Out of the Clear Blue Skye

Author's Note/Disclaimer

Here is installment two. I do remind you this was my first published fan fic. This is the first time I've touched it in over five years. Still, constructive criticism is welcome.

Some adult situations are implied in this installment, but this chapter is pretty tame. The dark stuff will be coming later.

Part Two: The Joining

"Bluestone! Line two." A burly uniformed officer shouted across the busy room at the young man typing at his computer. Detective Matthew Bluestone picked up the phone and tucked it into the crook of his neck, continuing to type. He paused to press the blinking light.

"Bluestone here."

"Detective Bluestone? I heard you know about weird stuff."

"Like what 'weird stuff?'" The voice on the other end was female, sounded young, very young, so he bit back the smart comment that leapt to mind.

"Things like... well, umm.. gargoyles." The last was just a whisper. Matt stopped typing.

"Well, yes, I've handled several cases. What is this about?" So much for a boring night of paperwork. Even a crank call would be something to break the tedium.

"I've got a problem. It involves gargoyles." Her voice was getting quieter, the tone more urgent. He had a feeling she was about to hang up on him.

"What kind of problem?"

"Look, I can't talk on this phone much longer, someone will see me." She sounded like she was in trouble, if she hung up now, he probably would never know what happened to her.

"Where are you? If you're in some kind of trouble I'm sure I can help. Tell me where you are and I'll come pick you up." He'd have to take Elisa; no way she was just going to give him the keys.

"I have to go, someone's coming! Meet me behind the dumpster at Paco's Pizzeria."

"How will I know it's you?"

"Don't worry. I'll find you." She was gone. Time to find Elisa. Even if he didn't need her car, she'd kill him if the gargoyles were involved and he didn't tell her. He found her in the break room, attempting to persuade an ancient vending machine to cough up a chocolate bar.

"Dammit! All I wanted was some chocolate. Grrr!" One last kick to the machine was rewarded with the thump of a falling bar of candy.

"Elisa! I'm going on a gargoyle call. Care to join me?"

"Drive you, you mean. Sure. What's up?" She kept her tone light, but he could read the concern in her eyes. He quickly filled her in on his strange phone call as they headed out of the building.


The night was hot and sticky, experience told them that criminals would be restless. If this girl was in trouble, the sooner they found her, the better. Elisa pulled into the alley behind the restaurant and turned off the engine. Matt got out and headed for the dumpster. The alley was dark and deserted. A thin, sickly beam of light from an upstairs window partially illuminated the area.

As Matt drew nearer, he could hear a faint rustling in the darkness. Stopping just outside the light, he peered into the shadows, his hand tucked under the trench coat he wore, even in this heat. He resisted the urge to draw his gun.

"Detective Bluestone?" The voice came out of the dark, familiar. It was his mystery caller.

"Detective Bluestone, NYPD. Where are you?" The rustling drew nearer. He thought he could just make out a figure at the edge of the light.

"Why don't you come out where I can see you?" He didn't like this cat and mouse game. If this was a prank, someone was going to be sleeping in juvie tonight.

"I'm not sure it's safe." She sounded nervous, uncertain.

"I'm a cop. No one's going to hurt you with me around." He tried to sound reassuring.

"Do you really know about gargoyles? I mean have you met one personally?"

"Yes I have. Is there some point to this? Come out where I can see you."

The figure moved closer. It became more defined, recognizably female. The rustling continued.

"I have a problem. I need to find the gargoyles."

"Well I don't run around introducing people who hide in the dark. Especially not to gargoyles." He gave up on sounding reassuring.

"They don't know me, but they will want to meet me. I'm sure of it."

"Look kid, the gargoyles have good reason to be cautious. They have some pretty serious enemies. People like the Quarrymen."

"I'm not a Quarryman."

"Come out where I can see you or I'm going to leave right now. I have a job to do and you are wasting my time and the taxpayers' money."

"No! Don't go! I'm... just not used to letting people see me like this, that's all."

The rustling grew louder as the figure moved into the light. Long dark hair, huge solemn eyes. The dim light gave an odd bluish cast to her skin. She wore a jacket draped across her shoulders. A white T-shirt and faded bell bottom jeans completed the odd outfit.

"What's your name?" He softened his tone. She looked scared, maybe fifteen or sixteen. She pushed her hair back behind one ear in a nervous gesture.

Correction, she pushed her hair back behind one *pointed* ear with a *four fingered* hand.

"Skye."

As she stepped closer, he could see that it was not a trick of the light that made her skin blue. The jacket around her shoulders was actually a set of wings, folded tightly against her body. The rustling sound was due to the restless movement of her tail. She seemed unaware that this nervous gesture made her agitation so obvious.

"O.K. then, Skye. Why don't we talk to my partner, Elisa? She's more involved with the gargoyles than I am. She's just over there in the car."

"Actually, I'm right here." Elisa emerged from the shadows behind the gargoyle. The gargoyle started violently, backing away and extending her wings which shimmered in the pale light. Now, fully in the light, he could make out her features. She was the youngest gargoyle he'd ever seen. If she were human, he'd say she was fifteen or so, with a gargoyle who knows? She was beautiful. Luminous grey eyes -- amazing figure, now that her wings no longer obscured her shape. She had the face of an angel. Two tiny horns peeped out of her hair, more cute than alien. Her only ornament was a simple silver band around one graceful arm. Thoughts of succubi and demon lovers flitted through his mind. Primitive wood-cuts in old manuscripts suddenly took on new life in his memories. Stop it. He quickly squashed the thoughts that sprang to mind. Different species for Pete's sake. Not to mention she was still just a kid.

"I think you're right about the guys wanting to meet you." Matt's reaction was not lost on Elisa. She smirked at him as she continued. "How did you get here? I'm sure if you'd been here long we would have seen you before." It was Elisa's turn to interrogate the stranger; Matt obviously was still corralling his thoughts.

"I ran away from home."

"Your clan must be worried sick. Where do they live?" Elisa knew the Manhattan clan would be frantic under similar circumstances.

"I... don't have a clan. I was raised by a human."

"Why did you run away?" At last Matt was back in the saddle again.

"I don't want to talk about it out here. Can we go someplace safe?"

"O.K. Let's go to my apartment. That's safe, I promise." It was also a place the gargoyles knew well. She would call them when she was certain that Skye wasn't dangerous.

Ten minutes later Matt and Elisa waited at the window of her apartment. They watched as the blue gargoyle leapt gracefully to the ledge outside. Skye climbed carefully through the window, avoiding gouging the sill with her -- yes they were -- pink polished talons.

Elisa stifled a grin. It was hard to see this little gargoyle girl as a threat as she perched on the arm of the sofa and ran the end of her tail back and forth between her fingers. The carnation pink polish flashed against the vivid sky blue of her hide. Sometimes she would reach up to push one of the three small, beribboned braids behind her left ear. Her white T-shirt proclaimed the wonders of Paco's Pizzeria in red lettering. It was slit in two places in the back to allow her wings free movement. The ends were tucked into form-fitting bell bottom jeans with a slit cut in the back seam to free her tail. Pink polish peeked from under the frayed denim.

All in all, she looked like the cover girl for "Teen Gargoyle" if there ever were to be such a publication.

"Let's start over. I'm Elisa Maza. I'm a sort of honorary member of the gargoyle clan living here in Manhattan. You've met Matt here, my partner. We're detectives in the NYPD."

"I'm Skye. I don't really know where I came from. I was raised by a human woman. I called her 'Mom.' Every time I asked about it, she would tell me to wait until I was older. But, I was never old enough. It was just the two of us for a long time. Then, last year, she got married. It was really sudden. She left to spend a weekend with her boyfriend and came back married. I tried to get along with him. But, he kept trying to get me to... do things." Skye's voice faded to almost a whisper.

"Do you mean he abused you?" Elisa leaned closer, concerned. Matt listened carefully; he had a good idea of where this was going.

"He wanted to sleep with me and I wouldn't do it. I didn't say anything to Mom until he started groping me. I tried to tell her what happened, but she didn't believe me. He said I was jealous of him and the baby they were going to have. I didn't even know she was pregnant!" Skye's tone was indignant and full of hurt.

Skye fell silent, clutching her tail in a grip so tight that the tip was turning purple. Her wings trembled. Elisa reached over and gently pried her fingers loose.

"Skye... Skye, honey. It's O.K. You're safe. We're cops remember? Serve and protect and all that? Do you want to go back and press charges? I'm sure it has to be against the law in some way, even if gargoyles don't have legal standing yet."

The gargoyle's face snapped up, her eyes wide. "No! I'm not going back there. Never again. That life is over." Elisa noticed something that had been nagging her. Skye had a faint southern drawl that got more pronounced as she became more excited. She filed that observation away in the back of her mind.

Elisa looked at her partner, considering. He shrugged. She picked up the phone and dialed. Owen Burnett answered as usual. Elisa wondered if he ever slept.

"Good evening."

"Owen, it's me Elisa."

"How may I assist you detective?"

"Please ask the clan to meet me at my apartment as soon as possible."

"Of course. Is there a problem?" Cool as ever, he might have been offering her sugar for her coffee.

"No, but there is someone here I think they should meet."

"Goliath is in their suite."

"Let me talk to him."

A few moments later, Goliath had agreed to bring the clan when they all returned from patrol. Elisa would not tell him the nature of her guest, wanting to surprise the clan. Meanwhile, she and Matt called in to check with the department. Their shift was nearly over. Matt reluctantly left to wrap up the night's work. Elisa ordered pizza. The clan would probably be hungry and she could hear Skye's stomach rumbling.

Skye shyly asked to use Elisa's shower, saying that it had been too long since she had truly been clean.

"Sure. No problem. There should be towels on the back of the door." Elisa thought a moment. "Just leave your clothes by the door. I'll see if I can find you something to wear."

"Thanks so much. I hate to meet people feeling all grungy."

As the gargoyle took her shower, Elisa began to dig in the back of her closet. She remembered a pink halter dress that a relative had bought for her when she was a teenager. She'd worn it only once to please her parents, pink not being her color. Considering Skye's choice of fingernail polish, she would probably like it. She replaced the gargoyle's clothes with the dress and tossed the dirty things in a laundry basket.

Elisa returned to the living room just in time to pay the delivery boy. She stacked the pizza boxes on the kitchen table and turned the TV on. The sounds of a blow dryer could be heard in the background as a shadow appeared at the window. Elisa opened the window again and soon her living room was full of gargoyles. She ignored their questioning looks as she invited them to sit down. She had to shoo Broadway away from the pizzas. He gave her a mournful look as he took his seat next to Angela on the couch. The sounds coming from the bathroom drew curious glances from the clan. They waited impatiently.

"O.K. guys, just hold on a moment. I'll go check on my guest." She was enjoying this. She knocked on the bathroom door. "You ready? The gang's all here... and dying of curiosity."

"Do I look O.K.?" Skye opened the door, peering around carefully to make sure no one but Elisa could see her. Elisa grinned. The dress fit the gargoyle, quite well indeed.

"That outfit never looked *that* good on me."

"Thanks for letting me borrow it."

"Consider it a gift."

"Thanks." Skye took a last look in the mirror and slipped her armband back on. "I'm ready."

Elisa preceded Skye into the living room, wanting to see the clan's reactions. She wasn't disappointed. Conversation stopped, jaws dropped, eyes stared in disbelief. Elisa stifled a giggle. Even Goliath was caught with his mouth gaping.

Angela recovered first, glancing around at the dumbstruck males. Scowling slightly, she jabbed Broadway in the ribs before rising to introduce herself.

"Hi. I'm Angela. This is my father, Goliath, my mate Broadway, and my clan brothers, Lexington and Brooklyn. And this is Hudson, our elder."

"I'm Skye. I'm kinda new in town. I... don't have a clan or anything. I can't tell you how glad I am to meet you." She blushed a little as she accepted Angela's fore-arm clasp awkwardly, her cheeks darkening to a purplish hue. Broadway mumbled something unintelligible as he clasped her arm. Brooklyn and Lexington jostled each other in their eagerness to be next. Hudson stepped forward smoothly.

"A pleasure to meet you lass. Welcome." He gave way to Lexington, then Brooklyn.

"You are welcome to stay with our clan if you have no plans." The lavender skinned male towered over her. Skye looked a little overwhelmed, an emotion Elisa could well understand.

"Well I... Uh... I don't have any plans. I don't really have anywhere to go."

A knock on the door interrupted the conversation. Elisa answered the door after checking to make sure it was Matt. He blinked once at Skye's change of clothing, then grabbed a box of pizza and flopped onto the couch. Angela waved Broadway away and sat Skye down between herself and Matt. The detective ate his pizza with studied concentration. Elisa perched on the arm of Goliath's chair as the clan reshuffled and sat down.

With Angela's coaxing, Skye repeated her tale. The clan was outraged, ready to fly off to put the fear of God -- or at least gargoyles -- into her stepfather. Skye looked horrified and protested.

"No. No, I'm O.K. Really. That's all past now. I'd just rather forget all about it."

"He should not get away with what he has done." Goliath rumbled.

"No please don't. There's Mom and the baby... I couldn't stand it if something happened to them!" Skye burst into tears. Angela shushed them all as she comforted the girl. Broadway passed around the last of the pizza. Conversation turned to other subjects as they gave Skye time to recover. The two females sat with arms around each other's waists and talked in hushed tones.

Finally, when the last crust was gone and both humans were yawning, the clan bid them good night. Elisa watched as the clan escorted Skye to her new home. Matt helped her clean up.

"Think she'll be all right?" Matt thought the kid might not be ready for the sort of attention she was likely to get.

"The clan'll take good care of her." Elisa's faith in her friends was unshakeable.

"See you tomorrow."

"Good night, Matt." The door clicked behind him.

Elisa fell into bed, her apartment blissfully quiet. This was why she refused to give up her apartment to stay with the clan at the castle. Well meaning as they all were, they made it hard to get a good night's sleep. Feeling smug about the night's events, Elisa drifted off.

*********************************************************************

Three weeks later, Skye had obviously made an adjustment to her new life with the Manhattan clan. She had the entire masculine contingent (not to mention a human or two) wrapped around her pink, polished talon. As a result, Angela's relationship with Broadway had become somewhat strained. Even Elisa displayed a new-found possessiveness where Goliath was concerned.

Brooklyn and Lexington competed avidly for Skye's favors. Even Broadway doted on her every whim. Hudson did not openly join in, but it seemed that he spent more time training and his breastplate and sword shone brightly.

Skye was obviously enjoying all the attention. She kept the males hopping, stopping just short of taking unfair advantage. Brooklyn scoured the city to find her leather jackets, Lexington ordered her specially made clothes from the Interment, and Broadway cooked her favorite meals. Only Goliath stayed aloof, seemingly bemused by the clan's antics. As long as they did not neglect their duties he would not interfere.

Angela tried not be jealous of her new clan-sister. She tried to be friendly. But, it was hard to compete with the blue female. Try as she might, Angela could not help but feeling as if something had been taken away from her. She couldn't even be angry at Skye; the younger gargoyle didn't have a mean bone in her body...


Skye was enjoying all the attention she was receiving. She hadn't been nearly so popular back home. She had been a little shy and hadn't known how to handle the attention she got from boys. Dominique/Demona had really been helpful, giving her lots of tips. Dr. Thompson had been really cool too, helping her get over her shyness. The kids back home wouldn't recognize her now, even if she wasn't a blue-skinned gargoyle.

At first, she found the gargoyles strange-looking, but it was funny how quickly she got used to them. She just couldn't decide who to choose yet. Brooklyn was probably the most exciting, but he was a little scary. She hadn't quite gotten used to his beak and horns. Lexington was cute, but she wasn't sure he was her type. Broadway was very sweet, but he was Angela's guy. Hudson was much too old, though he was very charming. She didn't even think about Goliath. Sure he was an absolute hunk, but he was Demona's ex and was obviously in love with Elisa. Since she couldn't pick one, she flirted with them all. Well, she didn't really mean to flirt with Broadway, but she really liked him and it was so much fun to see him all flustered.

The only downside to all this attention was that Angela had gotten kind of grouchy. Skye supposed she must be jealous. But, that wasn't really her fault, was it? Could she help it that all the guys liked her? Still, she shouldn't encourage Broadway...

Skye giggled as she led Lex and Brooklyn on an aerial chase. Her extra-wide wingspan gave her an edge that she exploited mercilessly. She loved to glide. Demona had taught her all sorts of tricks and she loved to show off. She didn't care to learn the combat moves that Hudson offered, but she got a kick out of pulling off last moment recoveries. Hudson swore it made his wings ache to watch her.

The Xanatoses had been really nice about her moving into the castle. They even let her play with Alex sometimes. He was such a cute little thing. It made her wonder if her mother had the baby yet. Was it a boy or a girl? She always thought she wanted a sister, but a little brother like Alex would be cool too.

Skye executed a dive, skimming so close to the swimming pool that she could feel the slight coolness of the air above it. She landed on a tower and waited for the males to catch up, then launched herself again just as they came in to land.

Her mind still rested on the question of her mother's baby. Too bad it was Gary's kid. Surely being a jerk wasn't genetic. Sometimes she was tempted to call home. What would she say? "Sorry Mom, I can't come home because I'm a gargoyle now." Better to leave it alone.

Wanting to think a while, Skye climbed higher, knowing the males would find it hard to match her altitude for any length of time. She felt a little guilty about deceiving the clan. So far she had avoided telling any outright lies. She had just left out the parts that didn't fit her gargoyle identity. She avoided difficult questions by saying that she didn't like to talk about her past. She'd lived with them long enough to see that Demona was right, they would never accept her back into the clan. She hadn't heard from Demona since she was dropped off in the alley, but she wasn't supposed to anyway.

Elisa worried her. The detective was pretty sharp and she couldn't remember where she left the few mementos she had kept. If she left them at Elisa's place, she'd have a hard time explaining them. Would they kick her out of the clan if they found out?

Tired of playing now she came in for a landing. Maybe she'd go see Alex. He was always pretty good at cheering her up.

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Elisa's eyes sparkled with mirth, but she refrained from laughing out loud. Angela was asking *her* for beauty tips. Elisa found herself digging through old clothes, hers and her sister, Beth's, trying to find something special to fit a gargoyle.

Angela's frustration at Skye's unflagging popularity had driven her to seek Elisa's advice. They spent several hours trying on clothes and modifying outfits to accommodate wings and tail. At the end, they had assembled three outfits Elisa guaranteed to stop traffic. One was a red dress cut low in the back and the front. The second was a body-hugging suit of black latex. It took them some trial and error, but they managed to alter it to fit Angela. Elisa refused to say where it came from. The last, and Angela's favorite, was a crushed velvet dress. It was deep purplish black and it set off her lavender skin nicely.

Angela studied her reflection in the mirror, judging the effect as if her life depended on it. "How does this look?"

"Broadway's liable to pass out cold when he sees you."

"Good."


Angela was upset, she had spent hours with Elisa, trying to improve her appearance. The guys had hardly noticed her. *Broadway* hadn't even looked twice. She wasn't used to coming in second. She'd been popular on Avalon, then she'd been the only female in the Manhattan clan. She sulked, sitting on her perch, watching Skye performing her aerial exercises. That's where Owen found her.

"You have a call." He offered her a cordless phone.

"Me? Who is it?"

"A Dr. Leonard Thompson I believe."

"Uh... O.K. Thanks." She accepted the phone and put it to her ear. "Hello?"

"Good Evening, Angela. I have someone her who would like to speak with you." The smooth baritone was unfamiliar. Angela forgot her problems for a moment.

"Who?"

"Your mother." She could hear the phone being exchanged.

"Mother?"

"Angela, please don't hang up. I know we've had our differences in the past, but I would still like a chance to talk to you."

"As long as you are still seeking vengeance on humanity, I can't..."

"Angela, please. Right now revenge is the furthest thing from my mind. The only thing that really matters right now is *you*."

"Somehow I have a hard time believing you."

"I know. I didn't expect otherwise. I want to see you, talk to you." Angela looked out at her clan. It wasn't as if they'd miss her.

"O.K. But, I get to pick the place."

"Of course. Choose anyplace that makes you feel safe. I swear that I will not harm you or try to detain you if you wish to leave."

"All right."

Angela suggested an abandoned building, a place that was a regular part of her patrol. It would be private, at least until the clan noticed her absence.

Angela returned the phone to Owen and wrote a brief message for her father. She told Owen to deliver it only if she did not return by 2 AM. Then she slipped quietly away.


To be continued....