On The Edge Of Suspicion

By Princess Alexandria

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http://pub17.ezboard.com/fgargoylesxfrm5

Day 17 – Wednesday – August 13^th

MacBeth glared at Trini and then glanced up at Goliath, "This woman is working for Demona." He then stared at Trini and the look in his eyes made her very nervous. He was obviously a very dangerous man.

"We know that Trini does that." Goliath's matter of fact answer made Trini glad that she'd ruined her cover earlier. A statement like that would have caused more waves if the clan didn't already know. "She's spying on Demona."

MacBeth's cold stare had Trini glancing down as she tried to calm the pounding of her heart. He could do so much damage. Trini never expected him to show up here. "She's playing you. She's Demona's pawn, not yours." Trini's eyes widened at his next words. "I've been following her around, and I brought some pictures and information that you might find useful." Pictures? What? Trini looked up to see Goliath staring at her with suspicion. Trini started to open her mouth to protest, but stopped herself. It was better to see how bad this evidence was so she didn't let on to more than she should. Demona and Fox's lessons on lies were topmost in her mind as she forced her body to relax and sat back in her chair as if she had nothing to worry about.

"Well, lets see what you have." Goliath spoke with a coldly regal voice. Trini's took a deep breath and stared at the immortal man. He seemed too smug. He had something.

"I've got it on cd, so we can have a slide show." MacBeth walked to the front of the room and opened up the computer cupboard under the conference table. He'd been here before. Trini sat still and waited while trying not to show how scared she really was. What did he see that made him so smug?

Lex got up and lowered the screen. Trini tried to casually glance around and noticed Elisa watching her very carefully. She reminded herself to act like she had nothing to hide. Once she knew how bad the damage was she could do something, but she had to wait. Wait and try to look innocent of whatever they thought she might be guilty of. Oh God, where the hell was Fox! Trini could really use some help with this.

MacBeth started his lecture, sounding more like a teacher than some bastard that was following Trini around and destroying her carefully created world. "I saw… Trini… in Portland a month ago." Trini could feel eyes on her and tried to swallow subtly. This was worse than she thought it would be. A picture came onto the screen and Trini cringed internally. It was Trini and Domi eating at a restaurant. Domi had a slight smirk on her lips as she watched Trini stare down at their joined hands. God, how did he get this picture? She stared at the screen while feeling her body start to get hot. The effort to look like this didn't bother her was extreme, but she didn't look away. Her mind was working frantically to come up with excuses for any story he told or picture he showed. "I lost them when Demona felt my presence and left with her."

Trini barely acknowledge the suspicious glances of over half the clan. She could see Goliath leaning forward for a moment, looking like he was going to talk, but he stopped and let MacBeth continue. "I lost them but since NightStone has a branch in Portland, I decided to head for another of her holdings in Eugene. I stayed for a few days and was about ready to give up when I ran into Demona at a restaurant. The next day I found out that Trini was Demona's Personal Assistant." The picture on the wall changed to show Domi and her getting into the limo after the company surprise visit.

MacBeth's voice became a bit smug as he switched the picture again and Trini cringed. It was her and Domi yelling in the parking lot of the hotel. This was when Domi had accused her of trying to pick the Limo driver up. "This looks a lot like a lover's spat to me." Trini could feel so many eyes turning her way but she kept a stone face and just turned slightly to glare at the white haired man next to the screen.

"Well, it's not." Trini spoke with a flat voice, unable to let that jab go. She really couldn't afford for anyone to start thinking she was with Demona. His grin at that comment wasn't pleasant.

"What were you doing with her in Oregon?" Goliath asked and Trini regretted talking at all. It brought the questions too her too soon.

"I was working for her. We did company visits and fired people." Trini could hear several wings fidgeting nervously. She kept her eyes on Goliath, and looked him in the face, "I hired on early July."

The clan's leader started to stare at Trini intensely. His voice held a growl. "She attacked the Oregon clan, did you help her with that too?" Trini gritted her teeth. She knew as soon as MacBeth said anything about Oregon that this was lost. "Did you help her and Marie with that?!" Goliath's voice rose as he was forced to repeat himself when Trini didn't answer.

"Whose Marie?" MacBeth interrupted. Trini didn't know what to say, so she decided the best way out of this mess was to say as little as possible and hope… pray… that was enough to keep everything from falling apart.

Elisa tore her eyes away from Trini. "Marie is a gargoyle from the Oregon clan and is Demona's new mate. It looks like it was them that stole the ring from the museum."

MacBeth glanced around the room, his eyes falling on Trini again. "Demona doesn't have any gargoyle's living with her. I've been watching her home and I've never seen any gargoyles but her." The picture changed and Trini did grimace. It was Trini riding on Demona's back near the gargoyle's home. "But Trini seems to stay the night a lot." MacBeth was spying on their home? Trini clenched her fist under the table, and fought the urge to leap across the room and hit him. It wouldn’t do any good.

"Trini? What the hell is going on here?" Elisa's voice was as cold as her eyes as she glared at Trini. Trini tried again to feel for Fox and got nothing.

"Trini?" Delilah's voice made Trini flinch as she heard the gargoyle's shock and could hear an undercurrent of feelings of betrayal.

She took a deep breath, mostly stalling for the extra second to think. "I do stay at her house some nights, we work from there."

"These pictures don't look like work." Elisa added while staring a hole into Trini. "And did you ever see Marie?"

Trini thought quickly. "Marie stays inside a lot."

"Working?" MacBeth interrupted. "I doubt that Demona would give you the access codes for her security system if you were just working there." The picture changed to show Trini keying in something at the mansion security panel. Trini swallowed hard. He was right, Demona never would give those codes out to just anyone. She wasn't going to get away with anything here. She was losing so fast it and there was nothing she could do. Trini pushed out her magic as hard as she could, desperate for help. She could see Elisa staring at her as she failed again to touch Fox and send her distress.

"You've been quiet for a little too long. Is Fox not answering?" Elisa asked coldly. "That bond of yours on the blink?" Trini's eyes widened at being caught calling for help. "Or is she about to appear and try to pull your ass out of the fire again?"

Trini sighed and kept her mouth shut. She didn't know what to do. After a moment to think she realized that there really wasn't much she could do, talking or not… this battle was already lost. She could see from several of the eyes looking at her that she'd just been dealt a horrible blow, and the clan was seeing an enemy when they looked at her. Trini didn't have the strength to turn in her seat, in case that suspicious and angry look was on Delilah's face as well.

"Bond?" MacBeth asked, but no one moved to answer him. Trini could see everyone was tense in their chairs as they stared at her.

Not talking was hurting her too much. She needed to say something, and as she started to talk she was terrified that she'd say too much. "Those codes are changed so often that I don't think she needs to worry about it."

"So you know where she really lives and have access to her home and you never mentioned it?!" Goliath's voice rose.

Trini's jaw clenched. "You are too short sighted. You'd risk my entire plan for something minor." Her voice held a growl of it's own.

"What is your plan? To betray us to Demona at the most convenient time?!"

"No!" Trini's body got tense as she glared at him. "I'm trying to keep her from killing off the human race. I thought we talked about that!" MacBeth stood there and just watched this confrontation. Trini took a deep breath and tried to talk a little more calmly. "If she thinks I'm betraying her I won't get anything out of her. I have to appear loyal. You all have to understand that." She hated the pleading note in her voice.

"So you're claiming to be a spy?" MacBeth leaned against the wall and stared at her. His made her tense and afraid. She could see he had more cards up his sleeve and she desperately wished that this nightmare was over. He was ripping apart her life.

He glanced at the white haired female beside Trini and the look in his eyes was more than a little interest. "You look a lot like Elisa." He seemed to completely disregard Trini as he focused on Delilah. Trini heard a growl coming from her own throat. He was a dangerous man. She didn't want him taking an interest in Delilah. "But that white hair is pretty unmistakable." Trini was busy glaring at him and sitting up straighter and tenser in an unconscious attempt to seem bigger and more threatening, so it was Delilah's shocked gasp that drew her attention back to the screen. Trini's eyes went wide and she felt sick for her friend. The screen show her and Delilah walk to the car after having dinner in the park. She knew what was coming.

"Stop." Trini spoke quietly, admitting defeat. She turned her eyes to him pleading with him to stop before he hurt Delilah. The hardened look in his eyes told her he was enjoying her pain as she heard a gasp from Lex. She knew what was on the screen now. "Damn you, you fucking bastard." Trini had managed to deal with it all without tearing up, but she could practically feel Delilah's pain at this secret getting out and it hurt. She had to keep her friend out of this mess.

Trini turned back to the others at the table and the shocked and angry faces said it all. Delilah was getting some glares of her own. Trini took a deep breath and prepared to become the sacrificial lamb. She really wished she didn't need to do this in front of MacBeth. The less he knew about her true nature the better. "My pheromones aren't working right. It's calling everyone with human DNA and I can't stop it." She glanced over at Delilah's shame filled face and decided to go all out to help her. "I didn't realize it was working on Delilah like that. I thought I had her covered… but Elisa's DNA screwed it up."

"What do you mean you thought you had her covered?" Goliath growled at her.

"There is a spell that stops my pheromones from working on gargoyles. I thought it covered her, but her human DNA cancelled the spell. I didn't realize that until after our picnic. This isn't her fault." Trini had to take a few deep breaths. She could hear herself getting tearful.

"Trini?" Delilah's voice brought her attention to the female. Trini pleaded with her eyes for Delilah to stay quiet and let her take care of this before turning her eyes down to stare at the table.

"It's why you think I smell so good." Trini spoke softly to Delilah while very aware of the audience.

"Pheromones are a gargoyle thing, and even then it's only during the breeders moon." MacBeth interrupted that moment.

"I am a gargoyle." Trini spoke with a hard edge. "I'm just off season." Trini could see his disbelief, but he glanced around the table and didn't say anything else.

"Delilah isn't responsible for this." Trini wished that the picture hadn't made it so clear that it was Delilah that kissed her. She could have claimed she stole the kiss and Delilah would have been completely in the clear.

"Pheromones aren't supposed to work on females." Hudson spoke while still looking a bit in shock.

"Mine are different."

Goliath interrupted. "What is this spell that you are using?" He didn't sound at all pleased. "and who are you using it on?"

"It just works on gargoyles. It blocks my pheromones." Trini was feeling a cold sweat at the look in Goliath's eyes. She realized that is sounded like it was on them. She tried a new lie. "It keeps my pheromones from affecting gargoyles."

"So it isn't on us? Who was affected by these pheromones? Do you know?"

Angela looked a bit pale. Trini could see she was embarrassed. "Not really. It's a blanket spell, I don't need to worry about that."

Goliath went quiet for a moment and stared at her. "So I could call the Labyrinth and have Talon send the clones over and they should be fine?"

Trini swallowed as she remembered how strong the clones looked. Her face paled a bit. "Should be, yeah."

"You look a little scared." Goliath was studying her too hard. He then turned to Brooklyn. "Call Talon and see if he can spare a few gargoyles."

Angela stared at Trini as Trini tried to convince herself this was a bluff. She was working hard to not seem so terrified. "Father, I'm sure that isn't necessary."

"Oh but I think it is." Goliath's eyes burned. "I think Trini's been doing magic on us, and I just want to make sure that isn't true. Those gargoyles shouldn't feel a thing if it's a blanket spell."

Trini's fist clenched with the effort to not call Brooklyn back from the other room. She had to believe this was a bluff. She couldn't cave on this. She knew how it would look if they knew the spell was on them, especially after MacBeth so firmly planted the seed that Trini was the enemy.

She glanced over at Lex, who was staring at her and Delilah. "We never… never once." She whispered to him. God, she hoped Delilah didn’t lose him for this. She then looked to Delilah, but the female was staring at the tabletop as if it had the answers she needed. God, Trini hoped she didn't lose Delilah either.

"So… you're a gargoyle?" MacBeth spoke and Trini turned her red glare to him. That seemed to startle him a little. That bastard couldn't just keep his mouth shut! He was fucking everything up! "I was going to say you didn't look like one, but those eyes speak for themselves."

"She's only part gargoyle." Goliath explained as if she weren't even there. "She's also part human, and fey."

"That really isn't any of his business." Trini growled at Goliath. She needed ever secret she could have with MacBeth.

"He is our ally against Demona." Goliath spoke condescendingly and Trini just gritted her teeth. "We have some things to discuss while we wait to see if any of the clones will be visiting." He was bluffing. Trini stared into his eyes and tried to show no fear, besides there was a chance that even if he wasn't bluffing the clones wouldn't be able to come. She then glanced over at Elisa, who was seated next to him, and her suspicious and hawkish eyes tore a little at Trini's soul. Those eyes used to look at her with trust and love. She'd lost that, and quite possibly her friendship as well. "Oregon." He spoke one word and Trini's fists clenched again. "Demona stole the box from that clan, and you were with her, weren't you?"

Trini went quiet as she tried to think. It would make little sense for Demona to leave her behind while she went to the Oregon clan. Trini also had no records to show she'd stayed anywhere else during that time. She sighed as she pushed out yet again for Fox, and still nothing. "Marie was just getting her own belongings. That clan didn't even know that her father had anything still there." She looked up from the table into the untrusting eyes of the clan's leader. "I was at the cabin there, and they went to the clan. That clan is very anti-human. They wouldn't want someone that looks like me there."

"My God" Delilah whispered almost to herself, but Trini tensed up anyhow.

Trini took a deep breath and stared down at the photocopy of the missing ring. Demona had no idea that this little theft was tearing everything apart. Why the hell did she need that ring? "Why aren't we talking about this ring?" She tried to steer the conversation away from her, if even for a little while. It was very unsubtle, but she was desperate.

"I think that would be because we aren't sure that you won't tell Demona everything we say." MacBeth answered while leaning back against the wall. Trini really wanted to slap that smug look off of his face.

Trini turned to glance at everyone slowly, and the looks on the faces showed how much damage MacBeth had done. They all thought she was a spy. Trini was afraid to turn her seat, but she did and looked into Delilah's eyes. What she saw there made her tear up instantly. Her voice was shaky as she talked to just her friend, ignoring all the others, who looked like they'd already made up their minds. "I'm not spying for her. I'm not trying to hurt the clan." She tore her eyes away, afraid that her pleading would do no good. She loved Delilah. She was like the little sister she never had, and the best friend she wasn't able to make. Tears started to make their way down her cheeks and she cursed herself for this show of weakness during a battle. "There is nothing that I can say that will make you listen. There really isn't any point in my being here anymore. I'm just going to go to my rooms." Her breath was starting to get ragged with suppressed tears.

"We aren't done with you!" Goliath growled out.

Trini gave him a humorless smile. "Oh, but you are… that's the problem." She then stood up to make her way to the door. Brooklyn stepped back into the room quickly and Broadway stood up a bit more reluctantly. Trini glanced over her shoulder and could tell that she wasn't allowed to leave. The expression on Goliath's face made that very clear.

"If I were who you think I am… they wouldn't be able to stop me and you know it." The hand on her arm startled her and she spun around nervously. "Don’t Touch Me!" She took a step back trying to get away from MacBeth's grip.

"I'd let go of her if I were you." Goliath spoke up quickly. MacBeth did that slowly and Trini took an overly fast step back from him.

"Trini, sit back down." Goliath ordered and Trini turned to glare at him. The movement out of the corner of her eye had her backing away from the table a bit more. MacBeth had taken a step closer.

Angela's voice interrupted the tense staring match Trini had going on with the immortal human. "MacBeth why don't you sit next to me?"

MacBeth didn't even acknowledge Angela. He spoke right to Trini. "What are you so afraid of?" He took another step closer to her and Trini retreated some more. "You were so scared that you ran into traffic and almost got killed trying to avoid me."

"You have a habit of threatening me and trying to kidnap me." Her voice grew sarcastic as she tried to mask the fear she felt at having a man that probably could take her out in a fight so close. "Gee, I wonder why I didn't just stand around and wait for you to attack me again?"

"Let's sit back down." Elisa spoke with a commanding voice.

"I have a few more pictures." MacBeth spoke as he turned around and walked back to the spot next to the screen. Trini slowly, reluctantly sat back down for more accusations. She may say that she could leave if she wanted to, but she couldn't hurt Angela's mate in the process, and she'd never tried to fight two gargoyles at once. Besides, being willing to fight her way out makes her even more suspicious. She stared at Broadway for a moment as he slowly sat back down. Brooklyn stayed at his post near the door.

With a sigh Trini turned to see what other mess MacBeth would make of her life. The next picture wasn't as much of a surprise as the others. Trini was dancing with Tony. He had several of those pictures and flashed through them quickly. Trini swallowed as she watched the seduction on the dance floor. No wonder Demona was upset.

"When Trini left for the restrooms I stayed to wait for her. I felt Demona nearby and then tried to follow. Trini disappeared with her." MacBeth then moved to take the seat beside Angela. Good, maybe the pictures were over.

"What were you doing with Dracon Trini?" Elisa voice drew Trini's eyes to her. The disapproval and anger were there and it didn't take a lot to see them.

"I didn't know who he was. He was just someone to dance with." Trini sighed. "Someone told me later."

"You spent the entire night with him at that club." MacBeth interrupted. "Does Demona have connections to him?"

"Not that I know of." Trini's eyes narrowed at him.

"Why did Demona come to get you from the club?" MacBeth continued his interrogation. "It's hardly the type of place she frequents."

"I don’t know." Trini growled. "Maybe she was thirsty?" She felt al l the eyes on her as she took a deep breath. "I know MacBeth's pictures look bad, but I'm not the enemy."

"We are going to discuss this." Goliath glared at her. "Do you have anything else to say?"

Trini felt a bit pale but she nodded no. She couldn't risk opening her mouth and complicating this even more.

"Okay, we will discuss this and the case Elisa is working on without you." Goliath dismissed her and Trini was grateful to be able to get away. Once she reached the door he added something that made her want to growl. "I'm sending someone with you. I don't want you making any phone calls to Demona, or deciding to leave." Trini turned to glare at him.

"I'm not a prisoner!"

He sighed heavily. "Until we can figure out what is going on, for tonight you are to remain in your rooms and not use the phone." He then glanced around at the clan. "I'm sending someone with you to make sure you abide by those rules."

Trini walked stiffly to her rooms, very aware of the quiet gargoyle following her. This was humiliating. Trini had hoped, prayed for him to assign Delilah to the task, once it became obvious that she couldn't talk him out of this. Apparently he could tell that was what she wanted and answered before she could ask. He didn't want Delilah near her. The way he said it gave Trini the impression he thought she'd seduce her friend and try to make her betray her new clan. Trini just wanted a chance to explain to her friend why she lied. Perhaps it was best she didn't get Delilah, because she still couldn't think of a good excuse that she could admit to.

She opened her door and just walked right to the bar. Her guard closed the door after coming in as well. Trini got herself a drink, barely being able to resist the desire to add a lot of alcohol. She needed her wits about her, because this was so far from over. She moved to turn on the stereo while trying to ignore her unwanted visitor. The silence from him had her on edge and she wasn't going to be the first to talk. She wasn't going to beg for understand, or forgiveness only to be rejected.

They sat in silence for a while. Trini glanced at him once and then stared out the window. She still didn't feel Fox. Her mate was out of range. The silence finally became too much. "What are they going to try and do to me?"

"I don't really know." Lex spoke with a gentleness Trini hadn't expected. She'd almost been ready for an angry retort. She nodded her appreciation and continued to stare out at the sky. Goliath wanted to send someone that he didn't think she'd hurt, but didn't trust Delilah in this so he sent the male Delilah cared about. That was actually a good move on his part. If Trini were willing to hurt someone to escape she would have had a much easier time hurting Brooklyn, but Lex was a friend.

"I didn't take advantage of her." Trini spoke softly. She couldn't look at him. "She really cares about you and I didn't..." Lex went quiet and Trini waited tensely for his reaction. Finally she couldn't wait any longer. She spoke very quietly. "You are the best male here. I don't want her to lose you because of me."

"The best huh?" Trini looked up and saw a weak smile on Lex's face. "So you think I'm a catch?"

Trini stared him in the eye. "For either a human or a gargoyle, I think you are a catch. Once I got to know you, I was so glad that she chose you. I wouldn't trust anyone else with her."

"She is her own person." Lex snapped at Trini and Trini gritted her teeth. She knew that, she just wanted to protect her friend. Delilah was the first person to call Trini clan, and as such held a special place in her heart. Of course explaining that she loved Delilah now might not be the best course of action. He might misunderstand her after seeing that picture. Lex sighed heavily. "That was a low blow, what MacBeth did. Showing everyone that picture like that. You realize he's trying to claim you are subverting her for Demona."

"yeah." Trini took a deep breath. "I hope no one believes that. I'd rather they all thought I was spying and sabotaging things, then have Delilah lose her place here." Lex went quiet while he just stared at her, and Trini's heart ached as she remembered that he suspected she was doing that too. The following silence showed her one comment killed what little conversation they had going.

"Well, we might as well watch T.V. or something." Trini sighed and moved to turn it on. She was grateful that Lex didn't start making his accusations out loud. Well, even if the clan figured out she was with Demona, hell even if she were a spy, there shouldn't be anything they could do. They might avoid her, but hanging out with Demona wasn't a crime. Getting her own families belongings from the Oregon clan wasn't a crime. Dancing with the mob boss… everything that was in danger of coming out tonight wasn't something that she could be arrested for. She took a deep breath and forced her body to relax as Lex and her focused on the T.V.

Trini was making a valiant effort to follow the show, but it was hard. The knock on the door startled her and Lex. Brooklyn's voice called in. "Malibu's almost here. Goliath wants Trini to come meet him."

"Oh God." Trini paled considerably.

"We'll be out soon." Lex yelled back. His voice got quieter as he addressed Trini. "What is it?"

She turned wide eyes to him. "The spell is on you guys. He's gonna…"

"You're scared." He sounded a bit surprised. His voice became more compassionate. "You have plastic wrap, don't you? I thought I saw some."

"Yeah." Trini was puzzled. She kept some for fruit that she sometimes left in her rooms so that she didn't have to stop writing to go get a snack. She watched as he got up and closed the blinds.

His face was blushing brightly. "I don't like the idea that you've been doing spells on us, but I… I understand. It must have been so hard." Trini recognized she had an ally and she started to tear up as her act started to fail on her. He nibbled on his lip indecisively. "We don't have lots of time. You need to grab different pants, those should be coated with the pheromones now." The blush intensified. "I used to listen in on some of the lessons they gave the females. I know about the ducts. I don't know if it will work, but we could try to plastic wrap them so that they don't…" Trini blushed a bright red. "It might help some." He added quickly.

Trini went to pick out a pair of pants that had been recently washed and threw it on her bed as she took the plastic wrap that Lex gave her. She closed the door and left him waiting in the hall as she pulled out some wrap and started to try and wrap the base of her tail. This would be uncomfortable, but it might work. The plastic kept sticking to itself, and she was getting frustrated with her inability to reach enough of her tail to secure it well enough. It needed to be air tight, or it would do no good. This plan might work, she had no idea why she never thought of this herself.

Lex's knock on the door startled her. "They want us now."

"I can't get it on." Trini growled her frustration.

Lex sighed heavily. "Can I come in?"

She grabbed the edge of the blanket and pulled it over her. "Okay." Her face was blushing just as intensely as his was.

"I can put it on. We have to go before they start to realize something is up." His eyes were wide. "I promise I wont take any pleasure in this. I just… I can see how hard it is for Delilah… these clones don't have her control. I would stop him, but then the clan would know. Goliath wouldn't understand unless we explained why you are so afraid…"

Trini's face had been paling as he spoke. Her hand shook a bit as she handed him the box of plastic wrap. She was going to let a male touch her base. "Please try to touch as little as possible." She whispered. He swallowed hard and nodded.

Trini's heart was hammering in her chest as she pushed the blankets aside and moved to kneel on the bed like she did when Demona had examined her tail. The loud ripping sound of the plastic pulling apart made her wince.

"Trini. I'm sorry." Lex spoke softly and then Trini felt the plastic wrap being pulled tight over her sensitive base. She gasped at the strange feeling as it covered her ducts. Her body jerked in shock as he ran his talon along the edge of the plastic to seal it. "Sorry." He whispered again as he gently took care of that detail so that her pheromones couldn’t escape. She felt him pull away. "You can get dressed now."

Trini stood up while trying to ignore her crimson blush as she grabbed her pants and pulled them on. After he did that it seemed ridiculous to ask him to leave so that she could get dressed. God, she let a male touch her like that. It had felt so odd, wrong, for someone other than her mates to touch her like that. Her tail was already warm where the plastic covered her. This was not comfortable, but she didn't need to wear it long.

He was still blushing intensely when she pulled her zipper up. "Thanks." Trini whispered and then sighed heavily.

She walked with a purposeful stride, determined to show no fear. She was putting a lot of faith in Lex's plan. When she stepped into the library several eyes turned to her. MacBeth was still here and talking with Elisa in the corner of the room. Goliath stood in the center of the room with Malibu, the test subject. The other gargoyles were just staring at her, and Delilah… looked so sad. Brooklyn and Angela were nearby her, and Trini had the feeling that they'd been ordered to be there.

Trini glared at Goliath and tried to ignore the others. "Well?"

"I want you to come over here and meet Malibu." His stare held a challenge. When Trini took a step closer Delilah started towards her. Trini glanced over to see Delilah was worried about her, and that Brooklyn planned to keep Delilah out of this.

"It's okay." Trini gave Delilah a weak smile. Even after all of the evidence MacBeth showed, and Trini's admitting her pheromones were causing the feelings Delilah had for her, her friend was willing to protect her. Trini focused on Malibu and Goliath and didn't even notice that Lex was walking with her, looking ready to fight if he had to. Trini stopped right in front of Brooklyn's clone. "Hello Malibu."

"Remember what we talked about Malibu. What do you think?" Goliath spoke to him like he was a 5 year old.

"Don't like her." Malibu glared at Trini. "She took our sister away." Trini was surprised at the anger.

"I just wanted her happy." Trini spoke gently; not liking that the young clone was holding a grudge. "She wasn't happy there."

He seemed to be unable to really grasp that. Whatever Thailog had done to them while cloning them really messed up their development. Trini glanced over at Delilah, feeling a wave of relief that he didn't do that to her.

Trini turned to glare at Goliath. "Can we send the poor male home now? Did you get what you wanted?" She spoke with a condescending tone, but she was eager to get Malibu out of there before her makeshift protection failed. She barely managed to not sag in relief when Goliath nodded that Malibu could go home. He must really not understand too much about pheromones, or Goliath wouldn't assume such a short visit would affect the male.

Goliath crossed his arms over his chest and glared down at Trini. It made her heart pound in fear but she was determined to not show him that. "Now there is the matter of your… loyalty." She glared right back up at him. "We were unable to reach the Oregon clan to ask about your involvement in Demona's attack, but we will. For now, we need the location of Demona's home."

Trini stared into his eyes with a cold expression on her face. "No, you can get that from someone else." Trini almost glanced at the immortal human watching this with interest. "I will not let you jeopardize my position." Trini knew that battle was lost, but it wasn't going to be her that betrayed that information to Demona's enemies. She could not do that to her mate, even to protect her cover. His eyes started to glow and she never took her eyes off of him. "You are a short sighted fool if you can't see that having an operative in that mansion outweighs your need to control everything."

"But I'm not convinced it isn't the other way around." He growled. "That she doesn't have an operative in the castle. She's very manipulative Trini. She'll take your loyalty and use it until she doesn't need you anymore." Trini could hear that he fully believed she was working for Demona. "You have access to her home. I want you to place your bugs there and try to snoop around." Trini just stared at him. This was a test, but she couldn’t agree to do that. Demona told her that their home was their safe place. It was the only place that they could truly be a couple.

She took a deep breath, "No." She just shook her head from side to side. "You don't understand what you are asking for. What I'd end up having to sacrifice to do that isn't worth it. Believe whatever you want, that I'm her spy, work for the mob… whatever." Trini sighed wearily. "Continue to think just from day to day and forget about planning for the future gargoyle." Trini started to turn to leave.

"Trini, I didn't say you could leave."

"You don’t have to." Trini didn't even turn around. "I've let you play king of the castle long enough." She then turned to face him, her face showing just a small measure of disappointment, and not the pain she really felt. "I live here, but you aren't my leader. If you can't give good orders, I don't have to obey." She sighed. "You always plan so small, just thinking of today. Now that I find a way to do some real good, you want to stop me. You are a fool." She could see his hands clenching and his eyes burning, but she just walked out of there. The rest of the clan was too stunned that she'd talk to him like that to stop her.

The sounds of footsteps behind her had her glancing back to see Elisa walking towards her with a definite purpose in her stride. Great. "We need to talk." Elisa spoke coldly and stood still, obviously waiting for Trini to open the apartment door.

Elisa didn't even wait for Trini to close the door. She glanced into the bedroom, probably to verify that they were alone. "This is looking really bad Trini. Are you working for her? Did I help you meet the clan just so you could betray them to Demona?!"

Trini's eyes started to burn. "You really think that? You know me, how can you think that I'd try to…"

Elisa seemed to ignore her question as she interrupted, her own eyes flashing with anger. "You hit Goliath on purpose at my place didn't you?! And it was you that let her know I'd been with a woman. That's why you were at my place, you KNEW she was coming." Something in Trini's eyes must have given her away because Elisa's voice rose. "God Dammit Trini! What all are you going to do to prove your loyalty to her, or…" Elisa bit her lip as her voice slowly calmed. "are you really working for her. Do you hate the fact that I'm with Goliath that much that you'd betray the clan to her?"

"I am NOT trying to betray the clan, kill off the human race, or steal anything." Trini growled. She pointed at the door. "But if we are going to talk about betrayal…MacBeth has tried to kidnap me twice! He held me at gunpoint, and your boyfriend told him my secrets! You told me they'd never betray me like that!"

"MacBeth is our friend." Elisa started to protest but Trini interrupted her.

"He isn't my friend. I don't trust him, and now Goliath has ruined what little defense I have. I needed him to underestimate me, because I can't take a man like that out in a fight without that."

"MacBeth isn't going to attack you!" Elisa's voice held her own growl.

Trini's eyes narrowed dangerously but she held her tongue. MacBeth wanted to kill Demona so he could die. What would he do if he knew it was her family that cast that spell? Demona forgave Trini because she loved her, but MacBeth didn't have that. She watched Elisa glance over at the couch that Trini had so very unsuccessfully tried to distract the detective with sex.

"And what's with Marie? You were pretty fucking desperate to avoid talking about her before." Elisa took a step closer and Trini started to feel trapped as her back hit the wall.

Trini gave a humorless laugh, "You think I'm sleeping with Marie?! Is that it?" She purposely misunderstood the question to avoid a more detailed talk. "Why are you so interested in who I'm with? You broke up with me remember? I can sleep with anyone I want to and it's none of your business. If I want to fuck David, it's my business. If I want to risk my life for a tryst with Marie behind Demona's back… my business!"

"And if you want to seduce Delilah? Is that your business too?" Elisa interrupted with a calm and cold voice while taking a step back to give Trini some breathing room.

That cooled Trini's artificial rant a bit. "I'm not seducing Delilah. She's my friend, and I never tried to be anything more with her. But again… that isn't any of your business."

Trini stared at Elisa's back as the detective left, slamming the door behind her. Elisa was gone. Really gone, forever. Trini took a shuddering breath as she accepted that she'd lost Elisa's friendship and she wasn't getting it back this time.

Trini moved to stare blankly at the T.V. as she re-ran the events of the night through her mind, and doubted her every move, every word. It was all such a mess. She got hungry after a while and opened the door to go to the kitchen. Her eyes narrowed in anger to see that Goliath had stationed a gargoyle outside her room. She ignored Broadway and headed for the kitchen for a snack. She grimaced when he quietly got up to follow her.

As she waited for her microwaveable meal to cook she leaned on the counter and stared at him. "So am I going to have an escort all night, every night now?"

"Until Goliath changes his mind." Broadway at least had the decency to look embarrassed.

Trini walked back to her apartment with her meal and as she was closing the door noticed the bored expression on Broadway's face. She ate her dinner in quiet and then moved to get a drink from the bar. Having Broadway just sitting on a chair outside her room was irritating her, but it wasn't his fault. Goliath was the ass… and he was forcing that male to just sit outside and stare at the door.

Broadway looked surprised when she opened the door again. "You could watch me better from in here, couldn't you?" Trini sighed and opened the door more. "We can watch a movie or something until I get tired or it's time for sunrise." He looked down the hall hesitantly, but must have decided Trini wasn't too dangerous to be near, because he came in.

The movie was barely started when he spoke. "If you're a lesbian, why were you dancing with Draco instead of taking Fox out?" Trini started to shake her head side to side as a slight grin crossed her face. She'd asked for this, inviting him in like that.

"I wanted a night out by myself. I ran into him there." Trini sighed. "I just wanted to dance, it was just lousy luck he turned out to be a mob boss."

The door opening stopped the discussion. "Trini? Why is there a chair in the hall?" Fox called out as she walked in and seemed surprised to see Broadway on the couch.

"I'm under house arrest." Trini gave a fake smile that showed her irritation. Broadway got up without having to be asked. "Need a drink or anything before you go back to your post?"

"No thanks." Broadway seemed to be trying to leave without being seen. He was embarrassed having to watch her.

Once the door closed Fox turned wide eyes to her. "What the hell is going on?" Trini turned off the T.V. and proceeded to tell Fox all about her night. It took until sunrise to tell her lover everything, and Fox rarely interrupted her.

Trini rolled over in bed and stared at the ceiling. Fox was in David's room tonight, since it was his night. The dream realm was uninteresting and Fox and her and just worked for hours on telepathy, but it wasn't working. Demona never showed up. Trini was starting to think that it was the gargoyle's insistence that she wouldn't put the ring on her finger that kept her out of the dream realm most of the time. Trini had really wanted to talk to Demona. Her mate had been out stealing things with some other female, and Trini felt she deserved some explanation on that. It was that damn robbery that brought MacBeth to the castle. Trini hadn't been able to sleep until Fox verified that he'd left. Trini didn't like that he'd been that close to her rooms, or to her and Domi's house. He probably told the clan where Domi lived too. They could get visitors at all hours.

She heard her front door open and felt quickly for Fox as her heart pounded with fear that MacBeth was back. Fox's magic reassured her and she released the breath she'd been holding. The bedroom door opened and Domi came in right before Fox. Trini locked her eyes onto her gargoyle mate's, her expression cold. "Who are you out robbing museums with?"

Domi didn't seem at all surprised that was the first thing out of Trini's mouth. Trini continued to glare at her mate. The smile Domi gave her wasn't fooling Trini at all. "The museum didn't realize what it had. They just thought it was a regular ring. It is magical. It should take a while for me to figure out how to make it work…" She was completely ignoring the question.

Trini gritted her teeth and sat up in bed, making sure to keep the sheet covering her. For some reason, she didn't feel comfortable being naked in front of both her mates at once, and Fox was leaning in the doorway watching this quietly. "Well, you don't have a while. I’m sure MacBeth told the clan where you live after he was done convincing them I'm a spy and can't be trusted."

Domi sighed as she sat on the end of the bed. "Fox and I just finished watching the security camera footage." Trini turned to glance at the clock after that and noticed it was 1 in the afternoon. Domi had told her she was coming over at 10am. She'd probably been here that whole time and was just now waking Trini. Domi's eyes hardened. "You never told me that Delilah kissed you!"

Trini growled, "If you hurt her for that…" Her eyes flashed red. "It isn't her fault. I stopped it and she hasn't tried anything since." Trini neglected to mention that wasn't the first kiss she shared with Delilah. It just wasn't safe to tell Domi that. The gargoyle might actually hurt Trini's friend. The way she reacted to finding out Trini had been with Elisa was hint enough. "Who the hell were you with last night?!" Trini demanded.

"Trini." Fox interrupted softly. Trini turned to see Fox staring at her. "That was me." Trini just stared at Fox in shock for a moment.

"But it was a gargoyle. She was gliding."

Fox took a deep breath. "David and I have something called exosuits. It's body armor that makes it so we can fly. I almost never use mine." Fox leaned more heavily on the wall. "We weren't supposed to be filmed last night. We had no idea that the damned ATM would be able to see that far. Those things are supposed to be aimed at the person getting cash not the sky."

Trini's fists clenched. "So both my lovers were out gliding and stealing while I got interrogated?" a growl entered her throat and she threw the covers off the march over to the closet and slammed the door behind her while she got dressed. "God Dammit!" She hissed as she roughly opened her underwear drawer. Her mates were doing things behind her back, and Fox could glide… Trini didn't even notice the tears in her eyes. It was so painful to be jealous like this. She felt so left out, and Fox could glide?

Once she was completely dressed she came out to find the two women by the window staring out and talking quietly. Fox turned to her first. Trini felt the magical touch to gauge her mood, and the intrusion annoyed her. "Stay outta my head."

"You are acting like a spoiled brat." Domi interrupted with a hiss.

Fox glared at Domi and then turned to look at Trini with tender concern. "Trini, your emotions are so jumbled. What's wrong?" Trini crossed her arms in front her and glared out the window trying to keep the tears at bay. She hated it when Domi insulted her. Fox's gentle words weren't helping with her emotional control. "We aren't abandoning you. We aren't going to just let you sink all by yourself." The tears started to fall, and Fox came a few steps closer. Domi was watching all of this quietly with interest in her eyes. Fox moved to stand right in front of Trini and spoke softly. "What's wrong?"

Trini wiped her tears away. "I don't know." She took a deep breath. Her voice became more tearful. "I was so scared last night. I was trying so hard to not do something that would hurt you both, and you were out doing things behind my back?" She took a shuddering breath. "The clan wouldn't let me see Delilah, and Elisa.. Elisa hates me. I'm losing everyone… and you two are…"

Fox's expression changed to one of insight as her eyes widened at Trini's words. "I'm not going to steal Demona from you." Fox reached out and pulled Trini into a hug. Domi's eyes widened at Fox's words. Trini held onto Fox tightly. She hadn't even realized that was what upset her the most. The thought that her mates would enjoy each other's company so much they wouldn't need her terrified her. Fox and Domi were warriors, understood each other when planning things, related in a way that Trini just couldn't.

Trini felt her needs start to escalate while Fox's caresses kept going lower on her back. Domi's eyes seemed to burn into her back as Trini moaned and pulled Fox closer and Fox started to leak her magic into Trini while smirking at Domi over Trini's shoulder. Trini's mouth started to trail kisses along Fox's shoulder while a deep growl emanated from her. She started whimpering as her teeth gently clamped on Fox's neck. She needed to bite. "Trini? What are you doing?" Fox asked and opened her eyes to stare into Domi's while Trini slowly increased the pressure of her bite just a little. She just needed…

Domi's eyes widened and she stepped closer quickly. "Trini, you'll hurt her." Domi's voice was loud and held a command, but Trini couldn't understand it. She just needed to… the bite became a little firmer. Fox hissed in a bit of pain and tried to step away but Trini's hold kept her still. The magic that had been flowing into Trini stopped. Domi reached over and grabbed Trini's hair, pulling on it firmly. "Let Her Go!"

Trini was startled when her hair was pulled. It made her open her mouth and release her grip. Fox pulled back quickly and stared at Trini's glowing red eyes in shock. Trini's eyes faded as she looked down at the teeth marks on Fox's shoulder. She'd hurt her… again. "Oh God, Fox…" Trini started to pale as she realized what she'd done.

"What just happened?" Fox stared at her and glanced over at Domi when Trini didn't answer. Trini just stared at the way Fox moved as if in pain.

"She tried to give you a mating bite." Domi's voice held a note of anger and Trini's shoulders slumped. She'd hurt them both. Domi's eyes softened when she glanced at Trini's forlorn expression. "The instincts are getting harder to fight because it's so close to time." Trini felt Domi start to caress her arm and turned to look at her mate. She didn't look mad anymore. A tender note entered Domi's voice. "I just knew you'd be upset if you hurt her. I had to stop you."

"I'm so sorry Fox." Trini's eyes were wide and shined with unshed tears as she looked into Fox's eyes.

"So that's why you tried to bite me the first time." Fox smiled gently. "It's okay baby. I guess I'll just have to leave out the magic play until you're through with this cycle." She stepped closer and caressed Trini's hair. "We have something we wanted to show you. Let's go downstairs."

Trini glanced to her lovers and noticed the secret smiles on both their faces. This was so strange. She barely refrained from asking what was going on because she could tell they wanted this to be a surprise.

They walked into the large gym in the basement of the building and Fox reached out to grab to her. "This is a surprise. I'm going to blindfold you." Trini gave Fox a searching look but allowed her lovers to do that. She didn't see Domi waving her hand in front of her face to test her sight, but she felt the air moving. She said nothing and waited. She could hear something being wheeled in.

"Spread your legs a little, don't even try to peek." Domi warned her while using her own foot to guide Trini's legs far enough apart. Trini nibbled on her lip as she realized that she was blindfolded and at the mercy of both of her lovers. It was a nice feeling. She barely let that fantasy out of the gate before reigning it back in. Domi would never go for that, even if Trini knew Fox would. "Hold your arms out a little from your body." Domi reached to take Trini's arms and placed them where she wanted them. Trini kept them there when Domi let go.

She could hear Fox walking up behind her and each of the other women took turns guiding Trini's arm through the arms of some sort of vest. Trini felt Fox staying behind her while Domi moved to latch up the jacket, and Trini flinched when some sort of strap was past between her legs for Domi to fasten. Once Domi finished with a large number of fastening she spoke. "We've been working on this for a while. We were going to wait until your birthday, but changed our minds."

Fox whispered into Trini's ear seductively. "Brace yourself for more weight baby. I'm going to step away." Trini's felt confused but she just nodded. When Fox stepped away she felt like she had a book bag full of textbooks on her back. "One last thing and we'll let you open your eyes." Fox walked around her and Trini was surprised to feel a band being placed on her forehead. Fox then gently turned her to face the mirrors on the side of the gym.

"Demona, are you ready?" Fox spoke a little louder.

"Sure." Domi sounded pleased.

Trini kept her eyes closed as the blindfold came off. The room seemed a bit bright after wearing that for a few minutes. She then looked into the mirror and her jaw dropped. The jacket was black and resembled the bullet proof ones that Fox had. Several straps held it in place, including two that ran between her legs. It resembled what skydivers wore in that way. The band on her forehead was also black, and it ran through her hair and made her pointed ears show. All of this she took in with one glance, but her eyes stayed staring at one part of her reflection in shock. Two large black wings were sitting on her back. "Oh my god." She whispered when they moved to cape when she thought about it. She thought about spreading them out and they did, just like the illusion wings did, but she could feel that these were real.

"We've been working on this for a while." Fox smiled and her eyes were glassy. Trini glanced into the mirror to see the reflection of her gargoyle mate and she had a sad smile on her lips.

"Wings?" Trini whispered, unable to believe it. "You got me wings?"

Domi stepped closer and stared into her eyes with love. "You will be able to glide on your own with some practice. I'll teach you."

"The vest is bullet proof and there is a small rocket pack for flying, but Demona helped us make this more… authentic than the exosuits that David and I use." Fox reached out and caressed Trini's damp cheek. Trini reached out with a hand to hold Domi's as she caped… her… wings.

Domi reached up and straightened the band on Trini's forehead. "Before I take you out we might need to do some fine tuning to make sure this sensor reads your intentions well enough. It was tested on Fox and I, but I had to be in my day form to test this. There might be some glitches to work out because you aren't human…" Domi gave her a lopsided smirk, "Or just human."

Trini felt like she was in a dream. Ever since those doctors had taken her wings, she had wished… hoped. She was going to be able to glide. "Oh my god." The tears started to fall more quickly. Her mates gave her back what her mother and those doctors had taken away.

Fox shared a smile with Domi, "I'm thinking she likes it. Once she regains the ability to speak sentences we'll know for sure."

"Thank you." Trini reached up to caress a wing and felt warm metal. They moved just like real wing though, and they didn't weigh that much either. They even had one wing finger, like her original ones did. She spread them out again and smiled at the reflection. She had an impressive wing span.

Domi stepped in front of her. "It might be a few days before we can try to go gliding, but it wouldn't hurt for you to put this on every day and get used to making your wings move in different ways." She turned to smirk at Fox. "Fox didn't practice enough and wobbled in the air like she was drunk."

Fox smiled flirtatiously back. "Hey, I was doing pretty good by the end of the night. These aren't like the exosuits." Trini could see the easy camaraderie, and she liked it. Her mates were friends, even if Domi might never say it.

"How long have you been working on these?"

Fox turned her smile back to Trini. "I started before you left for Seattle. I mentioned it to Demona and she wanted to help. She'd come by to help test it while you were at work occasionally, and last night we finally were able to test it at night in the sky." Fox gave Domi a smirk. "Good thing she did the inside tests, I don't think I'd be able to glide in the tight spaces she did. I never realized how much skill that took until I almost rammed into a wall at the museum."

Trini buzzed again for Andrea's apartment, but the artist wasn't answering. Trini hadn't thought that Andrea would be feeling well enough to go out yet, but apparently she was. Hopefully the artist wasn't pushing herself too hard. Trini was here to make sure Andrea didn't do that. She'd spent the day playing with her new wings once Domi left to get at least some work done. Trini felt bad to not be helping her mate, but didn't bring work up. Domi preferred that work stayed at work.

Once it was almost nightfall Trini decided to go check on Andrea. Fox had understood. Trini just wasn't up for having another guard placed at her door, making her feel like a criminal. Fox was going to talk to Goliath about how he was treating Trini. Trini could see it in her lover's eyes. Fox was in protect mode, it wasn't just a gargoyle trait.

Trini glanced skyward to see if there were any gargoyles watching her leave Andrea's. She wouldn't be surprised if they were starting to watch the artist now that they knew she had connections to Demona. Trini sighed as she found no one and started glancing around the street while trying not to look tense. Having a real stalker was making her tense and more scared than she admitted to either mate.

Her car was parked a few blocks away. It was her attempt to keep MacBeth from getting interested in Andrea's building. Maybe he didn't know about the artist and Trini didn't want to give him someone else to use against Demona.

She clenched her fists as she imagined the scene that would start up when she got home. She fully expected to be interrogated about where she was and who she was with. Goliath must hate that he can't watch her during the day as well. Then she would go into her apartment with her guard sitting in the hall to make sure she didn't destroy the world by leaving her living room.

Her car had an ad under the windshield wiper already. She'd only been away from it maybe five minutes. She sighed as she went to take it off the car before getting in. She hated the waste of paper these things were. She noticed this one was an ad for a history class at the local university. Well, that is certainly different

She was just about to grab the paper when the sting in her neck shocked her and she spun towards the alley to see where it came from. She reached up to touch where she was hit. Her eyes widened as she pulled out a small dart from her neck and stared at it in shock for a moment. She'd been drugged? Trini sent out her magic as hard as she could sending out a distress call as she turned to face the grinning immortal man. Her legs started to collapse under her and she pushed out with everything she had. She felt a touch of Fox's alarm before everything went black.

MacBeth quickly wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into the alley. He than opened his long coat and pulled out manacles. "Part Fey? That was a useful piece of knowledge. These should keep you in line." He then chained her hands behind her back and picked her up to place her in the back of the white van that was parked in the alley. He then chained her legs as well. He then just squatted in the back of the van staring at her. "I know that Demona will come for you. You may be able to fool the clan, but you can't fool me. You're her lover."

Trini was weak and felt thirsty. Her eyes opened slowly but she couldn't move her body. She could hear the voices, but was barely able to comprehend.

"Dylan, are we almost ready to go?"

"Yes sir, Mr. MacDuff. The plane is fueled up. Do you need help with the animal?"

"No, I've got it. She's a skittish thing, and I don't want you scaring her."

Trini started to panic. Plane? That managed to get past her drug fogged mind. MacBeth was putting her on a plane?

She flinched when the back of the van opened to reveal the man that had captured her so easily. Trini started to try and build a magic blast but it wasn't working. She tried to push her magic out to call Fox, but she couldn't even feel her magic let alone send it out of her body. "Well, those drugs didn't last long." MacBeth stepped into the van and squatted close to her. "You're my bait. I won't hurt you, and once this is finally over you will be let go." He smiled. "Now that the clan suspects you are Demona's lackey, they won't be surprised that you went missing."

Trini's heart was pounding. She tried to speak but her mouth was so dry it came out raspy and whisper quiet. "Don't use me against her. Please… Not again." He looked puzzled but he pulled out another needle.

"This trip is going to be long. We're leaving America. She'll have to meet me on my turf." He gently injected the drug into Trini's arm and she couldn't even move enough to flinch away and make it difficult. "I'll keep you under the whole way. I don’t want you causing trouble on the flight." Unconsciousness overtook her and she tried one last time for Fox, but got nothing.

MacBeth picked her up and placed her in the cage. Trini didn't feel him setting up the IV that gave her a constant supply of the drug he'd used to knock her out. He then closed the flaps cover the cage so that no one could see what it contained. The cage was loaded into the cargo hold of the plane while he watched.