Not So Alone

********

After lunch Demona was doing a brief walk about in her Accounting department to remind the employees whom it was they worked for.  She felt the need to reinforce her dominance today.  She scowled at scared looking accountants and their office support as she walked around the cubicles.  The conversation she'd overheard this morning didn't please her at all.  It was no secret around NightStone that Demona had taken in their youngest employee after Candace's death, but Demona hadn't been prepared for the employees to feel that it softened her or made her any less intimidating.  She needed to find someone on this floor to publicly humiliate so that they all realized that no matter what she had going on at home, she was still Ms. Destine and she'd put up with nothing less than the best from her people.  She really wished she'd been able to see who it was that was gossiping about her earlier so that she could target them, but unfortunately she didn't.

"Who's responsible for maintaining this breakroom?!"  Her voice rose as soon as she found something remotely out of place.  It was a minor glitch, so her coming down on this person would have the proper effect of making everyone very careful around her for a while.

Once she was done yelling at the scared looking receptionist she went back to her office and slipped into her secret room with all the surveillance equipment to see how her staff dealt with what happened.  She liked to see the fallout and to know if there was anyone that she should make sure to put in his or her place later.

"I can't believe she yelled at her for that long because coffee grounds had accidentally fallen out of the garbage."  One young accountant was talking to another.  Demona just smirked at the hushed way they talked, not realizing that this entire building had surveillance cameras and microphones.

"How is she?"

"I think she's crying in the bathroom.  Ms. Destine was downright cruel."  The blonde male accountant sighed.  "I think I should get her flowers or something to try and make up for it.  She's a pretty good receptionist."

"If Ms. Destine goes this crazy over a messy floor, I can't imagine what living with her must be like.  That poor kid, like loosing her mother wasn't bad enough.  Living in terror of Ms. Destine's temper… I don't know how Brenna manages to smile at all."  Demona's pleased smirk started to fade as conversation once again turned to her private life.  She took note of their names this time and flipped off her monitor.  The employees had never been aware of her private life before and she'd heard wild speculation about it, but having Brenna at the mansion was the only solid information they'd ever had.  That had to be why they seemed to talk about it so often.

Later she walked past the file room and heard the mail clerk in there with Brenna.  Demona slowed down to listen, not liking a man five years older than Brenna hanging around like that.  There was little reason to interrupt the girl's work.

"Your hair is pretty cool that way.  Were you thinking of dying it a color?"  His flirtatious tone made Demona's eyes widen and she started to growl lightly. 

"No, it's fine black."  Brenna sounded very disinterested in talking with him, but when Demona moved just a little so that she could see into the room he was leaning against a file cabinet to make himself more comfortable.

"Well it looks good."  His tone was now so very inappropriate for talking to a child.  Demona's hands clenched into fists, but she waited to see how bad he would get.  She wanted to know if she should fire him or wait until it was night and kill him.  After Brenna ignored his comment he seemed a bit put off.  "So what's it like living with her?"  He was asking, obviously wanting the latest gossip.

Brenna sounded irritated, "I have work to do and I doubt she would want me to sit here and talk about her when I'm falling behind in my filing."  Demona felt a small smirk cross her lips.  She recognized that irritated and commanding tone.  Brenna was imitating Demona to get the man to leave her alone.  He took the hint and Demona's eyebrow rose as he noticed her.  She followed him out into the main reception area for her office and grabbed his arm.

"A man your age really shouldn't be pursuing minors."  She glared at him.  She wasn't about to let some lecherous human near the girl again.  "In fact… you're fired.  Get out of here in five minutes and I won't send security after you."  He must have thought he could use Brenna's recent loss to get into the girls pants.  Brenna was too smart to fall for that, but Demona didn't like that her… that Brenna had to deflect advances while at work.  She's just a child.

Once he was out of sight she called security anyhow.  Best to scare him away.

"Do you have men hit on you often?"  Demona leaned against the doorway and watched the girl.  She seemed tense.  It had bothered her more than she wanted to admit.  Demona's voice got softer, "I fired him."

Brenna looked down at her pile of papers for a moment, and Demona wished she could read her mind.  "I…"

"Did he scare you?"  Demona took a step into the room and closed the door behind her.  He'd seemed too obvious in his interests, and while Demona had occasionally had to push off interested men, Brenna was still young.  The scene replayed in her mind and she remembered how he stood in front of the only exit to the room.  Demona clenched her fist as she wondered if she should have gone with her second choice and waiting until nightfall to deal with him.  If he died right after being fired the police would investigate NightStone, she couldn't act right away now.

"No, I wasn't scared."  Brenna answered, but she still seemed nervous.  He'd at least made Brenna uncomfortable. 

Demona moved closer and pushed some of that hair he'd commented on out of Brenna's eyes.  "If anyone ever makes you feel uncomfortable you tell me.  I won't tolerate anyone…"  Her words trailed off as she recognized the fierce protectiveness she felt.

"I will."  Brenna spoke softly and Demona just nodded.  She felt a bit distracted by her reaction to the whole thing.  There was only one person she felt this protective of before.  How did Brenna managed to worm her way into…  Demona sighed and walked away to let the girl work. 

Brenna was a human girl.  She belonged with her own kind.  Demona made a call to that useless social worker to see how things were progressing with finding Brenna a new home.  When Rachel didn’t have any new news to give her Demona didn’t bother wasting energy yelling at her.

********

Brenna sat next to her balcony doors once again staring at the sky.  It was a clear night, which always made visibility easier.  Her camera was in her lap with her hands resting on it. 

The shadow in the sky was so small it could be a bird, but Brenna picked up the camera and used it to get a better look.  She’d made sure to get one with a very good zoom.  A smile started across her face as she recognized arms and legs.  It was no bird.  She had her.  Brenna started to snap pictures quickly, wanting to get as many as possible.  The gargoyle wasn’t Angela, she looked a bit different and dressed differently.  Brenna found that the zoom on her camera just wasn’t good enough, she couldn’t get any real details.  She wanted to see this gargoyle, but still these pictures would prove to Dominique that a gargoyle was gliding over their home.

Once the gargoyle moved over the roof Brenna pulled the camera away from her face and waited to see if she’d return.  After a half hour she decided that was probably the only pass over she’d get.  Brenna carefully removed her film and prepared it to take to school.  Gencie would let her use the dark room keys.  Even though she was thrilled to have proof she didn’t want anyone to know they had a gargoyle in the neighborhood.  Tina’s threats showed that the gargoyles still had enemies and Brenna didn’t want to lead anyone to this female.  Gencie was a good friend, but she loved having gossip and if she found out about this Brenna might as well write an article for the school newspaper.

Brenna put her roll of film in her back pack and went to her desk to pull out another roll.  This one had more innocent pictures that she could show Gencie, pictures of artwork and people.  It would also explain her need for the darkroom.

“I got her Lacey.”  Brenna whispered happily.  “She was real.”

Brenna took a deep breath as she walked down the stairs to go have breakfast.  Once she saw Dominique she decided to put the second part of the plan into action.  “Dominique, I need to stay after school today.  We’re working on a project and it’s the only time I’m available since we have to come right home after work.” 

“Fine.”  Dominique didn’t even seem suspicious.  Good.  Brenna wanted to surprise her with the pictures.  “What kind of project.”  Uh… Brenna had to think quickly.

“Allaine and Gencie are helping out with the Career Week thing and I promised I’d help them with the posters.”  Her eyes became a little pleading, “I promise I won’t  miss work often, and I’m all caught up on the filing now.”

“I already said it was okay Brenna.”  Dominique gave her a small smile.  “You can have friends you know.  Of course we already talked about what you shouldn’t be sharing with your friends.”  Brenna nodded.  The strange rules were a secret, and it wasn’t like they hurt anyone.

********

Demona stood in the boardroom while waiting for her department managers to leave.  She took a sip of her coffee and watched them picking up their notes and leaving.  She also noticed one man moving more slowly than the others, obviously trying to be the last one out.  That was unusual.  Normally they all ran like rats fleeing a sinking ship, afraid that Ms. Destine will think of yet another thing for them to do if they didn’t.

“Jane, call Gregory and tell him we’ll be leaving to pick up Brenna at five.”  The girl wanted to stay pretty late at school, so they’d just get her on the way home.  The receptionist left, leaving Demona alone with the Mail room supervisor.  If he said one thing about her firing his pedophiliac employee she’d find a replacement for him as well.

“Well, Mr. Vega.”  Demona glared at him, “Are you going to tell me why you are still here or did you just want to waste my time?”

He looked properly nervous then.  “Ms. Destine, I had no idea that Scott was hitting on Brenna like that.  I just want you to know that I would never have given him this floor if I knew what kind of man he was.”  Oh, he was just worried that she would take out his whole department for this.

She sneered at him, “If you show such bad judgment with your employees again, it won’t just be the mail clerk that loses his job.”  Drake’s eyes widened a bit in fear.  She then just marched out of the room and back into her office.

********

Brenna spent the time waiting for her pictures to develop actually helping out by making some Career Week posters.  Of course her friends weren’t here like she’d told Dominique, but she wanted to have been lying as little as possible.  Allaine had given her a funny look as he pulled out the supplies and information so that Brenna could work on that.  He then went to his planning meeting and left her alone. 

Gencie had also, as predicted, handed over the dark room key without any trouble at all.  So Brenna took over the art room after school and was being very productive. 

At a little before five Brenna started cleaning up quickly.  She hide the developed pictures of the gargoyle in her textbook and carried the others out in her arms so that if Gencie was still around after her newspaper meeting she’d see normal pictures.  Brenna also stacked the posters she made and carried them to the office so she could leave them with the receptionist.  She’d make sure the teacher in charge of the Career Week got them.

She was almost to the door when she heard fast footsteps coming down the nearly deserted hallway.  “Brenna, wait up!”  Gencie called out so Brenna turned to look at her friend.  Gencie made a funny voice, “I’m free… free.. from meeting hell!”  She grinned at Brenna and started to walk beside her through the front doors.  “Next year you have to join the school paper, so that I have at least one person to talk to when Mr. Flemming starts rambling.  We should have gotten out of there a half hour ago, but he started talking about something or other and it had nothing to do with anything.  All the other committees always get to go home before us.”

“You aren’t really selling this right.”  Brenna leaned against the wall at the bottom of the stairs so she could wait for Dominique.  “You are supposed to tell me how great it is so I want it, not that you hate suffering that hell alone.  Don’t go into sales.”

Gencie just stuck her tongue out as a response.  “So, where are the pictures?  I want to see if you have what it takes to work with me next year.”  Brenna handed over the decoys and watched her friend studying them.

“You have a funny idea about interesting.”  Gencie flipped through pictures of art and random people that Brenna had just taken pictures of for practice.  “But at least most of these aren’t fuzzy.”

“Hey, I’m just learning to use that camera.  The later ones were much better.”  Brenna took the pictures out of Gencie’s hand to show her.

“Oh, I see.  And you didn’t even get your thumb in the shot, good job.”  Gencie teased her.

The limo pulling up in front of them made Brenna look up.  “Oh, I gotta go.”  She took the pictures Gencie was looking at away from her and picked up her backpack.

The window of the limo rolled down and Dominique was there watching her.  “Is that Ms. Destine?”  Gencie asked quietly as they finished going down the steps towards the sidewalk.

“Yes.”  Brenna pulled the strap of her backpack up a bit more.

“She’s younger than I thought she’d be.”

Brenna glanced at the redhead obviously studying Brenna’s friend.  “Yeah, I know.  I think she’s younger than my mom.”

“You don’t know how old she is?”

“It hasn’t come up.”  Brenna sighed at the way Gencie gave her a disbelieving look.  Dominique tensed up when Brenna started asking personal questions, so Brenna didn’t ask them often.

Once they were in the limo and heading home Dominique glanced back at Gencie one more time.  “So that is one of your friends?”

Brenna nodded, “Yeah, that’s Gencie.  She’s the one I told you worked on the paper.”

“Have you put any thought into what you’ll do next year?”  Dominique was looking interested.  Brenna wished she had a good answer.

“I don’t know.  I want to pick something that will be helpful… you know when I want to start a career, but I have no idea what I want to be when I grow up.”

“Do you have any ideas?”

Brenna sighed, “No.”  Brenna would much rather be talking about the pictures she had hidden in her backpack, but she was waiting until they were alone.  Dominique may act like Gregory was invisible, but Brenna was always very aware of his being there.  She liked the man, but this was between Brenna and Dominique.

“Yes, I suppose there are a lot of choices for a young hu.. woman today.  It might be hard to make a decision.”

Brenna just nodded.  She was wishing that there was less traffic.  She was really looking forward to proving to Dominique that she’d really seen a gargoyle.  Brenna had also been wondering why that gargoyle would be so far from the city and she couldn’t help but wonder if it had anything to do with the strange rules Dominique had for Brenna.  

Brenna went up to her room to drop off her bookbag and pull out the pictures.  She had five that were clear enough to know what the picture was of.  She glanced out her bedroom window and noticed Gregory leaving in his own car.  His work day was over.  Great, that meant they were finally alone.

She almost ran down the stairs in her eagerness to show Dominique what she had.  The redhead was looking through the cupboards, obviously trying to plan dinner.  Brenna started talking as soon as the woman glanced at her.  "I want to show you something."  Brenna smiled and moved closer to Dominique.  "I have proof.  I took her picture and it isn't Angela."  She handed the pictures over to Dominique quickly and then just watched her while she looked at them.

Dominique's reaction wasn't at all what Brenna had expected.  The woman's eyes stared at the pictures as if they were dangerous and looked carefully at each one as she flipped through the pile.  "I wasn't crazy, see?"  Brenna spoke a bit more calmly, not liking the tension in Dominique's back or the silence.  "She really is around here."

"Who all did you show these pictures too?"  Dominique hissed at her without looking up from the proof.  Brenna's eyes widened, recognizing the tone from work.  Dominique usually sounded like this right before she yelled at someone.

"No one.  I developed them myself and no one saw them."  Brenna's eyes had gone wide at the unexpected hostility.

"I saw you showing your little friend pictures."  Dominique looked up and stared into Brenna's eyes.  The expression on her face was far from comforting.  Brenna swallowed her fear.

"I showed her the pictures I took while learning to use my camera.  She didn't see these.  No one did."  Brenna stared at the woman that wasn't at all surprised to see a gargoyle was near her home.  "You know her don't you?"  The rules about staying in her room at night started to make more sense.  That and the fact that there were off limits parts of the mansion.  "She's a friend of yours?"  Brenna's eyes slid off of Dominique as she started to put together the pieces of the puzzle.  It was every night she had to stay in her room, and this mansion was an hour out of the city by car.  She had no idea how far that would be to glide.

"Is this all of the pictures?"  Dominique interrupted Brenna's thoughts and the girl's eyes traveled back to the woman. 

"Yeah."

"And the negatives?  I want everything."  Dominique's angry clip was still dangerously close to yelling.  Brenna felt tears gathering in her eyes.

"I have those in my room."  A tear started to fall.  "You know I'd never do anything to hurt her.  I wouldn't let anyone know you had…"  Brenna had to take a deep breath.  She'd just wanted to share this with Dominique.  "I wouldn't do anything to hurt your friend."  Brenna stared into the woman's green eyes.  "She's your friend isn't she?  That's why I have to stay in the room at night?  Does she live here?"

"You should have just dropped it when I told you to Brenna."  Dominique didn't confirm anything, but Brenna knew she was right. She had to be.  The weird rules all made sense now. 

"You could have trusted me."  Brenna whispered.  "You know how I feel about them.  You could have trusted me."

Dominique just glared at her for a moment.  "Get me your camera and the negatives."  When Brenna just stared at her, the woman's voice rose, "NOW!"  Brenna's back went rigid for a moment in shock of how loud Dominique's voice could really get, before she spun around to obey.

******** 

Demona watched the girl sprint out the room, much like she used to when she had a time limit for getting Demona's lunch.  Demona's fists clenched the pictures so tight all of them crumpled.  Her heart hammered as a familiar fear hit her.  Brenna was a threat, she knew too much.  The conclusions the girl was making were just the start, she'd be more alert now.  Brenna would find out her secret and then she'd lose NightStone, and have to move away.  She'd have to move away from Angela.  No, this wouldn't work.  So far Brenna only had theories and no proof. 

Demona ripped the photos up into small pieces and set them on the counter, to be burned later.  She then picked up the phone.  Once Rachel's voicemail answered Demona started her message.  "Send me information about these group homes.  Perhaps I shouldn't be dismissing them without looking into them first." 

A gasp at the kitchen door drew her attention and Demona saw the girl going a deathly white.  "No."  Brenna whispered as the camera and negatives fell out of her fingers to the floor.  "I'm so sorry, please don't."  The look of terror on Brenna's face made Demona hang up and take a step closer.  Tears were falling down the girl's cheeks and she looked completely betrayed and hurt.  "I… I promise I'll do anything.  Please…"

"I can't raise a child here."  Demona stood firmly on this.  "These group homes might not be that bad.  I'll still cover your tuition, in exchange for your silence about…"

"My God."  Brenna's lip was trembling.  "I'd never… I thought…"  Brenna stopped trying to talk and just stared at her.  Demona didn't like what she saw in the girl's eyes.  "You don't have to send me away.  I'd never tell." 

Demona shook her head just a little.  "Brenna, I told you this was temporary right from the start."  Brenna didn't respond, she just turned and left.  Demona stared after her until she heard the fast moving footsteps running up her stairs.  She then sat down slowly at the kitchen island and stared at the pieces of paper that used to be pictures of her.  She was sure that if she were in her night form, her more sensitive ears would hear painful sobbing upstairs.  "I did tell you that it wasn't forever."  She spoke quietly to the girl that was no longer in the room to listen.

In all honesty, letting the girl go with all that she knew, even with all the false conclusions the girl had drawn, was still dangerous.  Demona really shouldn't let her go, but she just didn't have the will to kill the girl.  She knew that her lack of strength would come back to haunt her.  Demona's vision started to swim as tears started down her own cheeks.  She really should, it was the only way to be sure… but she couldn't.

********

Brenna felt like her heart had been ripped out again.  It actually ached in her chest.  She curled up on her bed and held the pillow tightly to her chest.  Dominique was getting rid of her.  All Brenna wanted to do was show the woman she was right.  She should have realized that the strange rules had to be there for a reason.  Who was that gargoyle?  Was she more than a friend for Dominique, was that why she was willing to just toss Brenna out like this?  "I wouldn't have cared."  Brenna whispered, her voice raspy and weak.  Dominique could be sleeping with that gargoyle and Brenna wouldn't have cared, wouldn't have told anyone.

"God, Mom, why did you have to die?"  Brenna's tears were making the pillow damp.  She hurt so much and she just wanted to have someone… she really thought Dominique cared about her.  If Brenna couldn’t have her own mother, she'd have been okay to have Dominique, but now some strangers were gonna take her away.  People who didn't know her and wouldn't care.  They wouldn't be as smart and they wouldn't understand Brenna like Dominique did.  Hell, they might even be Quarrymen.

Dominique acted like paying for the school would make it all better.  Brenna gritted her teeth.  It wasn't the money or the damned school.  Brenna wanted to stay with Dominique.

********

Demona stood on the girl's balcony staring in the window.  Brenna hadn't come out to eat, and hadn't even opened the door to take a plate of food.  She was apparently not hungry.  Demona had almost ordered her to eat, but just wrapped up the plate she'd made and put it in the fridge instead.  Brenna had snack food in her room if she really needed it.

It was only shortly after nightfall when Demona moved to perch outside Brenna's room to make sure the girl was alright.  She wasn't happy with the part of her that kept telling her that Brenna was an unacceptable risk now, the part that tortured her with images of how she should kill the girl.  How she could do it quickly so that Brenna wouldn't be in any pain.  She knew that few people knew the girl well enough to know she wasn't suicidal, or that she'd never run away and get hurt.  No one alive knew Brenna better than Demona did.

No one knew what Brenna looked like when she was excited about a potential debate with Demona, or how the girl would get that little half smile whenever Demona nodded to her at work.  No one knew that the girl that was so smart she warranted an invitation to the most exclusive school in the state listened to different types of music for each subject she studied, or that she always told her cat goodnight before going to bed.

Brenna was hugging that cat to her and staring blankly at the T.V.  It was a familiar look on the young girl that had suffered such horrible losses lately.  She wasn't seeing anything, just pretending to.  Demona almost wondered if she were to walk in right now if Brenna would even notice the gargoyle in her bedroom.

The girl's homework sat on the desk, untouched.  Brenna had always done her homework first before doing anything else.  She took her schoolwork seriously, and Demona knew it was to show her how much Brenna appreciated what she'd given her.  Demona gritted her teeth as her feet wrapped more tightly around the railing on the balcony.  That was one other thing Brenna was, grateful and easy to please. 

"Why am I torturing myself like this?"  Demona was disgusted with herself and turned to glide off the balcony.  She may not kill the girl, but she sure couldn't keep her.  Brenna had proven more intelligent that Demona had anticipated.  Eventually she'd figure out that Dominique Destine was more than she seemed.  "Why would I even want to raise a human?"  She hissed out angrily as she glided higher. 

She was in the city before she even realized that was where she was heading.  Demona glided around the skyscrapers aimlessly for an untold amount of time while trying to not think of anything.  That was ruined when she noticed Angela suddenly slip out between two buildings in front of her.

"Daughter?"  Her voice rose in surprise and she noticed Angela glance up to see her.  The girl looked a bit surprised and then suddenly suspicious.  Eyes that had, for a while, looked at her with caring held nothing but wariness now.

"Demona."  Angela's voice was cold.  "You have no daughter."  Angela then banked a hard right and slipped between two other buildings.  Demona just stared after her for a moment before sighing heavily and moving higher so she could glide back home.

"No, I don't suppose I do."  She whispered to herself.  Angela's words hurt in a way that was completely new.  Angela was a bright girl, but she'd fallen for all of Goliath's unrealistic dreams.  Demona tilted a bit in the air as the thought distracted her and she missed the change in the air current.

"Pay attention to the surroundings."  She muttered angrily to herself.  After years of always being battle ready, she'd become so distracted that it could have easily been a bullet rather than a wind gust that sent her toppling.  She forcefully pushed her thoughts away and just focused on gliding home.

********

Brenna had barely gotten any sleep and felt like she was part dead from the tired and the pain.  She lumbered downstairs and sat quietly at the kitchen island in front of the breakfast Dominique had cooked. 

She was aware of Dominique watching her while eating her own meal, but Brenna was still barely hungry.  She took small mouthfuls, but mostly she was just pushing her food about on the plate.

“Eat, you didn’t have any dinner.”  Dominique sounded irritated and Brenna just glanced up at her for a moment before taking another mouthful of scrambled eggs.  In the end she’d only eaten about half of it, and she felt a bit sick, but she didn’t say anything. 

The ride to school was tense and Brenna stared out the window so she wouldn’t have to look at the redhead seated next to her.  Dominique wouldn’t be impressed with begging, and Brenna would probably start crying again if the woman tried to explain why she couldn’t keep her.  Brenna didn’t even know the gargoyle living at the mansion, but right now she hated that female for ripping her life apart like this.  If Dominique didn’t have the gargoyle she might have kept Brenna.

“Brenna, I may be out of the office when you get to work.”  Dominique set down the reports she was reading and started to talk when they were halfway to school. 

“okay.”  Brenna sighed as she watched a nearby car full of parents and two kids drive by. 

“I want you to take a cab to work, because I’ll have Gregory with me.”

“Fine.”

“Are you even listening to me?”  Dominique snapped at her. 

Brenna just turned to glance at the woman.  “Yeah, get a cab I don’t get Gregory.”

“I don’t appreciate this attitude.”  Dominique was still ranting, but Brenna just turned to stare out the window.  “You leave this attitude at home!”

“I don’t have a home.”  Brenna spoke quietly.  “I don’t have anyone.  I’m just alone… alone and homeless.”  Brenna felt more tears threatening to fall so she held her eyes opened with determination.  She wasn’t going to let any more fall.  Her comment did make Dominique go quiet.  That was good, because Brenna wasn’t up to talking right now. 

Lily and Gencie was walking up to the school when the limo pulled up.  Brenna grabbed her bookbag and got out without saying anything to the woman she could feel staring at her.

“Here’s some cab money.”  Dominique interrupted the closing of the door.  Brenna reached out and took the cash, shoving it into her pants pocket.  “I’ll see you at work.”

“Yeah.”  Brenna bit her tongue to keep from crying and shut the limo door. 

“God, Brenna what happened?”  Lily moved closer and Brenna just shook her head.  She couldn’t talk right now.  “Are you alright?”  Lily didn’t catch the hint.

“No,”  Brenna’s voice cracked.  “Let’s just get to class.”

********

Demona looked out the window at the building as they drove up.  Rachel had given her the address of the one group home that had an opening right now and Demona had cancelled her early afternoon appointments to go check it out, even though Rachel had told her that the kids would all be in school at the time. 

Brenna’s attitude this morning had been a bit of a surprise.  The girl was far more hurt than the situation warranted.  Demona had told her right from the start it was only for a little while, and she’d even kept Brenna much longer than she intended.  She pushed those thoughts away as Gregory opened the door for her.

“What?”  She snapped at him when she noticed him glancing around with a slightly distasteful expression on his face.  Normally he’d stay quiet or apologize for his brief unprofessional attitude, but this time he looked her right in the eye.

“Brenna is a very sweet girl.  She doesn’t belong in one of these places.”

“That is none of your concern.”  She glared at him and marched up the walkway towards the building to see the woman in charge of this place.

Alexandria looked tired and worn out as she held the door open for Demona to enter.  The woman’s hair was speckled with gray, even though she wasn’t old enough for it.  She also looked more suited to be a truck driver than a foster parent. as she gave Demona the tour of the place while they waited for Rachel to show up.  It had worn furniture and small bedrooms that Alexandria informed her Brenna would have to share, because like all the other group homes this place was over crowded.  Still, it wasn’t a hovel and Brenna was good at adapting.

“She has a cat.”  Demona mentioned when she noticed a dog in the yard next door.

“Oh no.  The kids don’t get no pets.”  Alexandria was very firm on that.  “They stink up the place and no other group homes would take them either.”  The woman’s lack of education was very evident in her voice.  She sounded like a simple wit.  Demona rolled her eyes at the idiocy of the humans to put this woman in charge of several children.

“Well, surely you could make an exception.”  Demona glared at the short woman.  If Brenna thought she was alone now, losing Lacey would completely destroy her.  The girl needed that cat, she relied on it for someone to hold, for affection, and Demona didn’t want to have to keep it.

“No, no exceptions.  If she transfers she’d lose it anyhow, and I ain’t gonna get stuck with it.”

“Transfers?”

Alexandria looked at Demona like she was completely clueless.  “Yeah, we get kids in and out.”

“And why would that be?”  Demona could see Rachel walking up the driveway, but kept most of her attention on the woman in front of her. 

“Well, Juvi takes some of them and we get more than we can handle, so you know… they shuffle to make it right.”

They talked more about the rules and what the kids received when they were there.  Rachel kept talking and the woman was sounding a bit more optimistic about placing Brenna finally.  Demona hated that she had to do this, but the alternatives for Brenna wouldn’t be that great.  She was letting the girl live and would take care of her financially.

They stopped by the limo and Gregory stood waiting for the signal they were ready to leave so that he could open the door.  Rachel chose that moment to get a look on her face, regret.  Demona didn’t like that one.  “One drawback will be her schooling.  None of the homes can drive her to that school.”

Demona hadn’t thought about that.  “I could pay for her cab fare.  She doesn’t belong in the public schools.”  The expression on Rachel’s face told her the woman didn’t think that would work either.  She was about to lay down the law on this one thing when her phone rang.  If she hadn’t recognized the phone number, she would have ignored it.  “Hello.”

“Ms. Destine?”

“Yes.”  She snapped at the woman on the phone, not liking the interruption.

“This is Ms. Pogge from Cordova High.  Brenna has skipped school.”  The woman sounded a hint irritated herself.  “She went to her first few classes and then…”

“I will be right there.”  Demona spoke through gritted teeth.  She hung up and addressed Rachel.  “I have a business emergency.  I need to go.”  She lied, because acting out like this might jeopardize her custody of the girl.

“About the group home?”  Rachel started talking faster.

“Well, I’ll get back to you.”  She then slammed the limo door shut before Gregory could deal with it.  Demona stared out the window while her hands clenched up.  Brenna really picked a bad day to decide to play hooky. 

“Where to Ma’am.”  Gregory was all business when he rolled down the divider to ask.

“The school.  Brenna’s skipped and I want to see if her little friends know where I can find her.” 

********

Brenna felt very out of place as she walked up the hill and sat down on the grass.  It was barely April, so it wasn’t too comfortable out.  “Mom.”  Brenna stared at the headstone that Dominique had helped her pick out.  “Mom, I don’t know what to do.”  She desperately wished that her mother could answer her.  “What am I supposed to do now?”

********

They were almost to the school when Demona suddenly had an idea of where Brenna would be.  “Gregory, turn left here.” 

Demona got out of the limo and walked past the gates.  She’d been right, she could see Brenna’s coat from here.  The tension she’d felt ever since she’d heard the girl was missing started to leave her and she walked quietly up to see what Brenna was doing.  It was a human custom to visit with the dead, one that she’d never fully understood. 

“I wanted to stay with her.”  Brenna’s voice started to reach her and Demona moved off the path to approach through the trees so that she wouldn’t interrupt.  She’d like to hear this.  Her heels weren’t easy to walk in the grass with, and she silently cursed her human form as she managed anyhow.  “She’s a lot nicer than you thought.  I like her.”  Brenna was staring at the tombstone like it was a person that could talk back.  Demona felt a little bit of pain at that thought.  She remembered talking to and ranting at Goliath during his enchanted stone sleep, but he wasn’t really dead at the time.  “I thought she was like me.”  That comment made Demona stare at the girl harder.  How did she think that, what was she seeing in common?

Brenna was quiet for a while just staring with her unseeing eyes.  “I hate you sometimes.”  Brenna whispered so quietly that Demona had to strain to hear it.  “I hate you for doing this to me.  I hate you for leaving me alone.”  The tears in the girls voice were surely on her face as well.  More silence as the chill in the air registered to Demona.  She glanced around once and noticed that there weren’t any other visitors.  It might have something to do with it looking like it could rain any moment.  “I’m taking good care of Lacey for you.”  Demona grimaced.  That damned cat… why did Brenna have to be so attached to that damned cat?  The girl wouldn’t take it well when she found out that the homes wouldn’t let her keep it.

“I miss you mommy.”

Demona couldn’t take it anymore.  She stepped out from her hiding place and finished walking to the girl.  She stood beside Brenna’s sitting form and just looked at her, not sure what to say.  Brenna took care of that for her when the girl lunged forward.  Demona almost thought she was being attacked and was tensing up for battle when she realized that her arms were full of a crying child.  Brenna clung to like she was the only thing keeping her afloat in the ocean.  Demona hesitantly moved to hug Brenna back.

“You feel cold.”  Demona spoke softly when she noticed the chill to Brenna’s skin.  She’d obviously been out here a while to get this cold.  “Let’s go home.”

********

Brenna was waiting for Dominique to yell at her for leaving the school, but the woman was quiet as they rode back to the mansion.  Brenna had tried to pay attention in her classes, but she wasn’t able to concentrate at all.  After having the third teacher in a row ask if she was alright Brenna had just left and kept walking for a few blocks, before using the cab fare Dominique gave her to visit her mother.

She felt a little bad that this was the first visit she’d done since they’d buried her.  Hopefully her mother realized how hard it was to go there and wouldn’t feel abandoned.

“Why don’t you go take a warm bath.  I don’t want you getting sick.”  Dominique said as soon as they got inside the house.  Brenna just nodded and went upstairs.  She was cold, cold and a little numb inside.  She almost felt like it wasn’t really her walking around, she felt so disconnected, and she preferred it that way.  She was tired of crying, and a part of her was embarrassed about how she’d clung to Dominique like a little baby.

********

Demona circled the mansion from far too high for Brenna’s eye to catch, and since she’d confiscated the camera she knew that Brenna couldn’t see her.  After a few circles she headed out towards the city again.  Dodging the buildings always gave her something else to focus on other than her own problems.

She’d never anticipated having problems like these.  She’d only hired Brenna to get on Angela’s good side, but now her daughter wouldn’t talk to her and she had the girl living in her home.  It wasn’t supposed to turn out like this.  Her own daughter wanted nothing to do with her and this little human…  Demona sighed and soared higher into the sky.  This little human didn’t want to leave her.

What did she want?  Did what Demona want really matter?  It was dangerous to trust any human, they would always betray.  Demona grimaced and banked a hard right to avoid the Empire State building.  Normal humans would betray, but would Brenna?  She’d once told Brooklyn that perhaps the detective was the exception that proved the rule, and no matter what Demona thought about Maza, she hadn’t betrayed the clan yet.  Could Brenna be an exception?

Demona kept her course far enough away from the castle that they shouldn’t notice her as she dodge buildings while moving slower.  Her thoughts were filled with a human child, one that… was hers.  Demona moved to just land as that thought hit her.  It couldn’t be. 

“No.”  She whispered, “I can’t.”  Her head shook from side to side. 

The red beam on her chest caught her attention and Demona moved quickly to try and get out of it’s path.  The sound was nearly silent as the bullet tore out of the gun but her scream of pain wasn’t.  She fell from the building and was halfway down before her unsteady wings caught the wind.  The pain in her chest felt like fire, but she didn’t risk looking at it until she’d glided several blocks and no other shots were fired.  Breathing wasn’t easy, and from the placement of the hole Demona realized it may have missed the heart, but it did hit her lung.  And the blood… she pulled her hand away from the wound to see her own blood dripping from it. 

Home, she needed to get home.  If the humans found her weakened they’d capture her or try and kill her, injuring her further.

Her wing ached where the bullet had passed through, but it was healing.  Demona hated how she felt all the pain in spite of her ability to heal.  She was out of breath.  Damage done to major organs took longer for the magic to take care of than minor wounds.  The mansion came into view and Demona felt relief.  She wasn’t sure she could stay airborne much longer.  She felt dizzy, and her vision was starting to double once in a while.

She glided lower intending to glide right into her room.  Her balance was off and she worked hard to not wobble in the air.  Just as she was getting to her destination her vision blurred again.  The loud crash as she hit the window instead of the open balcony doors was accompanied by shattering glass and Demona felt horrible pain before everything finally went black.

********

Brenna sat up, startled by the sound of glass breaking across the hallway.  “Dominique?”  She yelled out as she moved closer to her door, turning her T.V. off on the way.  “DOMINIQUE?”  She yelled even louder.  Breaking glass, someone could have broken in.  Visions of Dominque being tied up and unable to call for help filled Brenna’s mind and she glanced around her room… completely lost about what to do.  She wasn’t supposed to leave the room, but she knew why now.  If it wasn’t a secret then why should she stay in here.  Dominique might be hurt, she could have cut herself. 

“Dammit!”  Brenna moved to her closet and pulled the short closet pole out.  It was about four feet and it would have to do since she didn’t have a baseball bat.  She moved quietly towards her bedroom door, hoping desperately that there weren’t intruders, because she couldn’t fight anyone off with this stupid pole.

She went down the hall towards Dominique’s bedroom.  She was pretty sure the sound came from there.  “Dominique?”  She called out once she was in front of the door.  If Dominique wasn’t in there she had to have heard it.  That crash was loud enough to hear from anywhere in the house.

Brenna grabbed the handle and slowly opened the door.  Her heart was pounding.  She was afraid of what she’d find.  Please, please, please be okay.  Brenna begged in her mind.

The bedroom was larger than her own and it had many more windows.  The wind was making the drapes flutter around the open balcony doors and the broken window.  Brenna barely took the time to notice that, since the crumpled up figure on the bedroom floor drew her widening eyes.  The female she’d seen gliding around the mansion, the one that was Dominique’s friend lay there unconscious.  There was blood on the carpet and Brenna just stared for a moment.  “Oh God.”

She spun around and dashed out the bedroom door.  She wasn’t even to the stairs before she started yelling.  “DOMINIQUE!  She’s hurt!”  Brenna ran down the stairs so fast she stumbled a few times, and she missed quite a few stairs in her race.  “HELP!”  She couldn’t believe that Dominique could miss any of this.  She ran into the kitchen where the woman liked to read her newspaper, but she wasn’t there.  Brenna ran down the hall “DOMINIQUE!”  She screamed.  The gargoyle was bleeding and hurt.  She was still breathing, Brenna had seen that, but she needed help.  Where was Dominique.  Brenna felt tears of frustration and fear in her eyes as she realized she’d checked the entire downstairs.  She was alone.  She was alone with a seriously hurt gargoyle.

Her heart was pounding as she went back into Dominique’s bedroom.  “I’m gonna help you.”  She told the unconscious female, hoping it was the truth.  She moved closer to her and ignored the sound of broken glass under her shoes as she carefully turned the blue female onto her back.  Brenna’s eyes widened as she noticed the bullet wound.  “Oh god, they shot you.”  This was worse than she’d thought.  Her eyes were drawn to the blood and she had to force herself to move.  She glanced at the floor behind the gargoyle and decided that there wasn’t too much glass.  She lowered her to the ground and tried to move the females arms and legs to be more comfortable.  The wings fell flat to the ground, making her look a bit like a downed kite.  Brenna almost lost it at that image.  “Can’t get hysterical.”  She muttered to herself.  She ran into Dominique’s bathroom and ripped her towels off the rack, wet them careless of the way the water was slopping all over the counter and ran back out to the gargoyle.

“Oh god, Dominique is gonna be so upset.”  Brenna pressed the towel to the bullet wound.  Dominique’s friend, or maybe her lover was dying on her bedroom floor and she wasn’t here to help.  The gargoyle groaned when Brenna pressed harder, trying to stop the blood. 

Brenna desperately wanted to call for an ambulance, but… she stared down at the helpless pretty gargoyle.  She couldn’t defend herself, and the city was still so dangerous for their kind.  Her mind felt like it was stalled as she just held the towel on the wound and tried to think.  She had to do something.  What?  What could she do?

First Aid kit.  There had to be one.  Where?  Brenna was breathing quickly in her panic.  Where?  She took one of the gargoyles unresponsive arms and draped it over the towel to add some pressure as she ran into the bathroom.  She through open the medicine cabinet so hard the mirror banged against the wall.  Nothing.  She opened the closet where the towels and linens were and pulled them out to check behind them, messing up the orderly way they’d been stacked.  She then practically slide across the floor on her knees to rip open the cabinets under the sink.  There…  She grabbed the clearly marked box and ran back out to her patient.  This female was the reason she couldn’t stay here.  Brenna kneeled down beside her.  This was the reason Dominique was sending her away.  “Hold on, I’ll get you patched up.”  Brenna tried to sound comforting, even though she doubted the unconscious gargoyle could hear her.  This was Dominique’s friend, and Brenna didn’t ever want Dominique to hurt the way Brenna did after her mother died.

She flipped open the first aid kit and just stared at what she had.  She didn’t know how to do any of this.  What little she learned, she knew from TV.  She really should have watched more doctor shows.  When this is over, fewer sitcoms and more hospital shows.  Yes.  Finally she decided that she just didn’t know what she was doing enough to do more than put a bandage over it.  A bandage for a gun shot wound.  That was pathetic.

Once that was done she glanced up at the clock on the wall.  Ten.  It had only been fifteen minutes.  Brenna felt like she’d run a marathon, it felt like it had been hours.  She stared down at the gargoyle, for the first time without panic in her eyes.  She’d done everything she could.  “You’ve got some cuts.”  Brenna reached out and pulled a small piece of glass from the gargoyle’s arm.  Well, maybe she should check and make sure to take care of these little cuts.

“Glass isn’t good.  I’ll sweep it up.”  Brenna didn’t want to work on getting slivers of glass out of her only to have more get in because she wasn’t strong enough to move her from the place she’d fallen.  When she got up she also closed the balcony doors.

In another fifteen minutes she had the gargoyle laying on a sheet pulled off the floor in Dominique’s bathroom.  All the woman’s towels and sheets had ended up on the floor when Brenna was hunting for the first aid kit.  There was a pillow under the gargoyle’s head and Brenna was working with a pair of tweezers to get out the slivers of glass she was able to find.  Mostly they were on her arms.  She must have blocked with her arms when she realized she was about to hit the window.  Brenna pulled out the pieces of glass, put disinfectant on it and put a band-aid over each cut.  The gargoyle had several band aids on each arm.

A little blood on her face drew Brenna’s attention and she moved around the wings, careful to not disturb her.  In spite of where the wound was, it didn’t sound like the female had trouble breathing anymore.  Brenna wiped at the blood with a wet towel and the gargoyle moved just a little.  “Ugh… what?”

Brenna’s hand froze.  She was still unconscious.  That voice…  It couldn’t be.  Brenna’s eyes were wide as she stared down into the gargoyle’s face.  Her hand snaked out to caress what she was seeing, just to prove to herself it was real.  “Dominique?”  Oh my god, Brenna’s mind went back into panic mode.  How?  She moved to the side of the bed and grabbed the woman’s purse, emptying it out on the bed and then ripping out the wallet.  She stared at the picture on the driver’s license and then at the gargoyle on the floor.  Her eyes traveled back and forth three times as she struggled to accept it.  “Dominique?”  She tossed the license down and moved to kneel beside her… oh god, no wonder Brenna couldn’t leave her room at night.  Gargoyles didn’t turn to stone, they turned to human.  All those Quarrymen were wrong.

“Please be okay.”  Brenna reached out to caress Dominique’s hair.  Her shaking hands also moved to touch her wing briefly, but she pulled her hand back quickly when it twitched.  It was real

********

Demona felt a bit dizzy as she came to.  She opened her eyes slowly and grimaced at the brightness of her room.  At least she’d made it back.  She didn’t really remember the last part of her flight.  She moved just a little and noticed the feel of sheets underneath her and the softness of her pillow.  That didn’t make sense, the ceiling was too far away for her to be on her bed.

The sound of footsteps made her tense up as she heard them come closer.  Demona closed her eyelids so that it would look like she was still out, but she could see through her lashes.  Brenna came into her vision and Demona’s fist clenched.  The girl had found her.  How clumsy and stupid had she been in order to draw the girl out of her room.  Brenna never disobeyed her so directly.  Her quick mind tried to come up with a way to deal with this.  Brenna had seen her.

“Please wake up.”  Brenna sat beside her and Demona could feel the girls hand resting on her arm.  What was the sticky feeling?  Band aids?  “Oh God, please don’t leave me.”

The desperation in Brenna’s voice was far too intense.  Demona slowly opened her eyes and tried to use that horrible accent that had fooled MacBeth in Paris.  It was the best she could do under these circumstances.  She’d never intended for Brenna to get a good look at her true form.  “What happened?”

Brenna seemed to sag in relief.  “Oh God Dominique I was so worried.”  Demona’s eyes widened in shock.  “Somebody shot you and I don’t know first aid… I did what I could…”

It hurt but Demona used her arms to push herself into a sitting position.  That bullet had to have hit a few things for it to be taking this long to heal.  Brenna was staring at her.  She looked pale and scared.  In a movement far quicker than the girl would expect she reached out to grab her arm.  Brenna didn’t flinch like it was her that she was afraid of.  “Are you okay?  You lost blood, and there could be an infection, cause I don’t know what to do…”  tears started down Brenna’s face.  “Dominique… please…”

“I’ll be fine.”  The fake accent wasn’t going to work so she abandoned it.  The girl had figured it out.  Strong young arms wrapped around her and it actually helped her stay in a seated position, because she was still weak.

“oh god, don’t ever scare me like that again.”  Brenna scolded through tears.  Demona just sat there.  It felt surreal.  Brenna hadn’t even mentioned that she was a gargoyle yet.  She glanced at her own skin to make sure.  She was in her true form. 

“I want to get off the floor.”  Demona felt a bit sore from the hard floor.  She’d become spoiled since she acquired her day form, she wanted to lay on the bed.  Brenna didn’t hesitate to touch her to help her stand or to support some of her weight as they limped towards the bed.  Demona began to wonder if this was a dream brought on from running head first through her window.  She moved her wing out and around Brenna so that the girl had to see it, she couldn’t just ignore it, but Brenna said nothing.  She used her wing talons to caress the girls hair and still nothing.  It had to be a dream.  “I like you Brenna.”  She spoke as she got help laying down so she didn’t pull her chest wound open.  The dizziness was a bit worse after the movement and standing.  A dream shouldn’t make her feel nauseous.  “And I don’t even like humans.”  The trip was too much, she passed out yet again.

The smell of food brought her to consciousness.  Demona opened her eyes and sat up.  The pain was gone.  Why was she smelling food?  The girl should still be in her room since it was still dark.  The bedroom door opened and Demona’s wide eyes stared as Brenna brought in a tray of food, breakfast at what?  She glanced at the clock.  4 am.  What?  It was still dark and Brenna was standing there, just looking for a place to set the tray down.  “It wasn’t a dream was it?”  Demona spoke flatly as she realized that Brenna had found her earlier that night.

“No.”  Brenna finally just moved her book off the nightstand so that she could set breakfast down.  The girl sat down on the bed beside her.  “You look better.  Not so…”  girl nibbled on her lip like she did when she was nervous, “pale.”  Demona didn’t say anything she just stared at the girl.  Brenna was looking a little pale herself.  “I heard you hit the window.  I couldn’t just not check.  You were hurt.”

“Brenna.”  Demona snapped at her and the girl flinched.  “Are you even looking at me?!”

Brenna gave her a slight smile.  “I noticed.  I thought the gargoyle was your lover, I didn’t even think…”  Demona’s eyeridge rose at the conclusion the girl had made.  Well, she hadn’t really anticipated that one, but with what Brenna had known… it made sense.  Demona gave Brenna a small smirk.  Brenna’s smile faded and a really serious expression came across her face.  “Dominique, I…”  Demona felt like Brenna’s eyes were pleading with her.  “I was so scared.”  Brenna’s voice cracked.  “I thought you were gonna die.”  The bed was shaking and Demona could see it was because Brenna was. 

Without giving herself time to think about it Demona pulled Brenna closer and the girl hugged her carefully, obviously afraid of hurting her.  She couldn’t know that Demona had completely healed.  Demona moved her wings to hold the girl as well.  Brenna had lost so much lately, but obviously the thought of losing her had hurt her.  “I’m okay honey.”  Demona whispered into Brenna’s hair.

“I thought I was gonna be alone again.  That you…”  Demona just gently shushed her.  Brenna was truly amazing.  She’d found out that Demona was a gargoyle and was more concerned about her than the fact she wasn’t human.  She’d bandaged every little wound she could have found, if the half a dozen band aids on Demona’s arm were any indication.

They didn’t talk about anything, just laid there on her bed.  Demona watched as the girl fell asleep right beside her after Demona ate the food Brenna made her.  The girl hadn’t realized that food was exactly what she needed after healing a serious wound. 

Brenna slept right next to her and wasn’t afraid at all.  She really wasn’t like other humans at all.  “We’ll have a lot to talk about tomorrow.”  Demona whispered while caressing the girl’s hair.  Brenna hadn’t asked all the questions that she must be thinking, but once she knew Demona wasn’t hurt she would.  It didn’t bother her like it should.  Brenna knew her secret, had the power to destroy her human identity,  and in spite of all the experiences that Demona had with humans, she really didn’t think Brenna would do that to her.  Demona was going to take a very stupid risk, all for a human child.  She sighed as she realized how messed up her life had become.  Brenna was the best problem to ever happen to her.

She carefully moved to turn off the alarm clock.  She’d wake up before her change and leave, but after the night Brenna had she deserved some sleep.  Neither of them were going anywhere tomorrow.

********

Brenna woke up to realize two things.  It was far too bright so she’d slept in and she was alone in Dominique’s bed.  She got up quickly, worried that the woman was trying to do something that would hurt her.  Brenna checked the bathroom first and noticed it was back to the way it had been before she’d panicked and tore it apart.  Dominique really shouldn’t be cleaning.

She looked upstairs and then went downstairs.  The redhead was in the kitchen reading the newspaper.  She was also human again.  “Are you okay?  Can you go to the hospital during the day?”

Dominique gave Brenna one of her softest smiles and pulled her button up shirt to the side.  Brenna’s eyes widened when she didn’t see a bandage or a hole where it should be.  “I heal incredibly fast.”

“Wow.”  Brenna moved to sit down beside her.  “You’re a gargoyle.”

“Yes, and if that fact gets out I’m ruined.  You know that.”  It sounded like a scolding.

Brenna stared into Dominique’s eyes.  “I’d never do anything to hurt you.”

“No, I don’t suppose you would.”  Dominique was staring at her so intensely Brenna blushed.  “I know you have questions, but I have one first.”

“Okay?”  Brenna noticed the seriousness and matched it.

“Now that you know what I am, can you keep it a secret and would you still want to stay here or would you rather be with your own kind?”

Brenna blinked as she realized that it seemed she had a choice now.  “I want to be with you, and I won’t ever tell anyone.”

“I can’t believe I’m doing this.”  Dominique muttered under her breath.  “I’ll call Rachel and see what I need to do to get permanent custody.  Would you like that?”  Brenna launched herself at the redhead and hugged her tightly.

“Yes.”