____________
All characters owned by Disney; all origianl characters are mine


Power Play
A. Gunner
Animator03@wolf-web.com

	Saber ran up the stairs, followed by Basel. As they ran down the hall, Goliath suddenly walked out of a door, right into the path of Saber. They collided, Saber and Goliath falling to the ground, and Basel skidding into them. Goliath rubbed his head, got up, and helped Saber up."What's the big rush?"
	Saber rubbed his head and said, "Sorry, Goliath. I'm just excited, that's all."
"What's to be excited about?" Goliath asked. "We're just taking a trip to Pittsburgh."
"Oh, yeah, this coming from the person that's traveled all over the world. Remember, I've nevereven been out of the city before. And also my favorite hockey team is there."
	Goliath smiled and said, "Yes, I guess I shouldn't be talking."
	He moved out of the way so Saber could pass and said, "And Saber, try walking. It's less painful."
"Sure, "Saber said. "Whatever."

	Everyone carried suitcases and other essentials to the RV parked outside. Xanatos had loaned the huge truck to them for the next two weeks. Saber carried out a long duffel bag with 
the Pittsburgh Penguins logo on it. Goliath took it as Saber handed to him and asked, "What's this?" 
"My hockey stuff! You never know...." Saber said as he handed Goliath his hockey stick.
	When everyone got their luggage in the RV, the clan climbed in and took their seats. Goliath started the engine and was about to pull out into the street when Saber shouted, "Wait!!"
	Goliath slammed the brakes and Saber jumped out of the RV. After a few minutes, Saber returned to find a truck full of angry people. "What?" Saber said.
"What was that for? "Goliath growled.
	Saber grinned sheepishly and held up a binder. "Forgot my hockey cards."
	Kimberly giggled and Elisa rolled her eyes. Goliath growled quietly and pulled out in the street. 
	As they drove along the highway, Goliath started to see the first traces of sunrise, so he pulled over to the side of the road. He waited until they changed, then he continued. Finally, they entered downtown Pittsburgh. Goliath pulled into the hotel they reserved rooms in, and checked in. Elisa helped Goliath take the luggage into their rooms and they waited for the sun to set.
	When the sun finally set, the gargoyles burst out of their stone sleep with roaring yawns. "Are we here yet?!?" Saber said, excited. 
"Yes, we're here," Goliath said. "But don't even think about rushing off on your own."
"I won't, "Saber said. "When are we gonna go though?"
"How old are you again, Saber?" Elisa laughed.
	Saber grinned and said, "I may be nineteen but I have the heart of a five year old."
"We'll probably leave right after we eat, "Elisa said. 
	Broadway looked up and smiled, "What are we having?"

	Everyone finally finished their supper, Saber first. Elisa gave Kimberly her camera, and Saber put on a backpack to keep Basel in. As soon as everyone was ready, they climbed to the top of the hotel and glided towards the city. They took a rest stop at Three Rivers Stadium, Saber letting Basel out for a moment. "Hey, mom, do you mind if I go off on my own for a while, to look around? I'll meet you back here in about two hours?"
"I suppose, just stay out of trouble, "Angela said.
"Great! Thanks, mom," Saber said as he put Basel in his backpack. "Bye everybody!"
	Saber ran and jumped off the stadium roof, gliding away. 
	
	Saber glided around for a while, then landed on a roof to rest. He let Basel out and Saber sat down. "This is a great city, isn't it boy?" Saber said.
	Basel barked and licked Saber's face. Saber laughed and pushed him away. Suddenly Saber stopped laughing and pricked his ears. Basel whined. "I guess you heard that too, Huh, Basel?" Saber whispered.
	He got up and quietly crept to a corner and peered around it. Saber gasped. It was another gargoyle, one he had never seen before!  "I don't believe this! Another gargoyle?" Saber whispered.
	He watched quietly as the gray gargoyle, dressed in white baggy pants and sleeveless shirt, practiced some sort of martial art. Suddenly, another gargoyle jumped off of the roof of the shed Saber was hiding behind, and got in a fighting stance. "Jason! Get over here!" the black gargoyle shouted.
	Saber looked at the gargoyle, dressed in white shorts and a red sleeveless button-up shirt over a white T-shirt, and thought about how much he looked like his dad, Brooklyn. Jason, the gray gargoyle, ran over and shouted, "What's up, Steve? What?"
	Jason saw Saber and, like Steve, got in a fighting stance. "Who are you?" Steve growled. 
"I'm Saber," he said, putting his hand on Basel's back, to keep him back. "I'm from New York,who are you?"
	The duo looked at each other and cautiously relaxed their stances. "I'm Steve, and this is our clan leader, Jason."
"You've got an entire clan?" Saber said.
"Yeah, six members," Jason said. "Do you have a clan in New York?"
"Yeah, would you like to meet them? I should be getting back to them now..."
	Steve looked at Jason, and said, "Sure, I guess so."
"Great! Follow me, "Saber said as he put Basel in his backpack. He looked behind him to make sure they were coming, and glided away, Steve and Jason following.
	Goliath and the rest of the clan landed back at Three Rivers and waited for Saber to return. "Hey everyone!" someone said behind them.
	They turned to find Saber standing there with two other gargoyles standing behind him, staring at the others in awe. "These are my friends that, sorta found me," Saber said, moving so they can be seen better. "This is Steve, and this is Jason, the leader of their clan."
	Goliath looked at Elisa and walked up towards the two new friends. "I am Goliath, the leader of this clan, "Goliath said, gesturing towards the clan. "I'm honored to meet you."
	Steve gave Jason a strange look. Jason saw that and asked, "Are you those gargs from Scotland we've heard so much about?"
"How much do you know about us?" Goliath said, surprised.
	Jason cleared his throat and said, " One thousand years ago, superstition and the sword ruled. It was a time of darkness, it was a world of fear, it was the age of gargoyles. We were betrayed by the humans we had sworn to protect, frozen in stone for a thousand years. Do I need to go on?"
	Goliath looked at Saber and Saber shrugged. "How did you know that?" Goliath asked.
"Every gargoyle in my clan knows that. Our parents made sure of that, "Jason said.
"Parents? You didn't wake up like we did?" Lexington asked.
"No," Steve said. "We've lived here all our lives. We were hatched here."
"And our parents were hatched here too." Jason added. 
	They were all silent for some time, until Jason said, "Would you like to meet my clan?"


	Four gargoyles went about doing their business. One gargoyle, wearing an unbuttoned blue shirt over a white T-shirt and blue jeans, sat at his computer, surfing the net. Two others, a tan male wearing an unzipped black shirt over the usual white T-shirt and black jeans, and a female, wearing a white shirt and pink shorts, sat on a couch and watched the big screen TV sitting in front of them. Another female, wearing a yellow T-shirt and black shorts, sat on the reclining chair catty corner of the couch and read a book. "Hey, David," the 
tan gargoyle called. "It's time for The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest!"
	The gargoyle at the computer turned and said, "Thanks, Johnny. Could you turn it up so I could listen to it? I'm chatting with some friends..."
	Johnny looked at A.J., the female sitting next to him, and she nodded. A.J. took the remote and turned the TV up as the theme song started. "Thanks, "David said as he turned back to the computer.
"Aren't you going to watch this, Catherine?" Johnny asked.
	Catherine looked up from her book and said, "I'd rather read. Besides," she smiled. "It's a rerun."
	The sound of a doorknob turning caused Johnny to look at the door. The door opened and Steve walked in. "Hey Steve!" Johnny said. "How was your practice with Jason?"
"Good, but you'll never believe this...."
	Steve moved out of the way and Jason walked in the door, followed by Goliath and his clan. Johnny, A.J., David, and Catherine jumped to their feet. "Guys, "Jason said. "Meet the famous NYC clan."
	It was about five minutes until sunrise, so both clans walked outside. "Goliath, since your family changes to humans, you can hang around in our house for the day, if you'd like," Jason said as he jumped on top the wall.
"That would be great. Until sundown my friends."
"Yeah, "Jason smiled. "'Till sundown."
	The sun rose and the gargoyles turned to stone, while three turned into humans. Goliath took a last look at his clan's poses and Jason's. His clan was in the usual poses, while Jason's clan modeled several different martial art fighting stances. Goliath smiled and walked back into the house.

	The sun sunk behind the hills of western Pennsylvania, and the gargoyles burst out of their stone sleep to find Goliath, Elisa, and Kimberly waiting. A.J. jumped down and walked up to Kimberly. "What is your name?" A.J. asked as she kneeled in front of Kimberly.
"Kimberly."
"Kimberly, that's a pretty name, "A.J. smiled.
	Kimberly giggled and hid behind Elisa's leg. "Well, "Jason said. "Now that we have the entire night, let's start with introductions."
	Jason turned and pointed to each member of his clan as he introduced them. "That's Johnny, David, you've met Steve, that's A.J., and, "Jason paused and walked up to Catherine. "This is Catherine, my girlfriend."
"It is great to meet all of you, "Goliath smiled. "This is my wife Elisa, my daughters Angela and Kimberly, Angela's husband Brooklyn,  their son Saber and his dog Basel. That is Lexington, Broadway, Hudson, and Bronx."
	The clans shook hands and talked for hours. Steve looked at his watch and said, "Yeah! It's Penguin time buds!"
"Penguins, "Saber said. "There's a game on tonight?!?"
"Yeah, you a Pitt fan?" Steve asked as he walked inside.
"Are you kidding?" Saber laughed, following Steve inside. "I've got everything!"
	Steve turned on the TV and Saber, Johnny, and David sat down. A.J. got some popcorn and stuck it in the microwave for the guys. "Thanks, A.J.!" David said. "No prob," she smiled.
	Basel walked up to Saber and laid down by Saber's feet. Bronx yawned and joined his son. Saber bent over and scratched Basel on the head and patted the pup's back. "Who are they playing?" Saber asked.
"The New York Rangers," Steve said and he looked at Saber.
	Saber put his hands up and smiled. "Hey, I only live there. I'm a die-hard Pittsburgh fan!"
"Alright! Face-off time!!" Johnny shouted. "C'mon Jason!"
	Goliath laughed and looked at Jason. "You can watch your hockey game. Don't stay away on the account that I'm here."
"It's alright, Goliath. Besides, I can always hear what's happening from those guys. Besides, "Jason said. "I need to practice."
"Practice what?" Kimberly asked. 
	Jason smiled and said, "I study Martial Arts. You, know, like karate and ju jitzsu?"
"Yeah, I know."
"That's what I need to practice. If it's alright with your parents, I guess I could show you some moves."
"Really? Can I Mom?" Kimberly asked, excited.
	Elisa looked at Goliath, and Goliath shrugged. "Sure you can, sweetie. Just don't pull any moves on someone else, unless they're helping you practice."
"Thanks Mom! Bye Dad!" Kimberly said.
	Jason held out his hand and Kimberly took it. They glided away, Goliath and Elisa watching. Goliath looked at Elisa and said, "Why did you look at me? You said that you were going to sign her up for lessons soon anyway."
"I just don't want her to get attached to Jason. As an instructor, I mean. We're only staying here for one more week."
"It's alright. You know some martial arts, right? Why don't you teach her?"
"I'm not an expert. She needs a licensed instructor to teach her. I just hope she doesn't get too attached to him."

	Jason and Kimberly landed on the wall of the same building he met Saber at, and helped her down. "So, Kimberly, how old are you?" Jason asked as he jumped down.
"I'm ten."
"That's the perfect age to start practicing. First, do you know the first rule about martial arts?" Jason asked as he sat down.
	Kimberly sat down next to him and said, "Umm, martial arts should be used to protect yourself, and not to harm another?"
	Jason gave Kimberly a surprised look. "Have you had training before?"
"No, but I've met Austin St. John. He told me." Kimberly said.
"Who is Austin St. John?" Jason asked.
"He's an actor and martial arts expert. He's also on one of the shows I watch."
"Oh. Well, lets get started."
	Jason and Kimberly stood up, and he got in a fighting stance. "Ok, Kimberly, now get in the position I'm in. This is called the horse stance."
	Kimberly copied Jason's stance, and said, "Is this right?"
"Perfect. Now what is this called again?"
"The horse stance!" Kimberly smiled.
"Very good! Now do this..." 
	Jason taught Kimberly some stances and a few moves, until it was a half an hour before sunrise. When they got back, Kimberly showed everyone what she learned. As the sun was about to rise, the gargoyles went outside and got in their positions. The Maza family walked in to wait for another day to end.


	As the gargoyles broke out of yet another stone sleep, Goliath tossed a big bag at Saber, almost knocking Saber off the wall. Saber caught the bag, and luckily his balance, and opened it."My hockey equipment! "Saber said.
	Steve jumped off the wall and looked at Saber. "You have hockey equipment? Do you play?"
"Yeah, when I can. It's really hard to find a closed ice rink that is totally empty. One time I played puck with my best friend, Gunner, "Saber said as he rummaged through his duffel bag. "I know all the rules to play."
	Steve looked at everyone who was walking up and said to Saber, "How about a game?"
"Do you know a closed ice rink?" Saber smiled as he looked up. 
"Yep. But it's not closed," Johnny smiled. "So, you game?"
"Of course!" Saber stood up.
"Yo, Jason, " Steve shouted. "You comin'?"
"Yeah!" Jason shouted. He turned to Goliath and said, "You guys can follow us. We'd like you to meet someone."
"Sure. Elisa, tell the others to get ready to follow Jason's clan."
	Elisa nodded and went to tell the others. Meanwhile, Jason and his clan got their hockey equipment and waited to leave. "Everyone ready?" Jason asked.
	Everyone nodded. "Let's go!!" Jason said as he jumped off the wall and glided away.
	The others followed, and soon, they came to the Civic Arena. Jason landed 
at the door, and the others touched down next to him. Jason started to walk in, but Goliath stopped him and said, "We're just going to walk right in?"
"Yeah, is there a problem?" Jason asked.
"No, I suppose not, "Goliath said. 
	Jason walked inside, the others following. Steve walked ahead and got to the admission booth. He leaned down and said, "Hey, Rob!"
	The man in the booth turned around and smiled. "Hey, Steve. What's up?"
"Oh, nothin' much. We just came to play some puck. We've brought some guests."
	Steve moved so Rob could see Goliath's clan. Rob saw them and said, "Hey, isn't that the clan from New York?"
	Goliath looked at Elisa, surprised. "Sure is! So can we play?" Steve said.
"Yeah, anything for you guys."
"Thanks, man!" Steve said as he walked through the gates.
	The others said hello as they followed Steve through the gates.  When they came to the rink, there were some other people out there, practicing. Jason put on his skates and skated out onto the ice. One of the players saw him and skated towards him. They talked and then Jason skated back towards the clans. "Mario said we could join them, "Jason said. "So lets suit up."
"Mario? Mario Lemieux?!?" Saber said, excited. "I'll get to play with Mario?!?"
"The one and only! C'mon. Lets go to the locker room and suit up."
	As they were walking to the locker room, Goliath caught up with Jason and asked, "How do these people know you?"
"The entire city knows about us, Goliath. They knew about our parents, too. They trust us, and we trust them."
"In a way, we're like part of their police force, " Johnny added as he passed them.
	Jason nodded in agreement. When they got into the locker room, they set their bags down amongst the others, and started to get their hockey equipment on. Saber looked up as he put his skates on to look at the other jerseys. Jason, Catherine, and Johnny had authentic Penguin jerseys from home games, and Steve, A.J. and David had authentic Penguin jerseys from away games. Saber looked in his bag at his jersey. It was a bright orange T-shirt that was too big for him, with the number sixty-six patched on the front and back, along with his name.
Embarrassed, he took it out of his bag and put it on. A.J. looked up at him and smiled. Saber looked down as he put his helmet on. He grabbed his gloves and sstick and walked out the door Saber put his gloves on, set his stick against the wall, and watched the Penguins' practice. A whistle blew, and the players started to file past Saber to go to the locker room. "Hey, what's the matter, kid?" someone said.
	Saber looked up and saw Mario Lemieux standing in front of him. He gasped and stood up. "Mario Lemieux? Wow, this is amazing, "Saber fumbled with the words. "I'm Saber."
	Saber took Mario's hand and shook it. "This is a dream come true..." Saber said quietly.
	Mario looked at Saber's jersey and chuckled. Saber looked at the floor and tried to hide the make-shift jersey. "Don't be embarrassed about that jersey, Saber. That's how I started when I first started out."
	Saber still looked at the floor, but he said, "I know. But, being a gargoyle, I've never had a chance to really start out."
	Saber looked up at Mario. Mario smiled and said, "Well, Let me see what you got. Hey, Johnny!"
	Johnny peeked around the door and said, "What is it, bro?"
"Take the net, would you? I'd like to see how Saber plays."
	Johnny walked out and onto the ice. "Sure, just let me stretch first."
"Johnny is the best goalie I know, human OR gargoyle. If you get a puck past him, you're a great player."
"But, I've never even played with a goalie before, " Saber said. 
"Don't worry about it. You'll do fine, "Mario said.
	Saber nodded and skated out to the middle of the ice. He dropped a puck on the ice and started to warm up. "Ready!" Johnny shouted.
	Saber looked over to Mario, then at the net. Saber skated towards the goal, handling the puck carefully and gaining speed. He looked up at the goal one last time and shot the puck. There was a loud smack as the puck hit Johnny's arm pad. "Next time, Saber! "Johnny laughed.
	Saber sighed and took the puck to try again. He skated out, then skated as fast as he could towards the goal. He acted like he was going to strike at the same spot, then raised his stick to shoot. Saber heard Johnny snicker as he shifted to intercept the puck. That was what Saber was waiting for. He quickly shifted positions, and shot at the opposite end of the goal. Johnny gasped and tried to move, but it was too late. The puck flew past him and into the goal.
"Yeah!!" Saber shouted as he threw his arms up.
	Johnny got up and looked at Saber. "Good shot, bud. It's not everyday someone gets a puck past me."
	Saber smiled and said, "Thanks, Johnny."
	Saber skated over to Mario and said, "Well, how'd I do?"
"Great. You are a great player, Saber."
	Mario took off his jersey and handed it to Saber. "Here, you earned this."
	Saber slowly took the jersey. He looked at it then up at Mario. "I can't take this....."
"It's Ok, "Mario smiled. "I got a million of them. Keep practicing kid. "
	Mario patted Saber on the back and walked into the locker room. Saber watched him walk through the door, then he looked back down at the jersey. Slowly, he set the jersey on the rink's wall, and took off his old, worn out jersey. He set the old jersey next to the new one, then put on the one he just received. Johnny skated up and chuckled. "Now, you DO have everything, Saber. No one in my clan has a jersey that was actually once a player's."
"Woah! Where'd you get that jersey, Saber?" A.J. asked.
"From Mario Lemieux, " Saber said as he looked up. "My hero."
	A.J. smiled at him and said quietly, "You look great in it."
	Someone behind them cleared their throat. A.J. and Saber turned to see Steve and Catherine leaning against the Locker room door frame. Saber looked at the floor embarrassed, and A.J. looked to the side. Steve and Catherine looked at each other and exchanged grins, then looked back at Saber and A.J..  Steve walked past them and laughed, "Quit flirtin' and let's play!"
	Catherine walked past A.J. and gave her this huge grin. A.J. pushed her playfully and followed them onto the ice. Jason walked out of the locker room and looked at Saber. "Heard about the jersey, Saber. Congrats."
"Thanks, Jason."
"C'mon. Let's play, "Jason said.
	Saber followed Jason onto the ice, where the others were warming up. Johnny saw that Saber was on the ice and shouted, "I want Saber on MY team!!"
	Jason rolled his eyes and shouted, "Everyone center rink!"
	Everyone skated to the center of the rink to choose teams. "Saber, what position do you play?" Jason asked.
"Center."
"Good, "Jason said. "Ok, who's on my team and who's on Saber's?"
"Wait, "Johnny said. "We need one more player."
	Jason counted all of them in his head. "You're right. We do."
	He looked around and saw Goliath's clan sitting on the stands, watching them. Jason skated over to them and said, "We need one more player. Will any of you volunteer?"
"I will, "Someone said.
	Everyone looked around to see if they could find the one who spoke. A shadowed figure walked up and stood at the door. Jason's clan and Saber skated up to Jason to find out what was going on. "Who's that? "Saber asked.
	The figure chuckled. "What's the matter, Saber? Don't know a friend when you see one?"
	As the figure spoke he stepped out of the shadows. Saber gasped. "Gunner!"
	Saber ran up to Gunner and gave him a friendly hug. "How did you know I was in Pittsburgh?!?" Saber said. Then he looked at Gunner's clothing. "And that I was playing hockey?!?"
"I'll explain later. Let's just play hockey!!"
	Gunner and Saber skated out together, joining the waiting others. "Ok, now who's on which teams?" Jason asked when they got there.
"I'll be on yours, Jason," David said.
"I'm on Saber's, " said Johnny.
"I'm on Saber's, "Gunner said.
"I'm on Jason's," Steve said.
"I'm on Saber's, " said A.J..
"Big surprise, "Catherine said, and laughed when A.J. smacked her on the arm. "Jason's."
"Ok, David, take the net, "Jason said. "It's face-off time!"
	Everyone skated to their positions and got ready. Jason set the puck down and said, "Ok, hit the ice three times, then go for it."
	Saber nodded then hit the ice three times, along with Jason, and the game started.

	When the game ended, Saber's team winning by a goal,  everyone glided back to the apartment. It was already close to sunrise, so the two clans took their positions, and turned to stone. Goliath turned to Gunner and asked, "Just how DID you know all those things?"
	Gunner, after finishing tying his long hair back, dug through his hockey bag and took out the Phoenix Gate. "Let's just say it's a timely thing. Well, I gotta get back to my time. Tell Saber I said bye and I had a great time."
	Goliath nodded and they watched as Gunner disappeared into the flames of the Phoenix Gate. 

	The week passed quickly, too quick for Kimberly. "Mom! I want to stay here!"
"Kimberly, we went over this. We've got to go back home," Elisa said.
	Jason saw the trouble they were having with her, and walked over to Kimberly. He bent down and said, "You have to go back, Kimberly."
"But I want to learn more, "Kimberly said as she looked up at Jason. "I want to be as good at martial arts as you."
"I know you want to learn more. Just practice what I taught you, "Jason said. "Wait, stay right there."
	Jason jogged through the door, returning holding something in his hand. He bent back
down and showed Kimberly what he was holding. "I'll tell you what. Keep practicing, and next month I'll come for a visit. If you show me that you've been practicing hard, I'll give you this green belt."
	Kimberly looked at the belt, then back up at Jason. "Ok. I'll practice."
	Jason ruffled Kimberly's hair and kissed her on the top of her head. Kimberly smiled and gave him a hug. "I'll miss you."
"I'll miss you too, Kim."
	Saber shook Johnny's hand. "Till next time, bro, "Johnny said.
"Yeah. See ya, "Saber said.
	Johnny walked away and A.J. walked up to him. "I'll miss you, a lot," A.J. told him.
"I'll miss you too, "Saber said.
	Without warning, A.J. threw her arms around Saber and kissed him. With wide eyes, Saber looked at her as she drew back and smiled at him. Saber smiled too, and gave her a hug. "Here's our phone number, "A.J. whispered as she handed him a slip of paper. "Please call me."
	Saber took it and said, "I will. I promise."
"Well, it's time we left, "Goliath said. "Just remember, you're always welcome to come to New York."
	Jason shook Goliath's hand and said, "We'll come and visit sometime."
"Bye everyone!" Kimberly said.
	Jason's clan watched as they got in the RV, and waved as they drove off. Inside the RV, Saber looked down at the slip of paper he was still holding, and smiled. Back at the building, A.J. smiled also as she watched the truck disappear into the distance. Finally, she followed the rest of her clan into the building. 


			THE END