A Different Memory

[reluctant_gargoyle]

This particular memory takes place much more recently than the the ones I've been posting, only a few weeks ago.  However, it's an important one, as it concerns something that happened to Demona.

Coming back to wakefulness after being knocked out was never pleasant, and it had already happened several times too many as far as I was concerned.  I tried to remember what the last thing to happen was, and groaned.  I'd been out on patrol with Angela and we'd been about to intervene in a robbery.  She'd gone around one side of a building, and I'd gone around the other... and something struck me from behind.

Which brings me back to waking up.  I was chained to a wall, strongly chained.  Even with all my strength, I couldn't free myself.  The room around me was rather lavishly decorated, if in something of a gothic fashion.  "Who lives here...?" I asked, quietly.  "Dracula's daughter?"

"Really, Detective.  Such nonsense."  The voice from the doorway caught my attention and I looked upon Demona.  With a growl, I struggled against my chains again, but to no avail.

She approached, making a tsk-tsk noise.  "Even as a Gargoyle, you really are quite pathetic."

"Goliath doesn't seem to think so," I snapped.

It was a mistake. She struck out, talons raking me across the side of my face.  "You would do well to watch your tongue.  You'll live longer."

"If you're going to kill me, just get it over with."

This caused her to laugh.  "Honestly, Detective.  If I really just wanted you dead, all I would have to do is wait until dawn and set upon you with a hammer.  You'd never even know.  But no.  I have need of you."

She gestured to a spellbook which lay resting on a table.  "You do not deserve the gifts you have been given.  No pitiful human does.  So I am going to take them from you."

Now this made me laugh.  "You're crazier than I thought!  You really think you can undue Puck's magic?"

"Little is impossible," she sneered.  "To one who knows where to look.  Fae power is great, but not insurmountable.  The gifts you have been wrongly given shall be taken from you, and then you shall be made to suffer as you have never suffered before."

An icy cold terror gripped my heart.  Amazing.  Months ago, I'd been frightened by the idea of becoming a Gargoyle, and now I was terrified of becoming human.  I'd grown to love this body, loved being able to be with Goliath and the others, fighting by their side.  It was who I wanted to be.  And Demona was insane enough to try and take it from me.  I didn't fear dying.  I didn't even fear losing Goliath--what we were didn't matter so long as we were together--but to have nearly everything ripped from me again, that I did fear.

I struggled again, but to no success.  Unless something amazing happened, I was sunk.

Demona simply smiled wickedly as she opened up the spell book and began chanting in Latin.  About halfway through, she lit a brazier and dropped odd items, things I couldn't identify, into the flames.  It changed color several times, shifting from red-orange to blue to green, even to purple.

Finally, she lifted the book in one hand, pointing at me with the other.  She began chanting again, this time in English.


"Mortal who has taken wing,
I now deny this very thing!
Be no more of Gargoyle Clan,
Instead now walk the world of man!"

A bolt of magical power began to build in  her hand and I braced myself for the worst when...

CRASH!

The sound of breaking glass heralded Angela's arrival into the room, crashing through the window.  Her tail lashed out, knocking the book from Demona's hand and into the brazier.

"Angela....?!  What...?!" Demona stuttered in surprise.  "But the spell...!"  She looked down at her hand and saw the glow of the spell still there.  It began to back up her arm to the rest of her body.  She fell to the ground, screaming in pain...

"Mother!"  Angela cried.  "What have you done?"

Both of us could only watch in amazement as Demona underwent an incredible transformation.  From Gargoyle to human.  We'd known that this was something she did, had even seen some of the security tapes from the Labyrinth when she was imprisoned there, but to see it happen while the sun was still down was simply indescribable.  She appeared to be unconscious.

Angela went to work freeing me, after checking that Demona was still breathing.  "What... what happened?" she asked.

"She wanted to do that," and I pointed at her unconscious form, "to me.  Good thing you showed up.  How'd you find me, anyway?"

"When Mother attacked you, I heard a Gargoyle's roar, hers.  I did not arrive in time to help, but...  She told me of this place, when she last attempted to win me to her point of view.  I gambled that this was where she had brought you.  And now..."

Both of our gazes returned to Demona.  "You saved me, kiddo.  I won't say I'm sorry about what happened...  but I know you didn't mean for it to."

As we began to leave, Demona stirred.  With an inarticulate cry of rage, she threw herself at me.  I cought her wrists easily and held her at arm's length.  "I'll kill you!" she snarled. 

I'm not exactly proud of what I said next, but a wicked grin spread its way across my face.  "No so easy, is it?  Human against Gargoyle?"  I gave her a toss across the room.  Not enough to really hurt, but just to put some space between us.  "You brought this on yourself, Demona.  Do us all a favor, and end the vendettas, okay?"

Before she could say anything else, Angela and I were gone.

***

I must admit, I took much more delight in Demona screwing herself over than I really should have.  Just like when she tried that whole business with the Mirror and Puck to try and kill me, she only made things worse on herself.  The irony in someone who hates humans so much, to the point where she plots genocide, trapped as one permanently, well, it's pretty high.

But I also know a thing or two about being trapped in a strange body you don't want.  I got used to it, hell, I like being a Gargoyle better.  I'd never want to go back to being human.  It's a terrible thing to happen to anyone.

But it couldn't have happened to a 'nicer' person.

Comments

[harley-is-love.livejournal.com]

Angela must love you very much

[elisa-garg.livejournal.com]

"She does. Very much. But this... hasn't been easy for her. She still feels incredibly guilty over what happened. Everything Demona's done, and she still believes there's something worthwhile in her..."

[harley-is-love.livejournal.com]

"I... I can relate to that."

"If she ever needs someone to talk to..."

[elisa-garg.livejournal.com]

"There is something worthwhile in you, Harley. Don't ever doubt that."

"Thanks. She could probably use someone to talk to."

[harley-is-love.livejournal.com]

"No... I mean..." Deep breath, "even after everything Joker did to me, I believed that there is something worthwhile in him. For the longest time."

"Anytime."

[elisa-garg.livejournal.com]

"I understand. Demona... she's tried multiple forms of genocide, tried cloning the Clan, dabbled in the black arts, and tried to murder me personally more times than I can count. But I've also seen her fight Thailog tooth and nail to protect Angela." Elisa shakes her head. "It's a mesed-up world sometimes."

[harley-is-love.livejournal.com]

"I can see why Angela still sees hope in her then, at least... at least Demona fought to protect her."

"But I betcha anything that Angela would fight tooth and nail for you, and that in a way... you are her mother."

[elisa-garg.livejournal.com]

"I can see it, sometimes... Guess mothers really are capable of putting everything else aside for their kids."

A small smile. "Thanks, Harley."

[harley-is-love.livejournal.com]

"Yes, but really great mothers will have their kids put everything aside for them. And you, are a really great mother to Angela. And will be to any brood you and Goliath have."

[elisa-garg.livejournal.com]

"You've right, Harley. Angela took down Demona without even knowing what might happen... all for me." A chuckle. "I try my best. Plenty of practice until then, between Angela and being 'Auntie 'lisa' to Brooklyn's kids."

[harley-is-love.livejournal.com]

"See? Proves my point."

"I saw pictures of Brooklyn when he came into the Nexus with a question." She pauses for a second, "did he happen to mention to what I said to him?"

[elisa-garg.livejournal.com]

She nods. "Yeah... He did."

[harley-is-love.livejournal.com]

"Good."

[dragon-paragon.livejournal.com]

Gargoyle Kakyoin: *GargKakyoin is stone-faced while Elisa goes through her memory, but he can't help but burst into laughter when she reaches the end.* HA! Classic! She's had it coming for so long! you really oughtn't feel bad. you probably should've sucker punched her a few times.

Yeah, you might wanna be careful with the throwing. It hurts more than you'd think. *GargKakyoin winks-He certainly doesn't mind Demona being thrown around.* By the way, I want a rematch now.

[elisa-garg.livejournal.com]

"Look, I won't deny she got what she deserved. She hates humans? Let her try being one, twenty-four seven. And believe me... there's a part of me that would've liked to have hurt her more. But one, no way I would have done that in front of Angela, and two, it's what she would have done in the reserve position... and I'm not about to sink to her level."

And a laugh. "What, you think just 'cause you've got wings now, you think you can take me?"

[dragon-paragon.livejournal.com]

Gargoyle Kakyoin: Well, ok, I'll give it to you. Hurting her in front of Angela is definitely not the right thing to do. But if you were in the reverse position, she'da killed you. Or worse.

Oh, this has more to do with Gargoyles being built like tanks than it does with wings.

[elisa-garg.livejournal.com]

"She would have. Which is all the more reason why I won't. I won't sink to her level."

"Okay, you've got a point there. But do you really know how to fight? You sure seem to let that thingamajig of yours do all the fighting for you."

[dragon-paragon.livejournal.com]

Gargoyle Kakyoin: And she'll just come back anyway. Why don't you just lock her up in the Labyrinth?

*Ooh, Elisa's touched a nerve!* Hey! Of course I can fight! Just not when I'm in the air.

[elisa-garg.livejournal.com]

"We tried that, remember? Whole mess with Thailog and the clones? It'd put the Labyrinth in too much danger."

This, however, prompts a grin from her. "You really sure you wanna try and prove that?"

[dragon-paragon.livejournal.com]

Wolf Kakyoin: *Ooh, that was low. At least she said twice.*

Gargoyle Kakyoin: Hey, you aren't allowed to say the TH word during the fight! Well, I missed the whole incident. I don't really know how it happened.

So, are we gonna talk, or are we gonna dance?

[elisa-garg.livejournal.com]

"Worked out... reasonably well, I suppose. But I'd rather not go through it again," she says.

She drops back into a fighting stance. "Fine. If it'll shut you up..."

[dragon-paragon.livejournal.com]

Gargoyle Kakyoin: She's an absolute menace. We have to lock her up somewhere...

Oh, I doubt it. *GargKakyoin puts his right hand out, waiting for the traditional tapping of fists to begin.*

[elisa-garg.livejournal.com]

"Believe me, we're looking into that." For reasons Elisa won't exactly go into, at least, not right now.

And she smirks. "Yeah, you've right. Nothing'll shut you up." Elisa reaches out to tap fists, even as her tail is starting to snake around to try and grasp Kakyoin around the ankle, in order to pull him down.

[dragon-paragon.livejournal.com]

Wolf Kakyoin: *Elisa's number of viable targets doubles as GargKakyoin suddenly gains another pair of ankles. No fair! Elisa's tail does, however, provide a target closer to Wolf Kakyoin's angle of attack. Wolf Kakyoin lunges forward with a snarl to try to grab ahold of Elisa's tail with his teeth.*

[elisa-garg.livejournal.com]

"Oh no, none of that," Elisa says, jumping backward. "This is a real fight. No wolfing out on me."