AUTHOR'S NOTE : With some exceptions, none of the characters used in the story are mine.
"Gargoyles" characters belong to Walt Disney/Buena Vista Television.  This is an unofficial story, not sanctioned in any way by Disney.  Also, I have decided that in this, and in every future story, I am ignoring the existance of any episodes after "Hunter's Moon, Part Three", for the most part. Not because I don't like them, because that's not true, but because they and my universe conflict so badly that letting anything besides the first two seasons exist would make my stories unintelligible in terms of my plotline.  Finally, this story contains mature subject matter
(language and intended sexual reference), so read at your own volition.  However, reader discretion is advised.

The Rockaway, Ramona, Sasha, Gomez, Frank, Theo and Tish are the intellectual property of the spectacular Christi Smith Hayden.
Just a note...the wedding ceremonies in this fanfic are pretty blatantly Catholic.  This isn't to bash any other sects or religions or  to stick it to those who feel that there should be a separation of Church and Fanfic, but because I'm a Roman Catholic and the only weddings I've ever been to are Roman Catholic.   You have to write about what you know, and in the end, a  wedding is a  wedding.  So if you find yourself uncomfortable reading the wedding scenes and uncomfortable with people giving the sign of the Cross and professing belief in Jesus, please be aware that I'm only writing what I know.

HISTORIAN'S NOTE:  Except for the prologue, this story begins roughly three weeks after "Gargs and Dolls".

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 For Mary, who never ceases to amaze me and make me feel loved.  With any luck, someday this'll be us, me girl.

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 "In Harbour's Fare she'll surely be there, and I'll dress in my Sunday clothes,
  With my hat cocked right, my shoes shone bright,
  And a smile from my nut brown Rose.
  No puff of smoke, no horse I'll goat till the leaves turn a rust coloured brown,
  And by my side is my smiling bride, she's the star of the County Down.
  From Bantry Bay, up the Dairykle, Galloway to Dublin Town,
  No maid I've seen like the brown colleen that I met at the County Down!"
 
  MacKeel, "Star of the County Down"

 
 "I wanted to give you something, to show you the way I feel,
  But a rose won't last near long enough, and for a diamond, I'd have to steal,
  I hope you won't feel cheated because the gift is not brand new,
  I wrapped it up inside this song, it's for no one else but you,
  Three well worn words stained with tears, well worn words that conquered fear,
  Used a million times in verse and rhyme, yet they never reach everyone's ears,
  Three well worn words soaked by the rain, well worn words full of joy and pain,
  Thrown to the wind of a thousand storms, they float back home again."

 Lennie Gallant, "Three Words"

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BROOKLYN:  "Carbonear, will you marry me?"
(Show Brooklyn proposing to Carbonear, "The Gargoyle Went A'Courting")
"The Gargoyle Went A'Courting"

WHITBOURNE: "Previously, on 'Gargoyles', bye..."

CARBONEAR:  "Yes, yes, yes!"
"The Gargoyle Went A'Courting"

CARBONEAR: "We grew up just the same as any other kid in St. John's.  And for me, that meant that someday I'd be after gettin' married with a traditional human wedding."
(Show Matt and Cornelia Bluestone's wedding ceremony, "The Gargoyle Went A'Courting")
"The Gargoyle Went A'Courting"

BROOKLYN:   "I'm asking you to marry me.  Human wedding, just like you dreamed about when you were a little girl."
"The Gargoyle Went A' Courting"

BROADWAY:  "Brooklyn, you...we're gargoyles, Brooklyn!  We don't get married!"
BROOKLYN:  " She grew up as a human!"
"The Gargoyle Went A'Courting"

GOLIATH:  "They...and I...will support it."
BROOKLYN:  "What about Hudson?"
(Show Hudson having a fit about the Christmas presents, "The Music of the Night")
GOLIATH:  "Well, that could present a problem."
"The Gargoyle Went A'Courting"

HUDSON:   "Gargoyles don't get married, lass.  We pledge ourselves to be with one another forever, but there's no great ceremony to seal the bond."
"Heart of a Saturday Night"

GOLIATH:  "Such a curious custom."
(Show Demona and Goliath watching Prince Malcolm's wedding, "Vows")
"Vows"

BONAVISTA:  "Hell, bye, it's New York City in the nineties.  Gargoyle traditions is droppin' like flies, if ye goes by what Hudson's after sayin'."
"Heart of a Saturday Night"

BONAVISTA:  "I LOVE KENNEDY WOODWORTH!"
(Show Kennedy and Bonavista kissing, "Take These Broken Wings")
"Gargs and Dolls"

ELISA:  "I never thought it would be like that."
GOLIATH:  "It felt like in that instant we were truly one mind, one body, one soul.  We were one person."
(Show Goliath and Elisa embracing in the hot tub, "Heart of a Saturday Night")
"Heart of a Saturday Night"

CARBONEAR:   "Oh frigg.  Watch out, Manhattan..."
WHITBOURNE:  "Here comes Clan Newfie!"
"From Darkness To Light"

BROOKLYN:  "I found someone who loves me, and who I love deeply, with all of my heart."
(Show Brooklyn and Carbonear embracing, "The Gargoyle Went A'Courting")
BROOKLYN:  "I'm going to spend my life with her."
"Take These Broken Wings"

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Prologue

  The Age of Innocence

St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church, St. John's, Newfoundland
July 1, 1980
8:15 p.m., Newfoundland Daylight Time

 It was the very rooftop of summer in St. John's.  Canada Day, even, so while the youngest province of the Dominion of Canada celebrated the nation's birthday, the rest of summertime life was going on as normal.  Barbeques were going, kids down in the park playing touch games of  soccer and baseball, people out for pleasure sails in the achingly blue waters of the Atlantic Ocean.  Yesirree, if you wanted summer, then today, St. John's, Newfoundland was where it was at.
 But it was all winding down, now.  The sun was setting, and soon the baseball games would stop and the sailors would put their onboard lights on.  Maybe the barbeques would turn off and maybe they wouldn't, but with sundown would come the cracking open of beer...after all, what was a Canada Day sunset without a cold one or two?...and maybe the radios would come out and music would fill the air.  Maybe, if you were lucky, you might be able to stroll up onto somebody's patio and listen as they hauled out a fiddle or a guitar.  Lord knows they wouldn't mind.  What the frigg are you at, my son? they'd invariably say.  C'mon up and siddown a spell!  We's just about to kick back and relax!  Sure, c'mon up.  Kick your boots off.
 Could life get any better than this?
 Jason Doyle didn't think so.  This was...well, maybe it wasn't exactly heaven, but it was as close as you could come on earth.
 He was walking down the street, now, whistling a happy tune, returning from a patio barbeque at June Tibbo's house.  Tonight, his friends Robbie Hynes and Judy Kelly were getting married.  They wanted the ceremony to be reasonably close to the fireworks out over the bay, and so they had decided that they would have their wedding at night.  That was just fine with Jason, since  that meant he could bring the kids along.
 The kids.  Hardly conventional, but he supposed he thought of Whitbourne, Bonavista, Carbonear and Woodstock as his kids.  Adopted, in a sense, but his own.  The last twenty years of his life had been the happiest twenty years of his life, simply because there was a purpose to them.  He'd always been a drifter before, but now...well, he was a family man now.
 He walked down towards the abandoned church that served as his home (Father Kenny Ogden, God bless his soul, had convinced the Diocese of St. John's to let the church remain as an historical landmark, and had even convinced the city to run water, electricity  and heat back into it.  Oggie was a laugh, but he was always dependable)  passing by the house that was nextdoor.  He sighed...Dottie McCann had lived there before the cancer took her back in 1975.  The kids had been heartbroken.  She had never thought of them as anything other than children, herself, and made it a point to always bake cookies for them.  Jason had only fond memories of kindly old Mrs. McCann.
 He opened the door of the church, and walked in.  The sun hadn't quite got down yet, so he was sure the kids weren't awake.  He climbed the stairs into the absurdly spacious bell loft, and looked around.  There they were, all four of them.  Whitbourne, Bonavista, Carbonear and Woodstock, all frozen in the act of playing a board game.  He smiled, and went rooting through the neat piles of clothes that he had lain out the night before for them to wear for the wedding.
 The sun set, and suddenly the stone forms of the four young gargoyles began to crack and split apart.  They let out awkward roars and yawns, and then immediately crowded over to him.
 "Jason!"  Bonavista hollered, looking irritated.  "We was playin' Monopoly and that shagger Witless was after cheatin'..."
 "I was not, Bonnie!  Screw off!"  Whitbourne crossed his arms.
 "Oh, ye was too, Whitbourne, I seen ye."  Woodstock cut in.  "Ye thinks no ones lookin' when ye rips money out of the bank tray, but I gots eyes in the back of me head."
 "Hey, hey, hey!"   Jason laughed as the three began fighting in earnest.  Carbonear stood aside, laughing, rolling her eyes at Jason as if to remind him of the things she put up with.
 "Jason, I swear I wasn't cheatin'.  Bonnie and Woody are just jealous cause I'm kickin' their arses.  Again."
 "You had three bucks left."  Carbonear chimed in.  Whitbourne scowled at her, and stuck up his middle talon.
 "Hey!"  Jason frowned, and he gave Whitbourne a little smack in the back of the head.
 "Ouch!  Jesus!"  Whitbourne cried beligerently.  Carbonear stuck her tongue out at him, and Bonavista and Woodstock broke into a fit of giggles.
 "Don't be doin' that, Witless.  That's ignorant."  Jason stated.  "Here, c'mon, ye's have to get dressed for the wedding."
 There was a collective groan.  "How come I gots to get dressed?"  Whitbourne demanded.  "I looks right nice!"
 "You does not, ye's got grass stains all over them pants of yours.  And look at you, Bonnie, ye gots chocolate all over yourself.  Were you into them cookies in the pantry downstairs?"
 Bonavista looked at the ground guiltily.  "So was Carb!"  Whitbourne cried merrily, forgetting the audacity of the changing issue.
 "I was not!"  Carbonear shouted, stamping her foot.
 "Liar, liar, pants on fire!"  Whitbourne shot at her.
 "Hang 'em up on a telephone wire."  Carbonear exclaimed triumphantly.  This, of course, ended the argument.
 Jason chuckled.   "Okay, look, whatever, the point is ye's have to look good for the wedding."
 "Well, if we has to go up to the balcony, what's the difference?"  Woodstock asked.  Whitbourne and Carbonear, who were on the verge of a shoving match, looked at him.
 "Because it's a wedding and ye has to look your best."  Jason replied.  He took out the clothes, all deftly modified to fit the young gargoyles by June Tibbo's magic sewing machine.
 They weren't wearing tuxedos, (while June, of course, had thought the idea of Whitbourne, Bonavista and Woodstock wearing identical modified tuxedos would have been cute, she also knew the three of them  would have them ripped, banged up and torn before even arriving at the church) instead, the three boys were to be wearing hand-me-down dress pants and shirts.  Carbonear had been given a very nice red dress that complemented her navy blue skin.  Jason supposed that they had a point in it not mattering what they wore since they were going to be on the balcony anyway, but the Irish in him was stubbornly insisting that they were going to get dressed up whether they wanted to or not.  Besides, it wouldn't hurt Whitbourne to look respectable for once.
 He gave Carbonear her dress, and she quietly went downstairs to change.  The three boys watched her go, and then stared sulkingly at their own clothes.
 "Are you gettin' dressed up?"   Bonavista asked, wriggling out of his T-shirt.
 "Yes, I am."  Jason stated.   "I'm an usher."
 "So ye gets to be the cranky old guy at the back of the church that Oggie's always after talkin' about?"  Whitbourne piped in.
 Jason burst out laughing.  "Ye can't be after trustin' a word Oggie's after tellin' ye, Whitbourne, my lad.   Oggie tends to exaggerate a bit."
 "He's sayin' Mass for the wedding, though, right?"  Woodstock asked.  He was buttoning up his dress shirt.
 "Uh huh."  Jason muttered, looking at his watch.  "Hurry up, byes.  Get dressed."

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 Carbonear, down in the room which  had once been the sacristy of the church, was busily getting changed.  She didn't like wearing dresses; she thought of them as cutesy girly-clothes, and much preferred wearing T-shirts and jeans.  The only advantage was that she didn't have to spend a long time forcing her tail to thread through a hole in the back and wrestle her feet through widened pant legs like she did with her jeans, but still...
 She pulled her dress down, and then took a comb from the drawer, looking in the mirror as she brushed her hair.  Once, long ago, a priest had used this place to check himself for flaws in his vestements before heading out through the opposite door to say Mass, but the church had been deconsecrated since long before she had  been born.  It was home, now...the only home she had even known.  She looked around for a second, staring at the walls and sparse ornaments of the sacristy, before sighing and returning to her hair.
 She was looking forward to the wedding, though.  She had read about them in a few books and magazines June and Oggie had brought over, but she had never seen one in person before.
 She wondered what they were like, and if they were anything special.

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 About forty-five minutes later, the five of them were ready.  Jason had showered earlier in the day...he would have normally insisted that the four gargoyles get clean, too, but he was already running late as it was.
 He lined them up  and inspected them, nodding in approval at Carbonear's turnout, sighing with discouragement at a dirty spot on Bonavista's pants that had seemingly appeared out of nowhere.
 "Go comb your hair, Witless, ye's got cowlicks."  he stated, upon seeing the blue gargoyle's brown hair sticking crazily about his head.
 "Moo!"  Carbonear called, and Whitbourne stomped away angrily to comb his hair.
 "Now, the four of ye is gonna be all alone up on that balcony,  so ye's better be on your best behavior."  Jason stated firmly once Whitbourne had returned.  "Bonnie, Witless, if I sees ye spittin' over the rail, so help me God..."
 Whitbourne and Bonavista looked at each other, and smiled.   "We'll be good."  Bonavista stated.
 "Good." he stated.  "If ye's are good, tell ye's what, I'll buy ye's each a pop for when we gets home."
 "Oh, yeah!"  Whitbourne crowed.  "I wants a Pepsi!"
 "Hold on, frigg, not yet."  Jason frowned.  "Okay, we'd better get goin'.  Are the four of ye's gliding over?"
 The four gargoyles looked at each other.  "Where's the church to?"  Carbonear asked.
 "Stella Maris Catholic Church.  It's on the Portugal Cove Road, near the harbour.  The one with the stained glass windows on the front.  I'll meet ye's in the back near the parish house, okay?"  Jason stated.  The four gargoyles nodded.
 "And for God's sake, be clean when ye's get there."  Jason called, watching as they clambered out of the bell tower, taking off into the still bright St. John's evening.

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 "I'se gettin' a Pepsi."  Whitbourne stated eagerly.   "You just watch.  I'll be good and I'll get two pops."
 "I'll give you a pop right in the friggin' mouth, my son."  Bonavista muttered.  He swooped over towards Whitbourne...after almost three years of practise, he was getting very good at gliding, considering there were no adult gargoyles around to teach him how...and critically surveyed him.
 "C'mon and try, ye big pussy."  Whitbourne goaded.
 "Oh, stop it."  Carbonear muttered, frowning.  It was hard to glide in a dress.  "Witless, ye's really one to talk about bein' a wimp."
 "I'se brave and fearless."  Whitbourne puffed out his chest.
 "Witless, ye ran away from June's cat cryin' when it was after scratchin' ye."  Carbonear reminded him, and Woodstock burst into gales of laughter.
 "Ye was, too!  I remembers that!"  he hooted.  "Christ, Witless, ye was bawling for ages..."
 Whitbourne glowered, and stuck up his middle talon again.
 "So does we get to see Robbie and Judy before they gets married, or does we just sit up in the balcony and then go home?"  Bonavista asked.
 "I thinks we gets to see the wedding, and then Jason's gonna be after takin' us down to see them for a few minutes."  Whitbourne frowned.
 "I wonders how come we can't sit in the church itself?  Just cause' we's gargoyles..."
 "It ain't just June and them what's gonna be there."  Carbonear cut in.  "Frigg, bye, it's gonna be some crowded.  Parents and friends, and see, we can't just be there plop in the middle of 'er."
 The three boys seemed to accept this, and nodded accordingly.
 "Is that the church there?"  Woodstock pointed.  Carbonear squinted, and nodded.
 "Uh huh."  she reported, and the four young gargoyles swooped down, touching down on the lawn behind the church.  Whitbourne sat down on the back stoop, and Bonavista eagerly peeked around the corner.
 "Holy frigg!  The parkin' lot's almost full up!"  he claimed.
 "Jason here?" Woodstock asked.
 "Nope.  I doesn't see him.  There's Loveless, though."  Bonavista replied, watching the short, bespectacled figure of Steven Loveless approach the church.
 "That friggin' arsewipe."  Whitbourne muttered, and Carbonear burst into gales of laughter.
 "What's ye laughin' at, Carb?  Ye's just as nuts as he."  Whitbourne grinned, ripping up a bit of grass and tossing it away.  Carbonear grabbed Whitbourne's arm and twisted it behind his back, nodding in satisfaction as Whitbourne hollered in pain.
 "What'd ye say, Witless?"  she asked sweetly, the model of calm as Whitbourne squirmed and yelled.  Bonavista and Woodstock turned, and cheered.
 "Lemme go!"  Whitbourne swore.  "Ye's rippin' my goddamn arm off..."
 "And who's using such language behind the house of the Lord?"  came a voice from the step, and the four gargoyles looked up.  There was Father Kenneth J. Ogden, his blue eyes twinkling in amusement.  "I figured it was you little shaggers when I heard all that noise."
 "Oggie!"  Whitbourne protested.  "Make her let go!"
 "Well, I can't be after doin' that."  Ogden stated tragically.  Jason Doyle's car pulled up in the parking lot, and he got out, smoothing his clothes and walking swiftly down the lane to the back of the church.  Carbonear let go of Whitbourne's arm with a faint look of regret, and looked innocent.
 "There ye's are."  he stated.  "Hey, Oggie!"
 "G'd evenin', Mr. Doyle!"  Ogden replied jovially.   "I was just standin' here talkin' to the kids."
 "I can see.  Was they actin' up?"
 "Carb was..." Whitbourne cried, and then Carbonear kicked him.
 "That's it, you frigger!"  Whitbourne shouted, and he grabbed Carbonear by the hair and pulled as hard as he could.  She screamed, and punched him in the gut, causing Whitbourne to let out a bark of air.
 "Hey, hey!  Knock it off, you two, or I'll take the both of ye's home!"  Jason growled.  Bonavista and Woodstock grinned at each other, watching as Carbonear and Whitbourne grudgingly let go of one another.
 "C'mon inside."  Ogden invited, and they all followed him into the vestry.
 "Okay, I has to go back, then, so I'se warnin' ye's one more time that ye's had better be on your best behavior."  Jason warned.  The four young gargoyles nodded, and sighed.  The door to the vestry opened, and in walked the understandably nervous groom.
 "Father, I..."  Robert Hynes began, and then he saw the four gargoyles.   "G'd evenin', kids." he stated cheerfully.
 "Hey."  they replied dutifully.
 "What is it?"  Ogden asked.
 "Celia's lookin' for ye.  One of Albert's kids was after knockin' over the baptismal font."
 "Oh, for God's sake..."  Ogden swore, and he sighed.  "Them friggin' kids are the epitomy of brattiness."
 He stomped out of the vestry, leaving Robbie and Jason alone with the gargoyle children.  Robbie nervously fixed his bowtie, and sighed.
 "Nervous?"  Jason asked.
 "Yeah."  Robbie admitted, smiling.  "But in a good way."
 "How come ye's nervous, Robbie?"  Carbonear asked.  Robbie looked down at her, and smiled.
 "Well, Carb, when a buddy's gettin' ready to get hitched, it's normal to be a bit nervous, hopin'  things is gonna turn out all right."  he explained.   "Judy feels the same way, except I ain't 'llowed to see her 'fore the wedding, so I'se goin' on speculation."
 "She's nervous as hell too, I bets."  Bonavista stated with surety.
 "Well, stop bein' nervous, my son."  Jason stated.  "Everything's gonna go just fine."
 Robbie smiled, and twiddled with his bowtie.   "Thanks."
 Jason cleared his throat, and sighed.   "Guess I'd better get back there and start doin' my job."
 "Ye's escorting Melanie Miller up to the altar by the way, durin' the procession."   Robbie stated.
 "Okay."  Jason shrugged blankly.  "Here, I guess we'd better go.  Now, remember what I was after tellin' the four of ye's.  On your best behavior."
 Whitbourne, Bonavista, Carbonear and Woodstock unanimously nodded.
 "I'll come get ye's back here after Mass."  Jason continued.  "The balcony's just up them stairs."
 Carbonear followed his gaze, and  nodded.  "G'd luck, there, Robbie."  Whitbourne stated, and Robbie chuckled.
 "Thanks, Witless."  Robbie grinnned, kneeling down and shaking the young gargoyles hand.  "I'll come to your wedding when ye and Carb gets hitched."
 "EEW!"  Carbonear shrieked, and Whitbourne made a gagging noise.  Bonavista and Woodstock burst into laughter once more, and Jason and Robbie shared a conspiratorial smile.
 "See ye's."  Jason waved, and he and Robbie stepped out of the vestry.
 "I ain't marryin' ye even if I was after gettin' paid a million bucks!"  Whitbourne shouted irritably.   "That's gross!"
 "Yeah, well, I wouldn't marry ye if I had to choose 'tween ye and a lobster!"  Carbonear shot back.
 "Kiss my arse, you little..."  Whitbourne began as the quartet proceeded up the stairs to the balcony.
 Bonavista and Woodstock looked at each other solemnly.   "Just like an old married couple."  Bonavista smiled, and Woodstock grinned.

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 After another fifteen minutes, during which the four gargoyles had  sat on the balcony and tried their hardest to be good (Whitbourne and Bonavista had restrained themselves when a fight over who had the better view almost came to blows) the organist suddenly began to play.  The quiet murmurs of the congregation below suddenly lulled, and the four gargoyles crowded against the railing, hoping to see things better.
 Kenny Ogden came in first, his expression happy and kind, looking nothing like he had just been forced to deal with the kid who had knocked over the baptismal font in the back of the church.  He was followed by the groom, Robbie Hynes, and Carbonear noticed that he couldn't help but look nervous still.
 "I sees June!"  Bonavista hissed.
 "Yeah, well, don't be after callin' out to her, ye friggin' gommil."  Whitbourne frowned, watching the proceedings intently.  As  the organist played "Here Come The Bride", the ringbearer and flower girl proceeded up the aisle, followed by the best man and maid of honour  and the ushers escorting the bridesmaids.
 "There's Jason."  Carbonear announced as he strode up the aisle with a bridesmaid on his arm.
 "Who's that piece he's got with him?"  Whitbourne asked.
 "Melanie Miller, I guesses."  Woodstock shrugged.
 "So where's Judy to?"  Whitbourne whispered on, full of beans.   His tail was flicking back and forth agitatedly as he peered to see the goings on.
 "Here she comes!"  Carbonear stated, watching as the bride finally entered.
 She looked radiant, even from atop the balcony.  Her bridal gown trailed behind her as she walked up the aisle with her father, and Carbonear watched as the people in the aisles began to murmur their approval.  Such a lovely bride, they were most probably saying.  Look at her, she's after glowin'.  She must be so happy.  Robbie must be proud.
 Oddly enough, as Carbonear watched, a funny little feeling began to develop inside of her.  As she  watched the bride take delicate steps forward, heading toward the altar where her husband-to-be stood waiting, she suddenly realized that someday that would be her up there.
 She looked at her three friends, and blinked at their wings and their tails and the odd colours of their skin.  She looked down at her own four-taloned, navy blue hands, and slowly flexed her wings.
 None of that matters spit, she told herself.  Carb, face it, just cause ye's a gargoyle, that don't make you no different from Judy Kelly down there.  Ye's a girl, and odds are someday ye's gonna fall in love with some guy and get married.  Everythin' else is the same for ye 'cept ye turns to stone durin' the day and ye's got wings and a tail.
 The organ playing stopped, the bride kissed her father, and then stood up on the altar beside Robbie.  They looked at each other, both with awkward, nervous smiles on their faces...but then Robbie gently took Judy's hands in his, and the two looked towards the altar.
 That display of tenderness set a little pang of empathy in Carbonear's heart.  She smiled as Ogden cleared his throat, and stepped down in front of the bride and groom.
 "I'd like to welcome ye's all here to this ceremony tonight."  Ogden began.  "It's always special to be able to celebrate the sacrament of marriage, and it's even better when the two people are personal friends of mine. In that respect, I wants to take this oppurtunity to wish both Robbie and Judy all the best, and give them this sincere hope that their life together be both long and happy.  And so then we begin our celebration of marriage tonight in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, amen."
 Whitbourne, Bonavista, Woodstock and Carbonear all made the sign of the cross.
 "We's gathered here in the presence of God tonight to celebrate the joining of Robert Patrick Hynes and Judith Emilia Kelly in matrimony."  Father Ogden continued.   Both Robbie and Judy looked at each other, and Carbonear could tell that Judy was smiling.
 "She looks beautiful."  she whispered to no one in particular.  Even Whitbourne, Bonavista and Woodstock had fallen utterly silent, watching the ceremony below with undivided attention.  Carbonear  turned to the three of them for a second, and turned her attention back to the wedding.
 The congregation sat for the readings, as well as the Gospel (the four gargoyles dutifully crossed their forehead, lips and heart as soon as Father Ogden proclaimed that he was reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. John) and listened with open ears as Ogden began his homily.  It wasn't at all a preaching sermon; Ogden made a brief reference to the Wedding at Cana and the sanctity of marriage, and then proceeded to tell a story about something that had gone on at Robbie's bachelor party the night before.  After the laughter had died down, Ogden continued on, wishing both the bride and the groom the best.
 He left the stand, and went to stand in front of Robbie and Judy, who stood up in front of him.  The entire congregation stood, and the best man and maid of honour stood beside the bride and groom. Carbonear raised an eye ridge, and watched as Ogden cleared his throat, peering intently through the railing.
 "What's after happenin'?"  Bonavista asked.
 "Frigg, shush!"  Whitbourne hissed.
 "We now begins the celebration of this holy sacrament."  Ogden stated, his eyes visibly twinkling despite the solemnity on his face.  "Robbie and Judy has come before the community and before God this evening, promising to pledge their lives to one another and to glorify God as one person, as husband and wife. They both has a candle, symbolizing their individuality, but also their willingness to join together as one person."
 One of the altar servers took two candles from behind the altar, and handed them to Father Ogden.  The priest handed both Robbie and Judy a candle, and the bride and groom stepped up to the altar and lit their candles, setting them in two small holders on the altar.  For the first time, Carbonear noticed one large, unlit candle sitting on the altar.  She blinked, and then turned back to the ceremony.
 "If anyone here has any reason why these two should not be wed, let them speak now, or forever hold their peace."  Father Ogden stated.  There was a moment of perfect silence...as expected, no one could find a single reason to object.
 "And we'll now begin with the declaration of intentions."  Ogden continued.  "Robbie, repeat after me.  I, Robert Patrick Hynes take you, Judith Emilia Kelly..."
 "I, Robert  Patrick Hynes, take you, Judith Emilia Kelly..."  Robbie repeated, his smile evident.
 "...to be my wife."
 "...to be my wife."  There were a few pictures taken, the flashes bursting throughout the pews.
 "I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad..."
 "I promise to be true to you in good times and in bad..."
 Ogden suddenly cleared his throat.  "Excuse me."  he smiled, and both the bride and groom smiled awkwardly.  "Through sickness and in health..."
 "Through sickness and in health..."  Robbie went on.
 "...and to love and honour you all the days of my life."
 "...and to love and honour you all the days of my life."  Robbie finished.
 Ogden smiled, and turned to Judy.   "And now, if ye'd be so kind repeat after me, too, please...I, Judith Emilia Kelly, take you, Robert Patrick Hynes..."
 "I, Judith Emilia Kelly, take you, Robert Patrick Hynes..."
 The vows continued, and Carbonear watched, completely enraptured.  As Judy's quiet voice filled the church, Carbonear suddenly had a vision of perfect clarity...she was standing before an altar, staring at the priest, repeating the words that Judy Kelly was now telling her soon-to-be husband.  She could hear them in her mind...I, Carbonear, take you to be my husband...
 She blinked, and snapped her attention back.  The vows had been concluded, and Ogden was now blessing the rings on the soft velvet cushion that the ringbearer was holding up.  Once he had finished, Robbie took one of the two rings, and gently slipped it around Judy's finger.
 "Judy, take this ring as a symbol of my love."  Robbie whispered, sounding like he was speaking the words for the very first time.
 "Robbie, take this ring as a symbol of my love."  Judy reciprocated, gently sliding the other ring around Robbie's third finger.
 "And now, I would ask both Robbie and Judy to come forward, take their two candles, and light that candle up there together."  Ogden stated.  Robbie and Judy both stepped up, took the two small candles, and lit the large candle with the two flames.
 "This is after symbolizing Robbie and Judy's union, becoming one person in the eyes of God."  Ogden explained.  Almost in perfect time, Robbie and Judy  blew out the two smaller  candles, leaving the one large one light.  They stepped back down, joined hands, and Ogden draped a cloth over their  clasped palms.  "God has made you one.  What God has joined, man must not divide."
 Carbonear, awed, watched as Ogden  placed his palms on the foreheads of the bride and groom, and then sprinkled holy water upon them.  He smiled, and looked up at the congregation, inviting Robbie and Judy to look forward too.
 "And so, ladies and gents, it's always a pleasure to do this part.  I has the pleasure of introducing to ye's  Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hynes.  I suppose you wants to kiss your bride, so don't let us stop ye, my son."  Oggie grinned, slipping into a much more casual tone.  Robbie and Judy laughed, and kissed to the tremendous applause of the congregation.  Carbonear spontaneously clapped,  watching as the bride and groom smiled at each other, grinning at the audience...yet all the while looking at each other with an expression of simple innocence and love.  Carbonear sighed dreamily, and looked towards her three brothers, who were still clapping.
 She spent the rest of the ceremony off in her own little world.

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 The fireworks could not have been timed more perfectly...they began almost the exact second that Robbie and Judy made their exit from the church.  As soon as they walked down the steps, hand in hand while people cheered and showered them with confetti and rice, the first explosion occured over the harbour.  The sky flared brilliant red, and everybody looked upwards, smiling and murmuring their approval as the St. John's sky lit up in brilliant hues of red, gold, green and purple.  Carbonear, Whitbourne, Bonavista and Woodstock, watching from the open window of the choir loft, were similarly enraptured.
 "Oh, wow!"  Bonavista cried, watching as an explosion tore the sky apart with a noise like thunder and a flare of green.  "I loves fireworks!"
 "I likes the purple ones best."  Whitbourne stated.  "Hey, Carb, what's up with ye?"
 Carbonear blinked; she had been watching out the window as Robbie and Judy made their way towards the car waiting  at the curb.  A large sign proclaiming"Just Married" was sitting on the back window.
 "Hmm?"  she blinked.  "Oh!  I was just after watchin' them there."
 "Ye looks right stunned, me girl."  Woodstock noted.
 "I does not!"  Carbonear protested.  Another firework lit up the night, and the sky flamed blue.  Carbonear let out an exaggerated "aah", staring directly at Woodstock.
 "So how come ye ain't your usual charmin' self, then?"  Bonavista grinned, walking beside her.
 "Listen, byes, I'se just thinkin' cause of that weddin'..."  Carbonear stammered.
 "Oh, ho!  I can see the headlines now, byes!  'Goof tries to think'!"  Whitbourne hooted laughter.  Carbonear clenched her fist, moving forward to punch him, but then the four gargoyles heard footsteps coming up to the balcony.  Up came Jason Doyle and June Tibbo.
 "There ye's are!"  June smiled.   "Jason had me lookin' all over for ye's!"
 "Ye was supposed to come back down to the vestry after the weddin'."  Jason reminded the four of them, but he didn't look upset.
 "We was watchin' the fireworks."  Whitbourne explained, his words punctuated with another flare outside the window.
 "Ah."  Jason nodded.   "Well, as long as ye's weren't gettin' in trouble.  Carb, were them three shaggers behavin' during the wedding?"
 "I was right good!  I wants my Pepsi!"  Whitbourne hollered in dismay, and the other three gargoyles took on similar pleading expressions.
 "I thinks if they was bad, we would of heard it, Jason."  June smiled.
 "Uh huh."  Jason agreed, grinning.   "Okay, I guess ye's earned your pop.  They's four bottles at home in the fridge."
 "Aw, wicked!"  Woodstock grinned.   "Thanks, Jason!"
 "Okay, the four of ye's better head home, then.  I'se goin' down to Robbie's place for the reception for a while.  I'll be home by three."  Jason continued.  "What'd ye's think of the wedding?"
 "It was great."  Bonavista stated.
 "Carb, what's the matter?"  June asked suddenly.   "Ye looks a bit quiet."
 Carbonear blinked, and smiled.    "How come every time I'se quiet and thinkin' everyone thinks they's somethin' wrong?"
 "Cause ye doesn't know how to think, me girl."  Whitbourne muttered under his breath
 "Witless, screw off, you little..."  Carbonear shouted.
 "Hey, hey, hey!"  Jason frowned.  "Just cause ye's was good duing the wedding don't mean ye's can start bein' jackeens now.   Okay, go on home.  I'll see ye's later tonight."
 The six of them headed down the stairs towards the vestry.

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St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church
10:35 p.m., NDT

 An hour later, the four gargoyles were once again in the bell tower, happily changed into their regular clothes once more.  They were drinking their hard earned bottles of Pepsi and watching "The National."  Knowlton Nash was currently explaining that the Canada Day celebrations on Parliament Hill in Ottawa were just warming up for the big fireworks display, and that as he spoke Prime Minister Trudeau  was giving a speech on this, the nation's 113th birthday.
 "How come it's always a half-hour later in Newfoundland?"   Bonavista asked, taking a swig of Pepsi.
 "Cause we's better 'n the rest of the country so they gots to put Newfoundland a half-hour ahead of everyone else to set us apart."  Whitbourne explained patiently.  "Hey, where's Carb to?"
 "I don't know, my son."  Woodstock replied, watching as Pierre Trudeau told the nation via satellite what a wonderful country Canada was.
 "She went outside."  Bonavista looked up.  "Said she wanted to get some fresh air."
 Whitbourne frowned, and finished his Pepsi.  He set the bottle aside, and clambered out of the window, hositing himself up onto the slanted roof of the bell tower.  There she was, sitting by herself, the easterly wind ruffling her hair.
 "Carb?"  he asked curiously, and she spun around.
 "What do you want?" she asked.
 "Well, does ye mind if I sits up here?"  Whitbourne blinked.  Carbonear smiled, and patted the tiles next to her.  Whitbourne shimmied his way up, and crawled over to sit next to Carbonear.  The fireworks had stopped a while ago, and now the night was silent.  The stars were out in full, softly twinkling down upon the two gargoyles below.
 "What a wicked night."  Whitbourne grinned.  "Frigg, them fireworks were great, but still..."
 "The stars is just as beautiful."  Carbonear muttered softly, looking up.   "Ever wonder what they is, Witless?"
 Whitbourne looked up, watching as a bright star overhead twinkled and shone.  "Well, yeah."  he replied.  "I mean I gets the general gist of what they is, but..."
 Carbonear laughed.  Whitbourne smiled...even though the two of them picked on each other the most, Whitbourne secretly liked her very much.  That was okay...they were alone up on the roof, so it was all right to just be her friend tonight.
 "Yeah.  I'se just bein' a little thoughtful t'night, Witless."  Carbonear stated.  She looked out towards the city, and sighed.  " 'Twas a beautiful wedding, eh?"
 "Yeah."  Whitbourne agreed.  "Great wedding."
 "Judy looked some beautiful.  And happy."
 "Carb..."  Whitbourne blinked, suddenly realizing how distant and introspetcive her voice sounded.
 "Hmm?"  she asked lazily, turning towards him.
 "I knows we was all teasin' ye back at the church, but is somethin' really the matter?  Ye knows, for all I picks on ye, ye can still tell me when somethin's botherin' ye..."
 Carbonear smiled, and looked down.  "There ain't nothin' botherin' me, Whit."  she stated.  "I'se just thinkin'."
 "'Bout what?"
 "'Bout the wedding.  See, Witless, I was just watchin' and I just started thinkin' about how someday I'd be gettin' married like that."
 Whitbourne blinked.  "So ye was just thinkin' about what your wedding'd be like?"
 Carbonear nodded yes.  "Isn't that silly?"
 "Frigg...well, I dunno.  I mean, we ain't like Robbie and Judy in that we can pop down to  a church and get hitched, Carb.  We ain't human."
 "Yeah, but we just looks different and we turns to stone durin' the day.  Other 'n that, we's just the same."  Carbonear explained, not at all knowing that her outlook on that particular fact would change rather drastically a few years down the road.
 "I knows."  Whitbourne stated.  "But ye looks different so ye's prob'ly gonna have to marry one of us who looks the same as ye."
 "How come?"  Carbonear asked.  "Frigg, we was watchin' on TV last week about the black guy marryin' the white girl down in the States. That ain't no different."
 "That's just skin colour, me girl.  Look at us with wings and tails and me with a beak."  Whitbourne grinned.
 Carbonear chuckled again, and sighed.  "I know.  I'se too young to seriously think 'bout gettin' married now anyway.  I'se just thinkin'.  Most girls do kinda think about their wedding someday."
 "See, us guys worries 'bout what's goin' on now."  Whitbourne grinned.
 "And then ye screws everythin' up when you tries to make things better."  Carbonear replied dryly.
 "Hey, now, c'mon, just cause Bonnie's a twit..."  Whitbourne shot back, and Carbonear let out a laugh.  Whitbourne grinned.
 "Oh, frigg, Witless, I'll give you that much, ye's good for a laugh."  Carbonear chuckled.
 "Yeah, well, I'se better than ye."  Whitbourne retorted.
 "You little shagger."  Carbonear grinned, punching him lightly in the arm.
 They sat there on the roof for a few minutes more, watching St. John's go to sleep.
 "I'll marry ye."  Whitbourne said suddenly.
 Carbonear looked up sharply.  "WHAT?"
 "I said I'll marry ye.  If ye wants a weddin', then I'll give you a wedding.  I'll marry ye."
 "Frigg, Witless, I couldn't marry ye.  Ye's like a brother."
 Whitbourne frowned.  "Well, it ain't like there's gonna be mushy stuff.  I doesn't wanna kiss ye, I just wants to marry ye."
 "Ye can't have one without the other, you friggin' omadhaun."  Carbonear laughed.  "How come?  What brought this on?"
 "Well, if ye wants to get married someday then ye needs somebody to marry, so I'se just sayin' if ye ever wants to get married, ye can ask me, and I'll marry ye."  Whitbourne explained.
 "Ye wants to be a groom-for-hire?"  Carbonear asked.
 "Not for hire.  I doesn't want money for it.  I'se just sayin' that if you ever wants to get married and ye needs someone to marry, then I'll marry ye."
 Carbonear stared him down, and smiled.  "Well, I ain't gonna make no promises."  she stated.  "But I'll keep you in mind."
 She took his hand, and clasped it.  Whitbourne grinned, and looked away, suddenly blushing.
 "Thank you."  Carbonear stated.
 "Aw, Christ, it's nothin'.  It's just a favour."
 "It's a big deal to me."  Carbonear smiled.  "Frigg, you just watch, when I gets married it's gonna be a wedding just like Judy's."
 Whitbourne listened patiently as she prattled on about how many bridesmaids she would have, all the flowers she would have, and exactly what kind of dress she wanted.  He let out a little yawn after she began to describe in great detail who she would invite to her wedding, and Carbonear saw him.  She stopped in midsentence, and smiled.
 "Here I goes, borin' ye."  she grinned.
 "Well, no, it's just I wants to go inside."  Whitbourne admitted.  Carbonear laughed, and gave him a little kiss on the cheek.
 "C'mon in then, my son."  Carbonear stated.  "I'll play ye at Monopoly again if ye promises not to cheat."
 "I never cheated!"  Whitbourne protested feebly, and he sighed tragically.  "How come no one's ever after believin' me?"
 "Cause ye's a shaggin' liar."  Carbonear giggled.  "See, ye's already got the big nose like Pinocchio."
 "It's my mouth, ye goof."  Whitbourne muttered, patting his beak.  "And I was never after lyin' bout marryin' ye if ye wants me to."
 "We'll see someday."  Carbonear stated.  She hesitated.   "But thank ye kindly for offering."
 Whitbourne shuffled his feet, and looked down.  "Well, ye's welcome, Carb."  he replied.
 "I'll be in in a second."  Carbonear stated.  "Go on in."
 Whitbourne obediently clambered along the roof, and climbed down towards the window into the bell tower.  Before he went in, though, he peeked up, and watched as Carbonear sat down staring at the open night air for a few minutes more.  He stared at her, recognizing the faraway glint in her eyes that told him Carbonear was at her own faraway wedding, living out a fantasy in her mind.
 He sighed, smiled, and headed into the window, leaving Carbonear alone with her dream.

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Chapter One

  Something Old, Something New

Castle Wyvern
May 9, 1998
9:12 p.m., Eastern Daylight Time

 The castle was full of the sound of fiddle music.  It couldn't be escaped; no matter where one went, the sound of at least one fiddle wafted throughout the air, sometimes two.  And while one of them was admittedly the sound of someone remarkably talented, the other...well...
 Brooklyn was trying his best, at least, Carbonear had to give him that.  And he had improved since getting the fiddle for Christmas.  He even had an excuse; with his large beak, he had to hold the fiddle differently than others did.  As he drew the bow back and forth across the strings, struggling to make it through the introduction of "Harris and The Mare", Carbonear watched him attentively, often mirroring the movements he made silently with her own bow.
 "Ye's doin' great, Brooklyn."  Carbonear encouraged him as soon as he had stopped.  He took the fiddle away from his chin, and gave her a hard look.
 "Are you sure you're not just saying that because we're engaged and you don't want to hurt my feelings?" he smiled, raising an eye ridge.
 Carbonear grinned, looked at the engagement ring on her middle talon, and shrugged.  "Would ye rather I pointed and laughed at ye?"
 "Yes, please humiliate me."  Brooklyn laughed, and he set the fiddle down.  "Seriously, how am I doing?"
 "Well, ye's improving a lot, my son.  Seriously."  Carbonear stated.  "One of your problems is that ye draws the bow across the strings a bit too hard.  Ye can't start right off bein' Ashley MacIsaac.  Ye has to start off slow and easy.  See?"
 She took up her own fiddle, and started to play a very lightly-drawn reel.  Brooklyn nodded, picked up his own fiddle, and tried again.  It still was horrible, but not quite as bad as the last time.
 "See?"  Carbonear chuckled.  "And ye needs to work a bit more on gettin' your fingers movin' quick enough.  Ye's after hittin' a few wrong notes. I knows it's hard cause we's only after havin' three and ye's supposed to have four to play this thing, but it can be done.  Other'n that, ye just needs practise."
 She set her fiddle down, and looked at him.  "But your performance was good enough for me to give ye an award, I guess."  she stated, and she reached down and kissed him.  Brooklyn set his fiddle down, wrapped his arms around her, and moved deeper into the French kiss.
 "I love you."  Brooklyn stated quietly, his fiddle forgotten.  "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me."
 Carbonear stared into his hazel brown eyes, and smiled.  "Funny how ye's always sayin' the same things that I'se thinkin' about ye."
 She watched as he smiled shyly...the awkward, shy smile that she had grown to love...and as he cleared his throat.  "It's true, though."
 "So what, when I says it it's a lie?"  Carbonear grinned, and Brooklyn's eyes sparkled as he laughed with her.  She watched that, too, carefully studying every little quirk about him all over again.  There was nothing that made her smile more than watching her lover's eyes twinkle and his mouth slowly crack in a large grin when he found something amusing, than the way he got embarassed and defensive whenever he said something he thought could be misinterpreted in ways she never tended to think of, than his inadvertant mouth twitching when he was hiding some harmless little secret that he wanted to keep from her a little while longer.  She loved those little details about him...well, that was to be expected, since she loved him.
 Life had been idealistic for the two of them since the night nearly two months ago where Brooklyn had proposed a human wedding to her.  Since Carbonear's painfully close brush with death and Brooklyn's rage and grief during that tense night in February where five men had tried to send a message to those they perceived as enemies of Christianity, the two had been subconsciously spending almost every waking moment together, as if to say they were either afraid of leaving the other one behind or simply not wanting to be apart.  And that was perfectly all right with Carbonear...after all, she loved the guy, and they weren't attached to the hip for all they spent most of their time together...so she was hardly upset with that.
 The wedding was something else altogether.  That made her ecstatic.  Her recollections of the wedding eighteen years ago on the night of Matt and Cornelia's own marriage had sparked Brooklyn into the idea of giving her somthing similar, and that made her almost deliriously happy.  Her childhood dreams and thoughts of what she viewed as her eventual marriage were coming back in force, and the wedding was now all she could think about.  It made her excited, jubilant, ecstatic...any number of words for happy.  As time moved on and the date for the wedding came closer, she was finding it increasingly difficult not to spend all night in an ecstatic haze.
 Brooklyn parted from her, and set his fiddle back in his case.  "I'd better go."  he muttered.  "I think I'm on patrol tonight."
 "Sucks to be you."  Carbonear grinned, playfully kissing him.  He laughed again, wrapped his arms around her, and kissed her back, parting only when  the sound of a clearing throat from the doorway summoned him.
 "Hey, Brooklyn, we're waiting on you for patrol, there."  Lexington called from the doorway.  "Bring the fiddle and we can scare away the crooks."
 "I'm not gonna dignify that with an answer." Brooklyn replied.  He looked to Carbonear, and grinned again.   "See you when we get home." he stated, giving her one last kiss.
 Carbonear nodded.  "Have a wicked night, my son."  she replied.  Brooklyn stood up, and left with Lexington.  Carbonear watched him go, and then stared at the engagement ring upon her finger.  She stood up, and began absently packing away the fiddles, not at all noticing that she was cheerfully humming.

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 "When you play that thing it sounds like the strings are still in the cat."  Lexington said, walking through the halls with a grin.  "Aren't you supposed to improve with practise?"
 "I don't see you trying.  You think you could do better?"  Brooklyn asked amusedly.  The two were headed towards the parapets, where Lexington had informed him that Goliath and the other fortunate patrollers were waiting.
 "Hey, I did do better.  I spent a week and a half as a piano virtuoso, remember?"  Lexington shot back, although the humour in that was a bit strained.  He cleared his throat.  "Ophelia wanted me to ask you how the wedding plans were going."
 "Ophelia?"  Brooklyn asked skeptically.
 "Well, okay, okay, I'm curious too."  Lexington blushed.  "But I swear to God, Ophelia asked too."
 Brooklyn smiled.  "Well, there isn't all that much to tell that you don't already know, other than Carb and I were talking last night and we've decided on a final date.  Two weeks from yesterday.  May 22."
 Lexington let out a whistle.   "Awful close on the tails of Victoria Day."
 "What good would be having the wedding right while Witless and Bonnie are sloshed for three days straight?  This way they can have a little time to recuperate after  the long weekend."
 They came upon the final stretch of hallway before arriving at the parapets.  "So are you excited?" Lexington asked.
 Brooklyn nodded.   "It feels so right.  It feels good, and I know it's making Carb happy.  Just because our wedding isn't going to be as big or as formal as normal human weddings doesn't mean it's any less special to her, and you know me.  Anything that makes Carb happy makes me happy."
 Lexington nodded as he walked out into the warm May night.  "Well, we're all behind you on that one."  he concurred.   "Ophelia's been teling me that Angela and Delilah and her have been talking about it all the time, and to tell you the truth, even me and Witless and Bonnie  and Broadway have been talking about it, saying how happy the two of you seem.  Well, not so much Bonnie.  What happened between him and Kennedy?"
 Brooklyn blinked...he knew that Bonavista seemed a lot more strained and nervous around his human friend ever since the incident with the Phoenix Gate and Iceface several weeks ago.  They were still talking, but even though Kennedy was done with classes now, Bonavista didn't go over alone very often and more often than not seemed very nervous and shy talking to her on the phone.  Broadway and Angela apparently knew something about it, but Brooklyn didn't see any real need to pry.
 "I don't know."  he shrugged.  "Maybe they are having problems, but I guess if he wants to tell us what's wrong, he'll tell us."
 "Yeah."  Lexington stated.  "I'm through with being nosy."
 Brooklyn smiled, and approached the other gargoyles who were standing upon the parapets.  "Oh, my Jesus, it's Uncle Brook!"  Whitbourne cried, and grinned.  Brooklyn chuckled good naturedly and crossed his arms.  Goliath cleared his throat for attention, watching as Lexington approached Ophelia and discretely took her hand.
 "We'll be on a simple patrol tonight."  Goliath stated.  "Elisa told me last night to be on the look out for a trio of bank robbers, so keep that in mind."
 Brooklyn, Lexington, Ophelia, Whitbourne and Broadway (the gargoyles on patrol besides Goliath) all nodded.  They took off into the warm spring night.  As Brooklyn felt the wind currents rush beneath his wings and the air push him aloft, however, he couldn't stop his thoughts from drifting contentedly back to Carbonear.

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MacDonald Apartment Building
9:42 p.m., EDT

 Across town, Hudson was sitting on a couch drinking a glass of rye and watching 'Riverdance' with Maria Chavez.  He didn't make a general practise of drinking rye this early in the evening, but Maria had offered and he had felt it would be rude to refuse.  Her daughter Carmen was in bed, anyway, and so there was no chance of him making a fool of himself in front of the child on the off chance he drank too much.
 "Isn't it amazing how people can dance like that?"  Maria asked, watching the TV.
 "Aye."  Hudson replied.  " 'Tis incredible, lass."
 "I wonder if you could dance like that."  Maria mused, loooking at Hudson with a twinkle in her eyes.
 "Oh, that'd be a laugh indeed.  I'd break my hip."  Hudson muttered, and Maria burst out laughing.  Hudson grinned,  and took another sip of rye.
 "So Elisa was telling me at work last night that there's another wedding in the works."  Maria remarked casually, getting up and heading over to the freezer.
 Hudson made a pained face, and sighed.  "Aye, there's a wedding."  he frowned, watching passively as Maria put some ice into her rye.  The Captain of Detectives blinked, and looked quizzically at him.
 "You make it sound like it's a funeral." she noted.  "What's wrong?"
 "Well, it's Brooklyn and Carbonear that are gettin' wed."  Hudson stated.  "Two younger members of my clan."  He looked at her, as if this explained it all.
 "So?"  she asked.
 "Well, it just unsettles me.  They're gargoyles, lass, and gargoyles don't have elaborate ceremonies to seal bonds of love.  They just happen on their own."  He frowned, suddenly thinking of the whole affair.
 It wasn't that he begrudged Brooklyn and Carbonear happiness, he was quick to remind himself.  After all that those two had been through...the subversion crisis, attempted suicides, a full year of waiting to admit their love, and, to say the least, Regnum Dei...they deserved  happiness, and if it were as simple as that, Hudson would have been the first in line to congratulate them.  But a wedding...a human wedding....was an altogether different story.  Back in the idyllic days of his youth, that would have been heresy.  Gargoyles had their traditions, humans had their own, and never the twain did meet.
 Marriages...literal between gargoyles or metaphorical between the way things were and the way things once had been...made Hudson very uneasy and uncomfortable.  Ever since he had learned of their plans, he had felt very dissatisfied with the whole thing.  Sometimes he would even stare at the two of them and have a brief moment of resentment.  He didn't want it to be so...in fact, he fervently wished he could accept the whole thing just so he wouldn't have to feel so out-of-place.  And what seemed worst of all, when he tried to figure out exactly WHY he was so uncomfortable with the whole thing when he had let other breaks with tradition slide, he would smoothly find himself being diverted from any great thought.
 (don't think about it...don't think about it too hard...there's things in your life and your past that are better left buried, old one...)
 But when he tried to focus on that, tried to delve into those thoughts, he would invariably give it up before letting it come to him, and try to content himself with the fact that it was just a break with tradition that had him so  upset.
 Perhaps I'm being a ridiculous old fart, he told himself.  Perhaps I'm just clinging too hard to a past way of life that died with the tenth century, sticking to what I believe is proper for gargoyles to act like, but I can't help but feel like the whole thing is wrong.  I wish it weren't so, but that's the way I feel.
 Maria looked at him, raising an eyebrow.   "It bothers you that these other two are planning on changing things?"
 "Lass, it just doesn't sit well.  That's all I have to say about it.  I don't plan to do anything about it or stand in the way of their happiness, so I might as well accept that this is out of my hands.  I just can't help myself feeling that the old ways are the best ways."
 Maria  blinked, nodded, and sat down again.  "Oh."  she muttered, apparently not knowing what else to say.  Hudson stared at her, and sighed, turning his attention back to the dancers on the television screen.

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Castle Wyvern
11:22 p.m., EDT

 When Hudson finally returned home that night (Riverdance had ended and Maria had to work the next night, so Hudson had taken his leave) he found the castle quiet.  Patrol had ended early that night, supposedly, according to Goliath, and a few of the younger ones had gone to the Rockaway for the night.  Lexington and Ophelia were sitting in the library reading together...as Hudson passed, they had just snuck a kiss when they thought no one was looking...and Bonavista was curled up on the couch in the TV room watching a late movie.  Hudson shrugged, intending to go the kitchen and fix himself a sandwich.  He passed by the smoke hole, and heard voices inside.
 "...playing, so there's the music for the reception.  Plus Broadway and Witless are gonna make a few snacks, and I think Matt and Cornelia are bringing stuff too.  So there's the food."
 Hudson blinked, and peeked in.  There were Brooklyn and Carbonear, sitting on the chairs.  Brooklyn and Carbonear both had pads of paper, and Carbonear was chewing on one  end of a pencil while Brooklyn ticked off a point in a checkbox list on the paper.  The second in command of the clan looked up.
 "Hey, Hudson." he grinned.  "You have an early night too?  It was really quiet."
 "So I heard, lad.  G'd evenin', Carbonear."  Hudson greeted.  Carbonear warmly nodded hello, and went back to her chewing.
 "We're just planning stuff for the wedding." Brooklyn went on, looking Hudson in the eyes.  Hudson blinked, and Brooklyn's smile died a bit.
 "Well, I was just passin' through, lad.  Good evening." he muttered, and he walked out on his way to the kitchen.  Behind him, he could faintly hear Brooklyn speaking, but the younger gargoyle's tone of voice was a bit harsher.  "What is his problem, anyway?"  Hudson thought he heard Brooklyn say.
 With a sigh, Hudson pressed on to the kitchen.

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 "He's just bein' himself, Brooklyn."  Carbonear smiled patiently, taking the pencil from her mouth and clasping her lover's hand.  "Ye knows what he's like."
 Brooklyn sighed, and absently stroked Carbonear's hand.  He set the pad down.  "I just wonder why he's so upset about this.  We aren't totally forsaking gargoyle tradition here, I just want to make you happy.  I want to give you something special."
 Carbonear sighed.  "Ye knows ye doesn't have to do this.  If ye thinks that it ain't worth it, then it ain't that important in the long run."
 "It's important to me."  Brooklyn looked up, and he kissed her.  "Carb, when I thought I'd lost you a couple of months back, and you came back to me, I wanted to give you something special.  This is it.  You've dreamed of having a wedding since you were a little girl, and I want  to give you that.  No matter what he acts like, he isn't going to stop me.  I just wish he wouldn't act like it's a betrayal of who we are."
 Carbonear kissed him.  "Brooklyn, it means a lot to me that ye wants to be after doin' this for me.  But..."
 Brooklyn looked at her.  "Hmm?"
 She looked at him, smiled, and hugged him.  "But nothin', I guess."  she chuckled, and they kissed.

**********************************************************************************************

 They spent several more hours going over the plans that they had made.
 The wedding was to be held on May 22 in the Great Hall of Castle Wyvern, open to those whom Brooklyn and Carbonear had invited.  It was to be a small wedding.  The clan, the visitors from Newfoundland (who were coming a week early to visit with Whitbourne, Bonavista and Carbonear) Elisa, Matt and Cornelia, the Mutates and Clones, the Xanatoses, Captain Chavez and Kennedy Woodworth were the only ones who they knew for sure were coming.   Invitations had been sent out to a couple of others...Macbeth, Shawn Mercer and Laine McKinnon, and even a few members of the Rockaway staff...were either up in the air for the invitees or had not been answered.    That was okay, though...it wasn't going to be a tremedously huge, spectacular wedding.
 Brooklyn and Carbonear had planned the clothes, as well.  Brooklyn was going to wear a tuxedo, while Carbonear was going to wear a red dress.  (Fox had offered the loan of her wedding gown, but when it became apparent that there would have to be gargoyle alterations made, they decided it would be easier for Carbonear to just wear something else.  It wasn't that big a deal.)  For the gargoyles, the option was open as to what they wanted to wear, but the two had heard through the grapevine that most of the younger gargoyles were going to dress up as they had for Matt's wedding.  The humans would wear whatever they felt appropriate.
 Whitbourne had offered to play at the reception, and had also vaguely hinted that he and a few other nameless conspirators had a surprise planned.  He had  covered his tracks well...neither he nor Delilah would say what the surprise was, and everyone else claimed not to know what Brooklyn was talking about when he asked about it.  He, Bonavista, and Lexington had sneaked off to the Labyrinth a couple of times, too, but claimed, however falsely, that the excursions had nothing to do with it.  Brooklyn had a sneaking suspicion that Lexington knew a lot more than what he was saying, but he didn't bother prying.
 They had planned a reception after the ceremony...the wedding pictures were to be taken by Steven Loveless...which would be catered by Broadway and Whitbourne, the two chefs extraordinaire.  They even had a little honeymoon planned...once the wedding was over, Brooklyn and Carbonear were being flown to Xanadu for the weekend, a favour which Brooklyn and Carbonear had repaid by babysitting Alex for a night and giving Owen a night off.  The only real cost for the wedding was for the wedding rings, which had cost a hundred dollars each, according to Xanatos. ("One less dinner out for Fox and I." he had said when Brooklyn had thanked him.) There were still a few details to iron out...as in, who else would be involved in the ceremony other than Brooklyn, Carbonear, and Father Ogden...but things were well on their way.
 Carbonear and Brooklyn planned until nearly dawn, taking a brief break only for Brooklyn to go and get some sandwiches and for Carbonear to check something about weddings in the library.  They stayed up late, often laughing with excitement and sometimes even briefly forgetting about it and just cracking jokes and having a good time.  But their conversation always ended up circling back to the wedding, and Brooklyn, watching his mate's uncontained excitement at the prospect, couldn't help but be sure that the wedding...his wedding...was going to be something very special.
 No matter what Hudson thought about it.

************************************************************************************************

The Rockaway Nightclub
May 10, 1998
12:45 a.m., EDT

 "I gots an idea."   Whitbourne stated suddenly, throwing his dart.  He, Broadway, Angela and Delilah were playing darts in the Rockaway's games room, having a fun time.  The dart stuck in the dart board and Angela noted his score dutifully.
 "What's your idea?"  Broadway asked, taking a sip of his beer on the counter.
 "Well, ye knows how Brooklyn don't want a bachelor party, eh?"  Whitbourne began.  Brooklyn had been very adamant that he didn't want to celebrate "one last night of bachelor  freedom" since he technically wasn't a bachelor and he found the idea of hooting at a stripper the night before he got married to be inherently disgusting anyway.  Whitbourne had sulked a bit (not nearly as much for the stripper as for the party) but had lately been scheming a bit more.
 "Good for him.  That whole idea is degrading."  Delilah muttered.  She took Whitbourne's hand.
 "Well, anyways, I was thinking...what if we rents out the Rockaway a couple of nights 'fore the wedding and just has a party...nothin' like a bachelor party, just a fun time...then that'd keep him happy, right?"
 "You just want an excuse for a party."  Angela called over.  Whitbourne stuck his tongue out at her.
 "Plus it might help get Bonnie out of the dumps, too.  He's been after feelin' upset since that...that thing with the Phoenix Gate."  Whitbourne blinked.  Broadway and  Angela looked at each other...they obviously knew what was bothering Bonavista.  Whitbourne had a pretty good idea, too, but it just wasn't talked about.
 "Well, we can certainly ask."   Broadway stated.  "We should have it when your friends from Newfoundland are down, too, just to include them."
 Delilah grinned, and picked up three darts, stepping to the line to make her attempt.   "You might as well call it 'Newf Night' or something."  she joked.
 Whitbourne looked up.   "Newf Night!  Friggin' Jesus, Dee, that's wicked!"  Delilah turned around, and looked at him.
 "No music 'cept Newf music, no food 'cept Newf food...just a theme night at the Rockaway!"  Whitbourne hooted.  He kissed Delilah, and hurried out the door.  "I gots to tell Gomez..."
 The other three watched him go in a bit of stunned silence.  "I was just kidding..."  Delilah blinked.
 Angela sighed, and stood up next to her.  "You know him.  The least little thing gets him going."

***********************************************************************************************

Castle Wyvern
1:17 a.m., EDT

 Goliath was quite happy where he was, reading a fascinating book in the library, losing himself in the story on the pages  (he was currently engrossed by Victor Hugo's "Les Miserables") but as soon as Carbonear came into the library, he had the feeling that he was going to be distracted.  He looked up, and watched as she entered the stacks, browsing through the books.  Goliath could tell that she had a bit of a disturbed expression on her face.
 "Carbonear?"  he asked, setting his book aside.
 "Hmm?"  She didn't turn around; she absently picked up a book, stared at it, and set it down.
 "Is something wrong?"
 "No, everything's fine, my son.   I'm just looking up somethin' in the encyclopedia while Brooklyn's gettin' some sandwiches."  Carbonear smiled.  She turned.  "I'se gettin' married in two weeks.  Of course I'se fine.  It's something I'se been fantasizing about since I was a little girl."
 "I'm very happy for the two of you."  Goliath said, and he meant it.  Like Hudson, he found the prospect of two gargoyles having a human wedding ceremony to be a bit unnerving, but he didn't see any real problem with it.  He figured that if Brooklyn wanted to give that to Carbonear, then that was his business.  Being the leader of the clan didn't give him the right to intrude into his clan members personal lives.
 "Thanks, bye."  Carbonear smiled.  "But...well, to tell you the truth, that's sort of the problem.  Not with ye, just with Hudson."
 Goliath raised an eye ridge.  "He hasn't been discouraging you, has he?"
 "What?  No.  But I thinks the fact that he don't approve and that he ain't makin' much of an effort to hide that fact is botherin' Brooklyn.  I just don't want the two of them to be gettin' into a scuffle 'bout it."
 "I really don't think you have to worry."  Goliath sighed.  "Hudson and I have talked a few times since you two planned to wed, and he's assured me that even though he doesn't approve of the idea, he doesn't want to stand in the way, either."  He frowned.  "I honestly believe this is the first time I've ever heard Hudson suffer in silence about such a thing.  Usually, he's eager to let his feelings be known."
 Carbonear chuckled, and fiddled with the engagement ring on her middle talon.  "Well...I just hopes this whole thing don't get nasty."
 "I doubt it will."  Goliath assured her.
 "Cause if it do, I doesn't want to be responsible for a big fight, and I'd just as soon call the weddin' off 'fore it starts a big fight between Brooklyn and Hudson.  It'd tear me up inside to have to do that, but I'd do it.  Here's hopin' it don't come to that, but..."
 She sighed.   Goliath put his book down, and took her hand.
 "Don't worry."  he told her.  "It won't come to that."
 Carbonear looked at him, smiled, and went back to browsing for a book to read.

**********************************************************************************************

 That morning, the gargoyles moved to greet the day.  Whitbourne was chattering excitedly to Delilah, and Brooklyn and Carbonear, who were  standing next to them, looked at each other in confusion upon hearing the words "Rockaway" and "wedding" in the same sentence.
 "What are you two going on about?"  Brooklyn asked.
 "Your party."  Whitbourne grinned mischeviously.  Bonavista stepped out of the castle, eating an orange, and looked curiously towards the gaggle.
 "I told you how I felt about bachelor parties..."  Brooklyn sighed.
 "It isn't a bachelor party."  Delilah replied quickly.  "It's just a party at the Rockaway for the two of you for everyone.  A week from tomorrow.  Whit even convinced Gomez to make it a theme night."
 "Newf Night."  Whitbourne grinned.
 "Newf Night?"  Bonavista called over, stepping onto his parapet.  "Sweet Jesus..."
 "Yeah.  Newf Night."  Whitbourne frowned.  He looked over towards Carbonear.  "Ye thinks it's a good idea, don't ye, Carb?"
 Carbonear rolled her eyes, chuckling to herself.  "I thinks ye can do whatever the frigg ye wants to, Witless."
 "See?"  Whitbourne hooted.
 Brooklyn started to laugh.  "Go for it.  We'll be there."
 "I'll pay you money to leave your fiddle here!"  Broadway called from a nearby parapet.  Brooklyn, not missing a beat, stuck his middle talon in the air behind him, leading to roars of laughter from that side of the castle.
 Bonavista took a bite out of his orange, and considered the whole thing.  "Sounds like fun."  he muttered, cracking a faint smile.  Whitbourne, Brooklyn and Delilah raised eye ridges at him, but said nothing.  He noticed, blinked, and turned the other way.
 "Anyways, now ye knows."  Whitbourne stammered, still looking confusedly at his friend.   "Bonnie, you okay?"
 "Never better, Witless.  Never better."  Bonavista replied.
 Brooklyn frowned, and stepped back up on his parapet.  Carbonear looked at him, at Bonavista and back at him again.
 "He'll be after tellin' us what's botherin' him when he's ready."  she stated.
 "I hope."  Brooklyn frowned.  He leaned over, kissed her, wrapped his arms around her.  The sun suddenly rose, then, and the gargoyles froze in stone, Brooklyn and Carbonear wrapped in a tender kiss.

**********************************************************************************************

Sixth Avenue
May 14, 1998
12:01 a.m., EDT

 Things progressed like that for the next couple of days.  It was mostly normal...patrols proceeded as usual, castle life went on as normal.  Alex, who had recently had his second birthday, was one of the other centres of attention in the castle, since he had taken to running around the castle in a fun game that could only be described as "Run Away From Mommy".  The climax of this (which the gargoyles heard of later) was when, in the middle of the day, Alex had Run Away From Mommy in the middle of bathtime, and his travels had taken him into Xanatos' office during a meeting with an investor.  The prospective client, who was more surprised by a naked toddler running around David Xanatos' office than anything else, was duly impressed by the industrialist's calm during the incident, and subsequently sold several shares of his company into Xanatos Enterprises.  David would later tell Fox that if having Alex running naked through his office was all it took to get people to invest, then Run Away From Mommy would be a highly profitable maneuver.  Fox told him something else altogether that probably would not have been profitable for business.  Cursing rarely is.
 But the gargoyles lives proceeded simply as well.  Brooklyn and Carbonear went on making their plans for the wedding, and Carbonear would almost nightly call June Tibbo (who was due to arrive in New York City in three days time along with the other guests from Newfoundland) and relay plans.  Bonavista seemed to cheer up a bit, even, and he even cheerfully went to visit Kennedy one night when he was off patrol.
 Hudson was still playing the loner, but he made no move to stop the wedding or even voice his displeasure.  Everyone could tell that he didn't much care for the idea, but he was quite firm in his desire to keep his misgivings to himself.  And it was that desire of which Brooklyn and Angela talked that night while they patrolled.
 "I don't know."  Brooklyn admitted, scanning the streets below  for any signs of odd goings on.  "Even though he doesn't come out and say that he isn't happy about it, I still know that he's resentful, and that bothers me."
 "Brooklyn, you've known Hudson longer than I have, but I think we both know that he's not one to come right out and say what's bothering him."  Angela sighed.  "He tends to keep things to himself unless you force them out of him."
 "Uh huh.  I know.  But still...I don't know, maybe I just want things to be absolutely perfect for Carb,  and I want the whole clan to be able to look at the two of us and understand  why we're doing this."
 "Most of us do."
 "Yeah, I know, but I also know that Hudson doesn't.  He's set in his ways, that's something else I know about him."
 "But I've overheard him talking to Goliath that he doesn't feel it's his place to bring his own misgivings into your wedding."  Angela stated.   She looked at Brooklyn.  "He wants to see the two of you happy, too.  I think that for all he doesn't understand and maybe even resents the way you're going about it, he doesn't plan on spoiling your plans for the sake of tradition."
 Brooklyn looked at her, and sighed.  "I hope not." he muttered.   "For Carb's sake.  I know her best of all, and I know that this wedding is something she truly wants because it ties so much into her childhood dreams.  Something she always wanted but never felt she could have  because of what she was.  I wish Hudson would accept this, but I suppose that as long as he lets us be and doesn't upset Carb by trying to take this away from her, then I can live with him disapproving."
 Angela looked at him, and then her ears perked.  "I hear something."
 "Sounds like a scream for help."  Brooklyn frowned, listening intently.  "Let's take it.  We can talk about this later."

**********************************************************************************************

Greenwich Apartment Complex
10:54 a.m., EDT

 With a gasp, Elisa Maza suddenly bolted upright in her bed.  She blinked...she had been having a very odd dream that wasn't altogether pleasant, but somehow she didn't think that that was the sole reason she had woken up.  She sleepily rubbed her eyes, and ran her hands through her hair.  The night before, Brooklyn and Angela had stopped a potential robbery/sexual assault, and Elisa had put in a long night arresting the perpetrator and filing the subsequent paperwork.  She had come home dead tired, but something had urged her to wake up in spite of that.
 She sat there quietly for a second, and then it hit her.
 She was feeling nauseous.
 She stumbled out of her bed, nearly tripped over the cat, and walked to the kitchen.  The walking around did no good whatsoever...she still had a queasy feeling in her stomach.  She couldn't  think of anything that could have been causing it.  She hadn't eaten anything the night before that might have potentially disagreed with her, and she wasn't coming down with any sort of intestinal flu.  (She knocked on the wooden cupboard after thinking this...of all things, a stomach cold was one of the last things she needed at the moment).  In fact, the only other thing her tired mind would associate with this feeling was morning sickness, and that was ridiculous because she wasn't pregnant.
 Elisa paused again, her hand in the act of reaching for the Pepto-Bismol in the cupboard.  Morning sickness...something was jamming that in her mind.
 Come off it, Maza, a quiet inner voice chided her.   You aren't pregnant.  The only partner you've had in a year is Goliath, and he's a gargoyle.  That just can't happen.
 She frowned, seemed to accept that, and then it suddenly hit her that she hadn't had her period in well over a month.  She had had a stressful month, and menstrual problems were a common occurance in her family, so when the cardinal had failed to show up at the appointed time of the month, she had attributed it to a simple mix of stress and genetics.  Nothing to worry about.
 Yet now that she thought about it...
 She drummed her fingernails on the countertop, forgetting all about the Pepto-Bismol and instead concentrating on the feelings of anxiety she was suffering from.
 You aren't pregnant, that sensible inner voice reiterated.  That's just bullshit.
 Goliath and I made love a couple of times in the last couple of months, once just before that whole incident with the Phoenix Gate and Iceface happened, she told herself.  Now I'm missing my period and having morning sickness...
 ...which are pretty circumstantial, considering you've already explained away the menstrual difficulties with a combination of stress from work and family traits, and that you don't know the nausea is morning sickness.  Don't jump to conclusions.
 She made herself some toast, and ate it dry.  No sense going back to sleep now; she was wide awake again, thinking the impossible even though her rational mind was asking her who she thought she was kidding.
 Still, she couldn't help but feel anxious about the whole thing and she started  playing fretful hypotheses over and over in her mind
 "Well, it's easy enough to check."  she announced aloud once she had eaten the dry toast and chased it down with a glass of water.  Cagney, who was lapping up the last vestiges of the Meow Mix Elisa had put in his bowl the night before, looked up at her curiously.   "I'll just run down to the Rite-Aid down the street and get a pregnancy test.  That way I'll set my mind at ease."
 Or find out I'm pregnant, she thought suddenly.
 Her rational mind, which was rapidly tiring of such facetious reasoning, scoffed at that condition, but she paid it no attention.
 Forty-five minutes later, Elisa found herself at the checkout in the Rite-Aid, awkwardly carrying a home pregnancy kit in her hands.  She had decided to wear sunglasses (this was justified since it was a bright, sunny day, but she still couldn't help but feel she was being cowardly) and couldn't help but feel comfortable knowing that in here she was just another face in a crowd of anonymous shoppers.
 The checkout clerk looked at  her carefully as he rang her purchase through.  Elisa didn't give him a second glance.  She paid in cash, and  walked out.  The day was bright and sunny, but she kept staring down at the ground as she walked towards her car.
 She went back to her apartment building, and bumped into Kennedy Woodworth in the lobby.  She was talking to another girl...Mary Ellen Coady, Elisa remembered, thinking back to the last time Mary Ellen had come over to Kennedy's and the two had run up to her apartment asking if they could borrow a couple of CD's.
 "Hey, Elisa!"  Kennedy waved cheerily.  She was back to her old self...after being thrown backwards in time three-quarters of a century and going through a few days of adjusting with such a  widening of her horizons, she was fine.  She had managed to pass all her exams (a real testimonial to her intelligence if she can focus on exams after time-travelling, Elisa had thought) and was now kicking back and relaxing.   "How come you aren't sleeping?"
 "Had a couple of errands to run."  Elisa replied.  "Hi, Mary Ellen."
 "Hi, Ms. Maza."  Mary Ellen replied.
 "If you get a chance tonight, could you tell Bonnie I'll be by tonight?"  Kennedy asked.  Elisa raised an eyebrow, and nodded.
 "Who's Bonnie?"  Mary Ellen asked.
 "I'll explain later."  Kennedy replied curtly.  "Here, let's go...Shawn and Laine are waiting.  Bye, Elisa!"
 "Bye, Kennedy."  Elisa waved as the two girls walked out of the building.  Elisa stepped into the elevator, turned,  and watched them step out into the sunshine just seconds  before the elevator door slid closed.
 She got back into her apartment, and flopped onto the couch.  She picked up the box  for the pregnancy test, and scanned the directions.
 You really are being foolish, that maddening voice in her mind piped in.  You're just wasting your time and ten bucks with this silly notion.
 I make ten bucks an hour anyway and if I don't do this, I'll keep worrying about it.  A little  time spent on this won't hurt.  And if I am, Goliath deserves...no, has a right to know.
 She sighed, and started opening the box on her way to the bathroom.  Cagney let out a little meow, and she stooped to give him a reassuring pet.
 "I'm just checking, Cagney."  she stated.  "Better safe than sorry, eh, cat?"
 Cagney simply looked at her in feline indifference.  Elisa smiled, walked into the bathroom, and shut the door.

**********************************************************************************************

 Forty five minutes later, Elisa picked up the phone and calmly dialled seven numbers.  She listened as it rang, and waited patiently for the call to go through.
 It did.  The receiver on the other end was picked up, and the voice of Maria Chavez came on the other line.  "Hello?"  she asked, in a very tired voice.
 "Captain, it's Elisa.  I'm sorry to bother you when you should be sleeping, but I have to ask you for a night off tonight.  I know I'm not off until next Monday..."
 "Why do you need the night off?"
 Elisa frowned.  How to word this?  "An emergency came up." she stated finally.
 "An emergency?"  Chavez echoed.
 Elisa picked up the indicator of the pregnancy test, and stared dully at the blue positive sign.  "Uh huh."  she replied.  "A very big emergency."

************************************************************************************************
************************************************************************************************
************************************************************************************************

Chapter Two

  Men Plan, God Laughs

The Eyrie Building Infirmary
9:33 p.m., EDT

 Dr. Jonathan Mosier stared at Goliath and Elisa, who were both sitting nervously in his office.  He looked down at a medical text, and sighed.  "You took a pregnancy test, and it came back positive?"
 Elisa nodded, looking a little bit harried.   "Uh huh."  she replied.  Goliath didn't look at all like he was there.  He had a dazed, confused expression on his face, staring at Elisa first, then at the doctor, all with a look that  Dr. Mosier interpreted as the standard "surely there must be some mistake" look.
 "And you're the father?"  Dr. Mosier asked, looking at Goliath.  The massive gargoyle  looked up at him, and seemed to consider the question.
 "It would appear so."  he finally stammered in a very small voice.  Elisa looked at him in concern, and took his hand.
 "Well, first of all, there's no absolute guarantee that you're pregnant.  Home pregnancy tests are usually reliable, 90% accurate in the first trimester, but...well, to be blunt, I wouldn't expect that a gargoyle/human mating could produce a child."   Mosier frowned.  "The two of you have been sexually active recently?"
 Goliath's purple face flushed nearly to scarlet.  Elisa blushed as well, but slowly nodded yes.
 "Don't worry.  I don't judge."  Mosier stated reassuringly.  "It isn't my place to say what's right and what's wrong, and I personally don't have any moral objections to this sort of thing.  Detective Maza, have you experienced any other symptoms?  Have you noticed any rise in your body temperature upon waking?  Have your breasts enlarged?"
 Goliath was having a very rough time of this, it was obvious to see...he didn't stop blushing.  Elisa closed her eyes, and thought.  "No, I...no."  she admitted.  "I haven't noticed to any significant degree."
 "Hmm."  Mosier frowned.  "Well, we'll go from there.  I want to take you into the exam room, Miss Maza.  I'll run a Pregnosticon test, and the lab results, which we should recieve tomorrow, will tell us for certain if you are pregnant.  I'll also want  to take some blood and urine samples, and we'll use those if the test gives a positive result.  Goliath...is there anything I can do for you?"
 Goliath blinked.   "No."  he muttered.  "No, I'm fine."
 "All right, then."  Dr. Mosier stated.  "Follow me, please..."

************************************************************************************************

Castle Wyvern
9:39 p.m., EDT

 The entire clan (minus Goliath, who was down in the infirmary with Elisa) was intensely curious as to what was going on.  Kennedy Woodworth was there, too, surprised at the fact that Elisa had gone down to the clinic.  All anybody knew was what they had seen at sunset...Elisa had come up to the castle, had taken Goliath aside, told him something, and then the two had rushed away hurridly, with Goliath having a mortified expression on his face.  There had been many speculations, with some thinking that something had happened to one of the Xanatos' (a quick check with Owen, who had assured Lexington that David, Fox and Alex were just fine, thank you very much, had disproved this) to a few hushed, morbid speculations that something might be wrong with Elisa.  Brooklyn, Broadway and Angela engaged in damage control, walking around and telling the people they caught engaging in rumours to be discrete and that everything was probably fine.  Still, though, it was easy to tell that everyone was worried.
 Kennedy and Bonavista were sitting in the kitchen, each drinking a beer.  They both looked well at ease, even though Bonavista was shooting her furtive glances whenever she wasn't looking.  He had begun feeling better from his melancholy after the incident in 1924, deciding to try and retain his friendship with Kennedy while working up the courage to tell her how he truly felt about her.  Kennedy, who knew nothing of how he really felt, was completely oblivious to his rather pained efforts.
 "She looked fine when I saw her this morning."  she stated, taking a drink.  "I hope she's okay."
 "I hopes so too, me girl."  Bonavista muttered.  "I really hopes so too."
 Whitbourne, Delilah, Ophelia and Carbonear were standing on the parapets, in a hushed, fearful discussion of what the problem might be.  "I doesn't know why, but I keeps gettin' scared she gots cancer or somethin'.  She looked fine, though."  Whitbourne blinked.
 "Don't say things like that."  Ophelia protested.  "That's not fair, Whitbourne.  Elisa's fine.  For all we know she could just have cut her finger."
 "So she ran off to the infirmary and got Goliath in that state for a friggin' cut finger, ye thinks?"  Whitbourne scoffed.
 "She's right, Witless.  Stop your gabbin'."  Carbonear scolded.  "Ye doesn't know what's the matter.  None of us do.  Don't go chuckin' around things like cancer.  Ye might upset some people."
 Brooklyn walked over to them from out of the castle.   "I just called down to the infirmary." he reported.  "They're still with Dr. Mosier."
 "What's wrong with them?"  Delilah asked.
 "They didn't say."  Brooklyn sighed, rubbing his eyes with his hand.  "All I know is that they're fine, and that supposedly it's hardly a life-threatening situation.  Elisa's just having some tests done and Goliath's down there with her."
 Carbonear crossed her arms.  "See, Witless?  She's just fine.  Quit chuckin' stuff like that around."   Whitbourne shuffled his feet guiltily, and looked away.
 "What's goin' on?"  Brooklyn asked, confusedly.
 "Nothin'.  We was just worried."  Carbonear stated.  She pulled Brooklyn aside.  "So she's fine.  That's a relief."
 "I didn't ask what they were testing for.  Didn't feel it would be right to poke around into Elisa's health like that.  I think Hudson's heading down there, though, just to check on them."  Brooklyn muttered.  "I hope she's okay."
 "I hopes so too, my son."  Carbonear sighed.  "But wait till June Tibbo gets here in a couple of days.  Ye oughta see her mother people back to health."
 "That's right.  June and all them get here on Sunday."  Brooklyn blinked.  "Frigg.   I forgot in all the excitement."
 "Wait till I tells her that."  Carbonear grinned.  She sighed.  "Anyway, all kidding aside, I really do hope Elisa's okay."

*********************************************************************************************

The Eyrie Building Infirmary
9:51 p.m., EDT

 When the nurse at the reception area finally let him in after she had made a phone call, Hudson walked straight to the hallway.  Elisa and Goliath were standing there, talking to a man Hudson recognized as Dr. Jonathan Mosier.  Hudson frowned, and perked his ears.
 "...treat the urine sample with antibodies sensitive to a hormone known as human chorionic gonadotropin.  Only pregnant women carry this hormone.  If the antibodies positively react with the urine sample we took from Elisa, then we'll know for sure that she's pregnant.  If they don't, then you simply had a false  positive result of the pregnancy test, Detective Maza."
 Hudson's eyes widened as he heard the doctor speaking.  Elisa?  Pregnant?
 Goliath turned, then, and saw Hudson approaching.  Dr. Mosier stifled a cough, and sighed.  "You two can leave now.  I'll call you sometime in the afternoon with the lab results when they come in tomorrow.  In the meantime, keep in mind that we don't know for sure whether you're pregnant or not."
 The doctor wished them good night, and walked back into his office.  Hudson slowly approached Goliath and Elisa, his expression wide and disbelieving.
 "...lass?" he stammered out finally.
 Goliath (who had regained his composure somewhat) cleared his throat.  "Hudson, we don't know for sure.  Elisa took a test to determine whether or not she was pregnant this afternoon, and the result was positive.  That's what she told me up at the castle earlier."
 "The doctor took some blood and urine samples and I should know by tomorrow if I'm pregnant or not."  Elisa groaned, and put her hands to her head.  "I can't believe this is happening..."
 Goliath awkwardly put his arms around her.  "If it turns out that you are, then I'll stand by you."  he whispered.  "This is just as much my responsibility as it is yours."
 Elisa looked up at him, and gave him a weak grin.  "Thanks, big guy."
 "I'm sorry...I mean, I should have controlled myself...I mean..."
 It was obvious to see that the flusteredness was getting the best of Goliath again, and Hudson watched in silence as Elisa kissed him on the cheek.  "It's not something I think of as requiring blame.  And like the doctor said, it still hasn't been confirmed that I'm pregnant yet.   Let's wait until we get the results back before we start discussing this."
 Goliath nodded as Hudson cleared his throat.  "I'll keep this to myself, lad."  the elder gargoyle stated.  "The word won't get out to the rest of the clan before you know for sure."
 "Thanks, Hudson."  Elisa muttered.  "Goliath...I think we'd better go have a talk."
 The three of them walked down the corridor and out of the infirmary, in total silence.

*********************************************************************************************

Castle Wyvern
10:00 p.m., EDT

 Brooklyn and Broadway were walking along the upper  ramparts of the castle, watching the city below the Eyrie's massive tower.  They had both tried their best to keep the speculation on Elisa's condition to a minimum, but both of them would confess to a little bit of worry and curiousity themselves.
 "I really hope Elisa's okay."  Broadway sighed, watching the lights of Manhattan below.
 "She is."  Brooklyn replied.  "And I'm sure it's nothing serious."
 "Yeah, well...considering I almost killed her twice..."
 Brooklyn blinked.  "She...Broadway, she's fine.  I called down and checked."
 "I know.  I just worry."  Broadway grinned awkwardly.  He sighed, and changed the subject.  "So how's the wedding plans?"
 "Fine."   Brooklyn replied, raising an eye ridge yet grateful not to be speculating on Elisa's condition anymore.  "Mostly everything's worked out.  Hard to believe it's in just a little over a week."
 "You nervous?"
 "A little."  Brooklyn admitted.  "But I know it'll turn out.  And there's not too much that could conceivably go wrong.  Apart from Hudson, but I'm probably worrying a bit too much."
 "Like me."  Broadway chuckled.  "Just a couple of obsessive paranoids, us."
 "Ward Nine called.  They want us to go back for our therapy."  Brooklyn grinned, and Broadway stifled a laugh.
 "Well, both Angela and I hope everything goes well.  Especially me."  Broadway continued.   "Just 'cause I was a little stunned when you told me back in March, I didn't think it was an altogether bad idea."
 "I know."  Brooklyn grinned.   "That's why I told you first."
 They walked for a few minutes more. "Say, Broadway..."  Brooklyn cleared his throat as they turned a corner.
 "Hmm?"  the portly turquoise gargoyle answered lazily.
 "Carb and I haven't planned a whole lot about other people in the ceremony...you know, like the maid of honour and all that...and I was wondering if I could ask you to be the best man.  You know, the groom's witness."
 "I know what a best man is."  Broadway blinked.   "Seriously?"
 Brooklyn nodded.  "Frigg, Brooklyn..."  Broadway stammered.  "I'd be honoured."
 "Kinda fits, you know, seeing as you and I have been best friends since we hatched, and you were the first person I told about all this..."
 "Brooklyn...I'd be glad to."  Broadway blinked.  Brooklyn grinned, and shook his friend's hand.

************************************************************************************************

 Goliath and Elisa were sitting in the library, quiet, not saying a word.  Hudson had left, heading outside to do a little more damage control.  That was the farthest thing from Goliath's mind, however...he was lost in a confused muddle.
 A father, he kept telling himself.  Elisa is possibly carrying my child.
 He held her close, and she sighed in his arms.
 "If it turns out I am pregnant,"  Elisa stated quietly, "then we're gonna have a lot of explaining to do.  My parents are going to have a fit."
 "They approve of our relationship.  This may take some adjustment, but Elisa, surely they can accept..."
 Elisa sighed.  "I hope.  But that's not the only worry either.  Goliath, this baby will be half gargoyle, half human.  Has that ever happened before?"
 Goliath shook his head no.  "Not to my knowledge.  In Scotland, humans and gargoyles did not publically acknowledge relations between them... such unions were highly frowned upon.  Any children...if any...would have been concealed.  But as far as I know, nothing like this has ever happened, no."
 "We don't know if it even can happen."  Elisa sighed.  "I'm just...Goliath, even though I know I'm being presumptive, I'm scared."
 Goliath looked at her, and closed his eyes. "I am too, my sweet Elisa."  he whispered.   "But no matter what happens...no matter what the results of these tests...I'll stand by you.  We're in this together."
 Elisa smiled, and  nestled herself deep into his arms.  Goliath stroked her hair, and  kissed her forehead, not wanting at all to admit that deep down, he was completely at a loss of what to do.

**********************************************************************************************

Greenwich Apartment Complex
May 15, 1998
1:12 p.m., EDT

 Elisa couldn't sleep that day.  She and Goliath had sat in the library for most of the night.  A few members of the clan had come in and asked if she was all right, and she and Goliath had invariably told them that yes, as a matter of fact, she was.  Elisa had tactfully stated that she had had some tests done and there had been an anomalous result that was being checked out.  She confessed to Goliath that she felt guilty about concealing the truth, but he reassured her that it was for the best.
 When daybreak had stolen Goliath away for the day, she returned home, and settled in next to the phone, waiting for the call.  She watched the clock for a while, ticking away endless seconds of endless minutes of endless hours.  The phone rang at 10:00, and Elisa fearfully picked it up.  It was Matt.  He asked where she had been that night, and asked if she was all right.  Elisa told him that something personal had come up, that she was expecting a very important phone call, and that she'd explain later.  Mildly confused, Matt hung up.
 Then, at almost a quarter after one, the phone rang again.  Elisa picked it up with trembling hands.  "Hello?"  she greeted.
 "Detective Maza?  This is Dr. Jon Mosier from the Eyrie Infirmary.  I'm just calling to let you know that your test results are in."
 "Uh huh."  Elisa closed her eyes, and braced herself.
 "They came back positive.  Elisa, I don't know whether to congratulate you or not, but either way, you're pregnant."
 Elisa felt a wave of dizziness come upon her, and the world swam away from her.  When it came back, she found her throat as dry as a bone.
 "Hello?  Hello?  Miss Maza, are you..."
 "I'm here."  Elisa croaked, licking her lips.
 "Good, because I have a few more things I'd like to make you aware of.  Miss Maza...what I said about moral judgements last night still holds true.  If you love that gargoyle, I'll hold my judgement.  But medically speaking...well, to be blunt, gargoyles and humans are two separate species, and judging on the basis of past research, this may be an abnormal situation.  I'll be frank, Miss Maza, I don't know if this is a viable pregnancy or not."
 "What do you mean?"  Elisa  asked, still riding the shock wave of the initial announcement.   Pregnant...carrying Goliath's child...
 "I won't be in the office for the next couple of nights.  I'm heading up to Boston for a conference.  But if you'd be so kind as to come to the Eyrie infirmary next Tuesday night, I'd like to have a talk with you and Goliath.  Just to make you aware of some of the problems this pregnancy might impose."  Mosier sighed.   "None of these problems are givens...for all I know, you could have a healthy baby come New Year's...but there are certain possibilities that you should know about.  Meet me on Tuesday.  And like  I said, I don't know if they're altogether appropriate, but congratulations all the same."
 "Thank you."  Elisa replied dully, and she  hung up.   She stared at the phone, and then back at the wall again, suddenly wishing achingly that the sun would go down and that Goliath could hold her close.

*********************************************************************************************

Castle Wyvern
8:39 p.m., EDT

 Owen Burnett and Alexander Xanatos were on the parapets as the sun slipped downwards, just watching.  Elisa looked at them, and Owen noticed her noticing.
 "Alexander wanted to see the gargoyles waking up."  the major domo explained.  He studied her.  "Is everything all right?"
 "In a way."  Elisa replied cryptically, and just then the sun set.  The twelve statues on the tower suddenly began to crack and burst, punctuated with the half-roars, half-yawns that the gargoyles always greeted the dusk with.  Within seconds, Goliath had swooped down to the courtyard and stood next to her, with the puzzled eyes of the clan upon him.  He looked at her, his unspoken question evident in his eyes, and she nodded yes.
 "I got the call."  she muttered softly.  "The results were positive."
 "Oh, Lord."  Goliath exhaled, and he held her close.  Hudson stepped forward, his expression concerned...and knowing.
 "Is everything all right?"  Ophelia asked, stepping down from the parapets.
 Elisa looked up.  Her eyes were bloodshot.  "Yeah."  she muttered.   "Yeah, everything's fine."
 "Ye's cryin'."  Carbonear frowned, troubled.   "Elisa..."
 "If there's something wrong, you can tell us..."  Broadway offered.
 Elisa sighed heavily.  She looked questioningly at Goliath, who nodded.  "Um...look, this isn't easy to say, but..."
 "But what?"  Lexington blinked.  All of the clan, including Bronx, who let out a mournful moan, had clustered around the two of them.
 "I...I'm pregnant."  Elisa replied.  "I'm going to have a baby."
 There was total, absolute silence.  Brooklyn, Whitbourne, and Bonavista's jaws simultaneously dropped.   The clan stared at her for what seemed like forever.
 "Baby?"  Delilah blinked.
 "You...and Goliath?"   Brooklyn stuttered.
 The leader of the clan nodded.   "The child is Elisa's and my own,"   Goliath replied, "and we both share the responsibility."
 "Father...it's not a liability."  Angela whispered.  She suddenly stepped forward and embraced Elisa.  "Congratulations."
 "Thanks."  Elisa replied.  "Hold your congratulations, though.  When the doctor called, he said that he wanted to talk to Goliath and I, to go over some things that we need to know about."
 "As far as I know, lass, this will be the first gargoyle/human mix."  Hudson clarified.
 Bonavista stepped forward as well.  "Frigg, you two...I thinks I speaks fer the whole clan when I says congratulations, too..."
 "And we'll be behind you guys every step of the way."    Broadway cut in.
 Elisa and Goliath looked at each other.  "It will be difficult."  Goliath frowned, taking Elisa's hand.
 "But we're a clan.  We're family.   We're in this together."  Brooklyn stated.  "And if  Carb and I can break with tradition and have a human wedding then there's nothing saying that the two of you can't start a family of your own."
 Hudson started badly at this remark.  Brooklyn didn't notice, but Carbonear did.  She looked at Hudson quizzically, and then turned her attention back to Goliath and Elisa.
 "Thanks guys."  Elisa  smiled.  "It means a lot to me."
 "And to me."  Goliath continued.  He looked at Elisa.  "We should probably go and talk.  I'd imagine we have many things to discuss."
 Owen stepped forward, and looked at the two of them.  "If I might be so bold, I would like to offer my own congratulations, as well."  he offered flatly.   "And I'm sure Mr. and Mrs. Xanatos share my sentiments."
 Elisa nodded.  "Thank you, Owen."  She turned to Goliath.   "You're right.  Let's go and try to work this out."
 The gargoyle and the human left, then, slowly walking towards  the castle, leaving the clan behind.  Owen was quick to follow, carrying Alex in his arms.

**********************************************************************************************

 "Jesus H. Jehovah Christ."  Whitbourne exhaled once  they had left.  "She's having a baby..."
 Nobody in the clan spoke  for a few minutes as the news sank in.  Brooklyn, Broadway and Lexington looked at each other...having known Goliath and Elisa the longest out of the younger gargoyles, they weren't entirely flabbergasted by the news, but it was still a shock.
 "They don't seem that happy about it."  Ophelia frowned.
 "I'm sure they're happy, it's just this is so unexpected."  Angela replied.
 "Not to mention a milestone.  I don't think I've ever heard of a half gargoyle, half human baby."  Broadway continued.    He took Angela's hand.
 "Well, in any case, we're supporting them."  Brooklyn cleared his throat.
 "Oh, no question."  Lexington nodded.   "Elisa's clan and Goliath's our leader.  And friend.  We owe it to them."
 "I don't think there's any question of support here, lads."  Hudson stepped forward.  "Doubtless this will be a difficult time with a lot of changes, but I think we can all agree that both Goliath and Elisa won't be facing this alone."
 The clan unanimously nodded.  Hudson looked at Brooklyn.   "Lad, could I have a word with ye in private?"
 Brooklyn raised an eye ridge, and blinked.  "Sure."  he replied, and he walked over to Hudson.  The past and future leaders of the clan headed towards the edge of the parapets, and glided down towards the courtyard.
 "I wonders what that's about?"  Bonavista asked.
 Carbonear, recalling Hudson's reaction to Brooklyn's comment, sighed glumly.  "I thinks I knows."

*******************************************************************************************

 "What's the problem?"  Brooklyn asked as soon as he and Hudson landed upon the grassy courtyard below.
 "I just wanted to tell you to make sure that the clan adjusts to this."  Hudson blinked.  "Never  to my knowledge has a human carried a gargoyle's child, and this is  a new situation."
 Brooklyn nodded.   "Sounds like most of them up there have accepted it anyway, but yeah, I'll watch out for that.  Anything else?"
 Hudson sighed, and looked heavenward.  He knew what he was about to say was probably not going to sit well, but Brooklyn's comment had bothered him...and he had, after all, known Brooklyn since the younger gargoyle had hatched.  He figured that being honest and straightforward would probably be appreciated.  "Well, lad...your comment up on the tower..."
 Brooklyn gave him a blank stare.  "Comment?"
 "When ye were tryin' to reassure Goliath and Elisa.  About it being all right for the two of them to start a family if it was all right for you and Carbonear to have a human wedding and break with tradition.  I...well, don't ye think it was a bit out of place?"
 "What?"  Brooklyn asked incredulously.   "What are you talking about?"
 "Lad, this is a totally different situation.  Goliath and Elisa are going through a difficult time, and they don't need you comparin' their situation to something like your wedding..."
 Brooklyn's mouth opened, and it became increasingly apparent that he was struggling to say something but not able to find the words.
 "All I'm saying is that ye keep things in perspective, lad.  You know as well as I that Elisa's pregnancy is going to be a difficult matter, and I don't think it's fair to put that in the same category as your and  Carbonear's wedding."
 Brooklyn continued to try to find his composure, and then closed his eyes.  "I'm getting you up to the point where you're saying that Elisa's pregnancy is a serious matter, and then I'm losing you."  the younger gargoyle stated through gritted teeth.  "What are you saying?"
 In the days that followed, Hudson would look back on the next phrase he would say and wish that it had been left unspoken.  Granted, it seemed innocent at the time, but in the wake of the bitterness it would ensue, Hudson would scoff at the seeming purity of his remark.  Many, many times.
 He shrugged, and sighed, and then spoke those fateful eighteen words.  "Well, lad, you have to admit that this wedding business of yours is a bit more frivolous than..."
 "Frivolous?"  Brooklyn seized upon that word, his eyes suddenly taking on a whitish cast.
 "When compared to Elisa and Goliath, aye.  Frivolous."
 "I was trying to reassure them."  Brooklyn scowled.  "I was trying to make them feel a bit better by letting them now that no matter what, the clan was  behind them, and you bitch me out for trivializing the matter by comparing it to my wedding?  My frivolous wedding?"
 "Really, now, lad, I think you're taking this a bit out of context..."  Hudson frowned.
 "Since when is an act of love towards my mate...my mate who almost died...when is that frivolous?  Since when is doing something special for the woman that I love frivolous?  And since when do you bring the matter up in the middle of something else altogether and call me for being trivial?"  Brooklyn demanded.  He was yelling, now.
 Hudson bridled, and his own tone began to darken.  "You called it up, not me.  You brought the matter of this wedding into something else altogether, not me.  And you're flying in the face of all the gargoyle traditions that you grew up with.  Perhaps frivolous wasn't the right word."
 "So what was?"  Tell me, Hudson.  The whole world up there wants to know what the right word was."  Brooklyn roared.  His eyes were fully white and glowing, now...the young gargoyle was enraged.  Hudson growled, suddenly resentful of everything, suddenly not wanting to have to put up with this nonsense, suddenly sick of fighting with Brooklyn when his attention should have been elsewhere.
 "Misguided, perhaps?"  Hudson shouted nastily.  He wasn't at all thinking rationally.  "I have more important things to do than argue with ye over breaking from tradition..."
 "What a load of self-righteous bullshit."  Brooklyn spat in anger.  "Do you think I'm  doing this to spite you?  To stick it to tradition?  I'm giving Carbonear a human wedding because it was what she grew up wanting, it's to show her how much I care for her..."
 "Am I questioning your motives?  No, Brooklyn, I'm simply stating a fact that this is not something that's done, and that I didn't at all feel comfortable with you bringing it up when there were more important matters at hand.  I've nothing further to say."
 "I do."  Brooklyn growled.  "You listen and you listen good..."
 "Take that tone with me, lad, and you'll live to regret it."  Hudson warned.  He turned to the wall, and began to scale it.
 "Then stop treating me like a goddamn hatchling!"  Brooklyn shouted back.  "You're overreacting, not me.  All I said was that if Carb and I could have a wedding, Goliath and Elisa could start a family..."
 "And that was totally uncalled for!"  Hudson opined.
 "This isn't about the comment at all, is it."  Brooklyn growled.  "I think you're really just upset because I'm breaking with tradition, giving my mate a human custom, and you're too close-minded to accept that."
 "I don't have time to argue with ye, lad.  I'm going to check on Goliath and Elisa."  Hudson rolled his eyes.  "We'll discuss this later."
 "You're damn right we're discussing this later!"  Brooklyn called up.  Hudson hopped over on the  parapets, finding the rest of the clan staring at him.  He stared them all down, not comfortable with their inquistive eyes upon him.  Carbonear was looking away, leaning against a parapet, her eyes closed.
 "What?" Hudson asked gruffly, and he turned on his heel and stomped into the castle.  The clan said nothing.  Hudson was glad.  He was still angry over that little confrontation, but he didn't feel like dragging it out. Instead, he went to the TV room, his thoughts a swirling maelstrom of pregnancies and weddings.

**********************************************************************************************

 Brooklyn scaled the castle wall once Hudson had gone inside.  He cursed and ranted the whole way up, angry as hell over what had just transpired.  Whitbourne and Lexington raced over to help him up, but he pushed them aside.
 "What happened?"  Lexington asked.
 "Christ, we could hear ye's goin' at 'er from up here."  Whitbourne exclaimed.
 "Oh, Hudson came at  me  and told me how my comment was wholly inappropriate, words were exchanged, and he finally started ranting about what a break in tradition my wedding was and how the whole thing was frivolous."
 "He's probably got a lot on his mind, Brooklyn.  After hearing about Elisa and Goliath, he'd have his mind focused on that."  Lexington tried to placate his rookery brother, but it didn't work. Brooklyn growled, and cracked his knuckles.
 "Still, the gall of him!  The absolute gall!  Calling what I'm doing to show Carbonear I love her because it's something she's always wanted frivolous..."  he growled again, and looked towards Carbonear.  She was still looking away, not getting involved, not saying a word.
 "Just let it go, Brook."  Broadway pleaded.  "Lex was right.  He's stressed out."
 "Well, good for him, but he's still gonna apologize.  Both to me and Carb."  Brooklyn insisted, and then he would listen no more.  He walked over to Carbonear, who turned, and Brooklyn saw that she was close to tears.  Not quite crying, but close.
 Goddamn you, Hudson, he thought, and then embraced her.
 "He was just being ignorant, Carb."  Brooklyn stroked her hair, holding her close.  She let go of him, and looked deep into his hazel brown eyes.  Brooklyn stared at her close to teary eyes, and felt a spark of rage within him once more.  He would have cheerfully sucker punched Hudson at that moment, seeing that look of...dullness was the only word that would come to mind.  Almost a weary lack of surprise.
 "This is exactly what I thought was gonna be after happenin' with him."  she stated.  "I knew that ye and him'd be gettin' in a scrap over this."
 "Carb..."  Brooklyn protested, but she closed her eyes.  Her voice was passionate and haunting.
 "Promise me ye's gonna drop it." she insisted.  "Promise me ye's gonna let it go and leave Hudson be."
 "Jesus, Carb, after what he said?  How can I..."
 "I doesn't care what he said.  Just promise me that this ain't gonna come to a fight.  Wedding's is supposed to be happy things, not reasons for scuffles, and I'll be damned if I'se lettin' your gift to me turn into that latter."
 Broo