Mory Rodriguez 10-13-2005© 11:45AM

Gargoyles In Hatchling Days relived part 3 (A Parent's Devotion)

[Last time on Gargoyles, Elisa took baby Lexington on a visit to her brother, Derek, so he could baby-sit the little hatchling for the night. While Derek and his clan were taking a crash course in Hatchling care, the problem in the clan had been resolved. But things took a turn for the worse when Lex fell out Elisa's window and found out he could use his wings to glide! Jalapenia! Now Baby Lexington is lost in the city!]

Chp 1: Brother's Keeper

Rain had been falling down on the city of Manhattan, New York in sheets. Lighting and thunder had been tearing up the skies in a violent clash for dominance and the wind blew strongly as if running in fear at nearly 55 miles per hour. A night where it made more sense to stay indoors where it was safe, warm, and dry. Yet, none of that mattered in the slightest as Detective Elisa Maze, her partner Matt Bluestone, or to Goliath and his clan as they search through out the city looking for their missing, magically transformed, hatchling, Lexington. They had been in this storm ever since the news of the storm winds had caused Lexington to be blown out the window of Elisa's apartment. Along with Xanatos and his new, robotic, steel clan, they've been fighting the whirling storm while looking everywhere for baby Lex.

"I can't believe this!" cried Elisa as she slowly maneuvered around another turn in the road in her car, "How could I've let this happen?! I should have made sure that window was locked! I can't believe how stupid…"

"Whoa hey, easy partner." Matt interrupted the distressed woman; "It wasn't your fault Mother Nature decided to throw a fit tonight. If you really want to blame someone, blame the weatherman. This baby hit way earlier than he said it would."

"Thanks for trying Matt," the dark hair detective sighed miserable as she kept her eyes focused in front of her, "But I don't think jokes will help right now."

Elisa hadn't been the only one kicking herself at that very moment. Brooklyn had been just as upset as everyone else but he felt the most guilt for allowing this whole mess to start in the first place. For the last few hours he had forced his way threw the unrelenting winds to each and every roof and ally within his field of vision. There could have been a chance that Lexington might have landed on either and would be in hiding from the storm. They were all just thankful the wind was blowing into the city and not for the open waters.

Goliath, Hudson and Angela were high above the city checking the rooftops of the tallest of the buildings and their narrow window frames and ledges. Curious hatchlings were often found exploring and observing in dangerously high, for human, areas back in the days of old. After landing on the Empire State Building Goliath made his report on his mini voice transmitter, "So far he isn't on any of these skyscrapers."

Xanatos had been the one to answered through his Exeo suit's communication relay, "Nothing's showing on my scanners so far…" He informed all whom were listening in as he checked the setting on his robots as well, "My steel clan hasn't found him either. Broadway?"

Broadway and Brooklyn had been searching lower to the ground, in the residential areas where the smaller buildings were clustered close so as to make the differing suburbs, "No, so far we haven't found anything either." Broadway replied into his transmitter as he tried to shield himself from the harsh wind with his wing so as not to be drowned out that the noise.

"Wait…" Narrowing his eyes through the wind and down pore, Brooklyn had just barely been able to see something moving near a large brick house, "I think I see something!"

Without another word he threw himself off the roof in a dive bomb and fought the current until he landed on the ground on all fours, quickly using the momentum to fold his wings around him. Broadway landed next to him, but on his legs and so had to struggle to fold his wings around his shoulders. The wind was getting stronger and would surly blow them back into the air if their wings stayed open. The house was big with dark walls and even darker door, window shutters and roof. The lights were on and a woman's voice could be heard humming from inside. The rich smell of food told the two gargoyles that she was no doubt cooking for her family. Though the shutters were closed from the inside, Brooklyn and Broadway had crouched down and stayed low to the ground, no sense in ruining the peace and tranquility within.

"Are you sure you saw something!?" Broadway called over the wind, hoping that he hadn't been loud enough to attract attention from humans within the building.

"Yes, by the bushes!" Brooklyn called back as led the way through the downpour and towards the said shrubbery.

The rain and wind were making it very difficult to see. However, the lighting had helped to eliminate the yard better but only for a few brief seconds at a time. Soon enough they had managed to reach the bushes, and using their bodies to shield off the wind, they comb through it. As they did so they heard some small sounds and hurried through the foliage. However, when they got passed all the leaves and twigs, they found that the source of sound was a mother cat and her four kittens. The poor creatures were soaked and miserable but mama still had enough fire to hiss and cover her babies. The two dishearten gargoyles reported the false alarm and started to leave. However, at the last moment, Brooklyn stopped in his tracks and doubled back, he couldn't just leave the little family in the wet. He found the cats again and was greeted with the same greeting from mama cat, but this time he saw a small widow that lead to the basement.

Mama cat instantly arched her back up when the gargoyle moved his clawed hand toward them. She watched his talons closely, ready to attack if they went anywhere near her kittens… however, to her curiosity it opened the wall. Cautiously she peeked in hole and found the new dark area to be dry and warm. Seeing a good thing, she had soon begun picking up her young ones, one by one, and making her way to the floor. Broadway had crawled back when he saw Brooklyn still near the bushes. Seeing what was going on, the aqua colored rookery brother positions himself so that he would block the wind while Brooklyn kept the little window open.

"At least they're out of this storm," the brick colored gargoyle sighed as he watched mama cat brought her last baby inside what surely had to be the basement of this human home.

"Don't worry Brooklyn…" The aqua colored gargoyle placed a hand on his Rookery brother's shoulder in comfort, "We went through worse storms than this when we were hatchlings back in Scotland. Lex will do what comes naturally to all hatchlings: find shelter and wait the storm out."

Again, Brooklyn sighed deeply as he followed his rookery brother out onto the sidewalk, "I know… He maybe trapped in a hatchling's body but his still a gargoyle. I just wish we knew for sure that he's alright."

With the wind being as strong as it was they hadn't the need to scale any of the nearby buildings. It had been a simple matter of opening their large wings, allowing the wind to have its way and quickly getting back in control once air born. However, there had been nothing they could do about the sound their wings made when they caught the swirling air. Even with the wind howling loudly the sound of their wings was heard by the being within the house. The curtain opened to the stormy outside world and the lighting reveled, not a human woman, but a female gargoyle, one named Demona. Once the beloved mate of the noble clan leader, Goliath, now a most despised enemy of both the clan and human race. Her blue skin and red hair seem to glow in the light of the electrical flash as she looked around.

"Strange… I could have sworn," A small cry had came from inside her kitchen and so disregarding what she heard before she made her way back. "Don't worry little one," She calmly called as she made sure that her front door had been bolted, "I haven't forgotten you."

In the kitchen, on top of a salt and pepper colored marble countertop, was a large fruit basket. Around said basket were its original contents of assorted fruits left spilled on the fancy tabletop. In their place inside the woven bin was a small bundle of soft clean linen. Within the fabric itself laid a small being rapped nicely among them. He's small, olive green colored hands where stretching over the rim of the basket, and waving; wanting to be picked up.

"Coming, I'm coming," The female gargoyle replied to the urgent clicks and whines as she walked to the kitchen counter. "There now enough of that," The gargress spoke gently as she picked up the little baby in her arms and cradle his bald little head to her collar bone; he small crys quieting down. "Yes, that's much better isn't it?"

The little hatchling clung fiercely to her, for he has had such a terrible scare from the thunder outside their selter and didn't want to be left alone. He still had a bit of a chill from being out in the raging storm and was only too glad to be rapped up and cuddled. The noises of the storm were so loud and frightened him so much that Demona opened one of her wings and covered him with it. This was how all gargoyles give security to their young.

*****

Flashback: Three hours after the Storm hit

Demona had just gathered some items acquired from the bay and was making her way back to her home. Recently, she had found a spell that would allow her to transform into her human form without feeling pain that came with the morphing. Although the physical pain was a small price to pay for her ability to blend with humanity and take advantage of their naiveté, she could do so without feeling it twice everyday. She had just neared her home when a frightened, inhuman cry had caught her attention.

"What…?" The winged female creature had recognized the sound immediately and thus was taken back by the realization. "It can't be…"

The enchanted gargoyle dived toward the park where the sound came from. The cry became louder and more desperate… and so familiar. Demona allowed the wind to carry her through trees using her wings to steer her until she came across a dog. It was barking viciously and digging at the roots of a large oak tree; trying to get at something hiding among them. That something had soon been dug right out of its sanctuary and began running for dear life. Through the flash of lightning Demona saw it, a tiny gargoyle… a hatchling! The dog, seeing that its potential chew toy was getting away, took off after it. The little hatchling race like rabbit, screaming in fright, but it couldn't out run this monster. Before it knew it, the dog pounced and caught it in his mouth ready to shake his head and break its prey's little body. Only it didn't count on something hitting it to the ground. The hatchling fell on the wet grass and saw an adult gargoyle holding the monster that chased him by the fur and roaring angrily at it. Demona threw the dog aside like an old rag doll and watched it run away in fear.

Upon hearing the hatchling crying Demona knelt down to pick the poor thing up. "What?!" Once she had gotten a good look at the babe, she had recognized the features easily, "…Lexington?"

The winged babe had stopped its crying for a moment and looked up at his savior miserably confused. She looked familiar and it comforted him some but he was still very frightened. His eyes were pleading and showed how much he wanted to be taken away from this horrible place. The whole situation brought back old forgotten memories of Scotland and how Demona herself, along with her brothers and sisters, had taught and cared for him and his many siblings' back in the clan. Back, before they had been betrayed by the miserable humans... Though those times were long gone and Demona was now the clan's enemy, she had found that she hadn't been able to bring herself to abandon him. After all he was hatchling now. It just wasn't a gargoyle's way to abandon their young. Her being a female of her ancient race made all the more against her nature.

"Sorcery did this no doubt," A flash of lighting split the skies, scaring the babe into screaming again and shying closer to her bosom. "Oh… shhhh… shhhh, hush now little one. You're not alone anymore. You're with me now." The words were spoken softly so that the reassurance within them would sink in for the tiny, little baby as she had, once again, begun walking to her home, "You're with me now."