Title: Oh Baby
Fandom: Gargoyles
Rating/Warnings: PG-13 for swears and interspecies breeding.
Summary: Elisa has some news for Goliath, Brooklyn might be interested
as well, and Hudson has a dim view of what this means for the rest of
the clan.
A/N: Whenever I watch more than two episodes of Gargoyles in a row, I
see want to be Elisa Maza. Gargoyles is my second fic-producing fandom,
after X-men.
Elisa stood on top of Castle Wyvern, on top of the
Aerye Building, shivering as the frigid winter wind cut through even
her thick winter coat. Even though the sky was completely overcast, she
knew internally that it was only a few more minutes to sunset.
She’d honed that skill pretty sharp in the last four
years.
Normally she stood right next to the guys until just
before they woke up, but tonight she hung close to the wall, trying to
stand in the lee of the building to get at least some protection from
the bitter wind.
Goliath was going to be mad when he saw that she was
standing out here waiting for him, she mused to herself. For the last
few nights he had begged her repeatedly to wait for him inside, where
it was warm. But Elisa loved to watch the guys wake up each night,
stretching with deafening roars, wings exploding to their fullest
spans, stone fragments shooting in all directions. More specifically,
she loved watching Goliath, never tiring of the way that at sunset cold
stone transmogrified into the fiercely-alive warrior that she had
fallen for so hard. And she was addicted to the thrill she felt ripple
through her stomach when he turned to look for her first thing every
night. And then there would be his strong embrace, almost too strong,
as though he had been worried the whole time he slept that she might
have disappeared without him protecting her 24 hour a day. It was one
of the few times he didn’t treat her like she was made of glass, one of
the few times he used more than a fraction of his strength with her.
So if Elisa took another scolding for endangering
her health, it was well worth it. Besides, the colder she looked, the
harder Goliath would try to warm her up.
A smile quirked on Elisa’s lips as she felt
intuitively the loss of the sun for the night. Spider web cracks
appeared on the statues in front of her, then stone exploded in all
directions as Hudson, Brooklyn, Angela, Broadway, Lexington, and Bronx
roared to life for another night.
But Elisa only had eyes for Goliath. Larger than
life, he stretched his full height, dark wings extending with the snap
of leather, lavender skin pale against the dark sky, his roar making
the stone beneath her feet tremble, shaking through her whole being. He
turned instinctively and locked eyes immediately with Elisa.
They’d done this hundreds of times by now, but Elisa
still felt her heart hammering in her chest as he hopped off the
parapet and headed for her, eyes never leaving hers. The world could
have ended, and Elisa would still have only been able to see Goliath’s
face, his eyes betraying his overwhelming desire to hold her even as he
scowled at her. He crushed her against him, wrapping arms and wings
around her and Elisa clung to him closely, reveling in his searing
heat, pressing her head right where she could hear his heart pounding.
“I have asked you repeatedly not to wait out here,”
he growled, breathing close to her ear. “It is far too cold. Your body
is like ice.”
“I missed you, too, big guy,” Elisa replied,
unphased. “You know I can’t resist watching you wake up.”
“It is not good for you,” Goliath replied
stubbornly, pulling his head back a little to look at her face. “You
have seen me wake dozens of times. Tonight was no different, and
tomorrow will be exactly the same.”
“Then I can’t wait,” Elisa smiled simply, reaching
up to kiss him good morning.
“Geez, they’re at it already,” Brooklyn grumbled.
“Every night they have exactly the same argument. I’m not sure whether
it’s more sickening watching them argue or watching them make up.”
“You don’t have to watch them at all,” Broadway
pointed out, still looking over the city rather than witness his
leader’s PDA. “I’m sure not looking.” Bronx barked his agreement.
“I think it’s sweet,” Angela said. “It’s certainly
an improvement over the way things were before. If you had seen them
while we were traveling from Avalon, both being tortured by their
completely obvious love for one another…” she broke off glaring at the
trio as they all clutched their stomachs and made gagging noises.
Goliath broke off the kiss quickly when he heard the
sound effects behind him, looking slightly embarrassed. Elisa smiled
affectionately and backed up a step, knowing that Goliath hated PDA.
Goliath let his wings slide off her reluctantly and she winked at him,
letting her eyes promise of things to come later.
“So what are you guys up to tonight?” she asked,
turning to Hudson and the trio plus one. She glanced back to see
Goliath’s scowl return with full force.
“Inside, now,” he ordered. “You can talk where it’s
warm.”
“Yes, sir, sergeant sir,” Elisa gave a good-humored
mock salute to her overly concerned lover, and led the way inside.
“Ah, Goliath,” Xanatos was just about to open the
door. “I was hoping you would be awake. Good evening, Detective Maza.”
“Hello, Xanatos,” she replied neutrally, if not
affectionately. They exchanged significant glances and Elisa shook her
head slightly. Goliath was just about to ask what was happening, when
Xanatos turned back to him.
“I’ve made some changes in the castle’s daytime
security that I think will be more effective,” he said. “I’d like to go
over them with you later tonight, if you don’t mind.”
“Later will be fine,” Goliath nodded, still trying
to figure out what was going on.
“Excellent,” Xanatos flashed his trademark smile.
“Fox and I will be trying to put Alex down for the night until roughly
dawn, if last night is any indication. Come and find me when you’re
ready.” He glanced at Lexington. “Why don’t you come too, Lexington?
You’ve got the best feel for the computerized defenses.”
“Sounds great!” Lex replied eagerly. “Why wait…ow!”
he broke off as Angela stepped on his tail hard. “Oh, yeah, I mean
later’s good, we’ve got plans anyway.”
“Yeah, we’ll catch you later,” Brooklyn repeated,
pushing the others in front of him back out the door as Goliath watched
them with a furrowed brow.
“What is going on?” he asked, turning to Elisa, she
fidgeted uncomfortably.
“Um, tell you what,” Elisa said. “Why don’t you go
down to the library and I’ll be down in five minutes? I’ll explain
everything then, I promise.”
Goliath glanced back and forth from Elisa to Xanatos
twice uneasily before doing as she asked. When he was out of sight,
Elisa sighed.
“Are you ready for this?” Xanatos asked.
“I’ve got to tell him sometime,” Elisa looked
anxious. “They’re sure, right? One hundred percent? Cause if they’re
wrong…”
“They’re utterly convinced,” Xanatos assured her.
“Concrete evidence.”
“Guess it’s now or never then.” Elisa put her game
face into position, then squared her shoulders and prepared to make one
of the hardest announcements of her life.
Goliath was pacing in front of the huge windows when
Elisa opened the library door and slipped in. Goliath stopped pacing to
face her, and crossed his arms, demanding silently to know what she
would confide in Xanatos before him.
“Could you not look at me like that?” Elisa asked,
putting a hand on his arm. “This is hard enough without you looking so
scary.” Goliath’s expression melted a little.
“I do not mean to be harsh with you, my love,” he
said. “But you have me worried.”
“I know,” Elisa gave him a wan smile. “I’m sorry,
big guy, I just don’t know how to tell you this.”
“Whatever the problem is, we will face it together,”
he said confidently.
“It’s not a problem,” Elisa shook her head. At least
it better not be, she added mentally. “It’s…I’m…”she took a deep
breath, then looked deep into Goliath’s eyes and went totally blank.
She simply couldn’t find the words to tell Goliath what she needed to.
Instead she very deliberatively took one of Goliath’s hands in her two.
She flattened it against her abdomen with a
significant look.
“Wha…” was all Goliath got out before realization
took hold. His eyes widened and his nostrils flared, he flailed for the
wall with his free hand, missed entirely, and sat down hard on the
floor. Elisa kneeled beside him, still holding his hand. She held her
breath, simultaneously desperate to know Goliath’s reaction and
terrified of it. “How?” he finally asked
“I would think that would be sort of obvious,” Elisa
murmured wryly.
“But…” Goliath seemed only capable of issuing
monosyllabic questions. “When?”
“About six weeks,” Elisa confessed. “Give or take.”
“Why did you not tell me before?” Goliath asked,
looking hurt.
“I wasn’t sure at first,” Elisa lowered her eyes
guiltily. “And I didn’t want to get you excited until I was sure. And
until I knew everything was okay.”
“Is it…okay?” Goliath’s conflict between Elisa’s
safety and the possibility of a child was very plain. Elisa waved her
hands rather helplessly.
“So far as anybody knows,” she told him. “I’m
healthy. That’s why I told Xanatos before you. He found a private
OB-GYN we can trust.”
“OB…G…” Goliath looked more bewildered than ever.
“OB-GYN,” Elisa repeated. “That’s a pregnancy and
baby doctor. Oh, Goliath,” Elisa’s voice quavered. “I wanted to tell
you so bad, but I was scared…damn, I promised Angela I wouldn’t cry…”
she reached up and angrily swiped at the tears that were beginning to
slip out of her eyes.
“Don’t…don’t cry,” Goliath reached out and pulled
Elisa close, his own voice cracking a little. “I just cannot…you are…we
are…”
“Going to have a baby,” Elisa finished for him,
looking up with some anxiety. “How do you feel about that?”
As he was formulating some response, a flash of
irritation crossed Goliath’s features, and Elisa cringed.
“You have known you were with child for all this
time,” he scowled at her, “and you have STILL been standing outside in
the winter’s cold every single night?!”
“Uh,” Elisa’s look of dread was replaced with
surprise. “I uh, well…yeah.”
“I forbid you to do it anymore,” he told her very
seriously. “Who knows what strain this pregnancy will place on your
body, and I will not allow you to endanger both you and our child with
this sort of foolishness.”
“Does that mean you’d like me to go on being
pregnant?” Elisa asked with relief.
“Of course!” Goliath stared at her. “Elisa, my love,
I can think of nothing I want more than to have hatchlings…er, children
with you.” He paused for a moment, then gave her an odd look. “Besides,
what other choice is there, once the deed is done?”
Elisa looked extremely uncomfortable.
“There are choices, you know,” she said, not looking
him in the eye. “We’ve never talked about this, and if you didn’t want
to…if you thought it would be too dangerous…” Elisa trailed off,
silently begging Goliath to understand what she was talking about so
she wouldn’t have to explain herself any further.
He clearly did not.
“Now, if people don’t want a child,” Elisa explained
heavily. “A woman can end a pregnancy voluntarily. It’s relatively
risk-free medically, especially compared to childbirth.” She felt sick,
as though just saying the words had had a negative effect.
Goliath’s horror, meanwhile, had rendered him
utterly speechless.
“I wish I hadn’t mentioned it,” Elisa finally said.
“I just thought you watched the news enough to know about it.” Goliath
gave himself a little shake, flexing his wings.
“You thought I might over-react?” Goliath asked.
“That I might fear for you enough to consider…” Goliath couldn’t quite
bring himself to say the words. Elisa brought her eyes back up to his.
“We’re taking lots of risks here, big guy,” she
sighed. “No one knows what to expect, and if anything goes wrong, they
won’t know how to help me. But…but I want to try. I want to have your
child, Goliath.”
The sound of those words knocked the wind out of the
gargoyle, and whatever reply he had to give died on his lips. He just
stared down at her dumbly. When it became apparent to him that he
wasn’t going to be able to say something deep, he leaned down to kiss
her gently.
These bizarre human customs do have some uses, he
thought to himself. What had started out as a chaste expression of pure
love, quickly deepened into passion. Elisa ran her hands over the
sensitive spot on his back where his wings joined, and he buried his
talons into her thick, dark hair, emitting something that sounded like
a cross between a growl and a purr. He broke away after several
minutes, breathing heavily.
“Perhaps we should not start something we cannot
finish,” he said shallowly.
“Not on the library floor anyway,” Elisa smiled,
rubbing her cheek against his chest. “But before you starts that ‘I’ll
hurt you’ crap again, THAT is just as safe as it was before.”
“Elisa,” he rumbled, “the gift you have given me
today…I cannot express what this means to me, and to the clan. I love
you so much.”
“I love you too, Goliath.” Suddenly weak from
emotional relief, Elisa could do no more than to cling to Goliath
tightly.
*
* *
*
* *
When the trio plus one returned they found Goliath
and Elisa watching TV, Elisa perched on the arm of Goliaths chair, his
arm around her waist. Brooklyn cleared his throat and received no
response.
“Come on, guys,” Lex said stepping in front of the
TV. “We know you aren’t really watching the Weather Channel.”
Goliath and Elisa both blinked as though waking up
then saw everyone else. Goliath cleared his throat in embarrassment.
“Did you guys have fun?” Elisa asked.
“Loads,” Brooklyn cut to the chase. “What’s up with
you guys?”
“We do have something of an announcement,” Goliath
said. “Perhaps someone should go find Hudson and Bronx.”
“Already here, lad,” Hudson said from the doorway.
“Xanatos said that ye’d have somethin’ ta tell us.” Xanatos followed
Hudson into the room.
“You hear for the announcement too?” Broadway asked.
“I already know the news,” Xanatos answered with a
slight smile. “I am merely here to clear up confusion and offer
support.” Elisa winced at the mention of Xanatos’ pre-knowledge of the
situation, and gave Goliath another apologetic smile. He squeezed her
hand reassuringly.
“Since everyone is here, I will make the
announcement,” Goliath stood formally and Elisa slid off the chair to
stand next to him. “Elisa shared with me today something that will
affect the whole clan. Something that will change our lives forever.
Something…miraculous.”
“Just TELL US already!” the trio exclaimed.
“Hrmm, quite,” Goliath rumbled nervously.
“No time like the present, big guy,” Elisa smiled up
at him, taking his arm and squeezing it. “Guys,” Elisa took over the
announcing, “I found out today that it’s official. I’m going to have a
baby.”
There was shocked silence in the room, excepting
Xanatos’ smirk and Angela’s wide grin.
“Or an egg,” Elisa added. “Or a something. I’m
having a something.”
Angela rushed over to hug Elisa and her father.
“Thank heavens!” she exclaimed. “I didn’t think I
could keep your secret one second longer, Elisa!”
“Did everybody but me know this ‘secret’?” Goliath
asked Elisa with a raised eyebrow.
“Heh,” Elisa avoided Goliath’s eyes. Meanwhile the
other clan members were still shaking off their surprise.
“She did say baby, right?” Lexington asked.
“I definitely heard baby,” Broadway agreed.
“Oh baby,” Brooklyn sounded breathless.
“Congratulations, lad!” Hudson beamed, slapping
Goliath on the back heartily. “After bein’ frozen all those years, I
was nae sure any o’ ye had it in ye!”
“Just take it as a compliment,” Elisa whispered,
hiding her giggle at Goliath’s scowl behind a hand. As the males
surrounded Goliath with cheers and elbowing and masochistic grunting,
Angela pulled Elisa aside and clasped her hands with excitement.
“Elisa, this is so exciting!” she exclaimed. “Father
looks so happy!”
“Imagine how happy he’ll be when you tell him your
news,” Elisa said slyly. Angela blushed, which was more a state of mind
than a color on her lavender skin.
“I haven’t even told Brooklyn yet,” she sighed. “I’m
too nervous to.”
“Don’t be nervous,” Elisa reassured her. “I’m sure
he’ll be…”
“Boy!” they heard Brooklyn tell Goliath loudly, “I’m
sure glad I’m not YOU!”
“…ecstatic,” Elisa finished with a frown. Angela
narrowed her eyes.
“Maybe I’ll tell him now,” she said through gritted
fangs. “Oh, Brooklyn, can I talk to you for a moment, sweetheart?”
Elisa laughed to herself as she rejoined Goliath.
“What is she up to?” Goliath asked as he watched
Angela hiss something at Brooklyn and the second-in-command’s eyes grew
to the size of dinner plates. Then he fainted. Angela looked grimly
satisfied.
“Serves him right!” she growled, stalking from the
room and leaving her mate in a heap on the floor. Broadway,
Lexington and Bronx hurried to huddle around Brooklyn. Bronx licked his
face to bring him around. Brooklyn groaned and rubbed his head as
returned to consciousness.
“Are you all right?” Lexington asked.
“What’d Angela tell you?” Broadway echoed in hushed
voice.
“Baby,” Brooklyn groaned, shaking his head to clear
it. “Oh baby…” his eyes widened as what he was saying reminded him of
Angela’s stark announcement.
“Not her too?!” Goliath demanded, pushing past
Broadway to glare down at Brooklyn. Brooklyn shrugged sheepishly.
“Fraid so, big guy,” Elisa laughed. “Angela was just
waiting for the best time to break the news.”
“I’m beginning to think you women are all in this
together,” Goliath growled.
“Ye forget what it’s like to live in a castle full
o’ them,” Hudson rolled his eyes. “Bein’ with child is like a disease
in females.”
“You’d better qualify that with ‘because it’s
catching,’ buddy,” Elisa told him with a threatening look.
“Aye, an’ then there’ll be the hormones…” Hudson
started to sound rather long-suffering, “…an’ the mood swings…”
“Hey, pal, this is a JOYOUS EVENT,” Elisa reminded
him forcibly, punching him in the arm.
“Oh aye,” he rolled his eyes heavenwards for
whatever divine assistance gargoyles expect, rubbing his arm. “I’ll
wager this castle’ll be jus’ bursting with yer brand of joy soon
enough.”
“Fun as this is,” Elisa interrupted him with a final
warning glare, “some of us have to get to work so we can afford
children.” As Goliath opened his mouth to protest, Elisa held up a hand
before he got a word out. “I’m negotiating a desk job with Chavez more
or less immediately, so I don’t want to hear one word from you.”
Elisa kissed Goliath lightly with a promise to see
him before dawn, then left the room. Goliath watched her leave with a
worried look.
“Er, Hudson,” he snagged the older gargoyle by the
arm as he also made a move to leave the room, “tell me more about
these…mood swings…”
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