Separated

By Princess Alexandria

Elisa pulled her coat tighter as she stood on the rooftop and stared at the sky. In the city the stars rarely came out, and as she searched she couldn't find one. Taking a deep breath she glanced down at Cagney and gave her cat a weak smile. "Well girl, what do you think, inside now?" Elisa glanced at the lights of her apartment and sighed. She'd just gotten home from work and the case she'd had haunted her. She normally needed some quiet time after a case like that.

She had no idea how parents could just toss their child out onto the streets, where he could only sell his body to survive. It had been horrible to arrest the teenage boy for prostitution, when she realized how thin he was and how his clothes were worn. Hopefully child services could help him, but his childhood was forever gone.

She was almost to her door when she heard the swish of wings. Part of her relaxed, imagining who she'd see when she turned around, but that clenched tightly in her chest as she took in the red hair and blue skin of Demona. Elisa cursed her luck mentally, but she just opened her door and slipped inside to the warmth, leaving it open for Demona.

"What do you want Demona?" Elisa asked flatly, her voice weary. In the months she'd been under this spell she'd been asked to spy on the clan, on Xanatos, and to donate her blood to keep the clan from finding out they had all they needed to get custody of Brenna away from Demona. She's been forced to lie to the courts and say Demona would be a wonderful mother, and her word as a police officer seemed to push the adoption right through. Each time Demona came with a demand Elisa felt caged. She did what she could and Demona was getting careless enough for Elisa to work around some commands, but she was still caged and angry.

"I have to leave the country for business, starting next week." Demona told her and Elisa just crossed her arms in front of her wondering why that was worth visiting Elisa for. Surely Demona didn't want to just tell Elisa she had a guaranteed break from Demona's orders. "Brenna cannot miss two weeks of school, and I can't leave her alone for that long."

Elisa blinked as the path of this conversation started to seem clear. "I work nights." Demona's smirk wasn't comforting. "And I see the clan at night." Elisa tried to beat the order coming out of Demona's mouth, to make her consider this.

"Well, you will have to make up something, because you will be staying with Brenna." Demona looked so amused and Elisa struggled with the fact she had one week to re-arrange her entire life. "You will make sure she is healthy, happy and safe. You will stay with her while she isn't in school or at work. You will not endanger my custody of her in any way. You will make sure the clan doesn't find out about our arrangement, and you will never tell Brenna WHY you are helping us. My child is remarkably well behaved, which is a shame because I would love for her to torment you."

Elisa felt the compulsion of the order and grimaced. This was not going to go over well with her boss, one weeks notice. She'd have to lie to a lot of people. "She doesn't trust me." She spoke quietly, imagining how Brenna would take this. She really was an innocent in it all and Elisa would gladly protect her, but part of that would be getting her out of there, and that wasn't possible now, not with the wording of the order. "It'll be a bit hard to keep her happy if she's afraid."

Demona frowned and Elisa watched how her words affected the gargoyle. It was still stunning at times to watch Demona actually care about someone. "I will take care of that. I leave in a week, so be prepared to meet her after she gets off work in front of my company to take her home."

"Why not your driver?" Elisa asked and Demona glared at her.

"I would never trust a human I don't control to protect her. You will die to keep her safe if you need to, I know that much because I order you to." Demona growled out and then moved to leave. Her amused "Ciao" brought back memories of an attempt on Elisa's life, back when life was simple and this enemy only wanted to kill her.

Demona glided up higher as she considered the caretaker she'd just acquired. It was very satisfying and handy to be able to order Elisa like this, and in spite of her feelings about the human, Demona knew that Elisa would be able to handle just about any trouble that could come up while Demona was away.

Still, that comment about Brenna being afraid of Elisa did bother Demona. She frowned as she found a strong current to help her get home faster as she considered that. Brenna hadn't seen Elisa since that night the clan kidnapped her, and Demona had warned her so many times in the past to avoid Elisa. Demona sighed heavily as she realized she'd need to do more than just tell Brenna that Elisa was going to be staying with her while Demona was away.

The glide seemed to take little time and Demona slowly descended toward her home, noticing the light was on in Brenna's room. Demona landed softly on Brenna's small balcony and glanced into the window. Demona wrapped her wings around herself as she watched Brenna working on the computer. She smiled as she watched the child waiting so impatiently for a webpage to load, her knee and leg were in constant motion as Brenna waited. If she didn't know better, she'd say Brenna had inherited Demona's lack of patience.

Demona was about to step into the room, when she noticed Brenna glance at the door before looking back at the computer. Demona paused and her smile faded as she felt a familiar suspicion. Brenna was too impatient, and she glanced at the door again, which made Demona think she didn't want to get caught. Demona frowned.

She pushed the door opened and pretended to not notice the panicked way Brenna closed the internet browser. "Finish your homework?" Demona asked, but she did notice the blush on the teenager's cheeks. It made her even more curious about what Brenna was up to, but she held her tongue.

"Yeah," Brenna gave a very brief answer and Demona watched the girl's eyes widen a moment. "I could start dinner."

"I thought it was my turn." Demona said, but she smiled her approval, and watched as Brenna darted away to start cooking and to avoid talking. "Child, you are a horrible liar." Demona whispered as she heard Brenna walking down the stairs and moved closer to the computer to see what Brenna had been up to.

Demona sat, careful of her wings and tail, and pulled up the internet browser. She gave a grim smile as she opened up the history cache and then her eyes didn't blink as she jotted down web addresses on a spare sheet of paper to pull up later. She'd look now, but she didn't want Brenna to learn about the history left on her computer after she browsed, it was Demona's only way to monitor the girl's computer use.

Demona had already given the firm lecture about talking to strangers online, as she had the computer hooked up to the internet, but looking at the names of the websites she had in her hand now, perhaps it was time for another conversation. Demona grimaced as she folded up her night's research and tucked it into a hidden pocket in her loincloth.

Demona slowly left the room and descended the stairs, but her mind was on the computer. Brenna was still so young, too young for what she seemed to be looking up. Demona listened to the pot clang and the whispered 'sorry' Brenna gave to the quiet kitchen, not even a person there, and Brenna apologized for being clumsy.

…………………………..

Demona stood in the kitchen doorway and watched Brenna, looking more carefully than she normally did and comparing what she saw to the girl she'd met ten months ago. Brenna was wearing jeans and a green tshirt. She didn't have endless piercings in her ears, because once she'd taken them out to let them heal over for the adoption hearing she hadn't put them back.

Demona's eyes traveled over Brenna's hair as Brenna focused on cutting some vegetables. Did Brenna miss her old hairstyle, Demona wondered as she took in the boyish cut that was actually much longer than the hair had been on the sides. Brenna was letting it grow out and the top had been cut shorter to make it blend. At the moment her hair made her look more like Xanatos than ever before, a resemblance that Demona hadn't seen until it was pointed out. The hair was a problem. Demona grimaced, now considering whether there really was a hair growing spell, to push Brenna past this current dangerous resemblance. She really didn't want Xanatos to look into the blood test that Demona made the Detective fix for her. She didn't want another push to take her child away from her.

Brenna's delicate features had developed a more adult cast to them. Demona stared at Brenna concentrated on her task, taking in the cheek bones, and the narrow shoulders. As Brenna turned to put the broccoli in the pot on the stove, Demona took in the more womanly curves, still small, but no longer just budding. Her child was getting older, her body getting ahead of her. Demona grimaced, considering this. Human's aged so fast, too fast, and their bodies developed well before their minds. It caused so many of the problems the race had.

"I was thinking chicken." Brenna spoke, clearly realizing finally that she wasn't alone in the room. That was another issue Demona had with her child, the child was so vulnerable, so unprepared for the dangers of the world. She hadn't even seen Demona come in, hadn't been paying attention.

"That sounds good." Demona offered as she stepped further into the room and sat at the kitchen table. Brenna gave her a questioning look, but then moved to the fridge to get the chicken. "I was thinking you should start taking some sort of martial art. You need to learn to protect yourself, as best as you can." And without wings, talons, how good would that be? Demona had seen stories of young girls being horribly betrayed as they explored their sexuality and she was not willing to let Brenna go any longer without learning how to protect herself. Demona wanted Brenna protected from the humans, but her human child was much more surrounded by the enemy than Angela ever would be. And Brenna was so much more fragile. Demona's heart ached as she considered that.

Brenna gave her a questioning, confused look. "I'm not all that coordinated."

"You'll learn." Demona spoke more firmly, wishing she could just take care of the threat herself, but she was currently at a loss as to how to do that. Any ideas she'd had involved magic or science, of which neither would discriminate between the hateful humans and her child. "I'll arrange for lessons to start when I get back from Paris."

"Paris?" Brenna put the chicken down and turned wide eyes to Demona, and Demona mentally rolled her eyes at her own stupidity. She hadn't told Brenna about Paris yet.

Brenna felt her heart sinking as Dominique appeared to stare at her a moment. "I have to travel to Paris for business; I'll be away for two weeks." In her mind Brenna quickly considered what all she had going on at school. "I've arranged for someone to stay with you."

"What?" Brenna stared in surprise at Dominique said that. "Who?" There wasn't anyone the gargoyle would trust, Brenna knew that much. Brenna felt herself paling at the thought of Dominique being away for so long, without anyone to patch her up if she got hurt. "I could go with you." Brenna spoke softly, a touch of pleading in her voice.

"You have school. I can't pull you from classes for every trip." Dominique's voice was firm, but Brenna gave her pleading eyes anyhow. "Brenna, school is important if you want to get into a good college."

Brenna couldn't disagree with that, but she still felt her heart drop into her stomach. "But you might need me."

Demona could see how pale the child was and instead of snapping at her to just do as she was told, Demona took a deep breath and moved closer to Brenna. "I've been alive for a very long time Brenna. I can survive a few weeks without you," she noticed the hurt look in the girl's eyes and added more softly, "even if I will miss you." Demona reached out and caressed Brenna's hair gently. "It will be okay." The poor child still needed these reassurances. It was a bit disturbing actually to see how scared Brenna was of losing her Demona thought as she pulled her child into a hug.

Demona started to help Brenna make dinner, and after a long silence the girl spoke. "Who am I staying with?" Demona had been waiting for that question, but she wasn't sure, after the Detective's comment, how it would be taken.

"She will be staying with you. I don't want your life more disrupted than it has to be." Demona spoke firmly about that. "Besides, I have security here and she has too many unannounced visitors." Demona hissed, thinking of the clan dropping by Maza's place while Brenna was there. "Detective Maza will take good care of you." Demona said and watched as Brenna's body froze, her eyes widening. Damn, it looked like Maza was right. Demona sighed heavily and prepared herself to reassure Brenna yet again.

It would be so much easier if Brenna just trusted that she was safe, but Demona understood why the girl would doubt such things. The last year had been difficult on her.

"The Detective has seen the error of her ways." Demona did her best to not smirk at that, and focused on Brenna. "She actually gave testimony for us during the adoption." Brenna hadn't been there for that, as Demona wasn't sure how many witnesses she wanted to her having control over Maza. "She offered to switch her shift and be here, but she is just protection. You don't have to talk with her if you don't want to. You don't have to be polite." Even giving Brenna permission to be rude, there was little chance she would be.

"But, are you sure?" Brenna sounded stunned, scared.

"She'll be trustworthy, and I'll call and talk with you often." Demona nodded confidently.

After dinner they sat to watch a movie and Demona subtly watched the child, considering the websites the girl was looking at. It was too late tonight to talk about this, but they'd need to. Demona wasn't really sure how to approach that without horribly embarrassing Brenna. Humans didn't talk openly about such things, which Demona thought was just more proof how idiotic they were. Still, she needed to consider how to approach the topic with Brenna so as not to distress the girl.

The next morning Demona watched from the car as Brenna walked into school, but her teeth clenched as she wondered if some child in there was the reason her own child was suddenly thinking about sex. It wasn't a comforting thought. She practically growled at Gregory to drive as she stared stonily at the other teenagers walking into the school.

She took a deep breath and stared down at the paperwork she had to read before her meeting that morning, but her mind was still stuck on the images and words she'd seen on the computer after Brenna went to sleep. Human sexuality wasn't as foreign as she thought it would be, but it was disturbing to see, knowing her child had been looking at that. It wasn't right, there had been a sleazy element that didn't exist in gargoyle mating, it made the whole act, which should be a loving one, something perverted and upsetting. Demona wondered if human sexuality really was just as degrading as it looked.

Halfway through her day Demona found her mind still stuck on Brenna and the talk they needed to have. Her meeting had been torture and she sat down heavily in her chair in her office as she tried once again to think of how to bring this up. What should she say? What did humans tell their young? Obviously it was inadequate, but Demona suddenly needed to know. Her own experiences weren't enough to help her understand her child.

Demona needed to know more, understand more about human sexuality. She grimaced as she considered asking her employees, but she had to dismiss that. Humans were dishonest about sexuality to a staggering degree. Demona needed truthful answers. Her eyes traveled to the phone, and she pushed the button for her secretary. "Jane, I don't want to be disturbed for the next hour."

"Yes Ms. Destine." Her young secretary responded and Demona moved her finger from the button, hovering over the phone for a moment before she picked it up.

…………………..

Elisa sat at her dining room table, trying to come up with something she could say to her boss to get the shift change, and she felt a headache forming. Whatever she told Maria, she'd have to tell the clan something else. Then, if she were lucky, because she couldn't do it herself, they'd discover her lie and try and find out what was going on. But even with that plan she found herself having to create plausible stories, because otherwise it would endanger Demona's custody of Brenna and that was one of her orders. Elisa felt like tearing her hair out, because this was an opportunity, she could feel the potential to slip her collar in this, but she couldn't see it yet.

The phone sounded extremely loud in her silent apartment and Elisa debated about answering it, but she just stood up with a heavy sigh and walked over to it. "Hello?"

"Maza, I need some answers." The voice was one she really didn't want to hear and Elisa's hand gripped the phone tighter in irritation. "Truthful answers." Elisa's eyes widened and her heart pounded as she wondered where this was going. "When do humans start having sex?"

"What?" Elisa's voice rose in shock.

"Answer the questions truthfully." Demona sounded irritated to even be asking. Elisa was quiet a moment, trying to accept that she was talking about sex with Demona. It wasn't a conversation she wanted to have. The compulsion forced her to bite back her questions and the sarcastic reply she wanted to give.

"It varies." Elisa felt the compulsion lessen, so she had answered it, but she started to grasp where the question was coming from so she finished on her own. "Some kids start very young and other people are well into adulthood if they ever do have it with someone else."

There was a heavy sigh on the phone and Elisa could almost imagine the look on Demona's face. "How old were you?"

Elisa wanted to say that this question clearly wasn't about her, she didn't want to share her past with this female, but the words came out without a fight, because she knew she couldn't win it. "Sixteen."

"How incompetent were your parents?" Demona seemed to growl that out and Elisa gritted her teeth.

"They weren't, parents can't watch their kids all the time." Elisa bit out with hostility, the question had been rhetorical she was sure, but it was a question so she had to answer.

Demona made a small noise that Elisa took as barely verbal not caring. When the phone went quiet Elisa hoped that Demona was getting ready to hang up. Questions about Elisa's sexuality were dangerous, because if Demona found out Elisa had been with Goliath and hadn't told her Demona would discover the loopholes in her spell. It was that thought that had Elisa trying to take charge of the conversation. "Brenna is dating someone then?"

"No!" The denial was loud and Elisa grimaced at the pain in her ear. After a moment a more quiet, "I don't think so." was heard. "She'd tell me."

"Really?" Some scorn escaped her. "Because I think you'd disapprove of absolutely anyone she'd be interested in, and she probably thinks that too. Chances are she's not going to tell you, you might kill any boy she so much as kisses." Elisa pitied Brenna growing up around Demona. Elisa's father had been tough enough, but Demona really was homicidal. It wasn't out of the realm of possibility she'd kill some boy for touching Brenna someday. "She would have to be afraid to tell you." Elisa spoke more softly.

"My child is not afraid of me." Demona's voice was cold, but Elisa just stayed quiet. The silence spoke volumes about what Elisa thought about that. "She's too young." The subject partially changed.

"I've seen younger." Elisa offered quietly.

"She will not be having sex." It sounded like a declaration. Elisa just shook her head, thinking Demona sounded like so many human parents now, thinking she could just declare that and it would be so.

"Until when Demona? When is she old enough in your eyes?" Elisa asked, suspecting the answer was never.

"This is none of your concern." Demona snapped at her and Elisa went quiet, feeling her suspicion was confirmed. Poor Brenna.

"She's going to fall in love someday Demona, what are you going to do to that poor girl when it happens?" Elisa asked quietly.

After a tense silent moment Demona sounded like she was probably strangling her own phone in her hand. "How do humans talk to their offspring about sex?" It wasn't an answer, but it was a surprise. Elisa leaned back against her kitchen counter and shifted the phone to her other ear for comfort as she considered the question. It sounded like Demona knew she couldn't impose the never have sex rule.

"Every family is different." Elisa said, thinking of the way she had been sat down by her mother for 'the talk', but how her best friend at the time only got it second hand from gossip. "Some say nothing, others stop at a firm 'just don't do it' and mine fortunately told me about birth control."

"Yes, that is fortunate." Demona's slow drawl was an insult and Elisa gritted her teeth as she found herself unable to hang up the phone without permission. "What about when a child could engage in that activity, or how to deal with the mating need before one is old enough to have a partner?"

Elisa felt her cheeks turning hot with embarrassment at the question. "Kids usually hear about masturbation at school from the other kids, or read some naughty magazines to get the idea."

"So that's normal behavior?" Demona sounded a touch relieved and Elisa had a feeling Brenna's secret stash of naughty literature was found.

"I believe it is." Elisa answered a bit subdued, still unhappy with having this talk with Demona.

"So human parents neglect to tell their children of anything important, leave the educating to other children and pornography, and are then surprised when their child becomes pregnant?" Demona's scorn was clear. "This would never happen in a clan. We taught our young about their bodies and sexuality before the flush of first mating desire ever hit."

"Well, it sounds like you forgot to do that for Brenna while you had her." Elisa's voice had a hard edge and she rubbed her free hand over her forehead, wishing for a magical cure for her headache.

"I had assumed a child that age," Demona started to defend herself but then went quiet. "I don't need to answer to you for my false impression that humans could at least handle that much for their offspring. Clearly my former secretary had neglected this part of Brenna's education, just as she neglected to nurture Brenna's mind and let her fester in that disgusting school she used to attend. I will remedy this."

Elisa felt hopeful that Demona would hang up now, because that sounded like the end of the conversation, but then the soft clearing of the throat on the other side of the phone hinted there was more. Elisa sighed and tilted her head back in irritation. "Human children are drawn to their own sex?" The question was softer and Elisa had to replay it in her mind to grasp the topic switch. Her eyes widened.

"Not generally, only a few." Elisa spoke softly, her mind haunting her with the memory of that young man whose family had kicked him out for his own sexuality. "Some people say ten percent, but I've never heard of it being that common." Elisa struggled with what to say. "She may not be, perhaps it's just a phase, or she is curious about her own body."

"Is this denial common human practice?" Demona sounded irritated. "My child was looking at rather graphic images of women together, I think I can safely say it isn't an academic biology curiosity." Demona's voice seemed to growl. "Humans would treat her badly wouldn't they? The stupidity of the race would hurt my child for being one of these ten percent?"

Elisa wanted to deny it, but the compulsion was still in place. "Yes, many would treat her badly, and others would try and ignore her as if her life had little value." As the compulsion lessened Elisa continued to talk, "but not everyone. And many people would never know unless she told them."

"If it is so rare, why didn't she tell me?" Demona sounded a tad lost and Elisa was surprised to feel some empathy for her. "I've told her a few times she had best not get pregnant and she never told me she didn't prefer to mate with males."

"She might be scared, or just trying to understand it herself." Elisa spoke quietly. "I've seen some young runaways, that were more kicked out of their homes than left, because of this. Demona, if you think for a minute you can't accept her, give her up."

"I will not give up MY child." Demona's response was immediate and angry. "She is not defective."

"I never said she was." Elisa sighed, wondering why she was amazed that Demona was more thrown by Brenna's sexuality. "There are support groups."

"There is nothing wrong with her; it's the rest of your lousy race." And then Elisa heard the loud click of the phone being hung up.

Elisa slowly pulled the phone away from her ear and stared at it in disbelief for a moment. That conversation had really happened.

The pounding behind her eyes grew as Elisa realized what she was stepping into when she had to watch Brenna for two weeks. If Demona didn't do as she said, and perhaps even if she did, Elisa might end up having to deal with 'the talk' in a way she never had imagined. Someone had to help that girl, and Demona was going to screw this up.

Still, Elisa felt an uneasy feeling that if it had been her that was gay, her own mother never would have handled it as well as Demona seemed to be handling it. She fought the way her mind wondered how Xanatos would have taken the same situation if he'd had custody. Demona didn't want Brenna with anyone, so really the gender of the anyone didn't matter all that much.

Elisa pulled out a glass and poured herself some water, as she tried to concentrate on her lies to the clan and her boss. She had less than a week now. She also should try and find out what she could about gay kids, and maybe she'd give Demona a book or two. It wasn't really for Demona, Brenna deserved all the support she could get.