After Amphipolis
By Illyandria
Night had taken the campsite hours ago, and now its three occupants slept in peaceful silence. A dark figure appeared out of nowhere, looming over the raven-haired beauty that was curled up next to the fire. He regarded her with eyes that had watched her since she was young, a teenage girl with the dream of being a warrior.
A soft whine came from the other side of the fire. He made his way over to the crib that sat next to the woman's best friend, and picked up the child, holding her in the crook of his arm.
"Hey Sweetheart," he whispered, letting her small hand grasp his finger.
She stared up at him with big eyes, and then looked down at his finger, bringing her other hand up to explore his. She soon tired of this though, and her eyes drooped and finally closed.
He placed her back in the crib, tucking the blanket around her small body. That finished, he made his way over to the warrioress, sitting down on a log that was next to her.
The camp was silent except for the crackling of the fire. He sat unmoving, eyes never straying from the woman before him.
Barely audible, a moan escaped her lips. A few seconds later, another followed.
He moved from his position on the log, sitting down beside her head. He softly placed a hand on her forehead, and closed his eyes.
Using his godly powers, he entered her mind and watched what she was dreaming. It was just like all the others she'd been having this past month: it revolved around him.
Without warning, the dream ended, and a strong hand grabbed his wrist.
Startled, he opened his eyes to stare directly into the ones of his Princess.
"Stay out of my head," she growled, pulling his arm back in a position that may have snapped the bone had he been mortal.
He wrenched his arm away. "Hey, can I help it if I was curious?"
"Curiosity killed the cat," she hissed. "Keep that in mind."
"Xena, Xena, Xena. It seems you want to screw me, not kill me."
She glared at him and shook her head. "Not my fault. You're the one giving me the damn dreams!"
Ares rose a brow and smirked. "Oh really? I stopped doing that before that whole deal in Amphipolis."
Her face flushed. "Liar."
He shrugged and muttered under his breath, "A god need never lie..."
She heard it, and looked at him sharply. He didn't meet her eyes, and they sat in silence for a few moments.
"I didn't come here to talk about who's giving you the dreams, even though I know for a fact it's yourself." He continued before she could say anything, "I came here to tell you...that you cheated me."
"Hmm?"
"Now, the deal was for me to save Eve from the gods...I did that. My logic is...if I hadn't have stepped in and rescued your little dolly, Athena would have figured out it wasn't really Eve, right? Right... So...all in all...I saved Eve's life as well as your dolly."
"And you expect me to be all submissive now and go, 'Oh Ares, you couldn't be more right. Here, now, fuck me'?"
He grinned at her. "Well, I wouldn't mind if you did."
"Get outta here, Ares. I'm not going to let you touch me."
"Oh, so now the good and heroic Xena isn't honoring her promises?"
"Do you deserve it?"
"Seeing as you just got me banned from Olympus for helping you, I think I do deserve it."
She rose a brow. "Banned from Olympus?"
"Hell yeah. Athena named herself ultimate goddess of the big mountain and all of Greece, and she kicked me out. They all voted me out, 'cept 'Dite."
"You're immortal still, right?"
"Yeah, I just can't get involved with affairs with the rest of the gods."
"Huh, I bet all of Olympus is thanking me for finally giving them a reason to throw you out."
"They had plenty of reasons before," Ares pointed out.
"Well, you don't sound too unhappy about this -- actually, seeing as you won't have to deal with the gods anymore, I think I did you a favor, so we're even."
Ares sighed dramatically. "Oh, Xena...why is it you don't want to act out any of those dreams, hmm?"
"Because I refuse to let you seduce me back into your fold!"
The God of War cocked his head to the side, a devious grin on his face. "So you're saying it's because you don't want to be the person you once were, not because you find me utterly repulsive and unattractive?"
"Exactly!" she said, wanting to take it back the moment it left her lips, but it was too late.
"So you're saying you're attracted to me? Finally! We're getting somewhere now!"
She scowled at him. "We're still nowhere, Ares. Like I said before, I refuse to let you seduce me into your fold again, and I'd sooner go to Hell a second time than bare your child! With parents like us it'd turn out to be a monster!"
Ares frowned and stared off to his side for awhile, trying to organize his thoughts and ignore the pain her last remarks had caused him.
"Alright then, Xena," he said finally, voice low. "You win. How about another deal?"
Curious, she replied, "I'm listening."
He cleared his throat in hesitation. Closing his eyes briefly, knowing he may very well be condemning himself, he said, "I'll protect you and Eve on two conditions. One: If there is any way you can prevent my death, you do it. Number two: you give me a chance. No matter how small, you let me have a shot at being with you, okay?" He looked her in the eyes and waited for a response. Feeling like a fool when none came, he lowered his head to stare at his hands.
"Okay."
So quiet he wasn't sure he had heard it. His head shot up to look at her, and she nodded.
"But...say it first," she added, voice in a whisper.
Time stopped. The world stood still.
The fire had died unexpectedly, leaving them to regard each other by moonlight.
Ares stared into the eyes of the woman before him.
{Say it, damn it! After everything you've been through, you can't say three little gods damned words?!} his mind shouted.
Ares saw her throat move as she swallowed, crystal blue eyes ready to give way to tears. He cursed himself. Why was he always the cause of those tears?
His fingers found themselves grazing her cheek lightly, pushing back a stray lock of midnight hair.
"I love you..." he whispered. "I love you, Xena."
The space between them was gone, and not because of him. Xena threw her arms around his neck, running her fingers through his perfectly short hair. Before he knew what was happening, her legs were straddling his hips and her tongue thrusting itself into his mouth. He closed his eyes, wondering if this was just a dream, and met Xena's tongue with his own.
After a moment, she pulled away, and he started kissing her neck.
"Your temple...NOW!" she breathed.
He couldn't disobey. In a flash, they found themselves in a magnificently decorated room, on a bed of black and red silk. Ares pulled her nightshift over her head, leaving her flesh exposed. He stared down at his beautiful princess.
"Xena...this is what you want?"
She grinned wickedly at him. "Oh, Ares, you couldn't be more right! Here, now, *make love* to me!"
Please e-mail the author of this story with your comments. jackie@exsanguis.net
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