…

11224533 by tornking

the scottish highlands | august 2018

Gargoyles production art by Frank Paur.

Super Rough Draft of Goliath and Xanatos being grandparents together.

From bitter enemies to doting grandparents. Never in Goliath's wildest nightmares did he think he and Xanatos would share a grandchild, but here they are now.

Fate often had a twisted sense of humor.

She was beautiful. But, oh so fragile and so small. Goliath couldn't keep his eyes off her, his precious newborn granddaughter. Her wings fluttered in her sleep with her tail firmly grasped in her hands as she curled into herself. Surrounded by blankets and warmth. Kept safe in her basin, protected from the outside world.

He wanted to hold her in his arms, but refused as he did not wish to wake her. 

"Still asleep?" Whatever blissful peace he relished in soon crumbled to shambles, Xanatos had returned with his treasured cup of coffee.

"Yes," 

"A beauty isn't she?" he smiled "She'll be a magnificent heir to my kingdom one day" Goliath frowned at the implication.

The thought of his little granddaughter growing up to be a charismatic, manipulative questionably ethical billionaire filled him with existential dread. Young Alexander may have turned out for the better in most cases. Most cases. 

But, he was still Xanatos' son and operated in his own questionable, manipulative ways. And when he wasn't that, he was Goliath's own personal headache. Nonetheless, his daughter loved Young Alexander so, thus condemning him. Never in Goliath's wildest nightmares did he think he and Xanatos would share a grandchild, but here they are. 

Tiwa. 

She inherited Alex and Fox's bright red hair and Aodh and Elisa's dark skin. A strange combination of Human, Gargoyle and fae all wrapped into a singular bundle of joy. 

To Goliath she was perfect from head to toe, only a few weeks old and he was already in love with her. Couldn't imagine now what life would be without her now that she's here. 

And he and Xanatos were both her grandfathers by blood. It was a bizarre notion, bizarre as it was horrifying in retrospect. He thinks back to the time where he desired nothing more than to hurl his pathetic body from on top the castle's cornices.

Goliath did not believe he could forgive a man like him. Even now, he wouldn't call what he felt towards him forgiveness in a sense, but perhaps more than an ally, and something in between that. 

While Xanatos had worked hard to make  amends for his wrong doings, never did an apology leave his lips. Goliath did not know if he even felt an ounce of remorse over his actions. Never did he make any indication if that was the case. 

Xanatos was an incredibly difficult person to understand. Let alone read. 

"What's the matter, Goliath?" He quirks a brow "cat caught your tongue?" 

"No." He says, tail swishing "I'm just not paying you any mind." 

"Oh?" 

"Your childish attempts to get under my skin will not work" 

"Not trying to." 

"Right." 

"I just want what's best for her" 

"And that is what exactly? Her to grow up to be an exact replica of yourself?" 

"No." He takes another sip from his cup "I want her to be better than me" the answer takes him back for a moment. Goliath is not sure if that statement was intended to have a double edged meaning. 

"You don't believe me?" 

"You are many things Xanatos, being straightforward is not one of them" the man chuckles softly wary of waking Tiwa. She's only but stretched out her tiny arms and legs other than that she hadn't stirred from her slumber since being put to bed an hour ago.

Soft snores fill the silence "do you still hate me?" 

"Hate isn't a word I would use" 

"So you do?" 

"Xanatos you broke the spell that me and my clan were cursed under intending to use us, even after I told you about what happened to the rest of my people. You lied, manipulated, even used my own mate against me, you tried to kill what remained of my family and after that took our home, the only thing we had left. Add the plethora of harm you did afterwards." 

More quiet followed "I didn't just hate you, I detested your very existence" 

"I have to ask why let your daughter be with my son? After all the bad blood between us, I know I gave you, your home back, but that did little warrant any warmth towards me" 

Goliath sighed "I wasn't the least bit happy about my daughter and Young Alexander's friendship in the beginning. I understood that they were both children, I understood that the boy was far too young to pose much harm let alone consciously do so. But it still filled me with alarm, I feared for her, I feared that perhaps you would or was trying to use your son to gain some semblance of trust again. To use and manipulate use through the bond of our children. I didn't put it past you. You've done worse.

[]

"What did I tell you about acting like jackasses in front of the baby?" Aodh was uncloth as ever, the added unbalanced hormones didn't help her already severe demeanor.

"Mh, forgive me daughter" 

"We were just having a polite disagreement" 

"You mean jackassery" she corrected "do I have to tell Auntie Fox and mom that you two are misbehaving again?" 

Xanatos self-serving smirk fell right off his face and went silent along with Goliath "yeah, didn't think so." 

Paws Off “Eye of the Beholder” (1995)

Enough. I’ve seen what I need to see. Me too. She’s my co-pilot. 

Mako Mori and Raleigh Becket in PACIFIC RIM (2013)

Gargoyles COLORS by Nexxorcist

Just did the colors for this Gargoyles piece by Eric Canete.  Lines: Eric Canete [link]

You know that meme where Rosa from B99 is holding a puppy and says “I’ve only had him for a day and a half but if anything happened to him I would kill everybody in the room and then myself”?

That is legit Elisa and Goliath about each other within an episode of meeting each other for the first time.

"And a Hunting We Will Go"

Summary: Someone does some fishing. Some very expensive fishing.

Words: 1,191

3/4

Warnings! Animal Death

~Beep!~

~Beep!~

God, someone please shoot me! 

~Your call may be put on hold~

Elisa couldn't help but roll her eyes.

The disembodied, dial up music on the other end of the line almost made her see red. Two hours, two damn hours! She's been on hold since four in the afternoon! 

‘Come on, come on, dammit, let's go already!’

~Beep!~ 

~We're currently busy at the moment, but a representative will speak to you shortly~ 

~Beep!~ 

‘Shortly my ass!’

The music played again, like a hellish melody.

'I hate tax season. Hate it!' Bored, Elisa snagged her pen tapping it harshly against the kitchen table. 'Next time I'm hiring some smuck to do this shit' 

'If I can afford' 

The tapping stopped for a minute.

~Beep!~ 

~We're currently busy at the moment, but a representative will speak to you shortly~

'I'll make it fit'

Somehow.

Another twenty minutes past before someone finally, finally picked up the damn phone. But, despite the blessing the call just added to her frustrations.

"....how many dependents did you say you have again…...?" 

Her lips tightened, doing her best to not snap- "Three. Three kids" she can't remember how many times she had to repeat that now.

This was stupid, beyond stupid. She just wanted the call to end for god's sake, the man over the phone kept droning on and on, in a hush wispy, barely audible voice about tax deductions or something, it was very obvious that he hated his job and sounded like he wanted to be anywhere, but on the phone with her.

It was like pulling teeth. 

One by one by one.

Sitting on the couch watching Teletubbies with the kids was starting to sound like heaven right about now.

After a while, her mind drifted. ‘Whoever wrote tax laws ought to be shot.’

She heard something squeak in between the irritated tapping and clicking of her pen. Ignoring it, she leaned against the kitchen chair before switching the phone to her other ear.

Another squeak. Sounded like wet shoes sliding against a tile floor.

She ignored it again, clicking her pen.

'I need a drink after this. Maybe I can raid Xanatos stash without him noticing'

~Squeak~

'Ugh, what is that?!' but she didn't feel inclined to worry about it. The castle was riddled with strange noises. It used to freak her out, but she had gotten used to it over the years. And besides, she wasn't the only resident lurking around.

~Squeak~ 

"Maza, a word if you may" Elisa rolled her eyes again.

"I'm busy Xanatos, bother me some other time" 

“I believe it may interest you”

“You can’t hide from Fox forever Xanatos”

“I’m not, but this isn’t about her”

~Squeak~ 

'Okay! That was getting annoying!' she snapped around her chair to level Xanatos with a glare and find the source of that ungodly sound only to stop and freeze.

Xanatos was drenched head to toe. His characteristic ponytail was undone. Hair was in his eyes, slopped around his shoulders and he smelled like fish and algae.

He looked completely disgruntled. Which was also rather uncharacteristic. And the jacket of his suit was missing.

"Wha-?" 

"Hi, Auntie Lisa!" 

Then she looked down. 

Two giddy kids were tucked under his arms. Alex's eyes gleamed, shined really, his long dark, red curls stuck to his face. And there was Aodh, wrapped in Xanatos' jacket, not giddy, or mischievous, but unperturbed as she munched on a half-eaten koi fish.

They were a wet mess.

The crunch of bone and flesh invaded the quiet for a second.

"They raided the koi pond" 

As if the half-eaten koi fish didn't give her a clue. Elisa didn't know whether to laugh at the spectacle before her or sigh. Wasn't Owen watching them?

"You didn't say we couldn't play in it, dad!" 

"Please tell me that wasn't expensive"

"The pond's fine. The fish on the other hand-" Xanatos glanced at her daughter, he seemed almost amused despite his obvious veil of exasperation "well I'll leave that to your imagination" 

'Well, isn't that just peachy' Everything in this building was outstandingly expensive to suit Xanatos opulent tastes. He's right on that matter, she didn't want to imagine what that fish might cost her, if he were a pettier man. 

"Why do you have a Koi Pond just laying around anyway? Inside a building. Where anybody can just trip and fall in it" 

"I like the aesthetic." 

"Sure." Right. Of course.

"It's not like I expected two troublesome kids to try and make it into their personal fishing spot." 

"Ah-huh" 

"Nor was I prepared for one of them to actually eat the koi fish" 

Elisa smirked a little "Oh really, and here I thought you were always prepared for the impossible" 

He looked disgruntled again. The shock faded, but damn did he look miserable.

That suit had to be worth more than anything she's made in the past five years. She can't help but snicker-

-who would've thought that all it took for him to lose his cool was a bunch of unruly kids.

Karma was beautiful in its own way.

"Can I have my own Koi fishpond then, dad?" 

Xanatos refined from a sigh.

"I'll think about it" 

"Yes!" It definitely wasn’t a yes, but Alex interpreted it as one.

“David!”

There was something akin to fear in his eyes “Ah,” he cleared his throat “In the kitchen, dear.”

Fox walked-waddled into the room; they saw her belly before they saw her “Are you hiding up here again-” Xanatos turned around on instinct.

“Hi, mom!” Alex waved.

Fox blinked a few times before she broke down into hysterical fits of laugher.

“Fox, please” she had to hold onto the threshold to hold herself up.

“He fell into the pond trying to fish the kids out” Elisa supplied as flatly as possible. Fox snorted.

“I did not fall.”

“Had a nice swim, David!?”

“I guess you now know what it feels like to swim with the fishes, huh, Xanatos?” Elisa couldn’t help herself. Fox had a conniption fit.

“The children could’ve drowned”

Now both women were laughing.

“I can swim, dad, Aodh too, you know that, and Puck was with us.” Corrected by a child.

“Speaking of Puck-Owen, where is he?” she asked in between fits of laughter.

“He scampered off, after I-collected the children”

“Left you for dry, huh?” Elisa got the impression that he wanted to roll his eyes at her. But forced himself not to for whatever reason. Instead of saying anything he placed Aodh gently on the floor. The sudden jostle of movement hardly interrupted her eating.

“We’re still playing, dad!” Alex protested.

“Both of you need a bath” he squirmed out of his father’s grasp “Alex.”

“We can take a bath together! Come one, Aodh!” he grabbed her fingers, and dragged her along. Aodh simply followed without much fuss towards the baths. Alex knew the castle like the back of his hand, as he led them away.

She was still eating the fish.

Elisa shook her head; hopefully, that was the extent of today’s excitement-

~Beep!~

‘You’re call has been disconnected’

Dammit.

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"Milk"

Summary: Milk is a symbol of fertility, once thought of as the food of the gods and a nurturer, the lifeblood and lifeline that connects mother to child. And child to mother.

Warnings!: References to Miscarriage/Stillbirth/Unplanned Pregnancy/References to Birth

Chapter One: The First Nights

Canon-Divergence/Canon-Complaint/Post-Canon/Non-linear Narrative

Reality is stranger than fiction, they say, and he was inclined to agree. Life was indeed filled with one oddity after another.

He remembers a story from his youth.

A story, that was ancient he was told, passed from the old to young about a Clan Leader of their own who had taken a human as a mate.

They had a child-who they called, the meaning of an end in the old language. Someone who should never have been-

An abomination-

The child was cursed. And because of it, she cursed the land. Cursed her clan that lamented her existence, cursed the humans who condemned her, and cursed her parents who had birthed her into a world that knew only hate and fear.

They called her- Hillevi.

Goliath never took the story seriously; he knew the ploy by then. The line drawn in the sand, humans stayed on one side and they stayed on the other, they were never supposed to cross it.

Well, he had never been one for superstitions.

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