Authors note: Wow, that was a pretty long disclaimer wasn't it?? I hope I got everything in though; I don't want anybody to take this story the wrong way! This is sortta a sub-story to Born For War. You know right at the ending. Well, I never got around to putting this into Mixed Up, so I’m putting it here. ‘Cuz It’s been sitting in my ideas page for WAY to long! Maybe I’ll do a prequel, but for now think of the whole Xena Killing Herc thing.
Oh, Yeah: If this seems like ‘Born For War’, ‘Mixed Up’, ‘Truth Revealed’ it’s because it was originally intended to go with them. If this story reminds you of ‘Mixed Up’ I should note that this was written BEFORE ‘Mixed Up’ though I did take some ideas from this and put it in ‘Mixed Up’ this is a totally separate story.
Dedications: This story is for Kat, Illy, Barb, Noie, Liz, SR, Ephiny4, Sara, Tali, Tareena, Maureen, Megan, Mel, Xtreme, Grey, Jules, and for everyone at the shippers club for their support, and for liking my stories, even when I didn't! (Man I really should alphabetize)
Warnings: Sex: Mentioned, nothing in the actual story yet though. Language: Nope, don‘t think so. Violence: Mentioned.
Rated: PG
Summary: After Hercules’ death Gabrielle and Iolaus are determined to find out the truth. A little TOO determined.
"It‘s all those LITTLE things that I FEAR." -Gwen Stefani, from her bands song ‘Just A Girl' in the band 'No Doubt'
Band disclaimer: That line along with all songs are sole property of the band they came from. I’m just borrowing them!
Now for the story!!!!! *Everyone claps, glad to be rid of the disclaimers*
Attack of the SIDEKICKS!
By Delenn
Xena looked extremely bored, she played with a lock of her hair, for lack of anything better to do. Iolaus asked with deceptive calm, “Why did you kill Herc?”
Xena replied easily “I already told Gabrielle, it was self defense, Hercules attacked me”
Iolaus asked, his calm wearing away a little, “And why would our dear friend Herc, attack you?”
Gabrielle twisted a lock of her hair nervously, she had a fair idea why Herc might have attacked Xena, but then again, Gabrielle wasn’t sure that it was Hercules that attacked first.
Xena looked around, she focused on Gabrielle, who looked extremely nervous. Next Xena looked at Iolaus, he was standing as close to her as he dared, attempting to intimidate Xena, he was attacking with every know word he could to try to break the warriors story down. When Xena had first got to the door of this room, Iolaus, and Gabrielle had held her at sword point till Xena had given into their demands, taken off all her weapons, and given them to Gabrielle, who put them out of her reach, while Iolaus led Xena into this room. There was nothing in the room, Gabrielle, and Iolaus had come in unarmed, so Xena couldn’t use their weapons against them. ‘Smart move’ she thought. ‘Damn, Iolaus is being annoying.’ Iolaus was waiting for an answer, she could see. Xena said, by way of making conversation “You do know, that, unarmed and locked in a room together. If I were to get mad, you two wouldn’t stand half a chance.”
Iolaus looked briefly worried, then said “Don’t try to intimidate us, Xena, I can see right through your lies.”
Xena shrugged “I wasn’t trying to intimidate you. I was just saying, for the sake of conversation. I just have to ask, however, you actually think you two stand a chance?”
Iolaus said “I think we stand more then just a chance.”
Xena laughed “By the gods. You really do have a big ego! That is a sad statement.... Curly.”
Iolaus said, sensitive about his hair, WHY did Aphrodite have to start calling him that? “Knock it off, Xena. What, on the gods green earth, possessed you to think that you are so much of a better fighter then us, Huh? What’s makes you think that you are so ‘special?”
Xena smiled sweetly, without her weapons on, she looked very feminine, pretty, and nice. “One simple thing, sweetheart. I’m the God of WAR’S chosen. Trained by the God of War himself, for 10 years. Still feel lucky, sweetheart?”
Gabrielle gulped, what a contrast, what Xena had just said scared her to the very deepest depths of her soul, but on the other hand Xena looked so.... innocent at that moment. Iolaus valiantly tried to put the interrogation back on track. “Xena, I asked, why would our DEAR friend Herc attack you?”
Xena said, not worried and just putting on the ‘innocent’ act to annoy her captors. “Sweetheart, you know how overprotective, and possessive, Hercules could be. I simply told him that I was taken, I had told him before but he didn’t believe me. Hercules adopted the idea that if he couldn’t have me, no one could. Such a shame that he was so stubborn. I don’t put up with that type of crap.”
Iolaus asked “And exactly what proof can you give us of that claim?”
Xena said, her tone mocking, “Trust me, sweetheart, you don’t want to see that.”
Iolaus was stubborn “Yes I DO.”
Xena said “Alright then. But...... uhhh..... I have to..... ah..... could you leave for just a second? Gabrielle can stay, I promise I won’t hurt her.”
Iolaus looked skeptical, but left. Xena proceeded to take off her leathers, leaving on only her shift. Gabrielle asked “What is it, Xena? You go swimming in your shift all the time, I don’t see what the big deal is......”
Xena interrupted “You can bring Iolaus in now.”
Gabrielle turned around, poked her head out the door, and called “Iolaus, you can come back in now!”
Iolaus walked in, and taking a little bit of a deep breath, asked “Yes?”
Xena turned to the side, and pulled up the side of her shift so that her hip was visible. And what was tattooed there was extremely shocking. There was a large sword, sideways. It had blood on the tip, as if it had just stabbed somebody. And written across the blade, in golden letters, was the inscription
‘Goddess of War’
Iolaus gasped, Gabrielle nearly fainted. Finally Gabrielle managed to ask “It’s not BLEEDING, is it?”
Xena let the side of her shift drop, and said “Of course not. That’s just part of the design. That proof enough for you Iolaus?”
Iolaus recovered a little, and said “Well, that certainly is an interesting tattoo, Xena. But I don’t think it’s quite enough proof. You said that you were a chosen. Hercules said, and I have heard this from many other people as well, that Chosen’s have tattoos. How do I know that isn’t just that, doesn’t seem as conclusive proof of your conviction to me.”
Xena frowned, “Honestly, some people are so dumb it amazes me! Fine, I’ll show you that too. But for the record, none of what you saw leaves this room.”
Iolaus nodded. Xena thought for a second, then decided that she had never been modest, so why start now. She promptly rolled up the front of her shift, she was wearing underwear, so that her stomach was exposed. Around Xena’s bellybutton was a tattoo that was a perfect copy of Xena’s Chakram. In black writing on it there was an inscription that read
‘Chosen of the God of War’
Xena pulled down her shift and said “Happy now? This, Gabrielle, is why I refuse to wear outfits that show my stomach. Can you imagine how many idiots would be trying to kill me if they knew that I was the God of War’s chosen? Honestly, it would be total chaos!”
Iolaus was still unconvinced. Xena shooed him out of the room, and got her leathers on. When Iolaus came back he asked “How long have you had those tattoos”
Xena mind drifted for a second, thinking about those nights, then she answered “The Chakram is 11 years old, and the Sword is 9 years old.”
Iolaus asked “Can you prove those dates?”
Gabrielle by this time was speechless. Xena said “Gods! Of course I can’t! Do you think that the first thing I did when I got those was to go and show them to someone?”
Iolaus frowned “Well someone must have done them! tell me where to find that person?”
Xena grinned wickedly “Go to Mount Olympus, he should be there, he’s seen them many times.”
Iolaus felt physically sick. He asked, praying to whatever god was listening that it wasn’t who he thought it was. “Who would that be?”
Xena rolled her eyes, “Ares, of course.”
Iolaus warned “XENA!”
Xena shrugged, still smiling, and said “You are so bothersome, you know that? Fine, I’ll prove it to you.” She smiled even more evilly, then quietly called “Ares.”
Less then a second later an unhappy looking God of War appeared and said “What is it, my princess? I’m in the middle of working out a battle plan with a complete idiot of a warlord! Not that I couldn’t use a break....”
He took a step towards Xena, noticed Gabrielle and Iolaus, sighed, and stopped in mid step. He asked “And what are the blonds doing?”
Xena shrugged and almost pouted “Well, it seems that they want proof of some things. Isn’t Iolaus funny when he ‘tries’ to be intimidating?”
Ares said “Well it does take a certain type of person to actually intimidate people. You were always good at that, princess. Exactly what do they want to know? They aren’t bothering you, are they?”
Xena rewarded the complement with a smile. Then pouted “Well he,” she pointed to Iolaus “was bothering me. All flustered over Hercules’ death. And Gabrielle has been helping him.” She laughed, as if she actually needed his help! “But you’ll stop that, won’t you?”
Ares rolled his eyes, his teasing manor apparent to her, if not the two blonds. “Of course, Xe, what would you like me to do?”
Xena said “Well you could tell them some things.”
Ares asked cautiously “What type of things?”
Xena gave Iolaus an evil look, then said “Ask HIM.”
Ares turned on Iolaus and asked “What is your problem?”
Iolaus, who had watched the whole exchange with worry, puffed himself up “The dates of when she,” he pointed at Xena “had those.... ah... tattoo's?”
Ares stated “The Chakram is 11 years old, and the Sword is 9 years old. Happy? I would have guessed that Xena had told you that already. Now, if that’s all, Xe, I really have to get back to this war that idiot Strife started.”
Xena smiled “That’s all, have fun ‘playing’ with Strife, just save some for me.”
Ares grinned, took her hand and kissed it, said “Anything for you, my princess.” and disappeared.
Xena asked “DO tell me that’s all you wanted?”
Iolaus said “Well....”
Xena cut him off “Gods Iolaus, what else could you possibly want?”
Gabrielle almost felt herself siding with Xena on this one, he was being rather pushy. Suddenly an idea came to Gabrielle “Xena, did Hercules ever see those...”
Xena snickered “Of course not!”
Gabrielle and Iolaus looked puzzled. Iolaus said “But I thought you.....”
Xena gazed at them in open-mouthed horror, not something that the stoic warrior usually did. “We most certainly did not. That’s a lie, whoever told it to you.”
Gabrielle pointed out “Ahh, Xena, you’re the one that told me.”
Xena gave her a how-can-you-really-be-that-dumb look. “So?”
Iolaus said “You lied about that.. Why?”
Xena said, already bored with this conversation, “I wanted to make Ares jealous.”
Gabrielle, interested, asked “Then why didn’t you?”
Xena rolled her eyes in a do-you-really-have-to-ask look. Gabrielle, though, was still waiting for an answer “I’m waiting, Xena.”
Xena shook her head. “This one’s simple; Look at Ares and look at Hercules. Figure it out.”
Gabrielle thoughtfully said “I don’t get it, Xena.”
Iolaus nodded his agreement. Xena actually tried to get the conversation back on track. “Just because Ares is ‘evil’ doesn’t make him any less attractive. Now you were gonna question me some more, or were you gonna let me go?”
Iolaus sighed “You can go, I guess it really WAS in self-defense. Though if I was Herc, I probably would’ve attacked you as well.”
Xena rolled her eyes “So?”
Gabrielle bounded up to Xena and unlocked the door, handing Xena her weapons. “You know I just had to help Iolaus! He’s so cute when he’s mad! I’m still on your side, self-defense! Yep! Well, I’ll miss Herc though!”
Xena looked down at the strawberry-blond bard that was chattering away at an amazing speed. “Yeah, whatever, I’m gonna go help Ares with his war. Bye.”
Xena walked out the door. Gabrielle looked at Iolaus, who was complaining about Hercules, “I did all this for nothing? Yeah right!”
Gabrielle walked up to Iolaus and kissed him “You know what, Iolaus? I like you. And now you can be the Hero not the sidekick!”
Iolaus looked at Gabrielle, stunned, “Ahh, okay, Gabby.”
Please e-mail the author of this story with your comments. goddess_delenn@yahoo.com