Site hosted by Angelfire.com: Build your free website today!

Relations (episode 37d)

Disclaimer: Gargoyles, Aladdin, and Thundercats are not mine. Only Rose, Albany, and Nathan belong to me.


I stared at the stars, lost in thought. I thought about friends, of which I have many now. Back home, I didn't have a lot of friends. Now, I did. Friends were important to me. The gargoyles were the ones I had to thank for the people I met after meeting them. Thinking of the clan made me think of family. The family I left behind and lost. The family I found here by joining the clan. My thoughts were especially on the family I left. My father was dead and I was the last member of the royal family. But, I couldn't return home to rule the city as I was meant to. I stopped gazing, turned around, and walked inside. It was a slow night, everyone agreed with that. Patrol ended early and I knew that Goliath and some others were in the library, Broadway and Snarf were in the kitchen, Lex and Panthro were probably building something, Hudson was watching the hatchlings, but I didn't know where everyone else was. Maybe they were in the TV room.

I opened the door leading into the room and saw that it was empty. Almost empty. Sitting on the couch, with a book on his lap, was Tygra. He turned his head to the door when I entered. A smile came to his face.

"Jasmine. I was hoping you'd come here. I wanted to read this play together."

"What's the name of it?"

He looked at the cover. "Romeo and Juliet."

I felt the color drain from my face. That was the play I read with Brooklyn! "R-Romeo and Juliet?" I said faintly.

"Is something wrong with it?"

Color returned to my face. "No. It's just that Brooklyn and I read it together. But, we can still read it." I crossed the floor and sat down next to Tygra. My wings were folded and I felt my tail instinctively curl around one of his legs. Tygra either didn't notice or pay any attention to it as he opened the book to Act I, Scene I.

We were in the middle of Act III, Scene II and I was really enjoying it. Tygra had a wonderful reading voice and he made a good Romeo, in my opinion. I did my usual reading of Juliet and I was commented on how good it was. I never felt this good reading this play with Brooklyn as I was with Tygra. Then, I heard the intercom buzz. Getting up, I crossed the room and said into the speaker, "Yes?"

"Jasmine, there's someone here for you," Xanatos' voice said through the intercom.

Pressing the talk button, I replied, "Who is it?"

"I'm your brother, Nathan," an unfamiliar voice said through the speaker.

I didn't say anything for a moment. Brother? Then, it sank in what was just said. "I don't have a brother," I protested. "What kind of joke are you pulling?"

"No joke. I really am your brother."

"Prove it."

"Alright...Princess Jasmine."

Another silence on my end. Then, I answered, "No one, but my closest friends, know I'm a princess." It was true. Only the gargoyles, friends of the gargoyles, and the Thundercats knew of my title.

"So does your brother."

He wasn't relenting. However, he knew I was royalty. I said myself that only my closest friends knew it. Finally, I said, "I suppose you're telling the truth."

"Look, I'll come down so you can see the family resemblance."

"No, Nathan wait," I said in a panic. But it was too late. Static was my only reply. Nathan was coming and I was in my gargoyle form. What was I going to do?

Luckily, Tygra had heard everything. Closing the book, he got up and came up to me. He led me to the darkest corner of the room, then shut off the light, making the corner even darker. I felt Tygra holding my hand and I knew that he was next to me.

I heard footsteps upon the stone floor, approaching the room. I knew it had to be this Nathan I spoke to earlier. The soft light from the hall was blocked out when a human male stepped in the doorway. He was just slightly shorter then me (human) with the same brown eyes and black hair that was cut to his ears. He looked to be about twenty or twenty-one. He stepped into the room, squinting in the dark.

"Jas, are you in here?" he called.

Jas? Why was he giving me a nickname? Only Genie did that, and he was my friend, at that. Nathan calling me Jas just sounded so wrong. The way he said it, made it sound like a name for a jazz musician.

Tygra whispered softly, so that only my hearing detect it, "Go on and answer." I nodded.

"I'm here. And please don't call me Jas. We haven't officially met."

"Well, come here and we'll properly meet. And why are the lights out?"

"There's something I need to tell you before we introduce ourselves."

"Wait until I find the light switch."

"I would feel better if the lights were kept off until after I tell you that something."

"Uh...sure."

'Here goes,' I thought. "Nathan, I don't want to scare you, but...I'm a gargoyle."

"Don't be hard on yourself. I know you're not ugly."

I shook my head. This guy seemed really dense. "It's not about my looks. I really am a gargoyle."

"We'll let me be the judge of your looks," Nathan declared. I saw his hand land on the switch and flip it on.

Light illuminated the room. I could see Nathan better. He was good-looking. Handsome as I am beautiful. Nathan gasped when he saw me. He took a step backwards. I slowly and carefully stepped toward him, my wings still folded.

"Don't be afraid. I'm not going to hurt you."

Nathan took a shaky breath. "J-Jas? Is that really you?"

Nodding, I added, "Don't call me Jas."

"Okay, fine." He looked behind me at my love. "Who is that?"

Looking behind me , I smiled and gestured for him to come forward. He did so and stepped up next to me and introduced himself.

"I'm Tygra of the Thundercats."

"Then, you're not part of an experiment or a magic spell?" Immediately, Nathan said, "I mean science project?"

"Did you say magic spell?" I asked.

"No, I said science project."

"I have good hearing. You can't fool me. You said magic spell."

"Okay, I admit it. I did."

"Anyway," Tygra added. "I'm from another world. My friends and I are visiting Jasmine until the end of the month."

Nathan nodded, then turned to me. "Can we talk alone?"

"I guess so."

"I'll be outside the room," Tygra said. "Call if you need me."

Smiling I said, "I will." I brushed my lips on Tygra's cheek lightly before he left, closing the door behind him.

"What was that about?" Nathan asked. "The kiss, I mean?"

"Oh, uh...nothing. Except that we're in love."

"In love? The two of you?"

I realized then that to someone like Nathan, it probably did seem a little strange. My clan had a little trouble accepting the fact that I was in love with a Thundercat. But, once I pointed out that I was a Thundercat too, they accepted my choice of mate. Looking squarely at my brother, I said firmly, "I see nothing wrong with it. Now," I softened my tone. "what did you want to talk to me about?"

"I have a secret to tell you. But, you have to promise not to tell anyone. Not even Tygra."

I realized that this had to be a pretty important secret if I can't tell anyone, let alone my beloved. "I promise."

"Okay. Jasmine...I'm a witch. A warlock, actually."

"A warlock? How is that possible?"

Mother is a witch."

"She is?" I noticed that Nathan was using the present tense when he mentioned Mother. She was alive! I wasn't the last member of the royal family!

"Yes. I don't know why you're not a witch, but I know I'm a warlock."

"I have something to tell you also. Actually a few things."

"After your news about being a gargoyle, I probably won't be shocked anymore. Go ahead."

"One, I can change into a human at dawn, but I always change back to a gargoyle at sunset. Two, I have a two-year-old gargoyle daughter and a seven-month old gargoyle/human son. And three, I'm a half-fay."

"A half-fay? Then, you have magic, too. Are you immortal?"

"No. And I don't wish to be."

"I am, though."

"What? You're immortal?"

"Yeah." Nathan sounded sad and plain downhearted by my feelings of living forever.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I don't mean to dump all over immortality. It's cool and all, I just don't like I'd like it."

"That's okay." Nathan cheered up, regaining his sunny attitude. "Say, do you think I could see your kids?"

"Sure. Come on." I opened the door and we stepped into the hall, where Tygra was waiting. I told him where we were going and he said he'd come with us. We went down the hall to my bedroom. There, we found Hudson and Bronx playing with Rose, Albany, and Rosanna. Hudson looked up at us and smiled. Standing up, he went over to us.

"Hello lass. Tygra. I suppose you'd like to be with your children, so I'll take Rosanna and Bronx to the TV room."

"Sure. Oh, by the way, this is my brother, Nathan," I announced, still finding it hard to believe that I had a sibling.

Hudson blinked in confusion. "What?"

Nathan stepped in. "It's true. I'm her brother. I was in Singapore for twenty-one years." Ah, so he was twenty-one.

"How did you know she was here?"

"I, uh, heard from the palace guards, when I went to Argrabah. They didn't mention that she was a gargoyle."

Somehow, I got the feeling that, that wasn't true. He must have used his magic to find me. However, his story did sound reasonable. Hudson nodded, gathered up Rosanna, and led Bronx out of the room. Nathan knelt down in front of the two gargoyles and watched them. Tygra and I knelt down, too. Rose noticed Tygra, smiled hugely, climbed onto his lap, and leaned on his chest.

"I think she likes you," I noted. "And trusts you."

"What makes you say that?" Nathan asked.

"I've learned that gargoyles children tend to cling to whoever they trust."

Tygra looked down at the child and saw what I noticed: Rose's claws were holding onto to his clothes and she had fallen asleep. Tygra smiled at this surprising event as he put his hands on Rose's back to keep her from falling off his lap. I smiled also as Albany crawled toward me. I picked him up and held him on my lap. Nathan looked at him.

"He's cute," he commented.

"His name's Albany. And the girl's name is Rose."

"And Albany's human during the day?"

"Right."

"I'm glad I found you, Jas."

"I've asked you not to call me that." I was getting exasperated with his nickname for me.

"I thought it was a cute nickname."

"So do I," Tygra cut in.

I thought about this. I felt a smile creep up on my lips. "It is cute, isn't it? I guess it's okay for to use it."

"Cool."

"I don't want you using it too much, Tygra."

"Okay...Jas."

The three of us laughed. Just Tygra, myself, and my brother. Suddenly, my human family didn't seem so small and lonely anymore.

"The End"

Read the next adventure, "Hybrids".

Return to Timedancer index.

Return to Manhattan, New York

Return to Gargoyles International Airport

Return to Main Page