Disclaimer: "Gargoyles" and everything pertaining to them belong to Disney and Buena Vista, not Clan Le’Femme.  We make no claims to them.  The characters of "Lisette" and "Joshua Erickson" belong to Lisette and may not be used without the author’s permission.  Once again, Clan Le’Femme consists of eleven members:  Angel H., Firedancer, Lady Foxglove, Leia Morgana, Lisette, Mad Mage Merlyn, NightAngel, Pendragoness, Robyn M., Shadow Gargoyle, and Skydancer.  Each story is a different segment of a much bigger whole; don’t worry folks, eventually they shall all combine into one.  Enjoy them all! ?

Warning:  Some of you may recognize the character of Lisette from "New Beginnings."  While she is the same character, I am going to be using her in a different universe, so you are about to notice some subtle differences.  In essence, it still is Lisette, but a different Lisette from my story line of the Talika universe.  If you've ever seen the TV show "Sliders," you should understand that one little thing happening or not happening can change the course of the future-after all, it is the same thing each fan fic author does each time they write about the original Gargoyle clan.  Comprend?  Bon.

Description:  The fifth installment in the Clan Le’Femme series!  A new time, place, and life begins for Lisette, le mage magique...

 Had there been anyone there to notice, the change in the atmosphere would have become apparent to them immediately.  They would have felt the slight difference in the still air; they would have felt the slight rush of adrenaline as the feelings of expectation poured forth; and they would have heard the tomb-like stillness be replaced by a quiet stream of breathing that would steadily increase until it was the only sound to be heard-that is if there was someone in there to experience all of this.  Sadly, there was no one in the cold cavern, which was lit by forever burning candles... save one.

 As breath returned slowly to her sleeping body, so too did warmth, movement, thought... and then came awareness.

 Long, dark, and beautifully formed eyelashes slowly began to flutter against the tan skin of her cheek.  Sighing out, her plump and sensuous lips parted slightly as her breath entered and exited her sculpted mouth for the first time in one thousand years.  As her pert nose wrinkled against the foul scents that surrounded her, her dark lashes slowly opened to reveal a pair of startling blue eyes that sparkled in the candlelight.  And there she lay on the hard stone alter that had been her resting place for so long-there she lay, alone and disoriented.

 Alone and disoriented, the young woman slowly sat up on the cold stone.  Confused, she slowly lifted one strong hand ever so slowly up until it found the smooth planes of her face, swept back and lost itself in the tangles of silky soft blond hair, and then fell down to finger the midnight blue gown she wore.

 Turning her body slowly, she then slid off completely till her slippered feet were planted firmly upon the cold stone floor.  Moving with a grace reserved for royalty, she glided around the altar and knelt before the dusty bones that were covered with tattered cloth-her sole company throughout the centuries.  And then the young woman reached ouut that same tan hand till it rested gently upon the exposed skull.

 And for the first time in one thousand years, the young woman's face showed expression and her voice found use as her eyes filled with tears and as her voice sobbed out one heartfelt plea of denial; one word that was a wish in and of itself: No!  Shaking her head from side to side as the one tear turned into two, three, four, and then too many to count, the young woman tilted her head up till she faced the ceiling of the sealed cavern.

 "No!  Craigen!" Lisette screamed aloud, her voice echoing throughout her sealed domain.

Two Years Later-

 As the warm wind swept through the slanting streets of Paris, its people filled them with their bustling activity.  Everywhere on those narrow little streets, traffic roared by-obviously faster than they should-as people from all walks of life crowded the sidewalks and doorsteps to the tiny cafes, bread shops, pastry stores, and little boutiques:  there were business women and men, vendors, older couples, teenagers, kids, gypsies, and entertainers.  All could be found on the congested streets and sidewalks of Paris as they browsed, ate, shopped, and partook in the most famous of past times for the French:  people watching.

 As people sipped their Colas, Oranginas, coffees, espressos, and wines in the sidewalk cafes, their eyes continually wandered and observed the passer-bys... such was life.  To the people entering the Boulangeries for baguettes and croissants, to the ones entering the Charcuteries for meat, and to the ones entering the Pâtisseries in search of chocolate delicacies like Pain au Chocolat the people watched.

 And so in tradition, they did watch as the young woman with long pale blond hair-an oddity in a France full of dark haired people-traveled expertly down the crowded and busy streets of the city of Paris, her head held high and eyes focused forward.  "Foreigner," they murmured as she strode on by, ever climbing higher and higher as the streets slanted sharper up.  For she couldn't be one of them-a true Parisian... or even a Frenchman.  Even though she had the petite build of their country men, she was far too tall, tan, blond, and had too blue of eyes to be one of the elite.  Surely a tourist from Germany, Norway, Sweden, or some other far off land on her way up to see the famed Sacre-Coeur, the Sacred Heart church, which stood at the highest point and looked down upon the great city of Paris.

 While the Sacre-Coeur was her destination, they were far wrong about her origins.  She was very much a Frenchman with the French blood running strongly through her veins.  And while their pure blood had been diluted through the centuries, hers ran strongest as it came first hand from the tenth century... almost before the time when France was named Gaul instead-at least closer to that time than the present.

 Shaking her head in order to clear her thoughts, the young woman forced her mind from the fog of the past and concentrated on her surroundings.  There was the famous Moulin Rouge, the elegant Red Windmill and hottest night club of the past, now located in the seedy red-light district of the present.  She wasn't far now.  Turning, the young woman quickly continued her long climb up as the streets became even steeper.  Soon, her breath came hard to even her, a young woman who was remarkably well in shape.  Panting, a pain growing in her side, she walked up the final step that brought her face to face with the mighty and ancient church.  "Sacre-Coeur," she murmured quietly as her face traveled higher and higher up its steep face.  Sighing, she turned away from the stunning beauty, knowing that she couldn't face the quiet dreariness of the inside quite yet, and instead walked towards one of the ledges that divided the high church from the falling streets below.

 This truly was one of the highest point of Paris, she realized, as she looked further and further down upon the bustle.  As a slow smile lit up her face, the young woman moved closer towards that hard granite wall and leaned up against its surface, her face tilted down as she took in the magnificent view: the lush grass spread out down far below, families strolling about the square hand in hand, birds flying throughout the blue sky.

Suddenly, she felt a slight movement against her back.  Relying totally on instinct, she whirled about quickly, pulling the small black bag she had been carrying even tighter against her as a short little gypsy man jumped back in surprise.  Before she could react further to the pickpocket, he quickly shoved past her, his hands empty of her belongings.  Unfortunately, the wall beside her was too low and the little man's grimy hands and body against her were too rough as she flew back against the granite, the sharp stone picking into her skin.  There everything began to move in slow motion as she felt herself tip backwards over the wall, a small scream released from her lips as the realization that she was falling over the edge of the wall hit her.. and then a quick jerk as her fall was halted by someone's arms wrapped tightly around her.

 Gasping, she felt the arms tighten around her thin waist before pulling her slowly back up until her feet were touching the ground once more.  As the relief flooded through her, she slowly tilted her head back and saw her savior.  "Are you ok?  I mean.. uh.. est-ce que.. oh, ça va?" the young man asked, flustered by his language skills and his inability to say what he wanted to say in the different language.

 The man was a mixture between that and a boy-no older than 22 yet no younger than 18.  He was tall, around six feet, with broad, well muscled shoulders, ruffled dark brown hair, and large dark brown eyes-he was by far one of the cutest guys she had seen in a long time.

 "Shit.. I knew that I should have paid more attention in French class," the young man muttered quietly when he didn't get an answer.  "Um... j'ai dit.."

 "You are American," the young woman murmured quietly as she broke out of her trance and focused on his warm gaze, noticing his arms still wrapped tightly around her.

 "And you speak English!" he replied, his grin turning larger.

 "Does not everyone in Paris?" she asked quietly, a smirk upon her face at the irony of it-a country whose people were so fiercely proud of their heritage and their French language while in its capitol its people knew English just as well.

 "Are you alright?" he asked again, his gaze never straying from the impossible depths of her crystal blue eyes.

 "Yes, you can let go of me now.. I do not think that I will be falling again," she murmured quietly as the color crept up on his face.

 "Sorry," he muttered quietly as he quickly dropped his hands and took a step back.  "I'm Joshua," he said quickly, trying to cover up his embarrassment as he stuck out his hand.

 Smiling, the young woman took his hand in hers.  "My name is Lisette," she replied quickly, shaking his hand and reveling in his strong grip.

 "Pleased to meet you Mademoiselle," Josh grinned, two large dimples becoming evident in his cheeks.

 "Likewise.. and thank you for the quick reflexes-although I could have handled it," Lisette amended quickly.

 At her brave words, a bemused expression quickly flitted across Joshua's face.  "Sure you could've.. what happened anyway?"

 "Oh, just the usual gypsy pickpocket," Lisette casually replied as she opened up her black bag and did a quick inventory.

 "Did he get anything?" Joshua asked as he leaned imperceptibly forward.  Noticing this, Lisette couldn't help the smallest of smiles.  After all, it was a beautiful day out, she had a cute knight in shining armor before her, he was obviously attracted to her, and not only that, but he smelled really good as well.  "No, I must have caught him before he had a chance to take anything."

 "If you caught him, then perhaps it's time for him to look into getting another profession," Joshua laughed.

 "Or maybe he was a very good pickpocket and I was just an extraordinary person with great senses to have caught him in the act," Lisette countered quickly, a smile lighting up her face.  Very slowly and deliberately, she then lifted up a black leather wallet from where she had been holding it at her side.  As her smile grew, she quickly opened up the wallet and withdrew a license from inside.  "It seems that you were not as skilled," she replied smugly as she showed him his own grinning countenance from his American driver's license.

 "Hey, where did you get that!" Joshua cried out, his jaw dropping open as he instinctively reached for his empty back pocket.

 "From the gypsy man as he shoved past me," Lisette replied, her smiling growing as the color once more rose in his cheeks.

 Raising his hand, Joshua ran his hand through his silky brown hair as he reached forward and took his billfold from the beautiful young woman.  Shaking his head, he did a quick check and was relieved to find all of his money, credit cards, and passport still sitting in their proper places.  Closing it, he stuck it back in his pocket and faced Lisette once more.  "It seems that I owe you one."

 "No, I would say that we are even now," Lisette replied with a grin as she turned to leave the young man.

 "Wait!" he called out quickly, his arm shooting out to grab her own gently.  "Uh, I think that I still owe you.. after all, you claim that you didn't really need my help after all," Joshua said quickly.  "Why don't I treat you to a coffee?"

 "Um, no thank you," Lisette replied quickly as she began to turn away once more.  "I do not like coffee."

 "Well how about something else?  Do you have time to spare?" Joshua called out, halting her with his words.

 Turning back around, Lisette faced his smiling face and found her resolve crumbling under his intense gaze.  She really should be heading back by now-after all, it was quite a distance to the caverns that she had been calling home the last two years.  Then again, it had been so long since she really had felt the company of another.  Smiling, Lisette stepped towards him once more.  "Well, if you insist.."

 "Which I do.."

 "Then I suppose that I could make time to have a Cola with you," she replied quietly, a grin spreading across her face.

 "Why thank you, Mademoiselle," Joshua replied as he bowed down to her and then held out his hand.

 Blushing at the public display and the number of people staring at them, Lisette hesitantly stretched out her hand and placed it in his.  As that blush crept higher up her cheeks, she watched as Joshua then bent his head down and planted a small kiss on her outstretched hand.  Laughing, Lisette quickly grabbed her hand back.  "Come along," she laughed, "I know just the place."

 "So, how long have you been in France?" Lisette asked after they had been seated in a little café that was down the street from the Sacre-Coeur.

 "About a week now... I'm due to head home again in two days."

 "Ah... and what does bring you to our lovely country?" Lisette asked, arching her eyebrow at him.

 "A gift from my parents..."

 "And where are your parents now?"

 "In Australia, I believe..."

 "What?  They are not with you now?  Who are you here with?" Lisette asked quickly, unable to cover up the shock of his words.

 Laughing, Joshua shook his head slowly.  "No, they aren't with me now... my parents work for the U.S. Government and are always gone on trips to one country or another.  As a gift for doing so well in college this year, they decided to treat me to a trip to France, seeing as how I've always wanted to visit here, and as an incentive to keep it up."

 "But are you here all alone?"

 "Well, kind of.  Some friends of my parents live at the American Embassy here, and I'm staying with them."

 "Ah, je comprend maintenant," Lisette murmured, nodding her head slightly as his words.

 "So do you live in Paris?" Joshua asked, turning his attention back on her.

 "Ah, yes.. but you do not want to hear about me in this dreadful city!  I want to hear all about America and your travels!" Lisette replied quickly, a bright smile lighting up her face.  "I have never traveled outside of France.."

 "You should come to the U.S. some time... I think that you would enjoy it there," Joshua replied with a smile.  "Besides, I’d love to show you around and let you see the sights.  If you’re ever in Traverse City, Michigan, be sure to look me up," he called out, the smile growing as his dimples once more became apparent.

 Returning the smile, Lisette nodded her head slowly.  "If I ever come to America and visit... Michigan, you can be sure that I will ‘look you up.’"

 Laughing, the couple strolled side by side down the now dark and empty streets of Paris--oblivious to all that passed around them.  "So you actually told the Queen of England that you had to go pee?!" Lisette laughed in amazement as they passed beneath one giant leg of the Eiffel Tower.

 "Hey, I was only five years old at the time--I was way too young to know any better... or at least that’s what my extremely embarrassed parents told the Queen!" Joshua defended himself as he ran one carefree hand through his silky chestnut hair.

 "Oh, no you do not Monsieur Erickson," Lisette cried out, shaking her head till her fine locks were a whirlwind of blond.  "That is not an acceptable excuse!  Why, when I was five, I was doing chores and lessons daily..."

 "Hah!" Joshua broke in excitedly as he quickly grabbed Lisette’s arm and turned her to face him beneath the tower.  "I knew that you had a childhood and grew up somewhere!" he cried out triumphantly.

 "Excuse-moi?" Lisette asked uncertainly.

 "All of today and tonight I’ve told you story after story of my life, while each question that I’ve asked about *your* past has been tactfully avoided," Joshua explained quickly.  "Now why don’t I even know your last name?" he asked directly, nothing but gentleness and honest curiosity shining in his eyes.

 "DeBuschelle."

 "Pardon?"

 "My last name is DeBuschelle," Lisette whispered quietly, the lie snagging in her throat.  After all, how could she tell him that back in the late 10th century, she was never given or told her last name.  "Lisette DeBuschelle."

 "Pleased to meet you Mademoiselle DeBuschelle," Joshua whispered as he gently took Lisette’s hand in his and kissed it tenderly.  Without releasing it, he then turned the full of his chocolate brown eyes upon her as he searched the unfathomable depths of her blue eyes.  "What has happened in your past to cause the hurt I see hidden in those baby blue eyes of yours?  Why do you avoid that topic as though it were the Black Plague?"

 "You would not believe me, Monsieur, if I told you," Lisette whispered as a pool of tears formed.

 "Ah, Lisette," Joshua whispered quietly as he drew her into his arms, relishing the feeling of her body pressed so intimately against his own.

 "I am sorry," Lisette murmured as she trembled in his arms--not only from the painful memories that threatened to engulf her, but also from the unfamiliar sensation of being held... of being safe and protected by another.

 "I know that you haven’t known me long," Joshua whispered against her silken crown of hair, "but I want you to know that you can trust me and have nothing to fear..."

 "Oh Joshua, I know that you would never..." Lisette gushed as she pulled away slightly and met his eyes with her own.

 "Shh," Joshua interrupted as he placed a finger gently against her full lips.  "I think that I’m falling in love with you, Lisette DeBuschelle," he whispered quietly as he gently tipped her chin up and placed his lips against hers, his breath mixing with her own.

 Sighing, Lisette instinctively leaned into the kiss and wrapped her arms around his neck even as he pulled her closer into his embrace.  The kiss seemed to last an eternity as a single shooting star trailed its fiery end over the brightly lit monument to Paris.

 Finally, the two parted lips, each gasping for their own air.  Turning, Joshua fixed his gaze upon hers once again.  Reaching up, he gently held her chin in his hand as his thumb swept over the smooth skin of her cheek.  "Vos yeux sont aussi bleus que l’océan."

 Surprised, Lisette drew back slightly.  "Your eyes are as blue as the sea," she repeated back in amazement.  "But how did you..."

 "Vous êtes un ange descendu sur terre et cela m’est bien égal que le soleil ne se lève plus, si seulement vous me voyez encore," (You are an angel come to earth and I don’t care if the sun never rises again, so long as you see me again) Joshua whispered quietly, his face a mask of seriousness.

 As a blush crept slowly up Lisette’s cheeks, she smiled at him.  "Joshua, where did you learn to say such things?" she asked in amazement.

 Unable to maintain his serious demeanor any longer, Joshua broke into a wide grin, revealing his adorable dimples.  "’Wicked French for the Traveler’.. I memorized those lines for just such an occasion!"

 Laughing, Lisette shook her head slowly and was about to respond when she felt Joshua stiffen up beneath her hands.  Turning, she watched as two men approached them from behind.  One was short, about 5’5" with short black hair and dressed in jeans and a black tee-shirt, a lit cigarette dangling from his mouth.  His companion, on the other hand, was the short man’s exact opposite:  exceedingly tall, the man had long, curly brown hair, looked to be about 6’2", and about 230 pounds of pure muscle.

 "Bon soir," (Good evening) the little man called out as he drew near.  Almost immediately Joshua pushed Lisette behind him as he eyes the two men between narrowed eyes.

 "Fichez-nous la paix," (Leave us alone) Lisette calmly called out as the short man began to circle them while the tall one stood by and watched.

 "Vous êtes une chaude nana," (You are one hot babe) the short one commented as he circled, his tone suggestive as he checked out the woman.  She was very beautiful, clothed in a snug pair of jeans and a form fitting sweater that showed off her shapely form.

 "Va te faire foutre, fumier â l’haleine de roquet," (Up yours, dog breath) Lisette hissed quietly as she drew closer to Joshua who was now stiff with tension.

 "Tais-toi, chienne!" (Shut up, bitch!) the small man snarled at Lisette as he halted angrily.

 "De.. l’air," (Back.. off..) Joshua ground out slowly, his eyes trained on the two men as he tried to keep Lisette tucked safely tucked behind him.  In reality, he had no idea what was being said during the exchange between Lisette and the strangers, but from the tone in the little man’s voice, he was getting pissed at it.

 "Donnez-nous tes argent, maintenant!" (Give us your money, now!) the short man called out coldly as he stepped beside the tall man.

 "Vous rigolez!" (You must be joking!) Lisette cried out as she tried to step beside Joshua, her magic instinctively gathering at her fingertips.

 "Ouvre les yeux, imbécile!" (Open your eyes, imbecile!) the short man snapped as he pointed at his accomplice.  "Il aime bien piétiner la gueule des gens et je suis sûre qu’il serait heureux de vous casser les jambes!" (He likes to step on people’s necks and I’m sure he’d be happy to break your legs)

 Sighing, Lisette rolled her eyes as she squeezed Joshua’s arm reassuringly, knowing that he didn’t understand what was being said.  "Pourquoi ne cherchez-vous pas un vrai boulot?" (Why don’t you get a real job?) she asked in an annoyed tone of voice, shaking her head at her luck.  Out of everyone who was roaming the night in Paris, why was it that her and Joshua were the ones being mugged beneath the Eiffel Tower?

 As Joshua watched, the short man’s eyes narrowed into tiny slits at Lisette’s words.  Shaking his head, Joshua cursed silently--whatever Lisette was saying, it definitely wasn’t helping their case any.  Suddenly, he heard the short man mutter something to the tall giant.  Translating quickly, he realized that the little one had ordered the tall man to take care of the himself because the short man wanted the woman.  Fear building, Joshua quickly took a couple of steps back and pushed Lisette firmly behind himself, all the while knowing that it was a useless action.  The man was extremely big, and there was no way that he could hold him off--and it didn’t look as though Lisette was much of a fighter, meaning that she was easy pray for whatever the short man had in mind.  Suddenly, Lisette shoved her way past Joshua and turned till she was facing him.  To his amazement, her lovely blue eyes were now glowing an eerie green color.

 Before he could mutter a word, Lisette quickly grabbed his hands in hers and began chanting low under her breath, "J’ai vu l’embassie americaine aujord’hui, maintenant prennons-nous là ou nous sommes fini!" (I saw the American Embassy today, now take us there or we are finished!)

 Stunned, Joshua could do nothing as a green light flew out of Lisette’s eyes and quickly surrounded them till he was blinded by the light.  Closing his eyes, he stood in darkness until he felt soft hands squeezing his own gently.

 "You can open your eyes now," Lisette whispered, a sad smile on her face as she watched Joshua hesitantly open one eye and then another.

 To his amazement, he was standing with Lisette in front of the door that led into the Embassy at which he was staying.  "But... how did you do that?" Joshua asked as he took his hands from Lisette and slowly turned on the front step.

 "Magic..." Lisette whispered quietly as she closed her eyes in shame, her head turned down as she waited for the yell of fright and anger that was bound to come.  Instead, she felt his strong hand lift her chin up slowly till she was meeting his warm gaze once more.

 "But how?  Are you a witch?"

 Wincing at the hated term, Lisette shook her head slowly.  "No, but I..."

 "Well, whatever the case, thank God!" Joshua interrupted quickly, a large smile covering his face as he quickly drew Lisette into his arms and hugged her tightly.  "We would have been in some *real* trouble if you hadn’t of gotten us out of there when you did!"

 "But... are you not frightened of me?  Do you not hate me for what I have done?" Lisette asked in confusion as she pulled away and looked up into his large brown eyes.

 "Frightened?" Joshua asked in confusion.  "Why would I be frightened of you?  And don’t talk as though you have a curse... if you have magic, then it’s a gift!  Look what it did for us!" Joshua cried out as he pulled her close once more.

 Shaking her head slowly, Lisette leaned into his embrace and reveled at what his words meant.  Never before in her life had anyone ever just openly accepted her inherited abilities--never.  She had never thought that such a thing was possible.  "Joshua, I..."

 Suddenly, Joshua felt a rumble start in the house behind him.  Reacting completely on instinct, he quickly jumped forward with Lisette and shoved her to the ground hard.  As he covered her with his body, he heard her gasp for her lost breath as a tremendous shock wave and then a wave of heat poured over them.  ~Bomb~

 As Lisette slowly became aware of her surroundings once more, a wracking cough filled her body.  Opening her eyes, she saw nothing but darkness and the filmy lines of smoke.  Gagging on the sweet stench, Lisette tried bringing her hands to her mouth and found that they were pinned at her sides.  Coughing harder, Lisette fought the dizziness that threatened to overwhelm her as she tried pushing against the thing that entrapped her--and then cried out as a sharp pain flared in her left arm.  Gasping, Lisette stilled herself once more and turned her head to the side... and looked right into the blurry face of Joshua.

 "Joshua," Lisette gasped as more smoke filled her lungs, causing her to turn to the side and cough till she was gasping for air.  When she didn’t get a response, she quickly blinked her eyes rapidly in order to clear her blurry vision and to regain some form of night vision.  When her sight had cleared, she turned her face once more back towards him and was met by the sight of his unseeing brown eyes.  "No," Lisette sobbed, a rock forming in the pit of her stomach as the reality of her situation hit her hard in the stomach--Joshua was dead.  "What happened?" she asked herself quickly as she turned her face away, hot tears burning against the smoke in her eyes.  All she remembered was Joshua shoving her to the ground and covering her with his body... and then this.

 "Can anyone hear me?" a voice called out loudly, breaking into her thoughts.

 "Help," Lisette gasped, quickly rewarded with another fit of coughing.  "Someone help me!" Lisette yelled out louder, closer to a scream this time.

 "There’s someone over here!" she heard the man yell out in the darkness as there was a bustle of activity around her.  Suddenly, she felt the great weight pressing against her chest lift somewhat as debris was pulled away from above them.  Closing her eyes, Lisette struggled to fight the darkness that swelled at the corners of her vision as pain flared in her chest and arm.  Suddenly, bright light exploded above her as a large slab of brick was removed from above her.  "My God... it’s another body," someone whispered quietly as he surveyed the mess that was hidden below the slab of concrete.

 "Yeah, but the body didn't cry out for help!" someone else snapped.

 "Help me," Lisette moaned quietly, salty tears washing her face.

 "Hurry up and help me move him," the voice called out quickly.  "There’s someone below him."

 Quickly, the hidden men set to work and a minute later Lisette felt all pressure lift from her as Joshua’s body was lifted out of the hole that the workers had dug.  Sobbing, she then felt soft and gentle arms reach down and carry her out of the darkness.  Gasping at the flare of pain in her chest, Lisette opened her eyes and surveyed her surroundings.  What had once been the elegant American Embassy was now a field of debris.  Everywhere she looked she saw piles of wood, furniture, mortar, and fire.  Looking back, she saw that she and Joshua had in fact been buried beneath a large pile of rubble--a large slab on concrete ultimately hiding them from the world.  Turning once more, she watched as a young American soldier set her very gently on a cot lying nearby.  Working fast and efficiently, he quickly set to work probing her arm and her chest.

 "You’re lucky.. you just have a broken arm and a few broken ribs," he said in his fresh, American accent.  "Are you American?"

 "No--I am French," Lisette wheezed quietly as a wave of pain flared up and down her left arm.  "What... happened?" she gasped as she struggled against the pain.

 "A bomb," the American soldier answered quietly, a grimace on his face.  "So far, you’re the only survivor we’ve found... what were you doing here?"

 "Joshua," Lisette replied, the tears sliding down her cheeks as she watched the guard glance furtively to her right.  Without thinking, she too turned in that direction.

 "No Miss, don’t!" the soldier cried out quickly... but not quickly enough.

 "Oh God, Joshua!" Lisette sobbed as she took in his body.  While his face had been left untouched, his body had been mangled.  Blood trailed down his silent lips from the internal bleeding he endured, one leg was broken in so many places that it looked like a mangled pulp, his back and shoulders were bare of cloth and burned red due to the flash of fire that flew over him, while one corner of the back of his skull was crushed in, red blood matting his thick brown hair.  "No!" Lisette sobbed as she turned her face back towards the American soldier, every breath causing her broken ribs to grind painfully together.  "He died protecting me," Lisette sobbed quietly, the tears washing away the soot that covered her face.

 "I’m sorry," the young soldier replied quietly as he slowly got up and turned away.  "I’ll send over a paramedic to tend to your wounds," he replied somberly, knowing that no words could comfort, as he turned and walked away.

 Shaking her head, Lisette whispered, "No you won’t," before disappearing in a flash of green light.

 That night, Lisette had quickly transported herself back to the caverns that had been her resting place for so many centuries.  There, she used the last of her energy to transform herself into her gargoyle form and lay her aching and battered body on the stone slab in time for sunrise and the stone sleep that followed.  The very next day, Lisette quickly rose and set about making the necessary preparations to leave all that she still knew and loved in her world behind.  That night, she was on a plane out of Paris, knowing that she would never again step foot inside of France--the memories of that country too painful for one soul.  Seven hours and many different planes later, Lisette DeBuschelle of France emerged onto the tarmac of the Cherry Capitol Airport in Traverse City, Michigan.  It was time to start a new life and to leave the old one behind.