Gargoyles Fan Fiction ❯ Of The Night ❯ An Ally? ( Chapter 4 )

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Of The Night

Four

When night descended and the gargoyles awoke, stretching and roaring to the night sky, Elisa was waiting for them – but, Brooklyn noticed right away, Lydia wasn’t. He frowned slightly as he glided down with the rest, partially out of disappointment that Lydia wasn’t there, and partially at the way Elisa shuffled. She looked nervous, or perhaps unwilling to be here.

“What is wrong, Elisa?” Goliath asked, instantly picking up on Elisa’s obvious distress.

Elisa gave a sigh. “Well, to be blunt. . .I ran into Lydia earlier.”

“And?” Brooklyn prodded as they gathered nearer to her.

“And she’d been attacked in her apartment,” Elisa went on. As surprised looks went around, she explained, “Lydia recognized them as the four men you saved her from two nights ago.” She nodded at Brooklyn.

“Is she okay?” Angela asked, concern written across her features.

“Unharmed,” Elisa told them, and relief went around. “But she did have outstanding warrants --”

“You arrested her?” Brooklyn blurted.

“Yes,” she said reluctantly. “We also managed to arrest three of the four men and confiscate their weapon.”

“What weapon?”

“A gun.”

Broadway growled softly, fists clenching reflexively. His distaste for firearms was still as evident as ever.

Brooklyn thought it over. “You didn’t put her in the same cell as those men, did you?”

“No,” Elisa said with a startled laugh. “They’re separated.”

“Well, when will she be released?”

Elisa shrugged. “She told me she doesn’t have anybody to post bail, so she might not be getting out.”

“For how long?” Lex asked, standing upright, arms relaxed.

She sighed. “As long as it takes to go to trial, longer if a jury decides she’s to go to Juvy.”

Brooklyn clenched his jaw. “She’s at your precinct?”

“Don’t even think about it,” Elisa warned, meeting his gaze.

He gave a look of surprise. “Think about what? I was just asking where she was.”

Elisa pinned him with a clearly doubtful look, but didn’t argue. Knowing there was nothing to be done about Lydia, they all went inside for their breakfast. Elisa spoke to Goliath off to the side, eventually bringing Lex into the mix, and the three of them left together. Shortly after, Brooklyn, Broadway and Angela split up for patrols.

As the night went on, at one point Brooklyn caught a flash out of the corner of his eye. In the midst of a glide, he didn’t dare take his gaze away from the course for long, so he only glanced away for a split second – long enough to confirm that there was nothing that way. For a short while he puzzled over it, being high enough that no buildings could be accredited to having caused the flash he thought he saw, but he satisfied himself by blaming it on a flare or helicopter.

Not much longer and he found himself near the precinct he knew so well. The temptation to glide down and have a talk with Lydia was hard to resist, harder still when he thought of her trapped in a jail cell with three hostile men nearby. But he trusted Elisa and the rest of the police, deciding that Lydia was safe, if bored and frustrated.

He had to laugh as he thought about that: he only knew Lydia so well, yet he could easily envision her pacing in a cell out of sheer boredom. He hoped she had some way to amuse herself, even if it was bummed off the police in the precinct.

Several foiled robberies, assaults and break-ins later, he returned to the Castle, roughly an hour before dawn judging by the glare in the sky.

He was shocked to find Lydia there, innocently sitting out in the grass, sketchbook in hand. She seemed to be drawing the ramparts from her spot against the wall, and she definitely didn’t notice him right away.

“What are you doing here?” he asked, unable to hide the surprise in his voice.

She jumped, fumbling with and ultimately dropping her pencil. She swung overly wide eyes on him. “Geez,” she sighed, “give a little warning that you’re here.” She patted her chest, then sought out the pencil again.

He had already come closer, crouching near her. “You didn’t answer me,” he pointed out.

She pouted. “Why do you sound so surprised?”

“Elisa told us you were arrested,” he snapped. “You didn’t break out, did you?”

Her eyebrows shot up, regarding him with disbelief. “I considered it,” she admitted. “But I’m more surprised that you suggested it as though it was my only option.”

“Elisa also mentioned you said no one would post bail for you,” he shot back.

“Almost nobody, as it turns out,” she countered. “Without warning, they let me out, directed me to a taxi, which took me to a building, to the top floor, and to a helicopter, which took me here,” she explained rapidly.

“Xanatos paid bail for you?” Brooklyn asked in shock, sitting up straighter.

“As far as I know, yes,” she nodded. “There was an empty sketchbook inside,” she tapped it, propped up in her lap, “along with pencils, an eraser, and a ruler.”

He narrowed his eyes. “And you didn’t question him?”

“Mr. Xanatos?” she clarified. “Why bother? I’m healthily amused.”

With a groan, Brooklyn folded his wings so he could lean against the wall next to her. He looked over her open page as he replied, “With Xanatos, there’s always something bigger going on. You should’ve asked.”

“And allowed myself to be manipulated?”

That quip stunned him. And the smirk she gave him made him think she must be far cleverer than he’d thought. She made it sound like she’d rather deal with events as they happen instead of allowing herself to be swayed by words. But to react instinctively took a lot of confidence – a lesson he knew well.

“So you’d prefer sitting here, waiting for things to happen?” he asked.

She shrugged, then tapped the sketchbook with her pencil. “I’m content as things are.”

“. . .You’re an odd girl,” he said at last, having difficulty understanding her.

“Said the gargoyle,” she replied, using the ruler to make a vertical line.

He laughed. “Still, Lydia, you should have asked why Xanatos would pay your bail.”

“I could always ask if and when he finds a superb attorney to defend me.”

“Lydia,” he said again, more firmly. When she looked at him, he went on. “You’re making me worry about you. It’s like you don’t care what’s going on around you.”

To his surprise, she looked chagrined, glancing away as though ashamed. She pressed her pencil flat against the paper, not replying. As seconds ticked by, he grew concerned that he’d said something horribly wrong. Trying to appear friendly, he put a hand on her shoulder –

In one swift motion, she got to her feet, swinging the book onto the grass as she did so. She stalked away without a word. He started to get up, pausing out of curiosity as to what precisely she had been drawing. He saw the tall spire they all roosted on, individual stones partially done with sharp lines, and on top. . . She had begun drawing a stone Lex, he saw, most of his face and one arm, outstretched, shaded and blocky-looking. And beside this partial Lex was himself, fully finished, arms and wings curling threateningly, mouth agape, and utterly tiny from so high up.

It struck him in a strange way, thinking he had be drawn first, the only ‘finished’ part of the entire image. Not only that, but she knew which places he and Lex took up every night. He wondered if she knew the significance of his place, directly beneath Goliath’s – the second-in-command’s place.

Before he got up, he flipped the pad closed and snatched up all the items he could spot easily, putting them on the table inside. He thought over where she might have gone, not knowing the castle well. Thinking he could hear footsteps, he followed them, not bothering to hurry.

Then he could hear talking, recognizing first Lydia’s voice, then Xanatos’ and Fox’s. They were in Xanatos’ office.

“. . .cordially invited me?” Lydia was saying.

“I didn’t think you would complain,” Xanatos returned smoothly. “I did bail you out – and that was your first helicopter ride, wasn’t it?”

“Admittedly,” she replied. “But you never gave me a reason.”

Brooklyn understood now. She was taking his advice, seeking out Xanatos to question him why he was helping her. He felt oddly proud of her – of himself. Though he wasn’t quite sure why he remained by the door, instead of showing himself.

For a moment, he let the “Mission Impossible” theme play in his head, almost laughing aloud.

“You’re a curious girl,” Fox commented. “You’re not being ungrateful, are you?”

Lydia sighed. “No, mother,” she snapped sarcastically. “But being this is my life, I’d like a reason. Am I asking too much, oh Great Ones?”

Xanatos laughed warmly. “Fox already gave you the reason: you’re a curious girl. Oh, and I did get that background check I was going for.”

“There’s some good news,” she laughed. “Okay, what do you know?”

“Veronica Lewis,” Fox started. “That was your legal name.”

“I changed it,” Lydia retorted, “obviously.”

“But why?” Xanatos asked. “The school records show you were injured a lot through grade school, and then you abruptly changed. You became such an excellent student that you graduated two years ahead of your class, offered the Valedictorian spot. The list of extracurricular activities alone is impressive – self-study classes, clubs, extra credit, everything. So why did you remove yourself from your family registry and change your name?”

No response.

Brooklyn wondered what was going on in there, but he didn’t think he could risk glancing around the door; Xanatos and Fox would definitely notice, if not Lydia as well.

“I really don’t have to explain myself to you,” she said at last.

“Fair enough,” Fox relented.

“Now maybe you guys could mention why you hid my sketchbooks when I came in the room?”

There were surprised laughs from the married couple, who obviously hadn’t expected Lydia to notice. There was the sound of something lifted and dropped on the desk, then moved across its surface.

“I want to ask you,” Fox began, “if you recognize any of these.”

There was a pause, and then Lydia said, “Nuh-uh.”

“They’re all signed as Lydia Smith,” Xanatos told her. “Even before you legally changed your name.”

“What does that matter? I always liked the name,” she said carelessly.

“But you don’t remember drawing these?” Fox asked.

“I told you I didn’t.”

There was another long pause, and in his head, Brooklyn hummed a few notes from the song.

“Well, that’s surprising,” Xanatos said at last.

“I’m going to regret asking, but why?” Lydia spoke up.

“Because these are all dated,” Fox explained. “This is a picture of this castle, Lydia. Don’t you think it depicts something you couldn’t have known about five years ago?”

There was a harsh sigh. “What are you asking, exactly?”

“How did you know about gargoyles before we did?” Xanatos said, bluntly.

The song in Brooklyn’s mind cut off very abruptly, all senses becoming sharply attuned to the room at his back.

“Before you did?” Lydia echoed.

“Look at the date,” Fox urged. “You drew this three weeks before the castle and gargoyles were ever brought here. So, how did you know?”

“I told you; I didn’t,” Lydia denied. “I didn’t draw that.”

There was another lengthy pause, and then Xanatos started again. “There’s more.” Pages were flipped. “The Grimorum Arcanorum, and very detailed at that; Puck and Titania’s Mirror; this one is Demona, casting the stone sleep spell; Derek, before and after becoming Talon; you’ve sketched several different Hunters. . .”

Nothing was said for an increasingly long moment. It grew so tense that Brooklyn could make out the individual breathing of the three occupants in the next room, as well as the beats of his own heart. Why wasn’t she saying anything?

“I told you,” she finally said, quietly. “I didn’t draw that.”

When he heard her footsteps bringing her towards the door, Brooklyn made a mad sprint for the nearest corner, rounding it with as little sound as he could. It led to a staircase leading up, which he took on all fours as he tried to be quicker.

He could hear and recognize both Lex and Hudson speaking as he reached the outside, choosing to pause and make sure he wasn’t breathing hard (because both men would undoubtedly notice and question him about it) before stepping out into the night. He regarded them almost carelessly, asking, “Has anyone else come back yet?”

“Nay,” Hudson answered, leaning against the castle wall. “But we’ve nothing to worry about just yet.”

Lex threw a smirk over at Brooklyn while Hudson had been speaking. He said now, “Did you notice the book in the dining room?”

“Yeah, Lydia was brought here,” Brooklyn told him.

Lex raised his brows. “And you weren’t the one who did it?”

“Why would you assume it was me?” Brooklyn shot back, surprised. “Why does everyone seem to think I would break her out of jail?”

Hudson chuckled.

“It just seemed like something you’d do,” Lex laughed. “So how did she get here?”

“Xanatos,” Brooklyn replied.

“So where is she now?” Lex asked, peering over the castle wall.

Brooklyn almost reached out to swipe Lex back, stopping himself mainly out of shock. Was he was really being so possessive of Lydia, that he didn’t want Lex looking for her?

“Dunno,” he answered at last. “Last I knew, she went looking for Xanatos.” Blast, and now he was keeping it a secret that he’d been eavesdropping?

“Hey, there she is now.”

There was a yelp and the sound of a body hitting grass beyond the edge of the wall, and Lex laughed. Brooklyn Came closer, hearing what was clearly Lydia’s voice say, “Well, that failed.”

As Brooklyn peered over the edge, spotting Lydia as she rose to her feet and dusted off her pants, Lex explained, “Looks like she was trying gymnastics.”

Hudson joined them, chuckling as Lydia continued whatever it was she was up to. She did cartwheels, handsprings, attempted to do a backflip; and, apparently, she wasn’t very good at it. Half the time she tumbled, ending up flat out on the grass. She didn’t seem to notice she was being watched.

And every time she got back to her feet after falling, she said to herself, “Fail.”

Broadway and Angela returned roughly ten minutes before dawn, but Goliath hadn’t. Knowing their fearless leader, however, nobody was too tense just yet. Goliath could get out of trouble just as easily as he could get into it. And these days, he also tended to roost on Elisa’s balcony for the day.

As they all took up their poses moments before sunrise, Brooklyn wondered, briefly, what Xanatos was planning with Lydia. Even if they were allies, or despite it, if Lydia ended up in danger because of that man. . .

He saw a sliver of sunlight, and all thoughts ended.