TITLE:Creatures of the Night: Don't Cry
AUTHOR:Dracona Dragillin
SUMMARY:(Gargoyles/Buffy the Vampire Slayer) When Brooklyn and Willow meet in real life, they're both going to get a big surprise.
DISCLAIMER: Buffy the Vampire Slayer belongs to Joss Whedon and Gargoyles belongs to Disney.
The song "Don't Cry" belongs to Seal.

Consciousness hit me like a jolt. I gasped, sucking in air very quickly. Where was I? I
was laying on a large comfortable couch in some sort of a living room. There was a
lot of expensive high tech stereo equipment. I got up off the couch and walked to the
door. I tried the handle and found that it was unlocked.

That's when I got hit with a case of the wiggins. I figured out that either had gotten
captured by Spike or that red skinned, beaked demon got me. But I've never seen a
demon like that one. Yeah, it probably was the demon who kidnapped me. Spike
wouldn't leave me alone, unbound, and in an unlocked room. But why would this
demon leave me alone like this?

I opened the door and looked outside. No one was there. NO one was guarding me?
What was this demon up to? I wished that Buffy, Giles, or any of the other Slayerettes
were here. I walked down the stone hallway that looked like something out of a
medieval fantasy. I shivered slightly against the cold and continued to walk down
the hall until I reached a stairway. I headed up the stairs; my steps became faster and
faster as my fears grew. No one was coming after me. Was anyone watching me?
Imaginary eyes watched me from the darkness causing my heart to beat faster.

Reaching a door, I opened it and walked through. The night sky was above me, filled
with stars. Beneath my feet was a stone balcony. I walked over to the waist-high
stone wall that edges the balcony. The building, I was on, was some sort of a stone
castle on top of a skyscraper? How was I supposed to get out of here?.

I turned around, determined to retrace my steps and get out. But there he was, the
demon, the wind playing with his long white hair. I backed away from him, only to
find the stone wall behind me. Clutching the wall, I stammered, "Who are you?"

He smiled at me gently. I looked into his eyes and realized that they were no longer
flashing white. Actually his eyes were black and filled with concern? This was
getting too weird. Then he spoke, "Willow, calm down. It's me, Brooklyn. We've got
a lot to talk about. But you're going to have to move away from the edge." His voice
was gentle and kind but I still didn't trust him.

"Why!?!" I screeched, "So you can kill me or...or worse!?!"

"No," his tone became softer but bitter, "so you don't fall off the building. I can
always glide down and catch you but that might frighten you even more. Look if you
want, I'll back off even more." To demonstrate this, he took about five steps back and
I stepped away from the edge.

"Who are you? You can't be Brooklyn! What do you want from me?" I babbled on not
realizing what I was saying.

"I am Brooklyn and I can prove it. You're Willow Rosenburg. You have a fear of
frogs. You've been in love with your best friend, Xander Harris since first grade, even
though he did steal your Barbie doll. Your other friends are Buffy, who used to live
in LA until she got kicked out of her high school for burning down the gym, and
Cordelia, who was a snob until she fell in love with Xander. Will, I even know about
your relationship to Oz and how it ended. I know all this because you told me. But
I'm not a demon. I'm a gargoyle, not a demon, and I mean you no harm." He put his
hand out, "Please? I won't hurt you."

What if he was telling the truth. Maybe he didn't want to hurt me. I was so unsure
and scared but something in side of me made me take his hand. He knew too much
to not be Brooklyn. And he was too gentle, I remembered that even when Malcom
was sweet-talking me, I kept getting feelings that he was too aggressive. Then oddly
enough, I remembered Angel, the vampire that that was cursed with a soul by the
gypsies and was our friend. A wave of sadness hit me. Why did the curse have to
break? Why did he have to go back to being evil and soulless? If a vampire could be
on our side, then maybe these gargoyles could be on our side too.

With my had in his, I noticed that he only had four fingers that ended in sharp talons.
"Huh?" I looked up at the sound of Brooklyn's voice but I didn't get to register what
he had said.

"I asked you who and what was that guy? I think you called him Spike?" He smiled
at me and gave my hand a gentle squeeze.

"Sorry," I blushed, "Spike is a vampire and he sort of hates because of my friend
Buffy who..."

"Is the Vampire Slayer." I looked at the owner of the voice who interrupted me. The
man was human, tall, blond and stern looking. Next to him was the tallest creature
I've ever seen. He was a seven foot tall gargoyle with lavender skin, brow ridges,
wings, and the most massive chest I've ever seen. His face was more human looking
than Brooklyn's. This gargoyle didn't have a beak. The gargoyle's eyes were glowing
white and he looked very angry. "Brooklyn," he growled.

Brooklyn sighed and squeezed my hand again. "Goliath, I can explain everything."
The big gargoyle, Goliath, spoke, "You'd better."

Brooklyn began, "I met Willow on the Internet in a chat room. We became quick
friends but I never told her that I wasn't human. A few weeks ago she started asking
to meet me in real life. I kept saying no but she kept asking and asking. Eventually I
saw that my refusals were starting to hurt her. She thought that my refusals were just
my way of saying I didn't like her. Which was untrue...so untrue that I planned a
little deception that would hurt her but hurt her less than my constant refusals.

"I told her that I'd meet her tonight. But I was planning to show up but not to meet
her. I'd stay hidden and make sure that no one would hurt her. Eventually she'd
leave convinced that I stood her up. Then I'd show up in the chat room the next night
and act like a jerk, breaking it off with her. At least then she would get over it faster
and get on with her own life." Brooklyn sighed and wouldn't look at me.

"And what if something did happen?" Goliath asked. He still looked angry at
Brooklyn.

"I would have saved her and left without telling her who I was. Then I would have
continued with my plan. Willow wouldn't have found out and she'd be safe. But
something did go wrong. She got attacked by some weird sort of creature. He looked
human at first but his face changed and he grew fangs. I saw that Willow recognized
him; she called him Spike. He attacked her and ended up slamming her into a wall.
She was knocked out. I fought this Spike and barely won. I grabbed her and brought
her here. I didn't know what else to do."

Then Goliath turned to me. "Who is this Spike and what do you know about the
Slayer?"

I sighed softly, "Spike is a vampire, a human body possessed by a demon that drinks
blood. My friend Buffy is the Vampire Slayer. You see, in every generation there is a
Slayer. The Slayer is a young girl who is stronger, faster, and a better warrior than
any human. She fights against the vampires, demons and other nasty things that want
to destroy humanity. We live on top of a Hellmouth, a place where mystical energies
converge together."

"In Sunnydale California," the blond man interrupted, "Yes, I've heard of it. I've also
heard that the Slayer is quite a handful." Those last words almost seemed like a
challenge to me.

"Well...she's a good Slayer...sh...she's killed the Master, the Judge, an...and more," I
stuttered. Looking up at the faces around men, the strange man seemed a little
nonplused, Goliath looked a bit confused, but Brooklyn looked like he was trying to
hide a grin.

"Yes, but I'm afraid that I haven't really heard of a vampire called Spike," the blond
man said.

"He used to be called William the Bloody but he picked up the name Spike because
he enjoyed torturing his victims with a railway spike."

The blond man's eyes narrowed quickly and I saw anger flash across his face. "I've
heard of him. Excuse me," the man walked out of the room quickly.

My stomach turned, "I didn't mean to do any harm."

Brooklyn smiled at me, "We know. It's OK."

"It seems that you are a friend of the Slayer. Then I must assume that you are
trustworthy," Goliath turned his attention from me to Brooklyn, "You should
introduce your friend to the clan, since she'll probably need our protection." Goliath
walked back into the castle.

I was a bit confused, "What did he mean by that?"

"Goliath's the clan leader and I'm the second in command. That was his way of
excepting you."

"But what does he mean that I'll need your protection?" I asked.

He led me into castle. "You should know that. Spike will probably strike again and
you'll need our help against him."

I smiled at him, not feeling any of the fears that I had felt earlier. But one thought
kept bothering me as we walked through the castle, what was the reason why Spike
had come to New York?