"ONE LAST TRY"

     Angela had been thinking about it for several nights.
She'd hoped that there could be a way to get
Demona, her mother, back into the clan. She decided that she
would again talk to her mother about
that possibility.
     Angela knew Demona would refuse any such suggestion.
But she had to try. She must.
     That's when a knock at her door brought her back to
reality. "Yes," she answered "come in."
     It was Broadway. She and the big blue gargoyle had been
courting for quite a while now, and
Broadway could see in Angela's eyes that she had been in
deep thought. "Uh, I'll come back in a little
while," he said.
     "No," she told him, "you can stay. I was only thinking.
Nothing important." She urged him over
and they sat on her couch together quietly.

                    *    *    *    *    *

                      At Destine Manor

     Demona had been reading about Xanatos' failure in the
search for Circi's island. She'd been
pleased that an enemy didn't get a magical talisman.
     It was well past midnight when her daughter came
through the French Doors from the garden
into her den and said, "hello." That surprised Demona,
because her daughter had told her just a few
nights before not to hurt anyone she cared for and left
before Demona could say anything in her own
defense.
     Demona nearly jumped out of her seat in surprise, but
gathered herself and simply said, "hello,"
in return.
     "My daughter," Demona started, "after the way you came
to me the other night and left before I
could say anything, I didn't expect you to ever think of
seeing you here for quite some time."
     "No mother. Believe me, I'm still mad at you for that.
I came here to give you one last chance to
return to the clan."
     "My daughter, you of all people, should know that I
will never be allowed back in the clan.
Goliath hates me." Demona started, but Angela wouldn't let
her finish.
     "He cares for you. He always has." Angela yelled. "He
tried to trust you and time after time you
attack him."
     "He still cares for me? How can that be?" Demona asked.
Almost to quiet for Angela to hear.
     "Yes mother. He does. Every night I go on patrol with
father, that's all he can talk about.,"
Angela stated. "How can I reach her? How can I get her back?
Believe me, he doesn't hate you."
     "But." Demona started again and was again interrupted.
     "He's told me of your past. The love in your hearts.
He. I want you back," the youth corrected
herself.
     "Angela, they don't trust me!"
     "I know that. I want to know you, so I can tell them.
So they can trust you."
     "Angela?" Demona asked, "do they know you're here?"
     Angela looked away from her mother. "I think I'm
pregnant." That was it. She stated what she
wanted to all night. "I really do."
     A puzzled look came over Demona's face as she mulled
this new news over.
     "Mother, father told me that it takes longer for my
body as a virgin, to produce an egg. I need you
to help me. To teach me. I need you the show me how to give
birth."
     All that escaped Demona's mouth was an unready "I,
I..."
     "Mother, please. From what I understand, I'll take
several weeks longer to birth this egg. I really
want this. I really want you to help me." The young gargress
stopped for a while to choose her next
word, and let her mother absorb this information.
     Before Angela could say anything more, Demona spoke
first. "Angela, do you know where this
puts me? I want to help, really, it's just that, well, I
don't think I love Goliath any more. Besides, he
loves that human." As she spoke that last sentence, her eyes
glowed crimson red, and her nails dug
into the desk top.
     She's not just a human. She's a dear member of this
clan. She helped us adjust to this new life.
Your hatred towards humans has to stop."
     "Angela, I can't just stop hating the humans in just
one night." Again, Demona's eyes went red at
the word humans.
     "Come on patrol with me. We can fight crime together."
Angela desperately tried to sell the idea.
"Mother, I trust you as a gargoyle, I'm your daughter. Do
this for me."
     Demona bit her lip in thought. I really don't want to
loose her. She's the only blood I have left.
Demona broke her thought and nodded in agreement. "Just this
night my daughter. If you can't
convince me tonight. I won't do it again."

                    *    *    *    *    *

     It was shortly after two when they left. Five hours of
work for with not very good odds for the
young gargress, to change an immortal, who's hated humans
for over a millennium.
     But Angela would take the odds. She really didn't have
any choice.
     Only three blocks from Destine Manor and Angela heard a
scream. Demona smiled at the sound.
     A young lady no more than twenty, and more likely than
not, a whore, was being mugged by
three men.
     The leader of the group was carrying a chain and
dressed in a tattered shirt and jeans. He also
wore black gloves and had an all about dirty look to him.
     Another man dressed in a black jacket and white T-shirt
with blue jeans and red band tied around
his right leg, held the girl.
     The last one. A bald shaven guy, wore what looked like
khaki pants and a black T-shirt with a
tan vest over it, was laughing at the girl. He had glasses
that bounced when he laughed and held a
pipe over his shoulder.
     The young lady already had a bruise growing under her
right eye and her wrist was bleeding
from the tightness of the chain in order to get her in the
alley in the first place. The girl was crying so
hard and willing to do anything to get away that she didn't
hear the two battle screams barreling
down on the alley.
     Angela was the first to find a target, and strike at
it. She chose the man with the pipe.
     The man held the pipe ready in his defense but Angela
ripped it out of his grip. Before he could
turn to run, Angela knocked him to the ground with a tail
sweep. With Angela's attention on her
fallen prey, the man with the chain lunged at her.
     "Don't touch her," came the motherly reply from Demona
as she caught hold of the chain and
wrapped it around the startled man's throat.
     The leader of the ruffians held the girl hostage with a
knife to her throat. "Don't come any closer
monster, or she bleeds."
     "If she bleeds, you bleed," Angela bellowed.
     Demona lunged forward at the mans distraction and
pulled the knife away from the girls throat.
She spun the man around faster than Angela could have
dreamed. But that dream turned to a
nightmare when Demona shoved the mans fist into his back
with the knife still in it.
     The last thing the man got out was muffled "Uhhh." And
he fell to the ground.
     "Mother! You don't kill the criminals." Angela scooped
up the man and held him over her
shoulder. "Come on, she said.
     Demona had a questioning look on her face as Angela
began to scale the wall to get as air
current, still holding onto the unconscious man who was now
bleeding all over her.
     Demona followed suit and joined her daughter in the
air. "Sorry my daughter. It was the heat of
battle" She tried to explain.
     "Wrong mother, that wasn't a battle. It was protecting.
Even these men we must protect."
     Five minutes later they arrived at there destination.
Manhattan General Hospital. Angela dropped
off the scum that Demona had stabbed. Much like Broadway did
with Elisa so many years ago.
     Angela took flight before the EM came out. She joined
Demona on a roof top a block away.
     "I am sorry my daughter." Demona exclaimed. This was
one of the few times anything had come
from her heart.
     "I know mother. We'll continue our patrol."
     "No. There is something I want to show you." Demona
said.
     Angela interrupted, "Mother, we have to do patrol.
Can't it wait?"
     No my daughter. It's a gift to you and the clan.
Angela, because you still believe in me. I'll lead
you to it.
     "Dawns only an hour away." Angela started.
     "I assure you it's safe and close. In Central Park.
Only a few blocks."
     "Show me. Then I must return to the castle to sleep."
     "Very well my daughter." Demona said.
     A short time later they arrived at the spot. It was
what looked like a small cave in a wooded area
of the park. But on a closer look, it was man made.
     "Angela, it's an old subway utility building
underground so it won't disturb the appearance of the
park. I found it several years ago and made it a roosting
spot. The humans abandoned it nearly fifty
years ago. I've never been bothered there."
     "How big is it?" Angela asked.
     "Very large my daughter. It's double layered." Demona
answered. "It looks like the sun is about
to rise, lets go inside. I can lock it from there and no one
will harm us. I will protect you through the
day."
     The sun rose and Angela turned to stone in this new
sanctuary.

*    *    *    *    *

                           Avalon
     Two months after Goliath and the others last visit

     It'd been two months on Avalon but almost five years in
the real world. And a month since the
last of the questions of Goliath, Angela and Elisa
whereabouts was asked. They'd all assumed their
quest had finally come to an end and Goliath and company
found their way back to Manhattan. Elisa
had tried many times to tell the gargoyles, Fay and humans
what the real world was like.
     The questions about their friends whereabouts had been
driven out with the sudden illness that
had taken to Princess Katherine. She'd fallen terribly ill
not long after the Gathering and called on
Oberon to tell her what was wrong with her. His answer was
that the Archmage had poisoned all on
the island, human and gargoyle alike. The gargoyles of
course had been freed from the poison after
there next day of sleep. The humans on the other hand
carried the illness until it struck them
bedridden.
     Tom and Katherine were both weak and knew they were
going to die. Through the day they when
they found each other awake, they constantly asked
themselves and each other what was to happen to
the gargoyles here on Avalon and always came to the same
answer, that the gargoyles should join
Goliath and Angela in this Manhattan city of theirs.
     Tom had told their Fay doctor that he needed to talk to
Gabriel when this night came again. The
Fay agreed and left the room to await the night's arrival
less then a half hour away.
     The day turned to dusk, then to night. The horrifying
yells of the awakening gargoyles could be
heard throughout Oberon's mystical castle.
     Gabriel awoke to see the Fay that had been tending
Katherine and Tom, sitting on a parapet next
to him with a glum look on its face.
     The Fay, as Fay go, was straight to the point.
"Gabriel, the Gardian wishes to speak with you
regarding the clan after his death."
     Gabriel now showed the glum look as the Fay. "Regarding
the clan." It wasn't a question, he
knew exactly what that meant. He knew they were going to
die, but refused this night would come.
"I'll see him now."
     The Fay decided the direct approach would be much
better and snapped his finger.
     The room which Tom and Katherine were being tended in
formed around Gabriel and the Fay.

                    *    *    *    *    *

                   Manhattan, underground

     Demona had moved to the lower level during the day
where she had a nest and light. The night
was fast approaching, Demona's body told her that, and when
she changed to her gargoyle self it was
confirmed.
     On the level above Angela's eyes glowed crimson red and
she broke free of her stone shell.
     Angela turned and saw the light below and walked
towards it.
     Demona was on her way up to greet her daughter when she
saw Angela already at the rail.
"Angela, I trust you had a good days sleep. Would you come
down here please?"
     "Sure mother." Angela stepped to the half removed
stairs and started down.
     Angela hopped off the stair case and landed on the soft
straw. "What's this?" She knew the
answer to the question. Demona had made a nest, probably in
hopes of having another partner, or had
one years ago.
     "I made this long ago, even before I knew Xanatos. I
haven't been with another gargoyle since
Goliath was turned to stone so many years ago. When I read
about the castle being moved atop the
Eerie Building, I couldn't help but show myself to him and
aid him in anyway I could to awaken
Goliath and the others."

                    *    *    *    *    *

                      At Castle Wyvern

     "Where can she be?" Goliath asked, both as a leader and
as a father. "Broadway, you talked to
her last. Do you have any idea where she could have gone?"
     "She said she needed to talk to someone about having
children. I thought she was going to go to
Fox, but it appears she didn't. I don't know." Broadway now
showed concern for his new young love.
     "Hmm." Goliath was trying to put two and two together.
"About having children." Then it hit
him, Demona. She was the only female gargoyle that had given
birth that Angela knew of. His hand
turned to a fist, but that was all the anger he would let
out. "Broadway, she went to go see her mother.
That is the only thing I can think of."
     Broadway wasn't even surprised. "Demona wouldn't ever
hurt her. Angela knows that and knows
what she is doing." Goliath had already agreed to that even
before Broadway was finished.
     With a nod, Goliath went to the library to finish, yet,
another Dovshiovsky novel before patrol.

---

To be continued...