This is an amateur, non-commercial story, which is not produced, approved of, or in any way sponsored by the holders of the trademarks/copyrights from which this work is derived, nor is it intended to infringe on the rights of these holders. And so it goes.

FALLEN

a Gargoyles tale by Jeff Morris

Sunset.
        He leaned back against the wall and watched as the sun made its slow, lazy descent toward the horizon, its light receding from the skyscrapers of Manhattan like the tide going out. The sight never failed to stir an odd anticipation in his soul, an eager tingling through his body. He ignored the chill of the evening wind that slapped against his clothes, barely acknowledging its presence with the slightest of shivers. The cold had never bothered him all that much; he accepted it as he had accepted everything that had ever come his way--with equal parts gratitude and resignation. It came with the territory.
        From his perch up here he felt as though he could simply stretch out his arms and embrace the sky. It was so peaceful, so very silent. He could think without distraction. It was nothing at all like street level, where at the moment rush hour was competing with all those wailing police, paramedic and fire vehicles to see who could make the most noise. He glanced down for a moment, shook his head, and turned back up to the peace of the ever-darkening evening sky.
        He straightened up slightly and leaned forward as the sunset entered its final moments. No, the thrill had never left, not even after all these years. It was comforting to know that, somehow. The man smiled to himself and gave his old friend a salute as it vanished, then leaned back against the wall again, wishing that the cop above him would stop screaming for a minute or two. It was getting annoying.
        The cop was finding the situation no less annoying. "Come on, mister!"
Officer Morgan yelled, wondering why the hell he had to get the quiet jumpers. The shrinks always emphasized that it was important to get them talking, to focus their attention on something other than the act they were contemplating. Oh no, he couldn't be that lucky. He had to get a guy who was standing on a ledge a few hundred feet above the street, acting like he didn't have a care in the world. "Look, just say something to let me know you can hear me, okay? I don't really want to come down there with you."
        The stranger looked up and grinned. "Then don't." He patted his coat and shirt pockets, then remembered he'd forgotten to buy a pack of Winstons this morning. He frowned in momentary regret, then returned his attention to the sunset. Spectacular as always. Bravo.
        Morgan whistled in relief. Contact had been made. "Thanks. But if you really want to help me out, why don't you come over here and give me your hand? Let's get you off that ledge and we'll head over to Schwartz's Deli for some coffee. Great stuff, I guarantee. How about it?" He stretched his arm out toward the jumper.
        He simply smiled and shook his head. "No thanks, Officer." He then turned away and resumed staring at the New York skyline.
        Morgan slumped against the roof parapet and shook his head. This guy was nothing like the case studies they'd gone over in class. He didn't fit any of the categories for a jumper--he was calm and polite. Rational as hell. If anything seemed off, it was that he acted expectant, as if he was waiting for something. Weird.
        "Hey, Morgan, what's up?" The officer turned around to find Elisa Maza running up. He took a moment to appreciate the sight and regret that he was happily married and old enough to be her...much older brother, then smiled in greeting. "Hey, Elisa. Just business as usual--another loonie on the ledge."
         She peered over the parapet at the jumper. "What's his story?"
        "Beats me. Got the call about an hour ago. I got here in ten minutes, and we've been like this ever since." Morgan grinned at her. "What's a nice detective like you doing here? This is pretty mundane for the likes of you."
        "I was passing by, saw the cars and decided to see what was going on." Elisa shrugged and leaned over the edge of the parapet. "Hey, buddy?"
        The jumper looked up. His eyes widened slightly, as if he somehow recognized her, and a grin slid across his lips. "Yes?"
        "Hasn't this gone on long enough?" She smiled brightly at him. "How about coming up here and we can all head for someplace warm?" She stretched out her hand toward him.
        He shook his head. "No. Not up there." He nodded toward the street far below. "Last one down's a rotten egg." Before Elisa or Morgan could move, he stepped off the ledge and plunged earthward. He stretched his arms and legs out wide, the roar of the crisp night air drowning out the stream of curses coming from Morgan's mouth. Oh, how familiar the sensations, how sweet to feel it all again! He closed his eyes and thought of days long past, oblivious to his impending collision with the ground....
        Something had him. The man opened his eyes to find the stern visage of a monster fixed upon him. The creature's muscles flexed as its wings stretched out to embrace the winds and send them both higher into the sky. The earth retreated rapidly as his savior kept gaining altitude. "That was foolish," the monster said in a deep rumble.
        "Goliath?" the jumper yelled over the wind. "Goliath of Clan Wyvern?"
        Goliath's eyes widened considerably. "What? How? Who...?"
        The man laughed, apparently unconcerned about his situation or his rescuer. "Find us a safe haven, brother. I need your aid."

* * * * *

        "I'm David Xanatos. Welcome to my home." The billionaire offered his hand to the stranger, who accepted it and gave it a firm, hard shake. Xanatos winced slightly at his visitor's grip. Goliath stood behind them, looking stern, confused, and more than a little curious. Given the tale Xanatos had gotten over the phone from Maza, he could well understand why.
        Owen Burnett appeared. "Miss Maza will arrive presently," he announced, then walked over to accept the man's overcoat. A strange expression came over the fellow, followed almost immediately by a hard, angry glare. Owen met the gaze, unperturbed, with only the merest hint of curiosity. "Is there a problem, sir?"
        The stranger turned to Xanatos. "You permit a Child of Oberon in your household?"
        If the comment startled him, Xanatos didn't show it. "I would trust Owen with my life--and I have. Many times." The major domo nodded slightly in acknowledgement and appreciation. "You, on the other hand," the billionaire continued, "are here strictly on Goliath's request. Insult my family or friends, and you'll find yourself back on the street." Steel underlined his words.
        The newcomer stared one last time at Owen, then slowly nodded his assent.
Burnett bowed slightly in polite reply and set off to hang the mysterious visitor's coat. Xanatos gestured for his guest to enter his office. "Can I get you anything?" he asked as the stranger sat down. Goliath took a position by the door, his arms folded in front of his chest.
        "Coffee would be fine." Xanatos walked over to the kitchenette and poured a cup. As he headed back, the billionaire studied his visitor, the better to get a handle on him. His face was wide with rugged features, almost as if they'd been chiseled. His eyes--Xanatos frowned as the stranger's eyes met his. There was something disturbingly familiar in them; he couldn't quite place it, but Xanatos had seen that sort of stare before.
        Elisa Maza and Owen entered the room; the detective and Goliath shared a quick embrace, while Burnett effortlessly took the cup of coffee from Xanatos' hands and took it over to the stranger. He accepted it with another penetrating state. "If you won't be needing me, sir," Owen stated quietly, "I have other duties to perform."
        "No," the visitor quickly cut in. "Let him stay. He may be of assistance."
Owen raised an eyebrow but said nothing; the stranger waited until everyone had taken his or her seats before resuming. "To begin with, I'm known as Angus McGarrigle."
        "But that's not your name," Xanatos noted with a sly smile, which McGarrigle returned.
        "Quite right, sir. You understand the power of names. But with a Child of Oberon as your servant, I could not expect otherwise." McGarrigle sipped at his coffee. "At any rate, let's simplify this. I've gotten too old to play games or tell drawn-out tales. To be brief, eight hundred years ago I was a gargoyle." When that failed to elicit any sort of expected response, he sighed unhappily. "Doesn't anything surprise the lot of you?"
        "It'll take a lot more than that," Elisa commented, accepting a cup of coffee from Owen. "We know at least one immortal gargoyle who become human during the day. There's an entire clan that doesn't turn to stone at sunrise. Nothing personal, but been there, done that, got the World Tour t-shirt." She looked up fondly at Goliath, who smiled back before returning his attention to McGarrigle.
        "You identified me by name and clan," Goliath rumbled. "You called me brother. How do you know of me? Which clan are you from?"
        McGarrigle smiled slightly. "Does it really matter any more? The castle's long since fallen into the sea; the few of us who survived have long since died out." He shrugged. "I apologize if that's a bit crass, but I've had a long time to get over it."
        "It would aid in determining the truth of your story," Goliath replied.
"Which, despite your claims of hating drawn-out tales, is becoming just that."
        That got a laugh from the stranger. "You have me there, brother. As for how I knew of you, there was a survivor of the tragedy that befell your clan.
She came to us and stayed for a time, told us your sad tale. Eventually we expelled her--she was trying to rouse the clan against the humans."
        "Three guesses," Elisa muttered, slouching in her chair.
        "Back to my story," McGarrigle said. "Eight hundred years ago I was a young gargoyle, just entering my prime. I was fierce, strong, agile, headstrong...you know how it is at that age. Nothing can stop us. At any rate, one summer night I came upon a female bathing in a lake. She was..."
He sighed at the memory. "Even now I can't find the words to describe her. Her beauty was unlike any other I'd seen, before or since. I fell in love with her instantly. She saw me standing there and laughed, and it was the sweetest music I have ever heard, even now. She stretched out her arms and posed for me, tempting me. I succumbed and pursued her, to no avail; she eluded me and soared off into the night before I could follow.
        "For weeks I searched for her. My rookery sisters were displeased that I ignored their mating games so that I could search for this mystery female. The matings were just beginning, and I suppose they found me attractive." He smiled slightly, then shook his head. "I had no time for them. They were nothing compared to my mysterious prize. I burned for her. And finally, on a night of a full moon, I caught sight of her. I pursued her. She tried to elude me, but I matched her move for move. As time passed, I drew closer and closer until finally...she was mine."
        Elisa shifted slightly in her seat, her features slightly crimson. Goliath showed no reaction one way or the other.
        "Just before dawn, we found a secluded spot and slept. The next night, we played the game once more, as we did the following night, and the one after that. The final night, I declared my love for her and swore that my heart would be hers forever, that none could ever take her place. She smiled and said something about the binding power of one's oath, and then with a wave of her hands she revealed her true self to me." McGarrigle's features tightened. "She was not a gargoyle at all. She was a Child of Oberon, and not just any. Her name, she said, was Titania."
        Owen paled slightly but said nothing. Xanatos reached over and pressed a button on his desk console, whispering something the others could not hear. All the while his eyes never left McGarrigle.
        He sighed. "I was a hot-blooded fool. I meant nothing more to her than a few nights of pleasure, and now I had pledged myself to her. And to give one's oath to a Child of Oberon is to bind oneself forever. And yet...I still loved her. She was a sham, an illusion, and still I loved her." He shut his eyes again. "And she caressed my face and called me her loving servant, and I nodded. She beckoned, I lifted her into my arms, and we set off into the night, leaving my clan long behind. So long as I was with her, my rookery brothers and sisters meant nothing to me whatsoever.
        "The years passed. We wandered all over the world. Titania placed a spell upon me that rendered me human by day that I might always be at her call. I lost track of time, of places--everything seemed to blur into a shapeless memory. Only she stayed constant. We still played at being lovers, but those times grew fewer and far between as she found new amusements to toy with. My passion for her cooled, but the bond remained. And then...I found Caitlin."
        McGarrigle took a sip of his coffee and cleared his throat. "We were in Ireland, the late seventeenth century. Titania had found a handsome young man to spend the afternoon with, freeing me with a careless wave of her hand. I was nothing to her but a servant now, and the realization gnawed at me. I went into the town we'd come to and wandered the streets, my thoughts dark and cold. The next thing I knew, I'd collided with someone. I stirred from my reverie to find the most beautiful girl staring up at me, her green eyes flashing a fire as red as her hair.
        "I apologized and helped her to her feet, then gathered her belongings up and offered to carry them for her as repentance for my foolishness. She dazzled me with a smile so white and pure it took my breath away. We walked to her home and spent the rest of the day talking, I don't know what about. All I can remember now is that red hair, those green eyes, and the flash of her smile.
        "I sensed sunset coming and stammered out an apology and a hope to see her again. Caitlin nodded and escorted me to the door, then before I knew what had happened she kissed me on the cheek. Dazed, I stumbled out of sight and waited for nightfall. When my change was complete, I felt Titania's call and flew to her side.
        "Her lover lay sleeping beside her. She demanded to know where I'd been and why I hadn't stayed to prepare her dinner. I apologized politely and hurried off to gather food, but deep inside me the seeds of my undoing were taking root. I resented Titania's domination over me. I was tired of being her pet. I wanted to be free. I wanted...to see those eyes, that hair, and that smile..." McGarrigle shut his eyes and trembled slightly; Goliath moved closer to where Elisa sat and gently rested a hand on her shoulder. She caressed it with her own.
"I'm sorry," McGarrigle said a minute later. "Where was I? Oh, yes. I don't know who Titania's lover was, but he captivated her like none I'd seen before. She granted me leave every day for the week, so long as I made sure her needs were met. I spent every minute I could with Caitlin, helping her with her chores, telling her of my wanderings...doing anything I could to be rewarded with her smile. I fell in love with her. I had no choice. And she fell in love with me...or the man she thought I was.
        "Our sixth day together was warm and sunny. We went for a walk and ended up in a meadow by a lake. Before I knew what was happening..." He sighed at the distant memory. "I dozed, lulled by the warmth of her body against mine. I didn't pay attention to the setting sun until it was too late. To my horror, I changed back into my natural form before her eyes."
        Elisa nodded to herself, remembering the first time she'd encountered Goliath.
        "I stood there, wings stretched out, tail thrashing, and stared into her wide, terrified eyes. I begged her forgiveness, then turned to leave. But before I could run away, she grabbed my shoulder and ran around to face me. She had the oddest smile on her face. 'Well, before ye be leavin' me, ye'll be givin' me a ride, hmm?' she said, and suddenly I felt my shame and fears melt away. She hopped up into my arms and we set off, running until I could find a suitable place to fly. It was not a short flight, but for me it was an eternity of bliss.
        "Titania summoned me before I could return Caitlin to her home. I took her with me; I had no choice. Fortunately my queen was still wearing a human guise. Caitlin's widened at the sight of three young men, all of whom she knew, sleeping around the stranger, but she said nothing.
        "'Where have you been, my servant?' Titania demanded. I told her that since she had released me for the day, it was none of her concern to know. Her eyes narrowed and I felt a trickle of power flow from her to me. She was reinforcing the spell.
        "'You've taken a lover as well,' she laughed. In reply I put an arm around
Caitlin, and with a deep breath asked her to be freed from my oath to her. She gazed at me for the longest time, then at Caitlin. And then she smiled. 'You took an oath, my servant,' she said with a sly smile. 'The breaking of an oath is a serious matter, indeed. There are...consequences.' She turned to gaze at Caitlin, and my beloved shivered.
        "You do not love me. I am nothing to you. Free me," I begged. "Let me find happiness."
        "'With her?' Titania laughed. 'Fool. The delights we shared cannot compare to anything she could give you.' Before our eyes she shifted her shape back into the female gargoyle that had so entranced me those many years ago. But this time it failed to move me in the least. She stood there, regal and inviting, waiting for me to come to her...and nothing happened.
        "'I see,' she finally said, returning to her human guise. 'Very well. I shall do you two great favors, in tribute to your loyalty and service over these years. First, while I do not release you from your vow, I grant you freedom for a time, to spend as you will. One day you will return to me, but for now, do as you will. Second,' she continued, 'since you care for this creature so much' and she waved dismissively at Caitlin, 'as of this dawn, human shall you be, day and night. Again, a reward for your service.'"
        "I thanked her, but she smiled and shook her head. 'Think of these as my gifts to you, my servant,' she said with a soft laugh. 'And when you are ready to end this masquerade, find me and I shall return you to your true form.' Fool that I was, I did not see the warning in her words and thanked her again. She smiled and bade us leave; we returned to Caitlin's home and waited until morning. I changed back into human form at sunrise...and remained human after sunset. I was free."
        "So she gave you what you wanted," Xanatos said quietly. "Or so it appeared."
        McGarrigle glared at Owen. "The gifts of the Children never come without a price. And it is almost always dear. They find it amusing." His huge hands flexed slightly as he shifted his weight in the chair.
        "What happened?" Elisa asked quickly, eager to avoid a confrontation.
        McGarrigle turned to look at her, the anger slowly ebbing from his face. "Caitlin and I were married," he replied. "We had many good years together. No children, though we adopted a few who'd been orphaned by a fire. But as the years passed, Caitlin's red hair turned gray and her lively gait slowed. I...remained the same. We managed to disguise my appearance to avert suspicion, but it grew harder each year. Eventually I had to pose as once of her adopted sons--Angus had gone off on some trip and never come back, we said.
        "When Caitlin died, I buried her in the meadow by the lake and set off to find Titania, to either become her servant once more or be released once and for all. And as I searched, the terrible price of her gift slowly became apparent." He looked up, his eyes anguished. "Can you comprehend how impossible it is to find one person in such a large world? Especially when limited by the modes of transportation of the day? I never aged. I tried killing myself a few times, but all that brought was pain and slow healing. A few times over the centuries I sensed traces of her presence, but they were old and faint. I began to lose hope, but I could not stop searching. It was all I had left."
        He looked at Xanatos. "I heard about your purchase of the castle and your plans for it. I remembered the curse on the clan and wondered what would happen when the gargoyles met the terms of the curse, so I made my way to New York and waited." He smiled tiredly. "To my shock, I found Titania's presence to be very strong, especially around your building. And when the rumors of flying monsters protecting people started spreading..."
        Xanatos nodded. "You decided to get our attention."
        McGarrigle smiled. "The detective here," he nodded toward Elisa, "was the one who'd arrested you about the time the rumors started. I made some inquiries, found out she worked at night and decided to make my move at sunset. I had no guarantee that she would show up, but I had faith—after all, who better to catch a man plummeting to earth than a gargoyle?"
        "That was quite a gamble," Elisa commented.
        "I'm a desperate man," McGarrigle replied sadly. "I had nothing to lose. It's not the first time I've taken a long fall down. Bones mend eventually." His attention returned to Xanatos. "I beg of you, tell me where Titania is. Help me find her. Help me resolve this once and for all."
        The billionaire said nothing for a time, leaning back in his chair and staring into space. No one moved or spoke as they waited for his response. Finally he stirred and turned toward his major domo. "Owen?"
        Burnett rose to his feet. "Perhaps your wife and child should be here, Mr. Xanatos. It would be most...instructive...for Alexander to be here."
        "I see," Xanatos nodded, smiling slyly. He reached over and pressed a button on his console. Minutes later Fox walked into the room, carrying a squirming, giggling toddler. "Mr. McGarrigle, may I introduce my wife Fox and my son Alexander."
        "How do you do?" Fox nodded with a smile. "You have to pardon Alex; he's been a handful tonight. I can't get him settled down for bedtime." As if on cue, Alexander's eyes brightened and he struggled to get closer to McGarrigle. "Well, if Alex likes you, you're okay by me. Here." Before McGarrigle could protest, Fox had handed the child off to him.
        "I...he is a handful, isn't he?" Alex was giggling and patting McGarrigle's shoulder, looking all the world as if this man was his truest, best friend. "But I don't understand why...wait." His eyes narrowed, as if seeing something invisible. A gasp escaped his lips--though it might have had something to do with Alex accidentally kneeing him in the gut. "Titania. The child has some of her essence. Faint, but there." He turned toward Fox and his eyes grew wide. "You, too. Much stronger."
        "She's my mother," Fox answered. "But I didn't know the entire story until recently. So what's Mom done this time?"
        "A spell of change, your mother's cast," came a new voice; everyone turned to where Owen had been standing only to find a silver-haired fellow with elfin features floating a few feet off the floor. "Upon this fellow in years long past. Once child of stone, now flesh and bone, seeks Titania, but she is gone. Till she is found, as man he's stuck, but now there's hope, for here is...Puck!"
        McGarrigle studied the Child of Oberon carefully. "That was truly awful," he said.
        "Oh, bite me. Everyone's a critic," Puck frumped. He swooped over to the man's side, tickling Alex under the chin. "Oh yes, we sense Grandma, don't we? And that's what has us all excited!" He took the toddler and backed off a bit. "Look carefully, Alexander, and you'll see the signature of the spell. Every magic user has a unique pattern, and when you know what to look for, the caster's identity becomes obvious. And Titania's is very distinctive, indeed!"
        "Is there anything you can do for him?" asked Xanatos.
        Puck frowned. "Alas, no. The spell is very tightly woven around his essence, and time has only served to strengthen its grip. Not that I would have been able to do anything when it was first cast, of course," he added with a grin. "Titania, Oberon, the Sisters...you're talking the major leagues here. No, the only way this spell comes off is by meeting its conditions."
        "Then take me to Titania!" McGarrigle pleaded.
        "That could be difficult," Xanatos said. "She's not here right now."
        "She went home with Hubby," Puck offered helpfully. "Avalon. Down two dimensions, then right."
        "Then take me there!" the gargoyle-turned-human bellowed.
        The elfin changeling sighed dramatically. "No can do, kemosabe. I've been a bad Puck. In fact..." He shuddered suddenly, and a heartbeat later Owen Burnett stood among them once more, still holding the giggling Alexander. "The terms of my punishment are quite specific," he said solemnly.
        McGarrigle nodded. "You understand more than I'd thought." Burnett nodded. "Then there is nothing we can do," he finished, his shoulders slumping.
        "That is not necessarily true," Goliath said cautiously. "We can take you there. But once we reach Avalon, it could be dangerous. Our last encounter with Oberon left the relationship...strained. He might not take kindly to our return, and it is his home. His power would be much greater there than it was here."
        "Oh, Angus has nothing to fear from Oberon," Puck laughed. "Titania's spell protects him. She's the one he has to worry about. She has a very long memory, take it from me."
        "I'll go," Fox suddenly offered. "Maybe if I'm there, Mom will protect all of us."
        "I'm going too," Elisa declared.
        Goliath frowned. "Didn't Captain Chavez threaten to punish you severely if you 'vanished' for weeks at a time again?"
        "She swore she'd knock me down to beat cop," the detective said breezily. "But if we keep it quick, I've got about two weeks vacation left. I can make arrangements this time. But if you're going," she said to the gargoyle in a tone that left nothing unclear, "I'm going. Got it?"
        "Got it," Goliath nodded, smiling.
        Xanatos rose to his feet. "So. We have a delegation of five..."
"Four," Fox said, cutting him off. "Elisa, Goliath, Angus and me."
        "Did you really think I'd miss this?" Xanatos said, his smile growing sharp.
        "Do you really think Oberon would let you set one foot on Avalon, especially after what your father did to him?" Fox reminded him. "Besides, there’s no guarantee that I'll be coming back. One of us has to stay here so that Alex will have a parent."
        Xanatos' features fell slightly. "I hate it when you're right," he muttered.
        "All we need now is a boat," Elisa commented.
        "That's no problem at all," Xanatos smiled.

* * * * *

        "Okay. Here's the place," Elisa said as Goliath circled around a section of the northeastern shore of Long Island. "Now let's hope Xanatos wasn't kidding about providing us with transportation."
        Goliath's eyes narrowed as he scanned the shoreline. "I don't see a boat anywhere. Nor do I see McGarrigle."
        "He's probably coming with Fox. I hope this goes all right." Elisa shivered slightly and huddled up against Goliath. "I'm not too crazy about tangling with any of Puck's relatives."
        "Nor am I." The Gargoyle spread his wings wider and ascended into the night; minutes later he pointed to an object racing toward them at an impressive speed. "There."
        Elisa gasped. It was definitely a boat--on closer examination, it was a sleek hydrofoil slamming effortlessly through the water. Its front was festooned with a blue logo similar to Fox's tattoo. The driver of the boat--Fox, probably--spotted them and waved as the engines cut out. Goliath slowly dropped altitude, angling their descent so that they touched down precisely upon the passenger section.
        "Isn't this a bit much?" Elisa demanded.
        Fox laughed. "Detective, when you live like we do, everything has to be 'a bit much'." She patted the craft affectionately. "I got this as a bonus when the Pack signed with ABC for a third season. Not much, but it gets me where I need to go." She laughed again at the cop's discomfiture. "So, are we ready?"
        Goliath nodded. "Head away from shore. I will intone the spell when we are out of sight."
        "Will do." Fox revved up the engines. "Better belt yourself in, Detective. Baby here has great pickup." Elisa quickly obeyed and seconds later was glad she had when the boat shot forward like a rocket. Goliath lost his balance momentarily and had to grab the side of the boat to keep from falling. Fox guided the boat out to sea, her hair streaming wildly around her as they roared into the night. McGarrigle stood close by her, holding onto the side and his eyes staring out at some unseen horizon.
        Elisa could barely hear Goliath's booming voice over the roar of the engines, but moments after he stopped speaking a familiar tingle rippled through her body. Fox cut the boat's speed and nodded. "There it is," she yelled, pointing to the island dead ahead. "How you doing, Angus?"
        McGarrigle had a grim smile on his face. "She's here," he replied. "I can sense her."
        Goliath pointed to one particular harbor. "Over there," he called to Fox, who nodded and pointed the nose of the boat in that direction. As they closed in on the site, a solitary figure came into view, simply standing there and waiting until the boat had docked.
        "That doesn't look like anyone we know," Elisa said softly to Goliath. "Too tall and straight to be Katherine, too feminine to be Tom..."
        Goliath sniffed the air and stiffened slightly. "It's her."
        Elisa glanced up at him, then at the stranger. "You're sure? Oboy. I wasn't counting on this playing out so quickly."
        "She and Oberon must have detected our approach."
        "So what do we do?"
        Goliath took a deep breath, let it out slowly. "Nothing, for now."
        Titania took about six steps forward, then stopped, raised a hand and smiled. "Greetings, daughter."
        Fox jumped over the side of the boat. "Hi, Mom. Sorry we didn't call ahead, but you know how it is."
        "Indeed." Titania looked over her daughter's shoulder, her smile faltering slightly. "You...didn't bring my grandson? How disappointing. I shall have to pay a visit soon. Greetings, Goliath, Elisa Maza, and...?" She stared at McGarrigle, clearly at a loss. The others stood silently, waiting to see how this confrontation would play out.
        "You don't remember me, do you, my lady?" McGarrigle's voice was flat.
        "I confess I do not," she replied softly. "I apologize for my lapse in memory, for it would seem you surely know me." She frowned and peered more closely at McGarrigle. "And you bear my handiwork. How strange."
        "I was one of your servants, many years ago," McGarrigle informed her harshly.
        "I have had many servants over the years," Titania replied serenely. "Give me your name that I might better place your face."
        "I had no name until you did this to me!" he declared angrily. "I was a gargoyle. You gave me this form--one of your damned 'gifts'--and told me when I was ready to leave it and resume my true body that all I had to do was find you and it would be done! I have been searching the earth for over two hundred years for you, only to find that you'd left it!" His hands were squeezed into tight twin balls, but even through his growing rage, he did not raise a hand to strike her.
        Titania regarded him carefully. "It has indeed been a very long quest for you," she finally said, her voice soft and soothing. McGarrigle's anger vanished almost instantly. She lifted one smooth green hand to his face and caressed it tenderly. "There is so much anger and anguish in you. Your pain runs deep."
        A tear cascaded down his roughened skin. "Deep as the love I held for you, my lady."
        She nodded slightly and pressed her hand against his cheek. "Very well. I free you. Come the dawn, a child of stone and night will you be once more." Her eyes stared into his. "And what else do you wish of me, my once-servant?"
        "Release me," he pleaded softly.
        Titania nodded again. "It is done." She leaned forward and brushed her lips against his. Drawing back, she regarded the others, who were standing around looking slightly embarrassed at having witnessed such an intimate encounter.
"My Lord bade me meet you here so that you would not tread further into Avalon, Goliath. While he understands your reasons for standing against him last time, his memory is long and his anger still smolders slightly. Go now and return to your world."
        "Well, that was brief," Elisa grumbled as she climbed back into Fox's boat. Goliath followed a moment later, as did McGarrigle. His face was dry now, but his gaze remained fixed solely upon Titania, who was saying goodbye to her daughter. "You okay?" Elisa asked him, resting her hand on his arm.
        "Hmmm?" He turned around and looked at her blankly. "Oh. Yes, I'm fine."
        "How do you feel?" Goliath asked quietly.
        "Free." He smiled into the night winds. "Free."

* * * * *

        "Guys, I hate to say it, but this isn't New York." Fox shook her head and peered through the murky fog that had enveloped them shortly after their departure from Avalon. It was a thick, rolling wet mist that mixed with the cold air made things decidedly nippy for herself and Elisa. Goliath took it in stride, and so too did McGarrigle, apparently. It was hard to say; he'd said very little since his encounter with Titania, merely stared intently out to sea.
        "So where are we?" Elisa asked, joining Fox at the helm. "And how can you tell where we are through all this?"
        Fox grinned. "Radar." She pointed down at a console. "The shore line is nothing like New York's. Don't sweat it, we're perfectly safe for the moment, and I should know where we are in a minute. I'm triangulating our position with the Xanacorp satellites."
        "You figured we wouldn't end up where we started, didn't you?" Elisa sighed.
        "Based on your adventures, it was a safe assumption. David and I don't believe in taking unnecessary risks...unless we're sure we can get away with it," Fox added with a laugh and a wink. "We figured this was the best way to handle the situation. I've already sent a transponder signal up--David will have our location and send someone to pick us up the minute he gets word. So you'll still have most of your vacation time, Detective." She looked out into the fog and sighed. "So, if Avalon sends you where you need to be, then why are we here?"
        "I don't know," Elisa admitted. "Usually it became clear over time."
        "Well, whatever it is, it had better be a good one. This place is bare as Alex's behind." A series of beeps came from the console. "Here we go..."
        "We're in Scotland," McGarrigle said suddenly. His voice, so long unheard, made everyone jump.
        "Right you are," Fox acknowledged with an upturned eyebrow. "Specifically, we're smack in the middle of..."
        "Loch Finn." There was a firm smile on McGarrigle's face.
        "Right again." Fox sighed and tossed the printout away. "I don't know why I bothered to have a state-of-the-art radar system installed--all I needed was a McGarrigle. Silly me."
        "How did you know?" Elisa asked, moving over to the man's side.
        "I knew," he replied softly. "I lived here for many years. I can feel it. Home."
        "Your castle was here?" Goliath asked dubiously.
        McGarrigle shook his head. "Not that life. This one."
        "Your wife," Fox remarked.
        He smiled slightly. "She's buried around here. I can feel her bones calling to me." He turned to Goliath. "No offense, brother, but when dawn comes, I would prefer to stand watch by her."
        "Understood," Goliath agreed. "If you wish, I'd be honored to join you."
        "I would be honored to accept."

* * * * *

        Two gargoyles stood watch over an unremarkable plot of land. McGarrigle's transformation had been strange to behold: his flesh grew gray and rocky; his hands formed long talons; his legs flowed down to monstrous feet; a pair of wings and a long, thick tail exploded from his back. Now he stood beside Goliath, two stone sentinels staring toward the sun.
        "Well," Fox said, stretching her arms and yawning. "That was different."
She and Elisa had made camp a short distance away and were eating a delicious breakfast courtesy of the Xanatos Kitchens. Fox had prepared for every eventuality, it seemed--she'd packed two survival kits, complete with tents, sleeping bags, coveralls, even a portable toilet, into the boat.
        "I wonder what he'll do," Elisa said, sipping at her gourmet coffee staring at McGarrigle. "He could join the clan, I suppose, but somehow I doubt he will."
        "David will send him anywhere he wants to go." Fox consulted a small hand-held computer. "Great. Our ride home should be here in about twelve hours. Let's get some sleep."
        "Twelve hours?" Elisa said, slightly incredulous. "That long?"
        "It's mostly in deference to Goliath," Fox said with a smile. "David figured that he wouldn't want to be hauled around during the day and all. How would you feel if you went to sleep one place and woke up in another?"
        "Oh. Good point."
        "They'll be fine. There's nothing but..." Fox waved an arm around their surroundings. "...this for miles. We won't be disturbed. And I've got an intruder alarm set up just in case."
        Elisa regarded the other woman closely. "Paranoid?"
        Fox laughed. "Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they're not out to get you. I'm getting some sleep. What you do is up to you. G'night."

* * * * *

        Fox and Elisa waited as the last rays of the sun withdrew from the land. Shadows drifted across the ground, draping two stone gargoyles in their soft blankets. Moments later, stone shuddered and shattered as muscular sinews stretched and strained against their prison. Goliath announced his awakening with a deep, long roar that reverberated through the cool night air.
        Elisa smiled at the sight of him, then gasped as she turned to stare at McGarrigle--or rather, the statue of McGarrigle. He stood there, immobile, still locked within his gray cocoon. "Goliath?"
        The gargoyle frowned as he leaned forward to examine his brother. "I thought gargoyles always changed at sunset," Fox asked, her attention torn between the situation in front of her and a pair of yellow lights in the northern sky, growing closer by the minute.
        "They do...while they live," Goliath answered quietly.
        Fox's eyes widened. "What?"
        "McGarrigle..." Goliath looked away, his eyes tightly shut. Elisa wrapped her arms around Goliath's waist and hugged him, the better to hide her sudden river of tears.
        Fox came over to join them; the sound of jet engines could now be heard from above. "You mean...he's dead? But how? Why? Mom freed him from the spell! She wouldn't have done this to him...?"
        "No. Titania would not have done this. It would have served no purpose."
Goliath shook his head and considered his words. "But perhaps, when she granted him his freedom, she gave McGarrigle all the freedom he truly desired, including this final choice."
        "Are you saying he wanted to die?" Fox declared. The rescue air ship was slowly dropping from the sky; Xanatos and his son could be seen from the windows nearest the door. "But why?"
        Elisa blinked away her tears and sniffled. "Maybe...maybe this is all he really wanted. He was tired. All he really wanted was to be with her again.
Now he will be...forever."
        "Tom once told us that Avalon would send us where we were needed," Goliath said quietly. "Perhaps...this is where...he needed to be."
        Xanatos and Alex joined them at that point. Fox lunged for her family, hugging them for dear life. Goliath wrapped a comforting arm around Elisa, who snuggled up against his hulking frame. They slowly made their way back to the airship; in the doorway, Goliath paused and turned to regard the gargoyle that now stood eternal vigil over his beloved's grave.
        "Rest well, brother. Be at peace."
        Then the door shut behind him, and the airship soared into the night, leaving the loch at peace once more.