Kiss Me, It's Beginning to Snow

Author's Note: I wanted to dedicate this fic to someone, but I'm not sure if it would be appropriate. Squid, AKA Cat, helped me out a couple years ago by betaing the Spanish I had in a few fics. Squid was from Chile. I e-mailed her to see if she was OK and haven't received any reply. I'm hoping all that's happened is she was displaced and unable to get to a computer. Here's hoping.


April, 968, Wyvern Castle

"But I don't wanna!" the tiny green gargoyle whined.

"Little one," the light red gargoyle sighed, running her hand over his bare scalp. "We've been over this. You're getting to be a big boy now. You're much too old to be running around naked."

"Why?"

She shook her head, tossing her short, black locks. "You like that word, don't you? Look, it only hurts a moment. And you'll only need two holes. Look at me!" She spread her arms, revealing that she too had webbed wings. "I needed four."

"Why?"

"Because I'm a girl and girls need to be covered up more than boys."

"Why?"

"Because...look, that's something you'll understand when you're older."

A younger red haired female added more ground willow bark to the pot of boiling water while a large, light blue female methodically ran her knife over a whetstone.

"The tea is nearly ready, mother." said the red haired female. "Are you done sharpening that blade yet?" Her tone bespoke impatience.

"The knife has to be as sharp as I can get it." the older gargoyle replied, not pausing from her work. "I want this to be as quick and clean as possible."

"I don't wanna get my wings pierced!" the little one whimpered.

"Oh, will you stop whining, already?" snapped the red haired one. "It's going to be done! Accept it!"

"You could be nicer, little sister!" the web winged female scolded. "Can't you see he's scared?" The red haired one glowered. The smaller female stroked the child's brow ridges. "I'll be with you the whole time. I'll be holding both your hands."

"Will you coddle your hatchlings like you do this one, elder sister?" asked the red haired one.

"One of these days," the light red gargoyle sighed. "You and that Goliath you're so fond of may have an egg in the rookery. I hope you will have grown some compassion by then!"

"Right, it's ready." The large female announced, testing the blade on the ball of her thumb. "Lay him down." She put the blade in the fire to heat it up.

"I don't want to! I don't want to!" The tiny gargoyle began to cry. The red haired one gave a growl of annoyance. The web winged female dried his tears with the back of her hand.

"There, now, let's be a big lad about this." She kissed his cheek, something she had seen a human mother do for her hurt child. "You have to lie down now."

Sobbing and trembling, the child realized he had no choice but to obey his elders. The red haired one held his legs down. The web winged female put a stick in his mouth to bite down on and took his hands, stretching them above his head.

"Hold my hands tight, little one."

"This is gonna hurt!" he whimpered around the stick.

"I'll be quick as I can." The elder said, raising her knife.

December 25, 12:30 A.M. GMT

Lex went in search of Amp. He met Coco in one of the corridors. "Hey, Coco," said Lex. "Have you seen Amp?"

"He's out on the veranda." She smiled. "We were just talking about you. I think he has something he wants to tell you."

"What?"

"Well, that's his place to say." Coco gave Lex a firm pat on the shoulder. "Be good to him" she said before departing.

Lex took a deep breath before he stepped onto the veranda. /Well, here it goes. I'm following my heart./ He stepped out to see Staghart leaning against one of the parapet walls, looking over the snow coated pines. /God, he's beautiful in the moonlight!/ The moonlight glistened on his antlers, making them look almost silver. His white fur and folded feathery wings made him look almost angelic. "Hey." Lex managed to make himself say.

"Hey." Amp smiled at him. "Merry Christmas."

"Huh? Oh yeah, it's after midnight." Lex joined Amp in looking over the pine forest below. He briefly wondered if he'd ever be able to smell pine again without getting aroused. "Right now, all the human children are asleep and dreaming of Santa Claus."

"We call him 'Father Christmas' here."

"Oh. Like the whole fries, chips and crisps thing, huh?" Lex smiled. "Say, you think there might really be a Santa Claus? After all, there's really a King Arthur."

"All things are true, few are accurate." Amp pointed out. "There might have been a human named Nicholas a long time ago who was very charitable and kind, especially to children. But, a lot of the legend around him was probably made up. Like the flying reindeer. Really, now, where would anyone get an idea like that?" They both laughed.

"Or little green people with pointed ears who make toys!" Lex added.

Amp chuckled and looked at Lex. "There's going to be a Christmas party tomorrow night. Old Pog usually dresses up as Father Christmas for the hatchlings, but he's getting a bit old for that. Leo's going to do the honors this year."

"Sounds like fun." said Lex.

"Would you be interested in accompanying me?"

"You mean...like a...date?"

"Er, sure. A date."

"I'd love to." said Lex. He trailed a talon through the snow that built up on the wall. "I...I really liked what we did out there in the woods earlier." He knew he was blushing.

"Do you want more?" Amp ran his talons gently over the back of Lex's neck, causing the smaller gargoyle to shiver as his flesh tingled.

"Amp? Why...why are you so interested in me?"

"Why shouldn't I be?"

"Well, not many people find me that interesting. Let's face it, people my size are pretty easy to overlook."

"I don't mind it. You're just the right size for me to do this." Amp pulled Lex close and nuzzled the top of his head. "Lex, you're brave, clever, funny and you're very cute when you smile." Lex couldn't help smiling at this. "Lex, what I'm trying to say is, I love you."

"Y-you...you...." Lex could hardly believe what he was hearing.

"You don't have to say it back. In fact, don't say it if you don't mean it."

"Do you mean it?"

"Yes." Lex ran his talons over Lex's brow ridges. "Lex...I wish I knew just the right words to woo and win you. But, because I love you, I won't beg you to stay."

"Amp, with Coldstone and Coldfire rejoining the clan, they're gonna need me more than ever." Lex gave a short laugh. "Goliath can hardly work a toaster without me."

Amp took Lex's hands and nuzzled the fingers. "I'm just putting it out there, being honest. I hope you'll return those feelings, but I'll understand if you don't."

"Amp, this...this is all so sudden! I'm just having a hard time believing this is happening."

"Believe it." said Amp. "I wish I had more than just an 'I love you' to give to you. Just....know that I love you enough to be honest with you and I love you enough to let you go. But please, know I'll always be there for you." He gently nuzzled the top of Lex's head and started to walk away.

"Amp!" Lex called back. Amp stopped and turned towards him. "I...I love you too." Lex was swept off his feet when Amp ran back to him and embraced him. For long moments they stood silent, content to be wrapped in each others' arms.

"You know," Amp whispered after a while. "If this were a movie, this would be the part where Whitney Houston starts singing." Lex giggled. Amp held him closer, loving both the sound and feel of Lex's laugh.

Hours later, they sat on the wall together, arms around shoulders, watching the stars twinkle and the moon slowly dip to the horizon. "Amp? When did you realize you were, you know, different?"

"Gay, Lex, the word is gay." said Amp. "I guess I really figured out what I was when I was almost 30. One evening, Lunette had this dress-up kit out and she wanted me to play with her. I decided I'd humor her and toss a pink feathered boa around my neck. Just then, I glanced over at the telly, and there was George Michael's bum!" They both laughed. "Una decided MTV wasn't for hatchlings after that. How about you? When did you realize you were gay?"

"Hmmm...." Lex tried to think. "How long ago was it that we did that snogging thing?"

"That recently?"

"I've had I guess what they call crushes on guys." Lex admitted. "Like Goliath and Griff. I always thought it was a mix of envy and hero worship. According to Broadway and Brooklyn, I went on a couple of dates with Angela, but they didn't feel like dates to me. Teaching her to ice skate at Rockefeller Center was like teaching a hatchling to glide. We went to Coney Island once, but I also went there with Hudson and he's like my dad. Could be my father for all I know."

"Nah. You're too cute to be his son."

"There was this one female gargoyle at Wyvern who was like a mother to me. She had wings like mine. She was really too young to be my mother, might've been my older sister or aunt, I don't know. I do know she was very kind, loving and gentle. Even if she did dress like Xena the Warrior Princess!" They both laughed. "She probably survived the Massacre. She and her mate were away at the time as were some other gargoyles. I'll probably never know what became of her, but she had a chance at happily ever after with her mate. It's what she deserved." Lex smiled as he remembered something. "She had an egg in the rookery before she left. That means I have either a niece or nephew or a cousin running around on Avalon! Amp? I know eggs belong to the whole clan, but, you ever wonder who your biological parents are?"

"Well, it's usually pretty easy for English gargoyles to figure out who they're related to." Staghart admitted. "Though no one's allowed to play favorites. I figure my mum is the one named Ayala. You've probably seen her among the older females. She looks like a speckled doe. Her mate was this bloke called Columban. He had eyes and wings like mine."

Lex noticed the past tense. "Did...something happen to him?"

"About four years ago, he was shot by poachers." Amp shook his head. "No matter how many 'No Trespassing' signs Leo and Una put up, there's always someone determined to get one more pheasant. Ayala managed to scare them away. Una's been looking at ward spells that would keep humans away." Amp sighed. "I hate guns. They just make it too easy to kill someone."

"Broadway's got the same idea." Lex rubbed a hand over Amp's back. "I'm sorry."

"Yes, well, he's one with the wind now." said Amp, trying to cheer up. He saw a shaft of light flicker over the eastern horizon. "To quote the Beatles, Here Comes the Sun." He laid a hand on Lex's as they both turned to stone.

April, 968, Wyvern Castle

The tiny green gargoyle curled up in the light red gargoyle's arms, trembling. "There, there, little one." She crooned, cocooning him with the wings that grew under her arms. "It's alright. It's over with."

"Hurts...." he whimpered.

"Shh...I know." She put a wooden cup of steaming tea in his hands. "Drink up."

"Nasty!" he declared after a small sip.

"Try and drink it. It will make the pain go away."

"How is the little one?" A large male gargoyle with enormous horns approached.

"He's fine." said the female. "Or he will be if I can get him to drink his tea."

"Willow bark, right?" the large male guessed. "That stuff is yucky, isn't it?" he asked the tiny gargoyle. "It's a little better if you add honey to it. Look! I got you a present!" He held up a small leather belt with a loincloth. "I had my friend the blacksmith make the buckle, but I tooled the leather and found some cloth. Let's try it on." Gingerly, he threaded the belt through the still tender piercings, did up the buckle and adjusted the cloth. "There you are. Of course, you'll need a much bigger cloth when you're older, won't you?" The tiny gargoyle nodded.

"Love!" She spatted her mate on the shoulder. "Don't say such things to a hatchling!"

He only laughed and picked up the tiny gargoyle. He wiped away a final tear clinging to the hatchling's face. "Don't cry now, lad. Big boys don't cry. Come on." He placed the little one on a large shoulder. "Let's go to the kitchen and find you some honey!"

Author's Notes:
Yeah, the female with webbed wings is Sacrifice. Little is known about her other than she was brave and loving, was mated to Second, has a child on Avalon and was only 40 when Lex hatched- too young to be a mother by gargoyle standards. She may have helped take care of hatchlings anyway. I also had an idea that Second may have had a more cheerful personality until circumstances changed for him. He wanted to make peace with humans, so I could see him befriending one.
Historical Notes: (Do the 80's count as "history"?)
MTV Europe was available in the UK in August of 1987. George Michael's "Faith" was released two months later. Staghart would've been five months shy of turning 30, early to mid adolescence for gargoyles.
Next chapter: You've all been waiting for it! SEX SEX SEX!