Any coments, compliments or complaints about Progeny can be sent to the author, Kacey Cohen, at klaina@aol.com


DISCLAIMER: Okay, by now you know the speech: All the gargoyles and other assorted characters are the property and creation of Disney. The characters of Dawn and Tabitha, as well as a few "extras" are mine. They can be used in other fanfics with my blessings, as long as you let me know first. Venus, Professor Scott Mercure, Mistra, and Jacob are all the creations of Scott Mercure. It is not necessary, but I highly recommend reading his fanfics Full Moon Rising, Old Surprises, New Friends, and Demona's Love Reborn or some parts may not make a lot of sense. Okay, now that that's over with...on with the show.


Oh, this takes place a month after the Hunter's Moon saga.


The Phoenix Gate flipped endlessly through time. With no one to guide it, it had no defined destination. But, magical talismans will not be subdued for long. The gate was not in use, and magic was made to be used. So, the gate stopped spinning and winked into existence in a small pawn shop in New York City in the year 1996. It sat there, nestled between a porcelain rabbit and a small Buddha statue gathering dust. But, magical items are patient. And as the dust gathered, the gate knew, soon, its purpose would be fulfilled.

Elisa Maza decided to take the elevator this time. The Eyrie Building had far too many stairs and her legs ached from climbing them each night. By now, she felt more secure with the gargoyles living with David Xanatos again. Her nightly visits were now more out of routine than concern. Little by little, she had become less weary of Xanatos. Still, she could never fully trust him, not after all he had done to her and the gargoyles. Xanatos's alliances were frail at best and his debts to others were paid when he decided they were paid. For all Elisa knew, Xanatos could wake up one morning, decide that his debt to the gargoyles was over and shove them off the castle. She doubted he would actually do such a thing, but the tension ran deep and Elisa couldn't forgive Xanatos as easily as Goliath had. The elevator dinged and Elisa stepped out, climbing one final staircase to get to the top of the castle. She arrived just as the last rays of sun slipped below the horizon. A crackling sound was heard and seven statues shed their stone skins, stretched, and yawned. Elisa's eyes were, as always, drawn to Goliath. His tall sleek form stretched in a huge yawn. He turned around and hopped off the pedestal. Seeing Elisa his face lit up. Elisa smiled back, and then, aware of the other gargoyles, she broke eye contact and nodded to each of them in turn.
"Good morning guys." Mumbles of "good morning" and "hi Elisa" were heard as each gargoyle went into the castle to do their own thing. Hudson and Bronx would settle in front of the big screen TV. Broadway would go into the kitchen to swap recipes with Owen, as he had been for the last week. Lexington would head to his laptop computer and Brooklyn and Angela would head off on patrol. Patrolling became a bit more difficult, however, because gargoyles were no longer a myth in New York city. Some people stayed up past one with night vision binoculars, hoping to catch a glimpse of the creatures. Others stayed up with shotguns. Still, the gargoyles were able to protect the city as they always had, they just had to be a little more discrete.
Elisa looked out over the city and suddenly realized that she and Goliath were alone on the roof. It seemed the guys were in a particular hurry tonight. Had Goliath had a little talk with them? Or maybe Hudson? Elisa couldn't suppress a smile. Goliath walked up behind her, placing a taloned claw on her shoulder.
"It's a beautiful night," his deep baritone voice rumbled. Elisa nodded in agreement and Goliath smiled. "But it's even more beautiful on the wing." Elisa gasped as Goliath lifted her up into his arms and opened his wings. He was about to take off when a sickeningly toneless voice interrupted from behind them.
"I'm sorry to interrupt you little flight, but Mr. Xanatos requires you in his office for a moment." Goliath turned to see Owen Burnett looking up at them with expressionless blue eyes. Elisa sighed and Goliath frowned. "I assure you," Owen went on, "it's something you will be most interested in." Goliath gently placed Elisa back on the floor and the two of them walked down into the castle. They entered the office where the rest of the gargoyles were gathered, all except Angela and Brooklyn who had already left on patrol. Xanatos sat holding a remote control in one hand, the other resting in his lap.
"Thank you for arriving so promptly Goliath," Xanatos began.
"What's this about Xanatos?" Elisa asked a bit more sharply than she meant to.
Xanatos continued as if he hadn't heard her.
"As you may or may not know, I hired a small archeological team to investigate the remains of castle Wyvern. It has recently come to my knowledge that a sorcerer of sorts, I believe he was known as the Archmage, used to live there. I was curious to discover whether he left anything behind. Unfortunately, no magical items were recovered, but, in the lowest level of the castle, buried under the wall, we found this." Xanatos pressed a small button on his remote control and a picture of an ornately decorated chest appeared on the huge screen in front of them. "A rare and expensive find itself, but inside..." He pressed the remote again and the picture was now of the chest opened, a large gray rock inside.
"A rock?" Lex asked. Xanatos just smiled. He tapped the remote control again and now the picture was solely of the gray rock.
"Take a closer look," the multi billionaire advised "does it resemble anything to you?" Goliath looked at the shape, there was something very familiar about it...suddenly he gasped and his wings instinctively opened and flared.
"Goliath? What's wrong?" Elisa asked, turning toward him. Goliath merely looked at the screen.
"It's..it's an egg," he whispered, "a gargoyle egg." Xanatos nodded in approval.
"Very good, right on the dot, Goliath."
"But, how is that possible?" Broadway asked, peering at the picture.
"Um, Goliath?" Lexington piped in, "aren't eggs gray with purple dots? I still just see a rock."
"That's understandable," Xanatos explained, "I thought the same thing at first, but look at this inscription." The picture was now a close up on the interior lid of the chest. It had Latin carved into it. "The spell will not be broken until the castle rises above the clouds," Xanatos translated, "The cure to your one thousand year stone sleep is inscribed in that chest. It's probable that the rock is a gargoyle egg under the same spell. A 'fall back' plan in case something happened to the eggs on Avalon."
"If this truly is an egg from my clan then we must reclaim it at once," Goliath insisted, pointing at the screen. Xanatos smiled slyly.
"Already done, Goliath. It's currently in Bio Lab four at Gen-u-tech laboratories."
"It's WHAT?!" the gargoyle leader hollered, his eyes glowing a dangerous white, "You placed this egg in a testing facility?!" Xanatos seemed unimpressed with Goliath's bout of rage.
"Naturally. It was essential to determine the progress of the fetus before attempting to 'awaken it' so to speak. After all, you would need to know how much time you had to prepare for the infant's hatching."
"Shouldn't it just be the same age as the other eggs when they left for Avalon? That would mean we have a good few years," Broadway pondered. Xanatos shook his head.
"When I previously had the grimorum in my personal collection, I took the time to read the actual spell cast on you. At that time, it was to find the specifics of the spell and cure. Magic is tricky, you know. One false move could have caused the whole plan to backfire. However, it also came to my attention that the spell was for living things only. I wasn't sure what the spell would determine living. The egg always had a spark of life in it, so the magic couldn't be discarded, but who's to say when true life begins? The spell could have been on a magical timer, jumping into effect when the egg was considered an official life form." Goliath still seemed very upset at the thought of his clan's egg being picked at and prodded by scientists like Sevarius or worse. When Goliath spoke again, it was pure threat.
"This egg had better not be harmed Xanatos..." he rumbled. The billionaire playboy actually looked hurt.
"Goliath, I understand how important this is to you. I know the bond between a father and child and I don't doubt that you are as protective of this egg as I am my son. The egg is in perfect condition. Not even a chip. All I intend to do is look inside." Goliath's eyes stopped glowing but he still seemed edgy. Owen's voice was heard over the loudspeaker.
"Sir, the results of the scan have just arrived. They're being sent to your screen,"
"Excellent. Thank you Owen." The screen jumped and there was a picture of an oblong object with a large amount of squiggles and lines inside. Elisa and the gargoyles could only assume this was the egg, as they had no idea exactly what they were looking at. Xanatos however, seemed to be studying the picture in detail.
"Fascinating," he finally said, "it seems that life to this particular spell, is hatching age. Or at least I assume it to be. The gargoyle within looks like it's almost too large for the shell." Elisa tilted her head, still not understanding how Xanatos saw any of this. Lexington rubbed his eyes. Broadway watched and tried to look like he knew what he was looking at. Hudson just shrugged. Bronx napped.
"I don't know what yer seein' lad. I can barely make out the shape 'a the shell."
"It's something similar to an ultrasound image, only using radio waves in a magnetic field instead of sound waves bouncing off of shapes to form a picture. Frankly, if it wasn't for Fox's ultrasounds, I would have had to ask Owen to interpret the data," Xanatos gave a small half smile.
"Okay, now that you know the age, when do we get the egg?" Elisa asked, trying very hard not to glare at Xanatos.
"I'll have it transported here tonight. I thank you for your time gentlemen, and ladies," Xanatos nodded toward Elisa. Seeing that the show was over, the gargoyles walked out of the room, talking among themselves. Goliath walked out onto the roof of the castle and peered out into the night, deep in thought. Somehow, Elisa couldn't quite picture him as a doting parent. Angela was one thing, but the picture of Goliath bouncing a hatchling on his knee made Elisa giggle. This time it would be a hatchling of the clan. Maybe the next time it would be THEIR child, she thought. Elisa blinked and shook her head. They had barely come to terms with their feelings about each other, and she was already imagining children? She was going to scare Goliath away before they even went on a first date. She sighed and tapped Goliath on the shoulder.
"Goliath?" she spoke quietly, "Are you okay?" He turned to face her, his mind clearly still on the images in Xanatos's office. He looked down at Elisa, so small compared to his own enormous frame, and yet there was so much strength in that one little body. Emotionally, she was a brick wall. He looked into her eyes and he knew he could tell her anything...well, almost anything.
"I...er...I don't know how to care for a hatchling," he said, looking more helpless than Elisa had ever seen him. It took all of her willpower to restrain a grin. The gargoyle who had defeated robots, clones, mutates, cyborgs and Children of Oberon was scared silly by an egg. When Elisa did smile, it was one of sympathy.
"Did you have any more knowledge a thousand years ago when you planned to raise thirty six eggs then?" she asked, her voice soothing.
"No," the behemoth admitted, "but there were others. We would have raised the children together."
"There are others today too. Hudson's done this before, and the trio will learn quickly. Besides, now you have Angela, and a little maternal instinct goes a long way. And...you have me, if you need me." Goliath smiled down at her.
"I always need you," his voice soft and tender. Elisa could feel herself blush as Goliath ran his fingers through her hair. He bent down and embraced her, his huge wings covering her. She hugged back, resting her head on his chest.
"Aww come on guys, we've been gone all night. Haven't you two had enough of each other?" Brooklyn's voice rang out, filled with sweetness and merriment. He was standing beside them, Angela was sitting on the castle ledge, her feet dangling on the inside of the castle walls. They were both smiling an impish grin, like two children who just received free candy. Goliath pulled back and gave his second in command a glare. Elisa coughed and looked out toward the city.
"When you left we were called into Xanatos's office. Come, we have much to discuss." Goliath led the two youngsters down into the castle. Elisa remained outside, letting her thoughts drift around in her head. This time he had hugged HER. Elisa smiled, glad that her kiss over a month ago had not gone unnoticed. As the wind pulled her hair back, it almost reminded her of Goliath's touch. So gentle from a creature who could crush guns without a second thought. Her reverie was interrupted by Owen clearing his throat behind her.
"Detective Maza, your shift is already half over. It may be advisable to..." Elisa looked at her watch and saw that it was true. She didn't even hear the rest of Owen's sentence. She hurried down the stairs and into the elevator uttering a quick "Bye guys. See you later." The elevator door closed and Elisa began trying to figure out just what she was going to tell Captain Chavez.
The clan sat around the main hall of the Eyrie building, discussing just what to do to prepare for the arriving egg.
"Where do we put it?"
"What do we do when it hatches?"
"What do we feed it?" The questions surged and mingled with each other creating a loud clamor that no one was getting any information out of. Xanatos and Fox were sitting a ways back, apparently playing chess. However, they were finding much more entertainment from the distressed gargoyles than from their game of skill. Alexander was asleep in a bassinet besides his mother, and didn't really seem to care either way. Finally Hudson stood up, raising his hands for silence.
"Lads, lads, this isn't getting us anywhere. I've had a bit of experience with eggs and hatchlings, I'll try to answer yer questions as best I can." A bit, the old gargoyle smiled. He had known all of the others, save Angela, since before they could crawl. He'd watched Goliath hatch.
"What do we feed it?" Broadway asked.
"The clan's females provided milk for the young, but I would think that one of today's...ah..." the older gargoyle searched for the right words,"... baby formulas would be just as good."
"Where do we put the egg?" Lex raised his hand.
"If what Xanatos said be true," Hudson answered, stroking his beard, " then it shouldn't be a problem. The egg will probably begin to hatch once the spell is broken."
"Do we need to help in the hatching?" Angela asked. Honestly, she wasn't sure if she was ready to become a clan parent. Hudson smiled and shook his head.
"With the actual hatching? Nay, lass. But 'tis a good idea to be there. The young ones are usually cold and confused. A warm blanket and some affection seems much appreciated. Or, at least, it was with you lad," Hudson glanced at Goliath. The clan leader's face turned a deeper shade of purple and he suddenly became fascinated with the chess game going on behind him. The others snickered at the thought of Goliath being cuddled by anyone.
"What about education? I don't think we could enroll the kid into a public school," Brooklyn commented.
"The education of the young is the responsibility o' the clan leader. 'Tis up to Goliath to decide when and how the child will be educated." Broadway suddenly sat up, his enormous ears the first to catch the sound of a helicopter hovering about the castle. The sound soon grew loud enough for even the humans in the background to hear as the helicopter closed in for a landing. Xanatos stood up.
"I told them specifically NOT to land on the roof," David said as he hurried up the stairs. "Whoever's flying that copter will be looking for another job shortly." The gargoyles looked at each other in confusion. It was Fox who finally cleared the cobwebs.
"Well?" she asked, picking up her sleeping son and starting to follow after her spouse, "do you want to see this egg of yours, or not?" The gargoyles were on the roof in a flash. Xanatos was yelling at the helicopter pilot, who had fully landed the helicopter on the castle roof, and pointing to a crate that was being placed on the ground by two underlings. At the sight of the gargoyles the pilot's eyes widened, the two others hurried into the chopper, and it took off at maximum speed. Apparently, the pilot had no idea what he was delivering or to whom. Xanatos shook his head, watching the copter go.
"You just can't find good help these days." By now, the clan was surrounding the box. Goliath leaned in and tore off the top. Inside, cushioned by Styrofoam peanuts and surrounded by little shards of stone, rested a large gray egg with purple spots. Xanatos walked over and peered into the crate.
"I suspected as much. A visit to the rooftop appears to have broken the spell." None of the gargoyles were even listening. Even Bronx padded over and sniffed at the speckled orb. Goliath wet his lips and nervously reached into the crate. Xanatos gave one of his famous half smiles.
"I'll just leave you a moment alone with the egg before sunrise." David and his wife walked back into the Eyrie building. "Come my dear, shall we retire?" Fox's only response was a yawn as they headed for the bedroom, Alexander still sleeping in his mother's arms.
Goliath lifted the egg out of the crate, its surface smooth and hard to the touch. It was definitely near hatching time and he could feel the life within move after a thousand years of stillness. Goliath walked over to the ledge, wanting to get a better look at it in the rising dawn. Suddenly his glance shot up. Dawn! His hands relaxed slightly and he could feel the egg move again, wobbling. But his hands were already stone, he couldn't tighten his grip. The last thing he saw was the egg tumbling toward the street below, and his stone sleep wouldn't even let him scream.

*******

The rap at the door came exactly at five. Murray looked up from the morning newspaper and smiled. The girl was never late. Every morning his pawn shop opened at five o'clock, and every Saturday Dawn was there at the stroke of five. Murray removed his reading glasses and walked toward the door, unlocking it for the first customer of the day. As the door opened, tiny bells hanging on it made a merry jingling sound. Dawn smiled up at the store owner.
"Hi Murray, got anything interesting today?" Murray regarded the girl. She stood, her weight on one foot, in old jeans and a sweatshirt. Oh her back rested an overly used backpack, currently empty and open. Her curly red hair was, as usual, pulled back into a loose ponytail, the escaped tendrils outlining her face. Her gray eyes looked up into his, waiting for an answer. Murray smiled.
"We got in a few things, go have a look around." Dawn nodded and began walking around the shop, regarding the merchandise. It didn't really matter if he had anything new or not, the college student would buy something anyway. She always did. Dawn walked past a small Buddha statue and paused, backing up. Something was glinting behind it. She moved the statue over and pulled out a..well, what WAS it? It looked like a small shield, blue with a gold outline and an abstract golden bird on it. She turned it over but there was no price.
"Hey Murray, this thing isn't marked? What'll you give it to me for?" Dawn paused. Now, why had she just said that? It wasn't a particularly pretty thing but there was something about it. Something that just made her want to have it, to use it, however the thing was supposed to be used. Murray took the little shield from her hand.
"I'll give it to you for two fifty." Dawn smiled and reached into her jeans pocket. She pulled out two crumpled bills, a quarter, a dime, and fifteen pennies.
"Thanks Murray, see you next week," she called, heading out the door.
"See you next week." Murray chuckled as the door closed behind Dawn, making the bells jingle again. Dawn plodded down the street, back to her apartment. It wasn't much but at least she didn't have to sleep in a dormitory anymore. The room was all right, but her roommates! Uggh! They were so boring it was bringing her down. Not that she was a party goer, but a little excitement now and then never hurt anyone. Dawn walked past the Eyrie building, not bothering to look up. For the first year every time she passed it, she had to stop and look at the immense skyscraper. But, after two years of passing it every Saturday, it was beginning to lose its magic. It was becoming just another building in a crowded part of town. She did pause however, to admire a small rainbow forming on the shield as the sun began to rise. It really was a fascinating piece. Suddenly Dawn jumped. It felt like someone had thumped her on the back. She spun around, half expecting to find some thug standing behind her. There was no one. Dawn shrugged and continued heading home. She plodded through the door of her apartment building, up two flights of stairs, and into her apartment. It wasn't very fancy, just a kitchen/rec room and a bedroom, but it suited her needs. She placed the shield on one of the shelves lining the walls. She slipped off her book bag and placed it on a coat hanger. That was when she noticed the thing. She lifted it out of her book bag, it was about the size of a ostrich egg. She raised an eyebrow, looking at it. The thing wasn't very interesting, just a speckled rock. Had Murray slipped it into her backpack while she was leaving? He'd done things like that from time to time. She'd have to ask him next week. For now, she just placed it besides the shield and turned to more important things, like the paper that was due yesterday.

*******

Dominique Destine flipped off her communication pad and stared at the wall, deep in thought. Her informant in Gen-U-Tech labs had given her some very interesting information. The informant wasn't much, just a janitor. But if one hangs around the staff room long enough, one can pick up a tidbit or two. It seems that a few scientists were griping about being asked to perform magnetic resonance scanning of a rock. From what they saw inside, they could only guess it was some sort of prehistoric creature's egg but carbon dating said it was no older than 994A.D. Then, there was the recently fired chopper pilot who, when asked to deliver this rock to the Eyrie building, saw gargoyles, who were about to attack him when he fled. Could the humans of the tenth century actually have been intelligent enough to turn one of the eggs to stone in case the others didn't survive the trip to Avalon? If so, then this egg had been shipped to the Eyrie building and was now possessed by Goliath and his clan. If it was all true, she needed that egg! When the child inside hatched she would be able to use its DNA to make others. She could have a clan again. But the best part would be taking something so important away from Goliath. How sweet it would be to see the expression on his face. Dominique smiled, revealing canine teeth that were just a little too sharp to be human.

*******

The gargoyles woke as the sun once again sank into the bay. As soon as Goliath was free of his stone prison he crouched in preparation to dive to the street below. He had to check, to find out if the egg and really been crushed by his own carelessness. The others seemed to be equally upset. They peered over the side trying to see any sign of the lost egg. Goliath's legs tensed, preparing to leap off the building, when a soft human hand was placed on his shoulder.
"Goliath!" Elisa shouted, "You can't seriously be considering diving down there." Goliath turned, and for the first time in two years, he didn't want to deal with Elisa. How could she possibly understand how important this was?
" I must. If the egg survived the fall it-"
"What fall? What happened?"
"Goliath was holding the egg when the sun came up. It fell out of his hands and..." Brooklyn smashed his two hands together making a smacking sound. Elisa winced.
"Okay, then at least let me check," Elisa pleaded, "People are paranoid enough without having you land in the middle of the street at rush hour. The gargoyle fanatics are just starting to calm down." Goliath sighed. She was right, of course, and had brought him back to his senses. He nodded. Elisa hurried down into the castle, running into Owen as she did so.
"Good evening Detective," the stone fisted assistant said.
"Yeah, say Owen?"
"Yes, Detective Maza?"
"Did you, by chance see anything fall from the castle this morning? Around sunrise?"
"No, I did not. May I enquire as to why you wanted to know?"
"If you did, it was the egg. I'm hoping it fell into something soft, and that it's still alive." The butler momentarily widened his eyes in shock.
"I'll alert Mr. Xanatos at once."
"Owen, couldn't you just...um...you know..." Elisa tugged on her ears, making them appear pointy. Owen sighed in exasperation.
"No, Detective. I am only allowed to use my magic when training or defending Alexander." Elisa nodded sadly and stepped into the elevator.
When Elisa returned, her look was that of puzzlement. Hudson looked up from his pacing hopefully.
"Where are the others?" Elisa asked.
"I sent them on patrol. Goliath was far too upset just sittin' around the castle. I told him, if the egg's all right it'll be all right no matter where he was." Then the older gargoyle's face became etched with concern. "So, is it all right?" Elisa sighed.
"I don't know. There's nothing below the building that looks like a broken egg, not even a shard of eggshell. But, there's no place it could have safely landed. I think someone else must have it." Elisa sat down on a chair and Hudson sat beside her.
"That's not good news lass. Wherever that egg is, it'll be hatching tonight."

*******

Dawn looked up from her writing and rubbed her temples. God, but this stuff was boring. Atomic weights, the probability of drawing a blue marble, writing an essay. She sighed and looked around the room, letting her eyes rest on something other than school work for a few minutes. Her eyes fell upon the odd rock Murray gave to her. She stood up, stretched, and walked over to it. When she lifted it up, it felt too light to be pure rock. Maybe it was blown glass, or Plaster of Paris? Dawn tapped lightly on the "rock", expecting it to make a soft glassy sound. But, it didn't, it was a blunt muffled sound and then, the thing tapped back. Dawn nearly dropped it.
"What in the world?" She reached out a finger and tapped again. Again, the sound was echoed from within. Dawn smiled. Whatever it was, it created fascinating echoes. When the thing tapped again Dawn's eyes bugged out. Then it began to wobble in her hand. This time Dawn did drop it, with a shriek. The thing cracked but continued to rock. Dawn backed up until she was against the wall and just stared, terrified. The rock swayed and a small opening appeared where Dawn had dropped it. Out reached what appeared to be a tiny taloned hand. It was covered in a beige goo and pulled back in again. Then a crack formed all around the circumference of, what Dawn admitted, must be an egg and it split down the middle. Both pieces rolled away, leaving a gooey beige form, just laying there. Dawn stared at the lump. Then, it moved. Something on its back flexed and stretched and the entire thing began to squirm. A little finger poked out of the membrane surrounding the thing and it tore frantically at it. The finger was joined by three more and then two little hands were ripping at the membrane. A tiny head emerged and a little creature wiggled out of the sac. When it had freed itself, it just lay there, resting. Dawn looked at it. It looked at Dawn. The creature was the strangest thing she'd even seen. It was a greeny-blue with a head of light blue hair. On its back were wings that sprawled out uselessly behind the infant, looking too big to belong to such a small creature. Its hands had only four fingers and each tipped in a talon. It's facial features seemed human except for two tiny horns on both sides of its head. Poking out of its backside was a small tail and, if its anatomy was anything like a human's, it was female. Dawn just stared at the little monster. Should she kill it? Maybe she should call the ASPCA. Maybe she should call The Inquirer. The little creature began to shiver, and seeing that Dawn made no movement toward it, it opened its mouth and cried. It was one of the most pitiful sounds Dawn had ever heard, the mixture of a baby cry and a mewing cat. Dawn fidgeted and the thing started crying harder. Dawn shook her head.
"Get a grip Dawn," she mumbled. Whatever it was, it was only a baby and obviously, it was cold and scared. Dawn walked over to the couch, picked up the blanket draped over it and headed toward the baby. She wrapped it up in the blanket, careful of its wings, and held it close, rocking gently. The infant immediately stopped crying, and slowly stopped shivering as well. It looked up at Dawn and began shivering again. This time, however, the tremors were accompanied by a deep rumbling sound.
"Are...are you PURRING?" Dawn asked, amazed. She looked down at the baby. She still had streaks of beige goo going up and down her forehead and through her hair. Dawn smiled, it reminded her of a tabby cat she used to own. The streaks and the purring were just too much. Dawn burst into a smile.
"That settles it. I'll just have to call you Tabitha." Tabitha peered up at Dawn and smiled. Then she sighed blissfully and fell asleep in her arms.

*******

Demona glided on the night air, moving silently toward the Eyrie building. She was slightly drained from the invisibility spell she had cast upon herself, but there was no other way to avoid Xanatos's armarments. She landed lightly on the castle and headed toward the stairs. Stepping lightly and soundlessly into the main lobby, she saw Elisa and Hudson sitting and talking. The others were nowhere in sight. Demona crept closer and listened. Elisa sighed heavily.
"How's everyone taking it?" she asked. Hudson shook his head.
"Everyone's worried sick, lass. Especially Goliath. He blames himself for the loss of the egg."
"But it could have happened to any of you!" Elisa exclaimed. Hudson smiled sadly.
"Try explaining that to Goliath, lass." Demona stepped back, her eyes wide. She hadn't expected this. They actually lost the egg?! Elisa sighed again.
"Come on. Xanatos should have the tape ready by now," Elisa said as she stood up. Hudson got to his feet and followed Elisa back into Xanatos's office. Demona trailed silently behind.
"No offense, but I'm getting a wee bit sick of this room," Hudson murmured.
"None taken," Xanatos replied as he finished loading a small reel into the side of the large screen TV. Owen probably would have done it, but it's very difficult to manage a reel of tape when one has a stone arm. Instead, the blond haired butler stood quietly in a corner of the office. Xanatos reached up to press a button, then turned back.
"You're certain you want to play this without Goliath?" Xanatos asked, well aware that the large purple brute wouldn't be glad to hear it. Elisa nodded. If the footage was of an egg splattering to the ground, she didn't want Goliath to have to watch that. If it was of something more positive, the tape could always be replayed. Xanatos gave a little okay-whatever-you-want shrug and pressed play. The first few moments were merely showing the sun rise. Then a young woman walked past the camera, something in her hand. If anyone was watching Owen, they would have seen his eyes widen in shock, but no one was. Now her back was facing the camera as she looked at whatever was in her hands. Suddenly something fell into her book bag and the girl jumped. She turned, shrugged, and walked away. Xanatos tugged at his beard.
"Rewind." The tape moved backwards until the object zipped out of the girl's book bag. "Pause." The screen froze. "Playback at half speed." The object fell slowly into the book bag. Elisa smiled.
"It's the egg," she turned to Xanatos, "can you find out who she is, and where she lives?" Xanatos nodded.
"There were enough pictures of her face for a positive I.D." The picture on the screen was replaced by a color picture of the girl and a large amount of information, including name, phone number, social security number, and address. Demona looked at the address and clenched her fist. The human would pay for meddling in gargoyle affairs. She hurried out of the building and into the air. She would arrive before the others, claim the egg and begin her clan. As Demona's spell of invisibility wore off, it revealed a dark and satisfied smile.

*******

It was two in the morning and as Dawn sat with Tabitha nuzzled in her arm, she had come to three conclusions. Baby gargoyles (she had heard stories of the creatures and had to assume this was one of their young. The thought of two kinds of monsters running around New York was just too creepy) got hungry quickly. Very few stores that sold baby formula were open at two a.m. Tiny fangs and rubber nipples don't mix. This was proven by the multiple punctured nipples that lay around the apartment. Finally Dawn had just given up and used an eyedropper. It took a while (and a bottle and a half of formula) but the baby was finally full and asleep again. Dawn rested her head on the back of the couch and looked around, exhausted. Her eyes landed on an old photograph of her, her mother, and her father. Dawn had to laugh. The thought of coming home to Cleveland with a baby gargoyle under her arm just seemed too odd. She could just see her mother's expression. She didn't even like dogs. Her father probably wouldn't have minded, if he had still been around. About eight years after Dawn was born, he just split. Dawn wasn't mad like her mother, just hurt. There was something about her father that she could relate to. She loved her mother but they had nothing in common and after her father left, she felt very empty inside. Dawn studied the picture. Her mother stood, her red hair down, just touching her shoulders. She smiled slightly and had her hand placed on a three year old Dawn. Her father, his short brown hair getting into his eyes, had a playful grin. Even in the picture, his blue eyes seemed to dance. They were both handsome, but her father seemed to have an aura of charisma. Dawn looked down as Tabitha stirred and opened her eyes. Dawn smiled at the infant, so foreign and yet, it didn't matter anymore. This being saw Dawn as a mother, and she wasn't about to disappoint her. Dawn's head jolted up at the sound of glass shattering. She turned to see a female gargoyle with hair almost as red as her eyes pointing a laser gun straight at her. The gargoyle's mouth was contorted into a snarl.
"Give me the child," she hissed. Dawn swallowed, assuming that the infant must be the gargoyle's daughter. She lifted Tabitha slightly, preparing to hand her to the raging gargoyle. Tabitha, seeing the other gargoyle, clung tightly to Dawn's shirt and began crying.
"I...I don't think she wants to go."
"I don't think she has a choice. Give her to me!" The gargoyle fired her laser, just missing Dawn's right shoulder and singeing her shirt. "That was just a warning shot. The next one will be at your throat." Dawn looked down at Tabitha, clinging desperately to her shirt. The female, whoever she was, was NOT the motherly type. Dawn stepped slightly forward and unhooked the infant from her shirt. She began to hand her to the gargoyle, when at the last moment her leg swung out, kicking the monster in the kneecap. Demona fell to her knees giving Dawn a chance to dive behind the couch. She was breathing heavily. She had to get out of this apartment. A laser beam sliced through the couch right above Dawn's head. She had to get out of this apartment FAST. Quickly she reached out and grabbed the tiny shield, hugging Tabitha closely to her in her other arm. Dawn jumped up and, silently praying, deflected the next laser shot with the tiny shield. It bounced off the abstract bird and hit the gargoyle, grazing her head. She fell crumpled to the floor. Dawn didn't stop to think, she just ran out the door, down the the two flights of stairs and into the adjoining garage. She jumped into her car, a run down old thing that she was barely able to bring back from the dead, and turned the key. The car engine stalled.
"Come on! Come on!" Dawn begged, almost in tears. She could hear an infuriated roar from her apartment and knew the gargoyle was back up. Her suspicions were confirmed when the blue skinned demon ran into the garage. Dawn tried desperately to start the car as the monster got ever closer. Her laser gun pointing, the gargoyle was about to leap onto the hood of the car when Dawn held the shield in front of her, a last tiny defense. From behind the shield came Dawn's terrified voice shrieking
"Des legrati muri tempe et intervalia!" Instantly Dawn, Tabitha, and the car were surrounded in a ball of flames and vanished. Demona landed on the concrete floor and screamed in rage. A small bolt of green energy whizzed through the air and hit her on the head, knocking her out. Six feet above a four foot changeling and his young pupil levitated, watching the scene. Puck turned to his student.
"And that is what we call finesse."

*******

Elisa read the name of the girl on Xanatos's screen.
"Dawn Evans, how appropriate." The detective scribbled down the address. "As soon as the others arrive, we'll go get the egg."
"Hatchling," Hudson corrected. Elisa turned to him, wide eyed.
"You really think it's already hatched?" Elisa gasped. Hudson nodded seriously. "Aye, that I do. If the sun hadn'a come up, it would have hatched last night." Elisa tapped the pencil nervously. There was no telling how the girl would react to a hatching gargoyle. She might run away screaming, or even kill the hatchling. Things were just happening too fast. Xanatos cleared his throat and pointed to a smaller screen that viewed the top of the castle. The other gargoyles were landing. Elisa, Hudson, and Bronx hurried up to meet them. Goliath stepped toward them.
"Any news?" Goliath asked. Elisa nodded.
"We found where the egg is," she showed him the address, "it's not three blocks from here." Relief broke over Goliath's face and the look was echoed by the others sighs of relief.
"Well, come on. What are we waiting for?" Lex asked, jumping back onto the ledge.
"Woah, hold it," Elisa said, raising her hands in a "slow down" gesture. "This is someone's home. Seven gargoyles can't just barge in without scaring the daylights out of who lives there."
"I'll go," Goliath said quickly. Elisa studied his huge muscular form. Even when relaxed he looked menacing.
"Um, that might not be such a good idea," Elisa said, looking away."I know you're worried, but you do have a rather...powerful presence."
"I'll go," Goliath repeated, his voice a deep rumble.
"She's right, lad. We donna' want to frighten the girl away. Ye have to think about the egg," Hudson put in. Goliath sighed, defeated.
"Lexington, you get to the address on wing. Elisa will meet you by foot," Goliath said reluctantly. Lexington took off and headed toward the apartment building. Elisa placed her hands on Goliath's.
"Goliath, it'll be okay."
"I wish I could believe you," Goliath sighed. Elisa hurried down the steps, out of the building, and toward the apartment. She glanced up and saw Lexington's form gliding above her. When she arrived at the three story brick building, she glanced at the address for the apartment number: 12B. Elisa walked up two flights of stairs and down the hall. She paused at the apartment. The door was flung open and there were laser marks on the walls and couch. Lexington stood in front of a broken window.
"Looks like we weren't the first to get here," he said, studying the place. Elisa looked around the room. "Elisa? I think you'd better take a look at this," Lexington called, peering into the garbage. The detective walked over and looked into the trash. Two halves of a gray speckled egg lay there, accompanied by a can of baby formula. On the counter sat another half full can, and around the room were assorted rubber nipples. Elisa smiled weakly.
"Well, wherever it is, it looks like Dawn's taking good care of it," Elisa said, picking up a nipple and noticing the puncture marks. Lexington frowned.
"Yeah, but where IS she? A broken window and laser marks? It doesn't look good." Elisa shrugged.
"I don't know. Her profile said she owned a car. Let's go check the garage." Elisa walked out of the building and around to the garage. Lexington glided in behind her.
"Woah!" the little gargoyle gasped. In between two cars was a bare spot, tiny flames still leaping from the the floor. The cars on either side had a circular dent in them and tiny flames spiraled out of the damaged doors. One golden earring lay on the floor besides the sight.
"Demona," Elisa growled, picking up the earing. "She's got them."
"ANH! Wrong!" came a familiar voice. Elisa and Lex looked around but saw no one.
"Puck? Is that you?" Elisa called. A baby giggle was heard.
"Quiet kid, you're ruining the mood," the voice said.
"Puck! Where are they?" Elisa called again.
"Don't ask me lady, I'm just teaching my student the ABCs of magic. We were on P when you arrived," the voice echoed around the garage. "Toodles." There was a small gust of wind and the two could tell Puck and the youngest Xanatos had left. Elisa looked around again. What was Puck trying to say? Her eyes fell on the gap again and she could see where flames also burned on the ceiling. The circular form almost reminded her of when Goliath had used...
"The Phoenix Gate!" Elisa snapped her fingers. Lexington looked up.
"What?"
"P! P for Phoenix Gate. Don't you see? Dawn used it to escape Demona!" Elisa was on a roll now.
"But I thought you said Goliath tossed it into the time stream?' Lexington asked, scratching his bald head.
"He did, but it was bound to turn up somewhere..er time," Elisa explained.
"Okay, they used the Gate," Lexington agreed, "but, that still doesn't answer my question. Where ARE they?"

*******

When the brightness finally died down, Dawn sat in a stalling car with a terrified baby gargoyle, in the middle of pouring rain. An annoyed honk from behind her let her know that although she couldn't see two feet ahead, she must be on a road of some sort. At last the car sprang to life and Dawn was able to move it off the road. First order of business: calm the kid. Carefully Dawn picked up Tabitha and held her close, rocking gently. The baby calmed down enough to be placed in the passenger seat and covered with a towel that was in the back seat. Dawn took a deep breath and looked at her surroundings. Where WAS she. All she had wanted to do was get somewhere safe. Then those odd Latin words had jumped out of her mouth (had they really? She still couldn't believe it), there was a huge flash of light, and now she was on a road in the rain. Suddenly, Dawn realized that her hand hurt, a lot. She lifted it up and opened it, the little blue shield had cut into her hand, she was holding it so tightly. Had this little souvenir really transported them to who-knew-where? And where had that Latin phrase come from? And WHO was that other gargoyle? And where did Tabitha come from in the first place? Dawn placed her hand on her forehead, brushing away the loose strands of hair. This night just had too many question and not enough answers. Well, at least she knew one thing, she had to get out of this rain before her car died on her again. Dawn flipped on her headlights and drove back onto the road. They got a good five feet before the car sputtered, gasped, and breathed it's last breath. Dawn rolled her eyes and groaned. She was no car expert but smoke rising from the hood of the car couldn't be a good sign. Dawn glanced out the window, and her jaw dropped. They were in front of a house. Not just any house, a big one. It was a mansion, but not the kind you'd expect to find on a dark and stormy night. It looked clean, welcoming, and even a few of the lights were on. A perfect place to spend the night, if whoever lived there would let her. Slowly, Dawn's smile faded. She had a passenger to consider. A human stranger was one thing, a little green (well, blue-green) gargoyle was quite another. Dawn gave a little shrug. Tabitha was asleep again, she'd have enough time to get out and ask for directions to the nearest hotel. Quietly, so as not to disturb the baby, Dawn opened the car door, stepped out, and shut it again. She headed up the long driveway, to the door, and nervously pressed the buzzer.
Tabitha squirmed slightly, her body wiggled up so she could rest her head on her "mother's" lap. Realizing that wiggling, she was encountering nothing, her little eyes fluttered open. Quickly panic overwhelmed the infant gargoyle. Her mother was gone! She was stricken with a feeling of sheer terror and did the only thing she knew how to do. Tabitha howled.
Dawn jumped at the sound and rang back to the car. She pulled open the door and scooped up the baby, putting Tabitha's chest on her own.
"Shhh. Shhh. It's okay. Don't cry, don't cry." That's when the door opened. An elderly man wearing a butler's uniform peered out.
"Yes, may I help y-" seeing Tabitha, his eyes widened. Dawn was suddenly struck with fear. He had seen Tabitha! Terrified, Dawn began slowly backing up to the car. "No wait!" the butler called, "please, wait!" Dawn shook her head. What did he want Tabitha for? To sell her to a zoo? Maybe perform tests on her himself. As she backed up, she bumped into something tall and warm.
"If you won't listen to Jacob, can you at least listen to me?" came a feminine voice. Dawn turned around to see a tall lavender gargoyle, her black hair soaking in the rain. Dawn gasped. This was all too much. Her legs crumpled beneath her, and she fainted dead away.
Venus sat by the bed, a cool cloth resting on the girl's head. Her curly mass of red hair was down and laying about her shoulders and chest. Venus glanced at the clock. The girl had been out for only a half hour, but it seemed like a lifetime. What was she doing with a baby gargoyle? Who was she? What was she doing here? Venus looked up as her husband, professor Scott Mecure, walked into the room, holding the little gargoyle.
"So, how's the patient, doctor?" he asked, a playful smile tugging at his lips.
"She'll be fine when she wakes." IF she wakes, Venus thought. Jacob knocked softly at the open door, a silver tray in his arms.
"Come in Jacob," Scott smiled. The butler walked in and placed the tray down besides the bed.
"Tea for our guest madam."
"Thank you Jacob," Venus sighed, "could you check on Mistra for me? I hope all the commotion didn't wake her." Jacob bowed and walked out of the room. The girl in the bed moaned and opened her eyes. When she saw Venus looking down at her, she nearly jumped out of her skin.
"Ahh! Look, wh-what do you want?" the girl glanced from Scott back to Venus as she backed up against the wall like a frightened rabbit. The infant, seeing her "mother" awake, reached out for her. Scott handed the little gargoyle to the girl.
"Just calm down," Scott soothed, "we're not going to hurt you." Venus offered the tea. The girl accepted it and took a tiny sip.
"Who are you?"
"I'm Professor Scott Mercure, and this is my wife, Venus," Scott gestured to the gargoyle. The girl's eyes widened.
"You're MARRIED?!"
"Yes," Venus nodded, "but keep it down, my daughter's asleep in the next room."
"You have kids?" The girl couldn't help it, she wrinkled her nose at the thought. Venus and her mate politely overlooked the gesture.
"Okay, you know our names, now, what's yours?" Scott asked.
"I'm Dawn. The baby is Tabitha, at least, that's what I've been calling her."
"Where did you get Tabitha?" Scott asked, sitting on the bed besides his wife. Dawn took another sip of tea.
"She hatched in my apartment."
"Where did you get the egg then?" Venus asked, patiently. Dawn shrugged, the movement making Tabitha giggle. "You don't know?" Dawn shook her head.
"I guess it must have been under the Eyrie building. I felt this thump on my back and when I got home, this egg was in my knapsack." Venus's eyes widened at the mention of the Eyrie building.
"When was this?" Venus asked with more patience than she felt.
"Around dawn this morning." Scott and Venus exchanged glances. Dawn could tell she was being left out of the loop.
"What? What is it?"
"Tabitha belongs to my brother and his clan. Oh Scott, he must be worried sick. But, Dawn, how did you get here? This is Wards Island." Dawn reached into her jeans pocket and pulled out the shield.
"I used this." Venus's eyes nearly bugged out.
"The Phoenix Gate! Where did you get that?"
"Murray's Pawn Shop, between fifth and Madison."
"But, how did you know how to use it?" Venus pressed. Dawn shook her head.
"I don't know. I just uttered these words when I was being attacked and poof!"
"Attacked?" Scott interjected. Dawn had a large gulp of the tea and nodded.
"Mmmhmm. By a blue gargoyle with red hair."
"Demona! Scott, we have to call the Eyrie building." Scott Mercure looked extremely displeased with the idea.
"You want me to talk to that viper?" Venus shook her head.
"I'll talk to the viper, you dial the phone. Talons are useful for may things, but touch tone phones are a bit difficult." Scott raised an eyebrow at his wife. She'd never needed his assistance before. Venus stood up and walked out of the room. "We'll be back in a minute, Dawn. Scott?" Scott stood and followed his wife into the hall.
"Okay, Venus. What's up?" Venus fidgeted.
"Scott, there's something about that girl."
"You think she's hiding something?"
"No," Venus shook her head, "I don't even think she's aware of it but she has this aura of power about her. When I carried her in from the rain, I could feel it. That child is magical."
"But, how is that possible? She looks like an average human to me." Venus nodded in agreement.
"I know, but I'm telling you, it was something. If I didn't know better, I would say it was changeling magic."
"Could she be one of Oberon's Children in disguise?"
"No, the cup she's drinking from is partially an iron alloy. If she was fae she'd be sick to her stomach right now."
"Then, what is it, Venus?" Venus shook her head again.
"I don't know, Scott. But, I have a feeling we're going to find out. If Demona found her once, she'll do it again. We're not so far from Manhattan. Maybe when the girl's under stress, her magical abilities will surface. Until then, we just have to take it easy, and don't mention any of this to her." Scott nodded.
"All right. Now, let's go make a phone call."

*******

The clan sat once again on the roof of the Eyrie building, not sure where to go from here.
"They really have the Phoenix Gate?" Angela asked again. It still seemed so amazing that the talisman was back, and in Manhattan of course. Lexington nodded.
"Yep, and they really used it too."
"They could be anywhere, anytime," Goliath added, pacing back and forth. In his mind, this was all his fault. If he hadn't been so stupid! No one else blamed him, but it didn't matter. He was at fault. If anything happened to the clan's hatchling it would be because of him. Xanatos appeared, a cellular phone in one hand.
"Goliath, telephone call." the billionaire's voice was quizzical. He offered the purple gargoyle his phone. Goliath accepted it, a look of puzzlement on his face.
"Hello?" he answered timidly into the device.
"Goliath? It's me, Venus," the voice on the other end responded. Usually, Goliath would be pleased to speak with his blood sister, but not tonight.
"Venus, I'm sorry, but this call is not at a good time."
"Oh, big brother, it's better than you know. I think We have something here that belongs to you. Or, should I say, someone?" Goliath's throat felt so dry, he could barely utter a response.
"What...who is it?"
"We've got a young woman named Dawn here, but I think you'd be more interested in her little charge." Venus seemed to be enjoying drawing this out. Even over the phone, his reaction was wonderful. She had to see this in person. There was a crackling sound on the other end of the phone, and then a dial tone. Goliath shook the little device.
"Venus? VENUS!"
"No need to shout, brother. I'm right here." The gargoyle sorceress stood directly in front of Goliath, who shocked, dropped the phone.
"Who is her charge?"
"I'm fine thank you. And you?" Goliath sighed in exasperation.
"Venus, please." Venus looked at her brother's face, so full of worry and panic she couldn't joke any longer.
"Dawn has with her a hatchling, couldn't be more than a few hours old. Is she yours?" Goliath bent down and embraced his sister. Elisa pantomimed wiping sweat off her brow. Brooklyn and Broadway gave each other high fives, Angela hugged Hudson, Lexington went "yesssssss", and Bronx ran around in circles, barking.
"Can you teleport her here?" Goliath asked. Venus shook her head.
"I don't think it's a good idea to teleport someone so young. Besides, Dawn and the baby seem to have formed...an attachment." The gargoyles exchanged glances.
"You can take us to her then?" Goliath asked.
"Now, wait a minute. Seven beings teleported together?"
"Eight," Elisa corrected.
"Nine," Xanatos broke in. Everyone's head turned, their eyebrows (if they have them) raised in surprise. "Oh, come now Goliath. I've watched this little drama from the start. You won't even allow me to see the happy ending?" Elisa rolled her eyes.
"Get real Xanatos. You wanted to watch a happy ending, you could rig up a camera in a flash. Maybe stick it on one of our backs, like you used to do with radio transmitters. What's your real reason for wanting to come?" Xanatos chuckled.
"Very astute, Detective. Actually, Owen and Alexander are gone. I assume that they're together, shall we say, being mentor and pupil. However, I would like to be sure. If something has happened to Owen or my son, I want to know." Elisa was silent for a moment. It was a good reason, but it still seemed like something else was going on.
"All right, Xanatos," Elisa nodded, "Venus, can you teleport nine people?"
"Not at once. We'll have to take three shifts of three each. Who's first?"
"Elisa, Hudson, and I will go first. Brooklyn, Broadway, and Angela will take the next teleport. Lexington, Xanatos, and Bronx will come last," Goliath stepped besides Venus, gesturing for Elisa and Hudson to follow.
"Now that that's settled," Venus said, "I should be back in a few minutes." Venus raised her hands above her and the four were gone.
Elisa closed her eyes and they were covered in a flash of light. The next moment they were in the Mercures' living room. Scott and Dawn were sitting on the couch, Dawn had a bundle in her arms. From the wonderful aromas wafting into the room, Jacob had to be in the kitchen. At their arrival Dawn and Scott looked up in surprise. Scott smiled, Dawn swallowed. Elisa glanced at her teleport companions. Hudson seemed all right, though slightly dazed, but Goliath looked rather nervous. Being huge and muscular was bad enough, but now Goliath kept opening and closing his wings, and his tail swished from side to side.
"Goliath," Elisa whispered out of the corner of her mouth, "calm down." The large gargoyle folded his wings over his shoulders, but his tail still whipped back and forth. Scott rose.
"Goliath, Elisa, Hudson. It's good to see you all again."
"Aye, the same to you," Hudson smiled, his glance darting to the bundle in Dawn's arms. Seeing the look, the human held the bundle slightly closer. There was a moment of awkward silence.
"Well," Venus finally said, "I should get back and bring the others." She disappeared. Goliath cleared his throat, Dawn wet her lips.
"So, you're Goliath?" the girl asked timidly. Goliath nodded.
"That's what the humans named me centuries ago, yes."
"I'm Dawn, but I guess you knew that already." The tension in the room could have been cut with a knife. Scott coughed.
"I'll just see how Jacob's doing in the kitchen," Scott hurried out of the room, Dawn giving him a horrified look. She turned back to the "guests" and forced a smile. Hudson looked down at his sword.
"I'll just be stepping out for a breath of fresh air. Care to join me lass?" Hudson held out his hand for Elisa.
"Oh, sure," she accepted his hand and walked out of the room giving Dawn a wink. Dawn just wanted to crawl under a rock. She glanced down at Tabitha, asleep again.
"Baby gargoyles sure sleep a lot," she blurted before she could think.
"Yes," Goliath responded, "their healing process is slow for the first few months, so they sleep to compensate." The gargoyle was still standing, and just itching to take the child home, back where she belonged. Dawn realized she'd better do something before she burst into tears. Quickly she stood and handed the bundle to Goliath.
"Here," Dawn whispered. Goliath took the sleeping gargoyle and held her awkwardly. Dawn smiled slightly. "No, look, you want to put your arm here, like this." She put her hands on Goliath's arm and gently moved it into place. "Now, just put your other hand under her head. There, see? It's easy." Dawn stepped back and looked at the picture. The huge, obviously powerful gargoyle cradling a tiny bundle in his enormous arms. He was looking down at Tabitha with an amazed smile. Dawn knew exactly how he felt. He looked up.
"Thank you, Dawn. For everything. You saved my clan's hatchling. For that, I am forever indebted to you." Dawn blushed.
"It was nothing. She's a really sweet little kid. But, don't use rubber nipples when you feed her." There was a flicker of movement and Venus was standing in the room with three other gargoyles. A large green one, a tall red one, and a purple female that looked a lot like Venus. As soon as the three got their bearings, they crowded around Goliath, admiring the infant. The red one was even making baby sounds. Then Venus was gone again, off to get another shipment. Elisa and Hudson walked back into the room and headed over to join the gathering crowd. Dawn smiled, wiping a tear off her cheek. Why was she so emotional anyway? She'd only known the kid a night and it wasn't even her species. Besides, this was where she belonged, with her own kind. And Goliath and his clan seemed really nice, they'd take great care of Tabitha. As a whole Elisa and the five gargoyles gasped. The blanket fell from Goliath's arms, completely empty.
"What sorcery is this?!" he roared, his eyes blazing white. A cool female voice spoke from behind them.
"Temper, temper, Goliath." The entire room of beings spun as one to see Demona, Tabitha in one arm, a laser gun in the other. "You wouldn't want anything to happen to your new edition now, would you?" Brooklyn's eyes flared.
"Demona!"
"The one and only, Brooklyn," Demona took a little bow.
"How did you find us?" Broadway growled.
"Simple. The Phoenix Gate leaves a very distinct mark where it disappears and reappears. Magical, as well as physical. I just traced the magical trail the gate left behind," Demona smiled, then turned and ran out the door. The others raced after her, and arrived outside in time to see her form disappear over the slowly lighting sky.
"NOOO!" Goliath roared. Venus, Xanatos, Lexington, and Bronx ran out of the house.
"What happened?" Lex asked.
"Demona's got the hatchling," Elisa explained.
"Quickly, we must go after her!" Goliath shouted.
"Wait a moment, lad," Hudson said, "It'll be dawn soon. Demona won't get far."
"But she turns human during the day," Angela said, "she can keep moving."
"Aye, but with legs, not wings. Besides that, she'll be carrying a statue."
"And," Xanatos added, "she can be traced."
"Xanatos, you weren't even near her," Elisa reminded.
"True, but Owen was, or should I say Puck. He put the tracer on for me." Xanatos displayed a small radar device with a little red blip moving further and further away. Goliath still looked unconvinced, but as the first rays of sun announced a new day, he lost his chance to protest. Dawn's eyes widened and the gargoyles turned to stone.
"Oh my gosh! That gargoyle cast a spell on them she-"
"No," Venus interjected, "gargoyles naturally turn to stone during the day."
"But you're not stone."
"That's because a spell was cast on me." Dawn looked mildly confused, then her eyes fell on Xanatos and widened.
"You're David Xanatos!"
"So I've been told."
"You know the gargoyles?"
"They live at the Eyrie building." Dawn suddenly had a headache.
"Why don't you guys take a couple of the guest rooms for the day? Tomorrow's going to be a long night and you're going to need your strength." Dawn nodded and walked back to the guest room. Xanatos followed and entered the room next to hers. Dawn was asleep before her head hit the pillow.

*******

Dawn's eyes fluttered open at the sound of stone shattering and multiple roars. She jumped out of her bed and ran downstairs.
"What? What's wrong?" Six sleepy gargoyles, and one dogoyle looked at her strangely. Xanatos was already downstairs, the tracking device in his hand. The small red blip wasn't moving.
"It looks like Demona's found a place to stay."
"If that is so," Goliath rumbled, "then we can be sure she has traps laid out for us."
"We'll have to come around from all sides. I'll send for weaponry."
"I can be ready in a few minutes," Venus agreed, "just let me go check on Mistra."
"No!" Goliath shouted. "No. Venus, this is not your fight, nor yours Xanatos. I appreciate your help but I cannot allow you to go with us," he turned to Elisa, "nor you."
"Now, wait a minute. Am I a part of this clan or not?" Elisa put her hands on her hips.
"No, it's too dangerous, I cannot allow it."
"I've dealt with things a lot worse than Demona. I'm a cop, remember? Besides, whether you want me or not, I'm going." Goliath sighed and nodded.
"Very well. No one enters the building until everyone is assembled." Goliath and the others headed out, leaving Dawn just standing on the steps. This wasn't her fight, as Goliath had put it, so why did it feel like it was. Tabitha wasn't her responsibility anymore. And yet, it didn't matter. Dawn reached into her pocket and pulled out the Phoenix Gate. She still remembered the incantation. She rubbed her thumb over the abstract phoenix and stood silent for a few minutes. What was she doing, this wasn't her problem...was it?

*******

Goliath landed and placed Elisa on the ground. Lexington, Angela, and Broadway had already arrived. Hudson and Brooklyn were right behind, carrying Bronx between them. They landed and peered at the building. It was just an old warehouse, but no one expected this to be easy. Goliath looked around, making sure everyone was there.
"Lexington, search around the building for any other entrances." Lex nodded, caught a low updraft and glided into a stronger one. He circled the building multiple times and landed.
"There are a few windows on the west and east sides. Other than that, it's just the door."
"Hudson, take Bronx and go through the west window. Lexington, Brooklyn, Broadway, take the east window. Elisa, Angela, and I will take the door." The gargoyles split up and Elisa pulled her gun out of its holster. Goliath grabbed the door and tore it off its hinges. He stepped inside, ready for anything. There was nothing. Total silence, total blackness. Elisa walked in, feeling along the wall for a switch. Her hand groped along the wall until it touched something resembling a switch. With a *click* the room was illuminated. Elisa's eyes widened. As the others climbed in through the windows, they gasped in surprise. Brooklyn chuckled. Tied up in the middle of the room lay Demona, unconscious. Her legs and arms were bound in metal shackles and there was tape over her mouth.
"Who do you suppose?..." Elisa murmured.
"Puck?" Angela suggested.
"But where's the hatchling?" Broadway asked. There was a small cry from the corner of the room, answering their question. The group hurried over to find the hatchling safely wrapped in a blanket but a little shaken up. Angela bent down and picked her up.
"I don't know who did this, but I'd sure like to thank him," Angela grinned.
"What do we do with Demona?" Brooklyn asked.
"Leave her," Goliath said, "she won't try to take the hatchling again. And if she does, we'll be ready this time." Goliath's eyes flared momentarily. "Come, Let's return back to the others." The group headed out the door and into the night sky. A shimmer in the air revealed Puck, Alexander on his lap. Puck looked down at his charge.
"They haven't got a clue have they?" Puck mused. Alexander giggled. "Ah well, they'll find out soon enough. Come on, let's get back to the party." With a flash of green, they were gone.

*******

"I must be nuts," Dawn murmured, holding the Phoenix Gate. She closed her eyes. I want to be where and when I can defeat Demona.
"Des Legrati muri tempe et intervalia." Dawn was enveloped in a blaze of fire and when the light dimmed she was standing by a warehouse at dawn. She looked around tensely as she slipped the gate back into her pocket. That's when she heard the moans. She ran to the side of the warehouse to see Demona bending over, screaming in agony. Her skin faded from blue to pink, her tail and wings shrank and her feet and hands became human. Dawn was too stunned to do anything but watch. Demona stood, bent over gasping for air. That was when Dawn noticed the bundle next to her. "Tabitha." Demona looked up, her hands instantly on her laser gun.
"You again! When will you learn to keep out of gargoyle affairs, human!" The laser blast just missed Dawn as she dove to the side. It did, however, hit a parking meter, slicing it into two pieces. Dawn picked up the top half and held it as a weapon. Demona laughed coldly.
"Don't insult my skills, human." She fired the gun again as Dawn ran at her, the meter raised high. The laser beam deflected off of...nothing. Both opponents stood still, eyes wide, for a moment. Dawn recovered faster and swung at the human gargoyle. Demona ducked and the meter smashed against the wall, falling apart. Demona smiled darkly, fangs glinting even as a human. She pointed the gun at Dawn and fired. Dawn's hand shot out and a bolt of green energy flew from it hitting Demona in the chest. The laser beam was absorbed in the green energy and didn't even make it half way. Demona looked down at her chest and could see the scenery behind her through it. She fell to her knees and was out for the count. Dawn stood gasping and shocked, and then looked up, hearing clapping from above. Resting in mid air sat a four foot tall man with white hair, pointy ears, and blue eyes. Floating beside him and doing little somersaults was a two month old baby, obviously having a ball.
"Very good," the man said, "very good indeed. You had me worried there for a moment the first time she fired, but you proved yourself beautifully." Dawn looked at the little man, her mouth open.
"Excuse me, but who are you?"
"What, and spoil the surprise?" he and the child began to fade out of existence, then suddenly they faded back, "Oh, and just a word of warning, when you use the Phoenix Gate again, make sure you appear a few minutes after you left. Meeting yourself gets a little complex. Okay, kid, let's go." The baby giggled and they were gone. Dawn shook her head. She couldn't just leave Demona lying there. She grabbed the woman's arms and dragged her into the warehouse. Flipping on the light Dawn saw that some metal shackles and a roll of tape lay in the middle of the floor. She briefly wondered if the little imp had anything to do with it. Shackling Demona she put a piece of tape over her mouth. Now, what was she forgetting...oh! Dawn ran out and picked up the bundle. At the moment Tabitha looked like a statue of a sleeping gargoyle. Dawn took the bundle and put it in the corner of the warehouse.
"Don't worry, kiddo. When the gargoyles come they'll take you home." Dawn pulled out the Phoenix Gate and, remembering the imp's advice, was gone in a blaze of fire.

*******

When the gargoyles and Elisa returned there was a barrage of questions from Scott and Venus. Xanatos sat calmly, aware that he would get all the information from everyone else's questions. Dawn sat quietly on the steps, trying hard not to be noticed. As Goliath and the others told their story Scott and Venus chuckled.
"But, who left Demona for you?" Scott asked.
"I don't know. I would imagine it would be Puck, but it's very unlike him," Goliath answered. Venus nodded, but her eyes darted over to Dawn, sitting quietly on the steps. Mistra rested on Venus's lap smiling and clapping her hands.
"You're right Goliath, it IS very unlike me. That because I didn't do it," the chiding voice rang out before Puck's form actually appeared, Alexander floating in his lap. Seeing his father, Alex burbled and floated over to him. Xanatos rose and gave his infant son a little hug. Dawn stood up.
"You again, who ARE you?" she asked. Puck frowned.
"Well that's a fine how-do-you-do. Not even a kiss on the cheek for your dear old dad?'
"WHAT?!" everyone cried unanimously, except for those who were too young to speak, and Xanatos who just grinned quietly.
"My dad? But, my dad was-" Puck nodded.
"Oh, I know, I know. He looked like this." Puck placed his hand palm side up and a Ken sized form of her father appeared. "We're called changelings for a reason, you know."
"Puck, how did this happen?" Elisa asked.
"Well, when a man and a woman want to have a baby-"
"I mean how did you meet Dawn's mother?" Puck grinned.
"Oh, I just wanted to know what all the rage was about. All these mortals having children. I wondered what it would be like to be a family man."
"Isn't that against your laws?" Angela asked.
"To every rule there's an exception. Almost all changelings have a child running around somewhere."
"Even Oberon?" Angela asked.
"Especially Oberon. The count was 134 when I left Avalon." Dawn sat quietly through the discussion and finally spoke up.
"What happens now? Are you going to teach me to use my magic?" Puck actually looked uncomfortable.
"That's not exactly how it works. To have a kid is one thing, but now you're part of the human race. To teach you would really be breaking a rule."
"But, I'm your daughter..."
"And a sweet kid too, but married life just isn't my cup of tea. After eight years, it gets boring!"
"So that's it? I was just your little mortal plaything and now that you're done I'm getting tossed back into the toy box?"
"Kid catches on fast," Puck grinned.
"You may find it hilarious, but I'm hurt. All these years I thought, he must have had some reason for leaving me. There must have been some explanation. But now I find out that you left because you were bored?! And now that you found me again, you're just dumping me because it's not in your laws? Well I may just be a foolish mortal, but when you left I was still there! I'm here now and you don't even care!" she narrowed her eyes, "I liked you better when you were gone." Swiftly, Dawn turned and stormed into the room across the hall, slamming the door. For once, the trickster was speechless.
"A little touchy, isn't she?" he finally said.
"Puck," Elisa sighed, "you deserved it. You've been around mortals long enough to know the bond between parent and child. Your experiences with Alexander should have shown you, if nothing else. Dawn may be half fae, but she's been raised as a human, and she's still attached to you. It's got to be tough to find out your father doesn't really care what happens to you, as long as he's properly entertained." Puck's frown deepened.
"I'll be right back, and keep the kid floating. If he lands and falls asleep his lesson's officially over and I'm back to a stone fisted butler." Goliath nodded and Puck disappeared.
Puck reappeared in the room across the hall, levitating above the bed. Dawn lay on the bed, crying quietly into the pillow. Puck landed lightly, and sat cross-legged on the bed.
"Aww, c'mon kid, don't cry."
"Go away," came Dawn's muffled voice.
"I thought you wanted me to stick around," Puck said, his voice filled with confusion. There was no response. "Come on, that was a joke."
"It wasn't funny,"
"Look, you may not understand this, but there are some things I can't do. As it is, my magic is restricted to teaching and protecting Alexander."
"So?" Dawn turned around, wiping tears off her cheek.
"So? So? So, that's it. The rest of the time I'm Owen," Puck made a stoic face. He looked so silly Dawn had to giggle. Puck grinned.
"I don't understand you. Why did you check on me in the first place? And it was you who deflected the laser beam and gave me the incantation for the Phoenix Gate."
"Hey, I may be fickle, but I'm not heartless. I came back because I wanted to see if you had magical potential. And, you are my daughter. I wasn't about to let some crazed gargoyle shoot you down."
"Thanks, I think," Dawn sighed. "So, did I pass? Do I have magical potential?'
"Sure, you think most humans shoot green energy from their palms?"
"But it doesn't matter. I can't do anything with it. Any you won't teach me." Puck was silent for a moment.
"Look, Oberon's probably going to have my head for this, but I'll make you a deal. My job here is to teach young Alexander how to use his magic. I suppose it would be okay if you sat in on the lessons too."
"Really?" Dawn smiled. Puck sighed dramatically.
"Sure, why not. We can bond." Puck reached out and wrapped his arms around Dawn in a huge hug. Dawn was caught off guard at first, but wrapped her arms around her father and patted his back. When he pulled back Puck gave her a serious look.
"Tell anyone I did that and I'll...I'll turn you into a toad. The trickster does NOT hug." Dawn nodded and giggled. "Good, now that everything's all right, my work here is done." Smoke suddenly rose and surrounded Puck. When it cleared, Owen was sitting on the bed besides Dawn. He extended his flesh hand.
"Shall we go madam?" he asked formally. Dawn nodded, finding it hard to believe that this man was really Puck. Dawn walked out of the room, Owen following behind.
"Is everything all right?" Venus asked.
"Of course, madam," Owen replied. Elisa turned to Xanatos, Alexander sitting in his lap.
"This was the real reason you wanted to come. To see Dawn."
"It's not everyday you see one of Oberon's Children reunited with his daughter, detective."
"How long have you known?" Elisa asked.
"Since Owen saw the videotape last night. I must admit, it caught me a little off guard too."
"Is everyone ready to go?" Goliath asked.
"Wait," Dawn said. She walked over to Angela who was still holding Tabitha. "Bye, Tabitha. Be good, okay?" She gave the baby gargoyle a little kiss on her forehead.
"Tabitha?" Brooklyn asked. Dawn blushed.
"That's what I named her. You can change it if you want."
"Tabitha's a fine name lass," Hudson said. Dawn smiled.
"Yeah, the apartment's going to be pretty empty without her. Maybe I'll catch her flying sometime."
"You're welcome to visit anytime," Goliath said.
"All you'll need to do is climb the stairs, the castle roof is very hard to miss," Xanatos explained. Dawn tilted her head, confused. "It's only a few feet from your room." Dawn's eyes bulged.
"You want me to stay with YOU? In the Eyrie building?! I couldn't. It would be imposing and I couldn't afford-"
"Nonsense," Xanatos waved his free hand, "there's no charge and it's more for my advantage than yours. Puck isn't the only one who likes to be entertained."
"I don't know..."
"You'd be Owen's responsibility, of course." Owen raised an eyebrow. Dawn laughed.
"Okay, why not?" Dawn and Xanatos shook hands. Elisa and Goliath exchanged glances. Why was Xanatos doing this?
Xanatos sat in his office, panning through his video camera images. The gargoyles were in the lobby, cooing over Tabitha. Alexander was in his crib. Fox was having a midnight snack and Dawn was sound asleep, a smile on her face. Xanatos turned his head away from the images when he heard a soft knock on his door.
"Come in." Owen stepped into the room. "Owen, what can I do for you?"
"If I may ask you a question, Mr. Xanatos?"
"Of course, Owen."
"Why did you do it?"
"Do what?"
"Invite Dawn to reside here for her college years, so to speak."
"I told you Owen, for the entertainment. I think Dawn will be quite fascinating to watch as she learns how to use her magic. And, unlike Alexander who's too young, she'll be able to practice without your assistance." Owen stood quietly, looking at his employer.
"Now, if I may have the real reason?"
"For you."
"For me sir? You must be aware of how inconvenient she will be. I am-"
"Oh please Owen. You didn't go chasing after Dawn to find out if she had 'magical ability'. You knew she did, all half fae do. You followed her, because you missed her. Married life wasn't too dull for your blood, you merely cared about Dawn. She's your child, and being around mortals so much has rubbed a little of their character on you. It frightened you to care so much about a human child, so you ran. That's why you left Dawn and her mother, wasn't it?" Owen stood silent. He cleared his throat and headed for the door.
"If you don't need anything, Mr. Xanatos, I'm going to retire."
"Good night, Owen."
"Good night. And sir?"
"Yes Owen?"
"Thank you." The butler slipped out the door before Xanatos had a chance to respond. He headed to his sleeping quarters, but not before pausing at Dawn's room and quietly peering in. Dawn rested peacefully, a smile tugging at her lips. When Owen finally fell asleep, the same small smile was etched on his own face.


The End