~Chapter Seven~

Instincts

A full twenty-four hours had gone by since Brooklyn saved the red-headed Human woman from the gunman. And he couldn't stop thinking about her or the connection they had.

While in stone sleep, Brooklyn dreamt of her face and the feelings he felt for her, which were driving him crazy. Now that things were better with his Clan, he vowed that he would find the red-headed Human girl and check on her the moment he woke up.

When the sun went down, and he was finally free of his stone skin, he spread his wings out and immediately went to take flight, but Goliath's voice stopped him.

"Brooklyn, where are you off to in such a rush?"

Brooklyn looked over at Angela, and she gave him a small smile and nodded, knowing exactly where he was going.

"I'm going to visit a friend really fast," he said to his leader, wanting to be open and honest with his clan from now on.

"A friend?" Goliath inquired. "Who? A Human?"

Brooklyn nodded while Angela stepped forward. "Yes, father. The human that we saved from the gunman last night. She was taken to the hospital."

"I just want to check up on her," Brooklyn added, hoping that Goliath would let him go. "She was severely injured, and I wish to see if she is alright."

Looking at him curiously, as they normally didn't do such things for the Humans they saved, Goliath finally said, "all right. But stay out of sight."

"You got it," Brooklyn acknowledged and immediately spread his long wings and glided out into the night.

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The whole flight, he was unsure where the Human girl would be exactly, so he decided to check with Elisa first to see if she knew anything. There were at least five main hospitals near Manhattan and many smaller emergency rooms. If he checked them all, which he was willing to do if it came down to it, it would take all night, and he didn't have that type of patience.

Making a quick detour, he flew down and landed gently on Elisa's penthouse suite balcony. Opening her large, ceiling-long screen door, he touched down in her nice and open penthouse suite and looked around. She was off work tonight, and he was sure that she was getting herself ready to see Goliath for the night.

"Elisa?" Brooklyn called out. "Elisa, are you home?"

Down the hallway, a door opened, and Elisa stepped out from the bathroom, wearing a tee-shirt and long jeans. Her hair was damp and looked as though she had just recently stepped out of the shower.

Seeing who it was, she smiled.

"Oh, hey Brooklyn!" She greeted. "I was just finishing getting ready before I met up with Goliath. Whatcha up to?"

"Just thought I would swing by and say hi since I was in the neighborhood," Brooklyn said casually, making his way over to her couch, his wings wrapping around his shoulders, and looked around her apartment. He had been there so many times but never actually alone or gave her home a glance of attention.

Elisa suddenly popped her head around the door frame and gave him a look. "You never come and see me. You're like the kid who only comes to me when they want something."

Brooklyn snorted a laugh at her, and it was kind of true. It was nothing against her, and he just let her and Goliath do their thing and stayed far away. Elisa truly did feel like their Clan mother more than anything, and it was natural to see her as a member of them.

"I am offended," he teased. "But you're right..." He paused and grinned at her. "You caught me. I am here for something."

"I know," Elisa laughed and pointed her brush at him with a wink. "Cop instinct. Remember?"

Brooklyn snorted. "Yeah, or you are just a normal female who knows everything... somehow. I'm still not convinced that you all can't read minds. It doesn't matter the species; you women can be downright scary sometimes."

"Yeah, I'm a real hero with superpowers," Elisa teased sarcastically.

"I think so," he offered sincerely, and she gave him a sweet smile.

"Ah, thanks, Brooklyn. Well, the feeling is mutual." Elisa then turned and went back inside her bathroom, calling out from inside it. "Make yourself at home. I going to dry my hair quickly, and then I'll be out."

"You're good. Take your time," Brooklyn called back, sitting down on her couch, crossing his leg over the other while picking up a 'Car and Driver' magazine off her coffee table and began flipping through it.

After a few minutes, Elisa stepped out of the bathroom and walked over to Brooklyn. She looked very lovely and had changed from the casual tee-shirt to a nicely fitted blouse and dark blue jeans with high heels.

"Wow!" He gasped. "You look lovely, Elisa! Goliath's going to freak when he sees you."

She laughed, blushing slightly. "Thanks! Hopefully, him freaking out is a good thing."

Brooklyn grinned at her. "Don't worry. It is."

She wasn't used to receiving compliments for her looks; though she was beautiful, she usually wasn't one to care about her looks too often. She was very laid back; however, whenever she dressed up, she left her audiences breathless.

Elisa pulled at her shirt nervously and cleared her throat.

"So," she said, forcing her tone back casual, "have you had dinner yet?"

Brooklyn shook his head. "Nah, but it's alright. I'll get something to eat later on tonight."

"Oh... okay," Elisa said, moving towards her kitchen, giving him a glance over her shoulders at him. "So, what can I do for you?"

"Well, I was wondering if you knew where that red-headed female paramedic went last night?" Brooklyn asked Elisa, dropping the magazine down and getting straight to the point. "The one who the gunman attacked in the alleyway."

"Oh... um..." she started to say, surprised that he was wanting to know, and began thinking hard. "I know that the medics took her to Manhattan General, but I don't know what room she's in. Seeing how badly she was hurt, they most likely admitted her to the ICU."

Brooklyn sighed. "Yeah. I was figuring the same thing."

Elisa was a smart woman and suddenly gave Brooklyn a mischievous look, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Why?" she asked slowly.

"Why what?" Brooklyn asked, trying to look innocent.

Elisa raised her eyebrows. "Oh, come on, Brooklyn, I know you better than that. Why do you want to check in on a Human?"

Brooklyn shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. She seemed pretty hurt, so I wanted to make sure that she is okay."

Elisa, however, wasn't buying what he was selling. She raised her eyebrows and continued to stare at him with a smirk on her face. Brooklyn had to admit that Elisa was a force to be reckoned with, much like Goliath. She was also a cop and could almost sense when someone was lying to her. She dealt with that type of behavior daily with the criminals on the street.

"Are you using your superpowers on me?" He teased, and she grinned even more mischievously, which was something they had in common.

"Uh-huh," Elisa said. "Indeed, I am. And, I hate to break this to you, but I'm not buying what you're selling."

Brooklyn laughed. "What are you talking about? I just wanted to make sure that she was okay because she looked pretty dang beat up."

"Gotcha," Elisa said lightly, smacking her lips together. "So... her being a young and attractive woman doesn't have anything to do with it?"

Damn superpowers.

"No. Not at all," Brooklyn said quickly, and Elisa's face scrunched up as though she was about to lose her control in holding in her laughter. Brooklyn rolled his eyes and sighed, giving in.

"Fine! Fine. Alright, yes, you win! Yes, that is... one of the reasons why."

Elisa laughed a good and long laugh, walking over to sit next to him.

"Brooklyn, you are so funny, and we are more alike than I think you've ever realized. I think we need to have more hang-outs more often." He snorted a laugh but nodded in agreement. He then stared into her brown, honey-colored eyes, which suddenly went more serious.

"But seriously, Brooklyn, be honest with me. You have always yearned for love for as long as I've known you. Just... tell me and try to ease my mind, why are you wanting to risk being seen by a random Human girl that you saved?"

"She won't see me," Brooklyn said, hoping and praying that Elisa would drop the conversation. However, when she continued to stare at him, he sighed in frustration.

Darn these females. He couldn't seem to hide his feelings around them nor shy away from a potentially awkward conversation.

"Okay... okay. I'll tell you," Brooklyn said, turning to better look at Elisa. "Just promise not to laugh, okay?"

Raising her eyebrows slightly, she drew in a tight lip and nodded. Nodding back, he took a deep breath and then explained his strange situation.

"I don't know her name or anything about her. But when I saved her life from the gunman, and the moment we looked into each other's eyes, I felt an electrifying and unearthly bond or... connection to her. She was afraid of Angela and me at first... but... the moment our eyes met; she was no longer afraid of me, and it felt like I had known and loved her all my life... and to my own amazement and shock; I could just tell that she felt the same thing too."

Brooklyn looked away from Elisa in embarrassment; the more he said it out loud, the more he was unsure what to make of it. However, Elisa smiled and stared at Brooklyn, just as Angela had.

"Sounds very much like when I first met Goliath. I didn't have any 'electricity' fill my being like you just mentioned, but when I first met him as well as you guys, I knew you were good," She said softly, reminiscing over the memory. "I knew my life had been changed for good forever."

"Yeah," Brooklyn responded, just as softly. "Goliath was telling me about how you guys fell in love last night. He loves you more than I've ever seen him love anyone before."

Elisa's face lit up, and she seemed to be beaming with happiness. "And I love him even more." She then took Brooklyn's claw tenderly, surprising him, but he didn't pull away.

"Brooklyn, if you felt this... connection with this Human, then go to her. See this through. I want more than anything in this world for you to be happy."

At her words, his heart seemed to melt. Elisa was the coolest human he had ever met; and the best step-clan mother. They were truly blessed to have her. Smiling, he wrapped Elisa in a strong side-hug.

"Thank you," he said, letting her go after a few seconds, standing up. "Goliath told me to stay out of sight, and I promise I will. Do you happen to know what room the girl was taken?"

Thinking deeply for a moment, Elisa responded slowly. "I went to visit her in the ER after I dealt with the gunman but never got to see her. The nurses were saying that they were thinking of admitting her on the 12th floor in the ICU. That's all I know, unfortunately. But it's a start."

Brooklyn's heart seemed to soar, however and could work with that.

"Thanks, Elisa, that's more than what I could have found out by myself! You're the best!" He then ran towards her patio sliding glass door and quickly turned back to her, offering his claw to her. "Need a lift back to the castle?"

"No, thank you. I'm going to eat some dinner really fast. I also need to fill my police unit up with some gasoline, so I'll do that on my way to the castle." Elisa responded, smiling.

Brooklyn nodded and lifted himself out of her apartment.

"Brooklyn," Elisa called out, stopping Brooklyn before he took flight. She was smiling proudly at him. "Good luck finding your human friend. Glide safely."

He smiled back. "Thanks, Elisa. You're the best!"

He gave her a wave goodbye before jumping off the roof, catching his wings immediately on a wind current.

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A short flight later, he landed on a random window ledge at the Hospital. Before landing, he had counted the windows and knew that he was on the hospital's 12th floor, but he did not know which room she was in. Unfortunately, he would have to risk peeking his head in the windows to see if he could see her.

Luckily for him, it was nearing midnight, and most people admitted to the hospital would be asleep. Taking his chances, he started on the window that he landed on and peeked quickly into the window to see what he could see. Quickly glancing around, he saw an older woman sleeping in the hospital bed and knew it wasn't her.

He started for other windows on the floor to find the girl he was looking for, and as he searched for her, it was amazing to Brooklyn how large this hospital was. He could feel his heart pounding as he peered into each window; and felt the immediate anxious feeling each time it wasn't her.

Anxiety soon turned into frustration.

After a half-hour of searching, he still hadn't found the girl he was searching for. He had searched every single window that was on the 12th floor and still nothing. Brooklyn looked around at the hundreds of windows all around him, above and below. He had a feeling that he was going to be searching for this girl the rest of the night. Remembering their connection they had, however, it was worth it to him.

Brooklyn continued his search until he reached a window on the 16th floor- or so he counted- and almost burst out in excitement and joy when he saw the young woman, with long red hair, lying in the hospital bed, obviously in a deep sleep.

He pressed his claws against the window and stared at the girl. She looked to be in her younger twenties in human years, very similar to his age in Gargoyle's years. She was wearing a hospital gown and had been bandaged up. Her head, neck, and arms had bandages all over. Out of every other visible limb, she had wires and tubes hanging out of her, with a nasal oxygen tube in her nose, helping her breathe easier.

Brooklyn's heart seemed to break slightly for her. She looked so peaceful, sleeping, but she looked to be in a lot of pain due to her bandages. Brooklyn continued to stare at the girl before he saw the door open. He quickly be-lined it to the side of the window so that he was out of sight.

Peering back in slightly, as he was in hiding, he watched as a nurse came in with a clipboard and wrote down the girl's vitals. After about ten minutes of being in the room, the nurse picked up her clipboard and left the room, shutting the room behind her, leaving the sleeping girl in peace.

Brooklyn waited another two minutes, making sure the coast was clear before attempting to open the window; he needed to get a little bit closer to the girl. Brooklyn reached his claw out to the window and lightly pressed upon the glass, and to his luck, the window was unlocked. He opened it as gently and quietly as he could, wrapped his wings securely around his shoulders, and slipped into the darkroom, shutting the window behind him silently.

Brooklyn stayed in the shadows, listening to everything that was going on in and outside of her room. Gargoyles' hearing was a lot better than humans, and he could hear the chattering of the nurses at their nurse's stations; he could even hear the next door patient's beeping of the heart monitor. When the coast was clear, he turned his attention to the girl he came to see. She was breathing quietly and deeply. Her heart monitor was beeping steadily, and to his relief, he knew that she was sleeping deeply.

Staying in his crouched position, Brooklyn slowly inched his way over to her bed. There was only one emergency light on in her room, lighting the room ever so slightly. When Brooklyn finally made it over to the girl's side, he quickly checked the door once more and listened for any possible incoming Humans before turning his full attention to the girl's face.

Brooklyn's heart seemed to soar as he gazed at her face, and his claws began to tingle ever so slightly. He raised his claws to his face and clenched them slightly, confused at the strange sensation, but it reminded him of the feelings he felt with her last night when their eyes met.

Ignoring the sensation for the moment, he lowered his claws and drank in every detail about the girl lying down in front of him. Instantly, he couldn't think of anything except how beautiful she was and how much his body and soul suddenly seemed to gravitate towards her.

Giving in, he closed in towards her, needing to make sure she was alive and safe.

Though she was injured and pained Brooklyn greatly to see her in such a sad state, her beauty was astonishing and took his breath away. Her long, auburn-red hair was flowing down the front of her chest, stopping at her waist. Her lightly tanned skin looked so soft and smooth that he couldn't resist lightly touch her hand.

Brooklyn slowly brought his claw over to her hair, touching its soft wavy curls, before lightly skimming one talon over her cheek.

Almost immediately upon touching her soft, warm skin, the female's heart monitor react to his touch by beeping faster, and strong electricity surged through Brooklyn's claw at the same time. He quickly pulled away in shock, gasping.

Whoa! What the heck was that? He thought, looking at his clawed hand, and thought of the electricity that shocked him the moment he grazed her hand with his own. He looked at his claws again and then quickly at the girl's face, hoping and praying he didn't wake her up.

To his relief, she was still asleep, but moved slightly at his touch, moaned quietly, before breathing deeply once again.

Brooklyn was paralyzed by shock at what had just happened when he touched her but was more afraid that him touching her nearly woke her up. However, to his relief, she was still asleep, and now that he was this close to her, a lot of things were going through his mind.

She is mine.

Yes, yes, she was. Somehow, deep within himself as he looked over her face, body, hair, every single slight freckle on her cheeks, she was so familiar to him, as if he'd known her his entire life. And even longer.

He opened and closed his claw a few times before turning his gaze back to the beautiful Human. Should he dare try to touch her again? He didn't want to wake her. After a minute of deliberating with himself, he thought it best to avoid touching her. He didn't want to appear that he was trying to be inappropriate either, since he did not know her and she didn't know him.

He looked over her face, over and over again, as though he was trying to memorize every detail on her face. She had perfectly shaped eyebrows, which were a light brown color. Her eyelashes were black and long, and her nose was small and quaint. She had some freckles, which were hard to see, but with as much as Brooklyn was looking, it was a small detail that he took note of, and they were like stars on her face.

Then he lowered his gaze to her lips, and his heart lurched. They were pale, slightly, but he could tell that normally they were a lovely pink color, and they looked soft and inviting. Brooklyn wanted more than anything to touch her lips... His claws started to shake slightly, and he had to break his gaze from her beautiful face.

What was this human doing to him?

Taking a deep but shaky breath, he shook his head and looked away from her, breathing deeply. He clenched his fists tightly, closed his eyes, and tried to get himself to snap out of the spell she put on him- but her scent filled his nostrils, and instantly, another strong sensation of electricity filled his being- drawing her to him. She was his, and he was hers, and he had to know her name.

Looking around the room and listening for any approaching footsteps, he cautiously moved the blanket away from her arm. On her right wrist, nearest him was a medical bracelet that would have her name.

Being impossibly careful and slow, he gently pulled the blanket down towards her waist to reveal her arms. Her chest was rising and lowering still, in deep breathing, and although he tried to ignore the beautiful woman before him, as he moved the blanket down, he couldn't resist taking a glance at the form of her feminine curves. When he did, he couldn't believe breathe.

She was absolutely breathtaking.

Her body was skinny but had amazing feminine curves and form. Brooklyn closed his eyes for a moment and refocused on what he was trying to do. Craning his neck at a strange angle, he finally saw her name on her wristband.

'Rose Morrison,' the name read.

Smiling widely, he quickly pulled the blanket back up by her neck, tucking her in gently so that she would remain warm.

"Rose," he breathed, staring at the beautiful girl, and smiled brightly, unable to contain his joy anymore. Her name was beautifully simple and fell off his tongue will such ease. It was alarming.

His soul tugged on him as if saying, this is her, you idiot. This is who you've been searching for.

Brooklyn raised a claw and moved to another lock of curly auburn red hair away from her face before pulling his claws back and sat down in the chair next to her bed, staying with her, thinking deeply about what was going on. He couldn't leave her side. Now that he was here... he couldn't leave.

As he stared into her sleeping face, he felt so comfortable around her, but why?

Why did he have all these thoughts roaming through his head about her? Why did they have that connection the night they met? And why did it seem to keep happening?

He stayed at Rose's bedside for a long while, gazing at her face and reminiscing the moment they had again when their eyes met for the first time, keeping her company.

She had begged for him to stay with her and not leave her last night, and that was one of the hardest moments of his life. But, he was here now, and he wanted her to know that.

Minutes passed into what felt close to an hour that he watched her before she suddenly started to stir slightly.

Jumping up in surprise, he backed away from her back into the shadows, but still to where he could see her. She was still asleep but was moaning softly and quietly. Her face was scrunching up slightly, as though she was having a nightmare. Brooklyn forced his frantic breathing to calm down, and his heart was pumping hysterically. Rose was still in a deep sleep, but she was having a bad dream and looked to be in pain.

"Brooklyn," he suddenly heard her sigh in a breath-like voice. No one would have heard her speak, but because a Gargoyle's hearing is more in tune, he had heard her, and his heart stopped.

Her voice repeated his name, and it petrified him into a state of pure shock and wonder.

Had she awoken and seen him? Or was she dreaming?

He searched her face from where he was crouched and was relieved when he saw her eyes closed still and was stirring only due to dreams. Brooklyn felt his heart flutter again and had to get close to her again.

She was dreaming and had said his name!

Moving silently back over to her, he melted before her presence.

"Don't worry, Rose. I'm here. You're safe," he whispered out loud, gently caressing her cheek with his claw.

Again, the touch seemed to send a shock down his hand through his arm. It wasn't painful; in fact, it was everything but that. Every tingling sensation was comforting and made him want to be even closer to her. He closed his eyes at the sensation and loved the feel of her skin. It was as soft and smooth as it looked. He breathed in her scent, and though she was in a hospital bed, she smelled incredible to him; a mix of vanilla or amber.

He shook his head, looking down at his claws, and decided to try something. Gently, ever so gently, he pressed his talons to her cheek again, was jolted by the electricity, but kept it there. Her breathing slowed down instantly, her heart monitor slowed, and the nightmare disappeared. She relaxed from her dream, and slowly her face turned to his touch.

He held his breath and didn't move.

The last thing he wanted was to have her awake to him standing there, touching her, but he couldn't move. Not with what happened next.

Slowly, she turned closer to him and brought her hand closer to his, until her fingers barely touched his, and unknowingly, her fingers slowly intertwined with his- cementing his heart to hers.

The feelings he felt for her, the natural tug and pull towards her, made tears well up in his eyes.

Oh man... he thought to himself. I'm in trouble...

He was falling hard and fast for this Human woman, and though he didn't know why. Everything from their strange set of connections to how he felt when he looked at her, even to speak her name. He somehow knew her, though they had never met before.

"Don't worry, Rose," he breathed, bringing himself down onto his knees before her, enclosing his talons around her fingers. "I'm here now, and I won't ever leave."

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Hours passed, and Brooklyn remained by Rose's side, holding her hand. Resting his head down by her arm. He was in bliss staying with her until he looked up at the clock above the hospital room's door.

5:30 AM.

Shocked that he stayed with her all night long, Brooklyn looked out the window and saw the night sky start to turn a light blue color. Sunrise was coming in an hour, and Brooklyn was absolutely shocked that time had passed by that quickly. He never meant to spend the entire night with Rose.

Suddenly, he heard some footsteps down the hallway and knew that it was the nurse coming in to check on Rose. Brooklyn jumped up to his feet, fear pulsing through him, and gently eased his claw from her hand. He didn't want to leave, but he had to. Giving one last longing look at Rose, he quickly made his way out the window shut it slightly, leaving it open a crack. He stepped to the side of the ledge before the door opened.

Indeed, the nurse had come in to check on Rose and turned on a light, flooding the room with light. Brooklyn had sat in the dark with Rose for so long he had to blink his eyes, slightly to the sudden change of light. He was irritated as well, as it seemed to be a very rude thing to be so careless and loud around her sleeping patient.

Brooklyn then saw a tall and skinny girl with short blonde hair walk into the room. The nurse looked over at her, acknowledging her presence, and then left the room, leaving the blonde girl alone with Rose.

Brooklyn cocked his head in confusion before realizing who the blonde girl was. She was Rose's medic partner and her friend. He immediately came down from being 'on guard' and watched the blonde girl pull up the chair, in which he had sat in just moments ago, and sat down, resting her head down on the mattress, next to Rose's arm. She then took Rose's hand in hers and held onto it.

Brooklyn watched this for a few minutes, smiling to himself, and it wasn't long before the blonde girl fell asleep. He didn't dare move from his spot, as he did not want to be seen by this new person in the room. Brooklyn sat down, crossing his legs, and placed his head in his hands, resting them on his legs, getting comfortable. He didn't feel like leaving just yet.

A half-hour soon went by, and Brooklyn suddenly heard talking in the room. While waiting outside, he had sat on the edge of the window ledge and was dreamily staring at the star constellations in the night sky, thinking of Rose. Now that there was talking, Brooklyn's attention perked up, and he peeked his head by the window and looked into the room.

To his amazement and delight, Rose had apparently woken up. She and the blonde-headed friend were talking, crying, and hugging. Brooklyn smiled at the pair and already liked the blonde-headed friend. Brooklyn could hardly hear what the pair were saying, so as gently and quietly as he could press the unlocked window open a crack.

"I'm going to get the nurse," he heard the blonde girl say to Rose. "You're in pain."

When the friend left, Rose turned her head without warning and looked at Brooklyn through the window. He heard her gasp when she saw him, and he quickly hid back away from the window, holding his breath, listening for any movement on her part. To his relief, she didn't leave her bed, though he wouldn't have left if she did come to find him.

Brooklyn stayed completely still for a few minutes when he heard the door open again and could tell that the nurse was back, checking on Rose. He knew that Rose had seen him, and he didn't dare risk being seen by her or the nurse again. Listening in on the nurse and Rose's conversations for the next few minutes, he looked out to the horizon and knew that dawn was only a half-hour away. He was running out of night to stay with Rose... and the chance to talk to her finally.

Brooklyn stayed out of sight for the next few minutes, as nothing of great importance was happening. The nurse had come in every hour to check on Rose and record her vital signs down. He was about to call it a night when he heard a male voice suddenly announce loudly, "There's my beautiful wife!"

Brooklyn's heart dropped, and he gasped, "What?"

Not caring anymore if anyone saw him, he barely peeked his head around the corner to look inside the room. The nurse was still by Rose's bedside, but there was now a tall and quite good-looking man entering the room, holding a massive bouquet of red roses.

The man had slicked-back dark hair, tan skin, and had the whitest teeth that Brooklyn had ever seen on a human being before.

This man, who was Rose's husband, set down the roses next to her bedside and instantaneously planted a gruesome and passionate kiss on Rose's lips. The moment he saw this intimate moment, he felt brokenhearted all over again. Pain ripped through his heart, and Brooklyn hung his head, feeling completely defeated.

She's married. There's no way that we are meant to be together. I'm such an idiot!

Sighing heavily, Brooklyn looked down and couldn't bear the sight anymore.

This guy was obviously in love with Rose, and so there was no place for him in her world. He couldn't believe how stupid he was acting, pining over a Human who, like every female he ever met, either wasn't interested or was already taken.

I'm a Gargoyle... he thought to himself. She's a Human. You really have become lovesick.

Shaking his head in anger at himself, he stood up from his spot and opened his long wings to take off back home. However, another set of tingling settled in his talons suddenly, but this time, he felt his protective instincts rising ever so slightly.

Frowning to himself, he relaxed his wings and forced himself to turn back towards the window. Crouched, he slid close to the window again, following his protective instincts. When he saw the couple still kissing, he suddenly noticed something he didn't realize before. The man was crushing his lips roughly against hers, and Rose was gasping out in pain.

Pain that he swore he could feel.

Suddenly, something felt very wrong.

Brooklyn narrowed his eye bones at the scene that made his stomach churn anxiously. The man seemed to not care about her tender and bruised face as he claimed his lips and tongue against her mouth, pushing on her skull with his forced kiss.

Brooklyn growled, and for one mad moment, his instincts went haywire at the sight of the man kissing Rose's lips. He wasn't sure why he felt jealous since she wasn't his, but it felt that way, and the man was hurting her.

When the man raised his eyes from kissing his wife roughly, he grinned evilly at her, almost as if he enjoyed seeing her in pain. When Brooklyn saw this, another round of warning was set off in his instincts, and he suddenly felt the urge to lurch in the room and knock the man away from Rose.

After throwing Rose a disgusted look, the husband then turned to the other female nurses in the room and began, shamefully, flirting with them.

Brooklyn's eye bone rose slightly, and he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Why is this man, obviously flirting with the other nurses, in front of his wife? Brooklyn thought to himself, thoroughly confused now.

From the flowers to the kiss, he now wasn't sure if this man truly loved and cared for Rose; however, the more he observed the man and watched his body language, he could see something in the man's aura, something dark, twisted, and evil.

Brooklyn couldn't put his claw on it, but there was something about that man that he didn't like. As he observed the scene and watched the man strutting around the room, a noise suddenly was heard, and it raised his instincts even higher.

Rose was sobbing, quite uncontrollably.

Brooklyn blinked his eyes a few times and saw that Rose was not crying for joy, but there was something hysterical and hopeless in her cry. It was a cry for help, and no one else could see or feel, except for him.

He pressed his claws on the window and yearned to burst into the room, scoop her gently up into his arms and protect her from all the pain and hurt that this world seemed to offer. Though they didn't know each other yet, he was dumbstruck by his feelings and instincts. If there was one thing, he had been taught by his Clan of old and now from Goliath, as his Second-In-Command, was never to question or doubt his instincts. They were there for a reason, and there was something very wrong with the scene in front of him.

Brooklyn heard the nurses immediately trying to console her and heard one of them say, "Oh, your husband is the sweetest! You are one lucky lady!"

The man had turned from the nurses, with his flirtatious smile, and turned to face Rose, his smile instantly fading. A dark shadow seemed to pass over his face, and he was suddenly glaring dangerously at Rose, all while talking to the nurses in the room, his voice light.

"Oh no... you've got it all wrong. It is I, who is the lucky one."

While the nurses all 'awed' at this gesture, they could not see his wife's facial expression. It was the look he often saw in the thugs and criminals he fought during his patrols.

His dark eyes were evil, and his grin was malicious. Promising to harm her if she said anything.

Snarling, Brooklyn's eyes lit up brightly, and he had to dig his claws into the brick to keep himself from revealing himself. He forced himself to take a series of deep breaths, but now, everything had changed.

Clenching his jaw tightly and balled his claws into fists, he knew that Rose was in danger from this man, from her own husband, and it was up to him to protect her.

The flowers, the kiss, weren't real gestures of love on his part. They were all for show, much how his old TV stars, 'The Pack,' weren't real superheroes; but dangerous thugs themselves. He knew it, and Rose seemed to know it as well.

She was visibly upset and was still crying, almost unable to control herself. Brooklyn wanted nothing more than to swoop in and carry her out from the insanity which he was witnessing. She had been through enough pain with the gunman, and he could instantly see that this 'husband' of hers was possibly a genuine danger to her. He didn't know why he thought that, but he could just feel it deep inside his being.

Suddenly, without warning, Rose doubled over and vomited all over her husband's shoes and the hospital floor, instantly changing the atmosphere in the room. Brooklyn gasped, wanting more than anything to rush to her, but he stopped himself, as he couldn't be seen.

Rose fell back against her bed and was crying out in pain, holding her ribs. The nurses immediately jumped into action. The main nurse in charge of Rose was assisting her, while the younger, and more flirtatious nurses, rushed over and started to help the husband get clean. One big-chested nurse came over with a face full of makeup and fake eyelashes and helped the husband to the door.

"Here, let's get you cleaned up."

The husband immediately flashed a flirtatious smile at the nurse before turning back to look at his wife. Brooklyn's eyes lit up in cold fury, clenched his fist, and started to growl when he saw the look the husband gave to Rose. It was a look of pure hatred and fury.

What kind of husband looks at his wife like that? He growled to himself. He was glad to see the husband gone from the room, leaving his heart pumping in adrenaline- he didn't know why but he felt very weary and now extremely protective of Rose, but something was wrong here; he could feel it, he could see it, and he didn't like it.

Rose immediately seemed to relax when her husband had left the room and was given pain medication. The nurse left the room, leaving her to fall asleep, and shut the door behind her.

With the husband gone, Brooklyn took a few breaths to calm himself and turned towards the horizon and, to his horror, realized that the sun would be rising in about ten minutes. If that.

Panicked, he realized that he had to leave to glide back to the castle in time; however, his strong instincts to stay and protect were the strongest he's ever felt, even stronger than when he saved her from the gunman. Though he was out of sight again, he decided to give Rose one last look before departing back to the castle. He wasn't any use in the daytime anyway, unfortunately.

As long as Rose was in the hospital, a public setting, he knew that no harm could come to her.

Leaning back over to look into the window barely, he nearly had a heart attack when he saw that Rose was looking out the window... almost as though she was searching for him. They met eyes for the slightest moment before Brooklyn quickly pulled back, his heart racing. Now would be the time to let himself truly be seen and try to talk to her, but he couldn't.

Time had run out.

Before he could give her an excuse to investigate, he quickly spread his wings and glided off towards the castle to roost for the day. He would come back the next night to visit her and every night after that as long as she was in the hospital. He needed to make sure that she stayed safe, especially from that husband of hers.

As he glided away, he couldn't pinpoint it; the husband was putting on a show of charm for the ladies in the room, but the moment he looked at Rose, his own wife, his face had turned dark and... evil almost? He had seen that look many times on the thugs and crooks that sought to destroy him and his clan every night.

He didn't get far from the hospital when something struck him deep inside his chest- inside his heart- which made him gasp and clutch his chest.

Was he having a heart attack?

No, he was too young and in shape for that... but then... he heard a voice in his head.

No... please... don't leave me.

Brooklyn's eyes widened in shock, and he had to land on the nearest rooftop to not free-fall to the ground. Whipping around, he turned to face the Hospital and stared at the window that he had barely left. He didn't know who or what that was, but it felt like it was Rose's voice, pleading and calling back for him.

Honestly torn, he stared at it and then back at the horizon, where the sun was minutes from peaking, and had to make another tough choice.

Leave and go home, or stay with her, standing guard over her room? It felt only right and natural, but Goliath would be furious with him if he stayed away all night, and he would most likely get in trouble... but this woman was in trouble, and only he knew that she was.

She needed him.

But he didn't want to ruin the newly-found trust between him and Goliath.

"I'll come back," he whispered to himself- to her. "I promise that I will return for you."

She was in a hospital, a public setting, and would be safe until he returned, where they would hopefully have the chance to meet finally. Spreading his long wings out, he took off towards the Castle again and just hoped and prayed that Rose stayed safe.

But little did he know that she was not.

Not in the slightest.