"Loose End"

By Angelrad

Disclaimers:

Unfortunately, the characters of Xena, Gabrielle and Ares all belong to MCA/Universal and Renaissance Pictures and not me. No copyright infringements are happening here unless you count creating a little light not-for-profit-entertainment infringement...

Sex/Love/Violence: This story depicts scenes of sex and violence. (ALT & some not so ALT) ... Besides, it's no fun without them...

Timeline: Well, there are several thousand scenarios as to how Xena reachieved breathing status. This story doesn't deal with that. It just assumes it has already happened. Enjoy...

Comments, feedback, and constructive criticism may be sent to angelrad@hotmail.com. Thank you.

A hooded woman traverses a long black tunnel, heart pounding like a thousand war drums. She feels the curved walls bearing down upon her and pushes forward, straining as if moving through solid rock. With burst of intense frustration, she wills her muscles to move, burning, aching to get to the light blazing at the other end. She struggles with each sluggish step, but finally manages to reach the mouth of the tunnel. As she steps through, the light flares, blinding her, exploding all around her, enveloping and absorbing her.

The light carries her, flitting back and forth across a darkened ceiling. She discovers she cannot feel, or discern only watch as the light allows her to witness life unfold.

Below, a bedchamber, palatial and lush, bedecked with silks and masses of candles, sounds of moaning, of pleasure lures the fluttering brightness. Two dim figures writhe under the furs thrown across the bed. A strong, yet feminine hand brushes them back, revealing the lovers underneath. A woman, bathed in sweat and in the throes of passion, rakes her nails down the man's back leaving long red trails. She moans. The man's hand caresses the woman's thigh, trailing lower. Her moans deepen.

Suddenly, in another explosion of sensation, the light shifts, is thrown forward, flickering then blazing fully to illuminate and witness another scene. Swords clash against armor. A familiar battle cry pierces the air. A stricken, bloody soldier looks up beseechingly at his attacker as the blade mercilessly falls. The observer in the light finds this curious but not alarming.

Another cry...of ecstasy draws the light back, like a moth to a flame, back to the room where the lovers are still entwined. Their mouths meet hungrily. But again, sounds of fire, of battle, and children screaming coax the light away.

A woman clutching her small child runs from her burning home as horsemen brandishing battleaxes pursue. The sounds of pleasure, louder and more enthusiastic, begin to meld with the sounds of war. The light falls across the back of the woman, now straddling the man, long dark hair swings across her face. Her eyes are closed, head thrown back. The light, now bursting like lightning, flashes furiously back and forth between scenes of gore and carnal greed. The sounds of war begin to intermingle with the sounds of passion. Both are climbing to a crescendo. As her excitement peaks, the woman opens her eyes and looks down at the face of her lover lit by candlelight.

Ares, God of War, moans again, eyes squeezed tightly shut.

The light flares. Suddenly, the detached observer trapped within the light and the woman merge with a thunderous clap as the candles flutter out. "No!" the woman screams, her face horror-stricken.

Ares throws back his head and laughs.

"Oh yes, Xena," he says grinning.

"No," she says again, this time viciously, through gritted teeth, steel blue eyes narrowing.

Ares chuckles, his laughter growing louder and louder. Infuriated, Xena puts her hands around his neck and starts to squeeze. She stares down at him, her face a mask of concentrated hatred. He stares back, smiling, unconcerned.

"You can't stop yourself this time, Xena. You will come to me," he sneers.

Ares disappears. Though empty, Xena's hands are still curled as if around his neck.

"No. NO. NO," she repeats over and over, closing her eyes tightly, her voice rising.

The palatial room melts away. The light on her eyes feels different. Something is not right. She wakes to the sounds of choking. Xena looks down. Her hands are curled in a stranglehold, but it isn’t Ares she’s holding.

"Xena,...you... are... hurting... me." Gabrielle gasps, her fingers trying to pry apart Xena's iron grip.

Shocked, Xena gasps, then in one quick, fluid motion rolls away and up onto her feet, hands out in front of her, staring at them as if they are not hers but someone else's.

Gabrielle coughs and sputters, looking up at Xena with a mixture of exasperation and pain.

Xena begins to pace, running a hand absently through her matted hair. Dark circles heighten the icy blue of her eyes.

"I'm...I'm sorry," she stammers, then says angrily, "I thought I told you to sleep over there last night." She points towards the ashes of the campfire some yards away.

"The fire was too hot," Gabrielle replies, rubbing the side of her neck. She stands and regards the Warrior Princess warily. "What's going on, Xena?"

"Nothing!" Xena shouts, then stops, embarrassed. She continues, more gently, coaxing a half-hearted smile onto her white lips. "I mean, there is nothing to tell. I'm.... I'm just worried about the message we received from the Thyleans. I want to get there and find out who’s behind these attacks."

Gabrielle says nothing button scrutinizes her skeptically. The warrior princess looks away, unable to bare the scrutiny of those inquisitive green eyes.

"You know," Xena continues, keeping her eyes down as she pulls on her gauntlets. "I've been thinking, one of us ought to go ahead to the village, try to calm the people down and organize a defense against whatever these things are."

She reaches for her breastplate, trying to hide her shaking hands. The bard purses her lips. Xena realizes this explanation isn’t going to mollify Gabrielle. She relents just slightly, pretending some regret. "Okay. Okay. You caught me. I have a message to deliver to the temple of Somnus and Morpheus. It’s nothing... very boring really. I’ll just drop it off, check things out, then I’ll meet you back at Thylus once I have talked to the oracle." Xena stretches her lips in a thin imitation of a smile.

The bard remains seated on her bedroll, arms crossed over her chest, a determined frown drawing her delicate brows together.

"Wait a second," She says looking around in mock amazement. "Did we just travel back in time about five years? Because that’s exactly what you used to say to me. It didn’t work then and it won’t work now." She continues more gently. "I'm coming with you. How many times do I have to say that?"

Gabrielle gets to her feet and crosses to Xena, putting a hand tentatively on her shoulder. "Now tell me what is really going on here. You say you have to go to the temple of Somnus and Morpheus to deliver a message, but you don’t say from who. I may be stretching things a bit here, but I don’t think there is a message. I’m guessing it’s because you haven't slept for weeks. And now, when you finally do fall asleep you try to kill me. What is it?" The bard employs her most engaging grin. "I know I snore but..."

The humor is lost on the warrior princess. A grave look crosses over Xena's haggard face. It is a look that surprises the young bard, a look of fear.

"I wish it were that simple," Xena sighs heavily. "I don't know exactly what is happening, Gabrielle, but I have a good idea who might be behind it."

A dark and forbidding mountain peak wreathed in mist is revealed as lightning crackles across the night sky above it. A temple sits on the precipice of the peak. It is silhouetted against the night sky. A waterfall at the base of the temple drops steeply to a thin ribbon of river below.

An enormous black bird careens through the air, oblivious to the crash of thunder all around. It sails through the vast portico and through the temple's darkened halls. Everything within the temple, the columns, the heavy tapestries covering the walls, the stone floors, is a glistening silvery gray. Myriad whispering sounds of laughter, moaning and crying echo, magnified by the vast interior until the sounds are unintelligible. In the heart of the temple, a huge silver throne sits atop a dais of crystal. Behind the throne are two giant gates. One is white, made of elaborately carved ivory. The carvings on this gate are of flowers and beautiful scrollwork and smiling maidens. It is closed tight and locked by thick chains and enormous locks. It glows underneath its fastenings, pulsing as if a living thing. Emanating from within it, happy sounds, birds chirping, and children's laughter. Suddenly the white gate shakes as if someone is rattling it from inside. An unearthly voice roars with rage.

"Ares!"

The other gate is as black as night. Its carvings are of fierce animals baring their fangs and demons heads, spears and swords. This gate has been thrown open wide. From within in it can be heard sounds of screaming and moaning. Dark shadow beings sweep through the gate, wailing and screeching, their eyes glowing. Seated on the throne, one leg dangling over the side, arms behind his head, is Ares, smiling in satisfaction. He glances over his head as the bird perches atop the throne and begins to preen. It is a vulture, a carrion bird, and therefore, sacred to the god of war. He tickles it under its chin the way some people pet puppies.

"I should have thought of this a long time ago. A world that dreams of war," he drawls, and then turns to address one of the shadowy creatures hovering in the air before him. "Go. You know what to do."

The creature rushes away. Ares chuckles.

He stands, upsetting the vulture at his perch. It circles over him as he walks to the portal of the gate; a misty curtain covers the entrance. "Xena, here comes the man of your dreams." He walks through the mist and disappears.

Gabrielle sits on the bottom-most step of a flight that climbs to the temple above, her chin resting on the heel of both hands. She glances up apprehensively at the entrance, chewing her lip. Fearsome statues of lions and harpies and warriors with demons heads look down on her. She shifts her gaze away, keeping her eyes locked on the heavy wooden doors. She remembers, vividly, the last time she visited this temple and the memories aren’t pleasant.

I was just a kid then," she reminds herself, unconsciously gripping her staff tighter. The last few weeks were very physically tiring. The pair had staved off a warlords attack, routed his army, tracked and fought a couple of rogue centaurs, and found a relic stolen from Demeter’s temple. Apart from making very good stories, Gabrielle was concerned. The week’s events seemed to sap all the strength from Xena. But that stuff should be child’s play to the Warrior Princess. No matter which angle she looks at, Gabrielle just can’t account for her friend’s unusual behavior

After a few interminable minutes, the temple doors swing open and Xena bolts through as if the hounds of Tartarus are at her heels. She sees Gabrielle and stops mid-stride, collecting herself. With studied carelessness, she brushes back her hair and smiles her most persuasive smile.

"Well?"

Xena ignores her. "I don't blame you for not wanting to go in there," she says lightly.

"Xena!" Gabrielle mutters then sighs. By now, she is used to her friend’s need to keep everything cloaked in mystery. She shrugs, playing along. "Ok. You're right. I've spent as much time as I ever want to spend in the temple of Morpheus, let alone his brother Somnus. So, what happened?"

"They aren't there anymore," Xena says.

"What do you mean not there?"

"The priests say the gods are gone. Somnus and Morpheus have disappeared…and not because they heard I was coming." Xena's lips tighten. It is worse than she had thought. She studies Gabrielle for a moment, trying to decide how much to tell her. The bard appears composed, an attitude of tense waiting that Xena finds just a bit familiar. She continues reluctantly. "They say something dark and evil has taken over the dream world. It's not just your average nightmare. It's broken through somehow. The priests say that more and more people have reported attacks by what they describe as 'ghost warriors’. It sounds like the same group that attacked the Thyleans. There's a connection, Gabrielle."

"Yeah, I can see that."

"Yes," Xena agrees thickly.

Gabrielle pauses a moment, making a mental list of possible conclusions. "Ares," she says finally.

"Yes," Xena says again, guilt creeping into her voice. She ducks her head down, her dark hair hiding the unaccustomed blush.

"Not happy with Mount Olympus so he has to take over the dreamworld, huh," Gabrielle sighs. "What do we do now?"

"WE do nothing." Xena yawns, puts her puts her hand on Gabrielle's shoulder and wearily sits down on the step next to her.

The bard eyes her exhausted friend with concern. "You know, you're right, WE shouldn't do anything... except sleep. I'm worried about you. You look awful. You need to get some rest."

"Gab..."

"No," Gabrielle interrupts. "Not a word. Thyleus can spare you till sunup. I'll scare up a fish for dinner, and you can relax."

The warrior princess turns green at the mention of the word fish. Gabrielle sees it, cocks her blonde head, looking hurt.

"I thought you liked my cooking?"

Suddenly, Xena hurtles off the step lurching towards a row of trees and bushes nearby. Doubled over, she retches again and again until, breathing raggedly, she slumps to the ground clutching her stomach. Gabrielle kneels down, taking the trembling warrior in her arms, smoothing her hair.

"You need to see a healer," she says firmly. "Something is really wrong with you. And don't try to tell me it was something you ate. I fell for that the last time. But you haven’t eaten anything today. I’m really starting to worry, Xena. Tell me what’s going on, please."

Xena frees herself, sitting up and shrugging off Gabrielle's ministrations.

"I'm not seeing a healer. I will be fine." But even as she says the words her stomach heaves again and her face turns pale. "Ok. I'll see the healer. But I'm sure this is nothing."

"Yeah, well, we've heard that one before, haven't we." Xena gives Gabrielle a withering look but says nothing. Gabrielle waits for some sort of explanation, remembering that patience works better than pestering on her friend. After a few moments of stoic silence from the Warrior Princess, Gabrielle sighs. Eyeing the sun, dipping lower into the horizon, she shrugs.

"I guess, we’ll have to camp near here tonight. You are in no shape to travel and the next village is a days ride." Gabrielle looks up at the temple and shudders. "And there's no way either of us is going to find hospitality in there. I would rather sleep in a mud puddle than spend another night in there. You rest here while I go find Argo."

********************************************************************************

Hours later, Gabrielle sits staring pensively at a sleeping Xena. Even in sleep the warrior’s face is a study in control. But Gabrielle can see that control being whittled away…but by what? Worry is knotting her stomach, but she ignores it, focusing instead on the immediate problem. Her face unconsciously mirrors the stony expression Xena wears. She sponges Xena’s face and arms, tucking muscled limbs back under the furs whenever fever induced thrashings throw them off. The night is oppressively warm but Gabrielle notices the air around Xena is deathly chill. She shivers uneasily, fighting down the urge to panic.

"Stay calm, Gab. So she's got a cold. Happens to everybody. Why not a warrior princess?"

The moon is pale and sickly in the night sky and the fire seems subdued, unable to blaze forth any real light or heat. The bard resolves to stay awake and keep vigil over the camp, just in case. A persistent nagging at the back of her mind bothers her. Something here is not right, she knows, but it is a distant, fuzzy thought. She yawns and shifts to an uncomfortable sitting position just to keep herself awake and alert.

Then she notices the humming. It is such beautiful music. Gabrielle has heard nothing like it before in her life. It's as if a lute were singing in a human throat. She relaxes a bit, her tense posture slackening.

"So lovely," she mutters. And then, despite herself, she falls fast asleep.

A shrill high-pitched wail awakens her what seems like hours later. She starts, leaping up from her cramped sleeping position, mind a little blurry. The wail repeats. Her gaze darts all around, seeking the source. It is coming from the clearing yards away, she realizes. And at the same moment, she sees Xena's bedroll. It is empty.

"Xena?" she shouts as she runs toward the sound. No answer but the wailing, growing ever more plaintive.

"XENA!" Blind panic and fear surge through her as she races across the clearing. Never, in all their years together, and all they have been through, has she ever heard a sound like that. It is pure despair, agony beyond words and it is coming from Xena.

The moon shines brightly on the little clearing, bathing the gruesome scene before Gabrielle in soft, silver light.

"Xena, by the gods, what’s happened!" Gabrielle slides to her knees beside the crouching figure of her friend.

Long, deep, red gashes split open Xena’s cheeks. Her eyes are closed tightly. Tears are streaming out from under closed lids. The same bloody claw marks rake her arms and chest. Xena wails again and begins to thrash around, her own hands yanking out large clumps of her hair.

"Xena, WAKE UP!" Gabrielle screams as she throws herself on top of the convulsing figure and struggles to pin her arms to her side. "You’re too strong, Xena. Stop this! I won’t let you hurt yourself!"

A great gasp escapes Xena, as if she’s struggling to breath underwater. Her eyes snap open. Gabrielle cups Xena’s face in her hands, forcing the wild-eyed warrior to look into her eyes.

"I’m here, Xena. It’s me. You’re fine. Everything’s fine."

Xena’s eyes focus on her, pupils dilated, black swallowing up the soft blue.

"No it isn’t, Gabrielle," Xena whimpers, her voice very small and frightened. "It will never be fine again."

"It was just a nightmare, Xena."

Xena holds out her arms to Gabrielle.

"Look."

"Xena, you’re ill. Come, lay back down."

Xena grabs Gabrielle by the shoulders, shaking her roughly.

"Look!"

Gabrielle glances down. "What? I don’t…" she stops and looks again.

The bloody cuts on Xena’s arms have disappeared. Gabrielle looks at Xena’s face. The angles of her cheekbones are smooth and untouched.

"Ambrosia, Gabrielle. I’ve eaten ambrosia. I’m a god."

For a moment, the bard can only stare, mouth open, before reason finally takes hold. Relieved, she shakes her blonde head.

"No…I was just seeing things, that’s all… and you were dreaming things. You’re not well, Xena. I know it’s something that never happens to you, but…."

"Fine, I’ll show you." The warrior grabs Gabrielle, drawing her close. At once, the air begins to shimmer and blur. A sound like cymbals clashing and bells ringing confuses the bard. The air seems to split, rend itself, then suddenly, the air is clear again and she and Xena are standing next to the fire. They are back at the campsite and they haven’t moved a muscle.

"Now do you believe?" Xena asks. "I could probably scare up a firebolt or two if you still need convincing."

Gabrielle is aghast, staring at her dearest friend as if she had suddenly turned into a three-headed hydra. Far from horrible and three headed, Xena is radiant, all the sickly pallor gone. Her hair is now glossy, and curling slightly. Her skin has taken on an unearthly sheen that glows underneath the warrior tan. Her eyes show the most striking change. The blue glitters, catching the light like wet diamonds. Gabrielle sees this but still won’t quite trust the evidence of her eyes.

"How?" she rasps, completely at a loss for words.

"Ares. He’s been entering my dreams, somehow. It’s been happening for weeks. Terrible dreams... So bad, they made me physically sick. I thought I could control it, but……I couldn’t. In my dreams, he offered the ambrosia. This time I took it. I couldn’t stop myself. But it wasn’t just a dream this time. It was real." For a brief moment, Xena pleads with those ethereal eyes. This is a look Gabrielle has seen only in the most desperate times. It unsettles her far more than anything else. Questions bubble to the surface of her mind, each clamoring for an answer.

"But…you just took it? I…you…" Gabrielle sputters.

Suddenly the bard sits, as if her legs will no longer support her. She looks down at the ground, fists balled, fighting for control. When she finally does look up, her face is set, a well-controlled mask, again unconsciously mirroring the warrior.

"We have to find Ares," she says, seeing the immediate relief her quiet acceptance has given.

Xena’s voice, when she finally speaks after a few protracted moments of tense silence, is soft but determined, a voice Gabrielle has privately dubbed ‘the calm before the storm’

"Correction. I pay a visit to Mount Olympus and you go on to Thyleus." She holds up a hand, cutting short the protest Gabrielle is sure to voice. "Please don’t argue with me on this… It’s something I need to do alone. And it won’t be safe for you where I’m going."

"But you just said you couldn’t control yourself… that Ares has some power over you. You can’t expect me to just sit back and let that happen again!"

The warrior purses her lips and stares down at Gabrielle, wondering for the hundredth time how the chatty little girl from Potedeia has evolved into the strong woman facing her now. Her expression softens as it always does.

"Ares and I are equals now. If you are there, he will use you against me. I can’t risk it."

The bard considers this and eventually nods. "You’re right, but that doesn’t mean I’m happy about this." She crosses her arms, shivering, even though she isn’t cold. "Why would he do this, Xena? Why now? After all we’ve done for him?"

This question seems to unnerve the warrior. For a moment, her face crumples as if she might actually cry. Gabrielle is stunned.

"Being a god changes everything, Gabrielle," Xena whispers, giving the bard a mournful look. "I think that’s what he’s counting on."

The villagers of Thyleus settle in for the night. Guards are posted every few paces, but they are heavy-eyed and nervous from lack of sleep. The bard watches with them, leaning on her staff, more for comfort than actual need of support. She’s wondering for the thousandth time why she let Xena go without her. From every home come the sounds of restless sleep. These last few weeks, the villagers have been beset by terrible dreams that, according to the dazed men, women and children, seem to have come alive and attacked.

When she first arrived in the village, rallying the inhabitants of Thyleus was no small task. It had taken her days to convince the weary villagers to follow her lead, mount a defense, and guard each other as each person slept in shifts. So far, due to careful vigilance, the dream warriors hadn’t returned. Gabrielle was grateful to have had so much to occupy her time. It gave her less time to worry. But now the worries had returned in a torrent.

How exactly did it change things, she wondered. Would Xena really be able to fight Ares, the embodiment of her dark past? Had becoming a god made her immune to all the temptations of that life? Or had it made it all the more enticing?

In the privacy of her thoughts, Gabrielle couldn’t fool herself. She knew how alluring that part of Xena’s personality could be, especially to Xena herself.

One of the villagers sags against a fence post and begins to snore. Gabrielle pokes him lightly with her staff. The man jumps.

"Go wake up the relief watch and get some rest for yourself," she says.

The man shuffles off with the rest of the watch.

She watches him go, aware in the back of her mind that she should go find a bed herself. She cringes at the thought. Worry for Xena had produced some strange nightmares these last few days. The last crazy dream was so strange, the woman who had been guarding her sleep seemed frightened to death when she woke her. Images of Xena and Ares, locked together, not in combat but in passion, flash briefly through her mind. With a fierce effort of will she banishes the thought. Imagine, Xena and Ares. She laughs weakly to herself. It was ridiculous.

An enormous yawn escapes her. The next round of the watch approaches, greeting her warmly. Gabrielle surrenders to her weariness, bidding the others take her post. But, as she approaches the inn where she is staying, instead of going inside, she veers toward the quiet of a stand of trees a little further on.

"I can’t keep doing this," she mutters, sitting down on a fallen branch. "This is making me crazy. I have to focus. I have to do something to help. There’s something here I’m just not seeing." She rakes her hand through her cropped shaggy blonde hair. "If only I could think. I can’t…"

A flash of dazzling blue light and a shimmery sort of pop and Ares, god of war stands in front of her.

"That’s right, sweetheart," he drawls. "Let’s just keep it that way, shall we."

Xena strolls through a spacious hall bedecked with tapestries, thick carpets and detailed statues of warriors in battle, all bearing her likeness. Around these statues, laid in mounds at the base of the pedestals, are rich offerings of gold and silver, wreaths of exotic flowers, urns overflowing with costly spices, armor inlaid with precious stones and other treasures. The warrior princess lovingly runs her hand over the hilt of a particularly fine gleaming sword, tracing its sharp curves. She lifts the sword, testing its heft, her face reflected in its bright surface. Seeing her reflection there, her face appearing slightly dazed, she frowns and releases the sword, letting it clatter to the floor.

"Feels good doesn’t it," Ares disembodied voices says, rumbling through the hall like distant thunder.

Xena spins around, looking for the source of the voice.

"Why did you do it, Ares? You must have known that I wouldn’t just sit back and cooperate with your little scheme."

"Oh, I know that. That’s why I had to use the dream gates. Cousin Somnus fought me a little bit. He always was a goody-goody. But hey, I got what I wanted and a nice little bonus. I foresee lots of conflict coming out of this. Good business for a god of war."

Xena scowls. "You know I won’t let you do this."

Ares doesn’t answer, just chuckles softly.

A softer sound like water gurgling up from a spring, draws Xena further back into the darker recesses of the hall. There, in the shadows, she sees a slab of polished white marble, flanked on either side with low fonts of the blackest obsidian, an altar complete with human sacrifice. A body lays atop the slab, a beautiful young girl dressed all in white, her long blond hair draping over the edge of the altar and brushing the floor. She is dying, her throat cut. Breath rattles in her throat as the blood trickles, pooling in the fonts.

"Ares!" Xena shrieks, enraged. She rushes to the girl and uses pressure points to stop the flow of blood.

"Yes, my love?" Ares walks out from the shadows, swaggering slightly.

"What is this? Why show me this? Why murder an innocent girl?"

Ares raises his eyebrows. "Me? Oh, I didn’t kill her. Your worshippers did that."

"Worshippers? I don’t have any worshippers."

Ares looks bemused. "You’re a god, Xena. Of course you have worshippers. This is your temple. Do you like it? You’ll have to get used to this worship thing." Ares retrieves the sword Xena had been admiring from the floor. "Nice… See, being a god has its bonuses."

"You call having a girl sacrificed to me a bonus? You really are more sick than I imagined."

Ares shakes his head, slowly circling Xena with predatory grace.

"And to think, one of the qualities I admired most about you was your imagination, your ability to think yourself out of the worst situations." He throws out his arms, smiling. "This is just the icing on the cake, baby."

Nonchalantly, he strolls to the altar, trodding on the girl’s hair as he passes behind it. "Don’t want her to die for you? Fine. Fix it. Heal her. You’re a god. You can do it."

"I can?" Unsure, the warrior looks down at her bloody fingers. The girl’s face is already turning blue, blood bubbling on her lips.

Ares crosses to Xena coming up behind her, puts his hands lightly on her shoulders and leans close, so close his lips almost brush her ear.

"Just will it," he whispers seductively. "Want it and it will happen." He closes his eyes, inhaling the scent of Xena’s hair.

She closes her eyes too, focusing all her will on the young girl lying before her. Her hands, cupping the girl’s throat, begin to tingle, then glow. A warm, golden light emanates from her fingers. Slowly, the wound closes, as the light travels down the girl’s body. Suddenly, the girl’s eyes open. Xena and the girl gasp in unison. Xena draws her hands away and the girl sits up, bewildered.

"I did it," Xena says, astonished. She turns to look at Ares. "I felt the life coming into her. It was…"

Ares nods knowingly. "Amazing, I know."

"But how?" The warrior asks. "I thought only Athena could do that without sacrificing her godhood."

Ares shrugs. "Yeah, well, since you swept through Mount Olympus killing everybody, things have changed a little. You’re missing the point again," he says impatiently. "Together, we can do anything. Anything."

Xena’s eyes narrow. "I’m not going to rule the world with you so don’t ask."

"Don’t dismiss this so lightly. I haven’t shown you all of the perks that go with the job. Like this…"

Ares waves his hand and they are standing on a balcony, below, thousands of people are cheering and chanting Xena’s name.

Xena rolls her eyes. "Not this again. Not interested, Ares."

Ares is undaunted. "You won’t say no to this."

He waves his hand again and he shows her another vision, this time of Xena herself, sitting in the middle of a crowded forum. The people around her are sick, maimed, dying. One at a time they approach Xena and, placing her hands on them, she heals them, just as she healed the girl on the altar.

"Is this more to your taste then? I know how keen you are on selfless acts lately."

She stares at the vision a long time, something like longing sharpening her features, then she tears her gaze away, takes a deep breath, shaking herself as if to clear her head.

"No. No, Ares, no more. Nothing you say can convince me. I just want to be rid of this…this power. I don’t want it."

"Are you sure?" One arm forcefully encircles Xena’s shoulder, though she tries to shrug it off, the other arm he raises, gesturing with a flourish. A scene appears before them, a montage of visions, past, present and future: Xena galloping into battle, sword and chakram hacking men to bits; Xena in the midst of a village as flames sweep through it and women and children run screaming; Lao Ma being strapped to a strange cross as a sharp sickle descends toward her scalp; Solan lying limp and lifeless in Xena’s arms, and finally, Gabrielle running, blood streaming from an angry wound in her shoulder. She is pursued by two shadowy warriors with no faces, only gaping blackness where there faces should be. Gabrielle trips, falls and the warriors quickly surround her, swords drawn, and close in on their prey.

"Gabrielle!" Xena screams then whirls around, grabbing Ares by his collar, lifting him up as she stares menacingly into his eyes.

"I swear to you, if you let anything happen to her, I’ll find a way to kill you! This is one of your little games, isn’t it. I’m not playing this time, Ares. You tell those things to let Gabrielle go or I’ll make use of my godhood and spend eternity making you suffer."

……The watch, asleep at their posts, sag to the ground. The quiet village suddenly erupts with sound as the villagers, one moment quietly sleeping, awaken with horrible shrieks and wails as they are confronted by their worst nightmares. The faceless warriors bearing down upon them take on horrible shapes, each conforming to the nightmare of the person they are tormenting.

Gabrielle rushes through the riot filled village square, followed closely by two shadowy shapes with the leering faces of the warrior princess and the god of war.

Back at the temple, Xena’s grip tightens threateningly, as she peers anxiously over her shoulder at the vision of Gabrielle.

"Do it NOW!" she commands.

Unperturbed, Ares simply smiles. "You stop them. You can do it. That’s my point, Xena," he says earnestly. "And not just saving your little friend…all those wrongs, all the things you’ve tortured yourself about for years, all that guilt that you’ve been carrying around, well, now you can make it right, can’t you? It’s your chance to wipe the slate clean." He shrugs off Xena’s grip. "Like I said, you can do anything."

Exhausted, Gabrielle stumbles as she glances over her shoulder. In that second’s pause, the ghost warrior with Xena’s face is on her.

Xena looks again at the vision of Gabrielle. She watches in horror as one of the faceless warriors grabs Gabrielle, yanks her head back and draws a knife swiftly across her exposed throat, then lets her slump to the ground.

"NO!" An explosion of light propels Xena forward, into the vision. The next moment, she is in the village, standing next to an unconscious Gabrielle. A terrible menace radiates from her like waves of flame. Fire shoots from her eyes. The ghost warriors burst into flame. With an unearthly roar, they explode. All around, explosions light up the night as the ghost warriors feel Xena’s wrath.

Xena drops to her knees, her eyes clear now but streaming tears. She cradles the bard in her arms, sobbing, "Gabrielle, oh my Gabrielle…don’t die."

A sudden resolve passes over her. With a deep shuddering breath, she straightens, placing her hands on the gash at Gabrielle’s throat. As before, a golden light suffuses the wound, traveling down Gabrielle’s body. The gash in her throat vanishes.

"I knew you couldn’t resist," Ares says appearing behind them.

Gabrielle’s eyes flutter open. "Xena?" She coughs, sits up, and rubs at her neck. A sob escapes Xena’s constricted throat.

"I just had the worst dream," Gabrielle says sleepily, then looks over Xena’s shoulder at Ares and shrinks back.

Xena looks at him too. She takes a deep breath, her bottom lip quivering slightly she says, "You were right. I can’t resist."

Turning back to Gabrielle, Xena takes both her hands in her own.

"This is my chance, Gabrielle," she says, trying to smile. "As a god, I can wipe away all the evil I’ve ever done. I can heal."

"So you are leaving me," Gabrielle whispers hoarsely. "But why? Why can’t we do that together? You’re just going to go? It’s not just a nightmare?"

Xena’s expression goes blank as if she’s just been slapped.

"I thought you would understand," she replies. Smoothing Gabrielle’s hair, she kisses her softly on the forehead, stands, then walks to Ares.

"Let’s go," she says tersely. Looking very smug, and trying unsuccessfully to hide it, Ares takes Xena’s hand. Without glancing back, they both disappear.

>From a distance, hot afternoon sun bounces off the hundreds of white marble structures, making the teeming city of Athens look like one gigantic flashing ball of reflected light.

"You’ll need to have a temple in Athen’s," Ares was saying, one arm draped possessively over Xena’s shoulder. "All the gods have one there... the ones that are left anyway."

The warrior princess is not listening, just staring into the distance, her lips pressed tightly together.

"I realize that this little phase of yours will take up some time," Ares rambles. "But I have full confidence that you’ll eventually see the light. Doing good just gets boring. You’ll see. Eternity is a long time to carry the burden of the world. A little war here and there breaks up the monotony nicely."

The Warrior Princess, now the Warrior Goddess, does not reply, nor does her expression waver. From the city below, a whispery sound, growing slowly in volume, reaches them. Xena draws her eyebrows together and then raises them, as if a sudden thought has crossed her mind. She looks up at Ares.

"That sound, what is it?"

Ares stops babbling for a moment and listens. "Oh that, that’s the mortals, praying, thinking, talking……blah, blah, blah. Don’t pay any attention to it. You hear it all the time."

Xena puts her hands over her ears. "How can you stand it? Isn’t there a way to block it out?"

"You will stop hearing it after a couple centuries. I don’t even hear it anymore."

"But it’s driving me crazy now," Xena says, pacing frantically. She stops in front of Ares, smiling up at him. "Isn’t there anywhere we can get away from it? Alone………just you and me?"

Ares perks up. "Oh yeah, I know of a place. But, it’s not a real pleasant place to be if you’re a god. Dampens your powers. But, it also blocks out the chatter. No one goes there now." He looks Xena up and down, hungrily appraising. "We’ll have it all to ourselves."

Xena puts her arms around Ares, pressing close to him. "Perfect," she purrs.

The two gods materialize in a cave buried deep within a mountain. It is not an ordinary cave. From the torches blazing on the walls, the swags of silk decorating the walls, and most especially the large sarcophagus lying open on top of a smooth outcropping of rock, Xena guesses this room has been used many times before. A glint of red draws her eyes upward. A strange symbol, wrought in brilliant metal and inset with a giant ruby glitters above the sarcophagus

"Like it?" Ares asks. "This is where Zeus used to put gods when they offended him. I like it. I come here sometimes. It’s private."

"Real cozy," the warrior replies dryly.

"Is that…?" she breathes, nodding towards the jewel.

"Yeah, the Eye of Hephaestus," Ares says, eyeing it with distaste.

"The lock that can’t be broken," murmurs Xena. Abruptly, she pulls her gaze away, giving all her attention to inspecting the chamber.

Xena wanders to a far wall of the cave. It has the texture of a honeycomb, with many small holes. In each hole, a rolled up scroll has been carefully placed. Xena pulls one out, quickly peruses its contents and raises an eyebrow at Ares.

"A little light reading, Ares? Gabrielle’s been wondering where these got to."

Ares looks embarrassed, takes the scroll from Xena, places it back into the wall, waves his hand and a panel of rock covers them.

"Well, uh, sometimes when I’m here I have trouble sleeping………they’re good for a laugh………Uh, anyway, where were we?" He sidles next to Xena, nuzzling her neck.

Xena turns to him, her stony expression replaced suddenly with vicious glee.

"I was just about to tuck you in for a good long sleep," she says. Catching Ares unawares, she grips his arm and hurls him up over her head and across the room towards the sarcophagus. Ares lands in a heap in front of it but quickly recovers, leaping to his feet.

"Ah, foreplay," he says.

They both leap into the air in the same instant, Xena drawing her sword with a loud war-cry, Ares snatching a spear from a display on the wall. The meet mid-air, weapons clashing as they dodge and parry each other’s blows with supernatural skill and speed.

"Oh, you’re so good," Ares croons, clearly relishing every moment. "I always knew you’d make an excellent god."

Xena spins, then hurtles to the ground, rebounds with a flip and comes up behind Ares, sword at his back. Ares reaches around his back with one arm, grips her sword as he whirls around low aiming his spear at Xena’s legs. She jumps, leapfrogs over Ares shoulders and delivers a kick to the back of Ares’ head that sends him flying across the cave.

"I have to thank you," Xena quips. "Without your help I wouldn’t be able to put you away here forever."

"What do you mean?" asks Ares, confused, as their weapons clash again, this time with more force.

"The world needs a break from war," Xena says through gritted teeth. "And I’m going to give it to them. It’s the least I can do with my new power."

Slowly, she backs Ares toward the Sarcophagus. Xena delivers a mighty kick. Ares sails backward, landing in the Sarcophagus. The lid is tilted across the end of it. Xena flips, whirling in mid-air, and lands on the up-tilted edge. The heavy stone lid teeters, then slides into place with a deafening thud before Ares can even blink.

Xena jumps down off of the sarcophagus, her hands brushing the face carved into top of the lid. "I’m sorry," she says. "You were right. It’s too tempting, even for me."

She walks out of the cave to the passage beyond, pulls out her chakram and sends it sailing toward the eye. In an explosion of light, it collides with the eye and then splits in two. The glowing stone above the sarcophagus flares then goes dark, its ancient magic sealing the god of war within.

The round outer circle of the chakram shoots across the cavernous ceiling and then colliding with the thick rock, shatters. A crescent of metal is embedded in the stone wall. The other half lies on the ground. A sudden shower of boulders tumbles down, ceiling the entrance. The smaller halves of the chakram ricochet. Xena darts back, catching the two pieces with both hands and narrowly avoiding the rockslide.

"Good night, sweet prince," she says, then with a sudden flash of light, disappears.

Gabrielle, sitting up from the floor where she had been huddled in a ball for hours now, notices a sudden quiet in the village outside. It is evening again, she sees. Four sunsets. Has it only been four days since she left, Gabrielle wonders, tears slipping unnoticed down her cheeks. She sniffs again, trying to swallow past the gigantic lump in her throat. She chokes on a sob, absently running a hand through her snarled and matted hair. The short crop of blonde stands almost on end. The bard’s green eyes are red from incessant crying and her face is mottled with red blotches and tear streaks.

For days Gabrielle has ignored the chaos reigning outside. She just doesn’t care anymore. But now it was quiet, peacefully quiet. Only the normal night sounds penetrate her chamber walls. Briefly, Gabrielle wonders what has happened, but the thought is fleeting, replaced almost immediately by painful images of dark hair, blue eyes. Crying softly, she drifts back to sleep.

Gabrielle opens her eyes. Fresh tears have soaked the blanket she was clutching in sleep. Pain, like an animal clawing to get out of her stomach, rips through her. Her heart seems to shrivel inside her chest.

"Xena," she murmurs pitifully. "I don’t know how to live without you."

"You don’t have to,"

Xena emerges from the shadows of the doorway. Gabrielle stares at her in disbelief.

"It’s really you?"

Xena grins. "It’s really me."

Gabrielle hurtles towards her, collapsing in Xena’s outstretched arms. The hug each other close and for a few silent moments just relax in each other’s embrace. Gabrielle is the first to pull away, pinching Xena’s arm.

"Ow!"

"You’re here and you’re mortal," the bard says, "how?"

"I gave it up," Xena says simply.

"Gave up being a god? I thought……you said you were going to heal, save the world. How can you just give something like that up?"

Xena sighs, and sits down on the edge of the rumpled bed. She looks down at her hands in her lap.

"I couldn’t go down that road. No matter how good it looked from this end, I knew where it was leading. Absolute power eventually leads to absolute corruption…look at Ares." Xena raises her head, blue eyes looking earnestly into Gabrielle’s. "Besides, power means nothing to me, even the power to do good, if I have to give up everything that I loved about my humanity to have it."

A smile spreads across Gabrielle’s pale face. "And the bad dreams? I see they are gone now. You stopped them?"

"Yeah, I took care of that."

Gabrielle sits down next to Xena. "Tell me what happened," she says eagerly, the bard in her quivering with interest.

The warrior looks askance at Gabrielle’s bed head. She rumples the bard’s hair affectionately.

"You look horrible. Don’t they have a bath house in this village?" she teases with a sly grin. "How ‘bout I tell you all about it during a nice hot bath? Sound good?"

"Sounds good," Gabrielle says with a sigh of satisfaction.

The End.

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