Weekend Off
by Amanda Ohlin

As Sarah tried in vain to break away from the barrage of laser fire that she alternately blocked and returned, she noticed the tan form of Twilight dive down, plummeting after Callista's small form. No matter how hard she tried, though, she could not blast a safe path to help, and watched in horror as her best friend, followed by Twilight (how the hell did Twilight know her name?) sped towards certain death.

The bang of a gun from inside the cockpit caught her attention; although the laser fire was a lot louder, the shot was different enough to be discerned. A quick look at the broken glass and the spattered blood told her what had happened as the helicopter dipped and swerved, descending towards the nearest tower. At the rate it was going, the crash was bound to cause one hell of an explosion.

She hit the ejection button - and nothing happened. "Damn it!" The ejection was stuck, which meant she was confined to the e-frame. As the remaining Quarrymen bailed out, she dropped beneath the helicopter and fired up the rockets, trying in vain to slow its descent. It didn't work, and as she looked down at the readouts, she knew why. The e-frame was low on power; after the maneuvering she'd done and the hits that it had taken, there was liable to be a leak of some sort.

On a hunch, she punched up a screen and ran a low-level scan. The 96.7 percent chance of dangerous explosives on board confirmed her suspicions. They were about to get blown to bits unless she did something!

"Lex!" Thank god the comm system was working. "I need some help! If we don't stop this bleedin' behemoth, there's not going to be much left of the castle!"

"Coming!" She saw Lex glide towards the helicopter and snatch hold of a runner, pulling himself into the cabin. "Holy--" He shoved the body out of the way and grabbed the controls. "I'm not sure I can do it!" He flipped some switches and pulled back on the stick, and the helicopter began to level out. Slightly. "Sarah, this thing has too much momentum for me alone!" "Hold on!" She switched to auxiliary power and diverted every last bit towards the rockets. "Okay, here goes nothing!"

The rockets came on at full blast as she pushed up at the nose, slowly leveling the craft out. Lex cheered and slowly, carefully, steered the helicopter to the courtyard, landing much more gracefully than Elisa had.

"What about Callie?" Sarah gasped to no one in particular.

Drew tucked in his wings and streamlined himself in as straight a dive as he could muster, steadily gaining on the figure plummeting towards the pavement. As he finally managed to overtake her, he bent and snapped his wings open, catching her awkwardly and climbing the air current upwards as she jerked like a doll in his grip. He winced; catching passes, or anything in particular, had never been his strong suit.

He was vaguely aware of her grabbing on to his neck as he soared upward, praying there was enough wind to get them back up to the castle. "Oh, thank god," she muttered. "Thank y--" She suddenly cut off, staring at him. "No. Dear lord, it can't be."

As they rose up in sight of the castle, he blinked, confused. Surely, he thought, she didn't know who he was. Sarah sure hadn't, and he saw her more often. He swallowed and glided towards one of the empty parapets, away from the battle between the gargoyles and the remaining Quarrymen down in the courtyard. "It's okay. You're safe; I'm not going to hurt you."

His landing was wobbly, but she slipped gracefully from his arms, staring at him in amazement. Drew took a few deep breaths, nursing his shoulder as a wave of exhaustion overtook him. He had accidentally dropped his pack, causing some of the contents to come loose, but he paid no attention to it as he met her gaze. Callista's dark eyes were wide with disbelief. "D-Drew? Is that you?"

"Oh, hell," he muttered, trying to hide behind a wing. "Now I know I should have just opted for the damned home."

She was still staring. "Why - how--" Callista trailed off, realizing. "Oh, my Lord. You've got to be bloody joking."

"Huh?" He blinked, confused.

Callista was almost sputtering in rage. "Why couldn't you settle for experimental cures like everyone else?"

Drew was stunned speechless. How did Callista know?

A strange scream caught their attention, and they looked up to see a strange figure floating above them, dressed in gaudy, colorful garb. With a mane of white hair and pointed ears, he looked like he had just appeared from a book of fairy tales. But unlike the smiling pixies of those tales, the figure wasn't smiling. His hands were pressed to his temples and he was crying out as a tempest of fireworks and blasts of light spouted from his form. The harvest moon seemed to turn fiery above him.

Below, the spectacle spurred the Quarrymen into a mad panic, making it easier for the gargoyles, Sarah, and Fox to fight back against them. But no one was safe from the pyrotechnics that he was inadvertently creating while he spun in a continuing aerial somersault, clutching his head in pain.

"Moon madness," Drew muttered in spite of himself.

Just then, a freak gust of cold air struck them, nearly pushing him backwards and blowing the book of magic wide open. As it came to a certain page, the wind died out.

Drew turned towards Callista, and nearly choked to see her surrounded by some sort of strange bluish-white aura. As if in a trance, she stumbled towards the book and knelt before it. Moving like a sleepwalker, she placed her hands on the binding and chanted a stream of Latin words, presumably from the page before her.

The aura glowed even more brightly, then streaked upward, blasting first at the spinning figure, then at the harvest moon. As it made contact, forming a triangle, with Callista, the moon, and the character in the air as the endpoints, there was a sudden blast of white light that obscured everyone's vision for a few moments.

When it faded, the moon was pale white again, and the figure was gone.

Still stuck in the e-frame, Sarah looked around at the unconscious Quarrymen, the suddenly human Elisa, the white moon, and the slightly dazed figure of Owen Burnett, who had just appeared out of nowhere. "Will someone please tell me what's going on???"

"Sure, when I figure it out," Elisa groaned, stumbling backwards into Goliath's arms. She sent him a grateful look. "Thanks, big guy."

Fox stormed past the unconscious forms and the dazed gargoyles, fiercely glaring at Owen. "You! I would kill you for this!"

Owen blinked and licked his lips, pulling together his stone-cold exterior. "As much as you would like to believe otherwise, Mrs. Xanatos, I am not solely responsible for tonight's fiasco."

"Hey," Brooklyn said suddenly, "where's Twilight?"

As he spoke, the door at the base of one of the smaller towers opened to admit a dazed Callista and an exhausted Twilight. Angela and Broadway, followed by Brooklyn, Fox, and Owen, moved to assist the two of them. Oddly enough, Callista was absolutely furious. Not at the Quarrymen, not at Sarah, but at Twilight.

"I cannot believe you," Callista grumbled. "I've heard of people desperate to get better, but this - this is too much."

Twilight sighed. "Callie, I was desperate. There was nothing to lose."

"Nothing to lose? Nothing to lose? Are you daft?" Callista looked ready to explode. "How about your humanity, Drew??"

Sarah choked. "Drew? Is that you?"

Drew put a hand to his head. "Sarah, don't start. Please don't start. It's going to be tough enough explaining this to Handsaw."

Shaking her head, Callista looked tiredly about her, assessing the menagerie gathered there. Her gaze locked on he pristine figure of Owen Burnett. "You!" she exclaimed.

Owen looked momentarily flustered - yet a bit expectant as well. "Are you addressing me?"

"No, not really." In a daze, she moved towards him, and slapped him hard, sparks erupting from the contact. There was a strange popping sound, and Owen seemed to turn inside out. A moment later, the pixie was gleefully floating in his place.

Fox stared at Callista. "How did you do that?"

The young woman was inspecting her hand, a mixture of curiosity and disbelief on her face. "I really don't know." She looked up at the form floating before her. "But I'm guessing you do."

"Of course!" He did a flip. "The Puck knows all."

Eleven pairs of eyes looked at him expectantly, and he swallowed. "I'll start with you," he said, turning to Callista. "You've always had them, despite someone's attempts to keep them blocked. I can only assume that a family member with a similar gift is responsible."

"My mother," Callista finished. "She was obsessed with supernatural drivel."

Puck clapped his hands. "Exactly! Except the drivel part." He turned to Fox. "And, no, I am not wholly responsible for this mess. For one thing, the harvest moon superstition takes on a new meaning for the fay, and I got the night off. At the same time, the magical currents were thrown off course so much that her shields failed utterly." He turned towards Drew, who was clutching an old leatherbound book. "As for how - and why - the Grimorum Arcanorum sought you out, only Avalon knows."

Goliath's eyes widened. "The Grimorum! How?"

"Avalon works in mysterious ways," Puck answered snidely. "Besides, how else would a safeguard spell show up just in time?"

Before anyone could ask any more questions, there was a shout, and everyone turned as Sarah was suddenly shot out of the e-frame into the night sky. "What the--" Brooklyn began, and Fox swore.

Everyone stared at her. "Delayed reaction time," she muttered.

"Why isn't anyone doing anything?" Angela exclaimed, unfolding her wings, but Lex caught her arm, pointing upwards.

They all looked up to see a parachute open, and Sarah began a slow and semi-safe descent. "Sorry, mates!" Fox heard her shout. "Made a couple of adjustments after last time!"

Brooklyn, Lex, and Broadway snickered. As they watched her steer, the gargoyles didn't notice a dark figure staggering to his feet.

As he opened his eyes, the cold stone felt like ice against his bleeding lip. Handsaw stifled a groan and slowly pulled himself up, trying not to make any noise. The gargoyles - the beasts - were too engrossed in the sky above to notice his furtive movements. He bent for the rifle lying a few feet away, and paused, noticing Callista standing beside the tan gargoyle. Suddenly, he had some sort of vision, of that creature swooping down to save her after she'd fallen - fallen? Shaking his head, he wavered; the last thing he recalled was Fox Xanatos' heel making contact with his face, and Callie had still been in the lead copter.

He gritted his teeth and reached again for the weapon, wincing against the pain in his side. It was just his imagination playing tricks on him. As his glance flickered back to the group, he stopped again, hearing Drew's voice. Drew's voice, coming from the mouth of that gargoyle, the one with the same black hair and green eyes. For some reason, he was reminded of his cousin's obsession with myths and the occult.

Snap out of it! he told himself. Do it already! The perfect opportunity was right within his grasp, and his fingers closed around the smooth metal of the laser rifle. He stood and hoisted it, powering the laser up. The resulting whine of energy caused the group to turn, but it was too late. He couldn't resist a grin as he aimed and prepared to fire.

But his vision was blurry; there was a risk that he might hit Callie. Handsaw couldn't risk that, not after all she'd been through. She might hate him now, but he couldn't hurt her any more. "All right, nobody move!" he rasped, tasting the salty blood flowing from his lip. "Callie, over here. Now."

She glared at him. "I don't think so."

"Let her go!" He tried to keep the weapon steady, but he was shaking. Xanatos' wife could pack one hell of a punch. "Or else I'll shoot!" He tried to keep it aimed at the gargoyles on the other side of the group, away from Callista. Even if he could take one of them out, another one of the beasts could still get her.

Then why haven't they done it now? his common sense screamed, but his hysteria pushed it away as the tan gargoyle gently pushed Callista to the side, standing in front of the group.

His voice was as shaky as Handsaw's gun. "Put it down, Handsaw. This is crazy. You can't kill these people."

Drew's voice. No! his mind screamed. "They - you aren't people, you're beasts!" he gasped. "If we - if we don't stop you, you'll - you'll get us!" Somehow, the words seemed more rehearsed than real.

"Then shoot me." The gargoyle opened his arms, waiting. "Go ahead, Handsaw. Shoot your own cousin. See if I get you."

"Drew, you moron, don't!" he heard Sarah yell from above.

Handsaw's knees buckled, and he began shaking like crazy. "God, no," he gasped. "No, oh damn, it can't be--"

Drew caped his wings rather awkwardly, taking a step forward. "It's me, man. It really is."

A cold, clammy sweat broke out on his neck. "No, oh man, no, are you nuts??" The rifle was about to fall, he was shaking so badly.

"It's better than a home," Drew said weakly.

Handsaw sucked in a deep breath. "No. I can't take this. They did this!" he shouted, gesturing at the group behind him. "They did this to you!"

But Drew shook his head. "No. I did this. It's my life. And it gave me a chance to live again."

Shaking his head again, Handsaw brought up the gun. "It's a lie!" he screamed, pointing it at Drew's chest.

"Oh, for Christ's sake!" someone shouted, and then Callista was there, between the rifle and Drew. "Handsaw, stop it. It's true. It's bloody idiotic, but this is real."

She was staring at him, with those big dark eyes of hers blazing. When she was angry, Callie was beautiful.

"I--" He broke off. "I just wanted to protect you--"

"From what?" she said softly. "From them? From your cousin, who saved me?" Callista was giving him the full force of her stare, and god, was he ever a sucker for it. "Herb, it's over. The fight is over. The shooting is over. You and me - are over."

He looked over at Drew, who sighed. "I told you I wasn't going to be thrown into a home," his cousin said quietly.

Handsaw lowered the gun, still indecisive, but the decision was made for him as something crashed onto him from above, and he found himself engulfed in white parachute fabric. "Touchdown!" Sarah shouted. Handsaw groaned; no matter what, Callie's roommate was a pain in the ass.

"That's ok, Handsaw! I got 'em, man!" he heard Max yell, and the familiar whine of a laser pistol.

Oh, no. "Wait, Max, don't--" There was a bang, and a scream. Handsaw almost screamed as well, but caught himself. Bang? Lasers don't make that sound.

He struggled from the parachute to see Vinnie's weapon on the ground, and a redhead in a trench coat pointing a service revolver at him. "Bluestone, NYPD. You're under arrest." The cop looked over at the group. "See, I didn't miss all the action, partner."

Too tired to question this development, Handsaw passed out.

The last three hours of the evening were spent talking. Explaining. Backed up by Elisa and Matt, Fox managed to spin a convincing story to the rest of the arriving police, who in turn rounded up, questioned, and arrested the invasion fleet scattered about the courtyard. Due to the fact that most of them were belligerent and/or incoherent, their stories didn't hold up enough to conflict with Fox's story of the night's events.

John Castaway was not among them. It was speculated that he had been among the few who had bailed out during the attack, a complication that bothered everyone. But there was nothing that could be done about it immediately.

Callista spent half an hour ranting at Sarah with "Why didn't you tell me?" and "How do you get 'co-workers' out of a bunch of gargoyles?" before she calmed down and managed an actual discussion. Handsaw willingly went off with the police, too depressed and confused to complain. He said nothing to Drew or Callista, and Drew wisely stayed hidden with the rest of the clan.

Owen vanished for a time, but first informed Fox that he was summoned briefly to Avalon - sans Alexander, he assured her - to speak with Oberon. He did not sound thrilled, so Fox decided not to press. If Puck was going to suffer, she would not stand in his way.

Up on their roosting tower, Drew was doing a lot of talking as well, to six gargoyles and one detective.

"So ye just decided ta try it, laddie?" Hudson asked in disbelief. "Just like that?"

Drew took a deep breath. "I don't know. It felt like I was out of options. The night before, I heard Handsaw talking to his guy from a health center in Albany. My parents had already signed for me, but it was up to him to transport me there on Monday." He snorted. "Since I was sick, he automatically assumed I was deaf, too."

"Assume makes an a--" Lex stopped at Goliath's glare. "Sorry. Too easy."

"What about the Grimorum?" Elisa said. "What are you going to do with it?"

He stopped, considering. "I don't know. Frankly, I'd like to be rid of it. Even if there was a spell to change me back, I'm sort of afraid it would bring back my illness as well."

"You could burn it," Broadway offered.

Goliath rumbled. "I doubt that you could," he said. "If the Grimorum could survive being inside the Archmage when he was destroyed, and then make an underwater journey unharmed, then burning it may not dispel its magic."

"But then what do we do with it, Father?" Angela asked.

Drew shrugged. "I could keep it under wraps until we figure out how to do away with it. Something tells me it could be trouble."

"There's the understatement of the year," Brooklyn said, remembering how Demona had tricked him.

"One question remains, lads," Hudson added, and they turned to look at him as he addressed Drew. "What are ye going t' do now?"

"I have no idea," Drew admitted. "Callista hates me, Sarah gripes every time I come near, Handsaw's still in shock, I can't explain this to my dad, and holding down a job is out for now." He thought for a moment. "I considered approaching the PIT crew, but I'm not sure how." He looked down at the stones beneath his talons.

"Why don't you stay with us?" Broadway said, and both Goliath and Drew jerked up. "Well, come on, it makes sense. You already helped us out with the Quarrymen, so we at least owe you something."

Drew started to protest, but Goliath nodded. "An excellent idea." He extended a hand. "We would be honored if you would join our clan, Andrew."

"I--" Drew was at a loss for words. "Thanks," was all he managed as he took Goliath's hand and shook it. "Thank you."

"Group hug!" Brooklyn joked, and Lex and Broadway burst out laughing.

"No time fer that," Hudson said, a wry smile on his face as he gestured towards the horizon. "Sunrise is coming."

Brooklyn jumped up. "Okay, guys, positions!"

"What's going on?" Drew muttered to Angela as she guided him towards an unused perch.

She smiled. "You'll find out."

Shrugging, he tried to get comfortable, and heard Goliath and Elisa talking nearby. "Elisa, about the--"

The detective rubbed her back, where the wings had torn through her t- shirt. "I know. Tomorrow night."

"Tomorrow night," he agreed as the first few rays poked over the horizon.

The two young women walked slowly out into the courtyard, tired and disheveled. Callista had gotten over her hysteria, and had agreed to take a walk to avoid the urge to smash anything. She was silent, thinking, and Sarah didn't dare interrupt.

"I can't believe I have to go back to work on Monday," Callista said suddenly. Sarah stared at her. "Well, after all this? Work is stressful enough without all this weirdness to get through."

Sarah shrugged. "At least you didn't turn into a gargoyle," she said, then clapped a hand over her mouth.

"I still cannot believe he did that," Callista sighed. "Healthy or not, it won't make Drew's life any easier."

"Yeah, he won't be able to sneak into a Knicks game quite so easily."

They laughed for a moment. "How long have you known?" Callista said.

"Known? About what? Oh, that." Sarah shrugged. "A few months, since I got the job here."

Her roommate said nothing, only looked up at the sky. Sunrise was coming, Sarah realized, but she was too exhausted to dash up and "tuck in" Lex like she usually did. It was probably best if she waited until Sunday evening to make it up to him. Lex would understand.

As the sun peered over the horizon, they heard the sound of stone solidifying, accompanied by an unexpected cry of pain. Exchanging a brief glance, the two girls dashed towards the tower, bolted up the stairs and scrambled out into the fresh air again just in time to see something they hadn't quite expected.

Elisa was supporting a rather confused and tired Drew - in human form. He looked exactly like his old self, except now he was fleshed out and healthy, resembling his high school pictures more than the Drew that Sarah had met a few months before. He coughed and looked at them through bleary eyes. "Got an aspirin?"

Two words were all that Sarah could muster. "Oh, boy."

Sunday

"Run this by me one more time??" Lex said, as Sarah gulped down her third cup of coffee. He was so confused that he didn't bother to harass her about her addiction for once.

With a sigh, Drew tried vainly to reposition himself, still not adjusted to wings and tail. At sunset, he'd changed back into a gargoyle, something which was taking even longer to adjust to. "I just knew what spell to use, and that it would work. Look, Lex, I read a lot of this stuff, so I had a bit of research backing me up."

"That's not really what I meant," Lex said. "If the spell aimed to change you into a gargoyle, period, why didn't you turn into stone?"

Drew shrugged, and it was Owen who answered. "From what I have been able to glean, his illness conflicted with the transformation. It canceled out the regenerative stone sleep, but did not allow him to remain gargoyle by day." The assistant managed a thin smile. "In short, it was a compromise of sorts."

"Like Demona," Goliath growled, frowning as Drew, Callista, and Sarah stared at him. "That is a story for another time."

Sarah shook her head. "I still can't get over your alter ego," she remarked to Owen. Turning to Drew, she added, "You talked to your cousin yet?"

He grimaced. "Yeah, after the cops sorted everything out. He's got about a month in jail time to think it over." Drew sighed. "Handsaw didn't take it all that well, but it was enough to get him to quit the Quarrymen."

"There's some good news," Brooklyn muttered.

"Speaking of news," Owen interjected, and they turned to see Puck floating in his place. "Ta da!"

Sarah rolled her eyes.

Puck snorted. "So much for melodramatics. Anyway, yours truly just survived a meeting with Oberon--"

"Oberon? Shakespeare's Oberon?" Callista asked.

"Will you stop interrupting me? That's a nasty habit." Puck floated around so that he could address them all. "As I was saying, the Lord and Lady of Avalon have authorized me to take on another pupil. Guess who?" He grinned at Callista.

Having finally heard the entire story, Callista frowned. "Puck, I'm not in the mood to spend my life on your island."

"Don't worry, you won't. You're human." There was a confused silence, and the fay continued. "The reason is that if your talent manifested because of that lovely harvest moon last night, it follows that others who are similarly gifted could 'break out' just as easily. So, with your permission, I would be honored--" here he gave her a mocking bow-- "to help you control your powers, and do a little family research to see just where they came from."

"So she's a guinea pig," Drew said acidly.

Callista ignored him, and shrugged. "All right," she said, and Puck positively beamed. "But it's going to be on my terms."

"Uh-oh," Sarah murmured. "Vogel's going to regret getting up tomorrow."

"I'm not going back to Cyberbiotics," Callista said. "I quit."

Drew blinked. "What? Why?"

Puck vanished, replaced by Owen. "Miss Reynolds has been offered a better job," he answered. "I happen to need a 'research assistant.'"

At that, Sarah groaned and pushed herself up. "That's it. I need some fresh air." She turned and headed towards the door.

Lex scooted after her. "Allow me, madam," he teased, opening the door for her before following her outside. Angela and Broadway, then Brooklyn, followed. Hudson took Drew's arm. "Come along, lad. If ye're going to survive as a gargoyle, ye need t' train some."

As Drew groaned, he allowed himself to be guided out the door. Callista smiled briefly, then sighed and headed outside as well. Owen vanished into the shadows, leaving Elisa and Goliath alone in the living room.

"It's tomorrow night," Elisa said quietly. "Let's talk."

Goliath smiled softly and took her in his arms. As he did so, there was a squishing sound. Elisa pulled back, looking down at the dark stain in horror. Since her shirt had been shredded the previous night, she had substituted a white blouse and left her customary red jacket at home, just to celebrate her own night off. And, suddenly, there was a huge blue spot of ink all over the front.

Realization dawned as she reached slowly into the pocket and drew out the shattered water balloon. A wicked grin crept across her face as Goliath stared. "I don't know how he did it," she said. "But Matt is going to pay."

Goliath groaned.

The private plane arrived right on time, which mildly surprised the man waiting with an entourage of executives and lawyers who were really only there to kiss up. He quickly adjusted his collar and smoothed his jacket, a small, expectant smile on his face. It had been quite a long weekend indeed, and the anticipation of Sunday night's arrival had only made it seem longer. David Xanatos surreptitiously stole a glance at two of the lawyers, who were whispering to each other for no apparent reason. Probably planning financial strategy, no doubt.

He frowned as the hatch opened smoothly, wishing that something would happen to make them shut up about deals for five seconds. Lawyers were worse than executives.

As the person he'd been waiting to see stepped gracefully from the plane, he got his wish. Xanatos, as well as a few of the executives, gaped, and the lawyers stopped arguing as Fox calmly descended the stairway. Her manner was that of a goddess descending from the heavens, and that dress - what was holding up that dress?

She smiled seductively, enjoying the effect that the little black cocktail dress with the low neckline and high skirt hem was having on him. Fox deliberately took her time, using every moment she could before pulling on her coat and taking Alex from the attendant's arms. Vaguely, David realized that she hadn't said anything about bringing their son, but he was too blown away to care.

Fox broke the spell with a kiss, depositing Alex into his arms. "Did you miss me?" she purred, her blue eyes sparkling.

Did he ever. "You know the answer to that." He took Alex in one strong arm, and took her hand in his own as they headed towards the waiting limo. "I take it you had an interesting weekend after all."

"Extremely interesting," was her answer, and from the tone of her voice, the rest of their evening was not going to be dull either.