Gargoyles are the property of Disney and Buena Vista. No copyright 
infringement is intended.

I did it! I swore I wouldn’t, but I did! I wrote a Goliath and Elisa story. 
This takes place during the second season, before Angela shows up.

Separate Lives

Elisa studied the stone carving before her. It was no longer difficult to 
believe that this was a true living, breathing being who, once the sun 
set, would break free of his stone and become one of the most 
honorable, decent people she’d ever met in her life.

And one of the most beautiful.

But it wouldn’t work. He had his life, she had hers. She had her job 
and her family, and he had his. And neither of them would be willing 
to give it up.

It was hard to understand. How on Earth could she be thinking what 
she was thinking? He was, well, a gargoyle! And she was a human. 
They had nothing in common. He was noble and naive, she was 
obsessive and cynical. He saw the world as a place to protect, a place 
of fabulous wonders and discoveries. She saw it as a place to protect 
from, a place where you had to watch your back or lose your life. 
Goodness was there, but he had an easier time finding it.

And wasn’t it ironic? He had been betrayed by the one woman he’d 
ever loved, his *wife* for Pete’s sake! And because of that his entire 
clan had been killed, all but three children a pet and an old friend. She 
had grown up with a loving family, good friends and every opportunity 
she needed. He was an optimist and she, well she wasn’t a pessimist, 
but she did have a rather ‘glass is half empty’ attitude about her at 
times. Especially when dealing with the criminals.

Sometimes she thought he was too good for this world. They all were.

And she? It was her world. She knew it. She was part of it. Did that 
make them too good for her?

They were from two entirely different worlds. 

***

Goliath stretched, flexing his wings to work out the stiffness of a day’s 
rest. The sky before him was still red and gold with the last trailing 
ends of sunset. The city below him was still going full steam ahead. 
‘Whatever that means. Where does Brooklyn come up with such 
sayings anyway?’

He heard movement behind him and turned, knowing what, or rather 
*who*, he would see. And he wasn’t disappointed when he saw the 
raven haired human woman standing a few feet away. “Elisa,” he 
greeted. “How was your day?”

“Fine,” Elisa replied. “The usual. Are you guys going out tonight?”

“Aye. Do you wish to accompany us again?” he asked.

Elisa blushed slightly at the knowing grin on his face. “I must admit, I 
do find flying to be rather - exhilarating.”

“Poor humans,” Brooklyn said. “I’ll never understand how you can 
spend your entire lives walking around on the ground.” There was no 
sarcasm or condescension in his voice, only sympathy. 

"We get by," Elisa said wryly. But she had to agree with Brooklyn. If 
she had been born with wings she wouldn't be able to live her life on 
the ground either.

The boys went off on their own and Hudson and Bronx settled down to 
guard the tower. "Ready?" Goliath asked. He held out a hand to her.

"Yes." Elisa took his hand. He gathered her in his arms and leapt from 
the tower, gliding on the wind.

"Is there anywhere in particular that you would like to go?"

"No. There aren't any really outstanding cases down at the precinct 
lately. Just the normal patrol, I guess." She settled in his arms, warm 
against his chest. This was the best part of the day. Even if it couldn't 
last.

***

Goliath almost wanted to laugh as he watched Elisa deal with the two 
muggers they'd caught. The usual tactic had worked, Elisa confronting 
them and drawing them away from their intended victim, luring them 
into an alley where Goliath waited. These two hadn't been any smarter 
than the numerous others.

From his perch on the roof of the nearest building he watched Elisa 
read them their rights. She finished and used the communicator she 
wore around her neck to contact her allies at the police station. They 
would send someone to arrest the muggers. Elisa disappeared down 
the alley and began to climb the fire escape to join Goliath on the roof.

Goliath wondered why she did this. Every day she defended this city 
from itself, when it was obvious that, given the opportunity, it would 
gladly turn against her. She defended everyone. Including him. And 
she didn’t care about the danger to herself. She faced death daily, and 
called it her job. There was honor and courage in this small human 
woman. She could give the bravest warrior of his clan a run for their 
money. She was stronger than he had expected any human to be. 
Admittedly, aside from the Captain of the Guard at Wyvern there 
hadn’t been many humans he’d liked enough to get to know, or who 
had bothered to get to know him. And that was even more strength to 
her. She had faced him down and given him a chance. Granted she 
had fallen off a building at her first sight of him, but considering that 
humans nowadays didn’t even know gargoyles had ever existed... She 
had overcome her fear and had been willing to see him as a person, 
not a beast or even an intelligent animal. And that was the strongest 
thing she had done yet. In a world where they faced unacceptance and 
animosity everywhere they were known, it was nice to know there was 
one human who would always greet them with a smile.

Even if the smile wasn’t for *him*.

It would be nice, he admitted to himself, to know that the smile which 
lit her face, which made her so much more beautiful than she already 
was, was meant for him, even just once. But that wasn’t to be. He 
knew it. She was human. He was gargoyle. These things just didn’t 
happen. Well, not often. Back at Wyvern there had been a 
human/gargoyle couple, and Hudson had once said there had been 
others. But when such relationships did occur, they were often looked 
upon with disfavor by all. 

It would have been easier if he had never realized just how beautiful 
she was, or how strong, or loyal. It would have been easier if she had 
simply remained the nice human woman who’d helped them against 
Xanatos. But he *had* noticed, and she had become more to him than 
merely a friend. For better or worse.	

When did it happen? He sometimes wondered. Was it when he 
realized that his mate had betrayed them all? That Demona, as she was 
now, aptly, named, had been behind the death of his clan? That she 
had allied herself with Xanatos against them? When he realized it was 
*she* who had attacked the young ones, in a violation of all gargoyles 
held dear? Was it in the face of that betrayal, when Elisa convinced 
him that he didn’t want to be like Demona, was it then that he realized 
what she was to him?

Probably not. Later perhaps. After the Pack betrayed them? She had 
been there for them all, especially Lexington. He had seen the truth of 
her loyalty then. And when she had been unintentionally injured by 
Broadway, had his heart been breaking for a friend or for someone 
who was more to him? Had he wanted to hold her in his arms when he 
saw the sorrow on her face after her brother’s mutation because he 
knew what it was like to lose a sibling? Because he knew how hard it 
would be for Derek to survive the way he had become? Or because he 
didn’t want her to hurt?

All he knew for certain was what he felt now. And why it could never 
be.

Then why did his heart constantly find new reasons why it *could*?

Did he love her? 

How could he not?

Could he dare to hope that she felt the same?

How could he? 

How could *she*?

“It is almost dawn,” he said by way of welcome. “We had best return.” 
He lifted her in his arms and jumped from the roof. Even if she could 
not love him, he could love her. And protect her, as a gargoyle should. 
She *was* clan.

***

Elisa watched as the sunlight caught them, freezing them in stone for 
the rest of the day. The boys were caught in the middle of an argument 
with Hudson watching bemusedly. Goliath however, was facing her, a 
smile on his face. She wished it were for her.

*Only* her.

Maybe someday...
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