To Catch A Killer

A/N: See part 1 for disclaimer. Pairing Elisa/Fox ******************** Elisa sighed, staring out over the city. The view from the castle balcony could only be described as breathtaking. The castle sat on top of the tallest building in Manhattan, overlooking Central Park. From this distance gone was the graffiti, grit, and grime. In its place were hundreds of twinkling lights from other buildings and street lamps, making the scene appear almost peaceful. Underneath the illusion, the harsh reality was something much darker. Someone was kidnapping prostitutes - plucking them off the streets. Dozens were missing, but so far they'd only found eight bodies. "Elisa?" The brunette turned to find Goliath staring at her from the balcony doors. "Thank you for coming." She tried to smile but failed. It had been six months since they were supposed to meet here to discuss their relationship, but Goliath had been called away. Angela, his daughter, had informed Elisa about a phone call he'd received, along with the message they'd talk another time. She'd tried forgetting him, but her heart wouldn't allow her to. Not even when Fox Xanatos came into the picture. Her brief affair with the married woman had been intense, and left Elisa even more confused. She'd used Derek's ultimatum as a reason to end the affair, but the truth was she didn't want to break up Fox's marriage. Loneliness had pushed her into Fox's arms, and guilt had driven her away. She needed closure, and she intended to get it tonight. Elisa swallowed, forcing down the lump in her throat. "Hello, Goliath," she croaked out. She and Goliath had never crossed the line from friends to lovers. Perhaps that's why, she told herself, it was thoughts of Fox and not Goliath that kept me awake at night. The memory of soft kisses and silky red hair gliding down her body, fanning the flames of simmering desire. Blue eyes filled with passion and something more staring up at her from between spread legs. "The council finally made its decision," Goliath informed her. The lavender gargoyle walked out, stopping only inches from her. She stared up at his eight-foot frame. His dark mane whipped around his angular face, concealing his brow ridge. He smiled at her, baring sharp fangs. "You and I can be together." He drew her hand up to his mouth, placing a gentle kiss on the back. Elisa released her breath. She'd already decided if they stayed together she would tell him about her affair with Fox. Sooner or later Demona would reveal what she'd seen at Nightstone: Elisa and Fox practically making love in one of her conference rooms. "I need to tell you something." Elisa started. She stopped when he placed his claws on her shoulders. "There's more, Elisa." Goliath stated. He hesitated. "For us to be together you must agree to certain things," he said in a gentle tone. "During the Breeder's Moon I will take a consort. A gargoyle female," he explained. "You will be my mate, but she will bear my child." The Breeder's Moon was the twenty year cycle when gargoyle females were fertile and could conceive. Several months after conception, the female would lay an egg. It would take another ten years from the time the egg was laid until it hatched. His large wings fluttered open. He wrapped them around her drawing her closer. The wings' warmth didn't offer her any comfort. A sense of dread knotted up in her stomach. The Breeder's Moon was a sensitive subject for her. Even if she could give him a child, it wouldn't be a full blooded gargoyle. Tears welled up in her eyes as she struggled to pull out of his embrace. He looked down at her, his onyx eyes full of emotion. "It's my duty to do what I can to ensure the survival of my kind. You must understand that, Elisa. If you were in my place, I would expect nothing less from you," he said. She turned away, attempting to hide her tears. He cupped her chin in his talons, turning her head around. "It's just sex, Elisa, nothing more. I will copulate with a female gargoyle to produce an offspring, and it ends there." She laughed bitterly. "How can you say that?" she asked. "You will be bound to her from the time the hatchling is conceived until the day you die. It's not just sex; it's a life-time commitment," she said. "All the horrible things Demona has done and yet you still can't take her life. Why?" she asked him. He dropped his hands, releasing her from his wings. When he didn't answer, she continued. "It's the same reason she hasn't killed you. You're bound to each other by Angela, your child." Goliath turned away from her. Elisa stood behind him, waiting for a response. When he spoke, his voice was determined. "I won't turn away from my responsibility. You and I have not committed fully to each other. We are at best close friends," Goliath said. In her heart, she knew it was over between the two of them, but his next words still hurt. "If I choose to be with another, then it's my choice, not yours," he concluded. She stepped back as if she'd been slapped. He glanced over his shoulder. The stricken look on her face burned into his memory. "It's not my wish to cause you pain, and this causes you pain," he said. "We should not see each other until the Breeder's Moon is over." Elisa realized Goliath had already chosen a consort. "Who is it?" she asked. It could only be one of two possibilities. He'd never sleep with his daughter, so that left Delilah or Demona. "Delilah," he answered. The irony didn't escape her. She couldn't give him a child, but he would use her genetic clone as a substitute. "Why her?" she asked. He turned to face her. "We've discovered that your DNA won't affect the species of Delilah's offspring, but it will allow her to give birth to live hatchlings." He held his hands out in front of him. "She will carry for eighteen months before giving birth. We won't have to wait ten years for an egg to develop," he said. He took a step toward her. "Delilah can save us. Once she's mated with me, Brooklyn, and Lexington, I will send her to the other clans," he explained. Elisa stared at him in horror. "You're going to breed her?" She asked. He froze, dropping his hands "After what Thailog did, how can you even consider doing this?" She looked at him through new eyes. He was no longer who she'd thought he was. "Anton Sevarius said that Thailog was your alter ego. Maybe he was more like you than any of us realized," she accused. His eyes flashed red in anger. "I'm not going to take her against her will. Delilah has agreed to be with me," he defended. Elisa stared at him in disbelief. "You look like the gargoyle she called "master". The gargoyle that created her from my DNA and your ex-mate's DNA and then used her as his sex slave." Goliath stiffened. "Did you think she'd tell you no?" Elisa asked. "Do you believe she'd be capable of telling you no?" He stared at her in silence. He knew the clone had been broken by Thailog, but he'd made it clear that this would be her choice. He would be gentle with her, and pleasure her in ways Thailog never did. "Delilah has made her decision; there is nothing more to discuss," Goliath said. Elisa shook her head. "When Delilah dies in labor after giving birth to gargoyle number 20 or 100, what then?" Elisa asked. "Will her children be forced to take her place and get passed around like chatel from one clan to the next?" She turned on her heels before he could respond, more afraid of what he would say than if he'd say anything at all. (tbc)