Yes! The last chapter! My modem's been on the fritz lately and I couldn't get online. Plus my sister's wedding was on June first so my family had been busy getting ready for it. Anyway, this is the final chapter of this story.

Chapter Six- Showdown

Xanatos got a surprise when he and Lexington returned to the castle. The others were concerned about him when the small gargoyle told them what had happened. Angela fussed over Xanatos' injuries, trying to determine their severity.

"They're just broken ribs," he protested. "Nothing serious." It was true. Broken ribs would be healed after a day in stone sleep. Yet, at the same time, it felt good that the clan was concerned about him.

The clan got a surprise of their own when dawn arrived. Instead of heading to his room, Xanatos took up a spot next to Brooklyn and struck a contemplating pose. None of the clan knew why Xanatos was joining them, but it was becoming clear that the businessman was accepting his gargoyle nature.

&&&&

Dominique Destine gave a bored sigh as she listened to her company's budget report. She had better ways to spend her time. An example was Xanatos. It had been over two weeks since she cast that spell and yet there had been no news reports on his death. How come?

Slowly and discreetly, Dominique reached into her skirt pocket and withdrew a remote control. Keeping it hidden under the table, she pushed a button which activated the robot spies she had planted around the Eyrie Building, particularly in Castle Wyvern. She wanted answers and she was going to get them.

When her meeting finally came to an end, she dashed up to her hidden office and switched on her security monitors. All the screens showed various areas of Xanatos Enterprises. She focused on those that showed Castle Wyvern. She paused at one that displayed the clan and gazed tenderly at her daughter's stone form. She saw so much of herself in Angela. It was a pity she had Goliath's compassion for humans and the belief that not all humans were bad.

Dominique tore herself from those thoughts and was about to move on to another screen when something caught her eye. She slowly examined each stone statue before pausing at the one between Brooklyn and Bronx.

'Since when do gargoyles wear business suits? Never, that's when. This one does and he bears a close resemblance to Xanatos,' she mused. 'In fact, I think he is Xanatos!' Dominique bared her teeth and her green eyes began to glow red. Xanatos had escaped her spell and as a gargoyle, too!

"You bastard!" she hissed. "You may have cheated death last time, but this time, you will die!"

&&&&

'No covert dealings coming out of Cyberbiotics. Not too surprising really, but I thought I'd check.' Xanatos smiled contently. It had been three days since the Quarrymen ambush and he was finally on his night to work. Of course, the first thing he wanted to do was to see if any rival companies were engaging in shady deals. Not a hard search if one knew where to look.

He punched up Nightstone Unlimited's activities and leaned back in his new office chair that had been delivered last week. He knew Nightstone was Demona's company and he wanted to know what she was up to. He hoped she wasn't cooking up another genocide scheme. If she was, though, Goliath would want to know.

'The entire clan would want to know too. Naturally, I will help since Fox and Alex would be in danger.'

Xanatos focused his eyes on the screen and suddenly sat bolt upright. There was an order being placed to Servarius from Demona. The item being ordered made Xanatos' heart leap into his throat: The CV-1000 carrier virus!

'That's the virus she used the last time she tried to kill humanity.' Xanatos knew this from hacking into Demona's private company files two days after the Hunter's Moon. Springing out of his chair, he ran out of the office to tell the others what he had discovered.

&&&&

"So, Demona's planning to try her scheme again," Goliath said after Xanatos reported his findings.

"We have to stop her," Brooklyn growled.

"Yes," Goliath agreed. "Xanatos, when and where will Demona receive the virus?"

"At her home in about an hour."

"Then we have no time to lose. Let's go."

"I'm coming too," Xanatos announced, surprising the others.

"You, lad?" Hudson asked.

"Yes. This virus threatens the lives of Fox and Alex. I don't want Demona getting her hands on that virus."

"Very well," Goliath replied. He didn't want to waste time arguing and really there was no point in arguing. Xanatos was just as much a gargoyle as the rest of them. There was no reason why he shouldn't come.

&&&&

The house's lighting was dim and gave the place a spooky feeling. There was no telling where Demona could be. It had been too easy getting inside. A balcony window had been left open and no alarms had been set. This made Xanatos suspicious. Since Demona was human during the day, it made little sense for her to leave the window open, much less not setting alarms.

A metal door with a number pad on the wall beside it barred their path. Goliath did not hesitate to slice the pad off the wall. The door slid open to reveal some kind of laboratory. The kind appropriate for creating a killer virus, as a matter of fact.

As soon as the whole clan was inside, a thick steel door came down and sealed them inside. The windows were also barred with the same metal.

"A trap!" Goliath exclaimed.

"Correct, Goliath," came Demona's voice from an intercom.

A hiss was heard and green gas began pouring into the room. The gargoyles tried to claw the door apart and escape, but one by one they dropped unconscious.

&&&&

Xanatos moaned softly as he came to. He found himself on the floor bound by thick cables as were the rest of the clan. He glanced around until his gaze landed on Demona, who was slowly and absentmindedly stroking the side of a laser gun she held in her claws. The moans of his fellow clan members drew her attention and she smiled wickedly.

"Well, well," she drawled. "Welcome back."

"Where is it, Demona?" Xanatos demanded.

"Where's what?"

"The virus. The CV-1000 carrier virus."

Demona let out a short chuckle before replying, "There isn't one. I falsified that order. I knew you would check on my company files."

"Why the trap?"

"To capture you. You were suppose to die two weeks ago!"

"I'm aware of that and thanks to a rogue spell, I became a gargoyle." Xanatos didn't mention that the spell combined with Demona's and cancelled out the death aspect of the spell. No sense in giving that information away.

"You can't kill him, Demona," Goliath cut in. "He's a gargoyle now, just as we are."

"He's no gargoyle," the redhead countered. "He merely looks like one. Inside, he is still human."

"I disagree," Xanatos piped in. "True I behaved human for about a week and a half. But for the last three days, I acted in true gargoyle fashion. I am a gargoyle, just as Goliath said." With that, Xanatos snapped his bonds and leaped at Demona, delivering a kick to her midsection.

The force of the kick sent her skidding across the floor, both hands still holding the gun. Xanatos landed on top of her and seized the gun, intending to take it from her. But Demona kept an iron grip on it. The two of them tugged back and forth on the weapon, trying to gain the upper hand. Then, to Xanatos' horror, the gun discharged in the direction of the clan.

The sudden discharge startled Xanatos and gave Demona the chance to deliver a kick of her own. Xanatos flew through the air and landed on his side. He caught sight of Goliath, free and cutting the others loose before Demona blocked his view, the gun pointed at him.

Before she could fire, the weapon flew out of her hands, courtesy of Xanatos' tail. It landed next to Goliath, who promptly stepped hard on it and destroyed it.

Anger poured into Demona at the sight of her destroyed weapon. She decided to take it out on Xanatos. After all, it was his fault! Eyes blazing, she lashed out at the male before her, leaving three claw marks across his cheek. She proceeded to pummel him, punching him on one cheek and then other. Her fists also hit his nose and lips.

"Ha!" she sneered. "So much for your claim about being a gargoyle. You can't even fight back."

"Just…waiting for the right…moment," he replied.

Demona paused for a moment to wonder what he meant before his legs thrust upward and sent Demona sailing. He quickly got to his feet as Demona hitting her head on the floor, rending her unconscious.

Goliath looked at Xanatos as Hudson went to tie up Demona. There was blood all over his face. His nose appeared to be broken, he had a split lip, and claw marks on one cheek. Despite his injuries, he acted like everything was fine. 'Typical Xanatos,' he thought.

&&&&

Xanatos winced slightly as Fox put some ointment on his cheek. She had been horrified at her husband's state before setting out to attend to his injuries. Of course his nose, lip, and cheek would heal after a day in stone sleep, but she didn't want him to risk getting his wounds infected before sunrise.

When she finished, Xanatos kissed her cheek as best he could before leaving the room and heading down the corridor. He paused outside a door. He had just heard his name mentioned as well as Elisa and Goliath's voices.

"He actually fought Demona?" Elisa asked, slight astonishment evident.

"Yes," Goliath answered. "He handled himself quite well."

"I still find it hard to believe."

"He may have been human when he first changed, but now he is a gargoyle."

"I'm happy to hear that," Xanatos interrupted, entering the room. "Somewhat."

As Goliath and Elisa shared startled looks, Xanatos inwardly smiled. It was true that he was human in mind and gargoyle in body and spirit, but he was still David Xanatos as he would prove while he helped protect a city that feared and hated gargoyles.

The End

In case any of you are wondering, I intended to keep Xanatos as a gargoyle. That's why I stated AU in the summary. I read all the reviews from this story and was pleased that this version had turned out better than the original idea. I enjoyed rewriting this idea just as you enjoyed reading this.