Disclaimer: I do not own Xena or any of the characters.
Read and Review if you'd like, for now this will stay as a one-shot unless its wanted to be more.
His face was frozen in its despair. His body trembled with emotion as Gabrielle, Battling Bard and Amazon Queen stood in front of him, trying to voice the words on why Xena was not with her. He knew though, the moment his name left her lips and the tone she had approached him with, he knew what Xena's fate had been. Her soft voice drifted over him as he looked at her with his face terrifyingly blank. Starring at her, he finally took the time to try and find what drew Xena to her.
She was beautiful, not strikingly so but in her own way. Short golden hair that was just skimming her shoulders was tucked behind her small ears. Her green eyes which did usually sparkle now were dull and filled with regret and sadness. She had a lean body, toned from fighting and constant traveling she had done with Xena, though scars were scattered about on her. He looked back into her eyes and saw her forehead furrowed in confusion and it seemed as if she was debating with herself.
"Ares." She whispered again, moving forward and resting a hand on his upper arm He glanced down at it and without thought took her wrist and removed her hand, but continued to hold her.
"It was what she wanted, and I know how you must feel." But his hand tightened on her wrist, cutting the rest of her sentence off.
"How I feel Gabrielle?" Ares strong and rough voice rose in anger with each word. "The one I loved was taken and I couldn't protect her. Tell me Gabrielle, how do I feel if you know so well?" His eyes darkened and she realized it was not depression he had trembled with earlier as she thought. Instead it was anger and rage that had swiftly consumed his body.
"Ares, let me go." She tried to speak strongly but she was truly filled with fear. 'Don't make me hurt you Ares." She tried to pull away from him when a smirk over-took his dark features. "Ares." She tried again and attempted to pull away but he only held her tighter.
"I'm waiting Gabrielle, and you won't be going anyway." She stared at him confused and he pulled her against his chest, his other hand grabbing her hair and tilting her head up by pulling down painfully. "Tell me how I feel." He whispered dangerously and she shuddered at the sparks of hate radiating from him.
"Ares, please." She tried as tears pooled in her eyes, after losing Xena she was not ready to face an uncontrollable God. She cursed herself for choosing to come back to Greece and try to find Eve instead of going to Egypt as she had planned. His laugh startled her from her thoughts and she looked back up into his dark eyes.
"Please let you go? Is that what you were going to ask me Gabrielle." He leaned closer to her and she held her breath in terror. She saw him scan her own features and was afraid by what he might to do her. "I will not let what Xena cherished from my sight ever Gabrielle." And again she shook in fright from the way he said her name with such emphasis. Her words traveled through her head and her beautiful eyes widened in realization. A sadistic smile appeared on his face as he tugged her hair harder than before.
"Yes Gabrielle." He snarled and leaned toward her more, his breath on her cheek. "You understand now, I will own the last piece of her that I can." His laugh filled the air as the two disappeared in a flash of a blue-light, her bag with scrolls the only thing left of her for anyone to find.