Something to tell you ch 6

One Month Two Weeks and Four Days after Birth

         Elisa finished her shower and was drying her hair as she stared at her naked reflection.  The scar from Delilah’s birth was not attractive.  She was also still working on recovering her figure.  Her eyes swept over the other scar on her body.  Her hand trailed over the bullet scar on her chest for a moment, remembering how Demona had looked when she first saw it in the cave.  There was sadness in her eyes that Elisa just hadn’t let herself think about.  She hadn’t made love to anyone since before it had happened, and Demona was the first lover to see it.  The only lover to see it.

         As she brushed her hair she found her thoughts revolving around the gargoyle that was now in human form and pretending she didn’t need sleep while trying to work.  Through some cosmic joke she’d fallen for that gargoyle, and if she really thought about it Elisa didn’t believe her feelings weren’t returned.  Perhaps that was what the interrogation about Goliath was about.  It wasn’t Goliath that Demona was interested in.  Elisa sighed.  Why did things have to be so complicated with Demona?  If Demona were someone else, someone a bit more rational, Elisa would sit down with her and talk about this attraction and where their relationship should go, but Demona wouldn’t take a discussion like that well.  Elisa preferred to deal with things straight on, but that wasn’t going to be possible in this case.

         Elisa continued to brush her hair while thinking about Demona.  The death threats had stopped after Paris.  Knowing now that Demona had found out that Elisa was trying to get Angela to see her mother, it could have been Demona keeping her one ally in that battle or it could be something more.  Demona’s constant visits to Elisa’s apartment after finding out about Delilah could have just been Demona trying to protect the unborn hatchling, or it could have been because they really did seem to get along.  Elisa knew she enjoyed those visits.  They were at least friends, at the very least.  The conversations they had were too personal for it to be anything less.  Elisa got the feeling that Demona told her things that she hadn’t told anyone else in a very long time, if ever.

         For some reason Angela had seen fit to lie to her mother about Goliath’s chances with Elisa, because the young female knew that Elisa didn’t want to be his mate.  Angela must have seen something, she was pretty perceptive.  Demona’s quick and automatic response to her thinking they were under attack was to protect Elisa, Delilah wasn’t in her arms, and from the look of relief on Demona’s face when she picked up their daughter, Demona may have already thought Delilah was gone.  She protected Elisa with her own body.  The brush running through Elisa’s hair stopped when she thought about that.  Delilah wasn’t the reason that Demona protected Elisa, because if that were the case Demona wouldn’t have looked so guilty when she almost released that virus when the Hunters first showed up.  Elisa had never talked to Demona about that.  It was another of those subjects likely to make the immortal go a bit irrational and angry.

         Elisa’s dark eyes narrowed as she reached a decision.  She’d given Demona entirely too much slack.  It was time to find out where she stood with the gargoyle.  Still bringing up her own feelings for Demona without knowing how Demona would respond might not be wise.  Elisa started to grin, but there were other ways to see if the female was attracted to her.  Maybe Angela had the right idea after all.  If Demona didn’t want Elisa in that way this shouldn’t bother her at all.  The grin became more mischievous as Elisa felt a bit confident that Demona would be affected. 

         Elisa glanced at her sleepwear and decided that she was going to have to bring something a little sexier for her next visit.  Not overly obvious, but still anything would be better than this oversized t-shirt and shorts. 

         Once she was ready for bed she walked across the hall and watched Demona for a moment before the woman looked up.  Elisa smiled softly.  “You’re coming to bed.”  It wasn’t a question.

         “I’m not really tired.”  Demona still sounded tense.  She’d been snapping at Elisa a bit ever since she asked about Goliath. 

         “Look, I don’t want to be in the way.”  Elisa sighed.  “You need your sleep and if my being here is…”

         Demona cut her off quickly.  “No, I don’t mind.  You can’t drive through the city tired.”

         Elisa only managed to keep the grin off of her face because of all the practice she’d had going under cover.  Her face was serious.  “I’m sure that I’d be fine.  I could just leave at dawn and we’d probably miss all the traffic.”  Her voice became more concerned.  “This is your home and I don’t want to be kicking you out of your own bed.”

         Demona’s eyes narrowed.  “You aren’t going to drop this are you?”

         “Well, it’s just not right.”  Elisa could see the moment that Demona gave in.  The redhead seemed to slump a little before reaching out to shut down her computer.  When Demona stepped into the bathroom to get ready for bed Elisa allowed herself a little smile.  All was fair in love and war.  That was her new motto.  It wasn’t really nice to use Demona’s concern for Delilah’s safety to get the redhead into bed, but it worked.  Now she’d behave herself so that Demona would stop fighting sleeping in the same bed so much.  Once Demona stopped protesting and was lulled into a false sense of security Elisa would up the ante.  She crawled into bed to get some sleep.  She really was pretty tired.

One Month Three Weeks after Birth

         Demona stayed at work late to make up for some of the days she hadn’t showed up at all.  The business could run itself, but she preferred to make sure it ran smoothly.  Carrie had stayed with her without complaining.  Demona finally sent the woman home shortly before sunset.  She was just out taking a quick glide to clear her mind before looking at the endless columns of numbers again.

         A deep growl entered her throat when she saw the overgrown boyscout starting to trail after her.  Goliath wanted to talk.  How irritating.

“Demona!”  He called out once he got closer.  She rolled her eyes and moved to land on a nearby building.  She grinned evilly when she noticed how hesitant he looked as he landed a few feet away from her.  He must think he landed out of range if she decided to attack.  At least he’s learning caution.  Now if only he’d apply that to the humans.

         “What do you want now Goliath?”  Demona snapped at him while crossing her arms in front of her and glaring.

         “I just wanted to talk.”  His voice was calm with a hint of hope that she hadn’t heard in it since shortly after he woke up.  

         She glared at him in silence while waiting for the latest sermon from him.  The speech about living in peace with those that would destroy them.  The endless talk about how hatred wasn't the answer when he didn’t even know the question.  He looked at her and didn't say anything for a moment.  "Well, I don't want to stand here all night."  Demona snapped at him. 

         "Delilah is a very beautiful hatchling."  He spoke softly and some of the red glare in Demona's eyes faded.  "She has your wings and your browridge."

         "What are you after?"  Demona's glare got brighter as she remembered the talk with Angela.  He was sniffing around the detective like a dog in heat.  "Oh, is it the detective?"  She sneered at him as she watched his wings shake just a little at that comment.  "She is well worth it.  So passionate, so giving, oh that's right.  You wouldn't know about that would you?"  She wanted to make him hurt and knew just how to do it.  "She was easily the best I EVER had.  She made it very clear what a bumbling hatchling you had been during sex."  She smirked as she watched that blow hit him.  He'd actually been a decent lover, but he didn't need to know that.  "You had wanted her that Breeder's moon didn’t you?"  Her grin was malicious as she watched his skin reddening.  "Was it painful doing without, or did you and Bronx have a good time?"

         "You are a cold hearted bitch."  Goliath's eyes burned as he growled under his breath.

         "That may be so."  Demona's voice was cold and her grin was gone.  "But I have a hatchling from this last Breeders moon, and you do not.  And I have…"  She shut her mouth before she could finish that sentence.  She glared at him in silence for a moment.  "What do you want?  I haven't got all night.  I have work to do."

         His eyes narrowed as he looked around the nearby buildings.  "Are you up to something?"

         She sighed loudly.  "I actually have a job.  I earn my money, I don't live off of the money of my enemies.  Do you like being Xanatos' pet?  Do you enjoy owing him for your every meal and the roof over your head?"

         He barked out a cruel laugh.  "Don't live off of the money of your enemy's?  What do you think you used to create NightStone?  MacBeth wasn't your friend last time I checked."

         An angry step in his direction stopped before she got close enough to hit the blind fool that she'd mated so long ago.  "I earned that money.  I am the reason he was king.  My clan kept him in that throne and he betrayed us.  I deserved his money and a hell of a lot more."  Her voice was a deep growl. 

         "He wasn’t going to betray you."

         "Were you there?"  Demona's arm shot out to wave at the city in front of them agitation.  "Did you hear his plotting?  No.  You were asleep.  You have no idea what hell those thousand years were, so don't get all moral with me.  You weren't living in this world."  The pity that started to cloud his eyes only angered her further.  "You chose to abandon the eggs to the humans that were treating us like less than animals.  The same humans I was trying to prevent from ever hurting them.”

         “You know as well as I do that one gargoyle cannot raise a rookery.  It would have been nothing more than slowly watching them all die.”  Goliath sighed heavily while Demona glared at him.  “Without at least, at the very least, two caretakers, they would never have made it.  I didn’t see you anywhere.  I thought you were dead.  I did the only thing that I could.”

         Demona moved her glare to the night sky.  She remembered having to make that same choice after he’d given up on life and was turned to stone.  She’d watched in silence as the egg she laid and all her sisters' eggs were carted away by the Princess that she had been so convinced would kill them all in their sleep one day. 

Princess Katherine’s hatred towards the clan had gotten to the point that Demona believed it was her that her future self had been warning her about.  The dead gargoyles littering the castle made it clear to Demona that it hadn’t been the Princess.  She should have been clearer in talking, or asked more questions.  Of course the only reason that the Princess didn’t destroy them was because someone else did it first.  To hear Angela talk so lovingly about that bitch after everything that the Princess put Demona and the clan through grated on her nerves so badly.  It was that Princess and her contempt for the gargoyles that made it so that Demona had to do something, and the captain had betrayed her.  She didn’t want to hear how wonderful a mother that bitch was.

“You gave up.”  Her voice was a bit lower in her disappointment.  She’d always thought he was so strong, but when things got truly tough, he gave up. 

The silence was uncomfortable, but Demona didn’t want to talk anymore.  She started towards the edge of the roof to leave.

“I’m sorry about the eggs.”  He spoke quickly trying to keep her from leaving.  “I’m sorry about the markings on the eggs.  I made what I thought was the best decision at the time, but…”

“But now the detective and Angela have expressed their doubt.”  She turned to glare at him.  “I told you, begged you, to not overrule the vote like that and you didn’t listen to me, but when Elisa brings it up you are all apologies and woeful eyes.  You make me sick.”

         Goliath grimaced at her but he was holding his tongue.  “About Elisa…”  Demona took a deep breath while watching him intensely.  “I appreciate that you don’t seem to be out to hurt her anymore.”  Demona’s eyes started to burn in the dismissive way he spoke about her and Elisa’s relationship.  He approved of the lack of violence.  Well wasn’t that nice.  The world could end today and Demona would be happy that at least Goliath was pleased she was sparing that human.  “She seems to like you.”

         He spoke as if Demona didn’t know any of this.  “She visits me more than she sees you.  Don’t feel you need to tell me what she is feeling.”

         His eyes narrowed and Demona could see it clearly now.  He was jealous, very jealous.  “I am trusting her detective skills in this.  You are allowed to visit Delilah at the castle from now on.”

         She gave a cruel laugh.  “Trusting her?  You didn’t trust her and she knows it.  You sent Angela to spy on us both and don’t think that didn’t piss Elisa off, because it did.  We decided not to take you up on that offer.  It would interfere with Elisa’s Latin lessons.”

         “You’re teaching Elisa Latin?”  He looked completely baffled and Demona’s cruel grin grew. 

         “My, my, there is a lot that my human isn’t telling you, isn’t there?  Don’t worry, she has someone else to confide in now.”

         His frustrated growl just made Demona feel all the more in control.  She loved being able to put him in his place.  He thought he was so important to Elisa that he could just snap his fingers and take the human away from Demona.  That wasn't going to happen.  Her smile started to fade into a frown but she stopped it in time that he didn't notice.  "You would be able to visit with Angela as well if you came to the castle instead of having Elisa come to you."

         Demona just shook her head slightly while glaring at him.  He wanted her under what he considered his roof.  He wanted to be in control, and to keep her and Elisa from…  Her glare moved to the city lights a moment before she faced him again.  "Angela is welcome to visit my home, but don't think you will suddenly be able to drop by to harass me.  My security system does cover the air.  You would be killed if you got too close."

         "I just agreed to let Angela visit with you and you are threatening to kill me?"  He sounded outraged.

         With a heavy and over emphasized sigh she glanced at him with obvious irritation.  "That security system is set to do more than just keep the clan away.  In case you hadn't noticed there are humans out there that like to kill gargoyles.  I am not letting any of them get into my home, where I have my hatchling.  I don't turn it off, and I always have it on full strength when Elisa and Delilah are home.  It's pretty simple.  I warned you it is there, so I'm obviously not planning on killing you with it.  It is your own fault if you stumble into it now."

         "What are your feelings for Elisa?"  He asked quietly and Demona almost let herself believe she'd imagined the question, but the expression on his face let her know that she hadn't.  She just stared at him in silence.  If she said she had no feelings for the human then he'd continue to pursue Elisa.  If she said that… if she said anything else he'd pester her and point out that Elisa was in fact human.

         "What, feeling threatened Goliath?"  Her voice was cruel and amused.  Not exactly how she was feeling.  "You shouldn't.  She has absolutely no interest in you either way.  One thing I can say about Elisa is that her tastes have improved.  She won't be your mate.  You should have taken the hint when she refused your offer the first time.  Your arrogance with her pretty much ruined it."  Her grin grew.  "We talk about all sorts of things.  Her relationship with the clan, her concern over quitting her job, her family and childhood…"

         "She quit her job?"  His honest surprise at that fact made the grin she'd placed on her face genuine.

         "She is obviously feeling much closer to me than you if you don't even know that."  Demona's fake sympathetic eyes didn't even seem to register with him at the moment.  "It was a very hard decision for her to make, but she made it.  I personally approve.  She shouldn't risk her life saving the worthless scum on these streets."

         He gave her a studying gaze.  "I need to go."  He spoke coldly and moved to the ledge.  She just smirked at him as he glided off, feeling a bit more secure about her place in Elisa's life. 

         She took a deep breath and that moment of levity passed.  Leaning against the roof access door she stared up at the stars.  She was defending her right to be with Elisa.  She could have access to both daughters and keep her home private if she went with Goliath's proposal to visit at the castle instead, but she had no intention of doing that.    

The Next Day

         Fox leaned against the doorway when Elisa opened the front door.  “You are coming to lunch with me.”  Fox smirked at Elisa’s pajama’s, tousled hair and sleepy eyes.  “You’ve skipped the last dinner to go visit Demona, so you owe me.”  Her arms crossed in front of her and Elisa just grinned at the obvious theatrics, “Do you realize you are the first woman to turn me down for a date?”

         “I didn’t realize we were dating.  What would David say?”  Elisa grinned and moved to the side to allow Fox into the room.  She watched the teasing redhead walk to the couch to wait and couldn’t help but wonder.  “How many women have you dated anyhow?”

         Fox’s eyes twinkled with amusement.  “They didn’t mean anything.  You are the only woman for me.”  The redhead grinned at her, “What, you didn’t think you had the market cornered did you?”

         “So, how many?”  Elisa smirked when Fox tried her flirting glance.   

         “Okay, so maybe dating is the wrong word.”  Fox sat down a bit heavily and rested her arms along the back of the couch she was sitting on.  “Perhaps saying I might have kissed a few girls at slumber parties might be more accurate.”

         Well, Elisa hadn’t expected that.  Fox seemed so sexual that Elisa had always assumed the woman had at least once been with a woman.  Hell, she wouldn’t be too surprised if Fox told her she’d participated in orgies.

         “I was saving myself for you.”  Fox leered at Elisa’s legs and trailed her eyes up slowly until Elisa started to chuckle.

         “You are too much.”  Elisa slipped out of the room to get dressed. 

         They were out the door in less than twenty minutes.  Elisa felt a little proud of how fast she’d managed to get ready.  Now that she was awake she was aware of her own hunger.

         The same young man that had caught Elisa’s playful flirting with Fox months ago was working, and took their orders.  Fox was watching the poor young man’s retreat.  “Makes me feel like a dirty old woman looking at something that young.”  Fox’s smirk didn’t indicate that she minded feeling that way at all.

         “Mrs. Robinson am I going to have to get out a hose?”  Elisa asked quietly before taking a sip of her drink.

         “Kinky.  Does Demona like that kind of play?”  Fox’s eyes traveled back in time to catch Elisa’s blush as Elisa glanced around to make sure they weren’t being overheard before the latest round of teasing got into full swing. 

********

          The buzz of the front gate was expected, but Demona checked the car before buzzing Elisa in.  That last scare with the limo may have been a false alarm, but it just made it that much clearer how her enemies could use Delilah and Elisa against her. 

         After settling Delilah in her room they both went to sit in the kitchen.  Elisa used the time to study while Demona started to cook.  “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t use me against Goliath again.”  Elisa spoke softly.  Gritting her teeth while she envisioned the coming lecture Demona turned from the salad she was making to look at Elisa.  The ex-detective looked weary.  “He came to me after your talk.”

         “What?  Did he demand you not study with me anymore?”  Demona moved to sit across from Elisa at the kitchen island, her hidden hand clenched in anger while she imagined his ranting at her human.

         “He’s done making demands.”  Elisa’s dark eyes stared into her own.  “He just makes very strong suggestions now.”

         Demona sneered, “So he suggested you stop studying with me?”

         “No he didn’t.”  Demona stared at her, looking for some indication that Elisa was lying to her.  Goliath wouldn’t want Elisa spending this much time with her, she was certain of it, so why didn’t he do it?  Elisa was telling her the truth.  She could see it in those dark eyes.  She could also see that Elisa wasn’t happy with whatever had occurred.  Elisa’s eyes softened.  “Demona, he’s my friend and I live in the castle.  Don’t make any trouble for me.”  The slight smile softened the words.  “I make enough trouble for myself, I really don’t need the help.”  Elisa moved her hand to rest over Demona’s on the counter.  “What happens here between us stays between us.  I tell you things, sometimes that I’m not ready to share…”  Demona found herself staring at the hand over her own in such a comfortable way.  When did Elisa start touching her so casually? 

         How had Elisa managed to do this without pissing her off?  She was telling Demona what to do and say with Goliath, but it didn’t feel that way at all.  “Okay.  What’s said here stays here.  I got it.”  Demona pulled her hand away and moved to continue working on the salad quietly.  Elisa had just admitted that she trusts Demona with things that she doesn’t tell the others, and Demona found it was unsettling to have it verified.  She quietly worked to slice the tomatoes while she listened to Elisa resume her studies. 

         After she corrected Elisa’s pronunciation of a Latin word Demona continued to stare at the woman sitting across from her.  “Do you want to learn magic?”  She was shocked to hear herself saying that.  She hadn’t heard of anyone taking an apprentice this old before, but Elisa was smart enough to pick up some, perhaps enough to help her protect Delilah.  It made sense now that she thought about it.  Elisa wouldn’t need to become a sorceress; she just needed to know enough to protect herself and their daughter better.

         Elisa’s shocked expression brought a small smile to Demona’s lips.  She’d managed to surprise the human with that one.  “Me?”

         “Yes you.”

         “Um…”  Elisa looked like a deer caught in headlights. 

         “You could pick up a few spells.  You won’t ever get to my level of power, it took me centuries, but I could teach you enough to be able to defend yourself better.”  Her voice got softer.  “You could protect Delilah better when I’m not there to do it.  Xanatos has enemies too, living in the castle isn’t going to always be safe.”  Elisa looked like she was too stunned to think of a response, so Demona continued to talk faster.  “You have a good instinct for finding loopholes in spells.  You stopped that spell on Goliath.  You could do this.”

“Demona.”  Elisa sighed.  “I’m not… I appreciate the offer, very much, but I don’t feel comfortable with magic.  I prefer things I can see and understand.”

         It felt like a personal rejection.  Demona sat back in her chair and glared at the human.  Didn’t she know that Demona had NEVER offered to take an apprentice before?!  “I have to change.  It’ll be night soon.”  She growled out and left quickly while ignoring Elisa’s call to come back.  Demona would have preferred to toss Elisa out of the mansion on her ass, but Elisa was the mother of her child, and Delilah would be awake soon.

         They spent the rest of the night like they normally did.  Demona slowly calmed down as the night progressed.  The gentle hands that sometimes brushed against her as Elisa caressed the daughter that was in Demona’s arms and the searching and gentle eyes soothed her a little.

         “It’s not about you.  I’m just too much a twentieth century woman.”  Elisa finally spoke about it.  “I know I’m turning down an amazing offer, but I just can’t see me being able to do what you can do.  You told me how hard you had to work for your magic.  I just don’t have the time.” 

Time, that was right.  Elisa didn’t have that kind of time.  It took Demona hundreds of years to get her skills, and Elisa was already old by apprentice standards.  She wouldn’t even be able to learn what a normal human witch would know in the time she had and with being a mother.  Magic did demand lots of ones time.  “It’s okay.”  Demona spoke quietly because Delilah was starting to fall asleep in her arms.  The gentle caress of Demona’s hair surprised her enough that she looked up into Elisa’s face quickly.

         Elisa just gave her a small grin.  “It looked like you were almost ready to eat your own hair.  I was just getting it out of your face.”

         “Oh.”  Demona found herself glancing at the hair that Delilah had been playing with on the detective not that long ago.  Delilah had managed to grasp the concept of holding on and she'd latched onto the hair hanging near her easily.  Getting the hatchling to let go hadn't been that easy.  “Time for our little girl to get some rest.”

         “Okay, well I’m going to go take a shower.”  Elisa followed them up but didn’t continue to the nursery with Demona.

         Demona knew that Elisa was going to push about sleep again so she used the time that Elisa was in the bathroom to send out her emails to her staff about the various projects that had better have done before tomorrow.  She stopped just long enough to deal with the pain of her change and then got back to work.

         When she heard Elisa leaning on the doorway she started to shut down her computer.  Demona wasn’t going to have Elisa come to the conclusion that she shouldn’t stay here after the visits.  The stubborn human would probably risk the drive tired all the time if she did.  “New pajamas?”  Demona asked quietly.  She was not at all comfortable with how very feminine the red silk button up shirt looked on the human.  Elisa looked so strong and soft.

         “Yeah, I saw it when I was out shopping with Fox and I liked the color.”  Elisa glanced down at the shirt in question.  “Well, it’s bed time.”

         After Demona got ready for bed she could see that Elisa had already fallen asleep.  She quietly slid into her own side of the bed, taking one long glance at the human that she’d allowed around her when she was vulnerable, when she was sleeping and sighed.

A week and a half later

         Elisa caressed Delilah’s brow ridge gently while staring down at her little girl.  They were on the living room floor at the mansion, with a cozy fire in the fireplace serving at the lighting for the room.  She didn’t look up when Demona moved to sit down right next to her with their drinks.  “Can I see your brow ridge?”  she asked quietly while gently tickling Delilah.

         “What?”  Demona sounded surprised.  Elisa looked up into the gargoyle’s eyes and smiled gently.

         “Can I see?  I never got to and I’m just curious.”  Elisa watched as Demona’s eyes widened just a little.  Demona placed the drinks on the table and with a sigh the gargoyle reached up and started to remove the tiara that she always wore.  Elisa stared at Demona’s face briefly thinking it was strange to see her looking so different.  Her hand moved out to gently caress the exposed brow ridge.  “I didn’t have one when I was a gargoyle.”  She whispered.  She swallowed as her mouth went dry.  Demona was closing her eyes and allowing this touch.  It reminded Elisa of the night they’d made love.

         When Demona’s eyes opened suddenly and she pulled back Elisa moved her eyes to the tiara in Demona’s hand.  She didn’t want the gargoyle pulling away too much.  “How does that stay on in a fight?”  The change of subject guaranteed that Demona wouldn’t have time to berate herself for allowing a human to touch her.  Elisa had been working on getting Demona used to the gentle touches for a few weeks.  A caress here, standing closer to look over the gargoyle’s shoulder, it was nothing that would seem obvious.  It could all be innocent, but it wasn’t.  Demona no longer tensed up when Elisa was in her personal space and just accepted the gentle touches without comment now.

         “Try it on.”  Demona’s fanged grin was mischievous.  “And I’ll hit you and see if I can knock it off.”

         Elisa raised an eyebrow.  “I believe it was me kicking your ass on a few occasions.”  Of course that was only when they were the same species, either human or gargoyle, but Elisa didn’t mention that in their teasing.

         Demona’s grin grew completely wicked.  “Did you want to try that now?"

         "Umm…"  Elisa grinned, "Can we wait until Delilah is in her stone sleep?"

         Demona laughed, "And I've changed, is that it?" 

         Elisa got up to start and get Delilah ready for bed.  "Yeah, that was the idea."

         "You know I could beat you even in my human form."  Demona's pride had her talking big.  Elisa smirked at her but didn't answer.  Demona probably could, but that would blow the secret the gargoyle was trying to keep from Elisa, so she probably wouldn't.  Elisa wanted to be able to ask the gargoyle why she always pulls her punches, but didn't think she was up to that conversation right now. 

"Big talk."  Elisa started to carry Delilah upstairs.  "But you're still a rookie."

         Demona was by her side walking upstairs with her rather quickly.  Elisa tried to not laugh at the gargoyle's irritation.  "I have a gym.  Do you want to try it?  Or are you afraid to go back to the castle all bruised?"

         Well, that would be awkward and hard to explain, but Demona's hovering nearby made it clear that the female wanted to spar.  Elisa kind of missed sparring, all she did with Fox was work out right now.  They hadn't taken the time to fight.  "After sleep, you're on."  She wanted to be at her best when she took on Demona again.  Elisa hid her smirk by looking down and letting her hair cover her face.  Of course a little cheating could help.  They both knew in a real fight Elisa wouldn't have a chance, so this wasn't going to be a real fight.  Cheating, Elisa's grin grew wicked, would make it much more interesting.

Two Months and Five Days after Birth

         Elisa’s eyes were open as she stared at the wall listening to Demona’s breathing.  She was just waiting until the redhead fell asleep to move.  The pleasant tingling in her body made it easy to stay awake until it was time.  Once she knew Demona was out she rolled over while pretending to be asleep while she was moving just in case the redhead woke up.  Her heart was beating a little faster as she moved to the other side of the bed and laid her head on Demona’s shoulder while wrapping her arm around the redhead to pull her closer like a teddy bear.

         She released a breath she didn’t realize she was holding as the female didn’t wake up right away.  Demona smelled good, like apples.  It was the shampoo that the redhead used.  It took a large deal of effort to push the memory of the last time she was this close to the gargoyle out of her mind.  When she realized that she hadn’t been this close to this form before it spiked Elisa’s arousal and she gritted her teeth.  This plan was harder on her than she would have thought.  She had to just work on giving the gargoyle ideas.  Elisa had been the one to make the first moves last time, and she wanted the gargoyle to do more than simply let Elisa have her again.

         After about a half hour of cuddling and trying to calm down Elisa managed to fall asleep, but if she hadn’t been so tired to begin with she couldn’t have done it.  In her sleep Demona held Elisa’s body tight to her own.

         Elisa groggily woke up when she felt the body underneath her tense up.  Since Demona couldn’t see her face Elisa allowed herself a wicked smile as she stayed where she was and kept her breathing regular so that Demona would think she was asleep.  She waited a moment for Demona to fully grasp her situation and then hugged the redhead to her sleepily before Demona could try to escape.

*********

         Something was off.  Demona woke up to find an unfamiliar warmness next to her and opened her eyes suddenly while her body tensed.  Black hair filled her vision when she looked down at the body laying over her own.  The gentle squeeze Elisa gave her to keep her in place when she started to move froze Demona and her wide eyes stared at the ceiling in shock.

         Elisa’s body was warm, and Demona could feel her naked leg, the leg that had slipped between her own.  Elisa’s soft curves pressed into her side as the ex-detective seemed to nuzzle Demona’s shoulder.  That catapulted her into action.  She gently grabbed Elisa’s shoulder and tried to roll Elisa off of her.  She didn’t want to wake her up and face the embarrassment of this position.  Elisa had to have rolled over in her sleep.

         “shit.”  She whispered tensely as the leg between her own shifted.  Elisa shifted to hold her even tighter.  Demona wasn’t going to be able to dislodge the sleeping human.  She allowed her own body’s tension to calm down as she tried to think of a way out of this without waking Elisa up.  Her own skin was already blushing in embarrassment, she didn’t need witnesses.  If she could just escape Elisa need never know about this.

         The feel of a body pressed against hers was new.  She’d only felt that during sex before, because gargoyles don’t sleep.  She should never have let Elisa talk her into sleeping in the same bed with her!  Demona’s heart was beating quickly and her breathing was just a little more rapid than it should be.  She slowly rolled Elisa over and this time the human moved.  Once she was free Demona got out of bed quickly and just stared at Elisa’s exposed legs.  The sheets had been tossed in such a way as to leave the woman uncovered for the most part.  Elisa’s dark hair fanned across the pillow.  She really was quite beautiful.

         Demona decided to not get back into bed and risk Elisa cuddling up to her again.  It had felt too good.  The redhead gritted her teeth and turned to march over to the closet.  That was all the sleep she was going to be getting right now.

         Once she was dressed she walked over to the bed and gently covered the human with the sheets while studying her.  Elisa truly was amazing.  Before she’d even realized her intent Demona reached out to caress the human’s hair gently.  She’d spent countless years alone, but now she didn’t feel alone anymore.  She looked forward to the visits and it gave her endless days meaning.

She barely managed to not growl at herself as she spun to leave.  Human, Elisa was a human.  This was ridiculous.  That night in the cave she’d been delirious, out of her mind with her mating needs.  She could chalk that whole thing up to desperation, if she ignored how badly she just wanted to crawl back into bed right now.  She closed the door quietly not noticing the soft smile on Elisa's lips as she slept.

         She made her way down the hall and into Delilah’s room.  A soft smile crossed her face as she looked into the crib.  The car seat containing their daughter was set inside of it.  “How’s my little girl?”  Demona whispered to her child while moving a chair closer to the crib to sit down.  She loved Delilah completely.  The smooth feel of stone under Demona's fingers was somewhat comforting.  She found her fingers gently exploring the bellybutton peeking out from under the baby's shirt.  Her little girl was part human and there was no telling at this age how that was going to affect her.  Her little baby was part human and Demona loved her with all of her heart.  She knew that hatchlings grew up faster than she'd normally want, but right now it seemed like it would be forever before she could teach Delilah to glide.  She would have someone to glide with now.  She had clan.  Elisa had given her clan.  Tears started to gather in Demona's eyes as that thought hit her. 

         It was almost the time that Elisa normally woke up, so Demona went downstairs to start lunch.  She grinned when she thought about Elisa's lesson today.  The human honestly seemed to think she could win.

         The sound of soft footsteps on the stairs let Demona know that the ex-detective was awake.  When she looked up she was surprised to see the woman still in her pajamas.  The soft red silk fell to mid thigh while having slits along the sides that exposed a hint of black lacey underwear when the human reached up into the cupboard for a glass on the top shelf rather than the ones lower down.  "Morning."  Elisa smiled and moved towards the fridge for her juice.

         Demona shook herself out of her staring and gave Elisa a questioning look.  "Why aren't you dressed?"

         Elisa's smile became wicked, "The conversation last night was about how you fight in those clothes and your jewelry.  I was going to wear them, but I don't know where you hid them."  Demona just blinked as she stared at the woman.  Her clothes?  Elisa wanted to wear her clothes?  "That was what we were talking about."  Elisa's voice held a teasing quality that was both frustrating and cute.  The human looked down at her glass and then glanced up at Demona with just her eyes.

         "Okay."  The redhead spoke quietly and was surprised that she agreed to this.  It seemed foolish, but if that was how Elisa wanted to do this that was fine.  It would throw off the ex-detective's concentration.

         While they ate they talked.  Demona was distracted by thoughts of the upcoming fight.  She wanted to show Elisa she was no rookie, but she didn't want to hurt the human either.  Elisa wasn't immortal and didn't heal like Demona did.  She may be confident that she could win, but the truth of the matter was that she wasn't as used to her human form and usually relied on her talons and tail in a close contact fight.  When Elisa reached over to pick up the syrup for the waffles the front of her nightshirt fell forward exposing a generous portion of the human's cleavage and that scar.  It didn't detract from the beauty of the human.  It was a testament to Elisa's fighting spirit that she survived that.

         Demona brought Elisa her night outfit complete with jewelry since that was the reason they got into this.  Once Elisa had put the clothes on she came back out with the tiara in hand.  "Could you put this on?  I want to make sure you don't claim I didn't do that right."  When Demona turned to look at her she just stared for a moment.  The outfit looked good on her.  Elisa didn't look like a gargoyle, but that outfit…  "Hello?"  Elisa seemed amused by Demona's momentary lapse in concentration.  Demona just walked over to her and took the tiara quietly to fit it on Elisa's forehead.

         "My brow ridge usually helps keep it on, but it hadn't been knocked off even in the human form."  Elisa was resting her hand on Demona's forearm and it made Demona very aware of how closely she was standing.  She took a step back and turned around quickly. 

         "This is kinda breezy."  Elisa was putting the arm band on and Demona caught sight of that in the mirror in front of her.  "I feel naked."

         "You get used to it."  Demona moved to the mirror and pulled her hair back to put it in a pony tail.  The tiara usually helped to keep her hair out of her face in a battle, but since Elisa was using it she'd do something else.  "Getting used to wearing pants was a real adjustment.  I felt so closed in at first."

         Demona lead Elisa into the gym and noticed the human glancing around.  The gym's ceiling was two stories high and consisted of several machines and punching bags.  Demona only worked out here in her human form, because her true form would make short work of any of the things in here.  She found that increased strength in her day form translated to increased strength in her true form.

         Elisa put her foot up on a bench and adjusted the anklet, the loincloth fell between her legs and ended up exposing more of the humans thigh.  Demona shook her head and sat down to remove her shoes.  She'd make this fair, Elisa insisted on just wearing that outfit and no shoes, so she'd level the playing field.  She had dressed in shorts and a t-shirt for this as well.  Her long red hair was tied back in a pony tail and cascaded down to her mid back.  "Since this isn't a true battle perhaps the first to contain or capture the other wins?"  She didn't really want to beat Elisa to a pulp.  It would be a shame to bruise that mocha skin.

         Elisa smiled up at her mischievously.  "You just want to hold me down don't you?"  The teasing sexuality was a bit of a shock and Demona's jaw dropped just a bit before she pulled her mouth shut again.  "You didn't seem into that last time.  You liked it better when I held you down."

         Demona glared at the human taunting her about that night in the cave.  Yes, she did need to be dominated like that then, but that was the mating need.  It wasn't because she wanted Elisa to hold her like that.  It wasn't because she needed that from the human.  She watched the ex-detective turn away from her and start stretching to prepare for this fight and Demona's eyes remained glued to her for a while before she started her own preparations.

         Once they were on the mat and ready to go Demona became much more focused on the fight.  She would have to be careful, of course if she hadn't had years of practice being careful with this particular human she'd be more concerned about her ability to do this.  Killing Elisa would have put a wedge between her and the clan that would never be healed, and Elisa was a fascinating female.  Demona had realized that early on and she had let Elisa live to see if this human would betray Goliath like she'd been convinced Elisa would.  Elisa could have taught Goliath the one lesson that he refused to learn from Demona's discussions.  Elisa had been in a position to truly get it through to him how evil humans truly were, but to Demona's surprise that wasn't what happened.  The human had showed herself to be far more than the rest of her race, and it was Demona that found herself learning.

         Demona had to shake herself out of her memories when Elisa lunged forward with a fist towards her face.  She ducked the blow and moved to the side with an evil grin.  Elisa was good, but she could see the human left openings she wasn't aware of.  Perhaps now would be the time to teach Elisa about that before the woman went up against someone that really did want to hurt her.  Elisa must be rusty from not working for a few months.  Demona waited for Elisa to move forward with another punch, that was when she was vulnerable, right after a punch missed.  Once the opening appeared Demona moved to exploit it and hit Elisa in the ribs just hard enough to bruise, but not hard enough to do serious damage.

         "You have to watch out for that.  You leave your sides open too much."  Demona spoke as if she were training a hatchling about battle.  She hadn't had to train like that in a thousand years, but practicing with Elisa would help her when it came time to teach Delilah.

         That started the sparring in full effect.  Apparently she'd pissed the human off.  They exchanged blows that for the most part didn't land.  Whenever Elisa moved back to take a break Demona let her, even though there were no breaks in a real battle.  The human wasn't at full strength yet.  The pregnancy must have taken more out of Elisa than Demona realized.  Elisa had always been a pretty good warrior for a human, but she was weaker and a bit sloppy today.  The outfit must be hard for Elisa to adjust to because during every break she took she adjusted the jewelry and smoothed out the loincloth like she was afraid it would flip up and expose her.  Demona felt a small grin creep onto her face at that thought. 

         After a little longer Elisa's hands started to move over her exposed skin to wipe away the sweat of her exertions.  Her hands seemed to caress her stomach and face.  Demona swallowed hard when Elisa's hands moved over the woman's skin.  "I'm definitely going to need a shower after this."  Elisa's voice was just a little husky and Demona felt a blush come to her cheeks as she realized that she was staring at the human's cleavage.

She was too distracted by her own thoughts and one lucky hit actually got Demona in the stomach, Demona growled and swung up to catch Elisa's ribs again.  When Elisa leaned over as if in pain Demona's eyes widened.  "I'm sorry."  She spoke quickly and moved to see how badly she damaged Elisa.  The sudden leg sweep that knocked her to the mat was a shock. 

         Elisa was straddling her instantly with an evil grin on her face.  Demona's shoulders were pushed into the mat.  "I believe I won."  Demona gritted her teeth.  She couldn't believe that she'd lost her concentration that badly.  She stared up into Elisa's face and noticed the dark wet bits of hair that stuck to the human's face.  Her own skin was damp as well from the workout.

         When Elisa moved closer to whisper teasingly Demona noticed her body arching up towards her.  Elisa's soft voice sent a wave of arousal through the gargoyle, "I believe this is me kicking your ass again."  Elisa's lips were so close and Demona found herself aching for the human to close the distance.  Her body tensed up to prepare for it, but Elisa got just a little closer before backing away.  "I'm going to go take a shower."  Elisa got up and then held out a hand to help Demona up.

         Demona took a deep breath and took the offered hand.  "Don't use all the hot water."  She gripped, but right now it wasn't the hot water she was planning on using.

         She stayed in the gym after Elisa left and sat down heavily on a bench.  Dammit, Elisa was seductive.  Did she even know it?  A slight whimper came from her throat as her memory replayed being underneath Elisa's straining form as the human tried to keep her down on the mat.  She was not going to spar with the human again.  Her jaw clenched as she stood up suddenly.  Never again.