one who saw what
he was bemoaning.
    "Hudson!" He cried, in an unmistakable tone, and all three
joined their leader in agony.
*    *    *

    The beast occasionally made a very small whimper, and she did
her best to muffle the sounds. Strange, wild thoughts and images
raced though her aching head, upsetting her equilibrium. There
was a dull screaming within her head and she *saw* herself
falling from a building, the cold street rushing up to meet
her--but then suddenly she was back under the table, watch the
strange monsters or gargoyles huddle over the old one that was
trapped under the beam. One minute, she felt as though she knew
those gargoyles and the next she was alienated from them. Memory
after confusing memory forced her to lean against the creature to
try and regain her surroundings. 
   Surprisingly, the thing--but was it a thing or was it's name
Bronx? -- responded and licked her forehead. Dazed, she murmured
to him quietly and did her best to comfort him. She still
couldn't make heads or tails of anything when a little gargoyle
came up to her.
   "Hey, who are you?" Startled, she clumsily spun around and was
face to face with a bald, green gargoyle with fangs just peeking
up from his lower lip. She jerked backward and elbowed the Bronx
thing, which howled in pain.
   "No! get away!" she shouted. Running on adrenalin, she kicked
at the little green man and using her momentum, shoved her
protectorate towards the middle of the underside of the table. 
   She was absolutely lost. There were so many contradictory
memories rushing through her; it was as if there were two . . .
     . . .people inside her.
   "Oh God . . .," Jess whispered, stopping herself and staring
at the fallen Lexingt-whatever. Leaning against Bronx/monster,
she was torn. The other monsters/friends had heard the
commotion and were cautiously approaching the table, their voices
rising and falling. She didn't know whether to go out and meet
them or to hide and escape. Time was running out.
   "Lex?" A rough, slightly asinine voice called. She shrank back
towards Bronx.
   "I can see Bronx, Goliath. He's under the table, and there's
someone-whoa!" A grief filled, female voice called.
   Jess was desperately looking around to see where that feminine
voice was, when a giant fist slammed through the table just in
front of her. A violet, clawed hand started to grope around, and
she kicked at it in wild confusion just as a pair of malevolent,
glowing eyes flashed just to her right, trying to get Bronx, or
whatever his name was.
   "No!" The strangled cry sprang from her as she simultaneously
swung at the flaming eyes and connected her foot with the wrist
of monster. Two pain-filled roars deafened her ears and she
shoved Bronx farther down the table.
    "Father! Broadway!" The female voice called again, and there
was motion towards Jess's left, as taloned feet quickly moved
towards her last position.
    "Angela! That psycho is just near you! Watch out for your-" A
slightly young, rough voice called just as Jess swung her leg
out, catching the lavender, clawed foot and slamming the
girl gargoyle hard against the stone floor. Glittering eyes
looked directly at her and then closed as she heard the girl moan
and fall silent.
   "Angie?" The same voice that warned the female called out
again, a note of fear playing through.
   Jess threw her scraped hands against her ears and shouldered
Bronx right to the end of the table. A blinking light that was
ten feet away from her signalled where the elevator was, and the
monsters had become very silent. She couldn't leave Bronx with
them, as Jess still hadn't figured out if the gargoyles were on
her side yet. Her brain hummed angrily and tears clouded
her vision. Bronx, sensing her pain, weakly raised his head and
licked her face.
   "Bronx, I can't do this. I don't know what to do. I don't know
who I am," she cried softly as her numbed ears picked up the
hushed footsteps coming on both sides of her.
   "Believe in yourself and trust the wind," a voice whispered. 
   Angry hands suddenly jerked her up from the table and she was
face to face with a glowing wraith. Jess shrank back and was
rigid, trying to find some shred of realness to her thoughts. The
hold on her tightened unmercifully and she could hardly breath;
her head lolled back.
   "You will pay for Hudson's death, murderer," the deep voice
viciously uttered, leaning over her to stare into her eyes.
   "Hudson . . . Oh God Goliath, Did I kill Hudson? Who are you?"
Jess decided to speak her crazy ideas aloud, and was stunned to
see the gargoyle's eyes dimming. "Help me, Goliath! I
can't see where I am!"
   The hold on her tightened and she shut her eyes waiting for a
merciful death.
   "Elisa . . ."  the gargoyle whispered hoarsely. That name!
That's what he had called her in her cracked memories from
Vancouver!
   "Nobody move!" David Xanatos demanded, kicking through the
remains of the oak door, grasping his gun and looking very
intense. His eyes narrowed on the whole scene as he noticed
Hudson's limp form under the massive beam.
   "This isn't your fight, Xanatos," a red gargoyle snapped,
taking a defensive stance. "This human killed Hudson, hurt Angela
and Broadway, and we're extracting our justice."
   "Ahh, the Demona approach," Xanatos added coldly,
taking a step forward as the red gargoyle flashed rage. "Goliath,
drop the girl and the rest of you get out now."
   The small and large gargoyle, who were bent over the girl,
Angela, glared at Jess. The red gargoyle didn't even move.
Goliath was still staring into her eyes with a wild ferocity,
disbelief, and a faint spark of hope.
   "Goliath!" Xanatos reminded quickly.
   "All of you step away," Goliath rumbled, low and threatening.
She could feel his comrades' shock as they unquestioningly
stepped back, and even Xanatos seemed baffled. The gargoyle
pulled her closer and examined her face. "I cannot believe this 
. . ."
   "Goliath, get away from the girl. She is of no concern to
you," Xanatos said more strongly.
   "Elisa, please, tell me if this is you," the gargoyle pleaded.
   "I don't know- who . . . I can't see," Jessica cried weakly,
her eyes failing her abruptly. She stopped moving as the ominous
darkness settled over her vision.
   "Free yourself," the mysterious voice returned, but she was so
battered by conflicting emotions it failed to register a
response. All she could do was sit, listen, and not care.
   "Goliath, please let her go," the billionaire broke in again.
"She has a very rare condition of glaucoma and she is in danger
of losing her vision. I don't care what she did but you can sort
it out later, just give her to me." 
   Xanatos was unusually charitable tonight and it raised
Goliath's suspicions, but he had much more important matters
before him. The girl in his arms was very still.
   "Please," he whispered achingly, "tell me who you are."
   "Tut, tut Goliath, you're not playing by the rules," a
laughing voice intruded rudely. Jessica was suddenly jostled as
she guessed Goliath had turned to address this new stranger.
   "Puck!" He snapped. "What are you doing here?"
   "What's wrong with Alex?" Xanatos said tightly.
   "Whoa! It's not time for twenty questions people! Xanatos,
Alex is safe with his mother, who is right now hog-tying a bunch
of bad guys. You certainly know how to pick _em, Danny-boy."
    Jessica swore she heard the businessman growling. She
wondered who this guy was, but conflictingly, she was disgusted
he was here.
    "As for you Goliath, our encounters of late have not been
very heart lifting and the Puck was never one to leave a *friend*
down, so I came to cheer you up," a light wind brushed her face.
"Ooh, what's this? A new friend? What a *coincidence*!" 
    "Why are you here? You cannot be here unless Alex is in
danger," Goliath pointed out. Part of Jess anguished for the raw
pain in his voice; part of her was terrified of this angry
monster.
    "Well, I've been commanded by a higher power. So here I am!
Now let me see who we've got here," there was a swoosh of air and
a very dainty finger landed on her nose, making her flinch.
"Opps, sorry. So Miss Tall, Dark, and um, handsome, what's your
name?"
    A sob choked her and she couldn't answer. It was so
confusing!
    "It looks like the contestant needs the question rephrased,"
this Puck-guy sang.
    "Stop playing games, trickster," Goliath snipped, and he
tightened his white-knuckle grip on her.
    "Okay, okay. Who do you *think* you are?"
    "I was Jessica," she said timidly, while the storm raged in
mind.
    "Five hundred for the lady in red! Now, I have to fix this
*identity crisis*. You see Jessie, you are a cosmic error that is
screwing up the rest of us. You're the head domino that's
knocking the rest of us down. Goliath, if you'd be so kind as to
let the lady go."
    Goliath growled under his breath and she felt certain he was
ready to snap her in two. A sudden energy course around her, and
the pain on her arms disappeared, as well as the ground beneath
her. She was floating in the air.
   "Puck, I warn you," Goliath snarled savagely.
   "Don't worry, be happy! Now, I've got to go-"
   "No!" Both Mr. Xanatos and Goliath yelled.
   "-outside. If you'd like to come, you're invited," the unusual
man finished dryly. 
   There was the sound of debris being pushed out of the way and
then Jess felt the cool night air on her skin. Bronx's blood
started to cake on her face and arms, and she heard Goliath order
his other friends to stay with the injured creature. She
shivered.
   "Please Mister Puck sir, I'm very confused at the moment and I
really need help-"
   "Well THAT is an understatement."
   "- and if you'd be so *gracious* to help me I'd be much
obliged," she finished tartly. Things were going way too fast for
her.
   "I'm here to lend a helping hand," he assured. There was a
rustling to her right and she *felt* a comforting presence
arrive.
   "Puck, it seems you're the only one who knows what is going on
here. Care to share?" Xanatos asked dryly.
   "Now that would be blowing the plot! Suspense, people, it's
all about suspense!" There was a slight pause muffled by Jess's
sobs. "Okay, fine. Jessica is the result of a mistake by my
lovely sisters. You don't know her, but there is a particularly
snide Detective by the name of Elisa Maza-"
   Goliath took an audible breath of pained air.
   "Oh, pardon me, *almost* everyone doesn't know her. Any ways,
this woman is a Key piece in the existence of earth, like a VIP
of the cosmos."
   "What does that mean?" Goliath asked.
   "Well, there are certain fey, gargoyles, and humans that live
to serve as the initial turning point for -present company
excluded-" Jess sensed a kind joke going on between this weird
man, Xanatos, and Goliath. Puck continued, "-civilization. They
are known as Keys. Socrates, Shakespeare, Christopher Columbus,
Einstein, Macbeth, and John F. Kennedy are examples of human
Keys. Demona and you, Goliath, are current gargoyle ones, as am I
and a few other fey. We change the universe."
    There was a careful silence as everyone digested this.
    "Okay, then who decides who is a *Key*?" Xanatos asked, a
note of dejection carefully hidden but still audible.
    "Why Fate does, of course. Fate controls everything on this
planet, after all, she made the damned thing, us, the whole
shebang."
     "So this Fate is a fey?" he assumed.
     "No, oh unenlightened one. She's a goddess, one of the
Light. The head boss gal."
     "And what does this have to do with me?" Jess asked,
suspicion slowly replacing her fear and obscurity.
    "Well, this is two stories, so I'll tell the one that most
involves me first. Nobody said I'm low on self esteem," Puck said
gaily and waited for a response. There was none.
    "Sheez, what a rough crowd. Okay. I have many brothers and
sisters who are all *enchanted*, as I like to call it. But three
of my sisters, aptly named the Weird Sisters, are honoured
henchmen of our Daddy dearest, Lord Oberon, and his wife,
Titania. Following?"
    Jess nodded dumbly, beginning to notice that her world had
now truly gone to pot. FEY??
    "Great. My three sisters created and controlled an immortal
gargoyle named Demona. You don't want to know her, you being
human and all, but she knew Elisa Maza and you might say
they were - oh, what's the saying? Bitter enemies? Blood-thirsty
adversaries-"
    "Elisa was never blood-thirsty, Puck. I'd advise you to stick
to the facts," Goliath snapped.
    "Gargoyles don't appreciate my flare for dramatics," sighed
Puck. "Any ways. Elisa and Demona weren't good friends. So one
day, Demona used a trinket of Titania's, which is, typically,
amazingly powerful, to cast a spell on Elisa Maza. This spell
caused her to become very crazy in the head, and Elisa took a
swan dive off her apartment building to the street below."
    Goliath jerked nosily and Jess sensed that this "Elisa" was
very close to him.
    "That is, of course, the bare facts. However, seeing as Elisa
was a Key, Fate was pretty ticked off that she was dead when she
hadn't yet performed her appointed duty to change the world we
live in. Elisa Maza was not destined to die. So Fate hauled butt
over to my Sisters and gave them what for, forcing them to fix
what they had inadvertently caused. But the only thing they could
do was give Elisa a soul-transfer, something I'm particularly
well rehearsed at. For those that don't know, it's when you
switch one person's soul to another's body."
    "Why couldn't you just fix her body?" Jess asked, irked that
Puck was talking to her like a toddler.
    "There's only so much we fey can do, you know. So the Weird
Sisters gave Elisa another body, but in the process, they had to
erase part of her memories, or else she'd be certifiably
insane. Come to think of it, she always was. Unfortunately, these
were the very memories that were to encourage Elisa to change
society, so Fate was still pretty mad. Sooo, I was appointed
the task of finding the body which now contains Elisa's fractured
soul."
   Jess felt eyes on her and she hazarded, " and I suppose that's
me?"
   "And you're our grand prize winner! Yes, Jess, you are Elisa
Maza. But your memories and thoughts are scrambled like eggs, and
because of this, the future of the world is scrambled too."
   So Jess wasn't Jess. Well, she had figured that out about ten
minutes ago, but still it felt more reassuring to know that she
wasn't crazy, even coming from a magical and very weird faery.
Trapped in her dark world, she could only imagine what Goliath's
and Xanatos's faces must be showing now.
    "You could not have, say, replaced her with some other, more
*worthy* human?" Xanatos offered. Puck snorted.
    "Nope, I'm afraid being female is a job requisite, Boss man.
Don't feel too badly, you drive a better car."
    "What now then, Puck? What do we do?" Goliath asked slowly.
    "You can't *do* anything. I can't either. I was only sent to
find her," he replied. "Fate's the one that gave me back my job
skills, if only for hunting her down. I would suppose that Fate's
gonna be the one to fix this."
   "Well you didn't do a very good job," she retorted, trying to
look offended. "After all, I came to you." Jess fell silent, and
an eerily realization hit her; she was going to die. Well, maybe
if her soul was Maza's, then technically not, but her body was.
She shivered. "What now?"
    There was a sound of someone scratching their head. "For the
first time in a long time, I dunno. I guess we wait. Anyone up
for some Yahtzee?"
    Jess noticed that Goliath had been silent for a while.
    "Goliath?"
    "Yes?" The reply was sharp but doubtful.
    "I'm-I'm sorry for Hudson. I didn't mean to hurt him, but I
didn't know if Bronx . . .well, I just wasn't myself. Still
aren't."
    "Yes, he told me that you weren't the cause," the gargoyle
murmured huskily.
    "One question before the good lady arrives, Puck," Xanatos
mused, "What would happen, say if this Elisa were to truly die?"
    "Well, it wouldn't be funny ha-ha, that's for sure. I
remember a story long ago before I was born, if you can believe
that. It explained how the very first humans, gargoyles, and fey
walked the earth, but something went wrong. Something to do with
greed, if I remember it correctly, forced one of the species to
all but annihilated one of the other -I believe it was between
the humans and fey. Goodness, you humans always pick fights.
Anyway, when the fey saw they had killed all but one homo-sapien,
they decided that it would be in everyone's best interest to
finish the job, so they did. That last human was a Key piece, and
with no other humans, it pretty much became gargoyle & faery
country. But the earth couldn't exist without humans, and it fell
apart.
     "Since Fate had created Earth, she couldn't let it die. It
was her fault because she hadn't foreseen the difficulties of her
creations, so, in order to change everything and save earth, she
sacrificed herself and her mentor, Time -whom is a God in his own
right. I can't remember how it was done, but to prevent this from
happening again, fey were all but banished from walking the
earth as humans and gargoyles did; their magic prevents them from
doing so. Oh, of course we still interact with you guys, but how
many of you live next to a faery?"
     Both Xanatos and Goliath cleared their throats loudly.
    "Okay, dumb question. So it's not actually Oberon's original
idea on the law about fey not interfering with humans, he just
kinda echos what Fate decreed. Most fey don't know that
though; they just assume that Oberon is the one that controls
their actions. Some fey," Puck snorted bitterly. "So to make a
kinda long story from becoming one that is 3.5 billion years old,
which incidently is another effect from this event; time came
into existence. Things began to age and die. Well, there were
lots of other bad things that came with the party bag, but I
gotta make this short, so, a catastrophic event happened and
nobody was the same since, all because a Key died."
    Jess felt chills run up her spine, and there was an
uncomfortable silence.
*    *    *

    Xanatos watched the girl, hovering on a cloud of transparent
green, as the wheels in his head began to move. So she was a "big
thing" in the ways of the world. Xanatos thought he was too,
but obviously not. This irked him.
    He looked over to where Goliath stood grimly. His wings were
held up and ready as if he felt threatened. Xanatos felt that
this Elisa Maza must have been important to him, although he
wondered why Goliath hadn't told him that he knew it was her in
the first place. For that matter, if she was so important, why
didn't anyone else know her? Besides that, if this Fate creature
was as truly powerful as Puck led them to believe, then Xanatos
just received a very good brownie present for the Illuminati.
    "So, we wait?" he asked.
    "That's my man," Puck smiled and punched him lightly on his
arm. His eyes narrowed as he watched the girl, who sat like a
coil ready to spring. Xanatos sauntered over.
    "I suppose you won't be needing that operation anymore, hmm?"
    "I guess not," she replied nervously, looking around blankly.
    "Would you like to get up? I could show you the view of the
city, it's quite breath-taking at this height."
    "I can't see anything, but- why not, I'm so nervous right
now. This is just way too weird."
     Xanatos smiled thickly at her even so, and helped her up.
Puck watched him idly, floating just above one of the gargoyle's
perches. Goliath remained silent, inspecting some of the damage
to the stone walls of the castle from the abrupt attack earlier.
When Jess was standing, he threw a glance through the ruined
doors of the Great Hall just in time to see Fox walk in through
the other door, with Alex in her arms, neither the worse for
wear.
   Jess's gait was very slow and jerky, and every once and a
while she would throw her left arm out suddenly as if to ward
someone off.
   "Okay?"
   "Fine," she assured shakily. 
   Xanatos released her arm and she gripped the stone perch in
front of her. The cool night air blew softly in her ears, but the
accompanying darkness was still there and she remained very
still. She didn't like being so high up.
   "Did you know this Elisa Maza?" Xanatos wondered innocently,
watching her face gradually relax. He sensed Goliath's eyes at
the back of his head and moved closer to her.
   "Uh, no- it's really confusing. It's like I know you but I
can't figure out how, and, well, it sucks, to be blunt. Damn, I
don't like heights," she added anxiously, tapping her fingers. "I
don't know what's going to happen next."
   "Anything's possible," he agreed, raising an amused brow.
   "Uh-oh, Cinderella, I think your coach has arrived," Puck
called out suddenly.
   Xanatos spun around, almost knocking Jess off the parapet
(~not yet~ he amended) to see a white ball of flame land
gracefully on the ruined splinters of the former door. It
cleared, and the most beautiful creature that David Xanatos had
*ever* seen stood before him, proud and silent. She had hair that
reflected like fire, huge indigo eyes, skin that ranged colour
from pale sand to dusky rose, and the most fragile, membrane-thin
wings. She was neither gargoyle nor fey nor human and yet she
looked like them all; her demeanor was very potent.
   Fate addressed them with a twitch of her silvered lips. "My
children."
   "Fate. How goes the old space/time continuum you like to call
home?" Puck asked brightly but with sincerity. 
   She smiled lovingly while the rest of them were too awed to
speak. Out of the corner of his eye, Xanatos saw the rest of the
gargoyles and his family staring dumbly at her as well, abet from
behind.
   "I see you found her for me, Puck. Well done," Fate
commended, even though she had found Elisa first. Oh well, one
must give thanks were it is supposedly due. Fate turned to the
quiet girl that stood uncertainly next to Xanatos, face very pale
and knuckles white.
   "How are you?" Fate asked softly.
   "F-fine,"she responded timidly. Fate suddenly felt an odd
*click* in her mind and she looked at Xanatos quickly. ~He's
ready to make his move now?~ she thought, surprised.
   Xanatos watched Fate glide over to Jess when he decided to
move. Ever since he asked Puck if he could have been the Key
instead of Maza or whatever, he had a plan. Fate must have been
pretty desperate to track down this girl to change her around.
Maybe even desperate enough to, say if Jess *accidentally* fell
off the building and *nobody* could catch her, maybe change
Xanatos to a Key. What did Puck know about her importance anyway?
Xanatos could not see how being female would *change* the world.
    He slitted his eyes and seeing that everyone was preoccupied
with drooling over Fate, he nudged himself closer to Jess. Noting
that the stones she was leaning on were damaged by the attack, he
suddenly tripped himself, kicked out his right foot against the
crumbly stones, and shoved her hard.
   The ground gave way and she slipped down.
*    *    *


   The only thing Jess could see was Fate on a black background.
In perfect clarity, against the inky newness of her blindness.
She took a shaky breath.
   "How are you?" Fate asked in the most gentle tone Jess had
ever heard. She was so beautiful!
    "F-fine," she answered, too struck to say anything of more
intelligence. She is so caring, Jess said with an ache in her
heart. Jess started to cry in relief that the confusion in her
head was going to stop . . .
     . . . And then the floor fell out beneath her. 
    Her heart slammed frighteningly against her throat and she
struck her chin on one of the stone blocks, causing her to
inadvertently bite her tongue. Her feet kicked against the
petrifying thin air, trying to find ground that didn't exist. She
screamed in terror was gravity sucked her down at an alarming
rate, her fingers trying vainly to scratch a hold against the
curvature of the castle wall. Surprisingly, something wrenched
her shoulder out of its socket and stopped her descent.
    Hyperventilating, she used her good arm to reached up and
grab the human wrist that caught her.
   "Hold on!" Xanatos commanded out of the darkness.
    "Oh God!"
   *    *    *

    Goliath was stunned by Fate. She had gargoyle wings, but they
were like gossamer, and they positively glowed. However, she had
fey ears and a human face with human hands. She was so beautiful
through, her hair flowing like fire, just like the guiding blaze
atop Avalon. But she reminded him of someone so perfect, so
right, so elusive, like the love he had been seeking that had
been ripped away . . .
   She moved silkily over to where Jess, no- Elisa was, and she
just stood, holding the stone guard for life and staring at Fate.
Fate started to mumble something in quiet tones, and Goliath
leaned forward to listen, when Xanatos crashed forcefully into
Elisa, knocking out the battle-worn granite she was on.
   Elisa slipped down like a leaf off a tree, but he still saw a
flash of undying fear on her face.
   Shocked and groggy, Goliath leapt to her aid, frighteningly
determined not to fail *again* but he suddenly lost feeling in
his legs and collapsed. Grief-stricken, he looked to one of his
clan members to save his love but they were all . . . asleep?!?
   "NOO!" He screamed in powerful rage. Eerily, Fate turned to
him gently and blew something off her hand.
   "Sleep," she whispered, and Goliath angrily fell into a fitful
slumber, keeping his eyes open long enough to see Xanatos's
crouching body jerk; Elisa must have grabbed his arm . . .
*    *    *

    Fate watched the scene unfold in grim silence. She did not
like Xanatos's ambitious eyes, but the thing she really hated the
way his smile just seemed so calm and placable. It was hard not
to involuntarily react as Elisa's face went from relief to utter
terror, and the painful cries she issued where as primal as those
Fate had heard when the last human was dying at the hands of a
fey. Well, sometimes medicine doesn't taste good going down.
   When Xanatos had followed plan and grabbed Elisa's arm -a
false display of honour, Fate knew, she turned to make sure that
all her other children were sleeping. Goliath lay in a dangerous
heap, face lined with agony and rage. His clan members, the
half-fey Fox and her son, as well as a few surviving members of
the *mysterious* attack team (one thing about her human children
was that their minds could be easily manipulated into acting
against their will) were all in blissful sleep. Fate turned back
to Xanatos.
   "Fate!" he tried to sound panicky, but all that came out was
disturbed calm. "I can't hold on! I'm going to drop her!"
   "Go right ahead," she agreed wearily, as a sudden thrill in
her heart alerted her that her love, Time, had arrived behind
her.
    "What?!" Xanatos half-rose out of sheer surprise, and for an
instant, Fate saw Elisa's hand, but it slid down again and the
Key's screams increased.
    "Sleep, my greedy one. Save your ambition for better causes,"
she said neutrally and she blew slumber dust on the billionaire.
His expression remained the same, but his eyes were becoming
heavy-lidded and he slowly sank into a contented heap, letting go
of Elisa.
    "My love?" She called quickly to Time, who was hunched over
her eldest gargoyle child, Hudson.
    "Go, my star, get the Key," he answered slowly, placing a
gentle finger on the gargoyle's brow. She disappeared in a
shining ball of flame.
*    *    *

    Jess couldn't scream anymore. It was like trying to flap her
arms; it didn't help her. Blood rushed to her head and made her
nauseous, but the way the world spun in the blackness was what
truly awed her. She ran over Xanatos's last two words "drop her"
and then Fate, who was going to pull her out of this sucking
confusion . . . "Go right ahead."
   Occasionally her hands or feet would strike an out hanging
ledge, the resulting crack numbing her more and she realised that
she might go into blessed unconsciousness before she hit. But
then why did she so feverishly wish for Goliath's arms to wrap
around her, as they most assuredly would, *very* soon? Ah, but
that's why she was here, falling to her death . . .Elisa.
   So as the wind's roar began to gradually replaced by the
sounds of busy traffic below, she began to calm herself by
singing. "Angel wings, Precious things, A mother's voice of love
she sings . . ."
    "Trust in the wind," a warm voice called to her, triggering a
hazy memory. She had heard that voice before. An euphoric feeling
spread from her smashed toes up, and the sounds of car horns
dulled until she could only hear the wind - coming at her
horizontally, not vertically. She had stopped.
    "Elisa Maza now transformed,
     Against the will of She who formed,
     Received to the cradle for Mother to keep,
     Now fall you into blessed sleep.
     For She that knows all and all she see,
     Return life to you, the favoured Key."
      Brightness lit the world and she was gone.
*    *    *

    Fate reappeared a moment later, looking drained. Time easily
saw the signs of talent weakness in her face, and was disturbed
the way the amulet around her throat was throbbing with a
slowing rhythm. He remained silent, knowing that if he insisted
she leave, she would stay all the more longer.
   "The Key is home," she announced cryptically.
   "Yes, my beloved. The Silence has been started and all here
have been taken care of, except . . ."
   "By the love of Avalon! My lady, what happened?" Puck asked
thinly and with rare awe.
   " . . . Puck. I hadn't yet gotten around to him. YET," Time
finished, slightly annoyed. Puck, from the moment of creation,
had been one of Fate's favourites, despite his rather annoying
comments on everything!
    Fate's face creased into a half-smile. "Oh, sprite, I'm
sorry. I forgot all about you! You were so unusually quiet, I
guess you just slipped out of my view," she grinned. "Now Puck,
you have to join your brothers and sisters."
   Puck's face, still stunned, quickly changed into one of
distaste. "Awww, they are NOT my siblings! They're humans and
gargoyles, toys to have fun with! I hate it when you tell me
that, it almost makes me feel guilty when I mess up their lives,"
he sniffed.
   "You're not to be interfering with gargoyles and especially
humans," Time reminded sharply as Fate's tired smile brightened.
He might have well told the sun to stop shining.
   "Sleep, my sprite," Fate suggested lightly, and like the
others, she covered him in slumber dust. Puck tried to resist,
but his head started to loll, and he drowsily lowered himself to
a little heap near Goliath.
   "So, it is done," Time finished, looking up to a bright
ribbon of stars in the sky. Fate nodded. The noises all over the
world stopped, and the earth was completely bathed in a waiting
silence. Every single living creature on earth was sleeping.
Rivers creased to flow, cutting off most major electricity grids,
obliterating any computer records and systematically destroying
any back-up safeguards.
   "It kind of reminds me of the Beginning, remember? When we
were first assigned to this system, and it was so green and so
silent." Fate paused, and Time circled his arms around her. "I
still love my world."
   "It is your love that has kept it alive, my love. You never
gave up on It although it nearly did on you," Time agreed, heart
aching. Oh, how it nearly destroyed you . . .
   "Well, we should get going. We cannot keep everything silent
for long,"she whispered.
    Both of the lovers vanished.

Epilogue

   BEEP! BEEP!
   "Mmmph," she scratched out, reaching an exhausted arm out and
slamming the snooze button firmly on her irritating alarm clock.
Wearily, Elisa Maza raised herself up into a half-sitting
position and glanced at what the fuzzy dial said.
   "Damn!" she snapped, leaping out of bed and landing on aching
legs, which promptly gave way forcing her to fall like a ton of
bricks. Great. Sighing, she rested her throbbing head on her
knees. Gawd, what a sleep. She had never felt so drained in her
life! It was like she had been encased in cement for a thousand
years . . . okay, that sounded too much like her favourite
gargoyle clan talking. Well, whatever kind of sleep it was, she
didn't remember anything of the day before, except vague
recollections of her last shift.
   Except, there was a lingering memory of a soft voice and white
fire, and if she concentrated long enough, she could see
Goliath's face in a fuzzy kind of grief and a woman with short
hair and piercing blue eyes. Unbelievably, she thought she could
smell a salty ocean breeze . . .
   Shrugging, she looked out the hazy window and saw pinkish
tones in the western sky. Dusk was coming, and she had ten
minutes to wake up and make herself presentable before Goliath
and the clan woke up. 
   An insistent meowing started in the kitchen, signalling her
guiltily that she hadn't fed Cagney all day and maybe even
longer. "I'm coming!"
*    *    *

   Elisa, fully dressed but still slow on the uptake, even after
five cups of *ugh* black coffee, stood proudly on the tallest
spire at Castle Wyvern, a few feet from the silent form of
Goliath. It had taken her a long time to reach the tower, as she
had to carefully grip the little safety rail that led up the
spiral staircase like a little old lady, when she would have
usually bounded up the steps by two. Even more out of the norm
was the inexplicable fear that surged and paralysed her limbs
when she approached the stone guard edging the battlement. For
the life of her, she couldn't bring herself to look over.
   "I might be afraid of Broadway's cooking, but never of
heights," she murmured to herself softly, wind whipping her hair
around her face. Fear of heights? With Goliath? Now that was
odd. But still . . .
   "Hello, Detective," Owen Burnett announced quietly. She
whirled around, heart pounding.
   "Owen? God, you scared the living daylights out of me."
   "You look a little tired, Detective. Are you alright?"
   "Believe me, Owen, the last thing I need is sleep," she
snorted, but her fatigue concerned her. "Do you feel odd today,
Owen? Like I mean, really tired?"
    Owen's nose twitched. "Well, Detective, now that you mention
it, I do feel a little fatigued, but nothing much. The Xanatoses,
however, were very tired today. Alex still hasn't woken up yet
and his parents did not get up until three this afternoon."
    Elisa didn't know why she was loading all of this on Owen, of
all people or . . .whatever, but he looked as if he understood.
"Do you know why?" She prodded.
    "I haven't the faintest idea. All our security indicates a
quiet night, except for a small blackout which caused a light to
imploded in the Great Hall, slightly scorching the door. Other
than that, it didn't affect much. If it helps, it seems as
everyone is in need of sleep; most of Mr. Xanatos's business
associates, half of whom slept through and missed their
appointments, were noticeably exhausted. However, the sun is
going to set in a few moments." 
    Owen started to walk forward and out of the stairwell's
shelter hesitantly as it was customary for Elisa to be in front,
but she could not encourage her feet to move past the entrance.
    "Detective?"
    "I'm sorry Owen, but it seems as though I've started to
become squeamish at being up so high. I suppose it's the end of
my bungee-jumping days," she sighed dramatically. 
    She looked over at Owen and was surprised to see a very
sympathetic, sad, and *knowing* smile on his pale face.
    The shattering sound of stone broke her momentary confusion
and she looked to Goliath, as he stretched out his mighty wings.
The gargoyle roared, but it was noticeably more subdued than
usual. As she looked at him closer, she noted the perch under him
was cracked severely, as if it had been hit.
   "Owen," he addressed first after he'd finished shaking of bits
of stone. "How are you tonight?"
   "Fine, Goliath. I-" the impish man looked at Elisa. "Never
mind, I'll ask you at a more convenient time." Owen left as
silently and swiftly as he came up to her.
   "Odd," Goliath commented as he rested his hand on her
shoulder.
   "Goliath, do you feel tired right now? Can you remember last
night?" She asked slowly, deja vu tingling up her spine. He
looked at her, suddenly concerned.
   "I feel, well, actually I do feel a little sore this night. I
can't clearly remember the last night, either. Are you alright,
Elisa?" he smoothed her unruly hair and she sighed.
   "No, I'm okay but exhausted! Maybe it's been the hot weather
lately, because everything since I woke up isn't all that meets
the eyes anymore. Take for instance when I got here, for some odd
reason, I absolutely had to check on Hudson and Bronx. I thought
they were dead! It's just really weird, I suppose . . . I mean,
Cagney food dish was empty this morning and the way he scarfed it
down when I fed him, it's like he hadn't eaten for a couple of
days! And suddenly I've become afraid of *heights*!  That's as
absurd as Xanatos being afraid of money.  I dunno, but everything
is so wacky . . ."
    Goliath laid a gentle finger on her lips. "Ssh, don't worry
about it. You've had a very tough week. As for heights, " he
smiled, "I'll always be there to catch you."
   She nodded, but all the same he knew by her stance that she
wasn't fully believing him. Goliath gave an appraising eye over
Elisa and she did look uncommonly haggard and had lost a little
weight. Was it just the light or did her eyes look blue? 
    "Are you going to be alright?" He asked after an uneasy
silence. There was something odd about tonight, but nothing
threatening. Still, if it bothered Elisa so . . .
   "You know, I bet it was the weather. A heatwave can do that to
you, or else maybe all the weirdness has finally caught up to
me," she decided, a tad bit tiredly. No one could fairly say she
hadn't been through a lot of stress the last couple of years. But
then, she always had Goliath to lean on, the clan, all sorts of
mythical creatures, and her mother.
   "I seem to remember a certain . . . sadness about you, 
*recently*," Goliath kept on, rubbing his jaw. "Elisa, you . . .
aren't regretting what happened all those years ago?" 
   His eyes had a gleam of fear in them and she knew he was
thinking about Demona. Actually now that she though of it, there
was *something* to do with Demona and this achingly beautiful
spirit in her unusual sleep-
   "Elisa?" His voice had risen a notch. She reached up and held
his face, straining on tip-toe.
   "Goliath, I have never, EVER regretted my choice that night.
Fate guided me there as it guides me now, and all for the better.
You are the most important thing to me," she grinned wryly,
tucking a *sore* left hand behind his right wing. "Well, of
course, those chocolates I bought in Paris on our Avalon
excursion were heavenly . . ."
   Goliath broke out in a barking laugh just as she tickled him.
As he ducked, something flew out of his pouch and landed with an
audible clink.
     "What's this?" Elisa asked in mid-tickle as she pick up the
shiny object.
     "I'm not sure," Goliath said, mystified.
     "It's my badge! I didn't even think it was missing! How did
you get it?"
     "Truly I have no idea, but . . ." he reached over and
tickled her side. She laughed.
   Somewhere in the heavens, two others were laughing joyously as
well.
    The End :) {Thank God!}