***
Layne stepped into the kitchen with Leviatha at her feet. The black cat rubbed up against her ankle and continued inside. She jumped up onto the counter and meowed expectantly at the cabinet.
"Let me guess, you're hungry. Sometimes I wonder if Owen ever feeds you when I'm asleep." She pulled a can of cat food out of the cabinet and turned towards the canopener, bumping into Owen Burnett.
"I'm sorry, Owen. You should stop sneaking up on people like that."
Owen pushed his glasses higher up onto his nose. "My apologies, Layne. And for your information, I do feed your cat."
"Oh, you heard me, I didn't really mean that." She turned and placed the can under the motorized blade then poured it into Leviatha's bowl. The cat didn't even wait for it to be placed on the ground and ate up on the counter.
Layne grabbed herself an apple from the counter. "Was there something you wanted?"
"Actually, I was wondering if you would want a lesson in handling your powers."
Layne stopped in mid-bite. "Didn't you just put Alex to bed?" Owen nodded. "Then how do you intend to turn into Puck for this lesson?"
"I don't." Layne gave him a confused look. "I don't need to. I still retain magickal knowledge, even if I cannot use it. With young Alexander, Puck needs to teach by example, but with an older subject like you…"
"You can teach by instruction," Layne finished. "I get it. I guess it's back to school for me. Where do I pick up my textbook?" She bit into the apple.
Owen almost smiled at that, almost. He simply cleared his throat. "I will start with your own texts. Thank you for letting me borrow them, they were very useful in planning my instructions. I also found the information personally interesting." He cleared his throat. "I have set aside a room for us."
Layne stared at him. "You are amazing. You do all that work for Mr. Xanatos, you somehow manage to fit in Alex's lessons, and now you're helping me. Do you ever sleep?"
Owen just turned and gestured for Layne to follow him. Layne ran her hand over Leviatha's back before leaving.
***
An hour later, Brooklyn poked his head into the kitchen, looking for Layne. Instead, he found Leviatha, asleep on the counter. He frowned at the empty room.
"Don't just stand there, lad!"
Brooklyn jumped off to the side. "Sorry Hudson. I was just hoping Layne would be in here."
Hudson moved past Brooklyn and went about collecting the ingredients for his sandwich. "She's around somewhere, lad. Come join me until she shows up."
"Nah, I think I'll go look for her. I'll see you later, Hudson."
The elder gargoyle didn't even look up from his sandwich as he left. Leviatha leapt to the next counter, landing next to Hudson's snack. "Ach, no ye don't, kitty. This is mine, an' I'm not sharin'. Why don't ye go help Brooklyn find Layne." He set the cat on the floor. Leviatha stuck her nose and tail up in the air and walked from the kitchen.
Hudson shook his head. "Sometimes, that cat acts too human."
***
Brooklyn opened the nursery door. Fox was checking on Alex, who was obviously fast asleep. She put a finger to her lips, silently telling him to be quiet. She left the nursery and quietly shut the door behind her.
Brooklyn waited until they had turned the corner before asking, "Fox, have you seen Layne?"
"No, Brooklyn, I haven't. Owen did say he was going to talk to her, but I have no idea where either of them are."
"Thanks anyway, Fox." He started to walk away, but Fox called out.
"Brooklyn, are you all right?"
"Yeah, I'm fine, why do you ask?"
Fox shrugged. "You've been a little anxious lately, especially now that Layne's living here. Is everything all right between you two?"
"Everything's fine, really. I've just been out on patrol since after breakfast, and I want to see her, that's all."
Fox smiled, "Don't give me that, there's something else. Would you like to talk about it?"
"No." There was a hostile tone in his voice.
Fox blinked in surprise. "Okay, if that's how you feel, I'll leave you alone. But I'll be around if you do want to talk." She turned and headed in the opposite direction.
Brooklyn let out a frustrated sigh. He turned to apologize but she was gone. He knew she was only trying to be nice, but he didn't like her sticking her nose into his love life. He returned to his search.
***
"You are doing better than expected."
Layne smiled at Owen, trying to keep her concentration on the small glowing ball at the same time. Owen continued his praise. "It seems you have advanced beyond the exercises in your books. It's almost as if you've been doing this your whole life. Your skill is quite impressive. You can let it go out now."
Layne put her arms down and the light disappeared. "Thanks Owen. I'll tell you something though, I enjoy your lesson more than Puck's."
Owen raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"No offense, but he's a bit…unmotivated. I know he just wants to have fun, and that's cool, I like having fun. But I don't get much done. I've learned more with you tonight than I did with Puck the entire time I've been here."
"I'm just glad I could help."
"So here is where you disappeared to." Brooklyn stood in the doorway, his arms crossed over his chest. "I've been looking for you for a half an hour."
"Oh, I'm sorry. Owen was just giving me some pointers on using my magic."
Brooklyn looked confused. "I thought Puck took care of all that."
Owen adjusted his glasses. "I still have magickal knowledge in this form, and Layne has said that she prefers my lessons over Puck's."
"I have no idea why," Brooklyn added sarcastically. He personally had trouble standing either of them. "Layne, would you like to take a walk in the arboretum?"
Layne smiled. "I'd love to. I guess this ends our lesson for tonight, Owen."
"I have to get back to work as it is, I'll see you later, Layne. Goodnight, Brooklyn."
"Yeah, bye," Brooklyn said, putting his arm around Layne.
***
"Why did you want to come down here?" Layne asked as they walked among the brightly colored flowers. She couldn't identify many of the species, but was sure that they were very rare and expensive. Especially those red irises in the far corner.
"Do I need a reason to enjoy a walk with the person I love most?"
Layne smiled and moved closer to him. They sat down under a large tree, with Layne sitting in Brooklyn's lap. She wrapped her arms around him and rested her cheek on his shoulder. Brooklyn put his arms and wings around her. They sat there in silence for several moments before giggles broke the silence. Oddly, the giggles weren't theirs.
Angela and Broadway came strolling past them. "Oh, hey guys," Broadway said.
"What are you doing down here?" Angela asked.
"Probably the same thing you are," Layne answered, giving Angela a look.
Broadway looked confused but Angela smiled and nodded. "It is very nice down here, but I think I could go for some fresh air."
"But we just got here," Broadway protested, earning him an elbow in the ribs.
"Come on, Broadway, there's a movie I've been wanting to see." She winked at Layne as the couple walked out of sight.
"Now what do you think that was all about?" Brooklyn asked. He obviously didn't see Angela's wink, or just didn't know what it meant. Layne chuckled and kissed his neck. Brooklyn ran his fingers through her soft hair. It'd been awhile since they'd been alone together, not since that night before she'd been kidnapped. And a lot had changed since then.
"Brooklyn!" Goliath's voice rang through the arboretum. If there had been birds, they would have taken flight at the sound. Layne looked in the direction of Goliath's voice, looking very annoyed, almost angry. The two of them got up and went to find Goliath.
"There you two are. Broadway said you were down here, I need your help." He walked away, expecting them to follow. They did, all the way to Xanatos' office. David sat behind his desk, admiring a holographic projection coming from a small plate on the desk. They could see that the image was green and humanoid, but in no way human. It had wings and a tail, and looked similar to a gargoyle.
Xanatos looked up at their entrance. "I'll tell you the same thing I just told Goliath. This image was taken by a scientist in New Jersey while investigating a local legend."
Layne looked at the image from several different angles. "So that's the Jersey Devil."
Xanatos smiled. "Good, then I don't need to tell you about the legend. I was able to get a copy of the image, and all the information he collected from the Pine Barrens."
Goliath spoke up. "I want the two of you to do our own search."
Layne looked up at him. "You think the Jersey Devil is a gargoyle?"
"Not only that, but there could be an entire clan in those woods."
"And you want us to check it out," Brooklyn said. Maybe it'll be good, he thought. I'll get to spend time with Layne, away from everyone else.
"You two and Bronx. He can help you track. I'd send others, but with times as they are we need as many of us here as possible, but we cannot pass this up."
"Understood Goliath," Brooklyn replied. "But I hope you don't expect us to glide there."
Xanatos smirked. "Of course not. Fox can take you in a helicopter. I have an old warehouse up there where you can stay, and I'll supply you with food and any supplies you need."
"When can it all be ready?" Goliath asked.
"They can leave tomorrow, so they have time to go over the reports." He handed Brooklyn a CD. "And we can get everything set up. That CD will give you all the information you need. I wish you well."
Goliath and Brooklyn stared in surprise. "What?" Layne asked them.
"It's strange that Xanatos wants to help us," Goliath answered.
"You were being sincere, weren't you?" Brooklyn asked.
Xanatos glared at him. "I'm going to pretend I didn't hear that. And after all I've done for you."
Brooklyn rolled his eyes and turned to Layne. "Come on, we'll check this out on Lex's computer."
***
Brooklyn tossed his last bag into the helicopter. "That's the last of it. I'm glad there was room for some personal possessions."
Layne set her bag next to Brooklyn's. "Yes, because we all know you wouldn't be able to survive without the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."
Brooklyn smacked her backside as she crawled into the helicopter. "And heaven forbid you run out of eyeliner."
Fox gave David a quick, yet passionate kiss and strolled over to the helicopter. This particular helicopter was larger than Xanatos' personal one. "We're leaving in five minutes. Aren't we missing something?"
"Huh? Oh yeah, Bronx! Come here boy."
Bronx galloped over and jumped in, nearly squashing Layne. "Ah! Down boy, sit over there."
Brooklyn helped Fox inside and leaned out the door. He waved at the clan and Elisa, who had come to see them off. Above his head, the blades began to spin. "Bye guys. We're going where no gargoyles have gone before, to seek out new clans and new, ouch!" Layne pulled him inside by the tail.
"We'll contact you when we get there," she called out before she shut the door. Fox gave a thumbs-up and the helicopter took off. Brooklyn and Layne waved from their windows.
"Do you think they'll be okay without us?" Brooklyn asked.
"We're going to New Jersey, not New Olympus." She started to head up front when she suddenly stopped with a jerk. She looked back and saw Brooklyn holding her tail.
"There, we're even."
Layne's eyes glowed slightly as she advanced upon him. She pinned him up against the wall and kissed him.
"Hey back there," Fox called out cheerfully. "This isn't a motel room. Save it for later. Sit down and buckle up."
"Sorry," they said at the same time as they took their seats. Bronx settled down next to Brooklyn. Layne leaned over and whispered something into Brooklyn's ear. He blushed a few shades and smiled. Up front, Fox chuckled.
***
Bronx crashed through the woods, with Brooklyn and Layne close behind him. They'd been searching for four nights and there was still no sign of other gargoyles. Fox had gone back after refueling, leaving them to practically fend for themselves. The warehouse they were staying in was very nice as warehouses went, and they had set up in one of the nice offices, but right now, they weren't in the warehouse.
Layne tripped over a tree root and fell into a mud puddle. Her whole front was now covered with mud. She wiped her face with her hand and growled. "This is not what I expected."
Brooklyn helped her up. "Me neither."
Layne put her arms around his neck. "I'm dirty and tired and hungry, can we go back to the warehouse, just for awhile? If there's a clan out here, they'll be here tomorrow night."
Brooklyn looked at her with tired eyes. "You're right, we'll go back. Let's go Bronx. Bronx?" They looked around but the gargoyle beast was nowhere to be seen.
"Wonderful," Layne said. "Bronx!" They both began to call out. A few minutes later, they heard Bronx's howl.
"That way!" Brooklyn ran towards the sound. He dropped to all fours, and Layne, not completely used to her gargoyle form, couldn't keep up. She heard the howl again and sped up.
She came to a ledge and looked down. Below her were Bronx and Brooklyn, surrounded by at least a half dozen other gargoyles. Uh oh, she thought. Each of the strange gargoyles were armed and it looked like they had injured Brooklyn. She saw him leaning up against the rock, holding his shoulder. Her eyes burned. She leaped off the cliff and landed between her friends and their attackers.
She roared and lashed out at the strangers. Suddenly, one of them gasped in surprise. He dropped his knife and fell to his knees at Layne's feet. The others did so as well. Layne and Brooklyn stared at the group of gargoyles. Layne was checking Brooklyn's injuries when one of the gargoyles looked up at them. He had honey tan skin and dirty blonde hair. His dark eyes were filled with amazement as he stared at Layne.
"You've finally come to us, Goddess."
Layne stared at him with a puzzled look. "What are you talking about?"
"Our clan believes in a Goddess that is all powerful, and will descend from heaven to guide us. You are that Goddess." He bowed his head again.
Brooklyn, who had been speechless up to this part, said, "Layne, I think we found what we were looking for."
"And a whole lot more then we bargained for," she replied.
***