All disclaimers in part one.

January 12

The scream of the alarm cut through the layers of her sleep like a cat's claw. Sam shot out a fist and swept the old alarm off the night table before sitting up in bed. It was eight a.m. Ray had just left for work, and she had to be at the Eyrie Building in an hour.

It took her twenty minutes to shower, get the coffee pot to work, and dress. As she looked at herself in the mirror, clean, neat, and upright, one thing came to mind.

I'm never going to make it through the day.

She switched on the little black-and-white television, fiddling with the antenna, and turned back to the coffeepot that was almost as old as Rachel. Miraculously, it still churned out a decent pot of coffee. Pouring herself a cup, she took a sip and almost spat it out as she saw what was on the news broadcast.

"...and for those of you who complain about the city cab drivers, last night one of them proved you wrong. Frank DiMarco, wanted on three counts of assault, attempted murder, two counts of conspiracy and suspected drug trafficker, was finally taken down on 34th Street late last evening. But instead of an NYPD squad, all it took was the cab driver who picked him up and chased him two blocks after he tried to pull a knife on her and stole some of her belongings."

Sam stared at the announcer, aghast, as he continued. "The police would not release the woman's name to the public, although the statement did go as far as to say that her actions definitely sped up their search. More on this later. Erin?"

Groaning, she put the cup down and rested her head in her hands. "I don't need this."

The phone rang, snapping her back to attention. "Hello?"

"Miss Denaro? This is Owen Burnett." She felt her blood chill. "I am calling regarding your current scheduled hours."

She closed her eyes, forcing down any acid comments. "Mr. Burnett, I've made all my hours. And I don't go on shift for another hour, unless that just changed."

"Actually, your record these past six years with Xanacorp is fairly commendable, Miss Denaro. Compared to some of our employees, that is."

"If this is about that shift change again--" Actually, the night shift was a good idea now, but a stubborn streak in her refused to let them think she was going to play along so easily.

"Naturally," Burnett continued. "Mr. Xanatos is prepared to make this worth your while. We are willing to pay you double your current salary."

That woke her up. "What do you think you're doing?" she asked suspiciously. "Trying to buy me out? What's the deal?"

"It stands to reason that you can no longer work the day shift and drive a cab at the same time."

Sam inhaled sharply through her teeth with a hiss. "Maybe, but I want to know what's going on. I'm not an idiot."

"Indeed not, or we would not be speaking." Burnett shuffled some papers. "Over the past few months, the increase in security breaches has raised our suspicions that our security may not be as tight as we believed. You are aware that Mr. Xanatos has garnered numerous enemies from his support of PIT."

This was interesting. "And what does that have to do with me?"

"We are reassembling our upper security force with those who share Mr. and Mrs. Xanatos' pro-gargoyle sentiment," Owen answered. "Also those who have above average records. You appear to qualify in both respects." As if reading her thoughts, he added, "The situation is serious enough to merit this sort of attention. In the past three months, the lives of Mr. and Mrs. Xanatos have been threatened twice, not to mention a recent kidnapping attempt made towards their son."

She turned the television off and sat down on the old couch, looking at the wall thoughtfully. "Double my old salary?" she finally asked. He made a noise in the affirmative. "When do I start?"

A different voice answered, smooth and calm compared to Burnett's clipped tones. "This evening at five o' clock," David Xanatos said. "Owen will escort you to the tower. It will be a pleasure working with you." With that, he hung up, leaving Sam staring at the phone in her hand, speechless at the thought that he had been monitoring their conversation.

Then she burst out laughing hysterically as all the pent-up frustration she'd buried in order to sleep came out at once. Double her salary! "Ray," she told the wall, "you're not gonna believe this one!"

"You know," Callista Reynolds remarked, "I think it may finally be working."

Shifting the shopping bag between hands, Sarah Adams shot her best friend and roommate a suspicious look. "What?"

"I think you're actually starting to like shopping."

Sarah laughed loudly and heartily at that, startling the couple that passed the two friends as she did so. "God forbid! When hell freezes over, you mean. There is no bloody way I'd ever do this for fun." She sighed and glared at the shopping bag as they stopped at the corner. "But Fox actually wanted me to speak in public at a meeting, and I'll be damned if I'm showing up in a t-shirt, jeans, and Da's old army jacket."

"It would be different," Callie pointed out.

"Too right! And I'd be fired on the spot." The light turned green and they hurried scross the street.

"I don't understand something," the British girl added. "Why are you suddenly giving a presentation? You're still an undergrad student; I'm surprised that even Fox would let you jump in like that."

Sarah shrugged. "I wasn't supposed to until a few days ago. Know that translation project I was working on with Rick Phelps and Dan Dalton? Dan was supposed to be doing it since Rick stutters something awful and I'm just a newbie still in school." She shifted the bag again. "Some investor Xanatos was trying to impress came in this week and wanted a look around. Of course, he wandered into our division, right in the middle of work and wanted to know what we were doing.

"So Danny boy starts shooting off technobabble at this bloke something awful. It was so bloody incomprehensible I felt sorry for the stuffed shirt. After about a minute of his jabber, I had it, shut him up, and gave the suit the gist of the project in two sentences."

"Let me guess," Callie interrupted. "He understood you."

Sarah grinned. "Dan started chewing me out when Xanatos walked up, then the suit yelled at him to shut the hell up. Then, in front of everyone, he told Mr. X if he kept grabbing up more blokes like me, it was no wonder he was still on top." She burst out laughing. "You should've seen the look on Dan's face!"

"Wish I could," Callista said. "He's the most arrogant little prick I've ever met."

"I still don't know if it's worth putting on a monkey suit like this," Sarah muttered.

Callista rolled her eyes. "If I've been over this with you once, I've said it a thousand times--"

"I know, I know." Sarah paused. "Even if I give them the most brilliant speech of my career--" here she spun around melodramatically, nearly hitting someone with the bag - "no one's going to take me seriously in jeans and Nikes. I am aware of that."

"Sorry, love, that's just the way business types think. I doubled in business and CS, I should know." Callista frowned. "For that matter, you'll have to take that off." She pointed to the dog tag that hung around Sarah's neck. "It won't match."

Sarah fingered the tag and sighed. "I don't know, Cal. Da gave it to me when I was small and he had to go to Perth for a week."

Callista frowned. "You never told me your father was in the military."

"Naval, I think." She let the dog tag and the subject drop. "Think I can hide it under the blouse?"

"I don't know. Can I see?" Sarah pulled it over her head, handing the chain and tag to Callista, who studied the length thoughtfully.

As she did so, she inadvertently invoked her Sight. Callista shook it off immediately, but not before noticing that the tag had no aura, no sense of even elemental magic. It was even deader than the bracelets that she had Looked at for Angela two weeks before.

"Earth calling Callie," Sarah sang, waving a hand in front of Callista's face. "What's wrong?"

"What? Oh, sorry, lesson burnout. Is this made of iron?"

"It's a tad heavy, so it could be. Don't see why, though." Sarah frowned. "Why?"

That explained it. "Nothing." She shrugged snd handed it back to Sarah. "I'm sure you could. The chain's plenty long enough."

Sarah draped it back over her head, and they started off again. "I suppose so. I'd keep it on no matter what they think, anyway." She smiled as a thought came to her. "I never thought I'd be the one dragging you out and about to shop."

"I'm still glad I came," Callista said as they neared Borders. "This way, we'll know your clothes match." She ducked as Sarah swatted playfully at her. "Hey! Stop it!"

"Thanks a lot," Drew Harrison scolded the two girls as he made it through the crush of shoppers to the desk. "Are you done embarrassing me?"

"Nope," Sarah said. Sighing, Drew swept Callie up into a hug and a kiss. "That's it, you two, disgust me further."

Drew groaned and shot his friend a look. "You're the one who was matchmaking like crazy. This is your fault."

Sarah rolled her eyes. "Yada yada yada. Look, I'll leave you two lovebirds alone now." She shot Callie a knowing look and turned towards the science fiction section.

She didn't need to turn around to know that they had forgotten her in a second. Since Owen was wrapped up with new security arrangements at the Eyrie, Callista had her first night free of lessons and was determined to spend it with Drew, no matter what excuses he threw at her. He probably wouldn't be very reluctant; with the holiday had come an increase in the crime rate, and patrols for the clan had been rough. Sarah couldn't recall the last time she'd heard such whining, even from the Trio.

As she set down her bag to deal with an unruly shoelace, the three streaks of eldritch green light that zipped into the shopping bag escaped her attention entirely.

Sam showed up at the Eyrie at four-thirty, knowing well that in Burnett time, one had to show up at least half an hour ahead of time to be considered punctual.

The guard at the door did a double take when he saw her coming in. "Hey, Slick, sleep through your alarm or something? Your shift started nine hours ago."

Sam punched him lightly in the shoulder. "Stuff it, Vinnie. I got Eddie to move me to the day shift, so I had to do something at night."

"You could try sleeping like the rest of us." The elevator doors opened, and Owen Burnett stepped out. "Here comes Bernie," he added in a lower voice, and Sam smirked. Ever since watching "Weekend at Bernie's," that had been their nickname for Xanatos' majordomo, the walking corpse of the Eyrie.

"That's my cue. Have a good one." She put on her best poker face and strode to the elevator.

Once the doors closed, Vinnie winced and grabbed his shoulder. "Man, she's stronger than she knows."

The ride to the upper floors was typically silent. Burnett wasn't in the mood to start a conversation, and Sam decided to humor the man. But the image of him being dragged around a beach in a Hawaiian shirt and sunglasses by a pair of geeks kept coming back into her mind. A snicker managed to escape her lips, but she covered it quickly with a cough.

"Are you all right, Miss Denaro?"

She nodded and tried to compose herself as the elevator doors opened and she followed him down the corridor into an empty office. "Fine." Vinnie was a dead man.

"Good evening, Mr. Xanatos," Owen addressed the chair turned towards the window.

David Xanatos turned the chair around, almost as smoothly as they did in countless movies, but he was on his feet in a moment, unlike the movie gangsters who sat there while everyone else had to stand. "Miss Denaro, it's a pleasure to meet you." He extended his hand, and after a moment she briefly and reluctantly shook it. "I suppose Owen has filled you in on most of the details."

"Not all of 'em." She folded her arms. "Nobody's told me what the deal is here. You've got all your security systems, your sensors, one heck of an arsenal, and you're suddenly asking me to step in. Don't get me wrong, I'm gonna do my job, but I'd like to know why."

He paused thoughtfully before speaking. "Very well. We have time. Follow me, please." He turned and headed down the hallway, beckoning for them to follow. Mystified, Sam obeyed, her curiosity getting the better of her.

After several turns and a flight of stairs, they emerged into the light again on the castle battlements just in time for sunset. As the sun sank below the horizon, the seven statues suddenly began to crack and crumble like the shells of hard-boiled eggs. With a roar, seven gargoyles awoke from their stone slumber, shedding bits of stone as they greeted the new evening.

"That," Xanatos said grandly, "is the deal." Sam let out a low whistle.

Seeing her reaction, Xanatos turned and headed down the stairs, Sam and Owen following. Once in the relative quiet of the hallway, he turned back to them. "Now that we have some privacy, the terms."

Sam cocked her head. "I knew it. There's always a catch with you people."

Xanatos sighed. "Miss Denaro--"

There was no way in hell she was going to let him call her Slick, but being called "Miss" was getting on her nerves. "Sam."

"Sam," he amended, "the offer's still open to walk out on. You haven't signed anything in blood."

Yet, a small voice in the back of her head told her. But this job was too good to pass up. Working to keep someone from getting at Xanatos didn't ring her bells any. But if this was where the gargoyles hid out, and if it meant beating on some Quarrymen, maybe it was worth a shot.

She wasn't getting much done through PIT, really. Nothing really direct. Just scouting out for Quarrymen activity in case they decided to go after "garg-lovers."

And she owed these guys big time. They'd saved her little sister's life, she was sure of that. Robert had told her the whole story, unembellished (to hear Rachel tell it, there were thirty Quarrymen, twenty of which she took out herself), and she was sure they wouldn't have been easy on Rachel at all if a bunch of gargoyles hadn't descended and beat the living shit out of them.

Sam wished she had been there to see it.

She turned back to Xanatos, who was looking at her expectantly. "No one's walking out of anything tonight."

"Checkmate," Hudson said smugly. Lex groaned and put his head on the table.

"Now dinna beat on yerself, laddie," the older gargoyle assured him, patting Lex on the shoulder. "Ye gave me a fair run fer m' money there. Haven't had such a challenge in months, not even from Goliath."

Lex groaned again. "It's not that. I think my brains exploded somewhere along the line." Hudson had proved to be an extremely crafty chess player.

"You beat me every time," Broadway commented from where he was watching.

"Yeah, but I practice."

Broadway looked offended. "Hey, I do too!"

Lex smirked. "Watching 'Searching for Bobby Fischer' four times doesn't count."

"No, it counts as being sweet," Angela said as she sat down beside Broadway, gently tweaking one of his webbed ears. "He actually sat through it when I wanted to watch the ending a few times."

That had been the night when the temperature was below freezing, the winds were erratic and at gale force, and worst of all, the cable decided to go out. Lex could remember some of the creative ways he and Brooklyn had devised to get through the night. He flopped down on the couch beside his rookery brother. "Sure, Angela. We all know that's really what you guys were up to that night."

Angela's mouth fell open; the statement was more characteristic of Brooklyn. "Lex!!"

Hudson was chuckling. "Ease up, lass. Goliath would nae wish to see ye acting like hatchlings."

"Where did Goliath and Brooklyn go anyway?" Lex asked. "I know they didn't go on patrol yet."

Lex shrugged. "Another hire from PIT for the security shift up here."

"He's been taking his sweet time," Broadway mentioned.

"It's kind of a pain in the ass making sure every single bloke you hire isn't going to side with the Q-Ball Squad," Sarah said tiredly, entering the living room with her shoes in one hand and a change of clothes bundled under the other. She was still wearing the dress suit from that afternoon's presentation, and the others stared.

In the five months that Sarah had spent working for Fox, none of them had ever seen her in anything more formal than a blouse and khakis. Now she was wearing a buttoned white blouse with a navy blue blazer and matching skirt that brought out the color of her eyes. She was even wearing nylons. Judging by the dark blue flats, however, it was obvious that she'd drawn the line at wearing heels. Lex's eyes were as big as hubcaps.

"Sarah?" Angela asked. "What happened to you?"

"Callie happened," Sarah moaned. "I had to give a presentation today about the translation software." She glared at the shoes with disdain. "At least she didn't talk me into heels. Is anyone using--"

Broadway saw the clothes under her arm and grinned knowingly. "Yeah, the guest bathroom's open." He jerked a thumb towards the door in the far corner of the living room.

She grinned and hurried inside, closing the door and flipping on the light. "Thank God." They could hear the muffled sound of the sink running and Sarah moving around inside.

"Rough day, lass?" Hudson asked.

"That's the understatement of the year," she answered from the other side of the door. "Having another chess rematch, I see."

Lex shrugged. "He clobbered me again."

"Oh, poor you." Sarah yawned. "I can't believe how tired I am. Hope Fox doesn't make me do any more of these; the semester starts next week, and I've got credits to juggle." A few dull thuds punctuated her sentence. "I'm never letting Cal take me shopping again."

"Speaking of Callie," Angela said suddenly, "where is she? And Drew?"

"They had other plans since Owen's too busy with security for lessons," Sarah said. There was a pause as she fumbled with some zipper or button. "Blasted fashion designers. Is it me, or do they purposely make their designs more complicated than programming VCRs? I can't get this damned thing undone!"

"Need some help?" Lex asked cheerfully.

Sarah let out a shriek of mock indignation. "Lexington, don't you dare!" Broadway and Lex chuckled.

Angela picked up a magazine lying on the coffee table and whacked the olive gargoyle on the head with it. "What's gotten into you, Lex?"

"The lad's been hanging around Brooklyn too often," Hudson said, chuckling.

Sarah finally emerged from the bathroom in jeans and sneakers, tossing the blouse in Lex's face. It missed and hit him in the shoulder. "I'll say! That bloke's corrupting you," she joked.

As Lex peeled the blouse off, Angela reached over and detached the bra that had accidentally been wadded up inside. "Actually, I think you're both corrupting him." She dangled the bra from two talons, and the other three gargoyles laughed heartily. Sarah turned bright red.

There was a creaking sound, and they all turned to see Goliath standing in the doorway, with Elisa right beside him. Sarah paled from crimson to white and the other four stopped laughing. Realizing what she was holding, Angela gulped and swiftly hid it behind her back. "Um, hello, Father."

Sarah took the opportunity to grab the blouse and kick the pile of clothes behind the couch. Lex and Broadway put on their best innocent expressions, which weren't that convincing. Elisa seemed to have a hint of what was going on, because she was trying not to laugh. Goliath glanced suspiciously at them for a moment. "What is going on?"

"Trust me, lad," Hudson said, "you don't want to know."

Brooklyn came in behind his clan leader at that, took one look at his rookery brothers and grinned knowingly. Sarah sighed and changed the subject. "So what's up with the security arrangements, anyway? Anyone we know?"

"The few that Xanatos has hired are all members of PIT," Goliath said. "He has at least seen to that."

Hudson frowned. "And how would ye know that they would nae turn on us, lad?"

Elisa shrugged as she sat down on the other side of the coffee table. "Well, some of them were at the PIT party, and a few have personal reasons for staying pro-gargoyle."

"Like who?" Lex asked.

Brooklyn sighed. "Remember the chase scene last night? Everyone's favorite cab driver is pulling security now."

Lex snickered. "You're never going to live that down."

Elisa continued. "I recognized a few names. Sam Denaro, B.J. Wilkenson." At their confused looks, she added, "He helped Talon get the lights to work."

"The one with the green hair," Goliath added.

As Goliath turned to face Elisa, Sarah took the opportunity to snatch the bra from behind Angela's back and toss it behind the couch before Goliath looked up again.

Brooklyn spoke up. "Gwen Robbins--"

"Jeffrey's niece," Hudson noted.

Elisa sighed. "And of course we have--"

"You??" Sam exclaimed at the sight of the stocky young man in the security uniform, and whirled to face Xanatos. "No. Forget it. I am not working on the same shift as that dirty bastard."

Herb "Handsaw" Harrison shifted uncomfortably. "Well, at least we're up to 'dirty bastard' now," he muttered. "It's a start."

Sam ignored him. "How do you know he's not going to turn around and start acting like one of those hammer-crazed freaks again?"

Xanatos and Handsaw exchanged a brief glance. Apparently, Rachel Denaro hadn't told her sister about Handsaw's cousin.

"Cause now I've got a reason to stay as far away as I can from those assholes," Handsaw answered bluntly. "And that's all you need to know."

"What?" B.J. Wilkenson muttered, running a hand through his spiky black hair. He'd tried to wash out the green, but it was plainly visible at the tips. "Common sense?" Xanatos smirked.

"Shut up, Rodman," Gwen Robbins said calmly. Out of the motley crew that Xanatos had selected, Gwen was the most "normal" of them all. She was of medium height and build, possibly in her early thirties. Her manner was composed and generally unassuming. Sam figured that she could blend in to any crowd and disappear if she chose to. Gwen's calm appearance had to be an act, but Sam was mildly impressed at how well she kept it together in this crowd.

Handsaw shrugged. "Nah, I never had any of that stuff in the first place. It's a personal reason. Happy?"

"Sure it is," Sam said sarcastically.

"That's enough," Xanatos interrupted coolly. "I happen to know for a fact that each one of you can be trusted in this matter. Otherwise you wouldn't be here." His expression grew serious. "Some months ago, a group of Quarrymen literally launched a full-scale attack on the Eyrie with the intent to destroy all of us - the clan and my wife and child."

He paused, letting it sink in. "Apparently, the main reason that we didn't manage to counteract it ahead of time was that the upper-floor security abandoned their posts, and no one was monitoring the radar systems to warn my wife ahead of time. There was even evidence of sabotage with the communications systems, which indicates that the Quarrymen had an insider working for us."

Sam shot a glare at Handsaw, who ignored it as Xanatos went on. "Selecting each of you required extensive background checking: not just for ability but for your loyalty."

Silence invaded the room for a few moments. Sam shot a few suspicious looks at Handsaw, who was becoming increasingly uncomfortable.

B.J. rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Are we going to get started or what? I'm aging here."

"So you're all going out on patrol tonight?" Sarah asked Lex as they walked out into the courtyard. "In this weather, no less?"

Lex shrugged. "Don't have much of a choice. Goliath got kind of annoyed that I was spending so much time here, and Hudson couldn't find anything on television."

"Hudson can find anything on seventy cable channels," Sarah answered. "It's a gift."

"I think he's getting a case of cabin fever," Broadway said as the Trio, Sarah and Angela crossed the stones to join the others. "He's the one who always says we should protect, so I guess he felt left out."

Lex cleared his throat, imitating Hudson's accent. "'Gargoyles kin nae more stop protecting than we kin stop breathing the air, lads.'"

Angela clapped quietly. "You sounded just like him, Lex!"

"It's a gift," Lex joked. "Besides, with Drew occupied, we're a little shorthanded tonight anyway."

"If anything happens to my CDs," Sarah said, "I'm going to string Cal and Drew from the battlements."

They had reached the tower, and Goliath and Hudson had already gone. "You're running kind of late, guys," Elisa remarked. "I'll see you around; my shift starts pretty soon."

Brooklyn sighed as Elisa passed them and headed down the steps. "If anything happens to that Rent CD," he commented, "I'll buy them dinner with the cash I won off that poker game."

"Hey!" Sarah exclaimed indignantly, but Brooklyn spread his wings and launched into the night before she could do anything he would regret.

Lex shrugged. "What can I say? I only hatched in the same rookery he did." He grinned. "See you later tonight."

Sarah watched him go dutifully until he was just a speck in the sky. Turning, she hurried down the tower steps, dashing across the courtyard. "It's freezing out here!"

"Callie, open your eyes."

"No."

The tan gargoyle sighed as he glided over the city, trying to hide his frustration with his passenger. She was clinging to his neck, burying her face in his shoulders while her dark braids swirled around in the chilly night wind. "I thought this was your idea. Helping with your fear of heights?"

"I'll open them in a bit. Just give me a few more minutes."

Drew let out a heavy sigh as they headed towards midtown, then coughed. "At least loosen the death grip."

Callista lifted her head slightly, just enough to see the back of his neck. "I'm not choking you or anything, am I?"

"No, not really." He paused as the first few snowflakes swirled by, one hitting his cheek. "You sure you're not cold?"

"I'm f-fine." The chattering of her teeth belied that statement, and Drew shook his head.

"Well, I'm freezing my tail off. Literally. Let's get back inside where it's warm."

"No, I'll look up!" she cried in protest, jerking up her head as he circled downward, skimming the rooftops, and landed neatly on the small balcony of the apartment that Callista and Sarah shared. "Oh."

Drew sighed as she slid off his back. "Too late."

"I'm sorry," she said as she unlocked the sliding doors, shut off the alarm, and went inside. "I really was trying this time." She waited until Drew had drawn the shades before switching on the light.

"You don't have to keep doing this," Drew pointed out as Callista flopped down on the couch. "Not this way."

She leaned her head back, staring at the ceiling. "I just have to get over this fear. It's not getting in the way, but it's just another thing that's holding me back. If I can get over it, I'm a step closer to proving to Mum that I can take care of myself."

Drew was moving into the kitchen as she spoke, and she stopped short on those last few words. "Don't tell me she called again."

"Yep. Third time in the past two weeks. I don't know why Da hasn't pounced on her about the telephone bill." She craned her neck to see him rummaging through the shelves. "And just what do you think you're doing?"

"Getting something to drink," Drew said. He gestured at the coffeepot. "Unless you want to reheat some of Sarah's sludge."

"That stuff? Good heavens, no!" When Drew, Callista, and the entire Wyvern clan had ganged up on Sarah to cut down on the number of cups of coffee she drank daily, she had agreed to cut down - and promptly replaced the usual stuff with the strongest coffee Callista had ever tasted. Not even Lex could handle it. "I'd sooner drink battery acid."

"She probably puts some in there," Drew said, and Callista laughed.

Finally, a little privacy.

Sarah stuffed the suit, including the bra, into the shopping bag, casting about for a likely place to stash it. As she settled on the nearby broom closet, a voice suddenly spoke out of nowhere. "Sarah?"

Startled, she jerked up and hit her head on one of the brooms before shutting the closet. "Whoever said that, it's not funny," she said, rubbing her head as the voice chuckled. Looking up, she realized that someone had installed an intercom and video camera since last she'd checked. "Oh. Yes, Mrs. Xanatos?"

Fox snorted. "If you're done here, come up to the security communications room. David needs the security protocols correctly encoded, and I don't think we want Vera trying to do that."

The thought of the short-tempered Nordic blonde security chief trying to do anything technical brought a smile to Sarah's lips. "No kidding. I'll be there in a jiff." She turned and walked away.

As Fox's attention shifted away from the security display, she didn't notice the three wisps of green light slip from under the closet door and into the ventilation system.

There were a few other security personnel wandering around the upper floors, Sam noticed. Probably old hires, with seniority on their side and background checks that came up pro-gargoyle.

She pushed away her musings as Burnett led them into the main communications room, a windowless office in the center of the maze of hallways that they had passed through. The walls were almost entirely covered with screens - feedback from security cameras, radar screens, infrared detectors, a few television screens tuned to news stations. The desk in the center of the room was U-shaped and arrayed with several different phones, control consoles, and a video communications uplink.

Two people were seated behind the desk. The first was a heavyset blonde woman in a security uniform, whose presence didn't surprise Sam in the least. Vera Lundy had worked for Xanatos Enterprises for as long as Sam could remember, and she was always in charge of some detail. Sam wasn't thrilled to see her in the least; Vera was a definite control freak.

The other person was a bit of a surprise. While Vera was merely sitting there, looking irritated, the person hunched over the keyboard was doing all the work. The girl was probably in her early twenties, Rachel's age, with shoulder-length hair that was alternately blonde and light brown, probably highlighted. She was wearing jeans, a black tank top, and a beat-up camouflage jacket, and the glow of the screen was reflected off wire-rimmed glasses as her hands flew over the keyboard.

As Sam finished sizing her up, the girl stopped typing and scooted her chair backwards, pumping her fists into the air. "Done! And it's a new world record, mates!"

"Finally," Vera added in a low voice as she suddenly realized who had entered. Hastily, she jumped to her feet as Burnett cleared his throat.

He wasn't at all fazed by the other girl's display. "Most of you know Vera Lundy, our head of upper-floor security." Sam bit back a groan at that. "You will report to her for all but extreme emergencies. Otherwise, you will report to me." His gaze shifted to the other girl. "May I present Sarah Adams, Mrs. Xanatos' technical assistant."

Sarah's gaze flicked to Handsaw. "Oh, lord, Owen, the rumors are true. You hired the moron." Handsaw muttered something under his breath, and Sam couldn't hide her grin. She was starting to like this girl.

Owen continued unfazed. "If you are indeed finished with the protocols, Miss Adams, you may go. I believe you have other duties to attend to."

"Network security checking. The excitement continues." Sarah gathered up her things, nodded to them quickly, and left.

Three figures slowly solidified in three bathroom stalls, the only area of the castle that was not under surveillance. From the stalls stepped three women, identical in face and form save for their hair, in security uniforms. The white-haired one snapped her fingers, and abruptly the cameras shut off. "Now we may speak."

Selene did. "We are within the castle walls, but must consider its defenses."

"The child of Oberon's line?" Luna questioned.

Phoebe looked smug. "Nowhere to be found."

"Titania's child--" Selene began.

"Has not the power or experience to best us," Phoebe argued.

"And what of the gargoyles, sister?" Selene put in.

Luna sniffed. "Goliath's clan is no match for our might. Our glamours will hide us from mortal eyes."

Selene was not convinced. "Have you planned for the Puck?"

The crafty smile that crossed Phoebe's face was soon reflected in those of her sisters.

"Denaro, report."

Sam muttered something foul in Italian before snatching up the transceiver from her belt. "Perimeter is secure. Same as it was two minutes ago."

"Don't get smart with me, Denaro," Vera snapped in response. "I don't care if you don't like me. You're not the one in charge here."

"I'm aware of that. You've been pounding us over the head with it for the past few hours anyway."

There was a sputtering noise from the other end. "Watch yourself. I don't care what your record says, I can get you fired in a heartbeat. Make one little--"

The elevator light came on; someone was coming up. Sam frowned, reaching for the pistol at her side. There hadn't been any reports of incoming visitors. She cut off Vera mid-rant. "Seriously, do we have any cleared visitors incoming?"

"Not that I know of. And don't change the subject. You're--"

One more floor to go. Sam flattened herself against the wall, dropping the transceiver to the carpet and drawing the gun. As the doors opened, she whirled, training the pistol on the person inside. "Freeze!"

Matt Bluestone blinked a few times at the muzzle of the gun. Obviously, he was too well acquainted with the weirdness level in the Eyrie to be all that fazed. "Well, this is a first," he said casually, raising his hands in the air. "Most of my dates use a blunt object."

"Jesus, Bluestone!" She lowered the gun, holstering it again as he stepped into the corridor. "You scared the shit out of me! Didn't the boys downstairs report you in?"

"Yeah, but nobody answered." That brought another stream of cursing in Italian, and Matt grinned. "Surrounded by idiots, Slick?"

"Just being ordered around by one. Why that bastard Xanatos hired her, I don't know." He handed her the fallen transceiver, which was still broadcasting Vera's ranting, and handed it to her. Shaking her head, she switched it off. "What are you doing here, anyway?"

Matt sighed. "Picking up blackmail material. A certain someone turned on the security cameras during the karaoke at the Christmas party. I'm going to get the tape and burn it before she can do anything with it."

"A certain someone?"

"Sarah Adams."

"Oh, yeah, she was there?" He nodded. "Thought I'd seen her before." She took his arm and dragged him down the hallway. "You know, I've gotta report this into the queen bitch."

"What do you need me for?"

"A witness. I just want to see the look on her face when she realizes she screwed up." She paused, realizing which arm she'd grabbed. "Oops. How's the shoulder?"

"Greetings, Puck."

The familiar trio of voices sent a chill through Owen Burnett. Setting down the reports, he calmly turned in his chair to face them. "And just what do I owe the pleasure of this meeting?"

"There shall be no pleasantries today," Luna said.

"We must not fail in our deed," Selene added.

"So you must be removed," Phoebe finished, as an amulet appeared in her hands. It was as dark as obsidian, a black orb on a silver chain. As the three sisters began to chant in Latin, he realized precisely what they were about to do.

Owen's fist flew to the button on his desk. "Mr. Xanatos! We have an emer--"

He hadn't a chance to finish as blackness swallowed him.

"You two!" Vera ordered, stabbing a finger at Gwen and Handsaw. "Intruder. Burnett's office. Now."

The three security guards headed off, running down the corridor. A minute later, Sam and Matt reached the communication room only to find it empty. "Great," Sam muttered. "Now where did she go?"

Xanatos met them at the door of his majordomo's office. "On my count," Vera hissed. "One, two...three!"

She kicked the door open and the three security guards burst in, followed by Xanatos, weapons drawn.

Owen Burnett glanced up at them. "May I help you, Mr. Xanatos?"

"Owen?" Xanatos paused, suspicious. "Is everything all right?"

"Of course, sir. Why would it be otherwise?"

Gwen answered first. "Sir, there was an emergency call sent to Mr. Xanatos from your office." She ignored the glare Vera shot her.

Owen frowned. "I haven't called for help." He stood up. "I will speak with Miss Adams. She was called in to debug the security protocols earlier, and perhaps she overlooked some problems."

"You do that," Xanatos said, nodding. He gestured, and the security guards filed out.

Handsaw scratched his head. "Is it just me, or was that not normal?"

"I don't know..." Xanatos stroked his beard thoughtfully.

"Sir, I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary," Vera added.

Xanatos' gaze fell on Gwen. "A program glitch could not have resulted in a faked call like that," she pointed out. "Sir."

"All right," Xanatos said after a moment. "Lundy, put someone on this office. No one is allowed to leave."

Vera choked. "But there's nothing wrong, sir. You heard Mr. Burnett say so himself."

Xanatos frowned. "Perhaps."

"This damned thing isn't working now," Sam muttered as she led Matt down the hallway, fiddling with the transceiver in her hand.

"Not your fault," Matt said. "You can always blame me if you want."

"Yeah, well, Hitler's little sister will blame me anyway." They reached the oaken door at the end of the hall. "This is the place."

Fox Xanatos looked up as they came in. Flashing them a quick smile, she turned her attention back to the cellphone. "Now really, Robert," she purred, "don't you think it's just a tad unrealistic to expect a shipment of generators in Japan in less than a month? Especially since they're still in production." Covering the mouthpiece with her free hand, Fox murmured, "Come on in. I've already got this contractor eating out of my hand."

She turned back to the cellphone, her voice slightly more businesslike. "I'm so glad you see it that way. You can push the deadline up to March, then?" There was a grumbling on the other end, and she slipped back into sultry tones. "Yes, I know Nightstone promised you that time frame, but I don't believe Miss Destine promised a quality shipment as well." A pause. "March it is, then. I'll relay the changes to David. I have a meeting now," she added, "so that will be all. It's been a pleasure working with you. Goodbye."

With that, she hung up. "What," Matt said, "was that?"

"Simply the reason that I've closed many more deals for David than anyone has for Nightstone," Fox answered. "You're here for the tape, I take it?"

Matt snorted as she pulled a videotape out of a drawer. "You sure this is it? If Elisa gets her hands on this--"

"Positive," Fox insisted. "I'm not in the mood to be caught in the middle of another prank war."

Sam raised an eyebrow as they left the office. "Prank war?"

Matt shoved the tape into the pocket of his trench coat. "You don't want to know."

The cross-eyed grinning visage appeared on the television screen. "Dr. Frankenstein?"

"Fronkensteen."

"You're putting me on."

Drew snickered from his comfortable position on the couch, sprawled on one end with Callie leaning against him, her head resting on his chest. She seemed just on the verge of falling asleep, and Drew yawned, feeling the same way himself. It turned out that her big evening was just some help with heights and a quiet night together. Not that he was complaining in the least.

He looked down at her, idly stroking her hair. She looked peaceful, undisturbed, a change from her usual frazzled self. It was a nice change.

Just as he was dropping off himself, Callie's eyes suddenly flew open. Before Drew could realize what was happening, she flung herself off the couch and jumped to her feet. "Drew, we've got to get out of here!"

So much for peace and quiet. Drew blinked and sat up, coming back to full awareness somewhat slower than she. "What? Cal, what's wrong?"

"There's something wrong at the Eyrie!"

"How do you know--" He cut himself off, thinking better of it. "What's wrong at the Eyrie?"

She shook her head as he stood up. "I don't know, but we have to get there! Now!"

Drew gently put his hands on her shoulders, turning her to face him. "Callie, calm down. Think about what you're saying."

She shoved his hands away. "I have! I have!"

"Look, we can't just run out there in this," Drew began.

Callista took a deep breath. "Drew, I know what I'm talking about. Everyone there is in trouble. I know they are."

Drew was looking at her uncertainly. "Uh, Callie?"

"I can't even reach that prick of a teacher I have!" she continued, clearly unaware of what she was doing. As her voice rose in pitch, she rose in elevation.

"Callie?"

"Drew, if we don't get to the castle right now, my precog is going to drive me crazy!"

"Callie!!" Drew finally shouted, his eyes flaring briefly white before reverting to normal.

It was enough to shake her out of it somewhat. "What?"

"You're really starting to worry me."

"But, I'm telling you - "

"I know, I know." He moved slowly around the couch, holding his hands out as non-threateningly as possible. "But do you know that you're about three feet off the floor?"

"What??" She finally looked down. With a shriek, she promptly crashed to the floor seconds before Drew could catch her.

She staggered to her feet, brushing off his attempts to help her up. "I'm fine, I'm fine." Rubbing her head, she noticed that Drew was grabbing their coats from the chair. "What are you doing?"

"Getting you ready to go," Drew answered, handing her the coat.

She shook her head. "Both of us. Flying is faster with all the traffic."

Drew stared at her for a moment, then out the window at the steadily falling snow. He grabbed his own coat, pulling it over his shoulders and fastening the wing slits at the bottom. "You want me to fly you? In this?" She nodded eagerly, and he sighed. "This is serious."