Of Dragons and Gargoyles Part Three:  The Way Things Happen...
A Gargoyles Fanfiction by Matt Little     (myrlynn@execpc.com)


	Well, well, well. Looks like I'm back in the fanfic realm again. But 
that's a good thing, right? I hope so. 
	The characters in the story that are not mine are the property of
Disney and Buena Vista Productions. Any relation to other people's stories
and/or characters is strictly accidental.
	(Author's note: This takes place during and after "The Reckoning".)
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Prolouge   2594 A.D. Manhattan
	
	The current leader of the Manhattan clan, a large pale green gargoyle
by the name of Duke watched as 3G and young Excaliber headed back upstairs
to the battlements. He didn't know what they were talking about, but he
was going to find out this time...
	"3G, I wanna hear about the WHOLE clan tonight. Do you know a good 
story about all of them?" the little gargoyle asked the elder.
	3G stopped for a second, and scratched his chin. He nodded his head.
"Yes, I know a fairly good story about the whole clan; but tonight, I have 
to take Godzilla for a walk." He gestured at the large watchdog that had 
padded up next to them. Godzilla wagged his stubby tail at the two and 
whined.
	3G turned to the big gardog, bending over to pick him up. He groaned
at the weight. "Ye need ta' be losin' some weight, 'zilla!" the old gargoyle
muttered. With Excaliber strapped on securely to 3G, the three leapt of into 
the night.
	Duke hesitated for a second, then followed. He shouldn't be leaving
the castle, but he had to hear the story the old one was telling the
young gargoyle...
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Chapter One
1996  Manhattan

	The winged figure flew effortlessly through the night sky. Brooklyn
was flying his usual patrol route so he was able to do it without to much
thinking about it. Instead, he turned his thoughts to the new addition to
the clan, Angela. He, Broadway and Lex had talked about her in private,
ever since she yelled at them. He thought about her all the time now; her
wings, her face, her legs, her....
	Brooklyn abruptly dived around a building as a shadow passed over him.
To his knowledge, none of the others should have been on patrol in this
vicinity: Broadway and Lexington patrolled the south side, and Goliath and
Angela were patrolling the north side, while Goliath showed her some more of
the sights, and Hudson and Bronx stayed and watched the clock tower.
	Then who else could it have been? Demona? His eyes flared for a 
minute, before realizing that she probably would have attacked him, him
being alone and all. Talon or Maggie? No, they would have called out a 
greeting. Brooklyn landed on a nearby rooftop and scanned the skies. After
about five minutes, he shrugged his shoulders and launched back into the
night. Maybe I'm just jumpy, he thought.
	The figure watched the gargoyle from a nearby building, making sure to
stay in the shadows. It wouldn't do to be seen, the figure thought. After 
the gargoyle flew back onto his patrol, the figure spread its wings, and 
leapt into the sky.

Chapter Two


	Goliath and Angela slowly glided toward the Statue of Liberty. They 
landed gently on the statue's head, and looked out into the bay.
	Angela looked over at her father. "It's beautiful tonight, isn't it,
father?" she asked.
	"Hmm, yes," he replied. He had been thinking about Elisa and the
strange feelings that she had been producing in him lately. Was it possible
for a gargoyle to.... no, he could not think of her that way. But just
thinking about her brought a smile to his face.
	Angela glanced over at her father. Her father. It was exceptional that
Goliath admitted and accepted her as his daughter. It made her heart feel
so much better to know she was related to him. But from the smile and
faraway look on his face, she guessed that he was thinking about Elisa. She
smiled to think that the small human had finally captured something that the
clan leader had managed to keep same all these years; his heart. She just
wondered when the would finally realize how much they meant to each other, 
and act on it!
	The smile fell away, when she thought about her first love, Bolt. He
had saved her, Elisa, Bronx and Goliath when the were attacked outside old
Castle Wyvern's rookery by the evil dragon Firestorm (Author's note: last
story) only to disappear by the next night. She sighed, then reached into
the pouch that she carried on her waist. Her hand enclosed the note that
Bolt had written to her before he disappeared. 
	Goliath snapped out of his thoughts about Elisa. Seeing that they
would just have enough time to make it back to the clock tower before dawn,
He turned to tell Angela that they should go, and saw the expression on her
face. He knew that she had cared a great deal about his rookery brother,
maybe even loved him. He also knew that time would help heal the wounds 
caused by the loss of a loved one. Maybe, eventually, she would find
someone again. That's why she had responded so negatively to the attention
from the Trio; she was still hoping that Bolt would show up.
	"Angela." Goliath whispered.
	Angela's head snapped up. Seeing Goliath looking at her, she smiled
at him. "Yes father?"
	"We need to be getting back to the clock tower. It will be dawn soon."
He turned and raised his wings pointedly to emphasize his point Angela
walked over next and spread her own wings, taking off with Goliath for the
trip back to the clock tower.
	They flew back quickly, staying high in the air and keeping the major
air currents. On the way back, the had the feeling that someone was watching
them. Both Goliath and Angela looked around, but saw nobody.
	But somebody saw them.

	Goliath and Angela landed gently on the parapet. Hopping down,
settling their wings upon their shoulders, the two gargoyles walked into
the clock tower. Neither of them heard the quiet thump, as a large shadow
landed gently upon the top of the clock tower.
	"Hudson, old friend. Did Elisa stop by at all?" Goliath asked, trying
to sound nonchalant.
	"Aye, lad, she did. She said that she had to pull some overtime to
make up fer all the time lost. Said she'd see ye in a few days." he said
from his easy chair, idly scratching Bronx. 
	Brooklyn, having returned to the clock tower first, was sitting on a
bench, waiting for Goliath to return. He had on some headphones and was 
listening to one of his cds. He happened to look up and see Goliath and
Angela talking to Hudson. He pulled off his headphones; from them could be
heard the song 'All Along The Watchtower' by Jimi Hendrix. Stopping the
cd, he walked over by Goliath and told him the shadow that had passed over
him that night.
	"Yes, we thought someone was watching us tonight on our flight home."
Angela replied. 
	"We need to watch out. Someone could be setting us up for an ambush.
We need everybody to rotate patrol schedules. Brooklyn, tell Lexington and
Broadway when they get back. Speaking of which, it's almost dawn. Where are
they?" Goliath asked. He and the rest walked outside and started looking
in the sky. The figure up top moved backward, to avoid being seen.
	"Maybe they were too far out and sought shelter on another rooftop."
Hudson offered. Goliath looked at him and nodded.
	"More than likely. If so we shall wait tomorrow for awhile for them to
show up." With that, the lavender gargoyle and the rest took up their
positions for the day.
	When the gargoyles turned to stone, the large figure floated down
behind them. The sun reflected of blue scales as it raised a clawed paw
from the parapet to shield it's eyes as it looked at the stone figures.
	A flapping sound caught its attention, and it looked up as a form
filled his vision. With a thud, it landed next to the other one.
	"So this is your clan," a small, and obviously male voice spoke.
"Why didn't we introduce ourselves, Bolt?" the smaller of the two said.
	"I had to make sure that everything was still alright. And, with an
added bonus, Goliath and the rest must have finished with their quest. Isn't
that right, Detective Maza?" Bolt asked slowly turning around.
	Elisa Maza had just gotten off work and decided to see her friends
before going home. She had heard voices, and knowing that the gargoyles
were already stone, she went up with her pistol drawn figuring that it was
Macbeth and Demona coming to destroy the clan.
	Instead, when she went to the top, she saw two dragons talking,without
a care in the world, or so it seemed. She warily approached them. "How did 
you know it was me?" she asked. Her weapon was not put away, just pointed
it down towards the ground. He laughed.
	"First was the gun. I hate guns and learned early what they smelled
like, with all that oil. Second; the person was coming up the stairs, and
the footsteps were too light for most men. That meant the person was
probably female, and a police officer. Third; I remember your scent from
Scotland. The door opening below carried up the breeze, so I knew we weren't
in any danger. Sherlock Holmes has nothing on me!" he laughed. He then 
looked seriously at her. "Ms. Maza....or may I call you Elisa?"
	"Call me Elisa only if I can call you Bolt!" she said, smirking. Now
that she knew that it was Bolt, she holstered her weapon and walked over
to Hudson's chair and flopped down.
	"It would make me happy. Elisa, I would like you to meet my friend,
Ash. I met him after I had left you and the others at Scotland. I couldn't 
stay and wait for sunset. It would have been too.... painful." The blue 
dragon suddenly shifted, then shrank down to his gargoyle form. Next to him, 
Ash (as Elisa discovered was a red dragon!) also shape shifted into a 
gargoyle. He was about as tall as Hudson, with the same build. Maybe a bit
more broad, though, thought Elisa.
	"Any ways, to keep a long story short, I traveled a bit, met Ash, then 
decided to return here and see how the clan was getting along." He grabbed
Brooklyn's cd and looked through them. He pulled out a couple of Hendrix,
some Metallica, a Doors Greatest Hits.... then a few country cd's.
Elisa heard him mutter "Gonna have to talk to him about some of his
selections," as he tossed the country down.
	"Have you..(yawn).. talked to them yet." she asked, thumbing at the
statues outside. She had a long day at work and this didn't help any.
	Bolt caught on immediately. "Nope. Maybe later. And I can tell that
you're just as enthusiastic now as you were last time," Bolt said, with
a faint smile coming to his face. He turned to Ash, "Stay here and watch.
I'll be back soon." He said. Elisa didn't have to use her detective skills
to know that something was wrong. Ash had turned the tv and was watching
morning cartoons with the enthusiasm of a five year old. She saw Bolt's 
face fall when Ash didn't even acknowledge him.
	"Come on detective, you're in no condition to drive. The clan would
murder me if I let you drive home in your state. You get the express way."
With that he started towards the doorway.
	"I..I don't know...," she started. But she walked towards with him as
he went outside. Elisa really only flew with Goliath. She trusted the 
others, but with Goliath it seemed.... right. When she walked outside, he
had changed back to a dragon.
	"For one thing, you'll be easy to spot from the ground," she said.
He looked at her and she thought for a minute she was scared enough that she
took a step back. then she realized he was smiling!
	Bolt lifted a wing. From the underside it looked almost exactly like
the sky! "Another trick that I learned. I can change my undercoat to any
shade of blue that I desire. Unfortunately," tapping his upper scales, "My
scales aren't that versatile."
	"Where would I sit?" she asked him. Elisa could she herself catching
a gust of wind and falling to the streets below. Splat. She shivered.
	Bolt looked at his back. Between his shoulder blades, a row of spikes
that rode down his spine suddenly jutted out. "Between them. Now stop 
stalling and let's go. That's all we need is to be spotted by someone across
the street." With that he lowered a wing for her to climb up on.
	She signed. Well, at least I can tell my kids that I was once a 
dragon rider! Then she smirked, imagining little kids with lavender skins
and wings running around her apartment. Her parents would flip. Not to 
mention Goliath if I told him that. With that thought she climbed up his 
wing and settled in. Surprisingly, it was comfortable.
	Once she was settled in, he took off. Elisa managed to stay awake,
giving him directions to her home. He landed on a nearby rooftop and carried
her over to her apartment in his gargoyle form. As he was leaving, he turned
to her, "Elisa, I need to ask a favor of you."
	"What? It's not for someone to play chess, is it?"she yawned, 
remembering the first day she had spent with him.
	"No. I want you to promise not to say anything to Goliath and the rest
until I do. I have some business to finish up first. O.K.?"  He looked at 
her, pleadingly.
	"Sure, no problem; I'll see you later. Now I gotta get some sleep."
With that she shut her window.
	Bolt turned and leapt into the air, transforming back into his true 
form as he flew. He made his way back to the clock tower and picked up
Ash, then headed back to were they had been staying lately.

Chapter Three

	Bolt flew quietly behind Brooklyn. He made sure that he was far enough
behind the red gargoyle that he could help if anything happened. He had 
noticed that once a week or so that Brooklyn would travel down into the 
tunnels under the city, and stayed there until the next night when another
one of the clan would show up and take over. He slowly glided along, keeping 
close to the buildings so Brooklyn wouldn't see him. He preferred watching
Brooklyn for the simple fact that he seemed to like working alone, and that
made it easier to watch.
	The blue snapped his eyes up; Brooklyn had gone somewhere while he was 
daydreaming. Cursing himself, Bolt extended his senses and began sweeping
for him. A soft cry from below caught his attention; when he looked he saw
Brooklyn in the midst of about ten humans. Tucking his wings in, he dove.
	How do I get myself into these situations, Brooklyn thought, leaping
up to avoid a crowbar, then throwing himself right to avoid a baseball bat.
He had heard a cry for help; getting closer, he saw three bigger guys
assaulting a slightly smaller one. He barreled one down, then dropped 
another with his tail when the 'victim' and six other rejects from the gene
pool leaped at him. He was just managing to prevent himself from getting
creamed from another bat when a crowbar smashed into his side, dropping
him to the ground. He clutched his ribs as he struggled to get up.
	"Not so tough now are ya!" one of the deadbeats said to him, then
kicked him sharply in the leg, causing him to fall down again. They moved 
in to finish the helpless gargoyle off.
	Suddenly, behind them, the two street lights that lit up this part
shattered, raining down glass around them before the area went dark. The
men looked around in a daze when a loud 'thud' from behind them caused them
to spin around. Two glowing orbs the size of truck tires flared into being,
and a low growling issued forth.
	The ruffians, a sudden fear clenching their bellies, started to turn 
and run. Two of them were plucked from the ground, screaming. A sickening
'splat' was heard, and the sound of two bodies hit the ground as the
screaming stopped. The rest of the men managed to scatter.
	Brooklyn was starting to breath easier, but his ribs still burned.
He managed to get to his feet, then lurched forward into a large object when
his leg gave way on him. He looked up when a large clawed hand fell on his
shoulder, and looked into the glowing eyes.
	"Brooklyn? Do need help back to the tower?" a voice grumbled at him.
	"Nah, I think I can make it back by myse...." he started, before 
he passed out.
	Bolt quickly did some first aid on the prone gargoyle. Feels like a 
few bruised ribs and a fractured leg, he thought. He gathered Brooklyn into
his arms and leapt into the night.
	So preoccupied with Brooklyn, he never noticed a large figure with
wings step out of the bushes and stare up into the sky. A maniacal laugh
filled the air behind them.

Chapter Four.

	Hudson was watching one of his favorite programs, Star Trek: TNG, when
he heard a small thump from outside. He heard the door open and a lone
set of footsteps come in. Thinking it was Brooklyn, since he was the only
one by himself, Hudson called out, "Could ye get me a drink from the fridge,
lad?  The Enterprise is attacking the Klingons agin, and I do'n wan ta miss
it."
	Hudson barely registered the fridge being opened and then closed, or
the heavy sounding footsteps that came towards him. When the soft drink was
placed into his hand, he said, "Thanks, lad."
	"You're welcome, Hudson." The deep voice replied.
	For a split second Hudson continued watching; the next he was on the
other side of the chair with his sword out and ready. He crouched in a
battle stance, eyes glowing, ready for anything.
	He stopped, and realized that no attack was forthcoming. In puzzlement
he sheathed his sword back into his belt and looked at the strange figure
that was busy with its back to Hudson.
	It was a dragon; a big blue if the scales were any indication. Hudson
estimated he was well over one hundred fifty feet long, possibly around 
one-seventy-five feet for the total length. The tail, swinging back and
forth now, had to be at least sixty feet by itself. He stared in awe for a
few minutes at dragon. The only blue dragon he knew of was Bolt, and 
considering that Bronx was sniffing the lower leg without malice, lead him
to believe it was.
	"Since you're up, Hudson, could you get me the first-aid kit? Brooklyn
has injured his leg and chest." the blue said quietly. When Hudson didn't
immediately respond, the head swiveled to look at him. Smiling, "Yes Hudson,
it's Bolt. Now... please...the first-aid kit?"
	Hudson sprinted over towards the cabinet and yanked out the kit. He
then rushed over to where Brooklyn was laying, and undid the kit. Bolt had
him unwrap the bandage, and wrapped Brooklyn's chest. Then he took a pool
stick from a corner and snapped it in two, wrapping the tape around the
makeshift splint.
	Brooklyn clawed his way up from the darkness that had enveloped him.
His eyes opened, then shut them because the light was too intense. "What
happened?" he whispered.
	"You were ambushed, but you're ok now, Brooklyn," a soothing voice
said to him.  "Just lie back and go to sleep until dawn."
	Brooklyn squinted, looking up. A large, blurry head floated into view
before he nodded, getting comfortable. In moments he was asleep.
	"How bad is he?" The old gargoyle asked as they moved away.
	Bolt shocked the older gargoyle by shifting into his gargoyle form.
"He has a couple of bruised ribs, and a fractured leg. Make sure he isn't
disturbed until tomorrow night." With that, he walked towards the stairs
leading to the clock face, and outside. Hudson, not expecting him to leave,
looked over at him.
	"Planning ta leave already, lad? I know at least one person that would
like fer ye ta greet her." The old gargoyle asked him. Bolt stopped walking
for a moment, then kept going. Pausing at the top, "Hudson, tell he... them,
that I miss them all. Tell them that I will return to the clan, and soon."
Then he walked out.
	Hudson stood there for a minute, then walked over to check on
Brooklyn. Making he sure he was resting easily, he returned to his television
and Bronx. 
	Bolt walked outside. He paused, looking left and right. His eyes
broadened as he saw two gargoyles, one carrying a human, glide around a 
nearby corner. Since they hadn't seen him yet, he leaped over the edge 
without hesitation. He glided around the building quickly, then settled
himself up top again. 
	He saw that it was Goliath carrying Elisa...and Angela. They walked 
in, Elisa and Angela laughing about something, and Goliath being his usual
stoic self. His talons gripped the edge, and he willed himself not to fly
down by them. He waited for the inevitable to happen.
	As expected, a few minutes later, Angela came out, screaming his
name into the night air. Goliath followed, and grabbed her by the shoulders.
Bolt's heart cried out as Angela turned around and buried her head on 
Goliath's shoulder, racking sobs shaking her body. A tear fell from each of
his eyes and drifted down, before he managed to contain the rest. He jumped
out into the night, wanting to put as much distance between him and his clan
as was possible.
	Goliath's head perked up as he felt the two teardrops hit him. Looking
up into the midnight sky, he watched as a giant shadow flew into the 
distance. We shall talk, my rookery brother, thought the clan's leader. We
shall talk very soon.
	'Yes we shall,' the haunting voice of the dragon came back inside his 
mind, 'yes we shall....'

Chapter Five

	With a roar, Goliath broke out of his stone sleep, stretching his
muscles, before settling back down. From the cries around him, he heard the
rest also break free. Immediately he walked over towards Brooklyn, who was
removing the bandages and the rough splint from the previous night.
	"Brooklyn, how are you feeling tonight?" the big gargoyle rumbled.
	The red second-in-command looked at Goliath, then smiled. "A lot 
better than last night." he said, hopping down. He chuckled as the rest 
professed their concern. "I'm really, ok! Please!" he laughed, as the rest
poked him a little.
	Laughing, the rest of the gargoyles followed him into the clock tower.
Hudson took up his usual place by the tv with Bronx. Goliath ran through
assignments with the rest.
	'Goliath?' a voice spoke in his mind. 'Do you want to talk now?'
Goliath shook his head for a second when the voice startled him. 'Not now.
I have to watch Demona tonight. Tomorrow.' he muttered to himself. 'Make
sure that you're around.'
	'For one thing, you can reply with your thoughts. For another; I know
how upset with me you must be, but try to be open with what I'm going to
say tomorrow. How about, say, midnight on the lady? The Statue of Liberty
quickly filtered through his mind.
	"Fine. Now I have to go." He replied, not realizing he had spoken
out loud.
	"Goliath? Did ye say something, lad?" came from Hudson. Startled, 
Goliath turned and looked at his mentor. Hudson was watching him, remote in
one hand, the other scratching Bronx.
	"No... Nothing. I must go and watch Demona now." he replied. Walking
out the doorway, then launching himself off the end to watch the female
gargoyle and mutate prisoners for the night.

	Bolt and Ash sat atop the Statue of Liberty. This was their usual
perch until later in the night when the gargoyles patrols got closer.
	"Ash, I know how much you care for your mother. But if she ever
escaped, you know that I would have to destroy her for what she did to you."
The bigger of the two said.
	"I know, Bolt, I know. And you know that I would have to stop you with
every means in my power." the young red replied. "I know that my experience
is nothing compared to you. Without even hardly thinking about it, I'm sure
that you could gut me and leave me for the carrion birds. But I can't just
abandon the person that gave me life!. Turning to face the big blue, he
gently placed a clawed hand upon his shoulder. "You know how much you mean
to me also. I know without you, I would never be. But without my mother,
I would never have been given a chance. I hope that you understand."
	Turning to face the red, Bolt replied, "Dammit Ash! You know that I
would never intentionally try and hurt you. You're too much like a son to me
to do that." Bolt watched the smaller red flinch at that last comment. He
saw how much that last comment bit into the young red. He turned back,
watching the skies for enemies, and friends. He knew that he would never
be able to tell Ash how much that he meant to him, or why he hated his
'mother'. It would create too many complications, and that was exactly
what he was trying to avoid right now.
	The two dragons watched for the rest of the night, silently, but
nobody came to disturb their peace. Bolt closed his eyes and bathed in the
glow of the sun as it rose. He never saw Ash perk up, or turn and grin
maliciously at him. He noticed that his sun abruptly was blocked, and as he
turned to ask Ash to move out of the way, his eyes stared for a split
second in shock.
	Ash had risen from his position, and assumed the classic dragon
attack stance: Wings flared out, back arched with clawed hands held at
ready, and tail ready  to attack from sudden movement from the flanks.
	"Ash? What... what's wrong?" Bolt stammered, then looked into Ash's
eyes, searching for a reason for his friend to turn on him.
	Only instinct glared back at him.
 	From a millennium of combat experience, even as Ash inhaled to launch
his deadly breath weapon, Bolt's combat instincts acted.
	His left wing darted out and struck the red in the side of the head,
breaking his aim as his breath flew by Bolt. Next, Bolt launched his own
tail up and around the smaller red's right wing, pulling him off balance.
	Ash struggled for a split second before realizing the intention to
throw him off the statue. As he relaxed for his fall, his talons lanced out,
grabbing Bolt's tail, and dragging him with.
	Still astonished by the treachery of his friend, the blue dragon was
yanked off balance into space. They both crashed to the island. Ash sprinted
over to his 'friend' picked him up and smashed him against ground multiple
times. The red dragon picked up the blue's head, looking at it. Satisfied
that Bolt was unconscious, Ash picked him up and flew him to a deeper part 
of the bay.
	Then he dropped him.
	Bolt plummeted to the cold water below. He hit the water, and his
twelve and one-half ton bulk slowly slid from sight. Ash watched for a few
minutes. When the air bubbles stopped flowing up, he roared out his success
into the morning air. Transforming into a large red eagle, he slowly flew
back towards the city, following the call of his mother.
	A breeze stirred the calm water below.

Chapter Six

	Goliath couldn't believe how easily that Demona and Thailog had 
trapped him and his clan. He cursed himself that the clan had been so lax
in their duties as not to see what had been going down. Now, because of him,
Demona and her new 'clan' were going to kill him and his.

	The red dragon slowly circled the park, waiting for the festivities
to end. The park was shut down so he wasn't worried about being seen; 
however, he had a strange feeling he was being watched. Ash surveyed the
skies, but so no one. Next he quickly patrolled the grounds. On his final
ground survey, he thought he saw movement.
	Ash landed, then polymorphed into a male human for easier traveling.
Creeping around to where he saw the movement, he abruptly ran into a
familiar face.
	He had time to stare before a two-by-four suddenly ended his thoughts.

	He sat above the room where the clan was being held. He held his
anger in check, watching the scene unfold. Something told him to wait for
a few seconds until everyone was in place. He watched Thailog and Demona
verbally and then physically spar, Demona losing out over it. When the clone
Delilah walked in, and Thailog turned to kill Angela, he snapped.
	Angela stared at her mother. The person she thought that Demona was
had faded, and now she detested the sight of her. When Thailog turned and
readied his weapon, she just glared at him.
     It was at this point the ceiling was ripped away, and a one hundred and
seventy-five foot long, twelve and a half-ton blue mass of teeth, claws and
scales dropped down, picked up Thailog and threw him through the side wall
before turning to the rest and growling, "The next one of you...primates...
even touches my Angel and clan, and you'll spend the rest of your short and
painful lives pleading for mercy!" With that, he roared, letting all his 
frustration and pain go at that point. (Author's Note: Think of the T-Rex
from Jurassic Park, at the end; multiply by ten, and you'll get an idea!)
	Demona used the delay to stumble over and unlock the clamps holding
them in place. She then proceeded towards the hole Bolt made, leaping and 
crying out Thailog's name in rage. The gargoyles, except for Angela, rushed
out also, with the clones, except for Delilah, hot on their tails. Bolt's
dragon fear had her rooted to where she stood.
	From above, the angry roar of a dragon was heard in the night 
screaming a challenge. Bolt turned around toward Angela, who was standing
there, looking at him with tears in her eyes. He looked up, then looked at
Delilah.
	"Be careful, ok?" he whispered, tracing a tear down her face.
	"Only if you'll come back." she answered, grabbing his talon in her
claws.
	"My, love; From now on, I shall always come back for you!" He said.
	Then he was gone.
	Angela turned toward the clone, wiping tears from her eyes. As her
gaze settled on the young Elisa/Demona look alike, her eyes turned red.
They leapt at each other.
	Bolt jumped through the hole that he had made. All around him, 
gargoyle fought clone, while he saw Demona and Thailog going at it on top of
the roller-coaster ride. He thundered out his own battle cry to the heavens,
hearing a similar one close by. Flapping his wings mightily, he turned to 
engage.
	He saw Ash, flying high towards the roller-coaster, watching Demona
and Thailog fight it out. He waited until he gained some altitude before
he made contact with him.
	'Ash' he tried mentally. The red dragon whirred around, looking for
an enemy that hid in the sky. 'Ash, don't make me hurt you!'
	'Bolt? That you?'
	'Not many other people up hear are gifted with telepathy, are they?'
The blue replied. He was staying up away from the clouds and moon so there
wasn't anything to highlight him against.
	'Please, Ash, come back with me. We can work this out together.'
	Ash shook his head, still looking around for the big blue. 'You know
that I can't. I have to help mother.' He turned and stared at the two 
fighting.
	'SHE'S NOT YOUR MOTHER! YOU KNOW WHERE YOU CAME FROM!' Bolt's
mindspeak thundered out.
	'SHE'S THE CLOSEST THING I HAVE TO ONE!' He had managed to see Bolt's
silhouette when he flew too close too the clouds. He slowly spiraled closer.
'Look at you! Your 'family' is the same clan as mine once was! She raised 
me, took care of me; SOMETHING YOU WOULDN'T DO!!!' 
	Bolt dropped from the sky, snarling. His intention was only to knock
Ash from the sky and subdue him. Ash, insane with rage, fully intended to
pull his former friend from the sky and murder him.
	Bolt slammed into Ash just forward of his tail, causing the red to
flip in mid-air. If his talons would have been extended, he would have 
ripped the red's spine wide open. Instead, he caused Ash to drop into a
perfect DFA (Death From Above) maneuver that the smaller red pushed to his
advantage. Reaching out with a claw, he ripped open Bolt's right wing,
causing the blue to rear up in pain. Ash almost managed to land atop Bolt,
and only a perfect Immelman performed by Bolt saved him from probably
losing his life.
	Bolt was now getting upset; he tried to talk to the red dragon, and
that had only made him more upset. He withheld his killing shots, thinking
he could save Ash. Looks like we go all the way, he thought. As Ash circled
around, the big blue thrust out his wings to hover, fangs and teeth bared,
and snarled two words:
	"Let's dance!"

	The gargoyles finished off the clones, working together as a team that
the clones hadn't the time or the intelligence to understand. They watched,
as Demona and Thailog fought atop the blazing structure, and as Ash and Bolt
exchanged blows in the sky.
	Ash and Bolt flew by each other again; Bolt tearing a small wound in
Ash's left rear leg, and Ash bouncing a lightning bolt off the bigger blue.
Bolt wondered why the red tossed a 'bolt at him, knowing that electricity
had no effect on him, an immunity of his dragon type, as he spun around
for another attack.
	Both dragons were covered with small wounds; Bolt had a few tears in
his side, two in his left wing, while Ash had three left rear leg wounds and 
one head. Bolt was starting to feel the wing rips, as he now had a tendency 
to pull to the left with the added resistance. Suddenly Bolt had a plan.
	Screaming around for another pass at each other, the red dragon 
noticed that the blue seemed to be extremely fatigued; wings gliding more 
than flapping, head hung a bit lower. Bolt's mindfog had prevented Ash from 
reading his thoughts earlier; now he was catching snippets here and there.
	'Got'..'closer'..'Demona and'.....'roller coaster', was what he caught.
Realizing suddenly what the big blue planned to do, Ash brought his wings 
down hard, pushing the air down beneath him, gaining altitude quickly but
straining his wings with the sudden effort. He reached his apex, tucked in 
his wings, and shot straight as an arrow towards the staggering blue.
	Goliath and the rest could only stare and watch the plummeting red.
If he hit, it would more than likely destroy Bolt's spine and damage the
majority of his internal organs from the impact. 
	Goliath did the only thing that he could: he reached out in the same
way that Bolt had to him, with his mind.
	'My brother! WATCH OUT!' his mind screamed. Instead of Bolt turning
around to fight, he continued drifting, now close to the fiery structure.
'Bolt! From your left!'
	'Shh! You'll ruin the surprise!' can back a whispered voice. The rest
of the gargoyles watched as Ash dropped upon him.
	As the red dragon almost reached the blue, the bigger dragon did 
something completely unexpected: he tucked his wings in and dropped straight
down.
	Ash was unable to check his flight in time, especially when a bolt of
lightning struck him from below and continued his flight into the structure.
The rest watched in horror as the flaming roller coaster collapsed in flames
with Demona and Thailog falling with it. The building collapsed, a cloud of
ash and dirt surrounding it.
	The gargoyles watched for a few minutes, saddened by the probable
loss of Bolt and the sudden turnabout from Demona. For Angela, it was almost
completely heartbreaking. She couldn't almost fly back to the clock tower by
herself. With her love crashing down and Demona's sacrifice, she was
overwhelmed with grief. The rest climbed nearby buildings and took off into
the night with the clones, except for Angela and Goliath.
	Angela turned to Goliath, hugging him close before breaking out into
tears. Goliath cradled her in his arms, wishing that there was something 
that he could do to make her pain go away.
	"Do you mind? Some of us could use a bit of help over here." A tired
voice grumbled behind the two gargoyles. Goliath looked up, and Angela
turned around to see an injured gargoyle standing in the shadows. Thinking
it was Thailog, both father's and daughter's eyes began glowing and they 
spread out to flanking positions.
	They were amazed when Thailog didn't stumble out, but a midnight blue
gargoyle with battle injuries. He lurched forward, colliding with Angela.
	"Hello, love. Miss me?" came the unmistakable voice of Bolt. Then he
collapsed. Angela braced herself under the sudden dead weight of the bigger
gargoyle. Goliath reached over and took up Bolt in his arms, and the three
jumped out into the night.

Chapter Seven

	The sun set, casting its last rays upon the stone figures crouched
around the clock tower battlements. Elisa Maza stood and looked at the
figures. There was something odd, she thought, and looking closer realized
what it was; there was another gargoyle perched close to Angela, one that
she thought she knew. Then it hit her; it was Bolt in his gargoyle form!
	With a fracturing of stone, the gargoyles burst out of their shells,
roaring. The gargoyles hopped of the ledge and walked towards Elisa. Elisa
noticed how happy Angela seemed, and that she was holding onto Bolt's hand
with her own very tightly. She glanced over at Goliath, noticing that he
did not seen to happy with the situation. Hudson actually looked happy for 
the two, while the Trio appeared unamused with the situation.
	"Hello Elisa. How are you tonight?" asked Goliath. He got close to
Elisa. Lately the human female seemed to take up allot of his thoughts.
	"Pretty good, big guy. Did you and the guys have anything to do with
the destruction over at the amusement park last night? Chavez seems to be
pretty upset at what happened over there." She looked around at her friends.
The Trio were flicking glances over at Angela and Bolt, who were obvious to
the fact. Hudson and Bronx grabbed the tv and were presently looking on the
movie channels for something to watch. Only Goliath seemed to be paying 
attention.
	"Uh...yes." Goliath and Elisa slowly walked away from the group and
were soon engrossed in their own little discussion. Meanwhile, Bolt managed
to detach Angela for the moment and gathered the Trio out onto the balcony.
	"Hey guys. We really need to talk." said the shapechanged dragon.
	"Why? What are going to talk about, huh? You show up in town and don't
say a word to anyone, then all of a sudden we get attacked by Demona, 
Thailog and a bunch of clones, along with another dragon for cryin' out 
loud! You mysteriously jump in to 'protect' us, the bad guys get stomped,
and you walk away with the girl! Well, I don't buy it!" Brooklyn stated
angrily. He walked over and pushed Bolt, causing the dragon to step back a
few or fall over. His eyes began to glow in anger, and he took a battle
stance. "I think you're in league with that she-demon! Well, you're not
duping all of us so easily!" he yelled as he lunged at Bolt.
	Bolt was astounded at the vehemence in Brooklyn's voice. Here he was,
trying to make peace with his old friends with a promise of a small gift he
had discovered on his travels. His rookery brother distrusted him with his
daughter, and the recipients of his present were about to kick the hell out
of him. Combat instincts took over, however.
	Bolt neatly sidestepped Brooklyn's lunge, then brought the edge of his
hand down behind the red gargoyle's neck. Brooklyn dropped like a rock.
Bolt ignored the growls of Broadway and Lexington, and slung Brooklyn over
his shoulder. He looked over at the two, speaking to them. "He fell and
tripped. If you want to bring this up again, wait until Goliath is around to
judge me, not just the three of you." The glow faded from Bolt's eyes. "I 
had something for the three of you. I knew that you would be upset when I
returned to claim my love and my place in the clan. It was sort of a 'peace
offering'; now I'm not so sure that I should tell you. Goliath will decide.
With that he walked back into the clock tower.
	"Goliath, my brother. We need to talk...privately." the blue gargoyle
said out loud. He gently placed Brooklyn on the couch. Turning, he spotted
Goliath walking towards the balcony.  When they got outside, Bolt paused,
"Not here...let's go out by Lady Liberty, away from prying eyes and ears."
Goliath nodded his agreement. He walked back inside and told Broadway and
Lexington to patrol the southside, and Angela to patrol with Brooklyn when
he woke up to the north.
	Bolt walked over to Angela, while Goliath strode by Elisa to tell her
he couldn't talk tonight. Bolt gathered Angela into his arms, sighing the
way she molded to him. He caressed her face and told her he would be back 
later to talk more with her about what was going on between. "Besides, I
think that Brooklyn might need a hand when he wakes up. I kinda whacked him
in the head." he whispered in her ear.
	"Why?" asked Angela. She pulled away from him for a moment.
	"'Cause he was acting dumb. That's what Goliath and I need to talk
about. I'll be back soon." With that, he kissed her quickly and fell in
step with Goliath. They walked outside and leaped into the night. Neither
one saw the blush that flooded Angela's face, except for one person.
	Elisa walked up to the young gargoyle, and took her hand. She started
whispering excitedly into Angela's ear, and the two moved into the shadows
giggling like school girls.
	Goliath and Bolt flew until they reached the Statue of Liberty. 
Setting down atop it, Goliath waited for Bolt to start the conversation.
	Bolt looked out over the harbor for a few minutes. "Goliath, what do
you do when you're in love?"
	Goliath blinked. This was not the conversation he had been expecting.
"Are you sure you're in love?" He knew that his rookery brother had allot
of affection for his daughter.
	Bolt turned to look at him. "Did I ever tell you how dragons fall in
love? No, probably not; you would have been sleeping then." The blue dragon
turned and looked out at the bay again. "When we reach maturity, we receive
a sort of 'vision', I guess you would call it, of who will hold our hearts
throughout time. Some dragons spend their entire lives searching for this
person, while others are content to sit and wait to see what Fate throws
their way. When I reached maturity, I think it was about 1100 A.D. or so,
I received the image of Angela."
	Goliath had been watching Bolt carefully, looking for some flaw that
would allow him to possibly give Angela to one of the Trio to continue the
clan. But, when he saw how his old friend's face lit up at the mention of 
his daughter's name, he hoped that he wouldn't find one.
	Bolt glanced over and confused Goliath's expression for disbelief.
"I know how weird it seems. I never would have expected it either. As far
as I knew, the clan was either frozen or destroyed. Except for... Demona."
His eyes started glowing at his mention of her name before he got control
of himself. "Don't worry, I'll tell you about Demona in a bit. We still
have plenty of time before sunrise."
	"When I found out my true love was a gargoyle, that was one of the
few times I left the castle. I figured that maybe another gargoyle would
be helpful to break your spell. I searched the world for twenty-two years,
and had many adventures. I learned about Demona and Macbeth.... You know
Macbeth, right?" Goliath nodded. "Nice chap, although too hung up about 
killing Demona nowadays. We get along ok, I guess."
	"But how did you keep tabs on us all those years? Even your senses
are not that good." Goliath asked him.
	"Simple. I hired a bodyguard for you all. A very nice human named
Tabby."
	"You trusted our lives to a HUMAN!" Goliath growled. He got very
upset at the fact his rookery brother abandoned them for twenty-odd years
to a human.
	Bolt just shrugged. "He owed me a favor for saving his hide a few 
times... and I trusted him. Besides, obviously he did his job, or we
wouldn't be having this talk, now would we, baby bro?" Bolt replied,
grinning.
	Goliath flinched at the nickname. The dragon had given it to him at
the same time that the clan leader called Bolt his big brother. Since
Bolt could fly before Goliath, the phrase 'Big Brother Is Watching' became
popular with Bolt flying over Goliath, guarding him. However, the lavender
gargoyle hated his nickname, and glowered at Bolt.
	The blue ignored the hostile looks that came his way. "Anyways, I 
returned, you slept, and I stayed bored until one day in 1994 a young
businessman by the name of David Xanatos 'informed' my disguised form that
the castle had been bought and was being taken to New York City. To skip
allot of boring facts, When I saw Angela, my vision hit with the force of
a freight train. Remember, I passed out? That was the vision clubbing me
in the face, telling me that my true love was right in front of me. When
I found out that she was your daughter, that's the reason I couldn't stay.
That's why I left." Bolt turned his head away from Goliath so the big
gargoyle wouldn't see his tears. "I knew what your plans would eventually
be for her. So I left before she would see how much I loved her, before she
loved me in return. I knew how much the clan meant to you, Goliath, and
you know I would never do anything to take away from the clan.
	Bolt's voice got real cold all of a sudden. "In my trips, I met many
people...including Demona. She caught up with me in Canada, and ambushed me.
I spent three months inn her 'care', months I swore she'd pay for. That's
where I met Ash. He was staying with his mother."
	"Another dragon was working with Demona?" Goliath asked. He felt
sorry for his brother, growing up among gargoyles, never knowing any of
his race.
	Bolt laughed harshly. "Mother! That demon-spawn grew Ash! From me!
From my DNA! He was technically my son! That's why I took him with me, why
I tried to take care of him!"
	Goliath was stunned. Now he understood why Bolt tried so hard to not 
injure the red dragon. "But he was a red dragon, not a blue. Did Demona
somehow alter him to become a red?"
	"No, it was the same problem that Thailog had; pigmentation. He was
a full blue other than that. He was the only blood kin in the world that I
know of, so I had to help. But it didn't help."
	"We dragons are able to set up a telepathic link to those we hold most 
dear to us. That's how I was able to speak to you the other night. I found
out about it during my travels, although my link will switch to someone else
now. I know you know who. Ash obviously had you with Demona, and I haven't
the slightest idea how long he did."
	Bolt sighed again. "Angela is why I've called you out here Goliath.
I've been trying to avoid the subject most the night now, but I can't avoid
it any longer. To speak the plain truth; My heart belongs to her." He held
up a claw to stop Goliath from speaking. "Please, old friend, let me finish.
My intentions are honorable, and I swear to you by my dragon heritage that
I shall protect her with every means in my power." With that, Bolt pulled
back and waited for Goliath's judgement.
	Goliath had one for him quickly. "I'm sorry, my brother, but I cannot
allow you and Angela to become mated. I have a duty to try and continue the
clan, and our only chance is Angela joining with one of the Trio. I'm 
sorry."
	Bolt stared at him for a second; then fell over, holding his sides
as his laughter erupted from him. "Tha...that's the reason....that....Angela
and I....can't become mates? HAHAHAHAHEEHHEEHAHAHAHEHEHOHOHO!!!!!!!!!" He
was rolling around now, tears coming from his eyes.
	This was not the reaction that Goliath expected. I think that he has
finally snapped, the clan leader thought. I think this is what the humans
calling cracking up. The lavender leader reached out to help his friend.
After a few moments, the laughter subsided. Bolt reached up and wiped the 
tears away, snorting a few times to clear his sinuses. He looked at Goliath
with a twinkle in his eye.
	"Is that the reason? Because you need to continue the clan?"
	"Yes, I'm sorry." Goliath looked at him.
	"Goliath, what do you see before you?" With that, Bolt stood up before
the other, and slowly turned to offer Goliath the full view.
	Goliath saw a gargoyle slightly smaller than himself, slightly less
broader. Midnight blue skin, with fourteen small patches around his body.
A mohawk-like fin stretched from the top of his head and flowed down 
midback, with two large horns curling over the top of his skull towards the
back. A gargoyle version of Bolt's true form. "Another gargoyle?" he asked.
	"Exactly! When I turn to this form, I AM A GARGOYLE! A full, true-blue
fly-by-night-stone-by-day gargoyle!" he replied, a smile coming onto his 
lips.
	"You mean...?" Goliath stammered.
	"Yep. If everything works out between us, you'll be a gargoyle
grandad!" Bolt replied, laughing.
	Goliath recovered quickly. "We must return to the clock tower." Then
he turned and leaped off the statue. Bolt leaped off after him. They didn't
speak the until right before they returned.
	"Goliath."
	"Yes."
	"One other thing...."
	"What?"
	"Do something with Elisa. That hiding-in-shadows lovey-dovey crap
is already starting to wear thin."
	"Shut up."
	Laughter. "Remember, Big Brother is Always Watching!"

Chapter Eight

	Goliath and Bolt landed upon the battlement. Angela started forward,
only to be stopped by Goliath. Bolt wandered over by the Trio.
	"Father? What happened?" Angela asked anxiously.
	Goliath pulled her close, turning their backs to the others. "Angela;
do you truly love him? I mean, with all your heart?" he whispered.
	Her eyes lit up. "Yes! Yes, I do!"
	Goliath smiled. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. "Then 
you have my blessing."
	Angela stared up at the gargoyle that had come to mean so much to her.
He was a bit gruff, but he was everything she imagined a father to be. She
grabbed, and simply hugged for a long moment in response. Goliath stared
down at his daughter, and hugged her back for a few moments before noticing
Hudson watching them, a grin on his face.
	"Well then, we, uh, I mean we..." He started. Hudson just waved at
him, a don't-bother-I-see-bonding-happening wave.
	Hudson walked back into the clock tower for a minute, with Bronx on
his heels. Looking around to make sure no one was watching, the old gargoyle
wiped the tears from his eyes. Bronx looked up and wagged his tail.

	The Trio watched as Bolt walked over to them. He stopped a few paces
away, waiting to see what would happen. The three looked around sheepishly
for a few moments before Broadway nudged Brooklyn. Brooklyn moved forward.
"Look, I'm sorry. It got way out of hand, and it won't happen again. 
Friends?" He held out his hand.
	Bolt looked at his hand for a moment, then spoke. "Brooklyn. What you
did before was wrong. If you had let me explain it to you, that never would
have happened. Maybe it did seem weird, but I couldn't help it. Next time,
let's talk first before leaping a each other's throats, ok?" Then the smile
that had been threatening to burst out pushed its way onto his face. He 
grabbed Brooklyn in the old way, wrist to wrist. "Besides, I didn't guard
you guys for a millennium just to kick the hell out of you!" he laughed.
	The Trio stared for a minute, then joined in. Letting go of Brooklyn's
hand, he turned towards Lex and Broadway. "Lexington, Elisa told me that 
you're hooked up on the Net, right? And that your e-mail is Lex@eosys.com?"
Lexington nodded. "Yeah, why?"
	"Have you been getting strange e-mail for the past month or two from
someone you don't know?" Bolt asked.
	"Now that you mention it, I keep getting these weird e-mail from some
Tiffany chick. I don't read them at all. I thought it was just a screw-up, 
or something. Why?" Lexington asked.
	Bolt started laughing, "Because, you nut, I gave your e-mail to some
VERY pretty young female gargoyles that I met in Wisconsin! They didn't have
mates because there wasn't any male gargoyles left in the area, so I told
them about you guys! They said they would like to talk to you, but didn't
want to travel or use the phone. So Elisa told me that you where on the Net,
and what your e-mail was, so I gave it to them."
	Broadway and Brooklyn looked over at their younger brother. Lexington
just stared, realizing that he should've said something before to Elisa 
about the e-mail. All three looked at each other and rushed past Hudson
towards the small laptop. Bolt laughed, hearing "It's mine!", "Elisa bought
it for me!", "Give it here!" for inside.
	Bolt turned around, just as Angela embraced him. He wrapped his arms
and wings around her, remembering how much he wanted this the first time he
saw her. They stood there, obvious to the sounds of the world, finding
each other in their hearts. 

Epilogue

	As the sun broke over the horizon, it cast a wave of light over New
York. Elisa walked up the stairs with Matt, who decided to go with her
when they checked on the gargoyles. Getting to the top, they saw the Trio
around the computer, in the midst of fighting. The two detectives looked at
the screen. An e-mail message sat on the screen, not finished and obviously
the work of all three gargoyles. Grinning, Matt reached over and hit 'send'.
	The two stepped outside, basking in the glow of the morning sun.
Matt stepped forward and stood by Angela and a new gargoyle that were
holding hands on top of the battlements. Turning to Elisa, he asked, "Know
him?"
	Elisa stepped close, and saw a joyful expression on both gargoyle's
stone faces. She smiled, "Yep. He's an old friend." The two cops turned
and left the stone figures.
**************************************************************************
Epilouge
	
	The three gargoyles landed upon the top of Castle Wyvern. 3G let go 
off Godzilla. The big gardog ran off to smell the castle, while the two
gargoyles headed down to 3G's study. Duke landed quietly after they left the
battlements, and headed directly downstairs to the office of his ally, 
Daemon Xanatos.
	He burst in, not caring that the man seemed to be having a meeting
with his advisors. "We need to talk!"
	"You do understand, Duke, I'm in a meeting?" the human said to the
towering gargoyle.
	"Doesn't matter! This includes you also!"
	"Well, then. I guess we will have to conclude this at another time,
gentlemen. If you would excuse us?" Daemon quickly ushered out the others
and told his secretary that he was not to be disturbed. He turned to the 
fuming gargoyle. Duke had tried to fit in with the younger generation by
wearing just a loincloth; however, they still didn't seem to like him at
all, and he had gotten used to the freedom and still kept it on.
	Daemon guided Duke to a chair, then sat behind his desk. Folding his
hands into a triangle, he spoke. "And what is it that concerns the both of 
us?"
	"The crazy old codger! I followed him when he took young Excaliber and
Godzilla out tonight, and listened to the story the old one was telling the
hatchling!" he yelled.
	"So?"
	"So? You should hear him talk! I'm telling ya, he talks like he was
there, with the Founders! I think..." he broke off.
	"Think what? Spit it out, Duke!"
	"I think he might be Bolt! The blue dragon from Goliath's time!" he
stammered out.
	Daemon fell back into his chair. Duke wasn't the most intelligent of 
the gargoyles, but he was very observant. If he was right, it would ruin 
his plans. He leaned forward. "Tomorrow, we both shadow 3G, or Bolt, 
whatever he's calling himself. And we find out for sure. Understand?"
	Duke nodded.
	"Good."
**************************************************************************
The End

Please send all comments to myrlynn@Execpc.com. I hope you
enjoyed this series, and watch out for the further adventures
of Bolt and Clan Manhattan, coming soon.

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