"Titanic: Gargoyles Style"
by Lisette:  Lisette_1@lycos.com

Created on: 03/23/99

Revised on: 06/13/02

Legalese: Nothing here is of my own creation.  The characters from Gargoyles belong to Buena Vista and Disney.  The characters from Titanic, the script of the movie, including a lot of the lines and descriptions, belong to James Cameron.  In no way will a profit be made from this.

Brief summary:  Mix in the Avalon World Tour, Puck the famous trickster, and a certain Academy Award Winning movie from 98' and only chaos and heartache can ensue.

Rating: PG-13 due to language and content

The Mists of Avalon

    Sighing, Elisa blew a breath of air from between her lips as she trailed a slender finger in the cool waters that lay around her.. all around her.

    "Elisa?" Angela asked quietly as she twisted in the small wooden skiff to regard her human friend with a careful eye.  After being thrown together with her clan leader, Goliath, and her new human friend in such a small boat for so long, it would have been impossible for Angela not to notice when something was amiss with another.  After all, it wasn't often that Elisa sighed so dramatically.  "Is there anything wrong?"

    Shaking her head, Elisa quickly lifted her hand from the dark and mysterious waters and shook them briefly, trying to rid them of the drops of water.  Looking up, she gently brushed her long black hair from her eyes and stared met Angela's dark brown eyes from her seat in the front of the skiff, Bronx at her feet.  Forcing a smile for both the girl and Goliath, who stood between the two women, rowing the skiff through the gently swirling mists, Elisa curtly shook her head.  "No, Angela.  I'm just thinking about how good a Philly Steak Sandwich would taste about now," she replied with her usual smirk, her stomach growling at the thought of the tantalizing food.

    Hearing the growl, Goliath hid his own smile as he nodded knowingly at Elisa.  It had been a long time since they had last stepped foot in Manhattan... a long time since they had been with the clan or been able to perform their duties -- too long it seemed.  As always, with that thought came the ever present guilt, for Goliath couldn't help but think that Elisa would still be safe back in her home if it wasn't for him.

    "Philly steak.. sand-wich?" Angela asked, pronouncing the new words slowly.

    Laughing, Elisa shook her head, her black hair flowing around her in the windless expanse of fog.  "Never mind.. I'll explain later," she murmured as she gently rubbed her arms through the thin covering of her red jacket.  For some reason, the air had begun to turn cooler.  Sighing, Elisa knew what this meant -- their travel through the mists was over and now they were ready to begin a new adventure.  It better not be in Norway again, she thought to herself, remembering how she almost froze on that little adventure.

    Suddenly, all eyes focused on their surroundings as the dark mist began to slowly clear.  In a matter of seconds, the thick blanket of fog that always surrounded their departure from Avalon was gone without a trace, leaving them in the real world once more.

    "Where are we?" Angela asked, her eyes lighting up with the thought of a new adventure.

    "Good question," Elisa murmured as her trained eye scanned their surroundings.  In truth, there wasn't much to look at, for all around them lay more and more water -- an endless amount.  The moon was bright in the starry sky where no wind could be felt.  Everywhere about them the water was at a flat calm, yet, the air here was cooler.  So cold, that Elisa could feel goose bumps begin to appear on her arms beneath the warm layers of her shirt and jacket.  "Uh oh," Elisa murmured as she saw no land in sight.

    Sighing, Goliath could once more sympathize.  After all, the last time that Avalon had deposited them in the middle of a body of water with no land in sight, a serpent had come out of the water and knocked them all into the cold depths... they had nearly lost Elisa in that adventure.

    "Are we near Manhattan?" Angela asked, her wide eyes full of innocence and hope.  Even though she did love the adventure that she was experiencing with Goliath and Elisa, she wanted more than anything to finally reach the mystical Manhattan... to finally have a chance to meet her long lost clan and to see her ancestral home.

    "I wouldn't count on that!!" a voice cried out suddenly, breaking into the muddled thoughts of the travelers.

    At the sound of the high pitched male voice, Elisa instantly dropped her head into her hands and mentally berated her luck.  "Oh, not you!" Elisa groaned, wishing that they were any place but there.

    "Not who?" Angela asked in confusion, trying to see the source of the voice while sending worried glances at Goliath.

    Growling under his breath, Goliath stopped rowing the skiff and stared about in the endless brink of water.  "Puck," he growled, his voice filled more with annoyance than anger, "show yourself!"  It was only too easy for both Goliath and Elisa to remember the first and last time that they had seen the trickster -- while the occasion did have some memorable results, the whole incident was a mess nonetheless.

    "Who is Puck?!?" Angela asked, growing exasperated by the fact that it seemed everyone in the skiff knew what was going on but her.

    "Why but me of course!" the voice called out as there was a sudden flash of light to the right of the skiff.  "Ta da!" a musical voice yelled out as a petite man suddenly appeared over the water, floating in mid air with his legs crossed beneath him.

    Gaping, Angela stared at the little man, his white hair flowing freely behind him even though she felt no breeze.  "Who are you?" she asked quickly, glancing over at Goliath and Elisa to see if she should be prepared to fight.  Seeing their lack of hostility, she felt her guard lower a bit.

    "Why I'm Puck, of course!  Weren't you listening?" Puck asked, his voice cross as he zipped next to the young gargess.  "My, my Goliath," he chirped as he then zipped beside the large lavender leader, "this little one that you picked up is quite slow!"

    Growling, Goliath allowed his eyes to flare the briefest of white before containing his anger.  "What is it you want, Trickster?" Goliath asked, his voice holding no patience for the little man.

    Noticing this, Puck's playful grin flitted briefly into a frown.  "Now, now Goliath!  What fun is this?  The Puck just decided to pay a visit to some old friends and help to lighten up your trip!"

    Groaning, Elisa shook her head quickly as she finally looked at the fey.  "Thanks, but no thanks!  This trip is definitely interesting enough as it is!" Elisa said, her eyes betraying her worry.

    "Detective Maza!" Puck called out happily as if noticing her for the first time as he lazily floated back to her end of the skiff.

    "Where are we?" Elisa sighed, her voice betraying the boredom that she was feeling -- most of it forced for Puck's benefit.

    "Why, in the middle of the Northern Atlantic, of course," Puck answered quickly, his smile never faltering.

    "And why are we here?  What is so significant about this location?" Goliath asked just as quickly, his frown deepening, making it obvious that he was not enjoying Puck's little game.

    "Why, this is the resting place of the mighty Titanic!" Puck cried out, his eyes turning somber for the briefest of moments.

    "The what?" Angela asked slowly, afraid that she may be asking a dumb question and ridiculed once again for it.  Happy, she noticed that Goliath's expression held the same questioning as hers.

    "The Titanic?" Elisa asked, her face turning sad as she turned to face Goliath and Angela, her expression haunted.  "Um.. the wreck of the Titanic is one of the biggest and most haunting tales of the sea," Elisa explained quickly to her companions.

    "What happened?" Angela asked, instantly enthralled with the idea.

    "Well," Elisa said as she wracked her brain for all that she knew of the story, "it was a large ship.. almost like a cruise ship, I guess," Elisa said quietly.  "On her maiden voyage at the beginning of this century, she hit an ice burg and sank.. I guess right here," she murmured, her eyes straying to the dark water that surrounded them.

    "But many ships have been wrecked through the ages.. what makes this one so special?" Goliath asked, his curiosity peaked as well by the story.

    "First off, the ship's first class passengers pretty much consisted of all of the Elite of the society at that time.  Also, there weren't enough life boats and I think close to one third of the people aboard died in the wreck.. over a thousand people."

    "Oh my," Angela murmured, her eyes wide in horror.

    "It was all very tragic," Elisa whispered, unable to fully digest herself the horror of the situation.  It was eerie to know that their flimsy little skiff was floating over the spot that less than a hundred years earlier a ship one hundred times their size and made of steel had sunk.. that all of those people had died in these very waters.  From the look on Goliath and Angela's face, Elisa could see that they, too, were thinking the same thing.

    "Yeah, yeah!" Puck said, breaking the somber mood as he waved his hand about theatrically.  "But what I want to know, Detective Maza, is if you've seen the movie yet!" Puck cried out gleefully, his face lighting up.

    "The one made back in the 50's?" Elisa asked slowly, annoyed by Puck's nonchalance over the tragedy.

    "Not that one!" Puck whined, shaking his head quickly.  "I'm talking about the new one!  You know, starring Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio!!  You know, James Cameron's Titanic that's going to win all of the awards this year?" Puck rambled off quickly, clearly exasperated by the blank look on Elisa's face.

    "What are you talking about?" Elisa asked, clearly confused.

    Sighing, Puck shook his head slowly.  "You really have been out on this boat too long!  Don't tell me that you haven't seen the movie yet?!" Puck said, clearly in shock over this.  "EVERYONE has seen the movie at least once."

    "Sorry, but I was too busy being thrust all over the world," Elisa said sarcastically, getting annoyed very quickly with this conversation.

    "What is the point in this, Trickster?" Goliath growled suddenly, obviously sharing Elisa's sentiments.

    Huffing, Puck quickly began zipping around the skiff, causing the group of travelers to twist back and forth to follow his movements.  After a few laps around the skiff, Bronx quickly whined under his breath and hid his head beneath his paws once again, trying desperately to stop the dizziness that he felt.  "Well," Puck said, "I wanted to discuss my favorite movie, but seeing as how none of you have seen it yet..."

    "Puck," Elisa said slowly, drawing out the word in warning.  Somehow, she knew that what he was going to say next was not going to be good.

    "I guess that I'll have to let you experience it first hand!"

    "No Puck, wait!" Elisa cried out, suddenly frantic as she ignored the strange and worried looks that she was receiving from Goliath and Angela.

    "Are you ready to go back to the Titanic?" Puck asked, giggling insanely as he quoted the movie.  Before any of his players could react, he then quickly closed his eyes and muttered a litany of words beneath his breath.  A second later, a green flash flared all around the skiff, causing all to close their eyes in pain.  A moment later, they disappeared.

Southampton Dock, Southampton, England, 4/10/1912 -- almost noon

    The sun shone brightly down on the sea of people that crowded the sturdy wooden dock.  Everywhere one looked, they saw movement as passengers scrambled with their last minute check-ups before boarding, checked their luggage, waved goodbye to loved ones, and as the crew loaded down the ship... the Titanic.

    Suddenly, the bustling crowds parted as two old fashioned cars pushed their way through the people, honking their horns to make passage.  As they pulled to a stop, the people, horses, and buggies once more filled around, quickly closing the wake.  Suddenly, one of the doors clicked open as Goliath stepped from the car.  Stopping, he quickly brought his hand up to his eyes and scanned the sight before him.  Up above him rose a towering wonder of steel.  Begrudgingly, he had to admit that the black ship looked every bit as regal as all he had heard about it.  Then, as a female voice called from within the car, the tall lavender gargoyle hid his wonder.

    "Goliath?"

    Sighing silently, Goliath quickly turned back and stuck his hand inside the car.  Elegantly and slowly, a slim blue hand slipped into his and without the slightest hesitation, Goliath helped the gargess from the car.  Shaking his head, he saw that his fiancée was annoyed with him -- probably for taking so long to escort her from the car.  Even with her annoyance though, she was still a beauty.  With her wild mane of red hair that contrasted so sharply with the gold tiara and jewelry that she wore, she looked every bit the wealthy CEO that she so proudly was.  Clearing his throat, Goliath turned once more and scanned the massive ship, his expression neutral.  "I do not see what the fuss is all about.  It does not look any bigger than the Mauretania," Goliath muttered, his voice cool.

    Sighing, Demona shook her head quickly.  "You can be naive about some things, Goliath, but not about Titanic!" she cried out, the exasperation evident in her voice.  After all, it seemed that she and Goliath had this conversation way too many times already.  His naiveté seemed to be her love's one downfall.  "It's over a hundred feet longer than Mauretania, and far more elegant!" she cried as she turned and watched as one more stepped from the car.

    The older brown gargoyle moved slower than both Demona and Goliath, but he held himself with the same honorable poise as always.  And, per usual, his sword lay ready at his side.

    "Your student is much too hard to impress, Hudson," Demona muttered quietly as she touched the old warrior's hand gently, her eyes flashing red.

    "Ah, he is a stubborn one, that lad," Hudson said, nodding his head in agreement as he too turned to stare up at the massive ship.  "Fer what it be worth, I think that she is a fine ship, lass," Hudson said, his voice sharp as he shot a pointed look to Goliath.

    Ignoring the conversation that was going on around behind him, Goliath stepped away from the car and gazed coolly once more at the massive ship.  "So this is the ship they say is unsinkable," Goliath muttered, his low bass voice filled with skepticism.

    "It is unsinkable," Demona said as she came up behind Goliath and wrapped her arms possessively around him.  "Oberon himself couldn't sink this ship."

    Sighing in boredom, Goliath shrugged out of Demona's hug and walked a little further into the crowd.  Frowning at his behavior, Demona was about to follow when a small human stepped forward from the crowd and bowed before her.  Narrowing her eyes, she noticed that he wore a uniform for the White Star Line.  The nametag read, 'Tony Dracon.'

    "Sugar, you'll have to check your baggage through the main terminal, round that way..." he said, his smile lazy and conceited.

    Growling, Demona focused her eyes on the man and allowed her eyes to burn a bright red.  "I put my faith in you, puny mortal," she hissed as the man's face drained of color and his knees began to shake in fright.  Satisfied, she quickly jerked her head around and nodded at an older man with a head of white hair, a white beard, and dressed all in black as he emerged from the other car.  "See my man."

    Nodding his head quickly in a frantic manner, Tony Dracon quickly turned away and hurried to the indicated man.  "Yes, Ma'am," he called out over his shoulder.  "My.. my pleasure!"

    "Good," Demona said in satisfaction, never tiring of the effect of power on the puny humans.  "MacBeth!" she cried out, calling out to her manservant.  "Take care of the bags!"

    Nodding his head, MacBeth shouldered his large laser weapon and turned to the porter.  "These trunks here and twelve more in the other car," he instructed without pause, indicating the vehicles.  "Have it all brought to our rooms."

    Paying strict attention to his orders, Dracon nodded quickly and then frantically called out for some others to assist him.

    Sighing, Demona glanced at the activity all about and looked disdainfully at the grubby humans that surrounded her.  "We'd better hurry, gentlemen," she hissed quietly as she flared out her wings, scaring away a group of little boys that had been watching curiously.

    Noticing this, Goliath bit back his sharp retort and instead meekly joined arms with his fiancée, noticing the warning look that Hudson sent in his direction.  Biting back his sigh, Goliath slowly escorted Demona up the steep plank and into the massive ship.  While looking back and forth between the difference of the bright sunshine and the darkness of the ship, Goliath couldn't help but reflect that although the Titanic was the ship of dreams to everyone else, to him, it was a slave ship.  It was a slave ship that was taking him back to America in chains.  Outwardly, he was everything that a strong gargoyle leader and warrior should be... but on the inside, he was screaming.

Neighborhood Pub, Southampton, England

    Maintaining her poker face, Elisa slowly regarded the grimy cards that she held in her hand.  Glancing up, she looked around the small table that she occupied.  Her companion, Matt Bluestone, stared glumly at his cards, the worry evident on his pale face that offset his bright red hair, his trench coat spread open around him.  Hiding her smile, she then looked at the other two players that had joined them in this high stakes game -- both of whom were arguing fiercely back and forth.

    On the table lay all that the four players had in the world.  The winnings ranged from small things like a few scattered coins and crumpled bills, to two service revolvers that gleamed dully in the light, to the thing that was most on everyone's mind -- the two 3rd class tickets for the Titanic.

    Grinning, Elisa hid a smile once again as the tall man with brown hair dressed in a preppy sweater and chinos turned to glare fiercely at his companion.  "Margot," he hissed angrily, his eyes flashing worriedly, "are you stupid?  I can't believe that you bet our tickets!"

    Returning his worried glance for her angry glare, Margot stared at her husband.  "You lost our money.  I'm just trying to get it back!" she cried out, her face red -- a sharp contrast to her short blond hair.  "Now just shut up and take a card!" she ordered quickly.

    Smirking, Elisa turned to the small woman and looked at her seriously.  "Hit me again, Margot," she said.  Nodding her head, Margot quickly passed a card over to Elisa.  Sighing, Elisa picked the card up and slid it into her hand, all the while keeping her face neutral -- betraying nothing.

    Suddenly, a sharp whistle broke the tense silence at the table.  Nodding, Elisa looked up and met the worried and anxious eyes at the table.  "The moment of truth," she said quietly, her voice serious.  "Somebody's life is about to change... Matt?" she asked, turning to her partner and long time friend.

    Sighing in disgust, Matt threw down his cards, scattering them on the table.  Groaning inwardly, Elisa saw that his hand contained nothing of value.  "Zip," Elisa muttered, her voice heavy.

    "Zip," Matt agreed, his voice filled with disgust.

    "Brendan?" Elisa asked, her voice showing a little worry -- intentionally.

    Just as disgusted, Brendan threw down his cards to show that he had the same results that Matt had.  "Nothing as well," Elisa noted.  Turning, she then met the stony eyes of Margot.  "And you?" she asked, her voice quiet.

    "Two pair," Margot said, her voice clear and calm, a large smile breaking out on her stony face.

    Sighing, Elisa looked back and forth between her cards and the cards of Margot that she was so prominently displaying.  Shaking her head, Elisa turned to Matt and looked at him, her eyes full of sympathy.  "I'm sorry Matt," Elisa murmured.

    "Sorry?" Matt asked quickly, his temper flaring as he jumped from his seat.  "What do you mean, sorry?  You lost my gun?  What am I going to do without my gun?" Matt asked quickly, his face turning the color of his hair.

    Shaking her head, Elisa quickly cut off Matt's angry tirade as she held up a hand to stall him.  "I'm sorry Matt, but you're not going to see The X-Files again for a long time," she said as she quickly slapped her cards down on the wooden table.  "'Cause you're going to America!  Full house!" Elisa called out happily, her poker face breaking into a large grin.

    "America!?!" Matt cried out triumphantly as he jumped up and enveloped Elisa in a huge bear hug.  "I'm going to America!" he yelled as he quickly dropped Elisa back to her feet.

    Unable to keep the smile off of her face, Elisa quickly turned back to the wooden table and grabbed her gun, holstering it quickly.  Hooting about her luck, she quickly started scooping up change and bills, dropping them into the tight pockets of her jeans.  Suddenly, Brendan jumped up from his chair opposite of her and raised back his hand, his eyes glaring into Elisa's.  Startled, she stopped what she was doing and prepared herself for the hard slap that she knew was coming when Brendan's eyes suddenly darted to the right of her.  Before anyone knew what was happening, he quickly let his hand fly, slapping Margot hard across her face and sending her tumbling to the hard wooden floor below.  Laughing, Elisa watched as he cradled his hand gently.

    "I've been waiting a long time to do that," Brendan confided as he pushed the rest of the change in Elisa's direction before turning to berate his wife some more.

    Laughing, Elisa finished stuffing her pockets as Matt turned around and started doing some sort of jig around the crowded pub.  "I'm going to America, I'm going to America, I'm going to..." Matt sang out, his loud voice filling the room.

    "No, lad," the pubkeeper's voice broke in suddenly, a strange grin on his face.  "The Titanic go to America... in five minutes!"

    Gasping, Elisa quickly ran over and grabbed Matt's hand.  "Shoot!  Come on, Matt!" she yelled as she dragged him from the room, a large grin on his face the whole way.

    Laughing at his luck, Matt trailed behind his partner as she expertly dodged the thongs of people that milled about on the crowded docks, reading the tickets as she went.

    When they reached their deck, Elisa and Matt quickly scrambled up the wooden plank.  As they reached the top, they saw that the plank was unattached and was beginning to swing away from the gangway doors.

    "Wait!" Elisa called out frantically as she neared the edge.  "We're passengers!" she cried out to the officer that stood guard at the door.

    Growling in annoyance, the young gargoyle pushed her long braid back over her shoulder and quickly looked at the tickets that Elisa held out.  "Have you been through the inspection queue?" Angela asked quickly, knowing that the ship was about to depart.

    "Of course!" Elisa cried out indignantly, lying through her teeth.  "Anyway, we don't have conspiracy hang-ups... we're detectives!" she cried out.  Suddenly, she glanced knowingly over at Matt.  "Both of us."

    Testy that passengers had to try and load at the last minute, Angela shook her head once more in annoyance.  "Right.. get on then," she said as she stood aside and allowed for the two detectives to jump by her.

    Laughing at their ability to get by and their apparent unending luck, Elisa and Matt raced through the crowded passageways of the Titanic, bouncing around like school children.  Soon, they followed enough stairs up so that they finally reached the top deck of the massive ship.  Pushing by people, Elisa raced right up to the railing and leaned over as far as she dare, staring at the masses of people below.  Grinning like a lunatic and filled with adrenaline, Elisa began to quickly wave and yell.

    Surprised at seeing his normally calm and stoic partner so enthused, Matt quickly joined Elisa at the railing.  "Do you know someone down there?" he asked, not really believing that she did.

    "Of course not, but that's not the point!" Elisa yelled out, trying to be heard over the noise as she flashed her trademark grin at her partner.  Turning back, she quickly resumed her waving and began yelling out, "Goodbye!  Goodbye!!  I'll miss you!!" while laughing like a child.

    Shaking his head, Matt found that her enthusiasm was catching.  Unable to hold back any longer, Matt pushed open his trench coat and stepped onto the railing beside Elisa, his polished shoes clicking on the steel.  "Goodbye!" he yelled, feeling the exhilaration of the moment.  "I'll never forget you!" he promised to no one.. yet to all that he was leaving behind in Europe as well.  Throughout his travels with Elisa, he had met and discovered many new things.. and now, he was about to embark on the adventure of his life -- he was going to America.

Third Class Berthing, G Deck Forward

    Smiling, Elisa navigated around the mass confusion that was found inside the hallways of the Titanic.  Everywhere she looked she saw people of every nationality walking throughout the narrow corridors carrying their baggage while talking in a sea of different languages.  Laughing, she watched as a group of people began to argue over luggage in several different languages that she wasn't familiar with in the slightest while others held phrase books and tried to decipher the signs that were attached to the walls.

    "Are we there yet?" Matt groaned from underneath the weight of his single backpack that was slung over his shoulder.

    "Here, this is it," Elisa said quickly, her excitement bubbling up once again.  Grinning, she quickly threw open the door and walked into the room that they would be calling home for the duration of the trip.

    The room was a modest sized cubicle at best, painted enamel white with two bunk beds and exposed pipes overhead.  Laughing, Elisa quickly walked up to the two other people in the room.  "Hi, the name is Maza, Elisa Maza," she said with a grin.

    The two people, obviously not understanding a word that she was saying, merely nodded their heads before turning to throw each other puzzled glances.

    Turning, Elisa was about to throw her pack onto the top bunk, thereby claming it as her own when Matt beat her to it. Sighing, Elisa realized that even now she couldn't get annoyed with her partner.. there was just too much excitement in the room.  Laughing, Elisa socked Matt lightly on the arm and turned towards the door.  "Come on!" she cried out and then they were both out the door again.

    Shaking his head, one of the men slowly turned to his companion.  "Where is Margot?" he asked in thick, rusty English.

    Shrugging his shoulders, his companion merely watched as the door clicked shut behind their new bunkmates.

Suite B-52-56

    Sighing, Demona paced through the large sunroom, another disgusting human trailing after her.  "Yes, yes," she muttered, trying to wave the man away as she sipped a delicate crystal champagne glass filled to the brim with the most expensive of wines, "this will do fine."

    "Of course, Ma'am," the man said quickly, fear tightening his voice.  "And if you need anything, anything at all, don't be afraid to ask for it."

    Sighing, Demona merely nodded at the human and gave him the briefest of tolerant smiles before she turned away and walked back into the large sitting room.  Biting back a smile, she watched as Goliath slowly admired book after book that was handed to him by his servant, Lexington, drawing them from one of the crates they had carried aboard the large ship.  "Those chicken scratches were certainly a waste of money," she cried out, a small smile on her lips.

    Shaking his head, Goliath didn't even turn to acknowledge Demona's presence as he began thumbing through one of the books.  "You're wrong," he said slowly, his voice soft.  "They're fascinating.  Like in a dream... there's truth without logic," Goliath continued.  "What's his name again?" he asked Lexington quickly.

    Reacting quickly, the young green gargoyle snatched one of the books that Goliath had thrown to the side and flipped to the front of the book.  "His name is Shakespeare, sir," Lexington said, a small smile on his face.

    "Ah yes, Shakespeare."

    "He'll never amount to a thing, trust me," Demona called out as she sipped her drink, eyeing her fiancé with a small smirk on her face.  "At least they were cheap."

    Frowning, Goliath turned to reply when a young porter wheeled in a small green safe on a hand truck.

    "Put that in the wardrobe," Demona called out, her voice cold towards the human.

    Nodding, the young man quickly did as told.

First Class Reception, D Deck

    As Goliath and Hudson walked down the lush hallway, a sudden commotion broke the cultured silence.  Turning, they watched as a short black woman walked up the gangway, carrying a suitcase in each hand, a spindly porter running to catch up with her to take the bags.

    "Well, I wasn't about to wait all day for you, young man," the woman said loudly, a bright smile on her face.  "Take them the rest of the way if you think you can manage."

    Biting back a disapproving glare, Hudson turned to his ward and whispered in Goliath's ear.  "That lass there would be Diane Maza.. for some reason, she be called the 'Unsinkable Diane Maza,'" Hudson said, the disdain evident in his voice.  "Her husband is CEO of a new oil company that struck it big someplace down south... new corporation," he hissed before urging Goliath along.

External Bow

    Laughing, Elisa quickly ran forward along the ship as she felt the powerful engines come to life beneath her.

    "Hey, Elisa!" Matt panted from behind her.  "Wait up!"

    Shaking her head, Elisa laughed out loud and felt the wind blow back her raven hair.  "Hurry up, Bluestone!" she yelled out, feeling another laugh bubble up from within.  Soon, there was no more ship left to run on as Elisa leaned against the very front railing and looked down into the bright blue water below.

    The day was a beautiful one -- the sky cloudless and the sun bright and shining.  Soon, Elisa felt Matt at her back as she leaned over the railing and looked down fifty feet below to where the prow cut through the water like a knife, sending up two glassy sheets of water.

Bridge

    Sighing, First Officer Broadway stretched his blue wings out behind him as he took in the beauty of the day.  Turning, he looked over at the tall and wizened black woman that was his captain.  "Captain Chavez?" he asked, his voice full of expectation.

    Smiling, Chavez looked ahead and marveled at the wonder of the ship that she commanded.  Turning, she nodded at her first officer.  "Take her to sea, Broadway," she ordered, her voice calm even though she was jumping on the inside.  "Let's stretch her legs."

External Bow

    Laughing, Elisa watched the water that was cut by the speeding ship.  Suddenly, the glassy water broke even further as a single gray dolphin dove through the air before crashing back beneath the surface.  Shaking her head, she quickly pointed down to the water below.  "Look Matt, a dolphin!" she cried out as yet another dolphin broke the surface.  Soon, a whole pod of dolphins led the Titanic out to sea.  Laughing in delight, Elisa pulled away from the edge and climbed up on the railings behind Matt until she stood a good foot taller than him, his back against her stomach.  Sighing, she felt the smile pull even higher at her lips as her hair fanned out behind her from the warm wind.

    Shaking his head, Matt leaned forward and stared into the crystal day.  "I can see the Pentagon already!" Matt cried out, his voice teasing as he stared into the bright blue of the sky.  "Very small of course," he amended with a wry grin.

    Laughing, Elisa reached up and grabbed a firm hold to one of the taunt and secure ropes that hung nearby.  Feeling exhilarated, she quickly reached her other hand out and screamed out, "I'm king of the world!"

    Suddenly, a voice broke in on her happy thoughts and her whoops of joy.  "Uh, don't you mean queen, Elisa?" Matt interrupted as he too began to whoop with joy.

    "Whatever," Elisa muttered before turning her full attention back to the wondrous sea before her.

Palm Court Restaurant

    Sighing, Goliath looked slowly about the elegant surroundings of the restaurant, trying his best to ignore the bragging of Jon Canmore, the Managing Director of White Star Line.  Actually, the whole afternoon had been like that.  Take it to Demona to want to dine with the best there was to find on the Titanic -- the owner of the company as well as the ship builder.  Then again, he was sure that his 'beloved' fiancée has not planned on having Diane Maza join their little group.

    "...and our master shipbuilder, the Magus here, designed her from the keel plates up," Jon Canmore said with a large smile, obviously taking the credit even though he was only the owner.

    Blushing, the Magus felt his pale cheeks darken a little bit more as all eyes at the table turned towards him.  Brushing his long white hair out of his face, he coughed slightly.  "Well, I may have designed her," the Magus conceded, his smile polite as always, "but the idea was Mr. Canmore's," he finished, nodding in Jon's direction.  "He wanted a steamer so big in scale, and so luxurious in its appointments, that its supremacy would never be challenged."

    "And here she is!" Jon continued, slapping the table loudly with his hand while brushing his blond hair out of his face with the other.  "Willed into solid reality she was!"

    Just as Goliath thought that he wouldn't be able to take any more of the conceited man, the waiter finally arrived to take their orders.  Before Goliath even had a chance to voice his own opinion, Demona quickly put down her menu and turned to the waiter.  "We'll both have the steak, rare, with a little A-1 sauce," she said, her voice harsh.

    Nodding his head, the waiter quickly jotted down his order before moving on.

    As her smile softened, she then turned to Goliath and touched his shoulder possessively.  "You do like steak, don't you darling?" she asked, her voice rich with sweetness.

    Biting back his retort, Goliath forced his small frown into a polite smile.  He knew that this kind of behavior was only customary of what was to come.  "Of course," he replied, knowing that was what was expected of him.

    Noting all of this, Diane felt her polite smile form into a little frown.  She couldn't believe this!  How could people let others make their decisions for them without even saying a peep of what they themselves wanted?  Turning, she laid her dark brown eyes on the young CEO.  "So, are you going to cut his meat for him too, Demona?" she asked, her voice polite and even.  Smiling on the inside, Diane watched as the pert smile on Demona's face faltered.  Before giving her a chance to respond, Diane quickly turned back to the other diners at the table.  "Now, who did come up with the name Titanic?" she asked, her voice betraying false curiosity.  "Was that you Jon?" she asked as she turned to the younger man, her voice sweet.

    Laughing, Jon quickly nodded his head.  "Yes, actually.  I wanted to convey sheer size.  And size means stability, luxury and safety..." Jon began, about to unleash another litany of praise for himself and his ship.

    Groaning inwardly, Goliath knew that he couldn't take yet another tirade from the man.  "Do you know of Dr. Freud?" Goliath interrupted quickly, receiving dark looks from his mentor and fiancée... after all, it wasn't proper to interrupt someone of a higher standing.  After all, even though he was a member of the elite, he was also just considered by the others to be the fiancé to an important CEO.  Nothing more and nothing less.  Before Jon could respond to the interruption, Goliath quickly continued.  "His ideas about the egotistical preoccupation with size might be of particular interest to you, Mr. Canmore," Goliath finished quickly, noting as the Magus across from him nearly choked on his breadstick in laughter.

    "Goliath, what has gotten into ye?" Hudson demanded quickly, his voice harsh and severe, yet maintaining a soft whisper.

    "Excuse me," Goliath muttered, his voice cold as he quickly put down his napkin and got up from the table.  Without another look back, he quickly exited the confining room.

    "I 'pologize, sir," Hudson broke in quickly, breaking the stunned silence that had fallen over the group.

    Barely able to control her own laughter, Diane turned her sparkling brown eyes on Demona once more.  "He's a strong one, Demona.  Are you sure that you can handle him?"

    Biting back her sharp comment and hiss of anger, Demona forced her eyes to die out their red embers as she looked at the annoying human before her.  Grinning ferally, she eyed the black woman.  "Well, I may have to start minding what he reads from now on, won't I?"

    Meanwhile, Jon Canmore completely missed the conversation going on between the two women as he sat and fumed at the gargoyle's rude behavior.  Huffing, he turned back towards the others sitting at the table with him.  "Freud, who is he?  A passenger?" he asked.  Somehow he knew that Goliath had insulted him, but how, he wasn't quite sure.

Poop Deck, After Decks

    Sighing, Elisa carefully cleaned the black pistol that was sitting in her lap as the sun shone down on her.  It was yet another beautiful day on the Titanic.. yet another beautiful and boring day on the Titanic.  Matt and Elisa had quickly realized that there wasn't that much that a third class passenger had to occupy their time aboard the large ship.  So, like the rest of the passengers that occupied their class, they migrated up to the top of the ship, determined to enjoy the beautiful sunshine while it lasted.  Shaking her head, Elisa glanced up from her gun and watched with a small smile as a fellow passenger, Fox, held her beautiful little boy up against the side of the railing, showing him the sea below.

    "Hey Alex.. look at the waves!" she said, a joyous smile on her face as she pointed out the lapping waters, the sun shining off of her brilliant red hair.

    Giggling, the young toddler shook his head quickly.  "Water!" he cried out, his voice full of enthusiasm that only the young can possess.

    Suddenly, a soft jingle broke her concentration.  Puzzled, Elisa turned on the hard bench and watched with Matt as a crew member walked by, a leash and a large blue doggoyle in hand.

    "That's typical," a voice spoke aloud suddenly, causing Elisa to turn further to the right.  There stood a brick red gargoyle with long white hair, dressed in the traditional loin cloth, a soft sneer on his face as he leaned against a white railing.  "First class dogs come down here to go to the bathroom."

    Smiling, Elisa watched as the doggoyle disappeared from sight, hidden by the masses of milling people.  "That's so we know where we rank in the scheme of things," she said, a small smirk on her face as she turned back once more to the stranger.

    "Like we could forget," the gargoyle muttered, his own grin tugging at his beak.  "Brooklyn," he said by way of introduction as he quickly reached forward and extended his taloned hand to the two humans.

    Nodding her head, Elisa quickly stuck out her own tanned hand and shook the hand offered.  "I'm Elisa Maza and that's Matt Bluestone," she said, jerking her head in Matt's direction.  Suddenly, a flash of lavender caught her sharp eyesight.  Intrigued, she arched her neck back and stared up at the deck above theirs.  There, standing against the railing was a tall, lavender gargoyle with long brownish-black hair that cascaded down his back.  Stunned, Elisa found that she couldn't take her eyes off of the strange gargoyle, her curious gaze traveling over his broad shoulders and well-muscled arms.. and to his sad and forlorn gaze.  If anything, that shocked her above all else.  She wasn't naive enough to believe that all of the wealthy society must be happy, but the look on the gargoyle's face looked so.. well, so much as though he was stuck in a situation that he didn't know a way out of.  Like he was giving into something and that there was.. no hope.

    Shaking his head, Matt watched the expression on his partner's face.  He had seen that look too many times.  Hiding a grin, he quickly reached over and tapped Brooklyn on the shoulder, alerting their new friend to her condition as well.  Hiding a snicker, Brooklyn shook his head slowly.  "Forget it Elisa.  You're more likely to have gargoyles fly out of you than to get next to the likes of him," he said, a snicker on his red face.

    Ignoring her companions' obvious delight in tormenting her, Elisa kept her unwavering gaze on the gargoyle.  Suddenly, his sad eyes turned away from the ocean and looked down at her, as though he suddenly became aware of being watched.  In that instant, Elisa felt as though the deck floor had fallen out beneath her.  The shock of those dark eyes locking with her own was like nothing she had experienced before.  Suddenly, the spell was broken as a beautiful blue-skinned gargess walked up to the one she was watching and grabbed him roughly by the arm.  The possessive look in her eyes was unmistakable.  Watching in fascination, Elisa saw the look of annoyance cross over the gargoyle's face as he argued briefly with the gargess before shaking her arm off and storming away.  Shaking her head, the blue-skinned woman quickly followed.

First Class Dining Saloon

    Numbly, Goliath listened to the mindless chatter of the elite class that surrounded him.  With a false smile pasted on his lips, he aimlessly toyed with his food as the elegance of the night proceeded around him.  The twinkling of the soft light on the crystal champagne glasses, the sparkly and sequined dresses of the ladies, the dark and dapper tuxedos of the gentlemen, the soft shine of Demona's own golden jewelry -- all flashed around his unseeing eyes.  He was lost.. lost in his own troubled thoughts.  He saw, behind those blank eyes, his whole life as though he had already lived it... an endless parade of parties and cotillions, yachts and polo matches... always the same narrow people, the same mindless chatter...

    Unable to take it any longer, Goliath stiffly stood from his seat and excused himself from the table.  On strong and stiff legs, he left the crowded dining saloon and walked on the promenade in the cool night.  Not seeing and not caring where he was going, he continued walking along the ship until he reached the very end -- till he could travel back no further.  So lost in his own thoughts, he didn't even notice the beautiful third class passenger who he had caught watching him earlier lying on one of the benches.  He didn't even notice as she slowly sat up and looked at his retreating form in puzzlement.  

    Sighing, Goliath continued along until he was leaning against the cold metal of the railing.  It felt as though he was standing at a great precipice, with no one to pull him back, no one who cared... or even noticed.  As he stood there, he watched the dark water churn out beneath the back of the mighty ship.. water that was no doubt as cold as the fine water he had been sipping back in the brightly lit saloon.  Out here in the darkness, he felt so alone.. as though there was nothing left.  As he stood there, the stark idea of climbing the railing and then diving off flitted through his mind.  The idea of gliding across the dark ocean until his strong wings could carry him no further.. until his body landed in that cold water and slowly slipped beneath the surface...

    Suddenly, his quiet and brooding thoughts were broken as he heard the sound of voices approaching his position.  Turning, he watched as a group of people entered the poop deck.  One was what appeared to be a wolf on two feet, clothed in gleaming armor, while another was a regular looking man.. but the other two with them were the most alarming.  The woman looked normal enough with short brown hair.. except for what was obviously cybernetic implants.  Her companion, a brother by the look of his sharp features, had the same implants.  From their poor speech, it was obvious that they were members of the third class.. some very drunk members.  Sighing, Goliath ignored them all and turned once more back to the dark night.

    Then, the wolf man noticed the lone gargoyle.  "Hey Dingo, look at this!" he cried out, his voice a slurred leer.  "It be a high class snobbish gargoyle!" he howled, his voice turning dark.

    "Hey sis, why is it that he is so better than all of us?" asked another, his voice harsh.

    "I don't know, Jackal," the woman replied with an unsavory leer, "but I think that he's kind of cute!"

    "A little too cute, Hyena," Wolf replied, a strange smile on his face.  "I say that we take care of that problem!" he cried out as he jumped forward suddenly.  Without any warning on his part, he quickly grabbed the large gargoyle and threw him easily to the hard deck behind him.

    Laughing, Dingo quickly stepped forward and kicked the downed gargoyle, smiling at his groan of pain.  "I say that be a good idea, mate!" he cried out, his smile infectious.

    Shaking his head to clear the fog of pain, Goliath felt a trickle of blood run down his face.  He knew that, if he tried, he could have a chance at coming through this event unscathed.. but then again, the pain felt good.  It made him feel alive.  Perhaps, he wouldn't have to do a thing to get him out of the horrible situation that was his life.  His release may have just found him.

    "Ah come on now, love," the woman cried out gleefully as the implants on her hand stretched out into a set of four wicked claws.  "Aren't you even going to fight back?"

    "I will for him," a soft but deadly voice announced suddenly from behind the group as a gun fired into the night.

    Surprised, the pack of mutants turned quickly and watched in shock as a person emerged from the darkness.  She was a beautiful woman with long raven black hair, flowing freely out behind her, dressed in tight jeans and a form flitting black shirt.. and a glinting black pistol in one steady hand, smoke trailing from the tip and into the dark night.

    "Back away from him," she said slowly, her voice hard.

    Laughing, Jackal shook his head slowly.  "Oh, another person to play with!" he yelled out quickly as he kicked his foot out, knocking the large gargoyle senseless.

    Sharing in her brother's maniacal laugh, Hyena quickly lashed out with an impossibly long leg and kicked the gun from the woman and watched it clatter across the deck.  Nodding his head, Wolf quickly took his cue and jumped forward, his claws aimed straight for the woman's neck.

    Seeing the attack coming, Elisa quickly lifted her hands and caught Wolf's claws by the wrist.  Going with his momentum, she then tumbled back onto the hard deck and pushed her feet in front of her.  Crying out, Wolf felt the hard soles of her feet rest lightly against his stomach and then shove out, causing him to flip backwards over her while she lay on the ground, before landing on his head a few feet behind her.  Groaning once more, Wolf went still.

    "Why you little.." Jackal hissed as the woman jumped to her feet with little to no effort on her part.  Jumping forward, he was about to use the laser canon that just popped out of his arm on her when she twisted around quickly and landed a sharp kick, causing his shot to go wide.  Before he had a chance to re-aim, she quickly followed with yet another round house kick, this one catching him in the jaw, sending him sprawling unconscious to the ground.

    "Witch!" Hyena hissed, finishing her unconscious brother's sentence for him.  Pulling back, she was just about to rake her sharp claws across the woman's stomach when a commotion could be heard from the stairs leading to the poop deck.  Knowing that time was of the essence, Hyena nodded over at Dingo, the only one left standing.  Nodding in understanding, the man quickly reached down and hefted the large wolf-man to his shoulders, while she did the same with her brother.  Back tracking, they both quickly ran to the end of the ship and climbed the railing.  "We'll finish this later!" she hissed at the woman before she and Dingo jumped off the back of the ship and into the icy waters below.

    Shaking her head, Elisa quickly darted forward and knelt before the gargoyle.  Very gently, she reached forward and turned him over, gasping at the trail of blood that marred his smooth cheek.  He was awake, but certainly didn't look with it.  "Are you alright?" she asked, her voice betraying her worry.

    "Why did you save me? " the gargoyle asked slowly, his voice hoarse as he looked up.. into the eyes of an angel it seemed.  The woman was beautiful.. exotically beautiful with raven dark hair, full red lips, and dark mysterious eyes.

    Smiling, Elisa touched his face gently.  "Hey, you fight I fight," she said, her voice even.

    "Who are you?" he murmured, confusion written across his pained face.

    "I'm Elisa Maza."

    "Goliath," he murmured before falling unconscious.

    Worried, Elisa was about to try and wake him when two crew members suddenly appeared at her side.

    Trying to catch his breath, the young black man quickly pushed his glasses back onto his nose as he looked back and forth from the 1st class passenger who was lying unconscious on the deck to the woman, obviously not one of the elite, who knelt beside him and to the gun that lay over on another corner.  In an instant, what had happened became clear to Glasses.  The third class passenger had surprised and tried to rob the poor gargoyle!  Yelling out in anger, he quickly jabbed a finger at the woman.  "Up!  Get up you!" he bellowed, as he grabbed Elisa and jerked her to her feet.  "Stand back!  Don't move an inch!" he yelled as he quickly turned to his companion.  "Claw, fetch Coldstone, the Master at Arms!" he yelled quickly to his mute companion, his voice urgent.

    Nodding, the mutant quickly darted away.  Sighing, Elisa ran a hand threw her thick black hair.  This was not good.

    A few minutes later, the situation hadn't improved much.  The gargoyle, Goliath, was awake, but groggy as he sat on a nearby bench.  Beside him, assuring herself of his well-being, was his apparent fiancée.. the blue gargoyle that she had seen him with earlier, with her man servant and another first class passenger beside them.  And before her stood yet another gargoyle, this one also composed somewhat of cybernetic implants.

    Glaring at the woman, Coldstone quickly snapped on a pair of handcuffs, ignoring her wince of pain as he made sure they were nice and tight behind her.  Hearing the cold sound of the metal clasping, Demona turned away from Goliath and stormed up to the woman.

    "What made you think you could put your hands on my fiancé?!" she roared, her eyes glowing a deadly red color.

    Sighing, Elisa knew that it would do no good to argue with the woman or to explain what had really happened.  After all, they would never believe a third class passenger when a first class passenger was in question.

    "Look at me, you filth!" she hissed as she reached forward and roughly grabbed the woman by the arms.  "What did you think you were doing?!"

    Hearing his fiancée ranting, Goliath slowly became aware of the world around him.  Glancing up, he looked on in horror as Demona roughly handled the woman that had helped him.  The woman that had saved him.  "Demona, wait!" he called out as he got to his feet, wavering slightly.  "It was not her fault," Goliath said quietly, his voice gruff.

    "Not her fault?" Demona asked in disbelief, her voice tight.

    Nodding his head, Goliath met the cold and disbelieving eyes of his 'love.'  "It was.. stupid really," Goliath said as he looked over and made eye contact once more with Elisa.  "I was.. admiring the view, when four third class passenger attacked me," he said, his voice turning hard.  "They.. they took me by surprise," he said when he saw Demona's sharp eyes on him.  After all, she knew that Goliath could handle himself well when dealing with four opponents.  "And.. and I would have been harmed further.. and Miss Maza here saved me and she herself was almost harmed," he stuttered, half-lying through his teeth.  After all, he wasn't much help.  He could have very well taken care of himself when dealing with the four attackers, but his will to live had abandoned him momentarily and he was waiting for the end to come -- definitely something that Demona did not need to know of... if only his savior would keep his secret.

    "Of course... he shouldn't be out by himself," the other first-class passenger finally said, speaking out as he stroked his brown goatee thoughtfully.

    "Of course, Mr. Xanatos," Coldstone replied with a false smile as he turned away from the regal man with the long ponytail.  "Was that the way of it?" he asked slowly, turning his eyes to his prisoner.

    Swallowing, Elisa met Goliath's eyes and saw that they all but begged of her not to reveal the truth.  "Yeah, that was pretty much it," she replied simply, her voice even.

    "Well!  The detective is a hero then!" David Xanatos cried out, a large smile on his face as he took another sip of the brandy he held in his hand.  "Nice work, Detective!  So, all's well and back to our brandy, right?" he asked, turning his intelligent eyes back to Demona.

    Sighing, Demona quickly leaned over and took Goliath's arm gently in hers.  Turning, she nodded once back to Coldstone.  Taking that as his cue, the gargoyle quickly unlocked the handcuffs and freed Elisa from her bounds.  "Let's get you inside, my love," Demona cooed as she watched the human rub her wrists, "you're freezing!"  Without another glance at the pitiful human, she quickly began escorting Goliath from the deck.

    "Ah.. perhaps a little something to the detective?" Xanatos interrupted from Demona's side as he nodded his head back to Elisa.

    "What?" Demona asked as she looked back at the woman who was watching them with her dark eyes.  "Oh, right.  MacBeth," she ordered, her voice all business.  "A twenty should do it."

    Angered and annoyed by all that had happened that night, Goliath felt the bonds of society break for a brief moment as he glared at Demona.  "Is that the going rate for saving the one you love?" he asked, his voice even and slow.

    Frowning at Goliath's behavior, Demona felt her eyes flare a deep red color.  "Goliath is upset," she said, her tone cool.  "Hmm.. now what to do?"  Sighing, Demona turned and glanced at the woman.  She was obviously a third-class passenger with her tight blue jeans and form fitting black shirt.  Smiling smugly at the human, she quickly nodded in her direction.  "I know.  Perhaps you could join us for dinner tomorrow?  You can... regale our group with your heroic tale?" she asked, her voice sickeningly sweet.

    Sighing, Elisa forced the disgust off of her face.  True, she may only be a third class passenger, but that didn't mean that she deserved the disdain that was evident on Demona's face.  About to turn down the offer, Elisa glanced at Goliath and looked into his dark eyes.  "Sure, count me in," she replied, her eyes never leaving Goliath's.

    "Good.  Settled then," Demona said quickly as she wrapped her arm possessively around Goliath and began leading him back to their end of the ship.  Smiling, she leaned towards her companion.  "This should be amusing, Xanatos," she whispered at her companion, sharing in his condescending laughter.

    Knowing that the two were laughing about her, Elisa chose instead to ignore it as she turned to stare out into the dark night, the imaginable depths found within Goliath's eyes haunting her thoughts.

Goliath's bedroom

    Silently, Goliath paced the broad expanse of his room, a frown on his face.  All that had happened tonight had left him confused.. hopelessly and utterly confused.  Until tonight, he had always deep inside worried and fretted over what path his life was taking.. but it wasn't until tonight that he openly admitted it to himself.  Now, he was left at indecision... and having the mysterious woman save him only complicated matters more.  She was so.. well, so.. special.  Right then and there, Goliath knew that he would be finding that woman tomorrow so he could learn everything he could about her.

    Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted as there was a soft knock on his door.  Turning, Goliath watched as Demona entered the room, her eyes locked on his own.  Even he had to admit to his fiancée's beauty in the soft gas light, a warm reflection off of her gold jewelry and wild red hair.

    "I know you've been... distracted lately, and I don't pretend to know why," she whispered in a soft voice as she stepped up to her love and stared into his dark eyes.  She had definitely made a catch when she acquired Goliath to be hers.  Staring up, Demona felt a swirl of emotions flash through her.  Just the sight of him was enough to take her breath away.. his proud features, dark eyes, powerful body... all was hers to possess.. and to love?  Shaking her head at the weird emotion that flowered throughout her body, Demona quickly pulled something from behind her back and held it out to Goliath.  "I intended to save this till the engagement gala next week, but I thought that tonight would be better.  Perhaps as a reminder of my.. feelings for you," Demona whispered, her voice soft.

    Curious despite himself, Goliath slowly reached out and accepted the cloth covered object into his hands.  Very gently, he slowly peeled away the layer of cloth to reveal the object within.  At the sight of it, he felt his breath catch in his throat.  It was about the size of his hand, shining pure gold in the light, with a blue crescent of a phoenix engraved within.  "Demona," Goliath whispered, his voice hoarse in wonder.  "Is it the..."

    "The Phoenix Gate," Demona interrupted, a smile growing at her lips.  "Yes, it is.  It was once used by only the most powerful of magicians, crafted by an inhabitant of Avalon itself," she whispered, a strange gleam in her eyes.

    "It.. it is overwhelming," Goliath whispered, ensnared in the magic of the object that he held.

    "It's only for the most elite of the powerful.  And we are the most elite," Demona said, her voice gaining some of its hard edge.  Suddenly, her tone softened as she beheld the unbelievable beauty of her love.  "There's nothing I couldn't give you.  There's nothing I would deny you if you would only not deny me," she whispered as she gently reached up a taloned hand and forced Goliath to meet her eyes.  "Open your heart to me, Goliath."

Boat Deck, Saturday, 4/13/1912

    "So, you are a protector?" Goliath asked slowly, his curiosity peaked at the woman's life.

    Smiling, Elisa nodded at his skeptic smile.  "Yes.  After my parents died when I was young, I had no close relatives.  So, I left."

    Shaking his head, Goliath couldn't believe what he heard.. the freedom that this woman had... and the beauty as well.  Even among the crowded decks of wealthy passengers, his companion's beauty shone past her meager means.  Once again, the sun was shining down on the new deck, adding to the tranquility that slowly settled over him.. which was unusual considering the state he had been in earlier. All day, he had been debating the things that had occurred the night before, from his situation, to his apparent rescue, to Demona's uncharacteristic show of love for him.  All in all, he knew that something needed to be done, some decision about his life must be made.  Yet, throughout all of that was a strange desire to see the woman who had saved his life the night before.  So, with his mind set, the first thing he did was search out the woman, his appearance causing quite a stir in the third class.  After finding her, they then proceeded to circle the deck and the ship, chatting idly back and forth about her past.  "But.. what have you been doing all this time?"

    Grinning, Elisa smiled up the tall gargoyle.  "Well, I traveled the world and saw the sights."

    "But.. how did you support yourself?" Goliath asked, afraid of coming off rude by asking such a personal question.

    Noting this, Elisa felt another smile pull at her lips.  "Well, you see, like I said before, I'm a protector," Elisa replied as they circled around a cluster of the elite.  Ignoring their pointed looks at her clothing, Elisa focused once more on her companion.  "I get paid a small bit of money for helping people out and solving problems for people... for protecting them," Elisa replied, a thoughtful frown on her face as she tried to describe exactly what she did.  "I met up with my friend, Matt Bluestone, along the way, and we've been working together ever since."

    "Ah, I see," Goliath said politely, nodding his head slowly.  In all honesty, he didn't really see what the human meant.  After all, there was no such thing of a person doing whatever they felt like doing in his world.  It was simply unheard of.  Still, he couldn't help but feel a certain attraction and pull to her carefree lifestyle.  To doing what he wanted and that was it.

    "But, I'm sure that you didn't ask to see me to talk about my past," Elisa said quietly, a small smile pulling on her face as she watched the large gargoyle become suddenly tense.  Slowing up, Elisa walked towards one of the railings that divided the deck from the water so far below.

    "Yes, well..." Goliath said, clearing his throat quickly as he walked up to join Elisa at the railing, his eyes watching the rolling blue waves.  "Miss Maza, I..."

    "Elisa," she interrupted quickly, the smirk that he was beginning to recognize reappearing.

    Sending her an amused glance, Goliath nodded slowly.  "Yes, Elisa," he said, his voice a low rumble.  "I wanted to.. to thank you for what you did," Goliath said quickly.  Now that he was actually going to say what he intended to say, everything poured out like a dam had been broken.  "Not just for.. for fighting and saving me, but also for your discretion," he rumbled, his voice low.  This was difficult for him.  By thanking the woman, he not only admitted to his needing the help from another, but also to the fact that he purposely did not fight back.

    Looking at the large gargoyle, Elisa, too, realized how difficult it was for him to say what he did.  Sighing, Elisa nodded her head slowly.  "You're welcome, Goliath," she said, her voice light.

    Growling, Goliath shook his head in frustration, completely throwing Elisa for a loop.  "Look," he growled, "I know what you must be thinking!  Poor little rich gargoyle.. what does he know about misery?"

    "No," Elisa interrupted quickly, her own voice sharp as she quickly reached a hand out and touched his large lavender arm, "that's not what I was thinking," she continued, her voice growing soft.  "What I was thinking was... what could have happened to hurt this gargoyle so much that he thought that he had no way out.. no reason left to fight."

    "I don't," Goliath quickly defended, even though he knew he was lying.  "Well, it wasn't just one thing," he amended, his voice growing soft so as that the people milling around them wouldn't overhear.  The last thing he needed was this conversation getting back to Demona or Hudson.  "It was everything," he continued sadly, his eyes tracing the horizon.  "It was... this," he finished as he slowly reached out and showed a small and simple band of gold that rested on his finger.

    "Oh my," Elisa breathed, knowing instinctively what the ring meant.

    "Yes," Goliath nodded grimly, staring down hatefully at the ring that bound him to his word.  "All of high society has been invited.. I've given my word," Goliath said, his voice tight with hidden emotion.

    Looking up at the massive gargoyle, Elisa couldn't help but keep the pity from showing on her face.  "Do you love her?" she asked quietly, her voice low.

    Startled, Goliath jerked away from Elisa quickly, surprise registering on his face.  "What?" he asked in amazement, not believing that she had asked that of him.  Really, he was more afraid of what the question implied.. what his answer would be.

    Surprised as well by the sudden hostility that she sensed in the gargoyle, Elisa stepped back quickly.  "What do you mean, what?" she asked quickly, annoyance creeping into her voice.  "I asked if you love her?  It's really a simple question.  Do you love her or not?"

    "Why.. why..." Goliath sputtered, completely uncharacteristic for him.  For the first time in his life, Goliath had no idea how to respond.  Quickly, his eyes focused on a gleam of black that could be seen from the holster worn over her black shirt on the warm day.  Seeing his opportunity to draw the topic away, Goliath quickly reached forward and snatched the gun from her holster.  "Why do you carry this thing around with you, anyway?" he asked quickly, his voice snide as he slowly strode over to sit on one of the lounge chairs that lined the deck.

    Sighing, Elisa saw that it definitely wasn't the time to be pushing him on the topic.  "Because, that's what I use to protect people," Elisa replied as she slowly moved over and knelt on the chair beside Goliath, watching critically as he examined the weapon.

    "Well, are you any good?" he asked, toying around with the gun.

    Sighing, Elisa shook her head slowly.  She didn't know quite what to say in response to that.  "Well.. I've never left a case unsolved and none of the good guys have ever died," Elisa replied truthfully, the same grin on her face as she lifted her hand and swept her long masses of hair out of her face.

    Noting this, Goliath willfully tore his eyes away and instead focused on the gun in his lap.  "Elisa, that's an impressive record," he said quietly, a small smile on his stern face.

    At this, Elisa's expression notably darkened.  "Well, they sure didn't think too much of it over at Scotland Yard."

    "Scotland Yard?" Goliath asked, obviously impressed.  "Well, you certainly do get around for a person of...." Goliath cut off, his dark skin coloring, growing even darker with embarrassment.

    Noticing this, Elisa quickly laughed.  "That's alright.. you can say it," she said, trying to catch her breath.  "I'm a poor person!"

    Shrugging it off, Goliath gently handed the gun back to Elisa who in turn holstered her weapon.  "Thank you," he said slowly, "for saving my life."

    It was at that moment that Elisa turned her beautiful brown eyes on him and regarded him seriously.  "It wasn't really needed," she said quietly.

    "What?" Goliath asked in surprise.

    "You would have defended yourself eventually.. I was just holding them off in the meantime," Elisa answered with a wry grin.

A Deck Promenade

    "So you really have traveled the world, haven't you?" Goliath asked slowly, his dark eyes boring into Elisa's.  As he waited for her answer, Goliath couldn't help but realize that he would be perfectly content if he spent the rest of his days doing nothing more than what he did at that moment.. then he did all day.  The gloriously beautiful day had passed very quickly -- an afternoon spent talking while the two strangers slowly got to know each other.  To be honest, Goliath was fascinated with the life of this courageous woman.. to do whatever she felt like doing and to protect those who needed her help.  It certainly was more interesting than anything he was used to doing.  Now, the day was drawing to a close, and Goliath felt a strange pang of regret at that.. it had been such a perfect day -- he didn't want it to end.

    "I suppose I have," Elisa answered as she leaned casually against the white railing that bordered the deck.  Smiling at the look in her companion's eyes, Elisa turned and rested her elbows gently on the white enamel as she stared out into the darkening day.  It was beautiful and breathtaking -- the bright blue of the sky changing into the orange, reds, and purples of night with the ever present, gently lapping waves of the ocean.

    "Tell me about your most favorite place," Goliath said slowly as he tore his sight away from the beautiful woman and looked at the rolling waves below.

    "Hmm," Elisa mused, a small smile on her face.  "That's pretty difficult... but, I have to say that one of the most beautiful places that I visited was Arizona.. the caverns found there."

    "Oh really?" Goliath asked, his interest sparked.  "Tell me about it!"

    Laughing at his eagerness, Elisa glanced swiftly at the large gargoyle before returning her gaze to the ocean.  It was strange, this day.  After all, Goliath was one of the elite.  He was well-groomed, mannered.. handsome.  Yet, all of the snobbishness that she had begun to associate with the first class was not to be found.  Instead, she only encountered an endearing curiosity for the outside world.. for her world.  "Well, everywhere in this one spot were huge caverns and caves.. a whole system of them!  You even had to ride horses to get to them and defend yourself against robbers!"

    "Really?" Goliath asked, a small smile on his face.  "I have never been in a situation such as that before."

    Hearing the wistfulness in his deep voice, Elisa turned and gazed up at the gargoyle.  "It's not too late to try it," she suggested, her tone light.

    Nodding his head slowly, Goliath mulled over Elisa's words.  "Why can't I be like you, Elisa?" he finally asked as he turned away from the sunset and stared hard into her dark eyes.  She truly was beautiful.. more exotic than anything else he had ever encountered.  "Just head out for the horizon whenever I feel like it..." he said slowly, his expression turning wistful.  Suddenly, a spark of flame entered his dark eyes as he gently reached out and touched her shoulders.  "Say we'll go there, sometime... to those caverns... even if we only ever just talk about it."

    "We will go," Elisa quickly said, her voice hard with determination.  Smiling, Elisa shook her head quickly, her hair cascading around her in a dark wave.  "We'll drink cheap beer and ride the horses until we're too sore to go any further!" Elisa said, laughing at the thought.

    Sharing in the thought, Goliath felt a deep rumble start from within before he broke out into similar laughter.  "And you'd show me how to ride, right?" he asked quickly, his smile growing.

    "I would be honored," Elisa said softly, a tender smile on her face.

    "And teach me to shoot like you do as well!" Goliath cried out quickly as he nodded at her gun.

    Laughing, Elisa quickly shook her head.  "What?  They didn't teach you that?"

    "No!" Goliath cried out, tears of laughter flowing down his cheeks.

    "Well, then I'll show you!" Elisa said quickly as she pulled out her gun and faced the water once more.

    "What?  Elisa, no!" Goliath cried out, panic suddenly seizing him.  When he asked her to show him, he didn't mean right now in front of all of the people of his class.  That was definitely a no-no when it came to what was proper.

    Ignoring his protests, Elisa quickly dropped into the shooting stance and fired out over the rolling waters.  "Your turn," she instructed as she quickly passed over the gun.

    Turning around, Goliath quickly surveyed all those who were near.  To his immense relief, he saw only another first class couple who stood nearby, giving them both dirty looks.  Grinning like a child, Goliath turned back and accepted the weapon into his hands.  Very carefully, he then raised the gun and gently pulled the trigger.  As the loud boom of the gun firing echoed throughout the air, Goliath jumped back from the recoil.

    Laughing, Elisa shook her head quickly.  "Pitiful!" she cried out.  Still shaking her head she quickly strode behind the large gargoyle and wrapped her arms around him until her hands were on the gun over his.  Surprised, Goliath felt a wave of warmth at the feeling of her small body pressed up against his back.  Gulping, he tried to focus on her instructions and tried to follow her directions when a sudden movement caught his eye.  Turning quickly, he was shocked and horrified to see Hudson standing a few feet away, a cold and calculating look on his face.  Beside him were none other than Diane Maza and Robyn Canmore, one of Hudson's elite friends.

    Composing himself quickly, Goliath risked a quick glance at Elisa and watched as she slowly holstered her gun, a pleasant smile on her face.  "Hudson," Goliath said quickly, working to make his voice even.  He knew that he had been caught red-handed.  "May I introduce Elisa Maza."

    Dismayed, Goliath watched as his mentor barely restrained his one good eye from lighting up in a flare of disapproval.  "Charmed, lass, I'm sure," he growled, his voice low and even as he kept his hand on his sword hilt.

    Shaking his head, Goliath quickly turned to the others.  "And this is Diane Maza and Robyn Canmore."

    Nodding her head, Elisa smiled one of her bright smiles at the newcomers.  "Hello," she replied, her voice light.

    "Hello, child," Diane greeted, a smirk on her face as she watched how composed the woman was under the hateful glare of Goliath's mentor.

    "Hello," Robyn said quietly, her voice even and flat.

    "Ah yes.." Goliath said, trying to break the uncomfortable silence that had fallen over the group.  "Elisa, here, is the woman who intervened on my behalf last night," Goliath explained.  As soon as the words left his mouth, he watched as a new and curious light entered Diane and Robyn's eyes.  Smiling, the two women began questioning Elisa, curious about the person who had saved his life.  Nodding his head, he then turned to see that Hudson regarded Elisa with the same cold look, his expression not having been changed.  Frowning, Goliath was about to comment when a loud horn broke through the night silence.

    Shaking her head, Diane Maza smiled at the group.  "Why do they insist on always announcing dinner like it was a cattle call?" she asked, her voice light.

    Sighing, Goliath couldn't help but think that he was saved by the bell.  "Shall we go prepare for dinner, Hudson?" he asked quietly as he turned to his mentor.  Without waiting for a response, he quickly guided the older gargoyle away from the ladies.  "I'll see you at dinner, Elisa," he called out over his shoulder as he disappeared from sight.

    Smiling, Elisa nodded and watched as Robyn Canmore slowly drifted away till she remained with the older black woman.  Still, Elisa couldn't even tear her eyes away from Goliath's departing back.  There was just something about him.

    Shaking her head, Diane watched as the young woman followed the gargoyle with her eyes.  "Do you have any idea of what you're doing?" she asked finally, squeezing the woman's shoulder gently to get her attention.

    Sighing, Elisa finally focused on the woman before her.  She was very beautiful, in her own way, Elisa realized.  While she was a little bit shorter than her, the older woman's shoulders were pushed back and straight with pride.  "Not really," she said slowly, a small smirk on her face.

    "Well, you're about to go into the snake pit!" Diane said, a small laugh escaping her lips as she realized how well the metaphor fit for the situation at hand.  Suddenly, she looked the woman over as she truly looked at her for the first time.  While she was beautiful, she was also an obvious third class passenger, wearing nothing more than a pair of tight blue jeans and a form fitting black long sleeve shirt.  "What are you planning to wear?" she asked, her voice betraying her skepticism as she raised her eyebrow at Elisa.

    Frowning suddenly, Elisa looked down at her clothing.  "Why, this I guess," Elisa said, suddenly wondering if that was a problem.

    "I figured," Diane muttered as she quickly grabbed the woman by the arm and began to drag her across the deck.

Diane Maza's Stateroom

    Sighing, Diane slowly began putting away the mess of clothes that lay strewn all over the room.  Suddenly, there was a click behind her as the door to the bathroom came open.  Turning around, she felt her breath catch in her throat as she took in the sight before her.  "My, my, my," she murmured, her voice soft.  "You shine up like a new penny."

    Smiling, Elisa slowly stepped into the room and then moved towards a long, full length mirror.  The person who stared back at her was a stranger.. a very beautiful stranger.  She was dressed in a long black dress that cut low over her bust line and hugged her slender form before filling out into a long skirt.  Throughout, the dress was shot with strands of glittering dark red sequins and beads, with her hands clasped in white gloves that extended up to her elbows.  Her hair was drawn up on top of her head into a high bun with a soft layer of black silk cascading down her back, a few soft wisps of hair framing her face.  Clasped to her ears were a pair of teardrop pearl earrings with a matching pearl necklace and bracelet.  Overall, even though she was having difficulty breathing through the tight bodice of her dress, the effect was stunning.  She looked like royalty.  More importantly, she looked like first class.

    "I just knew that the stuff that I bought for my daughter would fit you.. you're both about the same size," Diane whispered quietly, her voice awed by the change that had taken place before her.  "My, my, my.." she repeated quietly, her eyes never straying from the endless depths shown in the dark eyes of the woman before her.

First Class Entrance

    Sighing, Elisa slowly took a deep breath before proceeding forward to the beautifully crafted glass door that would take her inside -- to Goliath.  Just as she was about to reach forward and open the door, a man quickly did so for her, flashing her a brilliant smile in the meantime.  Smiling in return, Elisa read his nametag:  Jason Canmore.

    "Good evening, miss," he said quickly, his voice rich with approval and respect.

    Smiling slightly, Elisa nodded her head at him, with just the right degree of disdain that she saw too often with the first class.  Lifting up the hem of her dress, she quickly entered the room and stopped dead in her tracks, completely breathless by the sight before her.  The room wasn't really a room at all but instead a doorway to a whole new world.  

    Above her was an enormous glass dome with a large crystal chandelier at its center.  Below it was a grand staircase that swept down six stories.  And the people.. everywhere was the first class at its finest.  The women were decked out in expensive floor length dresses, elaborate hairstyles, and ungodly amounts of glittering jewelry.  And the men seemed to have a certain dress code as well, decked out in their evening dress, standing with one hand at the small of their companion's back, their voices low.

    Shaking her head, Elisa smiled at the people as she slowly descended down the staircase, all eyeing her with wonder and nods of approval.  Hiding a small smile, she saw more than one look of jealousy from some of the ladies.

    When she finally reached the A deck, she slowly drifted away from the edge of the stairs.  Now what?  Turning, her breath caught in her throat as she caught a familiar pair slowly drift down the winding staircase.  It was Hudson, Goliath's mentor, dressed perfectly in a black suit, his sword still at his side, with his arm held ram-rod straight at his side.  And grasping onto that arm was Goliath's fiancée, Demona.  

    The gargess looked stunning in a dark blue floor length gown that showed off her every curve to each of the gentlemen's satisfaction.  As the couple rounded by her, Elisa stepped forward to say hello and to find out what was next.  Shocked, she watched as Hudson and Demona took no notice of her aside from the polite nod she received before continuing on.  Shaking her head, she quickly realized that they had not recognized her in the fine clothes that she wore.  Turning her head, Elisa felt her breath catch once more as she saw yet another familiar face.

    Sighing, Goliath slowly walked down the long, winding staircase of the large room.  Looking down, he watched as Demona and Hudson disappeared around the corner, pausing to nod briefly at a young woman.  Staring hard, Goliath realized that he didn't recognize the young woman.. until she turned her dark eyes on him.  Stopping in his descent, Goliath stared in shock at Elisa Maza.  The scruffy third class passenger that he was with earlier was no more.  Instead, Elisa's true beauty was enhanced by shining jewelry and a dress that showed off her figure to the best degree.  Gulping, Goliath quickly continued down the stairs, his eyes never leaving Elisa's.  He was truly hypnotized by her beauty.

    When Goliath finally reached the bottom step, he slowly advanced on Elisa's location.  Smiling politely, he reached down and gently took Elisa's gloved hand in his.  With the grace of the elite, he then lifted her hand up and kissed the back of her fingers.

    Blushing at Goliath's actions, Elisa shook her head slowly.  "I saw that done in the movies before," she whispered with a soft laugh, showing that she was still the same person underneath the layers of cloth and jewels.

    Smiling, Goliath quickly reached over and placed Elisa's hand on his crooked arm and led her over to Demona and Hudson.  Clearing his throat to catch Demona's attention, Goliath smiled pointedly.  "My love, surely you remember Miss Maza?" he asked quietly, enjoying the look of shock that flashed across Demona's face as she finally recognized the human.

    "Maza!" she cried out, her voice sharp with false charm.  "I didn't recognize you... amazing, you could almost pass for a lady," she said, the remark biting deep.  But, to Elisa's credit, she made no recognition of the pointed jab.

    Smiling politely, Goliath sent a sharp glare at his fiancée before nodding for them to continue their parade down to dinner.  Suddenly, Diane Maza appeared at Goliath's side and quickly took the arm that he offered.  Grinning, she leaned over and whispered quickly to Elisa.  "There isn't anything to it, is there Elisa?" she asked, her voice showing the smile on her face.  "Remember, the only thing they respect is money.  If you act like you've got a lot of it, then you're automatically in the club."

    Laughing, Elisa shook her head at the woman's words.  Even though Diane Maza was a part of the little club, it was obvious that she remembered her days as being a member of third class all too well.  Suddenly, Elisa felt Goliath's arm tense slightly beneath her.  Turning her head, she gazed up into his dark eyes.

    Keeping his face serious as always, Goliath nodded in the direction of a couple across the room.  Turning, Elisa looked over at the indicated people.  The woman was older, with dark brown hair that was beginning to show its gray, her stomach protruding and showing an obvious pregnancy.  Standing beside her was a man who looked a good 15-20 years her junior, standing tall and straight with a sword sheathed at his side.

    "That is Princess Katherine," he whispered quietly, so as not to be overheard by the other passengers.  "She is the richest woman on the ship.  Her husband there, Guardian Tom, is my age and he has her in a delicate condition," Goliath said quietly, he and Elisa staring at the laughing and happy couple.  "See how she is trying to hide it.  Quite the scandal," he said quietly, his voice betraying a small hint of.. disdain perhaps?

    Shaking her head, Elisa nodded as would be expected and continued walking with her escort, her eyes never leaving the couple.  In her honest opinion, she found nothing wrong with the scene that she beheld.  It was obvious by the way that the two looked at each other that they were in love, and in her book, that was the only thing that counted.  If anything, she admired the woman for following her heart even though she knew it would bring gossip from others of her class.

    "And over there is Robyn Canmore.. do you remember her?" Goliath asked quickly as he nodded over at the blond woman.

    Recognizing the woman that was with Hudson earlier, Elisa quickly nodded her head, always maintaining the polite smile that she saw evident everywhere.

    "She designs naughty lingerie, among her many talents," Goliath whispered quietly, amusement coloring his voice.  "Very popular with the royals."

    Unable to keep her amusement to herself, Elisa felt her laugh tinkle out around her.  To hear Goliath, such a proper and well-brought up gargoyle, comment about lingerie was something that couldn't help but bring a smile to anyone's face.  Shaking her head, Elisa saw that they were finally nearing the glass doors to the dining saloon.  Suddenly, another couple entered their path.

    "Ah, Katherine, Tom," Goliath said quickly as he reached out and shook the Guardian's hand.  "I would like you to meet Elisa Maza," he said as Elisa reached forward and shook with the couple, barely noticing as Diane Maza politely excused herself and continued ahead.

    "Good t' meet ye Elisa," Princess Katherine said quickly, the same polite smile on her face as she scrutinized the younger woman before her in curiosity.  "Are ye of th' Boston Mazas?"

    Shaking her head, Elisa returned the polite smile.  "No, the Manhattan Mazas, actually," she replied evenly.

    Nodding her head, Katherine turned to smile up at Goliath.  Shaking his head, Tom watched this and knew what it meant.  His wife had never heard of them, but then again, she knew better than to admit that to the other couple.  Suddenly, he looked, really looked at the person that was accompanying Goliath.  In that moment, he truly saw her beauty.  Shaking his head again, Tom leaned in towards Goliath and whispered conspiratorially, "Tis a pity we're both spoken fer, isn't it?"

    Biting back his retort, Goliath quickly led Elisa further into the room, heading back towards their reserved table.  Really, her whole behavior tonight astounded him.  He knew that she must be nervous, but Elisa never faltered.  They all assumed that she was one of them; new money, obviously, but still a member of the club.  Then again, he wasn't holding his breath that her luck would continue.

    As soon as everyone was settled, Hudson turned his good eye on the woman sitting down the table from him.  "Tell us, lass, of the accommodations in steerage," he said, his voice just loud enough so that it caught the attention of everyone at the table.  "I 'ave heard that they be quite good on this 'ere ship."

    Maintaining the polite smile, Elisa met the eyes of the wizened old gargoyle.  "The best that I've seen yet, Hudson," she replied, her tone even.  "Hardly any rats," she added quickly, a smirk appearing on her face.

    Taking that as her cue, Demona quickly leaned across the table and looked at each of the people that were dining with them.  To her right sat Goliath, followed by the Magus, Robyn Canmore, David Xanatos, Diane Maza, Elisa Maza, Guardian Tom, Princess Katherine, and Jon Canmore, with her beloved sitting across from their guest.  "Miss Maza is joining us from the third class," she spoke up, indicating Elisa.  "She was of some assistance to my fiancé last night."

    Nodding their heads, the passengers at the table shared discrete looks of contempt as a waiter stepped up behind Elisa.  "How do you take your caviar, miss?" he asked, his voice even as he looked down at the beautiful woman before him.

    Smiling up at the man, Elisa shook her head quickly.  "No caviar for me, thank you," she replied.  Taking in the disapproving and shocked glances of her companions, she quickly looked the man in the eye and shared a small smile.  "I never did like it much."  Turning, she then looked across the table at Goliath, her face holding the same poker face from her earlier game.  Shaking his head, Goliath saw the twinkle of laughter in her eyes.

    Not to be out done at making the woman look bad, Hudson once more looked at Elisa.  "And where exactly do ye live, lass?" he asked, his voice polite and hiding all of the malice he was holding towards her.

    "Well, right now my address is the RMS Titanic," Elisa replied, once again maintaining her calm veneer, her voice never wavering.  "After that, only time will tell."

    Shaking his head, Hudson quickly leaned to the side to allow his waiter to put the dinner salad before him on the table.  "Ye find that sort of rootless state appealing, do ye?" Hudson asked, his voice showing the slightest trace of disdain.

    Sighing, Elisa slowly reached down and picked up one of the many forks that lined her plate as she contemplated how to best answer his question.  Suddenly, she saw Goliath pick up a different fork than she was holding and nod at her.  Catching on, she quickly set down the fork she was holding and grabbed the salad fork firmly in her hand.  "Well," she finally said as she looked up at met Hudson's eyes, "as I figure it, you never know what hand you're going to be dealt next."  Pausing, she quickly stabbed a green piece of lettuce and munched on the greenery slowly.  Looking up, she saw Hudson open his mouth to reply.  Smiling to herself, she quickly beat him to it as she glanced around at her dining companions at the table.  "You see, I won my ticket for the Titanic here in a lucky hand at poker!" Elisa proclaimed, instantly catching the attention at all those who dined with her.  Smiling, she glanced up and met Goliath's dark eyes.  "A very lucky hand."

    "See, there you have it!" Xanatos broke in quickly, his cultured voice breaking over the din of the noisy room.  "All life is a game of luck."

    Grinning, Elisa quickly nodded over at the strange man.  "Exactly.  It teaches you to take life as it comes at you... to make each day count."

    Smiling, Diane nodded at the young woman who sat beside her.  Quickly, she raised her wine glass into the air, indicating for everyone else to follow suit.  "Well said, Elisa," she said, her voice full of support.

    "Here, here," Xanatos quickly cried out, a bright smile on his face as he, too, lifted his champagne glass.

    Smiling, Goliath looked across the large table and met Elisa's shining eyes.  "To making it count," he said loudly, his tone clear and cool, as he made the toast.

    Taking their cue, the rest of the table quickly chorused along with Goliath, repeating his toast among the tinkling of glasses.

    Annoyed, Hudson took a large gulp of his drink instead of joining in the toast.  That was not the way he had planned it.  Instead of humiliating the filth in front of their companions, he had instead helped her to score points with them!  Shaking his head, the old gargoyle quickly buried himself in his meal.

    A good while later, Goliath found himself occupying Guardian Tom's chair beside Elisa.  The dessert cart was just coming around and Goliath knew too well what would come next.  Leaning over slightly, he whispered beneath his breath to the woman sitting beside him.  "Now it will be brandies in the Smoking Room."

    Startled at his low voice, Elisa turned quickly and looked into Goliath's amused stare.  Suddenly, a voice broke out over the loud din of the table.  "Will you be joining me for a brandy, ladies and gentlemen?" Xanatos asked as he turned to look at the dominant people at the table -- mainly Demona, Princess Katherine, and Jon Canmore.  Snickering, Elisa turned and returned Goliath's smile.

    "Now they retreat into a cloud of smoke and congratulate each other on being masters of the universe," Goliath continued, a small chuckle escaping from his lips.

    "And what will you be doing now, Detective?" Xanatos asked suddenly.  "Surely you won't be staying out here with our companions, will you?" he asked, a large smile lighting up his handsome face.

    Returning the smile, Elisa shook her head as she scooted back her chair and slowly climbed to her feet.  "No, thank you.  I think that I'll be heading back now."

    Suddenly, Demona was at Elisa's side and she gently touched the other woman's shoulder.  "Probably for the best anyway," she said, her voice barely hiding the contempt that was evident beneath.  "It will be all business.. wouldn't interest you.  Although, it was good of you to come," she continued, her voice that same sickeningly sweet of the night before.

    Without another word, the CEOs and world leaders slowly left the room, their conversation slowly drifting out of earshot.  Turning, Goliath stood as well and looked down at Elisa, his eyes slightly veiled with sadness.  "Elisa, must you go?" he asked, his voice soft and meant only for her.

    "Yes.. it's time for me to get back to rowing with the rest of the steerage class," Elisa said, a large smile on her face.

    Shaking his head, Goliath quickly brought up his hand and gently took Elisa's.  Smiling, he brought the hand to his lips and kissed her gloved hand softly... and felt a small slip of paper being slipped into that same hand, a small smirk on Elisa's face.

    Confused, Goliath quickly sheltered the note by his side and watched as Elisa weaved a path through the crowded tables and left the saloon.  Shaking his head, he quickly shielded his hand from the sight of others as he opened up the folded paper.

    'Make it count.  Meet me at the clock' were the only words to be seen, scrawled in a beautiful script.

A-Deck Foyer

    Slightly nervous and wary about his own actions, Goliath left the crowded and loud dining room behind as he entered into the foyer.  Rising up above him was the towering staircase, topped with the large chandelier and glass dome above.  Looking up, he saw that half way up the stairs stood Elisa, her back turned towards him as she inspected the ornate clock with its carved figures of Honor and Glory before her.  Stopping, Goliath stood and admired what he saw.  Even when just faced with her back, her beauty was more than apparent.. the long sweep of her neck, her arched back... she was a beautiful one.

    Suddenly, his inspection of Elisa was cut short as she turned and regarded him with a small smile.  Blushing slightly at being caught, Goliath quickly hurried forward and stepped up to her side.

    "Do you want to go to a real party?" Elisa asked slowly, her voice low and breathless as her eyes twinkled mischievously.

    Swallowing, Goliath could only nod his head as he wondered briefly just what he was getting into.  Strangely enough, he didn't even care as long as it involved the newest object that had so caught his attention.

Third Class General Room

    Laughing, Goliath leaned back in the hard chair that he had been occupying for the last half hour or so.  Every where he looked, the room was alive with merriment -- from dancing couples, a lively band, tables full of laughing individuals, card games, arm wrestling, beer drinking... not a single person was left out of the fun.  Smiling, he quickly lifted the large mug of beer to his lips and took a long swallow, grimacing slightly at the bitter taste of the liquid.  To be honest, he didn't even know where the beer was coming from.  All he knew was that one of Elisa's friend, Brooklyn, came and thrust the drink into his hands, a knowing smile on his beaked face.

    Shaking his head, Goliath turned once more to the sight before him.  There stood Elisa, her black evening gown and jewelry a sharp contrast to the poor clothes around her -- yet she was the picture perfect of ease.  Even he was at ease in his fine clothing, with none of the passengers giving him no more than a curious glance.  Laughing, Goliath watched as Elisa twirled round and round before him, trying to keep up with the lively beat of the band while keeping the young child before her on his feet.  The boy, Alexander, had been at Elisa's side since they joined the party, insisting on dancing with her -- and even though the boy was too young to really dance, Elisa enjoyed carrying him this way and that and mimicking the moves of the other party goers.

    As the song slowly came to an end, Elisa, laughing and panting, quickly set down the young child.  Smiling, she looked straight into the child's bright eyes and ruffled his unruly mop of red hair.  "Would you mind if I danced with Goliath?" she asked, nodding in the large gargoyle's direction.

    Taking on the seriousness of a thirty year old, the young child nodded slowly, his eyes wide and solemn.

    Grinning, Elisa quickly darted forward and took Goliath's large hand in hers.  Startled, he could do nothing as she pulled him to his feet and a little away from the table.  "But.. but.." Goliath sputtered, his eyes wide with shock.

    Laughing, Elisa was about to reply to his sputtering when she saw that young Alexander's large eyes were now filled with tears.  Smiling softly down at the young boy, Elisa shook her head.  "You're still my best boy, Alex!" she called out.

    Instantly, the boy's tears disappeared as a large grin appeared on his face.  Nodding quickly, the boy disappeared into the throng of other passengers as the band quickly struck up another lively tune, no doubt off to find his mother, Fox.  Shaking her head at the child, Elisa quickly stepped close to the large gargoyle and lay one gloved hand on his shoulder and placed her other hand firmly in his.

    "But.. I do not know how to dance," Goliath said quickly, afraid of making a fool of himself in front of so many people -- in front of Elisa.

    Laughing, Elisa felt the rhythm seize her and instantly began moving across the floor.  "Neither do I!" she confessed as they twirled this way and that, her leading and Goliath struggling to keep up.  "Just move to the rhythm.. don't think," she gasped as she twirled around another couple.

    Nodding his head, Goliath focused on what Elisa said.  Soon, he found the lively rhythm of the band beat into his heart.  Laughing, he quickly took over the lead and paraded Elisa around and around the large room, twirling around the other couples.

    Soon, if possible, the beat of the band picked up even more.  Turning, Elisa watched as her friend, Matt Bluestone, swung in a circle around them with a young woman.  The woman, more of a girl, was a little shorter than Elisa with short, black hair and darker skin.  Looking closer, Elisa saw that the woman was Beth Maza, one of the other steerage passengers that Matt had introduced her to earlier.  Laughing, she watched as they swung right into another couple.

    Too soon, the dance came to an end.  Gasping for breath and sweating profusely, Elisa grabbed onto Goliath's large hand and led him over towards a table.  Grinning, she saw that Brooklyn was already lounging in one of the chairs, a large mug of dark beer in one hand.  Beside him, sat Matt and Beth, large smiles on their faces.

    "Hi everyone!" Elisa called out, her grin infectious.  "This is Goliath," she said, finally introducing the large gargoyle.

    Suddenly uncomfortable, Goliath shifted from foot to foot.  After all, how would Elisa's friends take to having a first class passenger join their party.  To his surprise, all he was greeted with was smiles.

    "Here," Brooklyn said as he passed over two of the large mugs of beer.  "I see that you lost your last one," he said, a large smile on his beaked face.

    Nodding his gratitude, Goliath lifted the large mug to his lips and downed the frothy drink in one gulp.  Satisfied, he slowly lowered his empty mug to the grimy table -- and was met with astonished eyes.  "What?" he asked, a smile growing on his normally serious face.  "Do you think that a first class gargoyle can't drink?" he asked, his voice light.

    Laughing, Elisa quickly shook her head and then downed her mug as well.  A few seconds later, she realized how foolish that was of her.  After all, even though she was used to the drink, and Goliath wasn't, his body size was much larger than hers, meaning that the large amounts of alcohol hit her a lot faster than it did him.  Immediately the world began to spin as Elisa stumbled to the side.  Expecting the floor to come crashing up to her, she was instead pleasantly surprised to feel a pair of strong arms circle around her and keep her from falling.  Smiling, Elisa looked up into the dark and mysterious eyes of her savior.

    "Are you all right?" Goliath asked quickly, concern in his voice as he eyed the dark beauty he held.

    "I am now," Elisa murmured as a strange heat flooded her flushed cheeks.

    Suddenly, the pair became aware of a quiet snickering from the group around them.  Turning their heads, they saw that all eyes were on them.

    "Uh, nice catch!" Elisa said quickly as she stood up, Goliath releasing his hold on her.

    Before Matt or Brooklyn could break in with any embarrassing comments, Beth quickly came to her rescue.  Smiling knowingly at the finely dressed woman, the young woman quickly reached out and grabbed both Brooklyn and Matt by a hand.  "Come on!" she quickly cried out as she drug them onto the dance floor where they grabbed a hold of a line of dancing steerage passengers and began to prance around the room.

    Laughing, Elisa grabbed Goliath's hand and pulled him with, till they too became apart of the masses of dancing passengers.

    What they didn't know was that their companions weren't the only ones who had seen the display.  Hissing quietly beneath his breath, MacBeth slowly ducked back towards the stairs that would lead back up to his own class.  As he slowly slipped, unnoticed, back into the fray of the wealthy, he once more replayed the scene of Goliath holding the steerage trash in his arms.  Demona would be hearing of this.

Boat Deck -- Night

    Shaking his head in amusement, Goliath slowly walked down the deserted deck, Elisa at his side.  Slowly, ever so slowly, they were coming upon the entrance to his class.  Strangely enough, he didn't want to go back.  He didn't want to go back to their narrow little world after having.. after having such fun!  He didn't want the night to end.  Sighing, Goliath paused before the doors to the First Class Entrance, the sounds of the ship's orchestra wafting out into the night.  Growling slightly, he pulled away from the doors and went to lean against the railing that once again divided them from the sea.

    Surprised, Elisa said nothing as she joined Goliath by the railing.  Like him, her eyes quickly traced the sea, the rolling waves, and the heavens above.

    "Is it not magnificent?" Goliath asked, his voice low.  So low, in fact, that Elisa wasn't even sure if he had spoken.  "So grand and endless."

    Nodding her head, Elisa spared a quick glance at her companion.  Right away, she saw the troubled line of his eyes, the downturn of his mouth, and instantly knew that he was thinking of more than the view before them.

    "They're such small people, Elisa.. my crowd," Goliath continued before Elisa could comment.  "They think that they are giants.. but they are not even dust in the Creator's eyes," Goliath whispered.  He was thinking as he went, saying the first thing that came to mind -- no holding back and no restrictions.  "They live inside this little castle... and someday their castle will be destroyed."

    Sighing, Elisa kept her eyes trained on the darkly rolling waves.  "You're not one of them," she said quietly, her voice soft and serious.  "There's been a mistake."

    "A mistake?" Goliath asked, puzzlement showing in his voice as he finally turned to look Elisa in the eyes.

    "Uh huh... you got mailed to the wrong address," Elisa said, a small laugh bubbling up from within as a smile broke on her face.

    Shaking his head, Goliath realized how much he truly enjoyed hearing her laugh.  The sound was like a tinkle of chimes -- the most beautiful sound he had ever heard.  "I did, didn't I?" he asked, a smile breaking out on his own face.  How did she do it?  How did she make even the most serious of thoughts turn into something so silly that he couldn't help but smile?  Suddenly, his thoughts were torn away as his eyes beheld a beautiful sight.  "Look, Elisa!  A shooting star!" he cried out, his voice full of wonder as he watched a single burst of light trail a fiery wisp across the dark sky.

    "That was a long one," Elisa whispered quietly, a thoughtful expression on her face.  "My dad used to say that whenever you saw one, it was a soul going to heaven."

    Smiling, Goliath watched the place where the shooting star had been.  "I like that.  Aren't we supposed to wish on it?" he asked suddenly, a strange expression on his face.

    Turning, Elisa looked at the regal gargoyle before her.  He was so handsome.. so.. so everything that she had ever wanted in a mate.  He was perfection defined.  "What would you wish for?" she asked, her voice low and slightly breathless.

    Turning, Goliath looked down into Elisa's bright eyes.  At that moment, he knew what he would wish for.  He supposed that he had known what he would wish for ever since this angel had come to his rescue such a short time ago.  Then, thoughts of Demona and his responsibilities came crashing back.  Sighing, Goliath quickly averted his eyes and turned towards the first class entrance.  "Something I can't have," he muttered darkly as he started towards the door.  Pausing briefly, he turned back once again towards the vision in black.  "Goodnight, Elisa.  And thank you," he murmured, his deep bass voice low, as he quickly hurried through the door -- the door that separated their worlds.

    "Goliath!!" Elisa called out, taking a step away from the railing.  But she was too late.  He was already gone, the door banging shut behind him.

Private Promenade -- Sunday, April 14th, 1912

    As the sun drifted lazily in through the bright and clear windows of the promenade, it was obvious that it had no idea of the darkness found within.  Sitting at the white table, Demona and Goliath did nothing but concentrate on their own meals, their eyes averted.  Demona sat and read a financial report from her company, Nightstone, while Goliath did everything but meet his fiancée's eyes.

    Sighing, Lexington watched all of this with sad eyes.  He knew that the reason for the tension was somehow related to the fact that his master, Goliath, hadn't returned till late in the evening.  Still, he was puzzled.  For even though Goliath returned so late with no explanation, he also returned before Demona.  Therefore, how could the mistress know of his tardiness?

    "I had hoped that you would come to me last night," Demona said, at last breaking the tense silence that had filled the room.  Sighing, she put aside her financial report and looked Goliath in the eyes as she picked up a cup of coffee.

    "I was tired," Goliath answered shortly, his tone gruff.

    Smiling evilly, Demona eyed her love.  "Yes.. I suppose that your exertions below decks were no doubt exhausting," she said, watching Goliath's face as she revealed her knowledge of last night's events.

    Stiffening visibly, Goliath slowly put down his own mug of coffee.  "I see that you had that.. barbarian.. of a manservant follow me," he said, his voice low and dangerous.

    Ignoring him, Demona's eyes flared a bright red as she glared at her fiancé.  "You will never behave like that again!  Do you understand me?" she roared, her anger obvious.

    Astounded at her anger and her obvious display of it, Goliath sat even straighter in his seat.  "I am not some executive in your corporation that you can command," he said indignantly, a hesitantness in his voice.  "I am your fiancé..."

    Seething at the way that Goliath was talking back to her, Demona suddenly could hear no more of it.  Jumping up from the table, she barely even heard her chair scrape roughly back from behind her.  "YES YOU ARE!" Demona roared, her eyes that deadly red.  With a broad sweep of her hand, suddenly all the food and fine china that had occupied the table now lay in shattered ruins on the beautifully sanded floor.  "And my mate... in practice, if not yet by law," she continued, her voice not as shrill but just as deadly as she stalked forward and rested her deadly talons on the armrests of Goliath's chair, her face inches from his.  "So you will honor me, as a mate is required to honor his mate!  I will not be made out a fool!  Is this in any way unclear?!"

    Before Goliath could respond, Demona suddenly remembered the presence of Goliath's manservant in the room.  Growling, she quickly backed away and stormed from the room, glaring at the little green gargoyle and leaving her amazed love sitting in shock behind.

    Recoiling from Demona's evil glare, Lexington quickly turned his attention to his friend and master.  "Goliath," Lexington whispered softly as he hurried to his side.  When he received no answer, he quickly dropped to his knees and started picking up the shattered mess.

    Breaking out of his shock, Goliath stood up slowly.  "I.. I apologize, Lexington," he said, his voice gruff.  "We.. had a little accident.  I'm sorry," he murmured again as he slowly left the room, his thoughts in a whirl around him.

Goliath's Suite

    Sighing, Goliath watched as Hudson slowly buckled his long, old sword to his side.  It was time to prepare for yet another day in the zoo.

    Looking up, Hudson saw Goliath's boredom and instantly snapped back to their conversation.  "I repeat," he said, his voice gruff and stern, "ye're not t' see tha' trash 'gain!  Do ye understand me Goliath?  I forbid it!" Hudson roared, his eyes glowing a bright white.

    Shaking his head, Goliath quickly recognized the tone as the one that Hudson usually reserved for speaking to hatchlings -- the no-nonsense tone that left no room for arguments.  "Oh stop it, Hudson," Goliath muttered as he slowly got to his feet and crossed the room to stand before his elder.  "You will give yourself a stroke..."

    Shaking his head, Hudson glared at his student.  "Goliath, tis not a game!  Our situation be precarious.  Ye know t'at th' castle be gone!"

    Growling, Goliath jerked away from his mentor as though he had been hit.  "Of course I know that it is gone!  You remind me every day!" Goliath growled, his voice low and filled with a past full of pain.

    Sighing, Hudson shook his head.  "Th' last leader of our clan left us nothin' but a legacy of bad debts hidden by a good name... the castle be gone 'cause of her!" Hudson growled, the memory of the horrible leader leaving his mouth dry.  "An' t'at name is th' only card we have t' play."

    Sighing, Goliath shook his head and closed his eyes against the sight of his mentor, wishing that he could close his ears as well.  The wise words of his mentor crashed over him like a wave of responsibility.

    "I do nae understand ye," Hudson continued as he firmly grabbed the shoulders of the large lavender gargoyle before him.  "Tis a fine match wit' Demona.  Th' lass be the CEO of a large corporation and twill insure our survival."

    Shaking his head, Goliath slowly brought his large hands up and covered his face, the beginnings of a massive headache coming on.  "How can you put this on my shoulders?" he half sighed, half growled.

    At this, Hudson's one good eye grew large as he looked at the massive gargoyle before him.  "How can ye say that, lad?" Hudson asked, his voice incredulous.  "Ye're our leader now.. th' fate of th' clan be restin' in yuir hands, lad.  Do ye want t' see them smashed wit' no home for a protection?  Do ye want t' see their remains scattered t' th' winds?"

    Growling, Goliath knew that his mentor's words were right -- which was why it hurt so much to hear them.  "It is so unfair," he muttered softly, finally looking up into the dark eye of his mentor.

    Seeing the pain and torment in his young friend's eyes, Hudson felt himself soften.  "Of course it be unfair," he replied quietly, his voice full of understanding.  Ye're th' clan leader, lad.  Our choices are never easy."

    "For something to live something must be sacrificed," Goliath murmured, his eyes downcast, knowing that the words were ones that he had to live by.

First Class Dining Saloon

    Whistling to herself, Elisa quickly descended down the fine stairs, admiring the view in the bright daylight from the glass dome up above.  At the bottom steps, she stepped over towards the glass doors that would lead into the dining saloon from the night before.  Smiling as she walked forward, she could just see the large group of first class passengers gathered together, singing hymns for the morning service.  As she finally reached the doors, she saw Goliath somewhere in the middle of the crowd.  Reaching out, Elisa went to grab hold of the door handle when two pair of arms reached out and stopped her quickly.

    "Hey, wait a minute!  You're not supposed to be in here," Jason Canmore said quickly as he took in the woman's appearance.  From her form fitting blue jeans and her snug black shirt, it was obvious that she was not a first class passenger.

    "But.. I was just here last night," Elisa sputtered.  Strangely enough, she hadn't been expecting resistance about coming to see Goliath.  Stupid of her.  "Don't you remember?" she asked, her voice faltering.  Certainly, she recognized the handsome young man before her who had been gracious enough to hold the door for her last night.

    "No, sugar, we don't," the other man replied.

    Sighing, Elisa barely glanced at the guy's nametag.  "The name is Maza.. don't call me Sugar," she said.  Suddenly, she caught sight of MacBeth, Demona's servant as he quickly stepped across the large room and joined them outside.  "He'll tell you!" she said quickly, a smug smile appearing on her face as she looked at the annoying porters.

    Sizing up the situation with his age-sharpened eyes, MacBeth slowly turned away from the help and gazed at the young woman.  "Demona and Hudson continue to be most appreciative of your assistance," he said, his voice even and light.  "They asked me to give you this in gratitude..." he said, a small smile on his face as he held out two twenty dollar bills to Elisa.

    Astonished and a little upset, Elisa quickly shook her head and pushed the money back at MacBeth.  "I don't want your money, I-" she said, her voice icy.

    "...and also to remind you," MacBeth continued, as if Elisa hadn't even interrupted, "that you hold a third class ticket and your presence here is no longer appropriate."

    "What?" Elisa asked in confusion.  "But I just need to talk to Goliath for a-"

    "Gentlemen," MacBeth said quickly, breaking in on Elisa as he turned to face the two attentive porters, "please see that Miss Maza gets back to where she belongs," he ordered as he handed the stewards the twenties.  "And that she stays there."

    "Yes sir!" Jason cried out quickly as he reached forward and grabbed one of Elisa's arms.

    "Come along Sugar!" Dracon ordered as he grabbed her other arm.  Together, the men quickly began dragging Elisa towards the stairs.

    "Wait!" Elisa cried out, unable to believe what was happening.  "Goliath!" she cried out as she turned her head to watch over her shoulder.. watch as Goliath disappeared from view, never seeing her being drug away.

Aft Well Deck, B-Deck and A-Deck

    As she strode down the corridor, her determination was evident.  Shaking their heads, Brooklyn and Matt followed quickly on her heels.  Sighing, they followed her up to the stairs leading from the third class to the second, following her over the gate that separated the classes.

    "He'd be a great catch for you," Brooklyn huffed as he hurried to walk beside Elisa, "there's no denying that.  But he's in another world, Elisa... forget him.  He's closed the door."

    Ignoring her companions, Elisa slid furtively to the wall right below the A-Deck promenade.  "It was them, not him," she replied, her voice hard.  Turning, she quickly looked around the deck.  Finding that it was deserted, she indicated for Matt and Brooklyn to step closer.  "Ready.. go!" she ordered.

    Shaking his head, Brooklyn stepped forward, obviously resigned to being unable to change her mind.  Bending low, he quickly cupped his hands and watched as Elisa put her small foot within.  With little effort, he quickly boosted her up to the next deck where she scrambled nimbly over the railing and onto the first class deck.  As his friend disappeared from sight, Brooklyn growled.  "She's not being logical."

    Staring up at where his longtime partner had disappeared, Matt laughed quietly.  "When it comes to Elisa, logic is never an issue."

A-Deck, Aft

    Landing lightly on her feet, Elisa quickly moved away from the railing.  Before her, a young boy, about seven or eight years old, was busy showing his mother and a different man the wonders of his little Game Boy that he held in his hand.  Looking around, she saw that the woman had dropped her red bomber jacket on a nearby bench.

    Seizing the opportunity, Elisa stealthily darted forward and snatched the coat into her hands.  Slipping it on, she was delighted to see that the coat was a perfect fit.  Promising to borrow it just for a little while, Elisa realized that from a distance, she could pass for a lady now.

Bridge, Chartroom

    Darting around a group of first class passengers that were no doubt getting a tour of the ship, the young Junior Wireless Operator hurried up to Captain Chavez.  "Another ice warning, ma'am.  This one from the Baltic," he said quickly as he passed a small, white slip of paper to the Captain.

    Nodding her head, Captain Chavez glanced calmly at the slip of paper.  "Thank you," she said dismissively as she nonchalantly put the warning in her pocket.  Noting the tour group's eyes watching her curiously, she put on her brightest smile.  "Not to worry.  It's quite normal for this time of year."

    "It is?" Goliath asked doubtfully.

    "Yes.  In fact, we're speeding up.  I've just ordered for the last boilers to be lit."

    Upon hearing this, the Magus quickly shook his head before leading the tour group from the room, just as Second Officer Angela stepped onto the bridge.

    Looking around, she quickly saw the gargoyle that she was looking for.  With long strides, she crossed the distance across the bridge.  "Did we ever find those binoculars for the lookouts?" she asked, her eyes resting on First Officer Broadway.

    Sighing, Broadway shook his head quickly.  "I haven't seen them since Southampton," he admitted quietly, his voice low as he turned and glanced back at the smooth seas.

Boat Deck, Starboard Side

    As the group of passengers slowly moved back from the bridge along the boat deck, Goliath slowly sidled up to their leader.  "Magus," he asked slowly, turning his eyes on the wizened man, "I did the math in my head, and with the number of lifeboats times the capacity you mentioned..."  Sighing, Goliath turned to make sure that no one else was listening.  "Forgive me, but it seems that there are not enough for everyone aboard," he said quietly, his rumbling voice low.

    Smiling, the Magus quickly shook his head, his long white hair flowing out around him.  "About half, actually," he said, his voice low as well so as to not be overheard.  "Goliath, you miss nothing, do you?  In fact, I put in these new type davits, which can take an extra row of boats here," he said as he gestured along the deck.  "But, it was thought by some," he continued, a small frown playing across his aging features, "that the deck would look too cluttered.  So, I was overruled."

    Much to their surprise, their conversation was overheard by one.  "Waste of deck space as it is," Demona broke in, her voice sugary sweet as she swept a hand out at the row of lifeboats, “on an unsinkable ship!"

    Ignoring the rude gargess, the Magus turned his kind eyes on the large gargoyle.  "Sleep soundly, young Goliath.  I have built you a good ship, strong and true.  She's all the lifeboat you need," he said, his voice reassuring.

    Still, as reassuring as his voice was, Goliath couldn't dispel this nagging doubt he had in the back of his mind.  Stopping, he watched as the rest of the tour group slowly moved ahead without him.  Suddenly, a young lady in a red bomber jacket slowly broke away from the side of the ship and tapped his shoulder lightly.  Surprised, Goliath turned and stared right into the dark eyes of Elisa Maza.  Before he could say a word she quickly grabbed his hand and led him to a nearby door, which opened up into the empty gymnasium.  Finally finding his voice, Goliath stared at Elisa in shock.  "Elisa, this is impossible!" he rumbled quietly, his dark eyes boring into hers.  "I can't see you."

    Cutting him off, Elisa quickly reached out and rested her hands gently on Goliath's broad chest.  "Goliath, you're no picnic," she said quietly, her voice firm.  "You're.. you're a whipped little gargoyle, but under that you're.. you've a strong, pure heart," Elisa whispered, her eyes twinkling.  "And you're the most amazingly astounding gargoyle I've ever known and..."

    Sighing, Goliath quickly shook his head.  He shouldn't be hearing this.  "Elisa, I.."

    "No, Goliath, let me try to get this out," Elisa interrupted, lifting her hand to touch her fingers softly against his lips, instantly dispelling his words.  "You're amazing... and I know that I have nothing to offer you, Goliath.  I know that.  But I'm involved now," she whispered, her voice soft.  "You fight, I fight, remember?  I can't turn away without knowing that you're going to be alright..."

    Seeing the tears fill her eyes, Goliath shook his head quickly.  Oh how his heart was breaking right now.  Elisa's words had gone straight to his heart, completely bypassing his brain.  She was so open and real... not like anyone else he had ever known.  Growling slightly, Goliath tried to break the connection his eyes were having with her own.  "You're making this very difficult," he muttered, trying to look anywhere else but in her dark eyes -- the windows to her soul.  "I'll be fine.. really."

    Shaking her head, Elisa recognized brave words when she heard them.  Reaching up, she very gently took Goliath's chin in her hands and forced him to meet her direct stare.  "I don't think so," she murmured, her voice holding the truth.  "They've got you in a glass jar like some exotic butterfly," she whispered, her voice filled with sadness -- an infinite sadness.  "And you're going to die if you don't break free.  Maybe not right away, because you are strong... but sooner or later that fire in you that I love so much is going to go out."

    Lost in the spell in her eyes, Goliath shook his head slowly.  "It's not up to you to save me Elisa.. not this time."

    Sighing, Elisa nodded at him.  "You're right.  Only you can do that."

    Shaking his head, Goliath quickly stepped away from the woman who was working so hard to pierce the veil of lies he had draped around himself.  The lies that he showed to the world and to himself.  The lies that said he would be alright.  "I have to get back," he said quickly, "they'll miss me.  Please, Elisa.. for both our sakes, leave me alone."  Trying not to see the hurt look flash through her eyes, Goliath quickly turned on his heel and left the room as fast as his feet would take him... not wanting to see the small tear trail down her smooth cheek... a tear for him and his sacrifices.

First Class Lounge

    Sitting as still as a statue, Goliath sipped his tea mechanically as the people around him chattered.  His mind was a mile away from their pointless conversations, focused on his decisions... on his words to Elisa earlier.  It pained him so much to remember the tears in her eyes.. to remember her words when they struck a chord of truth deep within him.  Then again, the memory of Hudson's words also struck deep within him.  Hudson was right as well.  But how could they both be right when Hudson and Elisa fought for opposite sides?

    "Aye, ye should 'ave seen th' mess!" Hudson growled suddenly, catching Goliath's attention.  Meeting the eyes of Robyn Canmore and Guardian Tom, he rolled his one good eye.  "Of course th' invitations 'ad t' be sent back t' th' printers twice!  An' th' food!  Aye, let me tell ye what a mess that 'as been!"

    Sighing, Goliath quickly tuned the conversation out again.  Just more babble about the plans for his and Demona's ceremony to make their engagement official... to make her his mate.  Suddenly, a small movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention.  Turning, he watched out the window as an older gargoyle trained a young hatchling in the ways of combat -- in the ways to becoming a good leader.  Sighing, he watched as the young hatchling fell to the ground, tears in her small eyes... and as her mentor merely pulled the young gargoyle to her feet and continued with the training.  Shaking his head in disgust, Goliath slowly reached out a taloned hand and deliberately spilled a bit of his tea on the loincloth he wore.  "Oh, won't you please excuse me?  I have to change this," he said, his voice cool and polite.

    Nodding their heads distractedly, his companions quickly continued their conversations as Goliath left the room.  As soon as he was clear of the room, he turned away from his stateroom and headed towards the stairs that would bring him down to the third class.  He had a friend to see.

Bow -- sunset

    Shaking her head, Elisa felt the cool wind push through her tangled masses of black hair as she gazed out before her.  It was a beautiful night -- a tad bit more chilly than usual, making her thankful for the warmth of the red bomber jacket she wore, but beautiful nonetheless.

    Before her, the ocean spread out like an unending platform of blue, water in all directions.  Behind her, the ship fell out of sight as she gazed up into the brightly lit heavens.  Holding her breath, she watched as the sky took on the hues of sunset, as if lit by the embers of a giant fire.  She was in her favorite spot, on the apex of the bow railing.  Smiling, she closed her eyes and let the chill wind blow over her, clearing her mind.

    "Hello, Elisa."

    Not really surprised, Elisa slowly opened her eyes and turned.  The sight behind her made her breath catch in her throat.  There stood Goliath, his usually large and towering frame overshadowed by the large ship that spread out behind him.

    Smiling, Goliath met the eyes of the woman he was beginning.. to love.  She was stunning, standing as she was, with the strong wind pushing her black hair out from around her as though it were a dark cloak framing her tanned face.  And those eyes -- the eyes that could reach into the most hidden places of his heart.  "I changed my mind," he said simply as he slowly began closing the distance between them.  "Matt said you might be up-"

    "Shh," Elisa interrupted, a mysterious smile lighting up her exotic face.  "Come here," she instructed, beckoning for him to come closer.

    Shaking his head, Goliath quickly moved forward.  It was as if he was under her spell -- the spell of the dying sun.  Soon, they were standing face to face, as if they were prepared to dance once again... close enough to kiss.

    "Close your eyes," she instructed, that same smile playing on her lips.

    Smiling, Goliath did as he was told and then felt her climb up onto the railing before him.  Worried, he was about to open his eyes and step forth, ready to pull her to safety when she reached back and lay a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

    "Do you trust me," he heard her whisper, her voice soft against his ear.

    Goliath could only nod his head, swearing that he felt the soft brush of her velvety lips against him.  And then she was pulling him forward and up, till he too was standing on the railing, her snugly between him and the outer railing.  The feelings.. the feeling of her warm body pressed so intimately against his own, the only thing that held him back from the unseen world, the feeling of the brisk wind blowing his own dark hair back, the feeling of her soft tresses caressing against his chest, and then the feeling of her hands pulling his arms till they were wrapped around her, her soft hands on his.  Then, ever so gently he felt her pull his arms away from her body and out to the side until they spread out straight, her shorter arms even with his.

    "Okay.. open them," she whispered.

    Sighing, Goliath slowly opened up his eyes, only to gasp at what he saw... which was nothing but the ocean spread out before him.  From his perspective, all he saw in his field of vision was water; it was as though there were no ship underneath them at all, just the two of them soaring.  There was nothing but the two of them, the crash of the water far below, and the soft breeze blowing past them.  "I.. I'm flying!" Goliath cried out in delight, hearing Elisa's laughter mix with his own.  Suddenly, her soft voice reached his hears.. she was singing.

    "Love can touch just one time, but last for a lifetime," she sang softly, her eyes twinkling as she watched the sun set off in the distance.  Soon, the colors were all blending together like the Creator above was mixing the colors of the rainbow on an artist's palette.  Smiling dreamily, she leaned back against the solid structure of Goliath's chest behind her.  If only this moment could last forever.  Suddenly, she felt his fingers creep down till  they were gently clasping hers, still flying through the sky.  And then, he slowly brought his arms in till they were both wrapped around her slim waist.

    Smiling, Goliath wrapped his fingers through hers, their fingers caressing through and around each other like the bodies of two lovers.  Sighing, he tipped his face down and forward into her blowing hair, letting the scent of her wash over him.  And then, his cheek was resting against her ear, her warm skin touching his own.

    Sighing, Elisa knew that this moment could never end.. it was far too perfect.  Feeling the soft touch of his cheek, Elisa slowly turned her head till her lips were against his.  Ever so slowly, she lowered his arms which were wrapped so tightly around her and turned even more until their lips met.  In that instant, Elisa knew that she would never leave him.  Sighing, Elisa twisted her head even further and leaned into the kiss, her arm moving up till it was wrapped around his neck, feeling his own arms tighten against her.

    Like that, both Goliath and Elisa surrendered to each other, to the emotion, and to the inevitable.  The kiss was slow at first, but then gradually it began to build with passion.  Just as they thought they could continue no longer, the hot and fiery sun finally made its final dip beneath the horizon, casting their kiss into darkness.

Goliath's Suite

    Laughing, Elisa and Goliath pulled open the ornate wooden door and stepped into the connected suites from the deserted hallway.  "Wow," Elisa breathed in amazement as she looked over the amazing decorations.  It was so.. so opulent.  Like nothing that she had ever seen before.  Everywhere she looked she saw beautiful woodwork and satin upholstery -- it was similar to the glory of the dining saloon from the previous evening, but to an even higher degree.  "And you're staying here?" Elisa asked in amazement as she slowly undid the holster of her gun and dropped the weapon onto a nearby settee.

    Sighing, Goliath barely gave the room a once over before turning back to the woman who had so captured his heart.  "Yes... it's not much, but it will do."

    "Not much?!" Elisa gasped in amazement.  "This is.. it's... incredible!" she breathed as she continued to circle the room in amazement.

    Laughing at the look of wide eyed astonishment, Goliath shook his head.  He wondered if at any point in his life if he had ever been this amazed by the luxury that surrounded him -- sadly enough, he didn't believe so.

    Breaking out of her reverie, Elisa nervously pushed her black hair out of her face.  Strangely, she felt out of place in this room of luxury -- it definitely wasn't the kind of stuff that she was used to.  Shaking her head, she realized that she would be afraid to sit on the furniture found in the room, too afraid of wrecking such nice things.  "Well, what did you want me to see?" she asked, turning expectantly to Goliath.  In all honesty, Goliath's suite was the last place that she wanted to be right then.

    Nodding his head, Goliath noted Elisa's nervousness.  He couldn't blame her.  Turning, he hurried into Demona's suite and went straight for the safe.  Curious, Elisa followed behind and watched in mute fascination as he expertly began turning the dial.  "Demona insists on lugging this thing everywhere," he said absently, his voice low as the door of the safe finally clicked open.

    As she watched Goliath remove a cloth covered object, she slowly traced her path back into the main salon.  "Speaking of which, should we be expecting her anytime soon?" Elisa asked, her voice effectively hiding her nervousness.  Once again, she was not enjoying her time in this suite.  It would be even worse if Goliath's fiancée arrived, for she remembered all too well her razor sharp talons.

    Smiling, Goliath followed Elisa into the room and stood before her.  "Not as long as the bickering over whose company is better holds out," he said, his smile soft.  Then, before she could say anything else, Goliath quickly uncovered the object he held.

    Gasping, Elisa stared at the object in Goliath's hand.  It was beautiful -- a golden object about the size of the palm of her hand with the crescent of a phoenix inlaid in some sort of blue stone.  "What is it?" she asked, her voice awed.  "Is it gold?"

    "Yes, but that is not the reason that it is so important," Goliath whispered quietly, staring at the object between them.  "It is called the Phoenix Gate.  According to some, it is a magical artifact that can be used to travel through time."

    "Time travel?" Elisa asked, her voice skeptical.

    "Yes," Goliath answered, his voice low and solemn.  "Many would pay a fortune to lay their hands on it."

    "And.. it's Demona's?" Elisa asked, unsure as to where Goliath was leading with this.

    "No.  She gave it to me as an engagement gift," Goliath answered, his voice turning bitter.

    Sighing, Elisa slowly looked up into Goliath's eyes.  She knew that no words would help him right now.  Staring into those onyx eyes, Elisa knew that a world of pain was held within -- a world of pain that he always strived to keep hidden.  But he couldn't keep it hidden from her.  Stepping forward, Elisa slowly reached up her hands and wrapped them around Goliath's neck.  Reaching forward, Elisa pulled Goliath's head down till his lips met hers once more.

    Completely forgotten, the Phoenix Gate clattered to the floor as Goliath reached out and wrapped his strong arms around her small waist.  As the kiss deepened, Goliath realized that he loved this brave woman that stood before him.  They would be together till the end of time, and nothing, nothing, would take her away from him.

    Finally, the kiss was broken as Elisa decided that if she didn't have air soon, she would pass out.  Gasping, she grinned up into his dark eyes, her own teasing and full of light.  "Let's get out of here," she said, a mischievous look upon her face.

    Returning the smile, Goliath quickly reached down and picked up the Phoenix Gate from its position on the floor.  "Let me just put this back," he rumbled, his voice low.  "You can wait for me in the promenade if you'd like," he said, indicating the room that he had dined in with Demona just that morning.

    Smiling, Elisa nodded her head and stepped into the long room.  Walking forward, she slowly rested her head against the cool glass and stared out into the night beyond.  The night was unending... completely, unending.

First Class Smoking Room

    Sighing, MacBeth entered through the ornate doors, a cloud of smoke instantly billowing around him.  Gagging, he moved forward to the table where he knew he would find his boss, all the while wondering why she would sit in such filth when there was so much clean air to be found just outside the doors.  Of course, the reason was obvious: to brag about Nightstone and to try to weasel trade secrets out of her companions.  Then again, what else would be new about Demona?  "None of the stewards have seen him," he muttered quietly as he finally reached his mistress, bending low so that only she would hear his words.

    Instantly, Demona felt her eyes burn a deep red.  "This is ridiculous, MacBeth," she hissed, trying to keep her voice low.  "We are on a ship -- he must be somewhere!  Find him!"

Bridge

    Sighing, Broadway leaned against the window and stared out into the dark night.  This was not a good night to be traveling in such a large ship, let alone at such high speeds.  Still, he knew better than to try and counter his captain's orders.  Flexing his wings, Broadway tried to work out the kinks that had developed from his lack of gliding.  "I don't think that I've ever seen such a flat calm," he said quietly, looking over to his captain.

    Nodding her head, Chavez quickly massaged her temples.  "Yes... like a mill pond," she said, looking over at her blue companion.  "Not a breath of wind."

    "It will make the ice burgs harder to see, with no breaking water at the base," Broadway said quietly, hoping that his Captain would agree and do the sensible thing: slow the ship down.  Deep down, he knew that Mr. Jon Canmore was responsible for the captain increasing the speed as she had.  He had bullied the woman into it with promise of glory.  Shaking his head, Broadway knew that there would come no glory from disaster.

    "Mmmm," was Chavez's only response.  "Well, I'm off.  Maintain speed and heading, Broadway," she ordered as she began heading towards one of the many doors that would lead off of the bridge.

    "Yes ma'am," Broadway said quickly, trying to hide his disappointment.

    "And wake me, of course, if anything becomes in the slightest degree doubtful," she called out, almost as in afterthought.

    Sighing, Broadway chose to not even respond to that one.  After all, to his trained eye, things looked doubtful right now.

Goliath's Suite

    Smiling softly, Goliath quickly finished the note that he had written and then placed that, the Phoenix Gate, and Elisa's holster and gun into the safe.  Closing it quickly, Goliath spun the lock and then turned towards the promenade where Elisa waited.  "Well, are you-"

    His words were cut short when Goliath heard a key turning in the lock in the next room.  Meeting Elisa's panicked eyes, Goliath quickly reached forward and grabbed Elisa's hand.  Hurrying, the two rushed into Goliath's suite, closing the door firmly behind them.  "But my gun!" Elisa protested quietly as they heard MacBeth's voice call out.

    "Goliath?  Are you here?"

    Knowing instantly who was speaking, Goliath motioned for Elisa to be quiet as they slipped out the other remaining door and into the hallway beyond.  But even as the door clicked shut behind Goliath, he knew that the manservant had heard.  Turning, he grabbed Elisa's hand and began dragging her down the hallway towards the B-deck foyer.

    Laughing, Elisa tried making her companion slow down when she heard a door slam shut behind her.  Curious, she turned quickly and was shocked to see MacBeth's cold eyes trained on them.  "Come on!" she cried out quickly as she jumped into the lead and began pulling Goliath behind her.  A quick look back confirmed that the manservant was hot on their tail.  Turning, Elisa saw that she had no idea where they were.

    Noticing this, Goliath retook his leadership position and pulled Elisa towards one of the elevators that lined the wall before them.  Jumping inside, he quickly reached forward and pulled the gate shut before turning to the young operator who stood before them.  "Take us down.  Hurry!" Goliath cried out, his voice on the brink of a roar.

    Surprised, the man quickly pushed the switch and the elevator slowly began its descent.  Looking up, Goliath watched at MacBeth finally reached the gate and slammed his hands against the bars, seeing his prey escaping.

    Laughing, Elisa waved up at the man above them, a smirk on her face.  Then, before she even realized what she was doing, she quickly lifted her hand and flipped the man off.

    Shaking his head, Goliath shared in her laughter.  A moment later, the elevator came to a stop.  Laughing, Goliath quickly reached forward and opened the metal bar.  Grabbing Elisa's hands, they quickly ran through and into the deserted e-deck foyer beyond.  Turning, he saw a set of stairs that were labeled F-Deck.  Knowing that there was no place else to go, Elisa and Goliath darted forward together and hurried down the stairs.  Laughing, they then ducked behind a door and stopped to catch their breaths.

    Grinning, Elisa slowly turned to face her companion, who was also out of breath.  "What was this guy, a cop?" she asked, her voice light as she looked back through the way they had come.

    "I believe so," Goliath answered, completely catching Elisa by surprise.  She had been joking!

    Shaking her head, she looked once more to where they had come from and froze on the spot, for she was looking into the icy blue eyes of the man that was pursuing them.  "Run!" she yelled, the smile still evident on her face as she grabbed Goliath's hand once more and ran down the deserted hall.  Trying to evade him, they quickly turned a corner as one... and were faced with a dead end.

    "Now what?" Goliath asked, trying to catch his breath.

    Biting her lip, Elisa turned and was about to head back out when a door, nearly hidden in the wall, caught her attention.  Paying no heed to the 'CREW ONLY' sign that was prominently displayed, she quickly threw open the door and pulled Goliath within.  Instantly, the couple were nearly knocked off of their feet by the loud roaring of the machinery found within the room.  Laughing, Elisa turned and watched as Goliath quickly threw the dead bolt.  And not a moment to soon, for seconds later, MacBeth, or so they assumed, began to beat the door from the opposite side.

    "Once again, now what?" Goliath yelled, trying to be heard over the din of the machinery.

    "The ladder?" Elisa asked, her smile contagious once more as Goliath stared into her twinkling eyes.

    "Ladies first," he said, nodding towards the gaping hole in the floor.

    Laughing, Elisa quickly started down the ladder and was amazed to see that they were now in the boiler rooms!  Everywhere she looked she saw grimy men and women slaving away to feed the gigantic boilers, fire brimming out at each opening and sweat glistening everywhere.  It was as though they had entered a furnace itself, the heat overpowering her.  A second later, she felt Goliath's reassuring presence at her back.

    "Where are we?" he murmured, never before seeing a sight like this.  If there was such a place as hell, he would imagine that it resembled this place to some degree.

    "The boiler rooms!" Elisa yelled, trying to be heard over the roar of the fires.  "Come on!" she said as she turned and began running down the length of the room, Goliath following close behind.  As the heat seared his skin, he made sure to keep his wings cloaked firmly around him.

    Suddenly, they came to another door that marked the end of the room.  All caution being abandoned, Goliath reached forward and shoved the door open, ushering Elisa in before him as he closed the door behind.  Instantly, the change in temperature became apparent as Elisa pulled the red jacket closer against her skin.  Goliath, however, could barely note the change in temperature, his thick skin protection against such inconveniences.  Stepping forward, he stretched his arm out and rested it gently around her shoulders, pulling her close.

    Noting this, Elisa turned and smiled up at him.  Then, as a pair, the two slowly moved into the large room.  From the number of boxes and crates that were stacked to the ceiling, it was fairly easy to deduce that they were in one of the many cargo holds.  Fearlessly, they stepped further into the room, exploring its depths.  But then Elisa felt Goliath pause beside her.  Concerned, she turned and stared up into his onyx eyes.  The fiery look within caused her heart to pause.  "Goliath..." she began, her voice soft.

    Instantly, Goliath raised a single lavender finger and gently placed it against her warm lips.  Turning, he stood before her and looked down at her beauty.  Then, very gently, he extended his wings before wrapping them protectively around them.  In the darkness of their folds, he dipped his head and searched for her lips in the darkness.  Immediately, his search was answered by her own hungry kiss.

    Reaching up, Elisa trailed her hands, like soft butterfly wings, along the broad expanse of his chest before finally resting around his neck.  Sighing into the kiss, she felt Goliath wrap his arms tightly around her.  In that moment, she knew that her heart had been lost to this giant forever.  She was his.

Boiler Room Six

    Shaking his head, Jason Canmore tried to be heard over the roaring of the fires around him.  "Did you see where they went?" he asked of a large, burly man that was busy feeding coal into the pits of fire.

    "Ya, thatta way," he growled as he tried to concentrate on his work, barely pausing long enough to point in the direction of the cargo bay.

    "Yeah, thanks schmuck," Dracon muttered under his breath as he and Jason began weaving their way towards the indicated room.

Demona's Suite

    Hissing in anger, Demona reread the note that she had clutched so firmly in her blue hand:  My Angel of the Night, now you can keep us BOTH locked in your safe, Goliath.  Growling, her eyes that deadly red, Demona looked once more at the Phoenix Gate and the unfamiliar gun and holster that lay within the safe.  Grabbing the gun, she was just about to smash it in her hands when she paused and turned to her manservant.  "I have a better idea," she murmured, the glow departing from her eyes instantly, her voice civil.

    For some reason, MacBeth found that change all the more disturbing.

Cargo Hold

    Sighing, Jason and Dracon slowly moved throughout the large hold.  They knew that the two had to be in there somewhere.  It was just a matter of finding out where.  Shaking his head, Jason knew that it was going to be a long night.

Forward Well Deck

    Laughing, Elisa quickly slipped into the dark night.  Right away, the cold air became apparent to her as she once more pulled the jacket tight against her.  A few seconds later, Goliath followed her out, closing the door firmly behind him.  Shaking her head, Elisa stepped into his warm arms.  "That was close," she murmured, snuggling her head against his broad chest.

    Smiling at the feeling, Goliath knew that the time had come.  Very gently he reached one taloned hand down and tilted Elisa's head up towards him.  "Elisa... when this ship docks.. I'm getting off with you," he said, his low voice going straight to her heart.

    Shaking her head, Elisa stared up into Goliath's dark eyes.  She couldn't believe what she had heard.. surely she had heard wrong.  But as she looked into those dark eyes, she saw the truth revealed there.  "This is crazy," she whispered, shaking her head as a large smile pulled up the corners of her red lips.

    Breaking into a sudden smile, Goliath nodded his head in agreement.  "I know.  It doesn't make any sense -- but that's why I trust it so much."

    For some reason, once more his words spoke to her heart.  Leaning forward, Elisa reached up and pulled Goliath's mouth down to hers.  As their lips met, Elisa knew the truth.

Crow's Nest

    Shivering, Talon suddenly wished that his fur was thicker as he watched the flat sea for danger.  Suddenly, the sound of laughter below caught his attention.  Curious, he turned his gaze away from the sea and watched in amusement as a tall gargoyle leaned down to share a passionate kiss with a beautiful human.  "Hey Maggie, look at that!" he cried out, nudging his partner.

    Surprised, Maggie took her eyes away from the sea and moved beside Talon, thankful for his warmth.  As her eyes took in the sight below, a small smile played on her lips.  "They're probably more warm right now than we are," she said, the smile turning coy.

    Shocked at her words, Talon turned suddenly and looked at the mutant before him.  She was a vision of beauty in the darkness.  Acting instinctively, Talon darted forward and planted a firm kiss on her lips.  At first, he felt her recoil, but soon, her arms wrapped around his.

    A few seconds later, thought finally returned to her muddled brain.  Laughing, Maggie pushed Talon away.  "Well, if that's what it takes for us two to get warm, I'd rather wait till later.. if it's all the same to you, that is?" she said, her voice teasing.

    Smiling, Talon was about to respond when a picture from his worst nightmare loomed before him.  "Oh my God," he stuttered, taking in the sight of the massive iceberg, barely discernable in the darkness.  Turning, he roughly pushed Maggie aside and snatched up the phone that was his only communication with the bridge.  "Hurry up and pick up!" he muttered to the phone as he waited for their salvation.

Bridge

    Sighing, Sixth Officer Morgan tried his best to ignore the ringing of the phone, but to no avail.  Muttering under his breath about not another ice warning, he slowly walked up and picked up the receiver, wary of his aging bones.

    Immediately, a loud and panicked voice rang over the line.  "Is someone there?"

    "Yes, what do you see?" he asked, instantly alert as he realized that it was the Crow's Nest that was ringing through.

    "Iceberg right ahead!" the voice called through, tinged with panic.

    "Yes, thank you," Morgan said, his voice remaining calm while inside he was pure turmoil.  Quickly he hung up the phone and turned back towards the bridge.  "Iceberg right ahead!" he yelled, meeting First Officer Broadway's eyes.

    As the adrenaline rushed through Broadway's system, he quickly dashed to one of the windows and saw the massive behemoth that they were quickly approaching.  "Hard to starboard!" he yelled out, his eyes glowing white as he knew that they would never make it in time.

    "Hard to starboard.  The helm is hard over, sir," Morgan replied quickly as he stared over the helmsman's shoulder.

    "Oh no," Broadway breathed, his eyes returning to the mountain of ice.  A few minutes or seconds later, which he would never know for sure, the bow finally began to come to the left.  Clenching his jaw, he watched as they turned with agonizing slowness, knowing that his job was already done and that now it was just time for the physics to play out.

Crow's Nest

    "Oh God, Talon," Maggie cried out as she stepped into the arms of the one that she loved.  "We're not going to make it, are we?" she asked, watching with a fascinated horror as the ship slowly began to turn.

    Shaking his head, Talon held his love close as he watched the iceberg loom before them.  And then, the waiting was over as a horrendous crunching noise filled the night as the RMS Titanic hit the iceberg.  Closing his eyes, Talon could just imagine the deadly sheets of ice as they smashed into the steel hull plates, bumping and scraping along the side of the ship as rivets popped and as the steel plates of the hull eventually flexed under the load.

Cargo Hold

    "Man, they are not in here!" Jason groaned as he looked in yet another dark corner of the hold.

    Whatever answer Tony Dracon was about to give was cut short as a series of holes suddenly appeared in the wall of the ship.  Stopped to the point of speechlessness, the two porters watched in horror as the large popping and tearing sound stopped and was replaced by the rush of water.

    "Let's get out of here!" Tony shouted above the din as freezing cold water began to swirl around their feet.

    Needing no further coercion, Jason Canmore quickly joined his friend in a mad dash for the stairs -- for their lives.

Forward Well Deck

    Just as Elisa thought that she could maintain her lip lock with Goliath for no longer, a loud scraping sound filled the dark night.  Startled, Elisa stepped back quickly and looked up in wonder as a large sheet of ice passed by, inches from the bow of the ship.  And then, it was no longer inches from the ship but instead rubbing by the side.

    Crying out in horror, Goliath acted quickly and pulled Elisa away from the side as large chunks of flying ice rained down around them.

Bridge

    Moving with a speed that belied his great size, Broadway quickly crossed the large bridge and pulled the switch that would close the watertight doors.  "Hard to port!" he yelled out, returning to the window, the bridge a flurry of activity around him.

Forward Well Deck

    Shaking their heads in amazement, Goliath and Elisa moved as one to the side of the ship, slipping over the mess of ice.  Turning, they watched as the large iceberg moved aft down the side of the large ship.

Magus's Stateroom

    Sighing, the Magus slowly made an adjustment to the figures that were sitting before him.  Suddenly, he felt a small shudder run through the ship.  Instantly, his eyes looked up to the tinkling chandelier above him.  Too much of his soul was in this great ship that it was impossible for him not to feel the mortal wound of his ship.

First Class Smoking Room

    Sighing, Xanatos concentrated on the game going on before him.  And then, his eyes tightened on his highball before him as it began to vibrate.  That was not supposed to happen.

Palm Court

    Shaking her head, Diane slowly twirled the contents of her drink in the fine crystal glass as she stared into the nearly empty room.  Behind her, a large window stood facing out into the dark night beyond.  "Excuse me, can I get some ice, please?" she called out suddenly to a young waiter who was striding past her table.

    Nodding his head, the young man was about to pour some more ice into the glass as a large sheet of the stuff filled the window behind her before disappearing astern.

Crow's Nest

    "Talon, that was close, wasn't it?" she asked, her voice on the tinge of panic.

    "Oh my God, we hit an iceberg," Talon said, still seeing the vision of the large mountain of ice crash against the mighty ship.

Bridge

    Shaking his head, Broadway stared emptily out into the dark night.  He couldn't believe what had just happened.  He had just run the biggest ship in history into an iceberg on its maiden voyage.  They hit an iceberg!  "Note the time.  Enter it in the log," he said, his voice low and quiet as he glanced over at Morgan, the black man's face holding a wealth of sadness and despair.

    Suddenly, there was a commotion at one of the doors to the bridge.  Turning, Broadway watched as Captain Chavez rushed onto the deck, tucking in her white shirt as she went.

    "What was that, Broadway?" she asked, her voice trying to remain calm.

    "An iceberg, ma'am," Broadway replied, his voice filled with regret and sadness.  "I put her hard to starboard and ran the engines full astern, but it was too close.  I tried to port around it, but she hit... and I-"

    "Close the emergency doors," Chavez interrupted quickly, grasping the seriousness of the situation just by her First Officer's shock.

    "The doors are closed," Broadway replied as he followed his captain onto the starboard wing of the ship.  Turning, he pointed towards the back of the ship to where the iceberg had disappeared.

    "Find the Carpenter and get him to sound the ship," Captain Chavez finally said, her voice low and grave.

G-Deck Forward

    Shaking his head, Matt wondered briefly as to what all the commotion was about as he stumbled out of his and Elisa's room that they shared with the two foreigners.  Exhausted, he wiped the sleep from his eyes as he saw a swarm of rats, dozens of them, run past him down the corridor.  Shocked, he watched as a slow tide of water crept up that same hall, chasing the rats' long pink tales.  "Uh oh," he muttered quietly.

Brooklyn's Stateroom

    As the crash resounded throughout the ship, Brooklyn was startled out of his deep sleep.  "What in the-" he broke off as he jumped off of the top bunk of his bed... and into a pool of freezing water.  All sleepiness instantly vanishing from the cold shock, Brooklyn stumbled over to the wall and snapped on the light.  The sight before him stopped him even colder than the water, for the floor was covered in about three inches of water -- and more was coming in.  Shocked, Brooklyn quickly capped his red wings around his shoulder as he yanked open his door and stumbled into the flooded corridor.

    "Brooklyn!" Matt called out, his voice on the verge of panic as he reached his friend in the corridor.  "Come on, the ship is sinking!  We have to wake everyone up!" he yelled.

    Instantly, a strong urge to protect his fellow shipmates surged through Brooklyn's red body.  Nodding, he quickly helped his new friend to spread the alarm, pounding on doors, word of the sinking ship spreading in several different languages.

Forward Well Deck

    Shaking her head, Elisa stared at the disappearing berg in the dark night.  "It looks okay.. I don't see anything," she muttered, turning her dark eyes to those of her companion.

    "Could it have damaged the ship?" Goliath asked, his voice betraying his worried thoughts.

    "Well.. it didn't seem like much of a bump," Elisa said thoughtfully as she clasped her cold hand onto Goliath's warm shoulder.  "I'm sure we're okay," she said, raising her voice to be heard over the hooting of some of her fellow steerage passengers who were busy kicking around some of the ice that was spread around the deck.

Steerage Forward

    Struggling against the rush of passengers that clogged the small corridor, Brooklyn continued aft away from the flooding. Smiling wryly, he turned towards his friend.  "If this is the direction the rats were running, it's good enough for me."

    Shaking his head, Matt nodded his head briefly at his friend.  "Good point.  I just hope that Elisa is alright."

Interior Corridor on B Deck

    Muttering under his breath about being late for docking, Jon Canmore pulled his topcoat tighter around his pajamas as he hurried down the luxurious corridor.  "Those morons better have the problem fixed by the time I get there," he muttered as he headed for the bridge, ignoring the other passengers and stewards that he passed.

    Overhearing his boss, Glasses smiled at the crowd of passengers that were tailing him, rapidly firing off questions to him.  "There's no cause for alarm.  Please, go back to your rooms," he said, pushing his glasses back onto his proud nose as he headed down the hall, slowly urging others to return to their staterooms.  Suddenly, a large man with a shock of white hair stepped in his path.  "Please, sir.  There's no emergency-"

    "Yes there is!" Demona growled as she pushed her manservant aside and got right in front of the little porter.  "I have been robbed," she hissed, her eyes glowing a deadly red color.  "Now get me the Master at Arms.  Now you moron!" she hissed when she saw that the man wasn't moving fast enough.

    "Yes.. yes ma'am," Glasses stuttered as he quickly hurried around the angry gargess.

Bridge, Chartroom

    Sighing, Maria Chavez wearily rubbed the bridge of her nose.  "A five degree list in less than ten minutes," she muttered as she turned her dark eyes on the Magus.

    "Yes," the Magus sighed as he laid a pile of maps and diagrams before the Captain.  "She's making water fast... in the forepeak tank and the forward holds, in boiler room six..." he said, pointing out the places as he went.

    "Why have we stopped?" a sudden, angry voice broke in on the Magus's explanation.

    Annoyed, Captain Chavez glanced up into the angry eyes of the White Star Line owner.  "We've struck ice, Mr. Canmore," she said, her tone just as icy.

    "Well, how long till the ship is under way?" he asked, still showing his irritation at the delay that this would cost the trip.

    Shaking her head, Captain Chavez glared at the impudent man.  "Excuse me," she said icily as she brushed by him, the Magus hot on her tail.

B-Deck forward, Well Deck

    Laughing, Xanatos quickly joined another first class passenger at the railing and looked down at the multitude of steerage passengers who were busying themselves with a game of soccer, the ice their ball.  "Say, did I miss the fun?" he asked, rubbing a hand through his goatee as he pulled his top coat closer around his pajamas.

    Before the other man could answer, he watched in amazement as Goliath, Demona's fiancé, climbed over the locked gate that separated the classes.  Even more astonishing was that Elisa Maza was closely in tow behind.  Once more, before he could say anything about the unusual combination, a loud group of voices could be heard.  Puzzled, he watched as Captain Chavez and the Magus trailed past him, their faces grim.

    "Can you shore up?" Chavez asked, her voice hopeful.

    "Not unless the pumps get ahead," the Magus replied quickly, his voice grim.

    Overhearing this, Elisa slowly shook her head and looked into Goliath's dark eyes.  "It's bad," she whispered, her voice meant only for him.

    Sighing, Goliath nodded his head in agreement.  "We have to tell Hudson and Demona."

    Unable to keep her frown from appearing on her face, Elisa looked up into his dark eyes.  "Now, it's worse."

    Smiling lightly, Goliath reached down and gently cupped her smooth chin in his large hand.  "Come with me, Elisa.  I fight, you fight... right?" he asked, his voice low.

    Returning his smile, Elisa reached up and took his hand into hers.  "Right," she said as she followed Goliath through the door inside the ship.

B-Deck Foyer, Corridor

    Steeling herself, Elisa gripped Goliath's hand tightly in her own and moved beside him as they left the foyer and entered the corridor that would lead to his suite.  Right away, both of their eyes met the cold blue eyes of MacBeth.

    "We've been looking for you, Goliath," MacBeth said, his tone icy as he followed closely behind the couple as they entered the room.  Stepping even closer, he brushed past Elisa and dropped an object unseen into her coat pocket and then stepped into the room.

    Sighing, Goliath squeezed Elisa's hand gently and stepped fully into the room, she always at his side.  Before them stood a jumble of people, their voices loud and raised.  Instantly, though, the room fell silent as all eyes turned to them.  Clearing his throat, Goliath looked across the room and met the eyes of Hudson, Demona, Glasses, and Coldstone in turn.  "Something serious has happened," he said quietly, his voice smooth, all the while wondering why the Master at Arms had been summoned.

    "That's right," Demona said, her voice cool as she slowly crossed the room to stand before Goliath and Elisa.  Turning, she stared into the onyx eyes of her love.  "Two things dear to me have disappeared this evening.  Now that one is back, I have a pretty good idea where to find the other," she hissed as she turned and glared darkly at the shorter human.  "Search her," she commanded as she stepped back.

    As confusion covered her face, Elisa watched as the large, cybernetically enhanced gargoyle stepped forward and gently pushed Goliath away from her.  Alone and feeling vulnerable, she glared at Coldstone as he pulled off her red bomber jacket and tossed it to MacBeth.  "This is ridiculous!" she cried as the larger gargoyle started patting her down.

    "Demona, you cannot be serious!" Goliath growled, his eyes burning white as he turned away from Elisa's pleading stare and looked into his fiancée's eyes.  "We are in the middle of an emergency and you-"

    Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice interrupted his tirade.  "Is this it?"

    Turning, Goliath watched in horror as the porter, a tall black man with glasses, pulled the Phoenix Gate out of a pocket of the jacket that Elisa had been wearing.  Shocked, Goliath stared at the artifact before turning a confused glance to Elisa.

    "Yes, that is it," Demona said, her voice cool as she stepped forward and took the Phoenix Gate from the man.

    "Right then," Coldstone said quietly as he turned his one good eye and one cybernetic enhancement to the woman before him.  "Now, don't make a fuss," he ordered as he hauled out a pair of familiar handcuffs and clasped them tightly around her wrists, making her wince in pain.

    "What?" she asked, confused at the sudden turn of events.  How could the Phoenix Gate have gotten into her pocket?  "Goliath, you don't believe it, do you?" she asked, her voice holding a note of pleading as she stared into his dark eyes.  All she saw within was a well of confusion.

    "She couldn't have," Goliath murmured quietly, his voice uncertain as he glanced into Elisa's dark eyes.

    "Of course she could have," Demona purred into Goliath's ear.  "Easy enough for a professional.  She probably memorized the combination when you opened the safe."

    "But.. but I was with her the whole time," Goliath murmured, his uncertainty increasing with each of Demona's words.

    "Maybe she did it while you were writing your note," Demona purred, her lips right beside Goliath's ear.

    Shaking her head, Elisa struggled in Coldstone's grip.  She had no idea what Demona was saying to Goliath, but by the way he was now looking at her, Elisa knew that it couldn't be good for her side.  "They put it in my pocket!" she argued, her eyes pleading with Goliath's to see logic.

    Clearing his throat, MacBeth once more entered the scene.  "It's not even your pocket, is it?" he asked coldly as he pulled back the collar of the red bomber jacket, revealing a small white label.  "Property of Annie Thompson," he said, reading the tag aloud.

    Sighing, Coldstone accepted the red coat from the manservant and inspected the label for himself.  "That was reported stolen today," he said, nodding his head at the people in the room.

    Upon hearing MacBeth's words, Elisa felt as though the floor was going to drop out from beneath her.  That little bit of news did not help her case any.  "I.. I was going to return it!  Goliath..." Elisa called out, her voice desperate now as she stared into Goliath's dark eyes.  Now, his eyes showed a different emotion: hurt and betrayal.  "No," Elisa whispered, tears in her eyes as Coldstone began dragging her from the room.  For some reason, seeing that Goliath didn't believe in her was worse than what was actually happening.  "Goliath, don't listen to them!" she yelled, her voice cracking.  "I didn't do this!  You know I didn't!  You know it!" Elisa yelled as she slowly disappeared from sight.

Bridge Chartroom

    Moving with a speed that belied his age, the Magus quickly rolled out a diagram of the ship across the chartroom table.  On the other hand, the shaking evident in his hands as he pointed out various points on the diagram to Captain Chavez, First Officer Broadway, and Mr. Canmore had nothing to do with age.

    "When can we get underway?" Canmore demanded, his voice shrill as he tried to get the attention of the people gathered.

    Hissing under her breath, Chavez glared at the man, hoping to silence him for a little while before turning her attention back to the Magus's drawing.

    "Water fourteen feet above the keel in ten minutes," the Magus explained as he quickly pointed to the spot on the diagram.  "In the forepeak... in all three holds.. and in boiler room six."

    "That's right," Chavez quickly confirmed, her worried eyes resting on the blasted drawing.

    "Five compartments," the Magus breathed, his worst nightmare coming to life.  "She can stay afloat with the first four compartments breached, but not five.  Not five," he repeated, his voice grim.  "As she goes down by the head the water will spill over the tops of the bulkheads.... at E Deck," he said, indicating the spot on the diagram, "from one to the next.... back and back.  There's no stopping it."

    Not believing what she was hearing, Captain Chavez quickly shook her head.  "The pumps..."

    Knowing what his captain was about to say, the Magus quickly interrupted.  "The pumps buy you time... but minutes only.  From this moment on," he continued, his voice grim, "no matter what we do, Titanic will founder."

    "But.. but this ship can't sink!" Jon Canmore said quickly, fear making his eyes grow wide.

    Shaking his head, the Magus decided that he had quite enough of this pompous little man.  "She is made of iron, sir," he said quickly, as though speaking to a two year old.  "I assure you, she can.  And she will.  It is a mathematical certainty."

    Gasping softly, Captain Chavez reached out and gripped the table firmly, her eyes vacant as she thought over all of the souls that were on her ship.  "How much time?" she asked, her voice soft.

    Sighing, the Magus closed his eyes away from his beloved diagrams.  Aye, a mathematical certainty... right now, he hated math.  "An hour.. two at most."

    "And.. how many aboard, Broadway?" she asked, her voice growing tight as fear clamped its clammy hands on her heart.

    "Two thousand two hundred souls aboard, ma'am," Broadway said quietly, knowing in that instant that not all of those souls would survive the night.

    Fighting back tears of desperation, Chavez forced her weak knees to strengthen and her gaze to turn steely as she glanced at the owner of the line.  "I believe you may get your headlines, Mr. Canmore," she said softly, her voice hard and her eyes accusing.

Goliath and Demona's Suite

    Sighing, Hudson looked sadly down upon his student.  From the stricken expression that covered Goliath's mighty features, he knew that his heart had been broken.  "I 'ad better go git me sword," Hudson muttered quietly, excusing himself from the room.

    As soon as Hudson was gone, Demona finally threw off her cloak of nonchalance as she stormed across the room to stand before her 'love.'  "That steerage trash is quite the little slut, isn't she?" she hissed, her eyes burning red with anger.  Instantly, her anger doubled as she noticed that Goliath wasn't even giving her the time of day, so lost in his thoughts as he was.  Growling, Demona slapped her love across the face and then grabbed his shoulders roughly, her talons digging into his lavender skin.  "Look at me, you little..."

    Suddenly, a loud knock at the door interrupted her tirade.  Annoyed, she turned and watched as the same steward with the thick glasses opened the door and stepped inside.  "Ma'am, I've been told to ask you to please put on your lifebelt and come up to the boat deck," he said, his voice filled with that annoying cheerfulness that Demona hated so much.

    "Get out!" she roared, her eyes blazing red as she stared down at the puny mortal.  "We're busy," she finished in a more subdued tone of voice.

    But, to her shock the steward persisted as he went in to get the lifebelts down from the top of a dresser.  It was as if he were unafraid of her, perfectly illogical as it was.  "I'm sorry about the inconvenience, Demona," Glasses continued, sounding as un-sorry as you can get, "but it's Captain's orders.  Please dress warmly, it's quite cold tonight."  Turning, he then turned a practice eye on Goliath.  All at once he took in Goliath's vacant stare, the look of heartache so evident on his face, the deep red color that covered one lavender cheek, and the small puncture wounds on his shoulders.  All in all, he knew instantly what was happening.  

    Clearing his throat, he moved beside the large gargoyle and put a hand gently on the gargoyle's shoulders, finally making the gargoyle look up and take heed of his surroundings.  "Not to worry, sir, I'm sure it's just a precaution," he said.  While on the outside he sounded contrite, on the inside, he was glad that he had the opportunity to interrupt and stop whatever had been going on before he entered the room.

    Growling softly, Demona snatched the lifebelt from the steward and slowly called Hudson to join them in the room.  "This is ridiculous," she muttered as she dragged Hudson and Goliath from the room.

Steerage Berthing Aft

    In the dark, little Alexander shifted uncomfortably in his little bunk when the darkness was suddenly flooded by light.  Instantly scared, the little boy began to whimper quietly as one of the stewards that worked their hallway stuck his head in the room.

    "Everybody up.  Let's go.  Put your lifebelts on," he ordered, his voice rude yet urgent.

    Jerked from sleep by the man's voice, Fox quickly jumped out of her bed and gathered Alexander in her arms.  Turning, she walked quickly to the door and watched in confusion as the corridor became filled with her fellow passengers, some wearing life belts, but all dressed in their pajamas and rubbing sleep from their eyes.

    "Mommy?" Alex asked, his voice tiny and his eyes wide.

    "Shh, baby.. it's alright," Fox whispered reassuringly as she quickly stepped back into the room and proceeded to dress her son in his warmest clothing.  She had no idea what was going on, but she was going to go and find out.

A-Deck Foyer

    Sighing, Diane Maza slowly paced back and forth, pulling her top coat even closer as a door was opened and a gust of frigid air poured in.  "This is nonsense," she muttered to no one in particular.  "First we were all rudely awakened by the porters, instilled with a sense of urgency, and then rushed out here where nothing is going on."  Turning, she saw that some waiters were even passing out drinks while an orchestra started up with a waltz.  That was the last straw for her.  Turning, she snagged a young man who was nearly running past her.  Grabbing the man, she quickly drew her hand away as she saw that his clothing was soaked through and through.  "What's going on here?" she asked anyway, her voice cold.  "You got us all out of our warm beds and now we're sitting here doing nothing."

    After his close call in the hold, the last thing that Jason Canmore expected was abuse from the first class passengers.  Surprised, he quickly backed away from the woman and started up the stairs backwards, as if afraid to turn his back to her.  "Sorry, ma'am.. let me go find out," he stuttered as he turned and booked it up the stairs.

    Shaking her head in annoyance, Diane knew that she wouldn't be seeing that young man again in quite a while.

    Seeing this exchange, Demona hissed under her breath as she turned back to Hudson and Goliath.  "It's just the God damned humans doing everything by the book," she cursed, her eyes flaring red.

    Startled, Hudson eyed the young gargess beside him.  "Now, now lass," he said, his voice low.  "There be no need fer cussin', Demona."  Sighing, he quickly turned away and faced the young green gargoyle that was Goliath's constant companion.  "Lexington, go back and turn th' heater on in me room so it won't be too cold when we ge' back," Hudson ordered, to the young gargoyle who merely nodded his head before scampering off, his green tail swishing behind him.

    Amazed, Goliath noticed this exchange with tired eyes.  They still don't understand, he thought.  For some reason though, the news that the ship was sinking was nothing compared to the thought of Elisa's betrayal.  He had trusted her.. and then this?  Suddenly, a swath of brilliant white hair caught his attention.  Jumping forward, he barely realized that Demona was following close on his heels as he approached his friend.  "I saw the iceberg, Magus," he said quietly, his voice only intended for the builder standing before him.  "And I see it in your eyes," he continued, looking into the clear blue eyes that showed a wealth of wisdom that he'd rather not have.  "Please, tell me the truth."

    Sighing, the Magus stared up into the tall form before him.  This young lad had so much will and power -- yet a good heart beneath it all.  IIt was heartbreaking to think that his ship could spell the end for the lad.  "The ship will sink," he said, his voice firm yet sad.

    "You're certain?" Goliath asked, knowing the answer even before he asked it.

    "Yes.  In an hour or so.. all this," he continued, indicating the luxury that surrounded them, "will be at the bottom of the Atlantic."

    "My God!" Demona gasped, overhearing their conversation.  Stunned, she turned and regarded the beauty and people that surrounded her.  All the while, the stories of the unsinkable Titanic ran through her mind.  The Titanic?  Sinking?  But she thought it was impossible.. wasn't it?

    Ignoring the gargess, the Magus regarded Goliath with kind and tired eyes.  "Please, tell only who you must.  I don't want to be responsible for a panic," he said, his voice quiet.  "And get to a boat quickly!  Don't wait!  You remember what I told you about the boats?" he asked, his eyes turning blank.

    "Yes... I understand," Goliath said, his mind numb.  "Thank you."

    Nodding, the Magus quickly left the stunned gargoyles and began making rounds around the room, urging the stubborn passengers to put on their lifebelts and to get to the boats.

Master at Arms' Office

    Sighing, Elisa allowed the large gargoyle to lead her into his office, MacBeth close on her heels.  Turning, Coldstone pulled her roughly over towards the far wall and undid the handcuffs.  And, for the briefest of moments, Elisa allowed a flare of hope to fill her... only to be squashed right back down as he quickly clamped the cuffs back on after he twisted one hand around a large water pipe, effectively restraining her to the pipe.

    Suddenly, a young porter ran into the room, his orange fur bristling with anxiety.  "Yes, what is it Claw?" Coldstone asked quickly as he regarded Elisa coolly with one eye.

    Nodding his head, the mutant quickly began signing out something that only the large gargoyle could understand.

    "I'm wanted by the Purser?  Urgently?" Coldstone asked, slightly surprised by the request.  At the mutant's urgent nod, he knew that was the case.

    "Go on," MacBeth said quickly, knowing what was on the large gargoyle's mind.  "I'll keep an eye on her," he continued as he unslung his large laser canon from its strap around his back.

    Glancing at the large gun, Coldstone nodded quickly and tossed the handcuff key to the older man and then left the room, Claw hot on his tail.

    Sighing, Elisa tried to brush her long raven locks out of her face with the back of her hand.  "Well, this should be fun," she muttered as she watched MacBeth take a seat at the nearby desk, the key held firmly in his hand.

Bridge

    Panting, Morgan ran onto the bridge and headed straight for his captain.  "Carpathia says that they're making seventeen knots, full steam for them, ma'am," he said, running a hand through his graying hair.

    "And she's the only one who's responding?" Chavez asked quickly, looking at her weary sixth officer.

    "The only one close, Captain.  She says they can be here in four hours."

    "Four hours!" Chavez gasped.  It was at that moment that the enormity of the situation finally hit her.. like a sledgehammer blow.  "Thank you, Morgan," she said quietly as she turned to stare out into the dark night.  "My God."

Boat Deck

    Sighing, Angela looked around at the crowd of First Class passengers that surrounded her.  All wore looks of uncertainty as they regarded the boats that the crew were working on.  Turning, she saw that one first class woman was barefoot while others were in stockings, top hats, overcoats, evening dress, bathrobes, and kimonos.  Shaking her head, she realized that some of the passengers were even wearing their lifebelts over their velvet gowns and then topping it with their sable soles.  Growing slightly disgusted, she turned away from the passengers, trying to ignore the fact that some were carrying jewels, books, and even small dogs.  Suddenly, her eyes alighted on the stiff figure of Captain Chavez as she slowly walked around the deck.  Rushing over to her captain, Angela brushed her long braid behind her back as she reached the older woman.  "Hadn't we better get the dependants and children into the boats, Captain?" she asked, yelling to be heard over the roar of the steam.

    Nodding slowly, Captain Chavez turned and looked at the scraggly group of passengers.  She was numb though, numb to it all by the knowledge that all that she saw now would soon be underwater.  She sped up the damn boat and because of that, they would all be underwater.  "Right.. the dependants and the children," she murmured before turning away.

    Sighing, Angela closed her eyes briefly against the sight of seeing her captain lacking so much hope.  Shaking her head, she quickly turned away and rushed back to the passengers.  "Right!  Start the loading!" she yelled, taking charge of the situation.  Just then, the mighty steam that poured through the funnels cut off, leaving the assembled humans and gargoyles in a thick silence.  "Children and all of those who are the dependants in the relationship first!" she yelled out as the crew went to work, refusing to be unnerved by the eerie silence.

    Just then, the orchestra moved outdoors and began a lively waltz that was both elegant and completely inappropriate for the occasion.  Scowling, Angela turned away and found Broadway by her side, ready to help her with the loading.

    "Number twenty six ready," he called out, his loud voice echoing throughout the dark night.

    "Good," Angela murmured as she turned back to the passengers.  "Alright ladies and gentlemen, I need the children and dependants first," she called out.  Eventually, a tall and gangly man stepped forth, his arm wrapped protectively around a woman who was obviously pregnant and heavy with child.  "Very well.. who is the dependant?" she asked, arching her eyeridge at the two.

    "He is," the woman spoke up, her voice regal as she turned to caress her husband's cheek gently.  "I be Princess Katherine an he is but me husband," she said, her voice firm.

    "I'm not leaving ye," he said quickly, his voice firm.

    "Tom," she whispered back, her voice slightly husky as she regarded her younger husband with wise eyes.  "I love ye.. now GO!"

    Sighing, Guardian Tom slowly nodded in agreement before stepping onto the boat.  "Ye watch," he called over his shoulder, hoping to distill the fear that he saw in his wife's eyes.  "They'll put us off in these silly little boats t' freeze, an' we'll all be back on board by breakfast."

    "Aye, I know, me love," the strong woman said quietly before Angela pushed her back.

    "I need more children and dependants, please!" she called out, her voice ringing out above the orchestra.

    "Ah, you see," Demona called out as she, Goliath, and Hudson left the warm interior of the ship and onto the crowded deck beyond.  "They are loading already," she said, smiling falsely over at her fiancé.

    Before Goliath could come up with an answer, Hudson quickly turned and started back towards the interior of the ship.  "Ah, bugger," he cried as he reached for the door handle.  "I left me sword back in th' room," he muttered.

    Suddenly, Demona darted out her hand and grabbed Hudson firmly.  Surprised, the old and wizened gargoyle took his hand away from the door and looked into her bright eyes.  And in those eyes, he knew the truth.  "Stay here, Hudson," Demona said, her voice firm.  But he didn't need to hear it in her voice, for her eyes betrayed her fear.

Steerage Berthing Aft, Corridors and Stairwell

    Muttering, Brooklyn and Matt quickly pushed their way through the crowded hallways.  Everywhere they looked they saw their fellow steerage passengers walking through the hallways, clogging them with their suitcases and bags.

    "They're not going to be needing their luggage if we're stuck on the bottom of the sea!" Brooklyn said, glancing over at his companion as they came to yet another clog in the hallway.  Surprised, he saw that his friend wasn't even paying attention but was instead hugging the woman that he met from the night before, a Beth Maza.  Shaking his head, Brooklyn reached out and began to drag his friend forward.  Soon, the stairs were in sight, but here the traffic of people was even more clogged.  Confused, Brooklyn looked up and was amazed to see that the gate at the top of the stairwell was closed off, a few porters standing guard on the other side.

    "Stay calm, please," Tony Dracon said in his most soothing tone as he looked at the masses of milling people.  "It's not time to go up to the boats yet."

    Shaking his head, Brooklyn turned his head and saw a beautiful woman with bright red hair and sharp green eyes, a fox tattoo marking her pale skin.  Looking down, he saw that she was holding tightly onto the little boy from the night before, the boy that Elisa had danced with.

    "What are we doing, mummy?" Alex asked as he pulled on Fox's hand.

    "We're just waiting, sweetie," Fox answered, a small smile on her face as she patted her son reassuringly.  "When they finish putting First Class people in the boats, then they will be starting with us.  And we'll want to be all ready, won't we?" she asked, smiling her brightest down at her adorable son.  Then, she turned and glared up at the porter that was their one block from escaping.

Master at Arms' Office

    Sighing, Elisa stared up through the porthole that was her one connection with the outside world.  To her horror, as each minute passed by, the water level rose higher and higher, till now the portal was completely submerged under water.  Shaking her head, she rubbed her wrists gingerly.  He didn't have to put them on so tight, Elisa thought to herself as she glanced over at the one other person in the small room.

    Ignoring his captive, MacBeth instead chose to pass his time by slowly picking up a bullet that he found lying around and laid it on the desk.  Watching in mute fascination, MacBeth looked on as the bullet quickly rolled down the desk, showing that it wasn't just him -- the ship really was beginning to sit at an angle.  Shaking his head, he glanced up and found Elisa's dark eyes trained on him.  "You know," he said, a cold smile lighting up his handsome face, "I believe this ship may sink."

    "No kidding," Elisa murmured sarcastically as she turned away from the man.  As she did, her thoughts once more turned back to Goliath.  How could he think that she did that?  That she stole that blasted artifact of his?  She felt betrayed.. like her feelings were all true for her but false for him.  It was as if during the first trial of his feelings, he balked and threw aside what trust she had for him.  Then again, she knew that it wasn't his fault.  He was a cultured gargoyle and everything that was happening was new for him.  Heck, his upbringing went against everything that they did and felt.  Deep down, she loved him, no matter what the consequences.

    "If this ship is truly sinking," MacBeth said, interrupting her thoughts, "then I should be going now."  Smiling, the man slowly got up and crossed to stand before Elisa.  "But before I go, I've been asked to give you this small token of our appreciation," he continued as he quickly lashed out with one harm and punched the woman as hard as he could in her stomach.

    Crying out, Elisa felt the air leave her lungs in one giant whoosh of pain as she doubled over, her handcuffs clinking against the metal pipe.

    "Compliments," MacBeth continued, a strange smile on his face, "of Demona."  Laughing, he savored the look of pain on the detective's face one last time before slipping the handcuff key into his pocket and leaving the room, whistling on his way out.

Boat Deck, Port Side

    Struggling against the crushing masses of people, Demona slowly pushed her way towards the front of the line for the boat closest to them, Goliath and Hudson in tow.  Turning, she sized up the officer who was in charge of loading the particular boat.  Narrowing her eyes, she saw that the gargess was young, but forceful and in charge of the situation.  "Is there any room for CEOs yet?" Demona finally asked, gaining the attention of the young officer.

    Shaking her head, Angela barely wasted a glance on the blue gargoyle before turning back to the crowds of people.  "Dependants and children only!  Sorry ma'am, no CEOs yet," she called out.

    Suddenly, the night sky was filled with a brilliant array of light as a single rocket burst overhead.  And in that instant, chaos truly broke out as fear now filled the eyes of the people gathered.

    Pulling her eyes away from the awesome sight, Diane Maza looked once more at the woman who was gingerly moving towards the boat before her.  "Come on, you heard the lady!" Diane said as she pushed the woman towards the edge.  "Get in the boat!"

    Astonished by all that was happening around him, Hudson grabbed onto Goliath's arm and pulled him closer to the lifeboat.  Everything was happening so fast.  Shaking, he turned to watch as Diane Maza stepped into the boat.  "Will th' lifeboats be seated accordin' t' class?" he asked softly, muttering the first thing that came to mind.  "I hope they no' be too crowded..."

    Shocked at his mentor's words, Goliath shook his head sharply.  "Oh, Hudson shut up!" Goliath roared as he turned to stare into his mentor's startled eyes.  "Don't you understand?  The water is freezing and there are not enough boats... not enough by half," he continued, his voice growing grim as he looked around at his fellow passengers.  "Half the people on this ship are going to die."

    "Not the better half," Demona quickly interjected, a sharp smile on her pointed face.  Watching with narrowed eyes, she saw Goliath's face pale instantly.  In that moment, she knew that he was thinking of his little steerage slut.  After all, she was third class -- she didn't stand a chance of surviving this.  Suddenly, another rocket burst overhead, bathing Goliath's face in the harsh white light.

    "You unimaginable bitch," Goliath said slowly, his voice low as he stared into the eyes of the gargoyle that was to be his mate.

    Completely missing the heated conversation that was going on around her, Diane Maza quickly leaned out of the boat and latched firmly onto Hudson.  "Come on, Hudson.  Get in the boat," she urged as she pulled the older gargoyle into the filling lifeboat.  "These are the first class seats right up here."  Sighing, she passed the aging gargoyle over to Angela who was busy loading passengers and then turned to her next dependant that she would help aboard.  Instantly, her eyes lighted upon Goliath's flushed cheeks and glowing white eyes.  "Come on, Goliath.  You're next," she said, her voice light.

    Breaking his glare away from Demona, Goliath stared back into Diane's kind brown eyes.  For some reason, they looked so much like Elisa's.  Mutely, he shook his head and began to back away from the lifeboat.

    Seeing his pupil's actions, Hudson reacted instantly and jumped forward.  "Goliath, lad, get in th' boat!" Hudson ordered, his voice firm.

    Shaking his head in disgust, Goliath looked sadly at his mentor.  This wizened gargoyle had become too consumed by the ways of the past.  It was time that Goliath looked out for himself and his future.  "Goodbye, Hudson," he said, his voice sad as he turned and began walking away.

    Snarling, Demona quickly made chase and caught up to her 'beloved.'  "Where are you going?" she hissed, her eyes burning a bright red as she grabbed Goliath's arm roughly.  "To her?  Is that it?  To be a fling to that gutter trash?" she asked, her voice dripping with venom.

    Roaring, Goliath quickly flared out his wings and pulled his arm away from Demona's.  Even the touch of her skin on his made him ill.  "I'd rather be her fling than your mate!" he roared, his eyes glowing a bright white.  Turning, he quickly ran down the crowded deck, hearing Demona's sharp talons digging in behind him.

    "Lower away!" Angela yelled, indicating for the boat to be lowered into the dark waters below, heedless of the drama that was playing out around them.

    "No, Goliath!  Goliath!!" Hudson roared, trying to jump back onto the boat but being restrained by his fellow passengers.  "NO!" Hudson roared as his beloved pupil slowly disappeared from sight.

Master at Arms' Office

    Shaking her head, Elisa continued to pull on the pipe with all of her strength.  She had to get free.. she had to!  She knew that time was running out.  Suddenly, a soft gurgling sound reached Elisa's ears.  Startled, she turned and watched in growing horror as water began to pour under the door, rapidly spreading across the floor.

    "Shit!" Elisa cursed as she began working even harder at the cuffs.  Holding back tears of pain, she tried to pull one hand out of the cuffs, working until the skin was raw and bleeding -- all to no avail.  "Help!" she screamed, breaking the deadly silence of the ship.  "Somebody!  Can anybody hear me?!" she yelled, her voice cracking at the strain.  Shaking her head, Elisa felt a single tear trail down her pale cheek as her feet became numb in the freezing water.  "This could be bad," she murmured, turning once more back to the pipe.

First Class Corridor

    Shaking his head, the Magus quickly shoved open a stateroom door and poked his head within.  "Anyone in here?" he asked, hoping that he would get no answer.

    "Magus, thank God!" Goliath said, interrupting the builder's troubled thoughts.  Running forward, the large lavender gargoyle quickly clamped down on the man's aged shoulders.  "Where would the Master at Arms take someone under arrest?" he asked, his voice urgent.

    "What?" the Magus asked, looking at Goliath in confusion.  "What are you doing here?  You have to get to a boat right away!"

    "No!" Goliath roared, flaring his wings out to his sides.  Instantly abashed at his actions, Goliath quickly caped his wings and pleaded with the man before him with his eyes.  "I'll do this with or without your help, but without will take longer."

    Sighing, the Magus closed his eyes briefly, debating with himself.  "Alright.  Take the elevator to the very bottom, go left, down the crewman's passage, then make a right," he instructed, his voice tight.

    "Bottom, left, right.  I have it," Goliath said quickly as he turned and hurried down the corridor.

    "Hurry, Goliath!" the Magus called out quickly as the large gargoyle disappeared from sight.

Interior Foyer, Elevators

    With his mind a whirlwind of confusion, Goliath turned down another hallway and gasped in relief when he saw the familiar lifts that he was looking for.  Running up, he saw that the last operator was just closing up her lift to leave.

    Turning, the young woman saw Goliath coming and quickly shook her head.  "Sorry sir, lifts are closed..."

    Without even thinking, Goliath grabbed the woman by the front of her shirt and shoved her back into the elevator.  Releasing her, he quickly turned and closed the gate behind him.  "I'm through with being polite, goddamnit!" Goliath growled, his eyes blazing white.  "Now, take me down!!"

    Shocked, the operator quickly closed her gaping mouth and pulled the lever.  A second later, the lift began its slow descent down the ship.  A moment later and all hell broke loose.

    "What in the-" the young woman began as an eerie blue light floated up from below as they reached the bottom deck.  Suddenly, the light became clear as a rush of icy water poured into the lift, swirling around their legs.  Screaming in surprise, the lift operator jumped to the back of the elevator as Goliath ripped open the lift door and waded into the corridor beyond.

    Turning, he looked back and forth at the unfamiliar territory.  "Left, crew passage," he whispered as he turned in the indicated direction, only half aware that the lift began its ascent to the upper decks behind him, leaving him all alone.  Shaking his head, Goliath sloshed away, slowly becoming aware of the freezing cold despite his thick gargoyle skin.  "Right, right.. right," he said as he turned into a cross corridor, splashing down the deserted hall.  "Elisa?" he called out, praying for a response.  "Elisa?!"

Master at Arms' Office

    Sighing, Elisa wiped the tears from her eyes on the back of her arm as she stared in disgust at the small trails of blood that soaked her black shirt.  In that instant, she knew that she was doomed.  Suddenly, she heard Goliath's faint voice through the door.  Amazed, Elisa sat in shock for a second or two before finally standing once more on the desk that had floated her way a while ago.  "Goliath!!  In here!" Elisa screamed, her voice cracking.

    A few seconds later, the door burst open, revealing a sight that Elisa thought she would never again see -- Goliath.  Amazed, she held back a laugh of pure joy as he splashed over to her, his dark hair in ringlets that framed his proud face.

    "Oh Elisa, I'm so sorry!" he murmured as he rushed up to Elisa.  Instantly his eyes locked onto hers as he reached her.  Ignoring all reservations, he wrapped his large arms around her and held her protectively against him, enjoying the feel of her against him.  Smiling with a joy that he thought was lost to him, he quickly reached down and hungrily searched for her lips.  "Oh God, I'm so sorry!" he whispered in between kiss after kiss.

    "That guy, MacBeth, put it in my pocket!" Elisa gasped, tears running down her face as Goliath held her against him.

    "I know, I know," Goliath murmured, his lips against her soft raven locks, breathing in a heavenly scent that belonged only to her.

    Smiling at his words, Elisa let her hands rest against the cold pipe as she turned her head up to him.  "How did you find out that I didn't do it?" she asked, her voice light as she stared into the endless depths of his eyes.

    "I didn't," Goliath answered quietly, his voice low.  "I just realized that I already knew."

    Smiling, Elisa went to bring her arms around him when they were jerked to a stop by the handcuffs, causing a dull twang in the room.  Gasping out at the flare of pain in her bleeding wrists, Elisa cradled her hands against her chest.

    Instantly alerted by her cry of pain, Goliath pulled away quickly and looked down in concern at her.  "What's wrong?" he asked quickly as he pulled Elisa's hands away from her chest.  As she winced in pain, Goliath stared in horror at the cuffs that chained her to the water pipe and more so at the small trails of blood that dripped down her wrists from where her skin and been rubbed raw.  "Oh God, Elisa.. I'm so sorry," he said quickly, guilt eating him up.

    "Shh," Elisa whispered quickly, taking her hand away to rest it gently on Goliath's, restrained slightly by the metal.  "It's okay."

    "But, if I hadn't..."

    "Goliath, it's alright," Elisa continued, the same small smile on her lips.  "But do you think you can find the key?  We need to get out of here," she said, indicating the water that was by now up to Goliath's waist.

    Smiling grimly at the woman that had so captured his heart, Goliath quickly shook his head.  "Take too long.. I have something better."  Moving quickly, Goliath seized the chain that connected the two cuff links and pulled on them with all of his might.  To Elisa's astonishment, the metal snapped instantly, freeing Elisa from her bonds.

    "Goliath, you did it!" Elisa gasped, staring at her hands in shock.  Turning, she quickly slid her arms around his thick neck and planted her lips firmly against his.

    Surprised, Goliath hesitated for the briefest of moments before wrapping his arms around her and lifting her off of the desk and towards him.  Smiling, he broke the kiss and lowered her into the water beside him.

    "Oh my God!" Elisa exclaimed immediately as bright bolts of pain flashed through her body at the freezing water.  "Ow ow ow.. that's cold!" she gasped as her teeth began to chatter instantly.

    Surprised, Goliath remembered that even though the water felt cold to him, to Elisa, it was so cold that it was painful.  "Elisa, I..."

    "No time," Elisa broke in, smiling up at him despite the pain.  "Come on, let's go," she urged as she grabbed his hand and began wading towards the door.  As the couple broke through the water and into the corridor beyond, they saw that the stairs that led back up were now completely flooded with water.

    "That's the way out," Goliath said, nodding towards the stairs.

    "Too deep," Elisa argued, shaking her head quickly.  "We gotta find another way out," she murmured as she turned and started in the other direction, Goliath close on her heels.

Scotland Road, E-Deck

    Sighing, Jason Canmore quickly herded the steerage passengers along the nearly deserted hallway.  Turning, he saw that the straggly group of people almost looked like refugees, all heading aft.  Suddenly, his jumbled thoughts were cut short as a sudden crash resounded through the hall.  Stunned, Jason turned quickly and watched in astonishment as a wooden doorframe splintered and then burst open under the force of a large gargoyle's shoulder.  "Hey!  You'll have to pay for that, you know!" he yelled as the gargoyle turned and helped a petite young woman with flowing black hair out of the splintered mess.  "That's White Star Line property..."

    "Shut up!" Goliath and Elisa roared and yelled at the same time as they followed the train of passengers down the hallway.  Smirking to herself, Elisa recognized the young man, a startled look plastered on his face.  Shaking her head, she quickly squeezed Goliath's hand, trying to keep her blue lips sealed in order to stop the chattering of her teeth.

    Smiling down, Goliath squeezed Elisa's hand gently in return and then pushed her ahead of him, he close on her heels.  The pale pallor of her tan skin and the hue of her lips were not lost on him as he quickly reached out and began rubbing her arms as they shoved their way forward in the crowded hall.

Boat Deck

    Hissing under her breath, Demona scanned the crowd before her.  How could she have lost a seven foot gargoyle that was as broad as two of the puny humans?  Shaking her head, she cursed beneath her breath as she struggled through the crowds of people, hoping to catch a glimpse of his broad lavender shoulders and smooth black hair.  Suddenly, she saw her manservant struggling towards her from a ways away.  Hope blossoming within her, she quickly met him halfway.

    "He's not on the starboard side either," MacBeth said quietly, his voice grim.

    "We're running out of time!" Demona growled, her fangs bared.  "And this... little bitch," she said, waving a hand at Angela who was busy boarding passengers onto the flimsy lifeboats, "isn't letting any CEOs in at all."

    "The one on the other side is letting CEOs in," MacBeth countered quickly, his blue eyes cold as he nodded to the other side of the ship.

    Smiling slightly, Demona nodded at her manservant.  "Then that's our play.  But we're still going to need some insurance," she muttered as she started forward towards the interior of the ship.  "Come on," she ordered as she broke away, glancing briefly at a commotion to her side.

    "Please, Ida, get into the boat," an older men gently pleaded to his wife as he pushed her towards Angela's boat.

    "No," she stated, her old voice firm.  "We've been together for forty years, and where you go, I go," she said, looking at her husband with loving eyes as she pulled away from the boat.  "Don't argue with me, Isador, you know it does no good."

    Stopping his efforts, Isador looked at his wife with eyes filled with love and great sadness.  Moving forward, he quickly pulled her to him and hugged her tightly.

    "Lower away!!" Angela called out, ignorant of all that passed but the loading of the passengers and the lowering of the lifeboats.

E-Deck Corridors and Stairwell

    Shrugging through her fellow passengers, Elisa led the way further down the hall, trying various gates and doors as they went.  "They're locked.  They're all locked!" she muttered as she hurried along, Goliath's comforting hand always at her back.  Suddenly, she saw a familiar face up ahead.  "Matt!" she called out, her voice filled with joy.  "Matt!" she screamed as she ran up to her friend who was standing beside the woman from the night before.

    "Elisa?" Matt asked, turning away from Beth.  "Elisa!" he cried out happily as his friend jumped into his arms and hugged him tightly.  Grinning, he swung her around before gently placing her back on her feet.  Smiling, he turned and watched as Goliath slowly came up behind them, a small smile on his proud face.  As he saw the two together, he knew what had happened.  Smiling, he pulled out of Elisa's hug and held her hands firmly in his.  Looking down, he was amazed to see that her lips were slightly bluish and that her hands felt like ice.  Surprised, he looked down and saw that her jeans were soaked with what appeared to be water.  Shaking his head, he instantly lost the joy he felt as that fact brought him crashing back to their current situation.  "The boats are all going," he said, his voice grim.

    Nodding her head, Elisa felt a firm hand on her shoulder.  Smiling, she turned and glanced up into Goliath's dark eyes.  She needed to find a way to save them all.  "We have to get up there or we're going to be gargling saltwater," Elisa said, thinking aloud as she looked up at the closed iron gates at the top of the stairwell.  "Where's Brooklyn?"

    Shaking his head, Matt allowed himself the briefest of smiles as he pointed a finger up at the top of the gates.  Turning, Elisa watched with sad eyes as Brooklyn climbed up the gate and spread his wings out threateningly.

    "For crying out loud, there are children down here!" he roared, his eyes blazing white.  "Let us up so we can have a chance!" he cried in a more subdued voice, pleading with the officers with his eyes.

    Silent but resolute, the crew members merely shook their heads, staring at the gargoyle with beady eyes.

    Growling in disgust, Brooklyn quickly turned away and pushed through the crowd till he was standing once more beside his friends.  "It's hopeless that way," he said, glaring back up at the men.

    "Well, whatever we're going to do, we better do it fast," Elisa murmured, eyeing the passengers as they began turning more and more riled up.  They were becoming a full fledged mob.

    Nodding in agreement, Matt quickly turned to Beth who was standing beside her father.  "Everyone... all of you... come with me now!" he said quickly, squeezing Beth's hand gently.

    Sighing, Beth's father, Peter Maza, slowly shook his head.  "I am sorry, but we will not panic.  We will not go with you but will instead wait here for the porters to let us through," he said, his voice firm.

    "But.." Matt protested as he turned to Beth and looked into her dark eyes.

    "I will never forget you," Beth murmured quietly, a single tear in her eyes.

    "No.." Matt said quietly as a soft hand touched his shoulder gently.  Turning, he stared into the dark eyes of his friend and partner.

    "Let her go, Matt," Elisa said quietly, her eyes filled with understanding.

    Nodding slowly, Matt glanced at Beth's face one last time before turning and following his friends down the crowded corridor.

Goliath and Demona's Suite

    Smiling to herself, Demona opened her beloved safe with a loud clunk and took out the Phoenix Gate.  Ever so gently, she then lowered the precious artifact into a pouch that she quickly fastened on a belt around her loin cloth.  "I make my own luck," she said quietly, a snide smile on her face as she began filling the rest of the pouch with thick stacks of bills.

    "So do I," MacBeth replied as he quickly patted the large laser cannon that was strapped to his back.

Steerage, Aft

    Moving as one, Goliath and company quickly lost themselves in the twisting hallways of the Titanic.  Suddenly, a lone doorway caught his eye.  Turning quickly, he backtracked and found himself looking up into a narrow stairway.  "Over here!" he called out, bringing his friends charging back.  Grabbing onto Elisa, he quickly moved up the stairwell until he encountered a small landing that was bared by yet another locked gate.  Pushing aside the small groups of passengers that had found this way, Goliath quickly stepped up to the gate and glared at the scared porter.  "Let us pass!" he growled, quickly losing all patience.

    Sighing, the porter quickly shook his head.  "Go to the main stairwell with everyone else," he said quietly.  "It'll all get sorted out there."  It was obvious from his expression that this wasn't the first time that he had said that same phrase.

    Growling, Goliath felt his eyes burn a hot white color.  For him, this was the last straw.  He was sick of being ordered around and told where to and not to go.  Turning on his heels, he quickly stalked over to a large bench that was attached firmly to the floor.  Motioning to the red gargoyle, Brooklyn and he quickly grabbed the bench and yanked it with all of their might, pulling it clear off of the floor.

    Seeing their intentions, Elisa hid her smile as she rushed over to the gate and started clearing people out of the way.  "Move aside!" she yelled, pushing a whining woman against the wall.  "Quickly, move aside!"

    As soon as the path was clear, Goliath hoisted the bench onto his shoulder and charged as one with Brooklyn.  Smiling to himself, Goliath watched in satisfaction as the gate was ripped off of its hinges and fell outwards, narrowly missing the stunned steward.  "Come on!" Goliath roared as he shoved the bench to the side and led the crowd of passengers through the narrow opening.  Turning, he grabbed onto Elisa's hands and pulled her through, watching in amusement as Brooklyn turned to the porter and growled menacingly, causing him to faint to the ground below.  "Let's get out of here."

A-Deck Foyer

    Sighing, Demona quickly pushed through the masses of first class passengers as she and MacBeth hurried to the upper decks.  Suddenly, a strange sight caught her eye.  As the two crossed the foyer, they came upon an older gentlemen and his valet dressed in their white ties, tail-coats and top hats, sitting in the luxurious chairs that lined that part of the ship.

    Shaking her head, Demona paused briefly before the older man and eyed him with disbelieving eyes.  "So Ben," she said, her voice coy, "what's the occasion?"

    Smiling regally up at the young gargess, Ben Guggenheim held onto his coat lapels.  "We have dressed in our best and are prepared to go down like gentlemen."

    Holding back a sarcastic laugh, Demona smiled at the two.  "That's admirable, Ben," she said as she turned and continued hurrying on her way.  "I'll be sure to tell your wife... when I get to New York," she said, calling out over her shoulder.

Boat Deck, Aft

    Sighing, Broadway stared out at the masses of milling passengers that were spread out before him.  Things were beginning to get ugly as the crowd began turning into a mob of angry people.  "I said, children and dependents only!" he bellowed as he shoved back a man that was the obvious head of a household, a brash CEO falling back with him.

    Suddenly, the crowd of people broke forward and began rushing the boat.  Knowing that he had no other choice, Broadway quickly grabbed a small pistol from a nearby crewman and pointed it out over the mob.  "Get back!" he bellowed, his eyes glowing white as he flexed out his wings.

    As the crowd looked wearily at the gun that was held so firmly by the officer, they slowly backed away and some form of order returned.

    Sighing in relief, Broadway quickly turned his back on the crowd and loaded the gun with shaking hands.  He hated these things... all they did was cause death and hurt.  Then again, it seemed that it may be needed this night.

Boat Deck, port

    Gasping for breath, Elisa led her group of friends up the crew stairs and finally emerged into the dark night.  Instantly, a blast of cold air ruffled her drying clothes, causing her to pull closer to Goliath as she looked about and regained her bearings.  Turning, she saw that they stood just aft of the third funnel.  Smiling, she turned once again and felt the smile disappear just as quickly, for at the railings, there stood nothing but empty davits.

    "The boats are gone!" Goliath gasped, looking at the spot where boats stood waiting just hours before.  Shaking his head, he turned quickly and looked down into Elisa's dark eyes.  Suddenly, a familiar face caught his attention.  "Xanatos!" he bellowed, turning away from his love to rush the billionaire.  "Are there any boats left?"

    Nodding his head curtly, Xanatos skimmed over Goliath's soaked loin cloth and the meager means of his companions.  "Yes, there are still a couple of boats all the way forward-"

    Without even waiting for the man to finish, Elisa quickly grabbed Goliath's hand and began running forward, her feet pounding painfully on the wooden deck.

    Nodding their heads, Brooklyn and Matt quickly followed, looking on in amazement as they passed by a group of musicians.  "Music to drown by," Brooklyn gasped as they whipped past the orchestra.  "Now I know I'm in first class."

Boat Deck, Starboard, Aft

    As shots echoed through the dark night sky, Demona turned and fixed a worried gaze on the rising water.  "It's starting to fall apart," she murmured.  "We don't have much time."

    Suddenly, her thoughts were interrupted as three dogs ran by, including a large blue doggoyle.  Shaking her head, she turned till she was once more facing the back of the broad blue first officer.  Hurrying forward, she quickly strode up to his side and touched his shoulder.  "First Officer Broadway," she said, in her most coy voice, "I'm a business woman, as you know, and I have a proposition for you."

    Shaking his head, Broadway glanced at the blue gargess before moving forward to the next boat.  "I don't have time for this," he muttered, his voice dark.

    Ignoring his words, Demona quickly rushed forward and stuffed a wad of bills into a pouch at his side.  "I want off of this ship.  Do we have an understanding?"

    Growling, Broadway stared hard at the woman before turning back to the boat.  Nodding in satisfaction, Demona took that as a yes.  Suddenly, there was a hand at her shoulder.

    "I've found him," MacBeth said quickly, his voice low as Demona turned to regard him with cool eyes.  "He's just over on the port side.  With her."

    "Children and dependents!" Broadway called out, his voice carrying out over the small groups of passengers that had found their way to this part of the ship.  "Any more children and dependents?"  When there was no response, Broadway slowly turned and met Demona's sparkling eyes.  "Anyone else, then?"

    Growling softly, Demona glanced back and forth between the awaiting boat and her manservant.  This was her chance.. her chance to get off of the boat.  Roaring, Demona quickly shook her head and turned towards the far side of the ship, MacBeth hot on her tail.

    Shaking his head, Broadway quickly turned back towards the boat that he was loading.  There were some people that he would never understand -- the man in front of him included.  Amazed, the first officer watched with wide eyes as Jon Canmore sat himself into the boat and stared ahead with unseeing eyes.  Growling softly, Broadway quickly gave the order: Take them down.

Boat Deck, port side

    "Dependents and children, please," Angela said, her voice beginning to grow hoarse from the constant yelling.  "Dependents and children only," she cried out, glaring at a young woman who was trying to board.  "Step back, ma'am!" she ordered, recognizing the woman as the vice-president of a large corporation back in the states.

    Noting this, Goliath quickly stumbled closer to the boat, his arms wrapped tightly around Elisa's shivering shoulders.  The cold had finally penetrated his thick skin and he himself was even beginning to shiver in the stark cold of the Arctic night.  Turning, he watched with sad eyes as a young woman helped her family aboard the lifeboat.

    Struggling to hold back her tears, she quickly reached out a shaking hand and tenderly touched her husband's cheek.  Turning, she then looked at her two small children with sad eyes.  "It's goodbye for a little while... only for a little while," she said quietly, her voice choking up as she struggled with her emotions.  Sighing, she watched as the tears dripped down her children's cheeks and as sobs wracked their bodies.  Looking up, she saw a single tear drip down her beloved's cheek as he knew that he would never again see his wife.  "Go with Daddy," she whispered once more before the crowd shoved her back.  "Hold Daddy's hand and be my good babies!" she called out as she became lost in the masses.

    Closing his eyes against the heart wrenching sight, Goliath pulled Elisa closer to him and held her tightly as they moved ever forward.

    "Please.. get this to my wife in De Moines, Iowa," a man pleaded as he quickly scribbled a note and shoved it into the hands of a boarding passenger.

    Sighing, Elisa pulled closer to Goliath and turned to regard her friends with sad eyes.  "You better check out the other side," she said quietly.  Without even asking, she knew that neither her, Matt, nor Brooklyn would get onto the lifeboats.  They were dependents of no one and supported themselves.  They would not be saved by this boat.

    Nodding quickly, Matt and Brooklyn shoved away and hurried across the crowded decks.

    Suddenly, it was their turn as they drew near the boats.  Smiling gratefully, Goliath pushed Elisa forward, only to find themselves roughly pushed back.

    Hissing quietly, Angela found herself quickly losing patience.  "Who supports you?" she asked quickly, eyeing Elisa up and down.

    "I support myself," Elisa said firmly, her eyes hiding nothing.

    "That's what I thought," Angela murmured as she nodded her head, indicating for Elisa to step back.  "Children and dependents only."

    Nodding her head curtly, Elisa smiled at the gargess.  She would get no trouble from her.  "Go ahead, Goliath," she said, pulling out of his arms and pushing him towards the filling boat.

    "What?" Goliath asked, staring in shock at the small woman who stood before him.  "I'm not going without you," he argued, his voice growing small as he stared into her dark eyes.  Lost in those depths, he slowly reached out a hand and ran a single talon through her tangled locks of hair.

    Shaking her head, Elisa grabbed Goliath's hand in hers and squeezed it gently.  "Get into the boat, Goliath," she said, her voice firm as she stared at him with love in her eyes.

    Suddenly, Elisa felt herself shoved aside as Demona strode up to them.  "Yes, get in the boat, Goliath," she said, her eyes blazing red as she glared at the detective.

    Shocked at being found, Goliath stared mutely at his proposed mate before stepping instinctively to Elisa's side.

    "I said to get in the boat," Demona continued, clenching her jaw at the sight of them together.  Moving quickly, Demona unclipped the pouch from her side and wrapped it around Goliath's waist.  "Take this and get into the boat," she said, doing it more for the fact of showing her possession of him than anything else.

    "Quickly, children and dependents.  Step into the boat!" Angela cried out, knowing that their time was growing thin.  "Hurry, please!"

    Turning, Elisa quickly stared up into Goliath's dark eyes and put her hands softly on his chest.  She could feel his shaking, and whether it was from the cold or the shock, she couldn't be sure.  "Go on," she said, a small smile on her face.  "I'll get the next one," she continued as she reached up and gently trailed her hand through his soft hair.

    "NO!" Goliath roared, his eyes flaring white as he pulled Elisa into a tight embrace, swearing to never let her go.  "Not without you!"  By now, he was past caring that Demona was standing only a few feet to his right.  That was unimportant by now.

    Growling slightly, Demona felt her eyes flare red as she looked at her promised mate and at the steerage trash.  "Excuse me," she said quietly, causing the two to break apart as if just remembering that there were others around them, "but there are boats on the other side allowing people like us in.  Elisa and I can get off safely," she said, her voice quiet.  "Both of us."

    Surprised, Elisa stared at the gargess for a moment in shock before quickly turning back to her love.  "There, you see!" Elisa said quickly, her voice bright.  "I'll be alright.  Now, hurry up so we can get along... we have our own boat to catch," she finished as she reached up and caressed Goliath's cold cheek.

    Ignoring the obvious affection between the two, Demona nodded towards the filling boat.  "Get in Goliath," she said, pushing him lightly towards the boat.  "Hurry up, it's almost full."

    "But.." Goliath sputtered as he stared down into Elisa's dark eyes.  Suddenly, a strong hand grabbed him tightly and pulled him back towards the boat.  Surprised, he felt Elisa's hand fall away from his cheek as the crew member, Angela, he thought, forced him back and into the lifeboat.  Reaching out, Goliath felt his fingers brush against Elisa's for the briefest moment before other passengers clogged the path in between them.  And then, he was sitting in the boat against the far side.  Shocked, Goliath turned up and stared with wide eyes as Elisa broke through the crowd of passengers to stand at the railing, her dark hair swirling out around her in the cold breeze, her dark eyes locked with his.

    "Lower away!" Angela called out, seeing that the boat was filled to its capacity.  Reacting instantly, the crew members began the cranking that lowered the mighty boat slowly down.

    "But..." Goliath protested quietly as he stared around him.  Everything was a jumbled confusion.  The boat was packed tightly with passengers, most of whom were crying silent tears as they stared at their loved ones, an occasional rocket lighting up the sky around them with a harsh white glare.  Shaking his freezing hair out of his face, Goliath turned once more and allowed his eyes to trace the line back up the ship till he met with Elisa.  She looked so small and vulnerable, standing there on the massive ship.  Her dark hair was tangled and hanging limp around her, but her eyes were as sharp as ever.  As their eyes met, Goliath felt his heart drop out from beneath him.  They were so beautiful, her eyes.. so beautiful and so deep -- hiding a wealth of the person that he loved so much.  Suddenly, there was movement at her side and Goliath watched as Demona joined Elisa at the side of the ship.

    "You're a good liar," Demona whispered softly, her eyes trained on Goliath's figure as the boat slowly lowered away.

    "Almost as good as you," Elisa returned, her eyes trained on the gargoyle that she loved.  She knew that she was never going to see him again.  "There's no deal with a crew member on the other side of the ship, is there?" she asked, her voice soft.

    "Oh there is.. not that it will be helping you any," Demona said, her voice cold as she stared down at the lowering boat.  "I always win, Elisa.  One way or another."

    Shaking her head, Elisa felt a small tear build in the corner of one eye.  It was true then... she'd never be seeing Goliath again.  Shaking her head, she stared down at Goliath, her eyes sad as she saw him looking at her with such desperation.

    And the desperation he was feeling was obvious.  It was as though the world was moving in slow motion for Goliath.  The officer, Angela, was giving orders -- Goliath knew this for he could see her lips moving, but he heard nothing.  The only thing that he could hear was the blood pounding in his ears.  "This can't be happening," Goliath whispered quietly as yet another rocket burst overhead, bathing everything in that harsh, white light.  Turning, he watched with sad eyes as a single tear formed in the corner of her eye.  Shaking his head, Goliath felt as though his heart was being ripped from his chest.  He couldn't do this.  He couldn't do it.

    Suddenly, ignoring all thought and reason, acting solely on his heart, Goliath tore through the other passengers and threw himself off of the boat.  Extending his wings, he allowed a soft breath of air to carry him the short distance to the railing.  Grasping it, he quickly hauled himself over the railing until he was standing on shaky legs on the A-Deck promenade of the doomed ship.

    Seeing his actions, Elisa quickly leaned over the side of the railing, her face ashen.  "No Goliath!" she screamed, her voice cracking as she watched in horror.. watched as Goliath doomed himself by throwing himself back on the Titanic.  "Nooo!" she screamed as he disappeared from sight.  Turning on her heel, she quickly ran through the crowd, shoving people aside as she rushed for the Grand Staircase.

    "He would die for her..." Demona whispered quietly, now all alone at the stark white railing as her hands gripped it tightly.  Shaking her head, she closed her eyes against the blinding rage that was building within her.  "He would die for that steerage slut!!" she suddenly roared as she, too, turned away from the railing and ran for the interior of the ship.  "They'll both pay for this!"

Grand Staircase

    Half sobbing, Elisa quickly tore through the door and into the large and elegant foyer of the grand staircase.  Pushing people aside, she pounded down the stairs until she caught sight of Goliath entering the foyer from below.  Shaking her head, Elisa felt the tears pour down her cheeks as she finished off the distance between them and collided with him.  "Goliath, why did you do that?!" she asked, her voice a mingle of sobs as she felt his reassuring arms wrap tightly around her, his lips on her hair.  "Goliath why didn't you go?" she cried, tears of pain and of relief coursing down her cold cheeks.

    Shaking his head, Goliath felt his own tears trail down his cheeks as he once more held the woman that he loved so much.  "You fight, I fight.. right?" he asked, sheltering her with his wings as he leaned down and caught her lips with his.

    Laughing, Elisa pushed him away and gently laid her hands upon his cold cheeks.  "Right," she said quietly, her eyes shining as she stared up at the contours of his proud face.

    Suddenly, a loud roar interrupted their reunion.  Shocked, Elisa turned and quickly recognized Demona's fiery red hair as she twisted and roughly grabbed MacBeth's laser that was slung over his shoulder.  Reacting instantly, Elisa grabbed Goliath and pulled him away as a thin line of red cut a nearby cherub in half.

    "Run Goliath!" Elisa yelled as she grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the stairs, taking them two at a time, Demona hot on their tails.

    "Demona, what are you doing?" Goliath roared over his shoulder as he followed his beloved down the ornate stairway.  Turning round, it took but one look at the demonic state of her red glowing eyes before he needed no further convincing.  Shocked, he quickly took the lead and pulled Elisa after him as he raced down the slippery stairs.  Soon, they could go no further down and were once more encased in the freezing waters of the Atlantic.

    Gasping in a ragged breath at the flare of pain in his legs, Goliath sloshed through the water that reached up to his waist as he pulled Elisa towards the finely crafted glass doors to the dining saloon.  Hurrying through, Goliath half dragged his love through the freezing water, wading around the floating tables.  Startled, he paused briefly to glance quickly around the ornate room.  All of the splendor was gone and hidden beneath the water that filled the room.  The lights still glowed dimly on the tables, illuminating the floor beneath the sea of water and everywhere.. everywhere floated the fine china that they had dined on just the night before.  Everything was underwater.  Shaking his head, Goliath continued forward, towards the aft of the ship where the water was more shallow.

    "Well, this is going to be fun," Elisa muttered as she followed her love through the icy depths, knowing that either Demona or her manservant would be right behind them.

Boat Deck, Starboard Side

    Gasping, Demona hurried through the first class entrance and stared at the deck around her with wild eyes.  "Damn them all to hell!" she whispered, her voice tight as she lurched down the tilting deck towards the bridge.  He was gone.  Her proposed mate was gone to that steerage trash and could rot in hell for all she cared.  To make matters even more irritating, her own manservant was gone as well.  In the heat of the moment as Goliath and Elisa had disappeared from sight into the watery depths of the ship, Demona had offered MacBeth the Phoenix Gate to keep as his own if he so retrieved it.  After all, the Gate was in the pouch and the pouch was on Goliath.  Surprisingly enough, the manservant went for it and was in pursuit of the two.  She didn't care anymore.. she cared about nothing except for getting off of the blasted ship.

    Suddenly, she caught sight of Broadway before her.  He was, once again, trying to load a boat just aft of the bridge.  Smiling softly, Demona started forward, pushing her fiery red hair out of her eyes.  With new determination in her step, she hurried forward, giving the barest of glances to a small child who wept all alone and abandoned in a corner.  And then she was there -- at the front of the crowd standing beside a tall red beaked gargoyle and a man with fiery orange-red hair with only a few crew members and a couple of guns standing in their way of salvation.

    "Give us a chance to live!" Brooklyn roared as he flared out his wings, fighting to stay away from the deadly point of the guns before him.  But that was difficult seeing as how the crowd was surging behind him, pushing him closer and closer to the panicked crew.

    Knowing that any control he had was rapidly vanishing, Broadway quickly raised his gun in the air and fired it twice in quick succession.  "Stay back!" he roared, his eyes glowing white.  "I'll shoot anyone who tries to get past me!"

    Ignoring the gargoyle's words, Demona quickly stepped forward and glared at the large blue gargoyle.  "We had a deal!" she hissed, her own eyes glowing red as they strayed to the boat.

    "Your money won't save you or me!" Broadway quickly replied, showing nothing but disgust on his face as he grabbed the offending bills from his pouch and tossed them in Demona's face.  "Now get back!" he ordered as he roughly shoved her back into the line of passengers.

    Suddenly, Brooklyn felt someone shove him roughly from behind.  Unprepared, the red gargoyle flew forward.  And as if in slow motion, Broadway turned as he saw the movement out of the corner of his eye, the gun moving with him.  And then the gun was going off with a flash and a bright flare as a bloody hole appeared in Brooklyn's chest.  Crying out, he quickly fell to the hard deck, a bright red stain spreading over his skin, turning it even darker.  As the pain began to build and then ebb away, he turned his eyes from the shocked horror of the blue gargoyle to the kind blue eyes of his new friend.

    "Oh God no," Matt whispered as he knelt beside his friend and cradled his soft white hair in his lap.  "No Brooklyn," he murmured, pain tearing at his throat as he watched the light fade from his eyes, felt as Brooklyn took his last breath and then was still.  "NOOOOO!" Matt yelled, his hands clenching tightly around his friend's bloodied body as he turned accusing eyes on the blue officer.  "Murderer!" he yelled, his voice cracking as tears coursed down his cold cheeks.

    "What have I done?" Broadway murmured quietly in reply, his eyes trained on the red fluid that was rapidly staining the deck.  Turning away, Broadway felt a wave of guilt and confusion sweep through him.  "What have I done?" he repeated, his voice weak as he looked at his shocked crew members, his eyes vacant.  Sighing, he smiled softly at his crew, one last time before slowly turning and facing out over the dark night.  Without so much as a thought, he then raised the gun and placed it firmly at his temple.  "I'm sorry," he murmured quietly as his finger tightened on the trigger and as all went dark.

    As the crash resounded through the dark night, Demona closed her eyes against the sight and fell back into the throng of people.  Shaking her head, she thought briefly about the waste of life as a call went out once more for children and dependents.  Suddenly, she had a plan.

    Smiling evilly, Demona pushed through the wave of passengers and hurried to the corner that she had passed by moments before.  Sure enough, crouched on the ground was the snot nosed little brat she had seen earlier, her small eyes filled with tears as she cried out.  Ignoring the wave of revulsion she felt, she quickly snatched the child into her arms and then rushed forward once more till she was standing before the crew who now ran the loading.  "Here's a child!  I've got a child!" she yelled, finally catching the woman's attention.  "Please.. I'm all she has in the world," she added quickly, clutching the child to her heart.

    Sighing, the woman took one look at the crying child and at the blue gargoyle.  Shaking her head, still trying to rid the image of her commander killing himself, she waved the two forward and turned back to the loading.

    Walking as though in a dream, Captain Maria Chavez ignored the groups of crew and passengers that she passed as she walked towards the bridge -- her bridge.  Turning, she stepped into the glass encased room and closed the door firmly behind her.  And then, with the waves of guilt pressing her down -- drowning her in their depths, she watched the water level rise around her until all she saw was the swirling water outside, the water pouring in under the doors.  And then, with a resounding crash of shattering glass, she saw no more.

    Shaking his head, the Magus closed his eyes as he leaned against the fireplace.  All around him, glass began to shatter as objects tumbled from their place in the smoking room.  A few minutes before, Goliath and Elisa had passed through.

    "Won't you even try for it?" Goliath had asked, his eyes staring at the aged man.

    It was his ship.. he deserved to share the fate of his beloved ship.  "I'm sorry I didn't build you a better ship," the Magus whispered once more as the ship began to tilt further and further.  "I'm so sorry."

    Trying to hold back her tears, Ida Strauss clutched her husband's arms that were holding her so tightly.  All around her, she heard the sounds of the ocean as the water poured into their rooms, nearing ever closer to the top of the bed that they lay upon.  "I love you," she whispered, her aged voice breaking as he pulled her tighter against him.  "I love you, my Isador."

    Wiping away her tears, Fox gently pulled the covers up tighter over her beloved son.  "And on an island not far away, there lived the beautiful Titania and Oberon," she whispered softly as she ruffled her son's red hair, his eyes drooping shut.  "Their love and their magic would live on forever on the island of Avalon.. forever."

    "Will you take me.. there someday, Mommy?" little Alexander asked quietly as his eyes flitted shut.

    "Yes, baby," Fox whispered, a choked sob leaving her lips as tears coursed down her cheeks.  "I'll take you there soon.. we'll go visit there soon enough," she said as she reached down and placed a shaky kiss on her son's forehead.  "I'm so sorry baby," she whispered as she listened to her son's even breathing.  "Soon, I'll take you anywhere..."

A-Deck, Aft, Port Side

    Running, Goliath squeezed Elisa's hand in his and pulled her closer to him.  Looking over his shoulder, he saw that the bridge was now underwater and that the deck was in chaos around them.

    "Okay.." Elisa yelled as she and Goliath tried to stay together through the mad rush of people, "we keep moving aft!  We have to stay on the ship as long as possible!"

    Nodding his head in agreement, Goliath ran beside his love and pushed his way through the crowd of passengers.  Soon, they were at the A-Deck aft rail.  Looking down, he watched as the passengers continued streaming further and further down the ship as others chose to jump over the railing and into the icy depths below.  Turning, he quickly grabbed Elisa and lifted her over the railing.  Ignoring her surprised gasp, he lowered her as far as he could before dropping her to the deck below.  Praying that she wasn't harmed, he quickly jumped over the railing and joined her in the mad crush of people below.  And then they were at the narrow stairs that led to the well deck, the only way aft.

    "Goliath, we can't take the stairs!" Elisa cried out as she watched the passengers trying to squeeze down the narrow steps, knocking more off the sides than anything.

    "I know!" Goliath called back as he once more lifted Elisa and lowered her to the deck below.  And then they were running again, hand in hand, towards the far side of the ship.

Boat Deck Foyer, Grand Staircase

    Screaming out, Princess Katherine felt the water wrap its cold and slimy hands around her as it pulled her down the marble steps of A-Deck which was already flooded.  Gasping for air, she kicked to the surface, avoiding the roiling vortex of water that surrounded her, and grasped a headless cherub at the bottom of the staircase.  Wrapping her arms tightly around it, she listened in numb horror to the screams of her fellow passengers as she felt her baby kick against her cold stomach.  "I'm so sorry, me new bairn," she whispered quietly as she turned and looked up to the towering glass dome above her.  "I love ye, Tom," she whispered as the glass dome exploded inward from overhead with a wave of water cascading in.  In no time, she was lost under the spray.

Stern

    Gasping, Elisa struggled against gravity and slowly climbed the well deck stairs as the ship began to tilt even more, Goliath before her.  Suddenly, she felt a hand rest squarely on her butt and push her forward.  Surprised, she turned back and stared into the very hazy eyes of the Baker of the ship.

    "Sorry, miss!" he yelled, a large smile on his face showing how very drunk he was.

    Shaking her head, Elisa couldn't help but smile at the man before continuing after Goliath.  Instantly, though, that smile disappeared as she took in the sight before her.  Everywhere she looked she saw her fellow passengers struggle against the gravity that was pulling them back as the ship continued to tilt, grasping at anything that was secured to the deck floor.  Gasping, she grabbed Goliath's hand tightly and allowed him to pull her forward, his strong talons making easy work of the slanting deck.  Turning, she looked on in amazement at the hundreds of passengers that were crowded around Father Byles, who had his voice raised in prayer.

    "...and I saw new heavens and a new earth. The former heavens and the former earth had passed away and the sea was no longer...." Father Byles said, his voice raised and his eyes closed, pleading up to the heavens.

    "Hurry Elisa," Goliath said quietly as he pulled her forward.  "We cannot expect the Creator to do all the work for us," he said as he continued forward, helping passengers as they started to slip past.  Soon, they could go back no further and found themselves standing right at the base of the flagpole that marked the back of the ship.  With every second that passed, the ship tilted further and further till now the propellers rested twenty feet above the water and were rising fast.  To make it worse, the night air was filled with the sound of the groaning ship and the cries and wails of the passengers.

    Shaking her head as the horror of the situation penetrated through the numb cold she was feeling, Elisa pressed closer to Goliath.  Nodding in understanding, Goliath wrapped one powerful arm around the railing of the ship and then held Elisa tightly against him with the other one.

    Wrapping her arms around his waist, Elisa turned her head and smiled sadly at the woman beside her.  It was Beth Maza, the girl from earlier that Matt had been so infatuated with.  Sighing, Elisa knew that just because the girl was here, that didn't ensure her surviving the night.  And that also brought all new questions to mind.  For instance, where was Matt and Brooklyn?  She prayed that her friends were all right and had somehow found a way off of the ship and onto one of the lifeboats.  At least one of them had to survive this.

    And then the mighty Titanic tilted even more in its climb to go vertical, causing passengers and crew members everywhere to lose their grip and go tumbling down the twisted ship.  Crying out, a small green gargoyle felt another passenger plow into him.  Instantly, both he and the other passenger lost their grip on the object they were holding and they both slid down the ship and to their doom below.  "Goliath!" Lexington cried out one last time before his head smashed painfully against a bolted bench, causing the world to go dark.

    Crying out in fear, Elisa held onto Goliath even tighter as she looked past him.  Below, the propellers were now sitting a good one hundred feet in the air.  Everywhere around them people were beyond the point of panic as they threw themselves from the ship, dropping the hundreds of feet to the water below -- killed instantly by the unforgiving water -- water as hard as cement.

    And then, everything was dark.  With another groan the lights of the mighty ship went out in a wink, leaving the terrified passengers in the dark night, saved only by the brightly twinkling cold stars above -- the stars of the heavens.

    In the darkness, only more terror ensued as the great ship cracked with a mighty report across the water.  And then, the ship busted along the middle, the decks splitting as the ship broke in two.

    Crying out in horror, MacBeth held on for dear life as the ship opened up into a sudden pit of jagged metal before him.  "NOOO!" he screamed as his hold slipped and he fell into the interior of the ship, open now to the rushing water.

    And then, other screams of terror joined his as the back half of the mighty ship plummeted from her high position and back into the water till she was sitting almost even once again.  Almost immediately, a cry of salvation went through some of the passengers as they thought they had been saved.  All to no avail, for right away the horrible mechanics began to play themselves out.

    Crying out in horror, Goliath tightened his hold on the railing and pulled Elisa closer to him as the ship slowly began to tilt once more as the other half of the ship weighed it down.  Turning, he quickly yanked Elisa towards the railing.  "We have to move!" he roared as people began falling victim to the gravity, pulling them down to the rushing water below.

    Closing her eyes against the sight of the people bouncing horribly off of benches, railings, and ventilators, Elisa quickly nodded her head and gripped the railing as tight as she could.  Suddenly, she was enveloped in a moment of panic as she felt Goliath unwrap his arm from around her, leaving her to fend for herself.  Turning, she fixed her large eyes on his and watched as he climbed over the railing and rested on the other side.

    "Come on, I have you!" Goliath yelled over the sound of other screams.  Moving quickly, he reached over the railing and pulled Elisa to safety on the other side.  Who was he kidding.  No where was safe anymore.. no place would be safe ever again.

    Just as the deck of the ship became absolutely vertical and perpendicular to the water below, Elisa finally rested against the railing.  Lying on her stomach on the cold steel, she realized that she was staring down fifteen stories to the boiling sea at the base of the stern section.  Turning, her vacant eyes met with those of Beth Maza, who now dangled from the railing a few feet to her right.  Moving quickly, working on her instinct to save, Elisa darted over and reached for the girl's hand.

    Shaking her head, Beth looked up into Elisa's dark eyes and pale face, framed by her flowing black hair.  Smiling slightly, she met those eyes as her hands slipped from their hold and as she fell to the dark water so far below.

    Biting back tears, Elisa stared in shock at the girl as she disappeared from sight.  She had lost someone.. for the first time, she had lost someone.  And then there was movement at her back as Goliath crouched beside her and wrapped his arm tightly around her.  Blinking quickly, Elisa turned away from the rapidly approaching water as the ship began a quick slide down and looked into Goliath's dark eyes.

    "This is it," Goliath said quickly, his voice hoarse as he looked into the lost expression on Elisa's face.  "When we reach the water we're going to let the explosion of air carry us up and then we'll glide..."

    "Where?" Elisa asked, her voice soft and heavy with knowledge.  "Goliath, the boats are too far away to reach."

    "We're going to make it, Elisa," he said quietly, the loss of hope on her face plunging into his heart like a sharp bladed knife.  "Trust me."

    Sighing, Elisa glanced back at the up-rushing water and then into Goliath's dark eyes.  "I trust you," she said, flashing him a ghost of her traditional smirk.

    Nodding his head solemnly, Goliath quickly stood on the railing, balanced as best he could and reached down.  Moving fast, he scooped Elisa into his arms and extended his wings.  Seconds later, a large draft of air escaping from the ship below exploded into the night, catching his wings and propelling them both high into the night sky.

    Terrified, Elisa felt herself dig her nails sharply into his skin as the stars above illuminated the sight below.  Everywhere she looked she saw hundreds upon hundreds of screaming passengers, all like tiny dots in the water, flailing about and screaming for mercy, with no sign of the mighty Titanic in sight.  And further out sat the lifeboats, the passengers within no doubt watching in a stunned silence.  And then, she felt them lose altitude and slowly fall back towards the water.  "Goliath?" she asked, panic coloring her voice.

    "There's no wind.. no wind current," Goliath said quickly as he felt them fall back towards the water below.  Turning, he angled his wings so that they glided down towards the outer part of the large group of passengers.  He knew that if they were to land in that mess, then they would be gone for sure, most likely pulled under by the panicked people and gargoyles.  Soon, the water rushed up to meet them and then encased them in its freezing depths.

    Gasping in shock, Elisa felt her breath leave her body as the water poured in around her.  Pulling away from Goliath, she quickly started paddling, hoping to keep the pain away.  It was a cold so intense that it was indistinguishable from any death that she could imagine by fire.  Turning, she watched in worry as Goliath's movements became less frenzied as her own.  "Keep swimming!" she ordered quickly between chattering teeth.  "Keep moving.. come on, you can do it!"

    Nodding his head, Goliath quickly started paddling beside Elisa.  "Look for something floating.  Some debris... wood... anything," he said trying to block out the sounds from all around him.

    Nodding her head, Elisa continued forward.  Everywhere she looked though, she saw nothing but black water stretching to the horizon... and all she heard was a tremendous wailing, screaming, and moaning -- a chorus of tormented souls.  Shaking her head, she turned and her eyes alighted upon something in the distance.  "What's that?" she asked as she headed towards the object, Goliath in tow.

    A few seconds later, the two reached a large board that was floating in the water, seemingly an old table top.  On the verge of stopping from exertion, Goliath gratefully pulled his arms up onto one side of the board as Elisa did the same on the other.  Smiling, they quickly reached across the board and clasped their hands tightly together.  "Nice work," Goliath said quietly, his exhaustion showing through his smile.

    "I try," Elisa answered simply as she squeezed his own hand, the pain lessening in her legs.  For some reason, she knew that the absence of pain wasn't a good thing -- yet she was grateful nonetheless.

Collapsible A

    Swearing, Demona swung the oar that she held like a bat out of hell.  She needed to keep the swarm of passengers away from the boat.  "Stay back!" she roared, her eyes blazing red.  She had long ago abandoned the little human filth that had first gotten her onto the boat, but now, the stupid humans were trying to swamp them -- they were trying to drag her down into the murky water with them.  Well, she wasn't about that have that.  "Stay back!  Keep off!" she roared as she swung the oar that she wielded, slapping it on the water as a warning.

    Exhausted and near his limit, Matt continued swimming closer to the boat.  So far, he had escaped everything else, from the death of his friend to the incredible suction of the ship as it went under.  Paddling for all of his worth, Matt pulled nearer to the boat when Demona suddenly caught sight of him.

    Turning quickly, Demona lashed out with the oar and clubbed him on the head with it, cutting his scalp open.  Instantly, his red hair turned dark by the rush of blood as it filled the water around him.  Blinking away the rivers of blood, Matt shook his head slowly.  "You don't.. understand.." he murmured, confusion and shock evident on his face, the pain not hitting quite yet.  "I.. have to... get to America," he whispered, thoughts of his partner filling his head.

    "It's that way!" Demona growled in a cold voice as she lifted the oar and pointed it out into the dark night.  Smiling at the human, she literally watched as the spirit left him, each panting breath agony for him.

    Gasping, Matt stared up at the gargess in shock as she continued to lash out at others with the oar.  With her flowing red hair and glowing eyes, she looked like a demon in the night.  A demon.. he thought quietly as his vision went dark.

Ocean

    Shivering against the cold, Elisa closed her eyes and clenched her teeth together to keep herself from severing her tongue with her chattering.  Her body had long since grown numb to the cold, yet that didn't stop the shivering.  Sighing, she tried to kick her feet in the freezing water, in hopes that the movement would keep her warm.  In dismay, she realized that she no longer even had the energy to do that.  Opening her eyes, she looked over into Goliath's own dark eyes and stared in worry at his face.  He looked so.. sad.  His lavender face had turned pale and his lips had taken on a bluish tint.  Smiling softly, she noted that even like this, with his hair frozen in ringlets around his face, he still looked handsome.  

    Suddenly, a pierce whistle broke over the sound of the screaming passengers.  Turning, Elisa watched as a black officer that she recognized as Officer Morgan, began blowing fervently at the whistle that he clutched in his hand.  "The boats will come back for us, Goliath," she said quietly, her voice soft as she looked into Goliath's dark eyes.  "Hold on just a little longer.. they had to row away from the suction and now they'll be coming back."

    Sighing, Goliath smiled at her attempt to cheer him up.  "I know, Elisa," he whispered, noticing that the pain was finally beginning to ebb in his body as he squeezed her hand gently, ignoring the cold metal of her handcuff links.  "I know."

    Sighing, Goliath stared up into the dark night sky.  Everywhere he looked were multitudes upon multitudes of blazing white stars.  Even now, the water was so calm that he could actually see the stars reflecting back out of the dark water.  "It's getting quiet," he murmured quietly, noticing that the screaming had stopped a while ago and now only a low moaning ensued.

    Lifting her head wearily, Elisa looked around and noticed that Goliath was right.  Even Officer Morgan had stopped his call for help, the whistle gone silent.  Turning, she saw that was because the kind officer was unmoving, slumped in his lifejacket, almost as though he was asleep.  Elisa knew the truth -- he had already succumbed to exposure: he was dead.  "Just a few more minutes," Elisa whispered softly, trying her best to squeeze Goliath's hand.  "It'll take them a while to get the boats organized..."

    Sighing, Goliath continued to stare up into the heavens.  He knew the truth -- there wouldn't be any boats to come to their rescue.  They were going to die.  Turning, he looked at Elisa.  She was so small and beautiful.  Her tan face had long since turned pale from the cold and frost turned her raven hair a misty shade lighter.  Even her lips had lost their rosy hue.  Sighing, he squeezed her hand gently until he was looking once more into her dark eyes -- eyes that still held so much life.  For some reason, Goliath doubted that he would ever tire of looking into those eyes, eyes that were the windows to her soul.  And she had a good soul, this one did.  For her, others always came first.  Always.  He could spend a lifetime looking into those eyes.  "I love you, Elisa," he said quietly, his voice quiet but showing the intensity of his feelings.

    Instantly, Elisa became aware of the world once again as she stared in shock at the gargoyle before her.  Quickly, that shock was replaced by panic.  "No..." she argued softly, her voice shaking.  Using what little strength she had left, Elisa moved slowly around the board until she was floating before Goliath, her arms resting heavily on the board.  "Don't say your good-byes, Goliath.  Don't you give up.. don't do it," she whispered, her voice a mix between a plead and an order as she stared into his dark eyes.

    "I'm so cold," Goliath whispered as he stretched his arm across the board and latched onto the other side, making it stable with his weight as he averted his eyes.

    Shaking her head, Elisa felt her tears freeze at her eyes as she slowly raised a shaking hand up and touched his face gently.  Instantly, he turned and looked back into her eyes once again.  "You're going to get out of this," she said quietly, her voice sure.  "You're going to go on and lead your life.  You're going to die an old gargoyle, surrounded by those you love.  Not here," she whispered, her voice growing soft.  "Not this night.  Do you understand me?"

    "I.. I can't feel my body," Goliath said quietly, as though he didn't hear what she was saying.

    "Goliath, listen to me.  Listen," Elisa ordered, her voice regaining some of its earlier authority.  "Winning that ticket was the best thing that ever happened to me," she whispered, suddenly having trouble getting the breath to speak.  Sighing, she stared into his dark onyx eyes -- the eyes of the gargoyle that she loved.  "It.. it brought me to you," she continued, her voice trembling with the cold that was working its way to her heart.  But even though her voice was weak, her eyes were unwavering.  

    Sighing, she floated forward till she was once again in Goliath's arms.  With his arms wrapped tightly around the board, Elisa released her grip and instead wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, savoring the small amount of body heat that they could share.  Sighing, she felt his one arm wrap around her as she lay her head wearily against his chest.  "You must do me this honor.." she continued, her face so serious.  "Promise me you will survive... that you will never give up.. no matter what happens... no matter how hopeless... promise me now, and never let go of that promise."

    "I.. I promise," Goliath whispered quietly as he bent his head down and brushed his lips against her soft hair.

    "Never let go," Elisa repeated, her voice growing even softer.

    "I promise.  I will never let go, Elisa.  I'll never let go."

Lifeboats

    Moving quickly, Angela lashed out the orders, moving the passengers from boat to boat so that she could free up her own for a rescue attempt.  "Hurry up, people!" Angela yelled out, turning her worried eyes back towards where the wreck of the Titanic had been.  And then, all was set.  With Guardian Tom, and another gargoyle and woman, they quickly set off.  "Right, man the oars!" Angela ordered as the boat pulled away from the others and headed back to save the day.

    And then they were there.. they were at the place where the Titanic went down and where there was no one left to save.  Turning about in shock, Angela looked down at the multitude of bodies that littered the ocean.  Some of the people looked as though they could be sleeping, while others stared up at the night sky with frozen eyes.  "These people didn't drown," Angela whispered, the horror evident upon her face as the dead became so thick that they couldn't row without hitting some, "they were killed by the freezing water."

    At her stark words, the gargoyle that was accompanying them quickly turned around in his seat and vomited out the back of the boat.  Right then, they all knew that this was the worst moment of their lives.

    "We waited too long..."

Ocean

    "Near.. far.. wherever you are.. our hearts will, go on..." Goliath sang softly as he held Elisa tightly against him, his eyes trained on the stars up above.  He was so cold that it was even beyond the point of being frozen.  He could barely feel Elisa pressed up against him.  He knew that he was dying.

    Suddenly, a shooting star lit up the night sky as it trailed a line of light across the heavens.  Even as Goliath noted its beauty, Elisa's words of before came back to his foggy mind: My dad used to say that whenever you saw one, it was a soul going to heaven.  For some reason, those words struck hard with him... they were significant somehow.

    And then, that thought, too, left his foggy mind as another light pierced the veil of his mind.  Turning slowly, he watched as if in slow motion.. watched as a boat slowly passed by about fifty feet away.  The oars were moving so slowly, lifting out of the syrupy water, leaving weightless pearls floating in the air.  And the voices.. the voices sounded so strange and distorted as a light pierced the darkness and slowly swept over the bodies of the dead.  Barely breathing, his breath was so shallow, Goliath thought that he was hallucinating -- until he recognized the voice of the young gargess from earlier.  Officer Angela.

    In shock, he slowly turned his head down to look at his love who was still cradled in his arms.  "Elisa," he whispered, his voice so soft and weak from the cold.  "Elisa, the boats..." he whispered again as he shook her gently.  Shaking his head, Goliath quickly shook her again as he felt a new cold well up from within him as he began to shake her a little harder.. and harder.  Confused, he slowly reached down with one wing and tilted her head back.. and stared at the face of an angel.  She seemed to be sleeping with her eyes closed and her pale lips pursed together, her black hair framing her white face.  "Elisa," Goliath whispered again, the coldness growing.  She seemed to be sleeping, but for some reason, Goliath knew that she wasn't.  

    "Elisa?" he asked again, his voice growing stronger and more panicked.  Even as he knew the truth, he didn't want to believe it.  "Elisa?!" he said again, his voice croaking as he shook the woman -- all to no avail.  He would get no response from her.  And in that moment, Goliath's heart truly broke.  His Elisa was dead.  "No.." he whispered quietly, not even having the energy to do more.  Without Elisa, there was no reason left for anything.  All hope of his future was gone -- he didn't want to live without her.  He was so weak and there was no reason to even try... 

    "ELISA!!" Goliath roared suddenly, his eyes blazing white as he cried the injustice of it all up to the heavens above.  As a single tear blazed part way down his cheek before freezing, Goliath pulled Elisa closer to him and closed his eyes.  He wouldn't go on without her.

    Turning suddenly, Angela glanced back at where they had come from.  "Did you hear that?" she asked, hope blooming in her voice.

    "I didn't hear anything," Guardian Tom said quietly, weariness and great sadness showing in his eyes.  He hoped that somehow, his wife had made it to a boat.  He prayed that his wife and unborn child were not one of the passengers that were floating in this graveyard of the dead.

    "No.. turn around!" Angela said quickly.  They needed to go back.. they needed to!

    "But.. to where?" Tom asked as she flashed her light over the bodies in the water.

    Suddenly, her eyes lighted upon just one.  He was a tall, lavender gargoyle with dark hair framing his face.  In his arms, he held a shorter human with raven black hair -- both were unmoving.  "There," she said quietly as she indicated for the men to pull next to the two.  When they were beside them, Angela leaned over the boat and gently rest her hand upon the gargoyle's shoulder.  "Come along, Goliath," she said quietly, remembering his name.

    "Elisa.. she's dead," Goliath whispered back, not even opening his eyes as he held her dead body closer to him.

    "I know.." Angela answered quietly, tears coming to her eyes.  "I know Goliath.. but you must come with us now.  It's time to let her go."

    "No.." Goliath said quietly.  "No!" he repeated as his eyes snapped open and focused on the young gargess.  "I.. I promised her that I wouldn't let go.  I won't let go," he continued, his voice breaking into a sob as he bent down and kissed Elisa's head gently.  "I won't ever let go."

    As the tears streamed down Angela's face, she quickly shook her head.  "No, Goliath.. Father," she said quickly, her heart breaking with her father's.  "You know that is not what Elisa meant.."

    Slowly Goliath turned and looked up into his daughter's eyes.  "I love her," he said quietly, his eyes holding the pain of a hundred gargoyles.  "I promised that I wouldn't let go."

    "Please, Father," Angela countered as she reached down and gently wiped away his tears with her hand.  "You know that she wouldn't want you to do this.. to twist her words like this.  She would want for you to go on.. I need you."

    Sighing, Goliath knew that Angela was right.  Even as Elisa was making Goliath promise to go on, she knew then that she wouldn't be going on with him.  She knew even then that she was dying and wouldn't live to see the rescue.  He supposed that deep down, he too, knew the truth -- although he never wanted to admit it to himself.  She was just too weak.. her skin not thick enough.  From the beginning, his resistance to the cold was obvious -- just as her lack of it was as well.  She never even had a chance of fighting the cold.  He needed to let Elisa go.  

    "I won't let go," he whispered softly as he quickly pressed his lips against the smooth silkiness of her hair.  "I promise," he whispered again as tears streamed down his cheeks.  "I love you..." he whispered, and with those vows of his everlasting love, Goliath released his hold on the woman he loved and watched her slowly slip down into the murky depths of the ocean.  Slowly, she seemed to fade out like a spirit returning to where she belonged.

    Feeling the pain build from within his chest, Goliath tore his eyes away from the place where Elisa had disappeared and allowed Angela to pull him into the small skiff.  Together, they huddled alone in a sea of emptiness -- devoid of all life and all things.  Everywhere they looked they saw nothing but an eerie fog that covered all -- covered their bleeding hearts -- the mists of Avalon.

    "Well, that's no fun!" a voice suddenly chirped from the fog around them.

    "Elisa.. Elisa's dead," Goliath whispered quietly, ignoring all but his broken heart.

    "I mean, you didn't even get to the fun part before you remembered yourselves!" Puck complained as he zipped around the skiff and stared at the two gargoyles, his white hair flowing out around him.

    "The fun part?" Angela asked, slowly coming out of her daze as she turned to stare up at the little fey.  "What are you talking about, trickster?" she asked, her eyes narrowing as her voice grew low and deadly.

    "Why, when Goliath discovers the Phoenix Gate that he has in his pouch and gives it to me, of course!" Puck declared as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, pulling his legs up beneath him.  "You guys aren't following the script anymore!!"

    Finally, the Puck's words filtered through the fog that occupied Goliath's heart and mind.  "The Phoenix Gate?" he asked slowly as he climbed to his feet, barely aware of the fact that the cold was gone.  "This whole thing was about the Phoenix Gate?" he asked in disbelief.  Suddenly, his eyes glowed bright white.  "You killed Elisa because of the Phoenix Gate?!?" he roared, flaring out his wings and causing the skiff to rock gently back and forth.

    "Killed?" Puck asked quickly, his face showing confusion.  "Who said anything about killing Detective Maza?" he asked.  "Now what would be the fun in that?  She's so much fun to play with!!"

    "Then.. Elisa's not dead?" Angela asked slowly, hope building within her as she climbed to her shaky feet beside her father.

    "Of course not!  And neither is the doggoyle of yours, either," Puck said.  "Gee, you mortals really are slow," he laughed, shaking his head quickly.

    "But.. what..." Goliath mumbled slowly.  Could it be?  After his heart had been broken, was his Elisa still alive?  "Where are they, trickster?" Goliath roared quickly, his eyes blazing.

    Amazed at the fierceness of Goliath's glare, Puck shook his head quickly.  "Well, the beast, Bronx, I believe you call him, is there," Puck said as he snapped his fingers.  In a flash of green light, the happy animal appeared on the skiff and instantly tackled Angela, his tongue flailing.  "And Detective Maza.. well, she's where you put her last, Goliath," Puck answered, a smirk on his face.  "Although, that wasn't very nice of you to let her go."

    "Where I..." Goliath began in confusion when comprehension finally dawned upon him.  "Elisa!" he roared as he turned and looked back down in the water.  Seconds later, he was rewarded by splashing behind him.  Turning quickly, he saw his love break the surface of the strange water a few inches from the boat.

    Gagging up the salty water, Elisa quickly treaded water by the boat.  "Could someone help me out over here?" she asked, her voice weak.

    "Elisa!!" Goliath roared as he quickly reached down and plucked the sputtering detective from the water.  Completely ignoring the fact that there were others present and the fact that she was dripping wet, Goliath quickly wrapped his arms tightly around her slim frame and pulled her close to him in a tight embrace.  "Oh God, I thought that I had lost you," he murmured quickly, his hands caressing her wet hair.

    Smiling, Elisa pulled back and looked into Goliath's eyes, which were filled with bright tears.  "Hey, I'm alright.. you see?" she asked, her voice light even though she was trembling on the inside.  The last she remembered was being so cold and then waking up beneath a ton of water and a huge struggle to the surface.

    "I love you," Goliath said quietly, his eyes locking with her as he quickly bent low and found her lips with his.  Smiling to himself, he pulled her close and allowed the kiss to deepen.  At first, he felt her try to pull away in shock, but then she returned the kiss full force.

    Shocked, Angela stared at her father and her friend.  It was obvious that their experience on the Titanic had finally opened their eyes to the love that they shared and felt for one another.  Finally, a few minutes later Angela could stand no more.  "Um.. Father?" she asked quietly, a large smile tugging at her lips.

    Instantly, Goliath and Elisa broke their kiss and then stared up into each other's eyes.  "I was so afraid that I would never again get to look into your beautiful eyes," Goliath whispered, his voice low and husky.

     I was afraid that I'd never again get to go gliding with you and feel your arms holding me," Elisa whispered back, a small smile at her lips.

    "And I was afraid that you two would never wake up and smell the coffee!" Puck broke in, his voice sarcastic as he tapped his foot in mid-air impatiently.  "Now, can I have the Phoenix Gate?"

    "Of course not!" Angela answered quickly for her Father.  Even though she didn't know this trickster, she already knew enough about him to know that the Phoenix Gate in his hands was a bad idea.

    "Come on, you owe it to me!" Puck whined, his white hair blowing around him in an unseen breeze.

    "And why is that?" Elisa asked, arching her eyebrow at the  annoying fey.

    "Because if it wasn't for me, you guys wouldn't be getting all lovey-dovey right now, would you?" Puck asked, his voice smug.

    "No, they wouldn't," a different female voice interrupted before anyone else could.

    "Uh oh," Puck muttered as a name instantly came to mind that would match that voice.  "Titania..."

    "Yes, Puck," Queen Titania answered as she appeared, floating opposite of Puck.  "You were right, they wouldn't have discovered their love for one another for quite some time yet if it hadn't been for you."

    "But.." Puck began, knowing that he was in trouble.

    "Which means," Titania continued, her voice stern, "that you interfered with the lives of the mortals -- you went against the law of Oberon."

    Sighing, Puck sloped his shoulders in defeat.  "Daddy Oberon is going to have my butt for sure," Puck muttered, fear tightening his voice.

    Shaking her head, Elisa drew closer to Goliath, her arms wrapped tight around his large frame.  It was probably true what Titania and the Puck were saying.  But all in all, she didn't care.  In a way she did owe Puck -- not that she'd ever admit it aloud -- for if it wasn't for him, who knew how long it would've taken for the truth to be revealed between her and Goliath concerning their true feelings.

    "Unless we fix the problem before King Oberon ever finds out," Titania added quietly, a small smile on her face.

    "You mean you're not going to tell him?" Puck asked quickly, his voice chipper once again.

    "Not if you fix the problem..."

    "Wait a minute," Goliath said quickly, his eyes narrowing as he followed the conversation.  "What do you mean, 'fix the problem?'" he asked, his voice betraying his worry.

    "Well, make it like none of this had ever happened," Puck explained in a matter of fact tone of voice.

    "Never happened?!" Elisa and Goliath demanded as one.

    Knowing what was running though their heads, Titania smiled down at the couple.  "I am sorry, but we cannot let it continue as is.  I promise to you that you both will find a way into each other's hearts in time."

    Sighing, Elisa nodded her head slowly.  "We understand," she said quietly, answering for them both.  Turning, she then looked up into Goliath's eyes.  Leaning forward, she quickly wrapped her arms around his thick neck and kissed him full on the lips.  A few seconds later, the kiss ended and Elisa drew away once again.

    "This time.. let's hope that it doesn't take a tragedy or you almost dying to get us to realize our feelings for one another," Goliath whispered, his low voice even more husky than usual.

    Grinning in reply, Elisa squeezed his shoulder gently before stepping away.  "Yeah, like me falling off of dam or something dramatic like that," she added, a large smile on her face.  Turning, she then nodded to the trickster.  "Do your stuff, Puck."

    A moment later, everything disappeared in a flash of green light.

The Mists of Avalon

    Sighing, Elisa blew a breath of air from between her lips as she trailed a slender finger in the cool waters that lay around her.. all around her.

    "Elisa?" Angela asked quietly as she twisted in the small wooden skiff to regard her human friend with a careful eye.  "Is there anything wrong?"

    Pausing, Elisa turned to look oddly at the young gargess.  She had the strangest feeling that she and Angela had had this same conversation before.  Shaking her head, Elisa quickly lifted her hand from the dark and mysterious waters and shook them briefly, trying to rid them of the drops of water.  Looking up, she gently brushed her long black hair from her eyes and stared met Angela's dark brown eyes from her seat in the front of the skiff, Bronx at her feet.  Forcing a smile for both the girl and Goliath, who stood between the two women, rowing the skiff through the gently swirling mists, Elisa curtly shook her head.  "No, Angela.  I'm just thinking about how good a Philly Steak Sandwich would taste about now," she replied with her usual smirk, her stomach growling at the thought of the tantalizing food.

    "Philly steak.. sand-wich?" Angela asked, pronouncing the new words slowly.

    Laughing, Elisa shook her head, her black hair flowing around her in the windless expanse of fog.  "Never mind.. I'll explain later."

    Suddenly, all eyes focused on their surroundings as the dark mist began to slowly clear.  In a matter of seconds, the thick blanket of fog that always surrounded their departure from Avalon was gone without a trace, leaving them in the real world once more...