"A Promise Made"

By Purple Jade

Timeperiod: This takes place after Amphipolis under siege (season 5).

Disclaimer: The characters Xena, Ares, Gabrielle, etc. do not belong to me; they are the property of Renaissance Pictures, Studios USA, and MCA/Universal.

Rated pg/pg13: for some language and violence

Summary: Xena and Eve are faced with a life or death situation and Ares hesitantly comes to save them. Will Xena and Ares be able to put the pass behind them? Or continue down their separate paths?

Summer had just left and fall began slowly creeping in. The soft howling of the wind blew through their bodies leaving a small chill behind. The setting sun was almost completely gone as Xena and Gabrielle finished making camp.

Sitting down on a log Xena picked up her daughter, who was giggling as she played with her mother’s hair. Gabrielle sat beside Xena seeing a far away look in her eyes, even though she was playing with Eve.

“Xena are you alright?” The bard asked with concern in her features.

“Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

“It’s just that ever since the whole battle with Athena, you’ve been acting different. I know you’re worried about Eve, I am too, but everything will be okay, I know it.” Gabrielle said, in what she hoped was a reassuring enough voice.

“Gabrielle I’m fine, trust me. Besides I think we’ll be out of harm’s way if only for a day or two. I doubt Athena has gotten over losing Ilainus.” Xena replied with a small smile, that she wished would get Gabrielle to change the subject.

The truth was, not even she was sure what was bothering her. Maybe it was the fact that because of her small child, an entire village was almost destroyed. Or that Eve would never truly be safe. Perhaps it was the look Ares had on his face when he realized that she had once again played with his heart. ‘No that’s ridiculous’, she screamed in her head as she tired to shake the thought out. Xena was brought back to reality when she realized, she had been staring into space again. She turned away from Gabrielle hoping she wouldn’t push the subject any farther.

The bard let out a small sigh; she knew better than to force Xena into talking about something she didn’t want to.

“So where are we headed to?” The bard asked, changing the topic.

“Actually for now I’m not sure. The next town is only two days ride from here, I guess that’ll be where we’re heading to next ” Xena replied.

___________________________________________________

Meanwhile on Mount Olympus Discord and Deimos were having a discussion of their own. Ever since Zeus’ death Olympus has been upside down. Some gods see the baby Eve as their end, while others still do not believe she could cause them any harm. With Athena’s failed attempt to kill the child, the other gods were uncertain whether they should try themselves.

However Discord was not one of those gods, she had never liked the Warrior princess and this was just the excuse she was looking for to finally get rid of her and the child. Discord believed that with Xena gone, Ares would finally be hers. And as for Deimos this was all about making sure his future was protected.

“I can’t believe the other gods are hesitating about going after Xena and the child. Just because Athena screwed up.” Discord roared.

“Well she is the goddess of wisdom. If she couldn’t out smart Xena, then who can? ” Deimos replied.

“Goddess of wisdom my ass. Everything has to be so complicated with her. She could have easily appeared before Eve and killed her while Xena was distracted”

“So why don’t you do that?”

“Are you insane? Xena won’t let Eve out of her sight for even a minute now. Besides I have a better plan, unlike Athena’s it’s quite simple” The goddess said with an evil grin.

Then moments later both she and Deimos vanished.

___________________________________________________

Back at the camp darkness had completely surrounded them. Their only light was the flame of the small fire and the moon and stars above them.

“Looks like someone’s tired” Gabrielle said, after seeing the small child yawn.

“It’s getting late I should put her to sleep” Xena uttered, rocking Eve to sleep in her arms.

Xena walked over to her bedroll and laid the sleepy child gently down. Then she turned towards Gabrielle, something wasn’t right she could sense it. Suddenly a strange wind blew across them and a dark figure emerged.

“You know what Xena I’ll be glad to put the little angel to sleep for you, permanently that is” Discord offered as a ball of lighten materialized in her hand.

Xena and Gabrielle jumped to their feet. As the bard pulled out her sais, Xena grabbed her chakram.

“What do you what?” The warrior princess asked with venom in her voice.

“To kill that little brat, what else” Discord replied, throwing a lighting ball towards Gabrielle, who quickly jumped out of the way, landing beside Xena.

“What were you saying about being out of harms way again” The bard whispered.

“Watch Eve, I’ll take care of our guest” Xena replied, pulling out her sword.

The Warrior princess then made her way closer to the goddess.

“I thought you gods would learn by now not to mess with my child. But I guess I’ll just have to give you a personal lesson” She said, as she began attacking Discord.

Blocking with her chakram, Xena swung her sword at the deity. Aggravation could be seen on Discord’s face she blocked blow after blow only to be knocked to the ground from a solid kick to the stomach.

Discord had a grin on her face as a ball of lighting materialized in her hands. Xena leaped out of the way as a sequence of lighting balls flew at her. Gabrielle left Eve’s side for a second as she came up behind Discord and punched her in the head, momentarily distracting the deity.

All of a sudden Deimos appeared without warning and sent a lighting ball soaring towards Eve. By the time Xena saw him all she could do was lunge towards the baby and hope to shield Eve’s body from the impact. When the lighting ball collided with Xena’s body, she was hurled into the tree behind her, with Eve in her arms.

Eve’s wails could be heard as Xena’s body fell to the ground. Surprisingly enough Eve was not badly harmed, but her mother on the other hand could barely lift her head as Deimos made his way towards them.

Discord grabbed Gabrielle’s hair and sent a hard kick to her back. The bard screamed in pain and fell to the ground.

“Xena!” Gabrielle yelled, but was powerless to do anything.

And before she knew it Deimos had vanished along with Xena and Eve.

“Where are they?” She demanded, turning towards Discord.

The deity let out a wicked laugh. She could have easily vanished and left Gabrielle without a clue as to the whereabouts of her little friend. But then she wouldn’t be able to gloat; it wasn’t like the bard would ever get there in time to save them.

“Mt. Etna, why were you going to go get them? Good luck with that, cause by the time you find them they’ll be frozen solid” Discord answered, with a devilish smirk as she vanished.

“No!” Gabrielle screamed, as tears began falling from her eyes. ‘How could this be happening’, she shouted in her mind. She had to find a way to save Xena and Eve. There had to be a way. An idea popped into her head, one that she would never consider doing but could think of nothing else.

Trying to stop her tears she stood up and yelled. “Ares!”

But nothing happened. “Damn you Ares, I know you can hear me!” She yelled.

Within moments the god of war appeared before her, with an irritated look on his face.

“What is it blondie?” He asked, staring at her. He was somewhat surprised to see tear tracks running down her face, but said nothing about them.

“They took them to Mt. Etna, you have to go save them” Gabrielle blurted out.

“Whoa take it easy. What are you talking about?”

“Discord and Deimos took Xena and Eve to Mt. Etna. You need to go and get them before it’s too late”

“Did you forget who you were talking to? I am the god of war, maybe you didn’t realize it but Eve dying is a good thing for me” He replied in a harsh tone.

“Ares you can’t leave them out there to die in the cold like that” Gabrielle said, anger boiling up inside her. “Where is your compassion? You said you cared for her, now prove to me that you weren’t lying”

“I don’t have to prove anything to you” He snapped, and turned his back on her, as he was about to leave.

“I’ll give you anything you want. I’ll fight for you and lead your armies. Anything” She pleaded.

“You have nothing I want”

“So what, you’re just going to let her die like that? You coward!” She yelled, but he had already disappeared.

___________________________________________________

Opening her eyes Xena found herself surrounded by bitter coldness and utter darkness. She could hear the small child crying in her arms, from the severe gust of wind that whipped across their bodies. ‘Where are we?’ she wondered as the last thing she could remember was the sight of Deimos walking towards her, with a evil look in his eyes. She pulled Eve in closer to her, trying to guard the child from as much of the cold air as she could. Her head was pounding and every part of her body ached.

There was no sign of Gabrielle, she observed as she looked around trying to figure out where they were. ‘Maybe there’s a town near by, maybe I could find some help’, she said to her self as she slowly stood up.

“It’s okay baby, everything’s going to be okay” She whispered in Eve’s ear as she rocked her.

If she’d hope to survive this she would have to start moving, staying in one spot wouldn’t help the matter. But it seemed as if Mother Nature had a different plan. With the wind so strong and the coldness so intense, Xena found herself falling her knees, not being able to take the weather any longer.

Eve’s wails had reduced, and all Xena could do was hold her tighter.

“No, please, no” She cried, but her tears quickly turned to ice before they even fell from her eyes.

Xena could feel the heat leaving her body and Eve’s. She began shivering unable to hold it in, and slowly her eyes began closing. No longer could she fight back, in her mind it was pointless.

Suddenly Xena could feel a warmth covering her body. She opened her eyes to find two arms wrapped around her. Looking up she realized it was Ares.

“Ares” she whispered.

“Shhh” The god replied, and smiled as the ether consumed them.

Xena closed her eyes and fell unconscious.

___________________________________________________

Ares appeared in the chamber of one of his temples, with Xena and Eve in his arms. He laid Xena gently down on the bed, and took Eve from her. At first he held the small child like a doll, unsure whether to hold her with one arm or two. ‘I can do this’, he said to himself, shifting her position over and over until she lie in the crook of his arm. The small child’s skin was still cold to the touch. He looked at her fragile body and thought to himself, how easily he could crush her. How he could just end it all right here, if he so chose to.

Slowly Eve’s eyes began to flutter open, the heat from his body had warmed her, bringing her to. The small child stared at him with sleepy eyes, as a smile appeared on her face. She was so tiny and oblivious to what was happening around her, he thought, how could she possibly pose a threat to any god or man for that matter.

Ares couldn’t help but stare into her bright blue eyes, which reminded him so much of her mother’s. He knew, he could have easily taken her life and possibly ended it all, but he also knew that would have destroyed Xena. She would hate him forever, with every fiber of her being. And to him that wouldn’t be worth it. He cared of her so much it hurt at times, and often he replaced that pain with anger.

However as he looked at the smiling baby in his arms he did something he would never admit to, he smile back at her. It was strange the feeling he had while holding her, as if all that was important was the little life in his arms.

“You look just like her, you know” He whispered to her, as he sat down in a chair.

“You’ll probably follow in her foot steps and become a warrior princess, kicking butt, saving lives and all that other stuff” He continued to whisper as if someone might hear.

Eve let out a yawn as he slowly rocked her back and forth.

“Here I’ll make you a promise, if you be a good girl and put in a good word for me to your mom, I promise to grant you a wish. Now this isn’t some crappy genie kind of garbage Oh I wish for a thousand wishes B.S. it’s a one time use only. What do you say?” He asked, as her eyes were closing. She opened them up again then closed them and fell asleep.

“I’ll take that as a yes” He said, making his way to the bed and softly placing her down. As he was doing so he noticed she was covered with specs of dirt, and with a wave of his hand she was all cleaned up.

He turned to Xena; she had cuts and bruises on her arms trailing to her back. He repositioned her on her stomach and with a thought all her armor and clothing were moved to the chair near the bed. Only a sheet covered her lower half. Bottles of antibiotics and badges appeared on the nightstand beside him. He began cleaning her wounds the best he could, then badge them up when he was finished.

A black silk nightgown materialized on Xena; Ares shifted her so that she was now lying on her back. He moved a strand of hair that covered her face, behind her ear. Immediately he remembered that the bard was probably still at the camp covered in tears. With a sigh he gazed at Xena a moment longer before vanishing.

___________________________________________________

He found Gabrielle on horseback racing in the direction of Mt. Etna. The war god couldn’t stop himself from laughing. Did she really think she could get there quickly, he thought, maybe he should leave and not tell her. Though the idea was rather pleasant, the fact that she looked like she was about to fall off the horse was kind of pathetic.

“Hey blondie” Ares yelled as he materialized on Xena’s horse, which was running along side Gabrielle’s.

The bard’s heart practically skipped a beat as she watched him appear beside her. Swiftly she pulled on the horses’ reins to make them stop. After a minute or so they had come to a complete halt.

“Are they alright?” The bard asked, her heart pumping with every breath.

Ares lifted his finger to his lips as a signal for her not to say anything. For all they knew Discord and Deimos could be listening to them right now.

The god gave her a slight nod. He grabbed her arm and soon an ether surrounded them as they were transported to a chamber in a tavern inside the village nearby.

“What now?” Gabrielle asked, somewhat confused.

Ares just smirked and vanished, leaving behind a sack of dinors and a note.

“No wait!” She replied, but by then he was already gone.

The note read: ‘They’re fine. Trust me?’

“Trust me” Gabrielle laughed. “That’s easier said than done”

She wasn’t sure whether are not to believe Ares. For all she knew Xena and Eve could be dead, but then why would Ares bother coming to her. Was he just playing with her mind or was he telling the truth. Gabrielle felt as the exhaustion finally took over her body. She tired to fight it back but no longer had any strength left, with a loud sigh she collapsing on the bed. Tomorrow she thought, tomorrow she would figure out what to do next.

___________________________________________________

When Ares returned to his chamber he found Eve whimpering in her sleep. Some how she had gotten to the edge of the bed, Ares slowly picked her up and rocked her back to her peaceful slumber.

“This isn’t so hard” he said, still rocking her in his arms.

He then sat down in the chair near the bed and watched the sleeping child.

“Eve” He suddenly heard Xena mumble in her sleep.

She twisted and turned in the bed as if searching for the child in her dreams. The god stood up and walked towards her, wondering what he should do. An idea popped into his head ‘Minus well, what do I have to lose’ he said with a smirk. With a thought he had changed from his leathers to a pair of black silk pajamas. Gradually Ares slipped into the bed beside her. With Eve in one arm he slowly wrapped his other arm around Xena, hoping this would somehow stop her nightmare. Slightly stroking her arm, he held her against him. At first Xena fought against the object that was holding her, but soon she settled down and it seemed as if the nightmare had passed. But she still called out Eve’s name in her sleep.

Placing the small child on his chest, Ares grabbed Xena’s hand and laid it on Eve’s back. Xena’s hand wondered up and down the child’s back, until resting on her shoulders, as if checking to make sure it was her.

Ares looked down at his sleeping warrior princess, and could swear he saw a smile on her lips. She looked so peaceful in her sleep, he was certain only a few people had ever seen her look so calm and serene. He wished they could stay like this forever, but tomorrow would soon come, and no doubt Xena would quickly be on her way out once she awoken. Although in the morning he will once again lose her, for now he had her and everything seemed right.

___________________________________________________

Xena awoken slowly opening her eyes; Her vision was blurred and her head badly throbbing.

“What? … How?” She said in a weak voice. Suddenly her heart began racing when she realized her daughter was no longer in her arms.

“Eve? Eve!” She cried out, trying to move but something was holding her down.

Ares awakened to find her struggling against him while calling out for Eve. “It’s alright, calm down” He leaned in and whispered in her ear, while holding her closer trying to get her to settle down.

She heard his voice but didn’t stop. With every move she made, she felt a touch of pain run through her body. A dizzy feeling soon took over her, but she could not stop. She had to make sure Eve was safe.

“Where? Where is she?” She asked in a hoarse tone.

“Right here… she’s right here” He replied placing her hand on the child’s head.

“Eve?” Xena said, calming down as she stroked the child’s hair.

“Shh, she’s sleeping” He whispered, watching as Xena fought with the sleepiness apparent in her eyes. “See she’s okay. Now rest, you’re still tired”

Xena mumbled something, a refusal he would bet, but the second she closed her eyes she fell back asleep.

He looked at her marveled by her beauty. A sad smile appeared on his face, she probably won’t even remember this, he thought.

“It’s almost time” The god uttered to himself, looking at the small hint of the coming sun through the window.

Ares didn’t go back to sleep, afraid that if he did it would all be over in a second. Instead he lie there awoke, caressing his princess’ soft skin, pretending for a moment that they were not enemies but lovers.

An hour had passed when he heard Eve begin to whimper before opening her eyes. Her cries started low then grew louder.

“Shh, what’s wrong?” He asked getting up and trying to calm the small child down. “Shit, you’re hungry aren’t you?” He realized. “Well your mom is out cold, so it looks like it’ll just have to be goat milk for you angel” He said, as a container of milk appeared in his hand.

He fed her as he walked around the room, telling her about the different battles pictured on the walls. When she was done she let out a burp and smiled. Reaching for his face, she pulled on the short hairs of his goatee. He shifted her from her side ways position and held her upright with one arm.

He looked out the window and could see the rising sun. He walked back to the bed and looked from the smiling baby in his arm to the sleeping warrior princess lying on his bed.

It was over, he thought. Once she awakes things will go back to how they were before. She will hate and despise him, while he will pretend to want nothing more from her than her body. If only she knew the truth, if only. Ares chuckled to himself, it seemed ridiculous to think that the god of war could have such feelings for a mortal women let alone anyone for that matter.

With a sigh he sat down beside Xena and took a hold of her hand as they all disappeared, and reappeared inside Gabrielle’s room in the tavern. Xena was now laying beside the bard on the medium sized bed.

Ares then turned to Eve. “Remember our deal, make sure it’s a good one…. Sweet dreams angel” And with the wave of his hand the child had fallen asleep. He gently laid her down between her mother and Gabrielle.

Ares stood there for a few minutes longer, not daring to move. He didn’t wait to let Xena go, not when he knew how it felt to hold her in his arms. He caressed her face with his hand before bending down and kissing her lips.

“Good bye princess” And with that he vanished.

___________________________________________________

Gabrielle awoke with a jolt, ‘Xena, Eve!’ she yelled in her mind. What was she doing sleeping? She had to find them. Right when she was about to leap out of bed, she realized she was not alone.

“Xena? … I can’t believe it, he wasn’t lying” She said, her voice almost shaking. She then reached over and shook Xena softly, making sure not to disturb Eve. “Xena, Xena get up” She said.

“Gabrielle?” The warrior princess whispered, unsure if this was real.

“Are you okay?” The bard asked, concern humming in her voice.

“Yeah, I’m fine. What happened?” She sat up slowly noticing her surroundings.

“Don’t you remember? Discord and Deimos attacked us, and took you and Eve to Mt. Etna”

“I remember that, but everything afterwards is a blur” Xena replied, lifting up Eve and holding her close. She had almost lost her daughter, and it terrified her to think that right now her child could have been dead.

“After I found out where they sent you two, I panicked and did the only thing I could think of”

“You called Ares” Xena finished; her face turned a pale white.

“I know what you’re thinking, asking Ares for help is never a good idea but he saved both of you. Whatever the cost of him helping, it’s worth it”

“It wasn’t a dream, he really was there” Xena said to herself in barely a whisper.

“What’d you say?” Gabrielle saw her friend’s mouth moving, but didn’t hear a thing.

“Nothing, it was nothing” Xena replied, with distant eyes. Gabrielle continued to talk but she was no longer listening. An image appeared in her mind. Ares lying on a bed holding her in his arms, speaking with soothing words as their hands lay on the baby sleeping peacefully on his chest.

She then reached up and touched her lips, as confusion clouded her thoughts. It was as if she could feel his lips on hers but had no memory of ever kissing him that night.

“Xena, Xena” She heard someone calling her back to reality.

“What?” She asked, a little out of breath.

“Are you sure that you’re alright?”

“Yeah I’m fine, I am”

“And you’re positive you don’t remember anything more about last night?”

Xena paused a moment before answering. “Yeah…I’m positive” She looked away, afraid the bard would see right through her.

Gabrielle stared at her for a moment. Xena was hiding something, she could tell. But what? She contemplated questioning her, but at the moment her friend seemed more in shock and slightly scared. She watched as Xena rocked the small child in her arms, with a hold that seemed not even the Jaws of Life could pry open.

Gabrielle moved closer and placed her arm around Xena’s shoulder. “She’s safe” The bard said, holding Eve’s little hand in her fingers.

“But for how long” Xena replied, pain and sadness clearly evident in her eyes. “We almost lost her last night. I don’t want my child growing up having to fear that she might not live to see tomorrow” She whispered in a shaky voice.

“We’ll find a way, we always do”

“But what if by then it’s too late”

Gabrielle looked down at Eve, unsure how to respond. No matter what she said Xena would always have that feeling of, what if they couldn’t always protect Eve? A feeling that she herself had felt a number of times. Questions would race through her mind. Was this fight pointless? Would they just end up causing the child more pain and getting themselves killed? One second the answers were clear and the next not so much.

They sat there in silence a moment before Gabrielle spoke. “One day she will be safe from the gods, she will be happy and secure. I know this because I can see it in her eyes. Those little sapphire eyes are all the proof I need to know that everything will be alright” She said softly, as Eve gradually opened her eyes, finally awakening from her slumber.

A smile appeared on Xena’s face as the child released a yawn. “You’re absolutely right” She replied, watching as those sapphire eyes stared back at her.

Gabrielle paused for a brief minute unsure how to bring up the next subject. “So…” She said in a cheerful tone. “I really like what you’re wearing, it suits you well” A broad smile appeared on her face.

“What are you thinking about?” Xena replied then glanced down to realize she was wearing a short black silk nightgown. “Ares” She said with clenched teeth.

The bard could no longer contain her laughter as she pulled away from the warrior. Figuring it would be safer to put a little distance between them while she released the held in laughter.

“It’s not funny” The warrior warned.

“Yeah but your expression is” The bard took a second to stop laughing. “Come on isn’t that sweet? He even put on a cute little nightgown on you”

“Shut up” Xena replied, but couldn’t help a small smirk from coming out. “I’m going to have to burn this”

“No, keep it as a memento for the first time Ares ever did something selfless”

“Nothing he does is selfless. Sooner or later he’s going to pop up and want something from us… he always does” The last part she said with a hint of sadness in her voice.

___________________________________________________

Word of Xena and Eve’s ‘deaths’ had spread quickly among the Olympians. By late morning it seemed as if most of the gods knew of how Deimos and Discord had killed the mortal woman and the godless child. Deimos had been fast to tell his vision of the ‘battle’ and how he almost single handedly saved the gods. However many of the gods had their doubts, and Athena was no exception. At first she was strongly skeptic about it, but then found herself wanting to believe it like many of the other gods.

Yes, it appeared Discord and Deimos had become the so called saviors of Olympus. But for how long would that title last?

The goddess of wisdom made her presence known as she emerged from the shimmering sphere of light that appeared before Discord and Deimos. The two gods took their time standing up from the chairs they had just been sitting in. A smug and condescending smile played on both their lips.

“Athena!” Discord said, with fake enthusiasm. “Guess you’re here to thank us for getting raid of Xena and that little brat for you?” It was more of a statement than a question.

“Actually no” The goddess replied, taking a few steps around the room. “Tell me again how you two killed Xena and the child”

“Well first Discord and I attacked them during the night. While she was fighting the little blond I was taking care of Xena. Sure the ‘warrior princess’ put up a good fight at first, but she was no match for my incredible strength and speed. I hit her with a right hook then a left, and knocked her to the ground. Then I pulled out my sword and ran it into her stomach; I walked over to the child and did the same” Deimos finished his tale of triumph, as an air of arrogance covered his body.

Discord rolled her eyes at Deimos’s great exaggeration of how it occurred.

“Is that what really happened?” Athena questioned.

“Yeah that’s what happened. Why?” The god replied.

“Well imagine my surprise when one of my priest informed me that they had just seen Xena, Gabrielle and the child in a small town near Amphipolis. And here I thought they were dead, but it turns out no actually they’re just fine” Her knowing smirk turned into an angry leer.

Discord and Deimos were frozen solid. Their expressions had fallen leaving their faces blank.

“But that can’t be right, I know they’re dead we killed them ourselves” Discord replied, as confusion began to set in.

“Then explain this” Athena made a small portal materialize before them, and an image of Xena, Gabrielle and Eve appeared. The goddess waited for their responses, but there was none. “I swear you two dim-wits can’t do anything right. I should have known that there was no way in Tartarus that the two of you would be able to kill Xena. Thinking back to it now it makes me laugh, you both are truly pathetic. But no matter, the other gods and I have come up something, Xena is weak and we will strike soon. Be sure to tell my brother this, wherever he is.” She gave them a wicked grin then vanished.

“I’ll show you pathetic” Deimos yelled as he threw a lighten ball at the spot Athena had been standing in.

“I don’t get it. What could have possibly gone wrong?” Discord asked out loud, frustration clearly in her features.

“Maybe it was that blonde friend of hers” The god replied, as he continued to throw lighten balls in the same spot.

“No that’s impossible, she would have never gotten there in time. It just doesn’t make any sense” She paused a moment to think to herself. They were missing something. Only a god would have been able to get to Xena and Eve in time. Maybe it was Aphrodite, but no goddess appeared shaken by the news of Xena and Eve’s ‘deaths’. She couldn’t have known. If that was the case then who else could it have been. Suddenly she realized there had been a certain god that neither her nor Deimos had seen since the day before. “Ares” She said in barely a whisper. But why would he have saved Xena and the child? She wondered.

“Do you have any idea of what went wrong?” Deimos asked, bringing her out of her thoughts.

“…No I don’t. Look, I have to go now” Discord disappeared before he could reply.

___________________________________________________

A cold drift filled the temple, and only the faint sounds of foot steps could be heard as the war god made his way into his chamber. It was not until he had closed the door behind him did he notice he was not alone. A dark figure was seated on his throne as if waiting for him to address her.

“Discord, what do you want?” He said as his expression turned into irritation.

“It took me awhile to realize it, but now I think I understand” She replied, as if continuing a conversation that they already had.

“What?” He questioned, with a hint of puzzlement in his voice.

“Oh you know, that whole thing about saving that foolish warrior of yours and her child”

“I have no idea of what you’re talking about” His expression stayed the same.

“Don’t play dumb with me Ares, I know it was you. I thought you were on our side, seeing as if the child lives it means your doom”

The god stared back at her and said nothing.

“What did you think you were doing saving them. It was almost over, they would have been dead”

“It was a cowards way out, I expected better from you”

Discord, who before had a smirk on her face now looked as if she would kill the god before her.

“Ares you pretend as if you would choose that woman’s child over your very own existence. And for what? Xena, she will never return to you. Can’t you realize that? I know you Ares, I know that you care for no one but yourself. And in the end you will choose to live, because that is the type of person you are” She said calming herself, then coming closer to him and touching his arm.

“What did you come here for?” He pulled away from her. The god’s mood had darkened and anger flowed in his words.

“I wonder what Athena and the other gods would say if they were to find out that it was you who saved Xena and the child?” And with that her devilish smirk had returned.

“You wouldn’t dare”

“Don’t be too sure about that” Slowly she began circling him.

“And what will it cost for you to keep your mouth shut?” He asked, as he fought the urge to grab her by the neck and throw her across the room.

“Nothing really. You see, Athena and the other gods have come up with a plan. Xena is weak and would stand no chance against us if we were to strike now. Your part is simple, all you need to do is get Xena away from the child and we will do the rest”

“That’s it?” He questioned, finding it strange how easy Athena’s plan appeared.

“Yep, so is that a yes or do I have to see Athena about your little stunt?”

“I’ll do it, now leave” He said looking away from her. Only his mask of irritation covered the dread he was feeling.

The goddess released an evil cackle before disappearing. She was satisfied and everything was going as planned.

Ares stood there for a moment, trying to figure out what he should do. He had to go to her, the god decided, he had to warn her.

___________________________________________________

The day had slowly gone from morning to night, and Xena watched with indifference as the sun rose and fell into the horizon. She had only left their room above the tavern twice, once to get supplies and again a check on Argo.

Gabrielle was worried about Xena; she could still see the sorrow and worry in her friend’s eyes. Xena would seldom put Eve down, and the few times she did, she would never let the child out of her sight.

It was nightfall and the bard was peacefully sleeping after sending the last hour or so trying to get Xena to go to sleep. Gabrielle had closed her eyes to rest thinking that it had worked, but once she was asleep the warrior’s eyes reopened. Xena stood up and made her way to the window, in the corner of her eye she could see Eve still awake lying on the bed next to Gabrielle. It seemed that she hadn’t been the only one pretending to sleep.

A smile appeared on her face but soon disappeared once she felt that all too familiar tingle in her spine. She turned around to find nothing.

“Ares, what do you want?” She asked, moving back over to the bed where Eve had abruptly sat up and began reaching in the air for something beside the bed. Xena watched with curiosity, as it seemed like Eve could also sense his presence.

“I came to warn you” He whispered in her ear, as he stood behind her.

Xena slightly shivered as she felt his warm breath on her neck.

“Why?” She said, trying to control her racing heartbeat.

But he did not replied, instead he stood there in silence and began to slowly stroke her arm. Xena closed her eyes, trying not to shiver under his touch. Just when she thought she could not take it any longer he vanished.

She released a breath of air she didn’t realize she was holding. After taking a few more breaths, she turned to Gabrielle and woke her up.

“Xena, what’s wrong?” The bard asked still half sleeping.

“Ares was just here, he said he came to warn me. The gods are probably planning something. We need to leave here at day break, the last thing I want to do is get these villagers in the middle of a battle between us and the gods” Xena quickly said.

“But are you sure we can trust him?”

“Look either way something will probably happen, at least this way no innocent people will get harmed”

Gabrielle couldn’t disagree with her, it was true that it would be better if they left but she couldn’t help feeling that something terrible was going to happen.

“Okay” The bard agreed.

That night neither of them slept, afraid that the gods might not wait until the next day to strike.

___________________________________________________

Morning it seemed had come too quickly, and within an hour they were gone. Steadily they rode away from the town, hours had passed but still they continued. The afternoon sun was now above them as they finally stopped to rest. Their horses were exhausted and the small child with them was on the verge of tears. It was going to take them another couple of hours to reach their destination; an old abandon shack, which would be used as a place for them to rest for the night.

Xena slowly rocked the child in her arms before feeding her. With guarded eyes she watched their surroundings, looking for any peculiar movements, listening for any strange sounds that could be seen as warning signals. Some time had passed and the forest seemed the same, as if nothing had change. It was then that she realized it was much too quiet; the creatures around her were standing still as if they had sensed the presence of a predator and were waiting for it to strike.

Gradually she stood up with Eve in her arms. “Gabrielle lets start moving” She stated, still carefully watching for movements.

“But Xena the horses are still tired, they need more rest”

“We don’t have time for that, let’s go”

“Why, is something wrong?” Concern and fear covered the bard’s face.

“I just think it would be better for us to start moving again. We shouldn’t stay in the same place for too long” She had already begun repacking the few items they had taken out, when she suddenly froze. It was a faint sound one that any other person would over look but she knew exactly what it was, the sound of the blade of a sword brushing up against a tree.

“Gabrielle I think we have company” She said in a low voice as she pulled out her sword.

Before the bard could reply Athena, Discord and Deimos appeared before them.

A hail of lighten and fire balls hurtled towards Xena and Gabrielle, forcing them to leap out of the way. The three gods pulled out their swords and made their way to the warrior and the bard. Deimos attacked Gabrielle while Athena and Discord went after Xena.

The warrior princess struggled as she fought with one arm against the two goddesses. Their blades met time and time again and when it seemed like Xena was getting the upper hand a lighten ball appeared out of nowhere and missed her and Eve by a few inches. Xena instantly realized that there was another god among them, one still hidden. Throwing her sword in the air Xena quickly reached for her chakram and hurled it at the invisible god. Hades fell to the ground as his helmet of invisibility was knocked off his head. In one swift motion Xena caught her chakram placing it back and grabbed her falling sword.

Meanwhile Gabrielle found it surprisingly easy to battle Deimos; the young god was over confident and too self-assured. He would make stupid mistakes letting his guard down and not taking the bard seriously. With one fast kick she had knocked him down and brought her self-time to try to help Xena. Unnoticed she came up behind Discord and spent a bone crushing hit to the goddess’ back. Then turned to realize that the helmet of invisibility was lying on the ground beside her.

Discord let out a loud screech as she fell, and with that Athena was distract for a moment. Xena took this opportunity to grab her chakram and throw it into the air, as Gabrielle also tossed the helmet into the sky. The spinning disk jumped from tree to tree then hit the helmet causing a mass of sparks to emerge.

While the gods were momentarily distracted Xena and Gabrielle leaped onto their horses and made their escape. The horses galloped as fast as they could, having sensed the urgency of their riders. It took only hours to get to the shack, but to them it seemed like days.

“Was that it?” Gabrielle asked once they had gotten off their horses. “Do you think they’ll leave us alone for a little while now?”

“No, I doubt that it’s over” Xena replied. The fact that Ares had come to warn her, told her that what ever the gods had planned would not be so small. No this was just the beginning.

___________________________________________________

Darkness had quickly descended over the small wooden structure as rain began falling from the sky. Xena stood beside the window watching as the raindrops fell harder with every passing minute. Gabrielle was sitting down at the table with Eve in her arms; the small child was trying unsuccessfully to touch the small flame of the candle that served as their only light.

The sound of thunder could be heard as a dark figure suddenly emerged in front of the house. “He’s outside, stay in here and be alert” Was all the warrior princess said as she headed towards the door.

Gabrielle stood up to see her walking towards him, with her sword drawn.

Xena stopped two feet away from him, his face was smirking but his eyes were sad.

“You mind explaining your self?” She asked, the question was simple but in actuality she was talking about so much more.

He didn’t reply right away and the silence between them became deafening. He just stared at her as if he might not ever see her again. After what seemed like an eternity he finally spoke.

“I’m here because I wanted to talk to you about a deal”

“A deal?” She replied, in disbelief. “Of course, cause why else would you be here?” Bitterness could be heard in her voice.

The god paused a moment feeling the small pain she felt from his words. “Listen Xena, you want Eve’s safety I can give it to you, but for something in return”

“So tell me Ares, what do you want?” She knew the answer, it was the same as always but she wanted to see if he would dare say it.

He paused unsure how to respond. The rain continued to fall as they stood there, neither one wanting to take off their mask and show their true selves. Not being able to stop himself the god took a few steps closer to her. Xena held her sword in front of his chest and gave him a warning look. He stopped for a moment then came closer, touching the swords tip he moved it aside. Xena didn’t move, it was as if time had slowed down and no matter how hard she tried, she could not turn away.

He reached for her face, caressing her skin as the raindrops slid down her body. Staring into her eyes he felt his core breaking down for knowing what was probably happening at this very moment. He leaned in and brushed his lips against hers, then whispered. “They’re in the house trying to kill Eve, go now” He stepped back watching as her expression changed and she turned and ran back into the small home.

Xena rushed through the door to find Athena, Hades and Deimos rampaging through everything in the room. Their swords were drawn as they threw old wooden crates aside and turned tables over.

It took them only a moment to realize she was in the room, they turned to her simultaneously. Deimos was the first to charge her, he swung his sword wildly at her as he got closer. Xena blocked his advances, and quickly knocked his sword away.

Deimos looked up at her, somewhat surprised then all he saw as her foot connecting with his stomach. He felt as his body was launched into the wall behind him. After a minute or so he vanished unseen.

The large gashes in the roof had allowed streaks of rain to descend into the house.

Xena turned to Hades’ and watched as the god cautiously made his way to her. “Xena I wish things didn’t have to be this way” He said with a devious expression.

“It doesn’t, you can always leave” She replied, closely watching him.

“Funny” He said, letting out a small chuckle. “It was nice knowing you” He added then lunged his sword at her.

Xena easily moved out of the way and delivered a backhanded smack to his face. The god stumbled back before attacking again. A ball of fire appeared in his hands, with the flick of his waist it darted towards the warrior princess. Xena flipped out of the way only to be hit from behind by Athena.

Xena staggered but quickly regained her balanced. Athena looked at her with an apologetic expression, which then turned into a smirk. Xena was about to attack her when she heard Hades coming up behind her. The god forcefully swung his sword only to miss. Their swords clashed as Xena tried to keep an eye on both gods. Hades’ attacks became more rapid as Xena found her self being distracted by the smirking goddess.

Xena winced as she felt the blade of the god’s sword sliced across her arm. She blocked his next attack and with a hard kick knocked him to the ground. Before she could even catch her breath she watched as a series of fireballs emerged from Athena’s hands and came flying towards her. She flipped, jumped and leaped across the room trying to avoid the burning spheres but still felt as one collided with her body. She was thrown into a pile of crates beside an unseen door to another room. The empty wooden boxes broke her fall but inflicted more damage as the jagged pieces of wood made small cuts on her skin.

She shook her head trying to clear her mind; she knew she had to get up. Just then she heard someone softly calling out her name.

“Xena? Xena are you alright?” The voice asked, it took her a while to realize that it was Gabrielle.

“Gabrielle are you and Eve okay?”

“Yes we’re fine” The bard replied, still whispering.

“Where are you?” Xena felt as if the world was spinning.

“Behind the door” Gabrielle reply, as she slowly opened the door and reached for the fallen warrior.

“No, stay in there it’s not safe” Xena said trying to get up.

“You need help” Gabrielle gradually pulled her into the room trying not to make a great deal of noise so that the gods would not notice the rotting wood door, which practically blended into the wall.

Athena waited as Hades stood up. There was no rush she thought, they had Xena beaten. However what they didn’t see was Gabrielle pulling the warrior princess into another room.

Smoke and fire had now engulfed the wooden structure as it began falling apart. The storm continued and the large droplets of rain were the only thing fighting the fire from immediately consuming the entire house. Gabrielle closed the door and made her way to Xena, who had blood dripping from her mouth and arms, and had a large red scald like mark going down one shoulder.

“I’m fine” Xena said, getting up with the help the of the bard.

“I think you should take Eve and go out through the back, I’ll try to hold them for as long as I can”

“Gabrielle there’s no way I’m going to leave you behind”

Large pieces of flaming wood started falling down from above them, and the smoke was making it harder and harder to see. The large puddles that were forming around them weren’t exactly helping matters.

“We’re running out of time, they want you and Eve not me. I’ll be fine trust me now go” Gabrielle picked up Eve.

“No, No I can’t I won’t”

“You have to. You once mentioned a cave being near here, I’ll find it and I’ll meet you both there. Xena just trust me on this”

Suddenly they heard as Athena and Hades began looking through the crates for Xena. “She’s gone” Hades roared.

“She’s not gone, she’s just hiding” Athena’s muffled voice said. “So that’s where you’ve been all this time Gabrielle” She yelled behind the door.

Gabrielle handed Eve to Xena and pushed her through the second door leading out just as the door behind her exploded. Athena and Hades walked through the now enormous hole in the wall.

“Where are they?” The goddess questioned.

“None of your business” Gabrielle replied.

“You know I’d really hate to have to kill you, but I will if you don’t move out of our way”

“Then I guess you’ll have to kill me” Gabrielle held her sais in her hands.

The goddess released a fire ball at her and watched as Gabrielle leaped out of the way, but the bard quickly got up again. In a split second Athena was in front of her, the goddess grabbed Gabrielle by the neck and threw her aside like a rag doll.

Athena and Hades then made their way through the door and saw Xena and Eve ridding away on horse back as they were being drenched with rain. Two stallions then appeared and both gods climbed onto them and headed after the warrior princess.

Xena was struggling to see in the storm as she attempted to lose Athena and Hades who were only a few yards away and gaining on her. Right when she thought they would catch her they all of a sudden vanished. She pulled on the reins forcing Argo to slow down. She couldn’t understand why the gods would just leave when they almost had them. Something was wrong she could sense it. She turned Argo around and started making her way to the cave where she and Gabrielle were suppose to meet up.

Meanwhile Gabrielle stumbled to the door and slowly made her way to her horse. As she rode the horse searching for the cave’s entry she felt a sense of foreboding coming over her. At last she found the cave and hurriedly got of her horse and walked inside. She began pacing back and forth waiting for any sign of Xena and Eve.

Just then she heard a sound. “Xena is that you?” She asked.

However as she walked towards the entry of the cave she was thrown backwards onto the ground by an unseen force. She looked up confused and saw Discord appear before her. Discord who had seemed to be absent during this whole thing was actually waiting for the right time to appear.

“Surprised to see me Gabrielle?” The goddess said, with an evil leer as the rumble of thunder could be heard from the sky.

“What do you want?” Gabrielle asked, not fully understanding what the goddess wanted with her.

“I’ll let you guess” Discord replied, as she pulled out a large dagger.

Before Gabrielle had a chance to react the dagger had flown into her chest. The bard gasped in shock as she watched blood begin pouring out of her.

“Now don’t die just yet, there’s someone I want to see this” Discord said, walking next to the dying bard. “Ares come here there’s something you should see”

Ares appeared with his usual aggravated look, but was quickly frozen when he saw who was lying on the ground beside the sinister goddess.

“What in Tartarus did you do?” Anger and shock was apparent in his features.

“Finishing the plan of course. Oh no did I forget to tell you? You see we weren’t after the child, we were after Xena’s little friend the whole time. Gradually we’re going to start killing all her love ones one by one until she finally gives up, which she will. So thank you for your part, I just knew you would tell her to run back into the house. Job well done god of war” She said smirking, then vanished leaving him with the dying bard.

Ares slowly made his way to her. Blood had already started flowing out her mouth, and her skin was losing its color. She was covered in rain and having difficulty breathing.

“Ares” The bard choked out, coughing up blood.

Hesitantly he kneeled beside her. She turned to him and struggled as she said, “Take care of them…and tell her that I’m sorry…” With that she released her last breath of air as her soul slowly drifted from her body.

The sound of a galloping horse could be heard as Xena made her way to the cave. She carefully got off the horse with Eve in her arms. The child was wrapped in a long cloth, a weak attempt to shield her from the storm. She could now see what looked like Ares kneeling down beside someone. Dread had started seeping into her heart, as she got closer.

With each step Xena took she felt as if her legs were becoming heavier. When she saw that it was Gabrielle who was lying on the ground she fell to her knees.

“Gabrielle? Gabrielle!” She yelled shaking the lifeless body of her friend. But the bard did not reply. “No Gabrielle you can’t die, Don’t you dare die!” She screamed but it was pointless the bard had already passed away.

Xena held Gabrielle against her as her falling tears became lost among the rain drops on her face.

Ares had stood up and stepped away deciding to give Xena some room. He stood there in silence as he watched her mourn over her lost friend. Looking at Xena’s shivering dripping wet form all he wanted to do was hold her in his arms, and make her pain go away. He walked closer to her and carefully touched her arm, trying miserably to console her.

Xena turned to him, her face filled with anger and hurt. “You damn bastard” She said, pulling away from his hand.

“It wasn’t me, it was Discord. I would never…” He replied, almost pleading with her.

“Get away from me, you were part of this. You helped them!” She yelled as she started shaking from her held in sobs.

“I didn’t know they were after Gabrielle, I swear to you”

“Just leave me alone damn it. Just leave me alone!” Eve’s wailing could now be heard as the rage of the storm increased.

“Xena” Came the voice of another, as the goddess of wisdom then appeared in front of them. “I would like to make you an offer” She said, looking down at the women before her.

But the warrior princess did not reply instead she stared at the goddess with cold harsh eyes.

“Give me the child and I will save your friend. Think about it Xena is this child truly worth the demise of all your lived ones? Your friends and family? Will you be able to sleep at night knowing that you could have prevented their deaths?”

“Burn in Tartarus, you bitch” Xena said through clench teeth as she gave Athena a deathly glare.

“Fine, then I hope you enjoy burying Gabrielle because there will be many others after her” Athena said with a displeased expression. And within a second she was done.

Xena turned back to Eve and Gabrielle, slowly she began rocking back and forth trying to calm the child down, as well as her self. She could still sense him standing behind her, watching her with his eyes. She did not say anything, instead she waited and waited until she sensed he had finally left. Not being able to hold it in any longer her cries ultimately took over her. She shook with sorrow as she held in her arms her frightened child and dead friend.

___________________________________________________

Ares appeared on Mt. Olympus, he was mad with fury and did little to hide it in front of Athena.

“What on Tartarus was that about?” He practically yelled at the goddess.

“What’s wrong Ares? Do you disagree with us killing the bard?” Athena questioned with an brow raised.

“It was not necessary” He replied, calming his voice reminding himself that he did not want to draw unwanted attention.

“Discord believed it was. What’s wrong? Worried your little girlfriend won’t talk to you any more?” She taunted.

“Shut up. Killing Gabrielle was low even for you Athena” Ares retorted.

“That may be true, however I will do whatever it takes to ensure our future. Whether you like it or not” She had walked up to the god and now stood barely a foot away from him.

Ares stared back at her, his eyes filled with rage and hatred. He was about to respond but decided against it and vanished. He would not waste his time with the likes of her.

___________________________________________________

Back in the cave the warrior princess sat unmoving as she trembled from her tears. Eve had fallen asleep from fatigue, and had started shivering from the wet clothes she still wore. Xena gently laid Gabrielle back down on the ground. Her friend’s face was a ghostly pale and had dried up blood trailing down it.

“This is all my fault” She said, trying again to hold back her sobs. “You never would have been exposed to this life if it wasn’t for me. Right now you would be home living a peaceful and happy life. I took that away from you” Xena knew that Gabrielle would disagree with what she was saying, but the guilt she felt was too strong.

“Gabrielle, I don’t think I can handle this alone” She said looking at the child in her arms. “I need you here with me, I feel so lost right now” Xena closed her eyes trying to fight back the one thought the kept crawling into her mind. The thought that Eve was doomed to share the same fate as Gabrielle.

Suddenly an image arose in her mind. It was of the morning after Ares had saved them. She sat holding Eve in her arms fearing that they were fighting the inevitable. It was then that Gabrielle looked at her and said, “One day she will be safe from the gods, she will be happy and secure. I know this because I can see it in her eyes. Those little sapphire eyes are all the proof I need to know that everything will be alright” And with that it seemed all of Xena’s doubts and fears had vanished.

“You were right” She said in a low voice. “Thank you for never letting me think to give up” And with that she vowed to herself that no matter what she would not rest until Eve was finally safe and Gabrielle was back in their lives.

She stared at the wall as she tried to gather her thoughts. But it was no use she was exhausted and the day had taken it’s toll on her. She felt as if she couldn’t move a single muscle, nor did she have a single tear left to shed.

After a while she began sensing his presence. For all she knew he could have been there the whole time, but she didn’t care. She ignored him at first and waited for him to leave like before. However this time he did not leave and finally she lost her patience.

“Why won’t you just leave us alone? Don’t you think you’ve done enough?” She yelled.

But he did not respond, he simply continued to stay invisible.

“You know, you almost had me fooled. For a second there I actually thought you had a heart. Foolish me” She said in a sad tone but then her voice turned hysterical. “And that whole thing with saving Eve and I, that was priceless. You probably had this all planned didn’t you?” She let out a sad chuckle before continuing. “Of course you did. Oh and I can’t forget that little act in the rain. Wonderfully done bravo, it was one of your best performances thus far” Xena said slightly swaying from side to side, as she felt insanity creeping into her mind. She felt like she was just one step away from finally snapping.

He then appeared behind her and kneeled down beside her quivering form. She felt as his hands gradually slide down her arms, instantly warming her. His right hand touched Eve’s head, drying her small body. With his arms wrapped around Xena he laid he head in the crock of her neck. She closed her eyes as a single tear rolled down her face. Releasing a breath she slowly leaned into him.

Neither spoke and Xena could feel herself getting lost in his embrace. However the fear and worry was still there, refusing to leave her mind. And in a desperate state she did the only thing she could, it was something she rarely did but at the moment it seemed right. She cleared her thoughts and began to pray; speaking in her mind to who ever was listening, pleading to them to help her find a way out of this nightmare.

Once she had finished, she opened her eyes and only hoped for a miracle. She stayed awake for an hour and still she did not say a word. Ares too had waited in silence fearing that if he said something, she would pull away from him and realize perhaps she had made a mistake. It wasn’t until hours later did sleep also capture the warrior princess. By this time the storm had ceased, and the sun was beginning to rise.

It was then that Xena heard a voice calling for her. She opened her eyes to see the archangel

Michael standing before her.

“Michael?” She said in disbelief. “What are you doing here?” She stood up but as she did so it felt strange. It was as if she had gone straight through Ares’ arms, and when she gazed down she was no longer holding Eve. Xena looked behind her and saw herself asleep in Ares’ arms with Eve. “What is this?” She asked, a little bewildered.

“You’re dreaming in a sense. This is real but at the same time it isn’t” As the angel spoke a golden light surrounded him and his feathered wings seemed almost the color of his sandy blonde hair. “You called and I came” He replied.

“What are you talking…” Xena stopped once she realized what he was referring to. “What can you do to help us?”

“Eve is the key to the destruction of the gods” He looked from the sleeping child and back to Xena.

“I’ve heard that before, but that doesn’t help me in figuring out how” She said with impatience.

“Eve is destined to become the messenger of Eli, and with that bring about the end to the gods. She does not possess the power, but instead you will be given the power through her” Was all he said. He pointed towards Eve and a shower of light fell upon her, then within moments it had disappeared.

“Power? What kind of power?” Xena asked in confusion, but he simply smiled and vanished. “Wait! What did you mean?” She yelled out.

Suddenly an untouchable fire encircled her, its heat was warm and inviting. Xena was motionless as she stared into the blaze mesmerized by it. Then just as quickly as it came, it was gone.

Xena blinked and found herself back in the arms of Ares. She released a gasp as she felt her mind going frantic trying to make sense of what had just occurred.

Ares, it seemed had also been sleeping and awoke with a start to find Xena practically breathless.

“Are you alright?” Were the first words he spoke.

She only nodded in reply.

“Bad dream?” He asked guessing.

“No, something else” She answered unsure how she could explain it to him. Then decided it would take too much time, which was something they didn’t have. She pulled away from his grasp and stood up. “Ares listen to me this needs to end now” She said as the coldness had returned to her eyes.

“And how are you going to do that?” He questioned, as he was caught off guard by the sudden return of anger in her eyes.

“I’m not exactly sure but it has something to do with Eve. I can’t explain it right now, you’ll have to just trust me on this” On her face were hints of irritation as well as pleading.

“But what if it doesn’t work, then you’ll be a sitting duck” He countered.

“You can either help me or not, it won’t change the fact that I’m going” She turned around and kneeled down beside Gabrielle’s body. She touched the ice cold skin of the bards face before whispering to her. “I’ll make them pay, I promise you I will” She then grabbed Discord’s dagger off the floor, the one she had found sticking out of Gabrielle’s chest.

Ares watched as Xena clutched the dagger tightly as if almost trying to crush it with her hand. She slowly got off the floor and turned back to him and waited for his answer.

Ares thought for a moment and knew that it was pointless arguing with her. “Fine. What’s the plan?” He asked.

“Give me a second” She said to him. Xena looked at Eve’s sleeping form in her arms and began reciting to herself what Michael had told her. And as she was doing so she realized the answer to her own question. “I have the power to destroy them” She said above a whisper.

“What’d you say?” Ares questioned.

Xena froze uncertain whether or not she could trust him with this.

“What ever it is you can tell me” He stated with a genuine expression, which seemed strange on him but at the same time it didn’t.

“I can kill gods” She said, knowing what his reaction would probably be.

“You’re kidding right?” He asked laughing, then suddenly stopped when he realized she was serious. “Xena do you know what you’re saying? It’s impossible”

“Nothing’s impossible remember” She replied, with a smirk.

“Xena would you listen to what you’re saying. This is crazy and it’s not going to work” He walked closer to her, and now stood less than an arm’s length away. He was worried and his face showed it.

She had, had the urge to reach out and touch him since she awoken but was afraid to. However now as she stared into his eyes she felt that fear disappearing. Without hesitation she reached for him gently touching his face with the tips of her fingers. “Don’t worry, it’ll work”

“If you’re so sure about that then show me” He said with an almost devilish grin.

___________________________________________________

Later that day on Mt. Olympus Athena, Discord, Deimos and Hades had all gathered to decide what the next course of action should be. They were all caught by surprise when the god of war materialized in front of them.

“Ares, I’m amazed you showed your face” Athena remarked.

“Well I thought I could give you some interesting piece of information” He replied, wearing a mask of arrogance.

“Is that so? Then tell us oh brother what is it you have to share with us” Skepticism was apparent in her features.

“Xena has absolutely lost it, I mean totally crazy. She wants a fight to the death against all of you”

“I knew it would happen sooner or later” Athena now had an all too pleased smile on her face.

“But wait you haven’t heard the best of it. She actually thinks she has the power to kill gods” He said, and they all roared with laughter.

“You got to be kidding. Has she really gone insane?” Hades questioned.

“Yes and then some” Ares replied.

“See Ares I knew you would choose to live in the end. Like I told you, you’re just that type of person” Discord said, with a cocky smirk.

Ares did not respond, instead he paid no attention to her.

“This is the opportunity we’ve been waiting for. Call for Hephaestus and Artemis and tell them to meet up with us. We will finally bring an end to Xena and that wretched child” Athena declared.

As if by a chain reaction they all disappeared one by one, leaving only Ares behind. The god smiled to himself, relieved that in their happy state none of the other gods had noticed his slightly swollen lip and the subtle bite mark on it.

___________________________________________________

The late morning sun blazed over the trees of the forest as Xena waited for her opponents to arrive. In one hand she held her sword and in the other her chakram. An air of malice and coldness could be sensed around her, and all signs of mercy were gone from her features. Her eyes gleamed with the yearning for blood, and for a second it seemed that the old Xena had returned. Under the warrior princess’ mask of anger lie a wicked smile; because hidden among the forest floor were traps that not even the gods would notice at first glance.

A strong gust of wind suddenly blew around her as Athena, Discord, Deimos and Hades then materialized before her.

“Tell me Xena, how does it feel to know that you’ll be dead in a matter of minutes?” Athena pronounced, her arrogant smile appeared painted on her face as she stood tall among the four gods.

Xena did not reply instead she stared at the ‘immortals’ as if they were prey.

“So where is the child?” This time it was Discord who spoke.

“None of your damn business” Xena answered through clenched teeth.

“It doesn’t matter whether you tell us or not, cause after we’re done with you we’ll find where you hid her”

“That’s only if I don’t kill you first” Xena replied in a warning tone.

“Ha, good luck with that” Discord snickered as she and Deimos drew their swords and rushed towards the warrior princess.

Xena only smirked as she swiftly moved out of the way and severed a small rope, which was hanging beside a tree. Without any warning three arrows shot out from above the same tree and embedded themselves into Deimos’ chest.

The god gasped as he looked down to find blood dripping from him. Disbelief was written all over his face, and though his mouth began moving it seemed no words could come out. And with a loud thump he fell dead to the ground.

The others were momentarily frozen from shock.

“But how?” Was all Discord said before she felt a blade slicing through the flesh of her lower back. The goddess released a shrinking scream as the pain ran through her body. Immediately afterwards she felt a knee connecting with her stomach and her arm being pulled back and popped out of it’s socket.

“Hope you didn’t think I was going to kill you quickly. Oh no, it’s going to be slow and painful” Xena whispered in her ear.

“Discord!” Hades yelled when he saw the goddess fall to her knees. Forming fireballs with his hands the god threw them at Xena. Who just laughed as she flipped out of the way and leaped towards the two panic faced deities.

“Miss me” She said landing beside Hades. With a thrust she drove her sword into his side and watched as he crumpled to the ground.

Fear could be seen in Athena’s eyes and for a second it seemed as if she was trembling.

“Guess who’s next?” Xena taunted.

And as Xena slowly made her way towards the goddess, Artemis and Hephaestus then appeared. And with them returned the cockiness and arrogance in Athena’s features.

“Looks like your out numbered again” She said to Xena.

“It won’t change the out come, you all will still end up dead” Xena replied.

Artemis and Hephaestus stood baffled by the scene before them. Deimos and Hades lie dead and Discord was groaning in agony. Snapping out of her temporary shock, Artemis quickly pulled out 2 arrows and shot them at the warrior princess.

Xena jumped out of the way missing the arrows by a split second. Tossing her chakram in the air, she watched with amusement as the gods ducked and weaved as they tried to avoid the sharp edge of the steel disk. Xena waited a moment before coming up behind Hephaestus and severing his head from his neck with one rapid swing. Artemis was about to lunge for the warrior princess when she felt the edge of the chakram connecting with the flesh of her arm.

Ignoring Artemis, Xena turned her attention to Athena, and in a few quick steps she had made her way to the deity of wisdom. And as Xena neared Athena she began swinging wildly at her, as if the goddess was merely a piece of meat and she the butcher. Athena blocked all of Xena’s attempts but not without some difficulty, and she soon found herself being forced back.

Xena continued to hack at Athena until she saw an opportunity, which she gladly took. She lunged at the deity once more but this time when Athena jumped back to avoid the sword’s blade she unknowingly set off a trap.

Xena suddenly dashed to the side leaving a confused looking Athena behind. A swooping sound was all the goddess heard as she turned around to see a large log hurtling towards her, but by then it was too late. Athena was thrown into the adjacent tree as a result of the impact. She fell to the ground like a rag doll, but was still alive.

When Artemis witnessed this she attempted to rush to Athena, but in doing so she had once again let her guard down. For a second time Xena’s chakram connected with her body this time leaving a large gash at her side.

The warrior princess walked out of the bushes with a triumphant smirk on her face. She was contemplating whether the finish off Athena or Artemis first when she heard a groaning sound. She turned to found Discord still lying on the ground barely conscience.

She went and kneeled down beside the goddess. Once Discord saw Xena’s face a look of fear came over her.

“No, have mercy” The dreadful goddess plead.

“Like the mercy you showed Gabrielle” Xena replied, as her face darkened. “Say hello to the others for me” Xena then plunged her sword into the goddess.

Discord screamed as she felt not only the pain rip through her body but also her very existence coming to an end. With the last ounce of strength she had Discord yelled out. “He was the one who saved them”, hoping that Athena would understand.

Athena and Artemis watched as Discord joined the others. They knew it was pointless to continue the fight and so the two remaining goddesses vanished hoping to regroup.

Yanking her blood covered sword from within Discord Xena swiftly caught her chakram from the air. Xena herself was also covered with blood none of which were her own. She stared at her blood stained hands a moment before leaving and returning to the cold, damp cave. Her feeling of victory turned into sorrow as the thrill of battle had worn off.

She now stood beside the body of her fallen friend. Tears began falling from her eyes because she could fell herself falling back into the darkness. And it seemed that all the things she and Gabrielle had fought for were starting to vanish before her.

___________________________________________________

Meanwhile Ares stood in the chamber of one of his temples with Eve, waiting for the battle to end. Both he and Xena saw it fit that Eve was as far away as possible from the fight, that way she would be out of harm’s reach.

The god had begun pacing back and forth, even though he wasn’t present at the battle he could still feel the heat and intensity of the combat. A strange feeling then came over him and he knew it was over. He waited a few minutes before opening a small portal. An image of Xena appeared, she was kneeling down next to Gabrielle’s body. He could see that Xena’s body was trembling from held in sobs.

“She’s still grieving” He said to himself.

Eve then began to whimper as she tried in vein to reach for her mother through the image.

“Hey what’s wrong?” Ares asked, as he tried to calm the restless child.

Then as if she had understood what he had said Eve cried out “Mama”.

“You’re crying because she’s sad” He realized. “I know what you mean, I don’t like it when she’s unhappy either”

Eve’s whimpers suddenly stopped and she looked at him with her tear filled sapphire eyes as if begging him to grant her wish.

He looked back at her and understood. “Don’t worry she won’t be sad anymore, I promise” And with that it seemed the god had sealed his fate.

___________________________________________________

Xena sat immobilized on the cold, hard ground. Her raven hair was in disarray with the long black strands practically covering her face. Blood still stained her skin, and her weapons lie on the ground beside her.

Suddenly she looked up, something wasn’t right she could feel it. Someone else was there within the cave. The warrior shot up with her sword in hand. Her eyes roamed around the cavern as if looking for the invisible intruder.

“Who are you?” She asked in a threatening tone.

“It’s just me” Came a familiar voice. Aphrodite then appeared with her hands raised in a surrendering gesture. The goddess was unusually dressed in all black, and there was not a trace of pink on her body.

However Xena still didn’t lower her weapon.

“I’ve been here with her the whole time, I just want to help” The goddess said hoping Xena would believe her.

Slowly Xena lowered her sword and turned away from Aphrodite.

The goddess walked pass her and kneeled down beside her lost friend.

For a few minutes there was only silence between them.

“I’m sorry, I wish there could have been another way” As Xena spoke her voice was soft and low. She understood why the usually lively deity was now dressed in all black.

“It’s alright, I understand why you had to do it… There was no other way” And that was all the love goddess would say about the matter. Her attention turned to Gabrielle. “When they told me she was gone, I didn’t believe them” She said looking at the bard’s lifeless body. “She didn’t deserve to die, not like this” Tears began rolling down the goddess’ face.

“I need your help” Xena now stood behind her.

Aphrodite wiped the tears from her eyes before getting up then she simply nodded in response.

“I need you to bring me to Mt. Olympus, maybe I can get Athena to change her mind”

“And what are you going to do? Killer her if she doesn’t agree?”

“I have to at least try” Xena replied almost pleading.

Aphrodite thought for a moment before answering. “Okay” She then took a hold of Xena’s arm and within moment they had vanished.

And just a minute later so did Gabrielle’s body.

___________________________________________________

As this was happening Athena and Artemis had returned to Mt. Olympus. The goddess of wisdom quickly healed herself and the Amazon deity. Anger and disbelief boiled inside Artemis, she felt as if the entire world had gone mad. The unbelievable had occurred and the era of the gods was coming to an end.

“I don’t understand what in tartarus happened down there! How in Zeus’ name did she get the power to kill gods?” Artemis yelled.

“I don’t know but I think it has something to do with Ares” Athena answered, with a faraway look in her eyes, which turned into anger once she realized what Discord meant.

“He knew about this the whole time, he was sending us into a trap. That lying, scheming, manipulative bastard!” Artemis said once the realization also dawned on her.

“When Discord and Deimos tried to kill Xena and the child, he was the one who saved them” Athena said, with disgust in her voice.

“What are we going to do now?”

“I’m guessing that if we find Ares we’ll also find the child” A wicked smile played on Athena’s lips as a dagger appeared in her hand. “And when we’re done with the child, we shall deal with my dear brother” She held the dagger with a tight grip before slamming it into the table beside her.

Not waiting to waste another moment both goddesses then vanished.

___________________________________________________

Just missing Athena and Artemis’ departure by mere minutes, Xena and Aphrodite arrived. The warrior princess stood there confused as she could see no sign of either goddess.

“Where are they?” Xena’s voice was low and cold.

“They were definitely here” Aphrodite replied.

“Then where are they now?” The warrior questioned with impatience as she gripped the handle of her sword tighter.

“Wait I’ll see if I can find them” With the wave of her hand the love goddess opened a small portal. An image soon arose bringing shock and panic to the face of the warrior princess.

“They know where she is” Xena said breathless. “Get me down there now!” She yelled, her eyes filled with fear.

And with that they were gone.

___________________________________________________

When Athena and Artemis appeared in Ares’ chamber they found Eve alone sitting near the edge of the enormous black silk covered bed. ‘What luck’ they thought as they began to make their way to the child. But just then Ares entered the room. His eyes looked tired and there was something different about him. Perhaps it was the way his features changed into terror when he saw them. Or how his heart beat quickened and his body slightly quivered. But before the goddesses could put further thought into it Ares drew his sword.

“Get away from her” He roared.

“Ares what do you think you will accomplish? You are a fool to put that women before your own family. And your weakness sickens me” Artemis spat at him. She and Athena now stood in the middle of the room blocking Ares’ path to Eve.

“This coming from the two goddesses that fled from a mortal woman” He laughed.

“You tricked us, you knew she had the power to kill gods and instead of warning us, you sent us running into a trap. I promise you I will find a fate worst that death for you” The Huntress vowed.

Athena had not said a word, instead she stood there and stared at the war god before her. She was trying to understand what the strange aura she felt coming from him was. But her thoughts were interrupted when Aphrodite suddenly appeared with Xena beside her. Both stood adjacent to Ares.

Athena and Artemis now felt anger towards the love goddess.

“Aphrodite what is the meaning of this? Have you forgotten that it was Xena who murdered your husband?” Athena questioned, fury could be seen in her eyes.

“No I have not, but what you are doing is wrong. Killing a child to save yourselves is disgraceful and I will not aid you in doing so. Come on what harm could she possibly do?” The love goddess replied.

“You are just like him, pitiful and sad” Athena said. “You both will pay for your treachery”

Spheres of fire emerged from the wisdom goddess’ hand and dashed towards Xena, Ares and Aphrodite. Xena leaped out of the way but the love goddess was not as lucky. Two burning spheres smacked her right in the stomach and sent her flying into the wall. Whimpers could be heard from the goddess as she tried to get up from the hit.

“Aphrodite leave” Xena yelled.

“But--” The goddess began.

“Just go”

When Aphrodite disappeared Xena turned her attention to Ares and saw as he struggled to dodge the burning spheres. She swiftly grabbed her chakram and threw it into the air hoping it would halt Athena’s attack, which it did.

Athena and Artemis were once again ducking and weaving trying to avoid the spinning disk. Frustration was apparent on Athena’s face. She was getting tired of these little games, she wanted this to end once and for all.

Xena made her way to Ares who had tumbled to the ground trying to evade one of the fire balls.

“Are you alright?” She asked as she helped him up.

“Yeah, of course” He tried to play it off but did it badly.

“Go and take Eve away from here and I’ll take care of these two” Xena said not waiting for his reply. Instead she quickly rushed towards the two goddesses and attacked them from behind.

Athena heard Artemis scream, she turned to see Xena striking Artemis with her sword leaving another cut on the goddess’ body. Athena angrily swung her sword connecting with Xena’s chakram and at last stopping the revolving weapon. She was about the go after the warrior princess when she saw Ares going towards Eve.

She quickly ran and leaped towards the child, beating Ares by mere seconds.

“No” Ares said as he lunged at Athena trying miserably to get Eve from her grasp.

Athena vanished only to reappear on the other side of the room with Eve in her arms.

“Xena” The goddess yelled trying to get her attention.

Xena knocked Artemis down and turned to see Athena holding Eve in her arms. The goddess wore triumphant grin on her face, for it seemed she had won.

“Let her go” Xena warned.

“Else you’ll want?” The goddess replied.

Xena looked down, grabbed Artemis by the hair and placed her sword below the deity’s throat. “Or else she dies”

Artemis released a deep laughter one that filled the entire room. “Do you honestly believe that I would trade the child’s life for hers” She laughed again. “I am trying to save the gods and the only way I can do so is by killing this child. And nothing will stop me from doing so” She gazed down at the Amazon goddess. “Artemis I am sorry but sacrifices must be made for the good of the future” She turned her gaze back to the warrior princess. “Say good bye to your child Xena”

___________________________________________________

While the chaos was occurring a motionless body lie in the other room. Suddenly with a gasp she awakened from her long slumber. Her greenish blue eyes were wide with shock and confusion. She slowly sat up as she looked at her surroundings.

In the back round she could hear the sounds of a battle. Screaming and yelling blended into the echoing of clashing swords and shattering objects.

She tried miserably to recall the most recent events before her passing. She abruptly looked down and ran her fingers along the spot where a large gash should have been. However nothing was there, she had no cuts on her body and there was not a drop of blood on her. But how could that be?

She felt a piercing pain in her head and it was then that she realized the voices she was hearing sounded familiar. It took her only a moment to recognize whom those voices belonged to. She quickly sprung to her feet but found herself grabbing the wall to keep from falling.

She shook her head trying to get rid of the dizziness and ignore the slight head ache she now felt. Her legs felt heavy and numb. She stood still for a little while before taking her first steps. She then paused as she could feel her strength returning to her, she now found it easier to walk. She made her way to the door and stopped a moment before opening it. She placed her ear to the door and could clearly hear what was being said.

The other room had gone quiet and she felt as if her heart had stopped. She quickly took a deep breath and turned the knob, preparing herself for what lie before her.

___________________________________________________

Time seemed to slow down as a dagger appeared in Athena’s hand. Tears began falling from Eve’s eyes and fear could be seen on her face. Xena could hear her heart rapidly beating as the dagger slowly made it’s way toward Eve’s chest.

“No!” Was all the warrior princess could say as she lunged for her child, knowing that she would not be able to save her in time, but not willing to do nothing and watch.

Everyone had been so caught up in the tension that no one even saw the door behind Athena open. And before they knew it the goddess of wisdom fell to her knees. The child was still in her arms but the dagger had fallen to the floor. It was at that moment they saw her; the once dead warrior bard had returned to life and they all stared at her with disbelief, all but one that is.

With Athena momentarily taken off guard Gabrielle quickly grabbed the child from the goddess’ clutches. Then moved to where her old friend stood frozen from shock.

“G-Gabrielle?” Xena whispered with tear filled eyes. She was afraid that she might have been dreaming that it wasn’t really Gabrielle standing in front of her.

“Yeah” The bard replied, her eyes also filling with tears.

Xena stared at her for a moment longer, there were so many questions she had. But her thoughts were halted with Athena’s shriek of frustration.

“Damn you! Damn you all to tartarus!” The goddess yelled rising from her knees, fire burning in her eyes.

By this time Artemis had stood up and grabbed her bow and arrow aiming them at the warrior princess and the bard.

“Just die already” Athena screamed as she threw a large sphere of fire at Xena, the same time Artemis released her arrows.

“Watch out” Ares yelled, trying the warn them.

Xena and Gabrielle jumped out of the way. As the bard ran for cover, Xena flipped and snatched her chakram, which was embedded into the wall after Athena’s sword collided with it.

“You just never learn” The warrior princess said before tossing the chakram at Artemis.

The Amazon goddess barely made a sound when the weapon found it’s way to her chest killing her instantly.

Athena looked at Artemis’ fallen form, she was losing and she knew it. The era of the gods would end and she could not do anything to stop it. “Him” She said through clenched teeth. “We would have defeated her if it were not for his meddling. If I will die then so must he” She suddenly vanished.

Xena looked around cautiously waiting for Athena to reappear. Gradually she made her way to Gabrielle and Eve.

“Do you think she’s gone” The bard asked, still cradling Eve in her arms.

“I don’t ---” Before the warrior could finish she felt as a burning sphere connected with her body sending her soaring across the room.

A wicked laugh filled the room as another fire ball appeared making it’s way to Xena.

“Xena!” Ares screamed as he leaped in the way of the fire ball.

It collided into his chest making him cry out in pain. His body crashed against the wall before falling to the ground. Xena couldn’t believe her eyes. Ares lie on the ground his chest covered with burns, blood spilling from his head as he groaned in agony.

Athena appeared in front of a barley moving Ares, her laugh was sick and twisted with a hint of insanity in it.

“You stupid, pathetic little man. You have betrayed this family for the last time. See you in tartarus dear brother” She said as she rose her sword ready to strike.

Xena quickly got up with her sword in hand. With a thrust she drove her sword into Athena’s side. But that did not stop Athena’s sword from striking Ares. The former god howled in pain as the blade sliced into the flesh of his lower side. His screech was soon joined by Athena’s as the goddess crumbled to the ground.

Athena smiled as she took her last breath. ‘At least he will die too, at least he will die too’ She thought with delight before joining the other gods.

Xena was kneeling down beside Ares trying to put pressure on his wound. Though it was not deep he was still loosing large amounts of blood. Gabrielle grabbed a cloth and quickly came to his other side, holding Eve with one hand while the other covered his wound with the piece of fabric.

“What happened?” The bard questioned, there was both fear and disbelief in her features, which mirrored Xena’s.

“I don’t know. Damnit Ares what did you do?” Her voice was trembling. Xena could feel the ache in her heart growing deeper and deeper with each passing second. Tears once again stung her eyes as the fear of losing him crept into her.

“To save Gabrielle …I had to sacrifice my immortality” Ares struggled to say.

Both women were caught off guard by his statement. The god of war had given up his immortality to save a mortal.

“But why?” Xena was thankful he had done it but was confused as to why he would make such a big sacrifice. What was there to gain?

“Me and the little angel over there…had an agreement” He answered.

“What type of agreement?” She questioned, her voice out of breath and sad.

“She didn’t want you to be sad anymore…and neither did I” He smiled weakly at her as he fought to keep his eyes open.

He saw her smile back at him, a sad but happy smile and he knew it had been worth it. Unable to keep his eyes from closing, Ares stared at her as if trying to memorize every detail. Then he closed his eyes as his world soon became covered in darkness.

___________________________________________________

The sound of laughter echoed throughout his ears and with that he awakened. When he tried to open his eyes he was assaulted with such bright light that it blinded him at first. ‘Damn’ He thought. ‘Am I dead?’ A funny thought then popped into his mind. ‘What if I’m in the Elysian Fields? Wouldn’t that be ironic, The god of war in the Elysian Fields. Ha’ He laughed but as he did so a small pain ran through his body. ‘Okay so maybe I’m not in the Elysian Fields’ He thought and once again attempted to open his eyes. This time he raised a hand up to his face to try to block the rays of light.

“Damn it” He mumbled as he felt more pain than before. Every part of his body ached and the pain was starting to become aggravating. ‘Tartarus I knew it’ He thought with a sigh.

With his eyes still closed he began to hear a voice, but not just any voice it was hers. “Of course” He said, for it seemed that he would be forced to spend an eternity being tortured by her voice, all the while knowing that she was not with him. That he would never again see her, or feel her touch.

And for the first time in a long time he felt sadness rip through his body. He will never have her, he will never have her. The words ran back and forth through his mind. “But she’s alive” He said in barley a whisper.

He heard her voice again, she was talking to him. He did not move and hoped that the demons would let him be.

“Ares, Ares” The voice said again.

And this time he felt a touch, that was soft and gentle but firm. Ares hesitantly opened eyes once again. That was when he saw her, her bright blue eyes sparkled and her raven hair flowed down her face. Her eyes were searching his and he felt her hand caressing his cheek.

“Ares can you hear me?” She asked, concern evident in her features as she waited for him to reply.

But he didn’t, he was too stunned by the sight of her. His mouth suddenly felt dry and no words would leave his lips. He just stared at her, and prayed that this wasn’t another one of his dreams. Where he would wake up in a cold sweat calling out her name.

“Ares can you hear me?” She asked again, snapping him out of his daze.

“Yeah” He finally answered, his voice was hoarse and low.

She smiled and pulled her hand away from his face before turning to her side. “He’s awake” She called out.

He heard footsteps then saw the bard kneel down beside Xena, the child was in Gabrielle’s arms. Eve smiled and reached for the former war god.

“Looks like she missed you” The bard said.

Ignoring the pain Ares stretched his hand out for the small child to grab.

“How do you feel?” Xena questioned.

“Like I just came out of tartarus” He replied, sitting up and trying not to wince from the slight pain he was feeling.

“Well your wounds are healing quickly, you should be alright. But you still need a little more rest” She said with all seriousness.

“No I’m fine, just forgot how much I hated pain” He joked as he tried to stand up but found himself almost stumbling back down.

Xena quickly grabbed him and placed her arm around his back to help him get up, knowing that he would just try again anyway. Both she and Gabrielle were now also standing, with a look of worry on their faces.

Ares stood up and began to stretch his sore muscles. He touched his forehead and noticed the badge wrapped around it.

“When Athena’s fire ball crashed into you, you hit the wall pretty hard” Xena said after seeing the confused look on his face.

“You know you really shouldn’t be up” Gabrielle voiced her concerns.

“Like I said before, I’m fine” He replied in a pathetic unconvincing voice. He was trying hard to fight the need to hold his sides and curse from the pain. The last thing he wanted to do was seem weak in their eyes. For it seemed that his pride was all he had left.

“I think I should get going” He said staring into Xena’s eyes.

He wanted her to stop him, to give him a reason not to leave. She knew it by the way his eyes looked at her, they had a mixture of hope and desire. But she could not bring herself to say anything. It was as if her words had gotten caught in her throat and refused to come out.

After a short silence Gabrielle decided to speak up.

“We were wondering if you would want to travel with us… until your better” She said then glanced towards her friend, who appeared lost in a trance.

“Its alright, I’ll be okay” He replied, and finally took his gaze off the warrior princess. Ares turned to Eve and gently touched her head. “It was fun kiddo” He said then looked at Gabrielle. “Do me a favor and try not to die anytime soon” He said only half joking.

Then he turned to Xena and walked up to her. He was so close that she could feel his breath against her skin. She felt as one of his hands slowly slide up her arm and stopped at her cheek, where his soft caresses nearly made her tremble. While the other wrapped around her side and pulled her even closer to him.

Their faces where barley an inch apart. He gazed into her crystal blue eyes as he lightly brushed his lips against hers. “Goodbye princess” He whispered before breaking away. Slowly he left and not once did he turn around. Fearing that they would see the hurt and pain on his face.

“What just happened?” The bard asked.

“I-I don’t know” Xena replied.

“So that’s it” It was question but sounded more like a statement.

Xena didn’t reply she merely stared back at his disappearing form.

___________________________________________________

:Missing scene:

:What happened after the battle with Athena and Artemis:

With the goddess of wisdom finally gone Xena and Gabrielle had only one thing on their minds. Ares had fallen unconscious and was losing a great amount of blood.

“We have to get him out of here now” Xena said hastily.

“Why, isn’t this his temple? We should just ask the priests for help” Gabrielle replied.

“Do you really want a bunch of Ares’ priest to find their god laying dying on the floor with us beside him?” The warrior princess questioned, hoping to get her point across.

“Oh, yeah…Then how are we going to get him out of here in time?” And at that moment Aphrodite appeared, a depressing expression on her face. She stood frozen as she stared at Ares’ unmoving form.

“Aphrodite, Aphrodite!” Xena had to call out her name twice to get her attention. “Unless you want to watch him die, you have to get us all out of here right now” The warrior yelled.

The love goddess only nodded as she seemed at a lost for words. Unsteadily she rose an arm and they all vanished and reappeared in the forest.

Outside they could see the darkness of the night approaching them. Xena and Gabrielle quickly tended to Ares’ wounds. Afterwards Gabrielle made camp with minor help from the Aphrodite, while Xena watched over the former god of war.

It was the dead of night; the warrior princess sat kneeling beside Ares’ sleeping form. His face was pale and his skin was cold to the touch. His hair was in disarray and that godly glow he once possessed had faded away.

With gentle hands she touched his face. Her fingers trailed down from his cheeks to his lips where they stayed for a moment before she pulled them away, when she thought she saw his lips move.

She tensed a bit but then relaxed when she realized it was simply her imagination. She continued to stay in silence. It seemed a million things where running through her mind. And she tried miserably to stop the burning pain she felt in the pit of her stomach.

In one rapid swoop everything had changed. And the warrior princess had no idea what she should do. Xena had been so deep in her thoughts that she didn’t hear Gabrielle approach.

“Xena, are you okay?” The golden-haired bard questioned.

“What?” Xena mumbled as she was snapped out of her thoughts.

“Xena are you okay?” Gabrielle repeated, with concern in her features.

“Yeah, I’m fine” Her voice was low and unconvincing. “Where’s Eve?” She quickly changed the subject.

“With Aphrodite” Gabrielle answered as they both looked back to see the love goddess playing with the child.

Silence fell upon them for a few minutes, before Gabrielle spoke again.

“How is he?” She asked glancing towards Ares.

“His wound is pretty deep, but it looks like he’ll be alright” Xena unconsciously touched Ares’ hand and quickly pulled away when she realized it. She hoped that Gabrielle had not noticed. But the bard did in fact see the way a small smile appeared on Xena’s face before vanishing.

“What happened while I was gone?” The bard had been wanting to ask the question since she had awoken but had decided to wait for a better time.

Xena did not answer right away. It seemed she was struggling to find the right words to say.

“He was there for me” Came her answer.

Gabrielle looked into her friend’s eyes and could see not only sadness in them but also bitter happiness. And at the moment she understood. Ares had been there when Xena was in need, and during that time things had changed between. She knew that to be true from the way Ares last looked at Xena before he fell into unconsciousness.

The bard only nodded in response to Xena’s answer. And again they were both silent.

“What will happen now?” Gabrielle’s voice was filled with uncertainty.

“We’ll have to keep moving and hopefully no other gods will come after us” Xena replied looking at anything but Gabrielle and Ares.

“You know that is not what I am talking about. Xena listen, I can see that you are fighting this battle inside you. And it’s not going to go away if you just ignore it”

“So what do you want me to do?” The warrior snapped, and finally turned to face the bard. “I can’t take this right now not with everything that’s been happening” She paused and released a deep sigh. “Part of me wants to run away from him and pretend that nothing has changed between us. But the other part…wants to just be with him. What in tartarus am I suppose to do? I’ve spent years telling myself that I had to stay away from him, because he was bad for me, because he stood for my dark side. But now I’m not sure anymore”

Gabrielle could now see the pain and misery Xena had been so desperately trying to hide.

“Do you love him?” To Gabrielle the answer was obvious but she wanted to see if Xena would admit it.

“I-I don’t know” The warrior princess replied looking away.

“Yes you do, and I think that if you run away you’ll be regretting it for the rest of your life”

Xena turned to Gabrielle confused, never in her dreams would she have imagined her friend coming to Ares’ defense.

“Why are you--”

“Because I can see that something inside him has changed. He loves you we both know that, there’s no point in pretending anymore. Xena I trust your judgment, and what ever you decide will be all right with me”

And for the first time that night both woman smiled in understanding and acceptance. In the following hours the love goddess would leave after wishing her fallen brother a full recovery. And all but the warrior princess would have a restful night.

:End of missing scene:

___________________________________________________

:Morning after Ares awakes:

He walked slowly away from the campsite, away from the pain, away from the woman he loved. Discord was right, he was a fool to think that things would ever change between Xena and him. No matter how much he tried or what he did, he would never get her back.

‘Back’ He shouted in his mind. ‘I never really had her in the first place’ He chuckled bitterly to himself.

His body still hurt with pain but he refused to stop or turn back. There was nothing here for him and he would have to learn to move on. He had no idea where he was or where he was going, and he didn’t care. Only minutes had passed but to him it felt like hours. And already his body wanted to give up. It was then he heard foot steps racing towards him.

His first instinct was to draw his sword but even that seemed too tiring. ‘What was the point’ he thought to himself. ‘If he was lucky they would kill him and he would be done with this life’.

Once the foot steps had stopped Ares turned around to instead find Xena standing in front of him.

She stood there with a soft uncertain smile. A small breeze blew around them as strains of her raven-hair danced around her face. Ares fought the urge to grab her and kiss her lips. He unconsciously took a step closer to her, and immediately wished he hadn’t.

Xena opened her mouth to speak but was unsure of what to say.

“Already started missing me, didn’t you” Ares said when he noticed her hesitating.

“No just making sure you didn’t get yourself killed yet” She replied as her body relaxed. She paused before continuing. “You don’t have to go” She said with all seriousness.

“I know you and blondie are just trying to be nice and all, but I’ll survive” He said with an all too familiar smirk.

“It won’t be easy out here without your powers” She said, trying to get through to him, hoping he would get it.

“Look Xena, I don’t need a babysitter. I can take care of myself” Irritation could be heard in his voice as the old Ares reappeared. He wanted just to get away from here, away from her. The longer he stood next to her only made it that much harder to walk away.

She turned her head to the side, and looked away from him, not wanting to show her discontent.

“I should go” He said, and began walking away.

“No wait…I want you to stay” She said in almost a pleading voice.

Ares had stopped dead in his tracks. Slowly he turned back to look at her. His blood began racing and the pounding of his heart echoed throughout his ears. At first he thought he had heard her wrong. But then she came closer to him, until their bodies only barley touched.

“You sure about this?” He asked, locking his eyes with hers.

But instead of an answer he felt as her lips met with his in a yearning but soft kiss. He wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her closer. And she in turn intertwined her fingers through his hair. The kiss deepened and became more demanding as both were lost in it. And just for a moment the world made prefect sense.

~:~:~The End~:~:~

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