A big thank you to all my friends and now fellow garg authors, Alex Lyons3, Jenigoyle, Gargress, and Allaine, who altogether helped inspire me to write this fic.

Special thanks to Mission Earth, for her wonderful drawings, catch more of them at http://www.angelfire.com/realm/ofgargoyles Sydney, who wouldn’t shut up until I wrote this http://www.angelfire.com/realm/oftheguardians and an extra special thanks to Aesop for all his editing help. 

* * * * * 

Set during TGS: A few weeks after the end of the Unseelie War

New York: Central Park: 6.34pm

Brooklyn gazed out of the shadows over the park’s grounds keeping an eye out for anything suspicious. A jogger stopped by the tree he was hiding in and took a drink out of the container he was carrying, then continued on his way. 

“How much longer do we have to stay sitting here?” Lexington complained.

Lexington was Brooklyn’s rookery brother and lifelong friend. Which was funny, considering that Brooklyn looked old enough to be his father. This was due to his forty-year trip around time with the Phoenix Gate.

Lexington sat hunched over the tree branch he was sitting on, sulking, because tonight was the night of his chat room and he didn’t want to miss it. Unfortunalty Goliath had ordered that all the gargoyles would be present here tonight so that they could help Elisa take down a gang of muggers that had been terrorising the park recently. All the Gargoyles that is except Brooklyn’s mate Sata and their children Graeme and Ariana, who were back at the castle having a Bushido lesson with their mother.

Brooklyn glared at him and whispered. “Lex, if you don’t shut up. When we get home I’m gonna take that precious computer of yours and ram it straight up your…”

“Guys can you hear me?”

Thankfully Elisa’s voice came sounding out from the microphone they always carried and interrupted Brooklyn before he could finish his sentence.

Brooklyn snatched up the radio from Lexington and spoke into it whilst ignoring Lexington’s scowls. 

“We’re here Elisa! What’s your status?”

“I’m just about to enter your sector! Has anything happened?”

Brooklyn groaned. With the gang once again a no-show, it would mean they would have to come out tomorrow night and do this all over again. When they should be out patrolling the city. 

He was just about to answer her when Lexington leaned forward and grabbed his wrist.

“Hey! Do you hear that?” He whispered sharply.

Brooklyn listened and heard the same thing Lex did and smiled.

“Guys?” He spoke into the microphone, transmitting it to everyone. “Get your tails over here right now! We’ve got some trash in the park that needs to be taken out, pronto!”

He turned the transmitter off and grinned at his rookery brother. “Hey Lex. Looks like you’ll be making that chat room after all!”

Lex grinned back at him and together they took off and started gliding towards the area of the park where the sounds of a fight were coming from. 

* * * * *

‘Gotta keep going’ Nathan Parker thought to himself. ‘I’ve nearly done a whole three miles today!’

“Hold it right there puffing boy” a rough voice, said gruffly from behind him.

Nathan spun around and found himself face to face with a large and very mean looking man with purple spiked hair and pins practically sticking out his entire face.

“Papers please.” 

“Huh” Nathan asked unintelligently, looking around, about to make a run for it, but found at least four other punks waiting behind him.

“I said papers please.”

“I don’t…”

“GIVE ME YOUR GOD DAMN WALLET THICKO!”

Nathan gasped and immediately began searching through his pockets before remembering that he never brought his wallet with him when he was jogging.

‘Oh shit’ he thought. “Umm…I’m afraid…I don’t have my wallet…on me right now.”

The punk took a couple of large steps towards him and looked him straight in the eye. “Then I guess…” He slurred at him. “We’ll just gonna have to beat it out of you won’t we!”

Nathan gasped and tried to make a break for it but never even made it the first step before the muggers grabbed him and shoved him to the ground.

“WAIT!” A voice suddenly cried out. Nathan looked up hoping to see a police officer or a man with a gun or anyone who could save him from these maniacs. He was in for quite a surprise though when the voice turned out to come from one of the strangest individuals he had ever seen.

It was a rather bizarre looking, young man with pointy ears and deep copper skin, who couldn’t have been more than twenty. He had pitch-black hair, so black that it shone blue, and stood on end, like he was being electrocuted. He also had the sharpest features all about him, everything, from his straight nose, to his straight spiky hair. His eyes were the strangest of all! For a moment he could have sworn that they had flashed blue. Just like those Goa’uld aliens in that sci-fi show called Stargate. He was dressed all in black, except for his shirt, which was white; the rest of his clothes all seemed to shine blue like his eyes. Suddenly as he looked harder, he realised that the reason why he had thought the boy and his eyes were shining blue wasn’t because of the blackness of his hair and clothes. It was the fact that he was holding, what seemed to be A BALL OF BLUE LIGHTNING in his right hand. 

Nathan stared at the boy in amazement. 

The man with the pins turned sharply and stared at the boy. “What do you mean WAIT!” He shouted out the last part imitating the boy thus provoking a few sniggers from the rest of his gang. “You heard him! No cash and ya know what that means?”

The boy looked disconcertingly at Nathan and then back at the pin man without a look of fear and spoke “a beating, but why? It’s not his fault he’s got no money.”

Pin man snorted and turned away disgusted. “So what?” He shouted. “He should have brought it out with him shouldn’t he? But don’t worry kid, we won’t kill him. Just rough him up so that next time when he goes out for a jog he won’t forget his wallet.”

The gang all sniggered and began to close in on Nathan. 

Nathan stared at the boy hoping, praying that he’d have the good enough sense or moralities to help him or at least go for help. Alas, he was soon to be disappointed, as the boy just spared him one glance and then turned away, while closing his fist around the ball of lightning and dissipated it.

Nathan looked up as the gang closed in carrying their chains and crowbars and with a shaky breath waited for them to do their worst.

The pin man who carried the chains raised them up and got ready to strike him when suddenly, there was a loud whoosh on the air and before he knew it, he was lying face down in the dirt with a small green goblin sitting on his back.

Nathan was about to start screaming “monsters “ when another loud whooshing sound came and another monster appeared. This one was red and twice as big as the goblin and resembled the devil himself, with a beak. 

One of the punks shouted out “Oh crap! Not those things again! Can’t a guy make a honest living anymore without these walking sculptures bugging us every night?”

The Red one turned to him and sneered. “Sure, so long as you’re not hurting anyone or breaking the law that is!”

“Oh fine make me redundant why don’t ya?” 

“Believe me. I wasn’t thinking about doing anything else!”

With that, the punk threw himself at the red gargoyle and attempted to tackle him, but only succeeded in banging his head against the monster’s breastplate and falling unconsciousness, into the dirt beside his leader. 

Then more monsters arrived. There were two lavender gargoyles, a male and a female, an old brown one with a beard; and a huge mint coloured one that looked like the creature from the black lagoon, but with wings and in serious need of a diet. 

They soon made short work of the gang except the boy who had sneaked into the bushes and sat watching them.

The monsters brushed themselves off and looked at Nathan. The huge lavender male came striding over towards him and knelt down saying, “are you alright? Do you…”

Nathan never gave him the chance to finish what he was going to say, before he leapt up and started running.

* * * * *

The clan watched as the human they had just saved ran screaming down the park lane never once looking back.

Broadway groaned. “Ya know. Sometimes I reaaallllly wish that…”

“Broadway” Angela interrupted. “Forget it! Let’s just tie these men up for Elisa and go home.”

Broadway nodded sadly. It was true that humans were finally starting to accept them or at least look at them without screaming like that man just did. But there were still a great many number of humans like that one who were just plain terrified. 

“Ah well. Just one day at a time” Broadway whispered to himself and then went to help Angela and the others with the muggers they had just caught.

* * * * *

The boy watched as the creatures loaded up his old gang and tied them all together using Danny’s own chains.

He wasn’t concerned with the well being of his friends, besides the fact that they were never really his friends in the first place, he just couldn’t risk allowing himself to get caught. These guys had proven themselves to be more than worthy opponents. They had succeeded in killing his boss and even now had his old girlfriend locked up at that castle where they lived. 

No matter what his ‘friends’ had done for him in the past. None of it was worth risking going up against these things. Especially when they could break him in two, Hell they would probably break him in threes, fourths and fifths if they wanted to. 

He slowly began to sneak out of the bushes where he was hiding, taking care that they wouldn’t notice, but before he even had a chance to get to his feet. He found himself face to face with the biggest and most ferocious looking creature he had ever had the misfortune to see before in his entire life. 

The beast was half the size of a horse and the colour of sky blue. It had ears like that big fat one and huge tusks that glistened in the moonlight and looked sharp enough to rip solid metal apart. The beast’s eyes suddenly lit up like two light bulbs as it glared at him and growled, louder than a lion. 

The other gargoyles then stopped what they were doing after hearing the beast growl and spotted the boy trying to hide back in the bushes. 

The big fat one walked over grabbed him by his collar and lifted him up until his feet were dangling.

“Hey!” The obscene oaf yelled. “Looks like we missed one!”

He struggled to get out of his captors grip, hoping not to reveal himself, but then thought ‘ah, to hell with it.’

* * * * *

Before Broadway had a chance to blink. The boy threw out his arms and grasped him by the sides of his head sending tendrils of blue lighting right into his skull.

Broadway roared in pain, dropped the now revealed halfling boy and fell to the ground unconsciousness

Angela screamed and ran to his side. Whereas the halfling began to levitate into the air and fly away.

“Holy shit” Lexington cried out “he’s a halfling!”

The boy grinned and prepared to leave, when he suddenly heard a new voice, a totally unexpected and most unwelcome voice. 

“Hey guys what I miss?”

The boy froze and thought to himself. “Oh God. Please no. Please…don’t let it be her.”

He turned his head slowly and looked at the rapidly approaching woman in the red jacket. “Damn!” He thought. Then noticed her jacket.

“She STILL hasn’t changed that stupid jacket in all this time” he thought angrily. “Why is she here? Can’t they all just stay out of my life?”

The woman with the red jacket, Elisa Maza, came up to the young halfling floating up in the air and withdrew her gun. She walked right up to him, her gun in front of her and stated “Alright hold it right there elf! Place your…” 

Then she stopped and looked at him. 

At first he wasn’t sure she recognised him. After all it had been what? Six years now! Or was it seven? Plus there was the fact that his entire body had gone through a serious makeover since that guy Sevarius had put all that Genetic stuff in him. Then her eyes widened with recognition and she actually dropped her gun and took a step back in shock.

“Oh crap” he thought. She knew who he was now. ‘Oh well, then I guess there’s no point in hiding anymore is there?’

* * * * *

The clan looked on as Elisa stared at the boy. They had never seen Elisa look so shocked, she obviously knew the stranger for her eyes were full of recognition. However they were unprepared for what she said next.

“Bre…Bre…Brent” Elisa finally stuttered out staring at the halfling as he stared right back at her. His eyes filled with contempt.

Then he smirked and said “Why hello Elisa. How’s it going SIS?”

The clan gasped as they heard what the boy just said. Brent gave his sister one final dark look and with his magic, flew away as fast as the ley lines could carry him.

Elisa finally came out of her reverie and shouted “BRENT, NO WAIT. PLEASE WAIT!”

She took off after the young Maza and ran through the park. Crashing through tree branches and bushes, never caring about how much damage they were doing to her clothes. Brent slid upon the ley lines, skidding across the air, diving from side to side. . Finally after about twenty minutes of running, he plunged down into the trees below and she lost him.

She ran into a clearing and looked all around her. Her clothes in tatters, hoping, and praying that he would be there until at last she gave up and fell to her knees, exhausted. 

Goliath, having taken to the air as soon as she left, concerned for her safety, soon found her and swooped down to her side.

“My love” he said. “What is wrong? Who is this Brent?”

She looked up at him. Eyes filled with tears and spoke in barely a whisper “he’s my brother.”

Goliath looked at her in shock. 

“Your brother? But you never told us that you had another sibling! Why?”

Elisa started crying. “Because every time when me or any of my family bring it up. We always end up like this. Sobbing our hearts out.”

Goliath knelt down by her side and held Elisa as tight as he could without suffocating her not knowing what to do. That wasn’t the Elisa he knew. Elisa never cried or lost control. Who was this halfling Brent to have upset his beloved so much?

“Goliath take me home please” Elisa choked. “I have to call my parents. They have to know about this, and could you or one of the others glide down to the Labyrinth and tell Derek about Brent. He’ll definitely want to know.”

“Elisa please tell me. What’s happening? Why did you never tell us about this other brother of yours?”

“Brent is my brother” she repeated. “But he was also a troublemaker. Always getting into all sorts of mischief, and when you’re born into a family of cops that is definitely not a good thing.” She turned away from Goliath and looked out over at the trees, her memory going back a few years. 

“But he was good. Oh definitely good. He’d never do anything to hurt anybody. It’s just… Brent was never any good at school, he tried his best, but I guess his best just wasn’t good enough. We were always top students in our family and Brent must have felt like we thought he had let us all down. It got to the point when he was so full of anger that he took his attitude out on everyone and began mixing in with the wrong crowd. By the time he was eleven he had a criminal record. Nothing big… just shoplifting, and an occasional trespassing, but Dad went ballistic and was forever shouting at him, telling him to wise up and get his act together. Eventually I guess Brent decided that he had enough and ran away. That was back in 1992 before you guys awoke. He was… he was only twelve.” She started crying again.

Goliath held onto her doing his very best to comfort her. “Shhhh my love. I promise you the clan and I will do all we can to find your brother and bring him home. I swear it!”

Elisa looked up at him, with hope in her eyes and smiled “then…that makes everything alright then. Because you have yet to ever break a promise!”

Goliath smiled down at his beloved future mate and gathered her into his arms. He walked to a nearby tree, climbed it, and leaped into the night air, gliding to Elisa’s apartment building. 

* * * * *

Brent slowly came out of his hiding place behind the trees; his own eyes threatening to spill tears but he angrily brushed them away. “I never gave a damn what you thought of me!” He fumed. “You were always going onto me telling me to do better, get better grades. You were going to send me to that… freak school! Well guess what I’m not the straight A’s student you were, or Beth, or Derek. I couldn’t care less about any of you. So just rack off and leave me alone!”

With that he turned and jumped onto one of the ley lines and skidded away. One of the few things he was good at. 

* * * * *

The Labyrinth

“Claw hand me that spanner would you?” Talon said.

Claw reached into the toolbox and gave him the requested item. One of the water pipes in the Labyrinth had sprung a leak and Talon had spent the last hour trying to fix it. Plumbing was not one of his specialities.

‘Should’ve paid more attention to Dad growing up.’ Talon/Derek Maza thought to himself. ‘What’s worse is that since Sevarius turned me into this seven foot tall pussy. I can’t seem to stand being around water. Must have something to do with my cat genes I suppose.’

Suddenly Maggie’s voice reached his ears from over the pipes. “Derek?” She asked. “Goliath’s here. He says he needs to talk to you about something urgently.”

Talon immediately dropped everything he was doing and got up. Not only because he was glad for any excuse that would get him away from the water, but the fact that maybe Xanatos was up to no good again. 

He’d never trust that guy again. Considering the last time he did, Xanatos used him and turned him into a bat winged mutate along with three others and then tricked him into going after Goliath and very nearly killed him. Talon shuddered at the memory when he had captured Goliath and almost blew him away until Xanatos came and stopped him by rescuing Sevarius from the fate that he so richly deserved. ‘I almost killed an innocent man and it was all for Xanatos’s amusement.’

He saw Goliath standing at the entrance to the Labyrinth looking more rigid than he did usually and strode over towards him in a tall business like manner expecting the worse.

“Hey Goliath. What’s up? Is Xanatos causing trouble again?”

Goliath looked at Talon warily. Every time when he or the clan came down here, even if it was just for a friendly visit. Talon would instantly assume that Xanatos was the cause. He supposed he couldn’t blame him. After all that Xanatos had done to him and his clan. Goliath still found it hard to accept Xanatos’s reform even after everything they had gone through recently with the Unseelie.

“No. Xanatos isn’t the problem Talon.”

Talon’s head looked down, almost disappointed.

Goliath continued. “I have something to tell you from Elisa.”

Talon’s head perked up again, listening intently. “Elisa? Is she alright?”

“Yes Elisa is fine. Though she is a little… distressed, at the moment.”

“Distressed? What’s up?”

Goliath took a deep breath and began to explain the events that had occurred that night. Starting when Elisa had asked them to take part in a secret operation to flush out the gang of muggers that had been stalking the grounds of Central Park, to the part about Brent.

The instant Talon heard the name Brent, he immediately started asking questions.

“What… When… Where… Where is he now…? What do you mean you lost him… Your still searching aren’t you?”

“TALON PLEASE!” Goliath shouted at first then continued calmly. “Please calm down. We’re doing all we can to find Brent but try to remember that your brother isn’t human anymore. He's a halfling and most of the people that Madoc turned into halflings weren’t the friendliest of people. Plus there is the fact that New York isn’t a small city. We’re doing the best we can.”

Talon finally stopped babbling and looked back down to the floor then back up again. “I have to go! I have to start searching for him!”

Goliath was about to tell him not to bother and that the clan was doing everything they could. But before he had a chance to speak. Talon dashed right past him and ran on all fours out of the Labyrinth. 

“TALON WAIT!”

But Talon didn’t. Goliath chased after him, but by the time he was up on the surface. Talon was already gliding away. Goliath gave a small curse under his breath but knew that despite all his faults. Talon was no idiot. He could take care of himself.

In truth Goliath was beginning to wonder more and more about this long lost brother of Elisa’s. Whoever he was, he certainly had Talon’s attention. He’d hadn’t seen Talon so determined about something since the night when he came barging into the labyrinth after he found out that Sevarius was still alive and gone after him.

Goliath sighed and then thought to himself. “There’s more to this than meets the eye. Maybe I should have another talk with Elisa?”

So he unclasped his wings and took flight himself.

* * * * *

“Where is he?” Talon thought desperately to himself. He had to find him. He had to. He couldn’t let himself fail again.

The last time he had seen Brent was the night when he and Dad had yet another big argument. Dad was shouting at Brent because he had once again been caught shoplifting and Brent had told him that he couldn’t care less what he thought and then stormed upstairs to his room. After a few minutes Derek had gone up and knocked on his door and. -

* * * * *

Eight years ago: Maza Residence

Knock Knock.

“Go away!” Brent shouted.

But the door opened anyway. 

“I SAID GO A… “

Then he saw Derek standing in the doorway.

“Oh hi Derek.” Brent turned away unable to look his brother in the face.

Derek closed the door behind him and walked over to Brent and sat down on his bed. He picked up a “my pet monster” toy that he had given him for his eighth birthday and stroked the toy.

“Would you mind telling me what happened?” He asked.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean what the hell were you doing stealing stuff at Mr. Jettison’s Grocery Store?” Derek’s tone suddenly turned nasty as he glared at his little brother. “Haven’t you learned anything? You’ve already got a criminal record Brent and you were lucky not to get sent to a detention centre. Or is that what you want?”

Brent hid his face in his pillow so that his brother couldn’t see him crying but Derek being the big brother he was, noticed and moved his hand to touch Brent’s shoulder.

“Brent, I’m sorry. But you’ve got to understand. Mom and Dad are being patient with you now, but even they have their limits. You have to pick yourself up and get your head out of the gutter otherwise your gonna find yourself losing everything and everyone you care about. Do you understand me?”

Brent nodded his head without lifting it up from the pillow.

Derek then lifted him up by the shoulders and hugged him. Ever since Brent was a baby. Every time when he was in pain or in distress, a hug from his big brother had always made him feel safe and secure because he knew that no matter what. Derek would always be there to make things all right again. 

Brent gradually stopped crying until his tears were reduced to hiccups. Derek released him and cupped his head in his hand and looked at him.

“Listen to what I’ve said. Okay Tails?”

Brent broke a smile, nodded and wiped his nose “sure thing Sonic”. Derek got back up and walked out the room where he found his sister waiting for him.

“So?” Elisa asked. “Did he say anything?”

Derek looked wearily at her. “No. You should know him better than that by now Elisa. It’ll be a cold day in hell when Brent ever tells us anything.”

Elisa nodded sadly. “I don’t know why he keeps doing these things. Doesn’t he realise how much trouble his causing? Especially to Mom and Dad! Yet he continuously goes out and gets into trouble with the law. Its like he enjoys it.”

“No he doesn’t! Its just Brent isn’t like the rest of us and doesn’t know where he belongs. Did you see his last report card? All F’s! If he doesn’t start improving, Mom and Dad are thinking about sending him to a… special school.”

“Well maybe that’s what’s best! After all like you said, he hasn’t exactly been doing okay in an ordinary school so maybe it would be better for him to go to one that has the proper teachers and stuff.”

Derek thought about that for a moment and then decided that she was right. “Yeah. Maybe you’re right. But Brent’s not going to be too happy about this.”

“That’s his tough luck then!” A new voice suddenly sounded from behind them. They turned around and found Beth glaring at them. “Do you know what kind of stress he’s put Mom through. Dad’s just angry, but Mom… she looks like she’s having a spasm!”

“Oh dear” Elisa sighed. “I guess I’d better go and try to get her to calm down.”

“Don’t bother” Beth said angrily “I’ve already done it, but none of this would have ever happened if Brent hadn’t screwed up again!”

“All right now Beth. That’s enough” Derek said warningly. Although it was true Brent had caused some problems. He still didn’t deserve to be bad-mouthed behind his back by his own sister.

“Oh come on Derek. You have to admit it. If it wasn’t for him we wouldn’t be having all these problems.” 

“Perhaps, but that doesn’t mean you have to shout it out at the top of your lungs.”

Beth glared at Derek and turned around sharply and walked away. 

“You know sometimes I wonder about that girl,” Derek said thoughtfully as he watched Beth stomp away.

“She’s just worried about Mom. You know that.”

“Yeah. Well come on we’d better see what we could do about Dad. Beth may have calmed Mom down, but Dad is a different story altogether.”

Elisa and Derek laughed as they made there way downstairs to the living room. 

“Oh” Elisa said “and would you mind answering me one question?” 

“Shoot” Derek answered. 

“What the heck is it with you two and that stupid computer game?” 

Derek burst out laughing again, and the two of them went downstairs, unaware of the angry glare they were getting from a pair of very hostile young eyes.

Brent glared at his brother and sister and spared his other Sister Beth and his parents a hostile thought.

‘A special school’ he thought ‘yeah. They mean the kinds of ones for losers. Uh uh, no way am I going, and there’s no way I’m going to stay in a place where I’m not wanted.’ 

He needed to get out of there and go someplace else, someplace… where they couldn’t find him, and leave him alone. 

Smiling to himself, Brent closed his bedroom and went back inside to pack.

* * * * *

Present

They never saw Brent again. Derek had gone back up a couple of hours later to see if he wanted something to eat and found his room, empty, with all his clothes gone. They had a search put out for him for months but they never found him. Oh someone spotted him here or a cop noticed a boy matching his description running away from a burglary there, but they never actually found him. Brent may have been young but he was clever when it came to hiding. He didn’t know for sure, but he was almost positive that Brent must have overheard him and Elisa talking that night and heard him mention the special school that they were planning to send him to. Not to mention what Beth said. That was why he left.

Talon let a small tear escape his right eye and role down his cheek. He thought of the little boy whom he used to play with and give piggyback rides to. The little brother he had protected and loved since birth. Now that little boy was all grown up and to make matters worse. It seemed Brent had joined Madoc’s halflings. Although Madoc and his cronies were no longer around, their legacy of destruction had outlived them. The halflings they had created during the war were more than enough trouble for the city, and now it seemed that his own little brother was one of them. 

With no one around to see him. Talon glided down to a nearby rooftop and started to cry.

* * * * *

The Shire Pub

Brent Maza stormed into the pub with a terrible scowl on his face and slammed his fist onto the bar. “Get me a drink!” he shouted “and make it a strong one!”

The bartender looked nervously at Brent but did as he was told. Rule one about serving customers: Never refuse them their drinks, especially when they can incinerate you with just a look. The bartender poured Brent a large whisky and handed it to him. He doubted that Brent was old enough to be drinking, but as long as he paid and he didn’t blast him with that blue fire of his, then he could drink as much as he want. 

Brent swallowed the drink in one big gulp but didn’t even blink. Grown men often passed out after gulping down such a strong drink like that, unless they had been drinking a really long time so their bodies were used to it. It was either that or those halfling genes of his were keeping him alive and healthy in more ways than one. 

Brent looked down at the now empty glass in his hands and shoved it back into the bartender’s. “Give me another one”.

The bartender sighed. It was going to be a long night.

* * * * *

Elisa’s Apartment

Elisa stared at the phone for about five minutes before finally picking it up and dialling her parents phone number. She listened to the dial tone hoping that her folks weren’t home. ‘God I don’t what to do this’ she thought ‘I really don’t want to do this,’ but she knew she had no choice. Her parents had to be told about Brent, and that was all there was to it, but how on earth was she going to explain to them that like Derek, Brent wasn’t human anymore. 

‘Mind you’ she thought ‘after their experience with Derek and his transformation. It’s not like they haven’t been through this kind of thing before.” 

Dial tone

After the first few rings she started to think that maybe they weren’t home and she could start breathing again. But alas her relief was short lived when her mother picked up the phone. 

“Hello” her mother said.

“Hello, is there anyone there?”

Elisa cleared her throat and made a quick prayer to God asking him for courage.

“Mom” she answered.

“Elisa is that you?”

“Yeah it’s me.”

* * * * * 

Maza Residence

Diane Maza looked up from the magazine she was reading when the phone rang and answered it.

“Hello” she said.

When no one answered she asked again. “Hello, is there anyone there?”

“Mom” 

“Elisa is that you?”

“Yeah it’s me. Look, I want you to sit down mom and take deep breaths”

“What? Elisa, are you all right? Has something happened?”

“Mom, just sit down all right”

Diane froze for a second because she thought she saw something outside the window but after a while decided it must have been her imagination. 

“All right” she said “I’m sitting down so what’s up?”

“Mom something happened tonight in Central Park”

“Wha… what happened? Did anyone get hurt?”

“No but we did meet someone. Someone we know.”

Diane caught her breath. ‘God it was him, it had to be.’ She didn’t know how but she knew it was he.

“Who?” She asked.

There was a moment of silence before Elisa finally spoke again. 

“It was Brent” she whispered, yet Diane heard every word.

That was all Diane could remember because after Elisa said that. She fainted. 

* * * * * 

Outside the Maza Residence

Brent drunkenly watched his mother answer the phone and listened with his super sensitive elf ears to her conversation with his sister. He had a feeling that Elisa would call their folks and tell them the news. He was curious to see how they would take it. ‘Probably start moaning that he was still alive’ he had thought. But this… this wasn’t what he had expected at all. 

At first he wanted to go inside and help his mother but thought better against of it. ‘Besides dad’s home so he’ll take care of things.’ 

Sure enough his dad walked in a few minutes later and immediately ran to his wife’s side. She woke up then and started crying. Blurting out the entire conversation she had with Elisa. 

When his dad heard the news, he went all quiet and sat there, on the floor cradling his mom in his arms with a cold stern expression on his face. He didn’t do anything else for a while so Brent decided to high tail it out of there. It seemed obvious to him what his dad thought of him and that was perfectly fine. 

‘Dad doesn’t give a damn about me’ he thought ‘so why should I give a damn about him? I don’t even know what the hell I was doing here in the first place?”

With that he took off on the ley lines once again and never looked back, which was a pity. Because if Brent had stayed there just a few seconds more, he would have seen his father break into tears as well, crying both out of joy that his long lost son was still alive, and despair because he was still lost to them. 

* * * * *

Somewhere over New York

Talon glided over the city, not even sure what he was doing? ‘What’s the matter with me?’ he thought ‘how can I expect to find him like this? Its not like he’s gonna stand on top of a rooftop and start shouting for me is he?’

He had never felt so miserable before in his life since the night when Brent ran away. He wanted to howl at the moon like he did the night when Elisa first saw him after his transformation and he accidentally shocked her with his electricity. 

Just then he heard a loud explosion coming from below followed by an alarm. Talon immediately perked up and swooped down to the source. 

‘Brent would have to wait for now,’ he thought ‘if someone was in trouble or a crime was being committed then he had to stop it’ he paused and then smirked ‘good God. I’m starting to sound like a Saturday morning cartoon superhero.’

Talon landed in a deserted alley behind the store where the alarm was coming from and looked around him. No one was in sight.

‘Strange’ he thought ’no goons in black masks or a getaway car’. That’s when it hit him. ‘You idiot’ he screamed into his head ‘a trap’. He started to take a leap at the wall so that he could get enough height to glide off, but then there was a blast and the alarm bell stopped. 

Derek looked around him half expecting a group of former quarrymen or maybe some of Madoc’s halflings to come out and jump him.

In the end it turned out to be only one halfling. A young boy who he knew very well indeed, and yet not at all.

Talon stared at the young halfling. His eyes filling with tears as he started to walk slowly towards him.

The boy looked coldly up and down at him and said “hello Derek. Been going through some changes I see?”

Derek smiled at his baby brother, taking care not to show his fangs so as not to frighten him off, then he started to run towards him. 

* * * * *

Brent stared at the strange creature that had once been his brother then braced himself as it started to run towards him.

He got ready to throw a small ball of lightning at him, courtesy of his elf genes, when Derek, or Talon as he called himself now, swept him up into a great big bear hug and practically crushed him. Then he twirled him around in the air like he used to when they were kids. 

At first, Brent was speechless and just hung there in Talon’s arms with his wings wrapped all over him, before heaving a sigh of disgust. 

“Oh get off!” he snarled, pressing his feet against Talon’s chest and with a hard kick that would have made his old gym teacher proud, sprang himself out of Talon’s arms and landed feet first on the pavement. 

Talon rubbed his chest while looking at his little brother. “What’s wrong Tails?” he asked.

Brent eyes suddenly started to change colour and glow bright blue, he took a step forward glaring at his mutate brother. “Don’t you… ever… call me that again, you hear me?”

Although Talon kept a stern expression on his face, Brent’s harsh words were in fact, like having a sword stabbed through his heart. 

“You used to like being called it” he countered.

“I haven’t played that stupid game since I was 12, Derek. So you can quit with the pet names.”

Tails had been Derek’s nickname for Brent before he left. He called him that, because the two of them used to play that old computer game called ‘Sonic the hedgehog’ most of the time and always used to beat everyone else at it. Derek used to call himself, Sonic and Brent, Tails, after the characters in the game. Sometimes Derek thought they had spent more time at that game than they had at school. 

Talon began to take a few steps towards him again but froze when he saw his brother’s eyes glow that eerie green colour again, so he stepped back. 

They stood like that for several minutes watching each other. In truth, all Talon wanted to do was to run up to him and hug him again and this time never let go. However, somehow judging by his brother’s reaction, he wasn’t about to let him. He obviously didn’t like to be touched. 

“How have you been?”

Brent’s eyes stopped glowing and looked at him “what did you say?” He asked a little shocked. 

Talon just looked at him with his golden eyes as though his eyes were searching his soul. “I said how have you been?” He repeated, then stopped as Brent started to laugh. 

Well maybe laughing wasn’t quite the right word for it. It was more like full-blown hysterics. Brent was literally laughing out so loud that he was clutching his stomach like he was having spasms. 

“Um pardon me,” he asked “sorry if I’ve missed the joke, but what’s so funny?” 

Brent looked up at him, he finally quieten down and grinned. “Sorry. It’s just that I don’t usually have that many people ask me ‘how I’ve been’.” 

Talon starting taking small steps to his brother again. This time, Brent didn’t seem to notice and allowed him to come nearer. 

Talon stared at him, or more accurately, at his new pointy ears. “What happened to you Brent?” He asked, “Look at you! What did you do to yourself?”

Brent’s eyes suddenly dropped to the ground as though he was trying to hide himself. Then he looked up again and his eyes were shining, with tears, but he didn’t cry.

“What have I done? You speak for yourself freak!”

Talon almost snarled at him, but managed to control himself. 

Brent didn’t seem to notice and continued talking.

I made a deal” he said, “there was this guy called Madoc. I was living on the streets; I had nowhere else to go and it was cold. He told me he could give me food, shelter, even cable TV, in exchange that I do something for him.” 

Talon felt a lump forming in his throat and spoke rather hoarsely. “What did he make you do? 

Brent turned away and stared at the brick wall. “He didn’t make me do anything! He asked if I would participate in an experiment of his, one that would give me like superpowers and I would be able to do anything I wanted, so long as I served him.”

“So you agreed!” Talon said sharply, his sadness slowly melting into anger.

Brent glared at him, “Yeah! I agreed” he retorted. “He offered me the world. He gave me a home, money, friends, power and a family!”

Talon looked at him in shock when he spoke the last word. “What did you say?”

“I said he gave me a family!” Brent shouted. “I had everything I ever wanted, people who didn’t care that I wasn’t good enough, power to do things that no one else can do. I could protect myself without any help, and Madoc never cared whether I made a mistake because I always had my friends to back me up.” 

He turned away again, his memory thinking back to those wonderful days, however few they were. “Madoc was like the father I had always wanted, he was proud of me for my accomplishments and never gave a long lecture when I failed. He trusted me completely and I him, everything was great until you and those gargoyles of yours came and messed everything up!”

Talon couldn’t believe what he was hearing, this wasn’t the little brother he used to play with, teach things to, and protect from the playground bullies. Madoc a father and what would that make him, his stepson? He had to do something, say something, anything that would bring his beloved brother back home. 

“Brent. Madoc was a monster, he killed countless people in his quest to capture Avalon and he nearly killed Elisa and me. How could you have worked for a guy as twisted as him?”

Brent’s glare was even more menacing than before. His eyes bore such hatred and rage that Talon was more than tempted to turn and run away. Then suddenly Brent smiled sweetly and took a few steps back. Talon watched him closely, ‘could it be?’ he thought ‘Had Brent finally seen the truth? Was he at long last coming home?’

The answer to those questions was ‘of course not!’ Bright white tendrils of lighting came bursting out of Brent’s eyes and shot Talon off his feet, right into the wall, almost breaking his back. (View the scene: http://www.xavierstudios.org/talon.gif)

He gazed up in shock at Brent as he walked closer, his eyes burning with hatred, looking down with nothing, but contempt at him. That’s when he realised, his baby brother, the innocent child that he had so loved, no longer existed. Whatever this creature was, he knew for a fact, it wasn’t his brother, at least not the one that he remembered. 

Brent stopped in front of Talon and raised a hand, looking ready to blast him, but then stopped. His eyes looked sad for a moment, as though they were contemplating something. Then he took a step back and turned around.

“I’ll spare your life this time Derek” he shouted over his shoulder “but only this time. The next time we meet, I will kill you, if necessary.” 

Derek watched Brent quickly walk away and then jumped onto something he couldn’t see. ‘Must be a ley line’ he thought. Then he suddenly realised, “he didn’t kill me, he didn’t… couldn’t… wouldn’t have killed me. That means that there must be something left of the old Brent inside him somewhere.” He instantly sprang to his feet, ignoring the sharp pains in his back and lower sides and started to limp after him.

“BRENT!” He shouted, “please don’t go. We can work this out, we always used to, just come home with me, if not to mom and dad, then come to my place, I’ll take care of you.” 

Brent looked oddly at him and then smirked. “Boy you just don’t know when to quit do you?” He laughed and then slid away on the ley line. Unfortunalty he didn’t get very far as something large and red barrelled itself right into him and sent him flying through the air, right smack into the wall. 

Brooklyn landed on his feet and looked at the halfling, then looked at Derek. “Ah, brotherly love, there’s nothing quite like it” he smirked. 

Talon, instead of being grateful, leapt up at him and smashed his head against the pavement. “What the hell did you do that for? He was leaving me alone, he wouldn’t have hurt me.”

Brooklyn shook the spots that were appearing in front of his eyes, off and snarled back at him. “Yeah, and what do you call what just happened a few seconds ago, concerning your back and that brick wall. Or was that just Brent’s friendly way of saying goodbye?”

Talon snarled and quickly got back up to his feet never once taking his eyes off Brooklyn, before turning back to see if Brent was okay, only to get a rude shock when he found that his brother was gone. 

“Wha… “ Brooklyn started “where the hell is he?” They each took a quick look around but there was no sign of him.

Brooklyn scratched his head and asked “Talon, I know your brother’s supposed to be smart and cunning an ’all but how in God’s name could he just vanish into thin air without us noticing?”

Talon shrugged his massive shoulders and said “I don’t know, maybe he did disappear, after all he is a Fay, isn’t he?”

“Yeah. But only a halfling, he shouldn’t be able to vanish or anything, fly yes, throws lightning bolts yes, and a few other things, but disappearing. That’s something that the big Fay does if you knew what I’m saying. Only a full blooded Fay could do that.”

Talon looked back at the place where his brother had been only moments ago and sighed. “Look we’re not doing anything useful here. So lets take a glide and maybe we’ll see something from up top. If not then we’ll seek out Goliath and tell them about tonight.”

Brooklyn agreed and together they climbed the side of the building and took off.

* * * * *

As soon as the gargoyle and the mutate left, a bright light flashed in the place where Brent had been and within moments, Brent appeared from out of nowhere.

Brent smirked at the retreating creatures and looked down at his hands. “These new powers aren’t half bad,” he thought, “in fact they’re waaaaay better than the old ones I used to have.”

Smiling he took off himself using the Ley lines once again, he didn’t really have to use the Ley lines, he could just teleport himself anywhere, anytime, it was just more fun with the Ley lines. 

As he skid through the air, he thought of how he had got these cool new powers and smiled sadly at what the cost had been.

* * * * *

The Unseelie Court; Two months ago

“BRENT MAZA!” Lord Madoc’s voice came booming out of the shadows.

Brent instantly dropped everything he was doing, which was nothing, and ran to the throne room where Madoc was waiting for him. Ever since he had run away, he had been living on the streets, jumping from one place to another, scrounging off any and all he could find. 

Then big mighty Lord Madoc came to him and offered him the chance of a lifetime. A new home that wasn’t an abandoned warehouse or infested with cockroaches and rats. Powers the likes of which he had never seen, and the chance to become part of a family again. Although he wouldn’t exactly call the Unseelie Court a family, they had been good to him, and the other halflings weren’t so bad. George Harrison was a good friend, although the way he kept on going about how he had made such a big mistake was a bit irritating, and Zed and Candy were okay, he just didn’t like the others like Tanya or Rita who gave him the creeps. Plus, he had been on his own for far too long and going home to his folks just wasn’t an option. 

As for Madoc, he was kind of creepy but he never raised his voice to him like his father had, except when he was calling him to his throne room. 

Brent entered Madoc’s throne room and saw his lordship waiting for him. All of the Unseelie were gone, probably out doing their errands. It was obvious that they didn’t exactly approve of him living in the castle with them, but they didn’t object, because he was their lord’s favourite halfling. Brent wasn’t sure what he had done that had got him the lord’s favouritism, but whatever it was, he sure wasn’t complaining. 

He walked into the throne room and bowed before the Unseelie lord, Queen Maeve and Garlon, Madoc’s right hand man and loyal servant, and stated “you sent for me, my lord.”

The great prince of the third race and Ruler of the Unseelie court looked down from his throne and smiled at his favourite halfling. “Rise my son. If you accept my offer today then there will be no need for you to bow anymore.”

“Huh?” Brent asked, looking extremely confused.

Madoc just smiled and rose from his throne, walked down and grasped him tightly by the wrist. “Since my own son and now my nephew betrayed me, I have decided that from this day onward, you shall be my adopted son and the sole heir to the throne of the Unseelie court.”

Brent gasped in shock and stared at him in case he was joking. Queen Maeve and Garlon just seemed to be smiling. It was one thing for the lord of the Unseelie to choose an heir considering he was an immortal. It was a slightly different thing for him to adopt one instead of just having one himself, but it was a completely different thing to adopt a HALFLING instead of a true Fay. 

When the others hear about this they wouldn’t exactly be welcoming him with open arms, but none of them would speak their outrage at this; one look from Madoc would soon dispense any thoughts of them defying their lord. They maybe Fay, but they weren’t immortal, they could die, especially if they angered Lord Madoc. 

Brent stared up at his lord and master, and now apparently, his adopted father, shocked beyond words. “My… my lord, I don’t know what to say. This has got to be the greatest honour of my life.” If anything, Brent was good when it came to sucking up to the boss. 

Madoc beamed at him. “As right it should be, but come my son, we still have much to talk about.”

Brent got up and followed his newly adopted father out the room into the Unseelie master’s study. Madoc closed the door behind them and then turned and looked at him seriously.

“Child,” he began “there is something we need to discuss most seriously.”

“My Lord what is the matter?”

“Well for starters you can dispense with the ‘my lord’ bit and call me father. Remember, as of from now on and until the end of time, you are my son. Maybe not biologically as humans reckon, but in spirit, and magic.”

Brent bowed his head in respect and didn’t notice the wicked smirk that had come across his ‘fathers’ face for an instant. “My… err, father, I don’t know what to say, don’t think I’m ungrateful, but what have I done to deserve all this?”

Madoc turned away from him and stared into the fireplace, as though watching the world through its flames. “Out of all the halflings, you are the one that I trust most of all. As you know, my own son and now my nephew turned against me and I had no choice, but to destroy him.”

Brent whispered “yes.” He had probably been the one who was the most saddened by Umbriel’s death. Out of all the halflings he had ever known, Umbriel was the kindest and the most caring. He had taken all of them under his wing and taught them how to use their powers. He couldn’t understand how Umbriel could have betrayed his uncle like that; he seemed like the most loyal to him out of all of them.

Madoc looked at him and continued. “Anyway you know the prophecy that the Wyrd sisters foretold to me long ago, about how I would never set foot on Avalon’s shores again.”

Brent nodded, one of the Fay called Loki had given the halflings the whole story one night when he was drunk at the Shire Pub. 

“Well, as much as I hope to win this war, I must look at the facts. The Wyrd sisters have never been wrong in any of their visions, so chances are most likely that I won’t survive this war.”

Brent looked up at him shocked. “Father you cannot say such things.”

“I’m only saying what might be” he spoke “either way if I don’t survive then you must carry on the fight in my place”.

If Brent wasn’t shocked before then he sure was now.

“But… but father I can’t fight, how will I ever possibly fight the gargoyles and the other Fay?”

“Do not worry yourself about that. That is the reason I have asked you here tonight.”

“Why?”

Madoc looked away again and slowly walked about the room. “I have asked you here tonight so that I may perform the bonding.”

Brent blinked “sorry sir?” he asked.

Madoc sighed and continued to explain. “The bonding. It’s where you and I will literally share memories. I will bestow upon you my knowledge and some of my powers. Understand?”

Brent was still having trouble trying to take all this ‘magic’ stuff in but what Madoc said, sort of made sense… sort of. Besides he didn’t want to anger him and make him believe he was stupid. 

“Yes father” he answered.

“Splendid, so will you do it?”

“Of course father, anything for you.” 

Madoc grinned sinisterly and took Brent by the hands and placed them by the sides of his head. He then placed his own hands on Brent’s head. 

At first nothing seemed to happen then suddenly it was as though a torch had lit up in his head. He groaned and fell to his knees, his headache started to subside but it felt like it had left something inside him, something foul. He looked up and saw Madoc smiling down at him.

“You did well young one.” Madoc said. “You and I are now one. “

Brent smiled weakly back up at him then quickly past out.

Madoc smile soon turned into a frown as he inspected the unconsciousness halfling on his floor. “Weak boy” he scowled. Then there was a knock on the door and Queen Maeve and Garlon came walking in.

“How did everything go?” Maeve asked.

“Did he suspect anything?” Spoke Garlon.

“Ha, This stupid weakling of a child wouldn’t have suspected anything if it came up and bit him right on the face. As for the bonding… everything went according to plan.”

With that, the three of them started laughing as they shared a cruel joke among them.

* * * * *

Present

As Brent skidded through the air, he started thinking about those gargoyle creatures and how he was going to love ripping them all apart, one by one. 

‘Especially that female gargress Demona’ he thought ‘and… wait a minute. Who the hell was Demona? I had never actually seen any of the gargoyles until tonight at the park and I certainly don’t know any of their names except for the big fat one who the female called Broadway.’ 

‘Wait a minute, that’s it’ he thought ‘I must have heard one of them call her Demona and that’s where I got the name.’

He laughed a bit and then… suddenly his head felt like it was on fire and he fell from the sky like a tonne of bricks, landing hard on a rooftop. 

He moaned as his head pounded, it felt like there was a snake inside that was coiled around his brain and crushing it. Suddenly he convulsed one final time and then his body went limp. 

* * * * *

A pigeon flew by the roof where the body of Brent Maza was lying and looked at him curiously, cocking its head.

Then slowly Brent got up, shook his head and started laughing. As he laughed his entire body went through some sort of metamorphosis, his hair and skin changed colour, and his eyes faded into an icy blue. His laughter sounded like it was full of nothing, but darkness, and was so loud that the people could hear it all the way down below in their cars, and frightened them to drive faster. Indeed it was the laughter of someone who was, indeed dark and unspeakably cruel. Someone, who’s soul had returned from the great beyond, and now burned with an unquenchable thirst for revenge. 

The creature, that had once been Brent Maza, laughed. 

* * * * *

The Eyrie Building

“Okaaay Alex!” Puck boomed loudly “time to see what you’ve learnt today! Ready?”

Alex giggled and nodded at his teacher.

“All right! Now today we’re going to… “ Then Puck stopped.

Alex regarded his teacher from birth, curiously and noticed his eyes widening in horror.

“NO” Puck shouted in terror. “It can’t be true. It’s not possible it’s not… “

“What is going on here?” Goliath’s voice asked behind him.

Puck twirled around in the air and stared at Goliath in horror and amazement. “Goliath. He’s back!”

“Back?” He asked curiously “whose back?”

“Who’d ya think?” Puck shouted in anger “Freddie Krueger?”

Goliath growled at the trickster and asked again calmly “Puck shouting and sarcasm isn’t going to help. Now tell me who is it whose supposedly back?”

Puck floated over to Alex, picked him up and started to rock him gently in the air. “We all thought he was gone. Why isn’t he dead? Why has he come back? Not even Oberon’s father, the great Lord Avallach could come back from the dead.”

“Puck?” Goliath asked again, his voice slowly giving away to impatience. “For the last time. Who are 
You…“

“MADOC MORFRYN OF COURSE!” Puck shouted at the top of his voice.

Goliath stopped breathing and gazed down with shock and fear at the little Fay. “Madoc… but that’s impossible. Demona killed him, we all saw… “

“I know very well what happened Goliath, but that doesn’t change the fact that I am sensing Madoc’s presence right now in this very city.”

Goliath continued to stare at Puck until finally he came to a small portion of his senses and began asking questions. The first one, as always, was. “How?”

“Puck turned and looked out the window. He could feel Madoc’s essence growing stronger as though it were recovering. Suddenly it hit him “the bonding” he whispered then turned and shouted it to Goliath “he must have performed the bonding.”

Goliath looked at the Fay in frustration and asked him “what?”

“The bonding! It’s an ancient spell where a Fay can literally share his or her soul with a mortal, and when that Fay or mortal dies, their souls leave the empty shells of their bodies and merge together with the one their bonded to.” 

Goliath’s mind slowly processed this new information and finally came to an understanding. Madoc Morfryn was alive and now apparently in the possession of a new body, like when Hakon had taken over Wolf’s body or when Coldsteel, Othello and Desdemona had possessed Brooklyn, Broadway and Angela. He glared at Puck and had to take deep breaths for him to control his temper. “Why didn’t you tell us that this was a possibility? We could have prepared for this.”

“No you couldn’t! You don’t understand!” Puck took a deep breath and started to explain “the bonding goes back aeons and aeons ago, back before even Oberon’s great, great grandfather had been alive. The elder Fay of that time decided that it was too dangerous for the Fay to perform the spell and that it was unfair to the mortals, because they would have their bodies and souls stolen from them. So they banned the magic from ever being used again and never taught their future generations how to use it. Somehow… before Madoc was killed, he must have learnt the secret and bonded himself to a mortal, possibly one of his halflings.”

Goliath’s fear slowly began to grow within him as he considered the possibilities of what Madoc might do if he was indeed back. Oberon would never expect another attack from his brother whom he thought was dead. Avalon would be defenceless, completely vulnerable. “We have to find him” he said, “we have to find Madoc and put a stop to his evil, once and for all.”

Puck nodded and suggested that they gather the rest of the gargoyles and inform them on what was going on.

* * * * *

Destine Manor

Demona sat at her desk, going through Nightstone’s latest reports.

“Just once” she grumbled “I would like to get through one night without having to do this cursed reports.”

Just then, there was a tap on her balcony door, thinking that it was Angela, Demona got up to walk to the door. 

She had only just walked two steps before there was an almighty blast and the glass shattered, cutting her skin from head to talon. She lay down on the floor, dazed from the blast and nursed her aching wounds. 

As she lay, huddled on the floor, she dimly became aware of a mocking laughter, getting louder. 

Weakly, she raised her head, and gasped at what she saw. 

It was a young man, who looked an awful lot like Madoc. “A halfling” she whispered hoarsely, because her throat had been cut. 

The creature laughed “wrong, Miss Destine, but then I wouldn’t expect you to recognise me. After all, the last time you saw me, was when you bashed me over the head with that iron you had. Remember?” 

At first Demona didn’t know what he was talking about, but then it hit her. “No” she gasped “it can’t be.” 

The creature just grinned at her and leaned over to grab her by the hair and pull her up to his height. 

“Oh, but it is my dear Miss Destine, but don’t worry. Since your immortal I can’t kill you, however, that doesn’t mean I can’t have fun with you during the next few centuries. I’ll be coming back for you, just as soon as I’ve conquered Avalon, but for now, I guess I’ll just have to settle with wiping your daughter and her clan off the face of the earth.” 

Demona instantly came to life and roared, “YOU STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER YOU… YOU OVERGROWN SMURF!” 

The creature pulled back his fist and rammed it straight into Demona’s face, knocking her unconsciousness. 

“As I said” he replied “I have other things to do now, so you’ll just have to wait your turn like everybody else. Farewell Miss Destine, I’ll be seeing you.”

He chuckled and left the same way he came in, leaving behind one very bruised and battered Demona lying on her study floor. 

Fortunalty, Madoc had forgotten about the full details of the Wyrd Sisters spell of immortality, including the part concerning its healing properties. 

* * * * *

The Eyrie Building

A few minutes after Puck had spoken with Goliath; the entire clan was gathered inside the Great Hall, with Puck in the centre, explaining everything about Madoc and the bonding.

Out of the whole clan, Lexington was the one most distressed and angered by Madoc’s resurrection, because Madoc was the one who had tricked him into undergoing cybernetic enhancement surgery. It was because of him that Lexington was doomed to spend the rest of his life as a freak cyborg. ‘This time’ Lex thought ‘I’ll kill him and make sure he stays that way.’

“Where is Brooklyn?” Goliath asked.

Sata spoke up for her mate “he left a while ago to go look for Elisa’s missing brother and has not yet returned Goliath-sama.”

No sooner had she said this, the doors to the courtyard burst open and in walked Brooklyn and Talon, both of them looking like they had spent the night in a funhouse. 

“Dad!” Graeme and Ariana cried out excitedly and rushed to give their father a welcoming hug. Nudnik, the three hundred-pound, garg-puppy, came bounding after them and leapt up to give his eldest master a lick. 

“Okay, okay” Brooklyn weakly said as he patted each of their heads in turn, then turned to give Talon room to come in.

Goliath regarded them curiously, noticing Talon’s wounds. “I take it you found Brent?”

“Yeah” Brooklyn said, looking hard at Talon “but… let’s just say, he wasn’t in the best of moods.”

Talon glared at him “if you hadn’t come flying in like that and barrelled right into him. I could have talked to him some more and made him see sense, maybe even got him to come home.” 

“Oh Jeez!” Brooklyn yelled, “what does it take to convince you? Brent didn’t give a shit about you, he blasted you into that wall and would have killed you if I hadn’t shown up.”

“HE WAS LEAVING ME ALONE!” Talon cried out “he blasted me, yes, but he didn’t try to kill me, he just wanted to leave.” 

“Humph, funny way of saying goodbye.”

“ENOUGH!” Goliath roared and glared at them. “What happened?”

Brooklyn took a deep breath and started over. “Talon found Brent but Brent wasn’t in the talkative mood. He blasted Talon into a wall and tried to do a runner before I showed up.”

“Yeah and then barrelled right into him” Talon growled.

Brooklyn growled back. 

Goliath sighed; sometimes he wondered who was worse, Graeme and Ariana or Brooklyn and Talon? “So what happened then? Where is he?”

“We don’t know Goliath” Talon said truthfully “it was the weirdest thing. We only turned our backs for less than a minute and when we looked again, he was gone.”

“Gone?” Goliath asked.

“Yeah! Gone, one moment he was there and the next, poof, he vanished.”

“You mean he fled using the Ley lines?”

“No we would have seen him leaving. He just disappeared.”

Puck moved closer to Goliath and sighed “oh dear.”

Goliath turned sharply towards him and stared at him “what?”

For the first time, Puck actually looked sorry about something. “Only full blooded Fay or the halfling children of some powerful Fay can disappear at will. Since Brent is one of Madoc’s halflings, he couldn’t possible have the power to disappear like that.”

Goliath started to feel a chill coming up his spine. “Then how did he do it?”

Puck looked up at him and continued “he must have found a new source of power or… his using someone else’s power.”

For the second time that night, Goliath stopped breathing ‘dear God it was Brent. It had to be him. What was he going to tell Elisa and her family?” It was then that he remembered that one of Elisa’s family, was standing right there with them now, he deserved an explanation.

“Hey!” Talon cried out “would someone please tell me, just what the hell is going on?”

“Yeah, me too!” Said Brooklyn. 

Goliath felt unusually cold and proceeded to tell about the past few hours’ events. When they got to the part about Brent and Madoc, Talon’s head shot up and stared at him, shocked beyond words. 

“Your saying that Brent is… possessed by Madoc?” He stuttered out.

Goliath took a deep breath and slowly nodded his head.

“I refuse to believe it!” Talon shouted, walking in circles around the room “I know my own brother and that was him! He couldn’t be Madoc, he just couldn’t be.”

Puck flew over to Talon and looked him in the eye “its possible that Madoc might not have got a hold of your brothers soul completely.”

Everyone’s ears pricked up at this, especially Talon’s.

Puck continued “the Fay’s spirit, once it has taken leave of its original body, when it dies, immediately transports itself to the mortal that he or she has become bonded to. It takes time for a Fay’s spirit to completely possess a mortal’s mind and body. After they die, their souls are severely weakened and have to remain dormant in their host’s bodies for a number of days, possibly weeks. As time passes their souls gradually grow stronger and begin to take-over the host. This happens within a few weeks, after that, the soul of the deceased Fay completely takes over the mortal body, and the mortal is no more.”

Talon looked horrified “then… we’ve got to do something. I can’t just stand here while some fairy version of Adolf Hitler takes over my little brother’s soul!”

Goliath tried to calm Talon down. “Yes Talon we know, and yes, we will try and save Brent, but do not forget what happened the last time that Madoc tried to seize power. Do you want the same thing to happen all over again?”

Talon looked away and didn’t say a word. Of course he remembered what Madoc was like, how could he forget? Because of him and his cronies, the Labyrinth had very nearly been destroyed, but… how could he hurt his own little brother, the very thought of it was terrifying him? 

Goliath could see that this was hurting Talon even more than it was hurting him. ‘If Talon’s like this now, then what will he be like if we are forced to kill Brent to prevent Madoc from restarting the war? More importantly how will Elisa take it? Will she understand? Or will she hate me for killing her own brother?”

Goliath shuddered

“Err pardon me for interrupting ladies and gents” Puck said, his voice once again resuming that all too annoying voice they all knew so well “but we have a job to do here! Starting with finding that little bro. of his.”

“That shouldn’t be too difficult Puck.” A dark and cruel sounding voice suddenly said.

Everyone turned around quickly to the sound of the voice, only to get a quick look at a ball of lightning as it was coming straight towards them, and blasted them all back, straight into the wall behind them. 

Madoc Morfryn stepped through the door and smiled at the tangled pile of Gargoyles and the one mutate. 

* * * * *

Talon woke up to a splitting headache and frowned ‘ahhhh twice in one night! What the hell hit me?’ He wondered as he rubbed his head. Then he remembered and looked up. Brent was standing in the Great Hall walking towards them, grinning sinisterly. Only he wasn’t Brent anymore, one look at him told Talon that much. His hair had gone white as snow and his skin, a pale blue. Talon jumped to his feet and glared at him. 

“Okay Madoc, you’ve had your fun, now let my brother go!”

Madoc looked at him as though he was looking at an insect. “Let him go?” He answered in that powerful and fearsome voice of his “but he and I have grown sooo close. Why it’s almost like… his apart of me now.”

Madoc laughed.

Talon snarled and felt his hands begin to burn with electricity and could barely keep his rage under control, “let… my brother… go now.” 

Madoc stopped laughing and sneered at him “what makes you think he wants me to go? Before I came he was nothing more than a street kid, eating out of garbage cans. I took him in, gave him power he never dreamt of. For once in his life he wasn’t the useless nobody that everyone took him for, including you.”

Talon growled “I never thought he was useless. He was and still is my brother, and I want him back… now!”

Madoc looked coldly at him and with a flick of his fingers, he once again blasted Talon back into the wall behind him. 

“Well your not going to get him back. Brent Maza is dead and gone. Now, there is only Madoc!”

“Glad you cleared that up for me!”

Madoc turned to the voice at his left and saw David Xanatos waiting for him, holding some kind of strange laser gun.

Madoc sneered at Xanatos “oh it’s you. Leave us human and you won’t come to any harm. Besides, I may need you and your family alive so that I can bargain with Titania when I finally take over Avalon!”

Xanatos smirked “again that’s a no-no I’m afraid.”

Madoc stared at him and raised an eyebrow “oh and how would you stop me? Lasers have no affect upon me human, I… “

With that last word, Xanatos pulled the trigger and a strange yellow ray blasted out of the gun and shot Madoc/Brent, point blank in the chest. 

The instant that the ray hit him, Madoc’s face frowned in confusion, then horror and finally began to convulse in pain as the ray’s energy tendrils continued to spread all throughout his entire body. He screamed and grabbed his wound as though trying to pull the energy out, but in the end it was all for nothing. With a final dying scream, Madoc fell to the ground. 

Xanatos smirked again and kissed the gun he was holding “never leave home without one.”

Then he noticed the unconsciousness gargoyles and Talon. “Don’t worry,” he grinned “I’ll be sure to think of a way you guys can repay me for this.”

Then with a moan, Owen Burnett raised himself off the floor and looked all around him. Puck had returned to his human form after Madoc had blasted him. He spotted Xanatos and the now immobile Madoc/Brent Maza lying on the floor. Owen raised an eyebrow, regarding him, and looked at his employer “I take it the new laser model was a success?”

Just as Xanatos was about to answer, he noticed Madoc and said, “look.”

As they watched, Brent Maza’s pale blue skin started to fade back into his original dark Asian colour, and his hair once again became ebony black. 

Xanatos looked at Owen “Owen, I think you’d better call the Doctor.”

Owen nodded.

* * * * *

One hour later

One by one the Gargoyles and Talon awoke and found themselves being treated by Elisa, Fox, Owen and Xanatos.

“Yow! what hit me?” Lexington asked as he got up, only to fall back down again. 

Fox helped him back up to his feet “oh nothing much, you guys were all just attacked by Elisa Maza’s long lost brother, who had been possessed by Madoc, that’s all!”

At Madoc’s name, Talon got up and looked franticly around him.

Xanatos noticed this and spoke “don’t worry about Madoc, Talon. He’s gone again, this time for good.”

Talon spun around and snarled at him “you killed him, you killed Brent, you murdering… “

“NO DEREK!” Elisa shouted, “Brent’s alive.”

Talon stooped and stared at her, then at Xanatos “he’s alive” he asked, hope in his eyes.

Xanatos looked down and sighed “yes, but… he’s not in the best of health.”

Talon’s face froze and looked at him, straight in the eye “what do you mean?”

Xanatos stole a quick glance at his wife and then at Owen “Talon… you have to understand. What Brent went through was an extremely traumatic event, especially on his mind.” Xanatos took another deep sigh “for… God only knows how long? Brent’s consciousness was slowly becoming merged with Madoc’s; he was literally becoming Madoc Morfryn. Then in an instant, Madoc’s consciousness was destroyed, thanks to yours truly, and Brent’s mind found itself… lost and confused. In one second he was Madoc Morfryn and the next he was no one. His mind is now completely catatonic, he doesn’t know who he is or what he is anymore?” 

Talon took a step back in shock. It had never occurred to him that by saving Brent from Madoc, they would in some way hurt Brent. What had he done? Had he doomed his own brother by trying to save him? 

Talon’s sides began to shake with rage, not at Xanatos, but at himself. 

“May I see him?” Talon asked.

Xanatos nodded and motioned for Owen to take him there. 

As Talon left he heard Elisa break down into tears ‘Beth would probably say Brent was the one who had done this’ he thought angrily, then mentally punched himself for thinking such a cruel thought about his own sister.

* * * * * 

Xanatos turned to offer Goliath a helping hand up.

Goliath graciously accepted and then turned to comfort Elisa.

“Hey Xanatos!” Lexington said, “How did you defeat Madoc anyway?”

Xanatos smiled and walked over to a nearby wall, pressed a panel and watched as the wall slowly opened, revealing a huge laser gun. He picked the gun up with both hands and showed it to the curious crowd. 

“With this!” He stated “Owen and the lab boys put this little baby together after the war, just in case any of Madoc’s goons ever showed up again. It’s a laser gun; same as any other, but the juice that fuels it is made up of a very strong iron compound. One zap from this is more than enough to kill any member of the third race. Mind you, we weren’t expecting Madoc himself to show up.”

Goliath looked up from where he was holding Elisa, “but Brent was already a halfling before he was possessed by Madoc. How did you keep the gun from killing him.” 

“Brent was only a halfling, not a full blooded Fay. The laser destroyed most of his Elf genes, enough for his human metabolism to take over again. With a bit of luck, Brent will be free of all his halfling genes, but we can’t be sure. He may still have a bit of the third race still in him.” 

“Oh, by the way Goliath?”

Goliath looked at him

“Remind me to thank Demona, would you?” 

Goliath stared at him, puzzled “what on earth for?” 

“Why it was she who warned me that Madoc was coming in the first place. Seems Madoc made a slight detour on his way here and decided to pay Demona a visit.” 

Angela’s face immediately took on a look of fear. 

“Don’t worry Angela” Xanatos said “she was hurt pretty bad, but she’s all right now. Her immortality saw to that.” 

Angela gave a huge sigh of relief, but left to phone her mother up, just in case. 

Elisa however, didn’t take her eyes off Xanatos and frowned at him “Xanatos?”

Xanatos looked at her and saw the accusation in her eyes. 

She continued “How could you possibly know what affect this might have on a halfling? After everything we went through with them during the war, we noticed that they seemed to be vulnerable to iron just as much as the Fay is. Plus there’s the fact that George Harrison, who was a halfling, died from the sound of an iron bell. How did you know that Brent or any of the halflings would survive the blast from the gun?”

Xanatos looked down with his eyes “well, actually detective, that’s a very interesting story” he replied, starting to look uncomfortable. 

Elisa’s eyes suddenly went very cold and narrowed into slits. 

However if Xanatos had noticed them, he didn’t show it. “I spoke about it with Owen when we were first developing the gun, or should I say Puck. He said that the gun would definitely kill a Fay, no question about it, because it would be a beam of pure iron, sent straight through their bodies. However we were unsure of what affect it might have on a halfling.” 

Elisa’s face began to glow red with rage. She seriously considered getting out her gun and shooting Xanatos right there. 

Xanatos did notice this. 

“Please miss Maza, allow me to explain.” 

Elisa still looked pretty furious, but at least she wasn’t going for her gun anymore. 

“Thank you. Now, as I was saying, when someone bangs an iron bell, the sound travels to a halfling’s ears, thus causing their Elf DNA to react to it and cause pain. However if a beam of pure iron energy was sent through a halfling’s entire body simultaneously, then it was possible that the beam would literally burn out all of the magic in the halflings and make them full blooded humans again.” 

Lexington frowned “but, how could you be sure it would work?” 

At this moment, Xanatos had probably never looked so nervous before in his entire life as he did at that very moment whilst staring at Elisa Maza. “We… we didn’t.” 

This time, Elisa didn’t bother going for her gun. She just launched herself right at him and pinned him to the ground and would have started beating him into a bloody pulp if Goliath and Brooklyn hadn’t intervened. 

“Elisa!” Goliath cried out, whilst trying to restrain her “please! I’m sure Xanatos has a very good explanation for what he did” he looked at Xanatos uncertainly “right Xanatos?” 

Xanatos didn’t bother getting back up “no Goliath, I’m afraid I don’t.” 

Elisa began pulling at her captor’s grips, trying to attack him again. 

This time Xanatos just looked frustrated “oh please detective” he said sarcastically “the gun was designed to protect us from the third race and it did its job splendidly. As for Brent, I really am sorry about your brother, but in case you’ve forgotten, Madoc possessed him at the time and if neither of us had done anything. Then it would be most likely that you’re beloved Goliath here, along with everyone else would be dead and the rest of us would have another Unseelie war to deal with. What would you have done in my situation?” 

Elisa stopped struggling against Goliath and Brooklyn’s grasps and stared at him. Then she turned away from him and sighed “I probably would have done the same thing you did Xanatos.” 

Xanatos nodded in satisfaction, but in all honestly, he did regret having to shoot Brent. He couldn’t stop thinking about what he might have done if it had been his own son Alex, possessed by Madoc’s spirit. ‘Would he have still used the gun like he did on Brent, or wouldn’t he?’ 

Xanatos shuddered. 

Elisa looked back at him and guessed what he was thinking. “It’s all right Xanatos. I told you I would have done the same thing in your situation. Brent may be my brother, but not even I could allow Madoc to re enter the world.” 

Xanatos smiled slightly, but he couldn’t stop thinking… ‘What if?’ 

Brooklyn’s son Graeme then asked, “How is Brent?” 

Xanatos looked down at him and tried to smile “his alive, and physically okay except for a few burns and some singed hairs, but we really won’t know the full results of the affect of the gun until after he recovers. As I said, most of his Elf DNA has been… burnt out, but there’s a chance that some of it may still reside within him.” 

He then turned away from the crowd and silently whispered to himself “assuming of course, he ever recovers.” 

Goliath took hold of Elisa by her shoulders and embraced her. He then nodded to Xanatos and said, “we had best then, thank your scientists for their research Xanatos. If not for them, things might not have turned out so well and we would most likely have a third Unseelie war on our hands.”

Xanatos smirked at him, getting his humour back “don’t worry. I’ll be sure to give them a raise.”

With that, Xanatos turned around, still smirking and spoke quietly to himself “an extra 2% to their wages should be more than enough, I think.”

Elisa then, reluctantly, pulled herself away from Goliath’s chest and asked Xanatos “have you called my parents yet?” 

“Yes detective” Xanatos answered “Owen called them straight after he called you. In fact if I know your parents as well as I think I do, then they should be here right about… “

Suddenly the elevator bell sounded and the lift doors opened revealing two very anxious parents inside. 

Xanatos grinned, “… Now.” 

* * * * *

Owen took Talon down in the elevator to the next floor and then walked him through a vast variety of corridors until they finally came to the same room where Elisa had once been, after being shot by that poison dart during the Unseelie war. 

Owen opened the door for him, as Talon took a deep breath and walked in. 

When Talon first saw his brother, he wanted to cry out in anguish and despair. Brent lay on his back, flat down on the bed, hooked up to all sorts of machines, his chest was all bandaged and his hair slightly singed. His eyes were open so he was awake, but he was staring up at the ceiling, his eyes, never moving, not even when Talon touched him. 

“Hey Tails!” Talon said, while stroking his brother’s cheek, hoping to get a response out of him. 

He didn’t 

“Okaaaay. How about we talk about what mom and dad are gonna say when they come in here and find you all bandaged and everything? You do know what moms gonna say right?” He then did a very bad imitation of their mother, “oh my, my poor baby!”

Still no response

Talon looked down at his brother and saw nothing in his eyes, no flash of anger, no laughter, nothing. It was as though his brother’s body was nothing, but an empty shell. 

Tears began to flow out of Talon’s eyes. As they rolled down his cheeks, he rested his forehead on Brent’s. “Brent?” He choked “remember when we were kids and we used to play that Sega Mega drive game called ‘Sonic the hedgehog’ all the time? I used to call you Tails after that fox character and you called me Sonic, because we were like them, remember? I was the big hero who always helped you get out of jams and kept you out of trouble.”

Talon grimaced. 

“I guess I messed up, real bad at that part, didn’t I? It’s all right now though because I’m here now. I told you once when we were kids that if you ever needed me; all you had to do was call out the name ‘Sonic’ and that I’d be there in a flash. Just like in the cartoon, remember?”

Nothing

At that moment, all Talon wanted to do, was to curl up right into a ball on the floor and start blubbering like a baby. If only Brent would just say something… anything. 

“Okay maybe you’re not in the best mood for talking now? So how about I just go for a while, call mom and dad, and let them know that you’re here, all right?”

Again… there was nothing. 

* * * * *

‘So dark, so empty,’ he thought to himself. His mind felt like it was in a black hole, no feeling, and no awareness, just confusion. 

There was that voice again, it had been speaking to him now for about a minute. ‘Who was that?’ Was it one of his subjects? ‘No wait’ he didn’t have any subjects. 

‘Who am I?’ He wanted to scream, but couldn’t find his voice. 

A short time ago, he had been Lord Madoc, ruler of the Unseelie Court and soon the entire third race. Now, he was nothing, his memories were gone, as were most of his powers. ‘Damn it! Who was he?’ He vaguely recalled another name he used to go by ‘what was it? Beth… Brett, no wait! BRENT!’ 

‘But who was Brent, were he and Madoc one of the same? Were they related? WHO WAS HE?’ 

That voice was speaking again. It seemed somehow familiar, and kind, but he couldn’t place its memory. So he decided to listen, but found it hard to grasp onto the words. He heard things like “Tails…Sonic…trouble…. remember.”

‘Oh’ he wished he could remember, but everything seemed so blank. Then as he’s mind started to retreat further back into its black hole. It was as though someone had just turned a light on and the light beamed right into his face. He started remembering some things, a taste, a smell, an older boy and a promise. 

As he looked towards the light, there was a flash and he saw two boys playing on some sort of machine, he fought to get a good look at the boys, but it was like staring through a fog. The smaller boy suddenly got up and jumped on the bigger one, they began to wrestle on the floor, laughing out loudly. Then there a loud noise, that came out of nowhere. 

‘Thunder’ he remembered, ‘I used to be afraid of thunder.’ 

The smallest boy cried out and hugged the bigger one; the big boy held him and rocked him back and forth, trying to calm him. 

“It’s all right Brent” the boy said “I’m here, I won’t let anything bad happen to you. I promise! Just remember to say the word ‘Sonic’ and I’ll always be there to save you.” 

He didn’t know what the word ‘sonic’ meant, but it sounded so familiar and thought that it should mean something to him. 

Then the light began to dim and the boys disappeared. Frightened beyond words, he started to call the name that the big boy had said; he didn’t remember what it meant, but he didn’t want to be alone in the dark anymore. He tried to speak, but found it hard to do so. 

So he tried harder. 

* * * * *

Not expecting a response anymore, Talon leaned forward and stroked his brother’s forehead goodbye, then got up and walked over to the door, where he would have continued walking through, but his sensitive hearing picked up something. He turned around and listened, he thought he heard something, but after a while thought it was nothing, but his imagination. He turned back to the door.

“Sonic”

There it was again. Talon turned around and looked all over the room before his eyes finally settled on Brent. 

“Sonic”

His brother’s lips slowly moved, barely whispering the name.

Talon practically leapt over to his brother’s bedside and grabbed hold of his hand. “Brent?” Talon asked urgently “Brent it’s me! I’m here, Sonics here!” he didn’t realise he was crying again until he saw his tears falling onto Brent’s forehead, only this time they were tears of joy. 

Brent’s eyes slowly began blinking as Talon’s tears fell upon his head. Then his eyes started moving towards Talon and stared at him. Talon smiled down at him and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. 

Brent weakly smiled back

Talon knew Brent still had a long way to go before he fully recovered, and there was still the matter of his halfling genes, but for now he was talking and smiling at him, and that was more than enough for him. 

He carefully placed his hands behind Brent’s head and back and gently lifted him up to his chest and hugged him, his wings wrapping around them both like a blanket. 

* * * * *

From behind the door, Elisa smiled as she watched her little brothers hugging each other. She had been worried about Derek, so after her parents had arrived; she left them with Xanatos so that he could explain to them why their son was in the infirmary. She tiptoed back a few paces and silently closed the door so as not to disturb them. Almost immediately after she did, Peter and Diane Maza came running up to her from around the corner. 

“Where is he?” Her mom cried, “where’s Brent?” 

“Shhhhh,” she hushed them frantically “In there, but don’t go in just yet, okay?”

Her parents looked at her, astonished.

“What do you mean?” Her Dad asked, impatient to see his son. 

Elisa was about to answer him when Talon opened up the door, having heard them, and spoke to them “it’s alright Elisa. You can all come in, but… Mom, Dad, did Xanatos tell you bout what happened to him?” 

Both Peter and his wife Diane Maza kept their chins proudly up, although there was a glimmer of tears in their eyes, and nodded. 

Talon smiled at them “don’t worry, Brent started talking bout a minute ago!” 

“WHAT!” They both shouted out at the same time “but, Xanatos said that… Brent would be catatonic for… “ 

“I know,” Talon said, then gave a little smirk “but, sometimes even billionaire industrialists can be wrong.” 

The Maza’s each gave a small simile, then Talon continued “Brent only said one word, but at least he spoke, and he smiled at me… its not much, but it’s a start!” 

“What did he say?” His dad asked.

Talon grinned “he said Sonic!” 

His parents just looked blankly at him, except for Elisa who acknowledged him with an understanding smile. 

Talon shrugged “sorry, can’t tell. Brothers secret”. 

They all continued to stare at him a moment longer then gave up and went inside to see Brent. 

The moment they went in and saw him, Diane instantly rushed to his side and took hold of Brent’s hand “oh Brent” she choked “what have you done to yourself now?”

Peter walked over to the other side of the bed and sat down, never taking his eyes off him. The only give-away was his eyes, which were filled with joyful tears. 

Brent was by now, fast asleep on his bed, eyes slightly twitching, letting everyone that he was dreaming, but what he was dreaming of, they could only guess. 

* * * * *

Alex’s Nursery

From the other side of the castle, two boys stood in the nursery, grinning like mad. Then, each of their forms began to shimmer and started to change. 

Within a single moment, what had once been two boys, were now a redheaded toddler and a funny looking man with long white hair and pointy ears. 

“HA! Well done Alex!” Puck bellowed proudly “we never did do that spell to enter another persons dreams tonight. Good thing that, Detective Maza and Talon’s little brother needed our help. It provided the perfect lesson for… “

Puck’s ears instantly picked up the sound of the Xanatos’s footsteps coming towards the nursery. In a flash, Puck was gone and Owen Burnett, stood in his place once more. 

Just as the door opened, Owen had placed Alex into his crib and tucked him in; he turned and regarded Xanatos and his wife, Fox. 

“Good evening sir” he said in his emotionless voice “Alex has been tucked in.” 

“Thank you Owen” Xanatos replied as he and he’s wife went to kiss their son goodnight. 

“Oh by the way sir! The Brent dilemma has been resolved.” 

Xanatos looked at him, surprised, and quirked an eyebrow “oh?” 

“Yes sir. It seems that all young master Brent needed was for someone to… jog his memory.” 

With that, Owen left the nursery, leaving behind two very bewildered adults and one sleeping, smiling baby. 

* * * * *

Talon stood in the doorway with his sister, watching as the two elder Mazas sat by their prodigal son and watched him sleep.

Elisa turned to look at her winged brother “well! Here’s another one for the books. I swear, one day our family is gonna be in the Guinness Book of Records for weirdness. We’ve got you, a bat-winged mutate, me whose about to marry a thousand year old gargoyle and now we’ve got a fairy for a brother.” 

Talon smirked “true, but look on the bright side. We may be weird, but at least we’re never dull.” 

Elisa grinned, then thought of something “Hey Derek?” 

“Hmm… “

“How do you think Brent made such a breakthrough in his recovery in so little time?” 

“I don’t know, maybe Xanatos and his doctors were just plain wrong?” 

“But they’ve never been wrong about anything before, except for when they thought I was gonna die, when I got hit by that poison dart, but that’s only because Demona came in and saved me with her magic.” 

Talon frowned; he still had difficulty trying to accept the fact that Demona, the gargoyle who had tried to kill his sister so many times, had saved her. “Weellll… maybe Brent is just a lot tougher than we all thought he was? He never stops ceasing to amaze us doesn’t he?” 

“True, but don’t you think it might be more than that?” 

“What do you mean?” 

“Well they say the best cure for someone who’s sick, is love.” 

Talon turned to give his sister a hard look “Elisa. Don’t tell me you’re into all that spiritual crap nonsense, are ya?” 

“No” she said, annoyed “I’m just saying that sometimes, love is the best medicine possible, and aside from mom and dad, who loves Brent more than you? I mean look at what’s happened tonight. A while ago they were saying Brent would probably be stuck as a vegetable for the rest of his life, yet a while ago he was talking and smiling… to you.” 

Talon continued to stare at her. 

“Look, all I’m saying is that maybe all Brent needed, was to be with his big brother for a while. You know! Brotherly love and all that, you always were Brent’s favourite out of all of us. You know that right?” 

Talon thought about it for a second then just snorted and turned back to look at his younger brother as their mother fussed over him, making sure he was comfortable and everything. 

“All right” he’s mom said, “I think Brents had enough excitement for one day. Let’s let him get some sleep. You guys go home and I’ll stay with him.” 

“No mom” Talon said “if you don’t mind, I’d like to stay with him for now. You go home and get some rest. I’ll call if anything happens.” 

Diane looked like she was about to argue, but when she saw the determined look in her elder son’s eyes, she nodded and left with her husband and Elisa. 

Talon walked back over to Brent’s bed and sat down beside it. He sat there, staring at his little brother, then reached out to smooth back a curtain of his black hair, which had fallen over his eye. 

Talon smiled again. He didn’t know if what Elisa had said was true, and quite frankly he didn’t care. All that mattered to him now, was that his brother was here, safe and sound, and on the way to recovery. 

‘At long last,’ after everything they had all been through, Brent’s disappearance, the years of worrying and searching, and then finally, Madoc. After all this time… 

His brother was home. 

**

The End

So what ya think? Remember this is my first fic, and my first ever attempt at writing anything, so be nice. Feedback, comments, and ideas would be most appreciated at Storyseeker.1@btopenworld.com thank you. Comments about the drawing illustrations send to Mission_Earth@hotmail.com.