Meanwhile, back at the Eyrie building, the clan did their best to carry on normally with their lives like Goliath and Elisa said but it was hard. Thankfully though, Broadway played his part in making sure the clan got their weight back to normal.

Lex had a hard time wanting to eat anything and stop looking for his brother. He was in his room, memories making him feel terrible. The clan had gotten a Christmas tree lately, Elisa and their other human allies helping set it up. Goliath then too asked Elisa to get a present for Brooklyn he had in mind even though it was doubtful of Brooklyn coming back.

Goliath finished wrapping the present, sighing softly when tracing his hand over it, wishing to see Brooklyn's reaction in opening his new rock cd. He then placed his present under the tree. Brooklyn had more presents than anybody else in honor of him, everybody present staring down at the pile that wouldn't be opened.

Elisa noticed her friend being sad and understood. She gave him a hug. "I understand this is hard for everyone, Big Guy. I miss Brooklyn too." She comforted, the two continuing to hug each other. Hudson gazed out the window. It was the 19th of December, and he couldn't shake the feeling that Brooklyn was still out there, struggling his way home again.

....

Brooklyn's eyes fluttered open in his sleeping place on the church, seeing a bit of sunshine coming in. He knew this would be the day he came home!

I can't stop this time around. New York isn't far from here, gotta get moving, Brooklyn thought, yawning, and stretching, bones cracking from how stiff and cold they were, longing again for soup to heat them up like Thalia's soup.

After shaking himself up and eating some more of his food that was almost gone again, Brooklyn climbed to a jumping point on the church, setting his eyes on what he thought was east, so desperate he still hadn't pulled out his map. He decided since he was almost there, there was no need for it anymore.

Raising his wings, Brooklyn took off into the frigid December air, grateful that the storm had died down, hoping it would last the whole night.

He soared across the waters past Staten Island, keeping his gaze across the water, eyes narrowed in determination and desperation. Brook was so desperate to see his family again, his heart kept hurting his chest and giving him a headache, staring at the lights of what he thought was New York City. Please let it be the right city... please... he prayed, struggling to pull his emotions together and be strong about his situation.

Eventually, Brook landed on the other side. By the time he saw his surroundings, he didn't recognize where he was. Where am I? He thought to himself. My own directions couldn't have been this bad.

The ache in his head and the frigid temperature was getting to him even more that he shivered and wrapped his wings around himself. He let himself warm up a bit more and he had to get back to the air to determine his position. He eventually did.

Brooklyn crossed his arms over his chest to try to help keep warmer in the air as the frigid air was freezing him out here. Why did it have to be so cold tonight? It was almost the Solstice of winter. It would be after midnight.

...

Much later, Brooklyn soon recognized or thought he recognized some sights. It was the middle of nowhere, but he saw the sign of Xanadu. This was Xanatos' retreat. Finally, something familiar since leaving the city!

Brooklyn quickly sought out the haven known as Xanatos' place. He quickly came in for a landing and he was so glad to be back on the ground again. It was warmer down here than in the air.

"I must have really taken a wrong turn." Brook shivered. He saw the house and went up to it. The lights were off and everything, but the gargoyle knew he needed to get in out of the cold.

He broke the doorknob in his desperation to get out of the cold. He had his wings folded over his shoulders so he could get inside. He got in and closed the door behind him. The door still closed.

Brooklyn looked around the house briefly. He didn't turn the light on because he felt it would disturb his headache. He took his pack off and put it on the table. Then he spied a couch in the living room. There was a tv there too, but he was in no mood for tv.

Brooklyn made his way to the couch, grabbed the blanket off the back of it and he laid down to try to get warm. If only he had started a fire in the fireplace, but he was too tired to even do that. His exhaustion and new fever made him drift off instantly into a deep sleep.

....

At the castle, the clan was prepared for the holiday of Christmas to soon be on them. Tonight though, they were celebrating the Winter Solstice. It was the longest night of the year for the gargoyles, and they loved that the night was the longest they could be awake. But it was still sad without Brooklyn.

David had some stuff to take care of before Christmas came and there were some things he needed to get from his vacation spot, Xanadu. He would be back tomorrow night. Fox and Owen would stay and look after Alex.

....

David soon got to his retreat. He had to collect some papers from his house up there that had to be retrieved and done before he could go home with them for certain clients who did things for his company.

When he got to the front door, he was going to unlock it when he saw the lock was already unlocked and the doorknob was broken. It made him suspicious. Who would break in here? It made him take a gun out of his shoe that he had kept hidden just in case.

David opened the door carefully and switched on the light in the room. It was total darkness in the room, now it was lit up. He didn't see anything too out of place right away, but as he moved further into the room, he soon saw a backpack on the table in there, and then he heard some deep breathing that also sounded wheezy.

Xanatos carefully moved towards the couch where he heard the breathing coming from. What he saw there was a total shock: Brooklyn! His eyes widened. What was Brooklyn doing here? How long had he been here? Had he been hiding from his clan all this time? They had been worried sick about him!

The man put his gun away. David then went up to the sleeping red gargoyle. He tried gently shaking him awake but to no avail. Brooklyn's breathing wasn't normal. As he looked more at him, David saw that the red male looked a bit pale, and his skin felt a bit cold. No wonder he had the blanket over him. But his face also felt warm to the touch too, too warm. Something was wrong here.

David went to the phone, and he called Owen back at home.

"Hello, Xanatos Enterprises." Owen picked up.

"Hello, Owen. It's me." David said.

"Sir? What's going on?"

"I think we can call off the search for Brooklyn. I got up here and I found him here on my couch." David explained.

"That's great, Sir." Owen stated. He was a bit surprised to hear that. Why had Brooklyn gone there?

"But there's a problem, Owen. He seems to be very sick. He seems to have a fever and his breathing is raspy." David explained more.

"We need to get a doctor to see him then. I'll tell the clan that he's been found. They have been so stressed since he went missing." Owen declared.

"I know. I'll bring him home." David said. Then he hung up.

David went back to the couch to try to get Brooklyn to wake up. He shook him and said his name a few times, but the red male just wasn't waking up. This was bad if he wasn't waking up from what he was doing. David knew he had to get the sick gargoyle home to the castle if he was going to stand a chance of recovery.

He also went over to the table and looked in the pack to see what was in it to see if there was anything that could help. He found a map, food and water, and a first-aid kit. But there was nothing that could help.

.....

At the Eyrie building, Owen went to find Goliath and Elisa. They were hanging out in the entertainment room with Hudson and Bronx.

Owen knocked and they all turned to him. "Mr. Burnett?" Elisa asked. "What's going on?"

"I have some news for you all. My boss just called. He said he made it to Xanadu. He found Brooklyn up there." Owen explained.

"What?!" Goliath shouted in shock.

"Why would he be there?" Hudson demanded.

"I don't know. He also said that Brooklyn was sick. He's going to bring him home as soon as possible." Owen said.

"Brooklyn must have escaped and found Xanadu." Elisa guessed.

"Just be patient, Goliath. He'll be home soon." Owen declared. "Miss Maza, we must call the doctor too. He needs to examine Brooklyn."

"Yeah." Elisa agreed.

Elisa went to go call Dr. Sato to come and see Brooklyn when he was delivered home.

Dr. Sato was glad to be of service. He would be there soon.

Goliath and Hudson went to tell Broadway, Lex, and Angela that their Second in Command was soon coming home.

When they heard the news that Brooklyn was alive, they were overjoyed but shocked. It had been so long since they last saw him. They thought he wasn't going to make it back in time for Christmas. They were all a bit miffed at him for taking off so long ago and having been sold. But then their tempers softened when they heard he was very sick.

Dr. Sato soon arrived at the castle to wait for his patient in the medical ward.

....

At Xanadu, David got some more blankets out of a hallway closet, and he put them around Brooklyn as he had to forcefully pull the red gargoyle to his feet, but he just wasn't responding.

"Come on, Brooklyn, you have to help me... a little." David grunted.

Brooklyn moaned in pain. His right arm was around the man's shoulders as he tried to help him walk.

"Oh... don't... hurt... me..." Brooklyn weakly stated. His eyes were barely open, and he was delirious. His vison blurry. He tried to walk but barely could. His wings even hung down and dragged in the snow.

"I'm not trying to hurt you, Brooklyn. I'm trying to help you." David said calmly.

David soon managed to get him to the copter and inside it. He just couldn't carry him like Goliath could, at least not without his gargoyle armor. It was back home. His papers could wait until later. He had to get this sick gargoyle home right away.

He made sure to keep the blankets on Brooklyn and he got in the driver's seat. Brook laid in the back, his breathing still raspy.

....

Over an hour later, Xanatos said he was making for a landing and Owen told Goliath. Goliath told Elisa. They went to greet the copter as it came in.

When it landed, David opened up the door. He saw Owen, Goliath, Hudson, and Elisa waiting for him.

"Where is he?" Goliath demanded impatiently.

"He's back here, Goliath." David replied. "He's going to need to be carried to the infirmary. He can't walk at all right now."

The lavender leader immediately went to see his Second in Command. He was so worried about him, as were the others. The other younger ones were up on the steps watching from a distance.

Goliath got in the copter while David stepped aside. He saw Brooklyn under some heavy blankets.

"He's got a bad fever, Goliath." David said. "You might want to keep the blankets on him as you get him inside."

Goliath wasted no time in scooping up his Second with the blankets on him. He could hear Brooklyn's loud breathing, which wasn't normal. When he got him out of the copter, Elisa heard his breathing.

"He must have a lung infection." Elisa guessed.

"Let's get the lad inside, Goliath." Hudson urged.

They hurried to the infirmary. It was urgent.

The younger ones also saw that Brooklyn was unconscious and they heard his raspy breathing too.

"What happened to him?" Broadway asked.

"We'll find out soon, guys," Elisa stated as they followed. Bronx whined about his red master that he hadn't seen in a long time either. He too followed.

Dr. Sato was standing by when they got to the infirmary. He saw the red gargoyle covered in blankets being carried in by Goliath.

"Lay him down here quickly." Sato ordered. He stood by the medical bed.

Goliath gently laid Brooklyn down onto the bed.

"Get these blankets off of him so I can examine him."

Goliath and Hudson began pulling the blankets off him. When he was freed of the blankets, Sato began his exam. The red male looked like he did the last time he saw him, only he looked pale and his breathing raspy.

Sato put on his stethoscope and listened to Brooklyn's heart and lungs. The clan had seen some medical shows to know what he was doing to their Second.

As the doc listened, he heard rasping sounds in his lungs. His heart was sounding more normal. When he took the stethoscope off, Hudson asked in concern, "What's wrong with him, Doctor?"

"It's not good. He's got pneumonia in his lungs." Sato replied.

"What's going to happen to him?" Lex demanded.

"I need to get him on iv fluids straight away. He's dehydrated too." Sato replied. "I also need to drain some fluid out of his lungs. He'll need to be on medication while he recovers. He's also going to need an oxygen breather to help ease his breathing."

"Won't his stone sleep heal him?" Angela asked.

"I don't know, young lady." Sato stated.

What they didn't know yet that Brooklyn didn't have stone sleep to heal him. He would have to be treated like a human patient.

Sato got to work right away trying to stabilize Brooklyn. He hooked him up to a heart monitor and put a breather in his nose. It seemed to ease his raspy breathing. An iv was put into his right hand to find the best vein. His fever would be managed as well with antibiotics.

An x-ray was taken to diagnose the fluid in Brooklyn's lungs first. They were full of fluid alright.

But then, Sato also had the clan leave while Elisa helped him watch his vitals as he drained some fluid from Brooklyn's lungs. Elisa saw how much fluid came out in the syringes from the red male's lungs. This wasn't easy to watch. It was really severe. She hoped he wasn't going to die. She hoped he would make it to sunrise. It was still a ways off by at least three hours.

Out in the waiting area, the clan was extremely worried about Brooklyn.

"I know I want to find out what happened to him." Goliath said. "Where has he been all this time."

"We will, lad, when he is well enough to tell us." Hudson put a hand on his shoulder.

"He didn't look too well." Broadway said.

Then, Elisa came out to talk to them. "What's going on with Brooklyn?" Goliath asked in concern.

"He's got really bad pneumonia." Elisa stated. "He must have been out in these frigid temperatures trying to get home."

"The cold doesn't usually bother us." Goliath said.

"Brooklyn is actually more sensitive to the cold, Elisa." Lexington spoke up. "Yeah, these cold temps could have been what done it."

"For now, rest is the best treatment for him. He's still in the medic ward. He's on an iv and got a breather in his nose. He's on antibiotics too to treat his fever." Elisa explained. "He'll probably be sore and tired tomorrow night and still need some more rest."

"At least he's home for Christmas." Angela said.

"We'll take out the iv close to sunrise." Elisa said. "Yeah. We're glad he's home finally."

David and Owen then came in to get the 411 on Brooklyn's condition and they were told what was going on. They had been busy but were concerned too. Everyone would have to help take care of Brooklyn over the coming days.

....

The clan had wished they could have enjoyed the Solstice tonight, but it had been overrun with concern over Brooklyn, who was finally reunited with them. They all took turns staying with him in the next few hours.

Hudson was with him by the time sunrise was imminent. He watched while Dr. Sato removed the iv from his hand and the breather from his nose. The heart monitor off his chest.

As the sun rose however, Hudson and the other gargoyles turned to stone, but Sato was surprised that Brooklyn didn't turn to stone with his clan. He was still flesh! How was that possible?

Well, if he was going to remain flesh, Sato had to get him hooked up to all the machines again. He did just that, then he reported to Elisa and Xanatos that Brooklyn was still flesh.

David and Elisa were shocked to hear that. "That's not possible." Elisa said. She went to go see the red gargoyle.

The humans all went to see the red male in the room. He was still out of it, but he was flesh.

"How can this be?" Elisa asked in shock.

"Brooklyn might know something about it." David proclaimed.

"He can tell us when he wakes up." Sato declared. "Someone must continue to stay with him."

"I will." Elisa offered first.

"Go on." Sato agreed.

Elisa saw Hudson asleep in stone. She got comfortable on the chair. She put her hand on Brooklyn's.

"Can you hear me, Brooklyn? Please, don't give up on us. Keep fighting. You're strong. You can beat this. You're home now." Elisa talked to him gently.

Brooklyn's breathing was stabilized. He was just in a deep sleep right now. To Elisa, he looked peaceful right now. It would be nice to know if he had heard her or not.

As she watched him sleeping, she also noticed a massive scar on his arm. What had happened to him? How had he lost his ability to turn to stone? There were so many questions to ask him. He just wasn't well to answer them right now.

Elisa had been up all night and eventually grew tired. She laid her head down on the bedside and fell asleep next to the red gargoyle's arm.

Fox came in later with some food on a tray for her. She had heard about Brook's predicament and came to see him. She saw he was still flesh. It was a surprise alright to see him still flesh. He would also need food when he woke up too. She felt his face and he was still warm to the touch. His fever was still going.

Fox gently woke up Elisa to eat the food she brought. "How's he doing?" she asked the detective.

Elisa looked at the sleeping gargoyle. "Stable but unconscious."

"I brought you some food." Fox said.

"Thank you." Elisa said.

"You should go get some sleep after. I can take over now." Fox stated.

"Alright." Elisa replied. She ate the food first and took it back out to the kitchen as the redheaded woman took over.

Fox never imagined that one of the clan would ever be this sick. They just had far better survival skills than humans did. But it was obvious they could get sick too. Brooklyn was the most sensitive to the cold and it was extremely cold out today, below zero even. It was better for everyone to stay in.

She would look after him the best she could, and pray Brooklyn would pull through his illness.

....

Another day went by, and Hudson woke up from his stone sleep. He yawned, then saw Brooklyn still lying there on the medic bed still out. But for some reason there were no stone fragments anywhere.

He turned to Fox who had been monitoring him. "Fox, why does the lad still have all that machinery on him now? Didn't he turn?"

Fox looked a bit unsure of how to break the news to the elder gargoyle. "Last morning, I don't know how to tell you this, but Brooklyn didn't turn to stone like you and the others. He had to have his monitoring and breather on all day."

Hudson was stunned. "That-that'd be impossible. None of us have ever been in our true forms during daylight," he exclaimed in disbelief. But here was Brooklyn, a gargoyle who was flesh for both day and night. He placed a hand on the young one's arm. Brooklyn's breathing had settled during the day, most of the fluid gone from his lungs but would still need plenty of rest.

Eventually, Brooklyn began to stir. He had felt that touch this time, whimpering when slowly waking up. His head hurt, vision feeling very blurred, but he heard the sound of a heart monitor, and saw exam machines, causing his heart to start beating fast in panic, thinking Anthony had found him and brought him back. In his line of vision, he saw a strange figure holding his hand.

"Ah! Let-let m'go..." Brooklyn sobbed in a delirious and exhausted voice from his nonstop traveling. He shifted weakly about, Fox looking worried, seeing definite PTSD signs from him. Hudson did his best to snap Brooklyn out of it, rubbing his chest.

"Calm down, Laddie, it's safe. Hudson's here," he said gently, hoping to reach him. Brooklyn whimpered, until those relaxing motions helped him settle, breathing fearfully, looking at the one who had a voice he hadn't heard in months.

"Mm... uh... H'dson...?" The red male croaked feebly, now seeing the elder showing in his vision. Hudson looked like he had been crying too. "It's me, lad. You're home again, safe."

But Brooklyn couldn't stop the tears falling, since it was hard for him to accept waking up right at home after taking a wrong turn. Hudson, after seeing this instantly but gently wrapped the once missing Second in his arms. Brooklyn trembled and struggled before eventually accepting the embrace, burying himself in it to hide from all the pain he had felt the first month of his capture.