Author A/N: I have a few things to say about Shattered, one being that it wasn't exactly what I expected it to be. Much like Broken, it was full of surprises for me & though it was outlined in a single day -- it still took some twists I wasn't expecting. First though – this is a sequel & as such it is intricately tied to the story before it. If you haven't read 'Broken', then I strongly suggest you back up and go read 'Broken' first. Although 'Shattered' does stand on its own feet, I guarantee you won't understand the story or the plot without reading 'Broken'. That said, lets move on (caution: spoilers from Broken ahead).
When I originally planned this story over a year ago -- I thought the emphasis would be on the relationship between Rafe & Di. Also, I didn't expect it to be quite so dark. The title 'Shattered' actually had a different connotation & wasn't supposed to refer to Di's broken heart at all. But as it happened, the title developed a double meaning -- as it now also refers to the way Di's world was shattered by Ares. It does still focus on Rafe & Di, but in a darker, richer way than I'd anticipated.
I regret to say that Rafe is not showcased in his best light here. He is sarcastic and rather bitchy a good way throughout the story -- not at all the charming conman we know & love. I must admit, he has a right to be bitchy -- he definitely caught a raw deal in Broken. He gets his redemption eventually, but in the meantime, try not to think too badly of our sweet boy! (sad look) Also, Ares plays a bigger role in this than originally planned. I didn't intend to have him in it at all (or if he did appear, it'd be brief), yet somehow he gets about half the screentime in this story. I kinda expected to have the GOW angle tied up by the end of Broken. But the GOW doesn't give up easy & I should've remembered that! (grins)
But, despite the surprises & twists, I really do like this story -- for a couple of reasons. One, it resolves a long standing battle in Di's life & that's good as we've been waiting to see it happen for ages. Also, it gave me a chance to bring back my beloved character Jonathan -- who hasn't made an appearance since 2000 in 'No Way Out'. I always adored the character of Jonathan & Di took his death very hard. It was nice to have him come out & play with us again. (grins) That alone made the story worth it. Of course, we've had Ani as sort of a temporary fix, but it's just not the same!
And finally -- it does resolve all the problems & complications caused by 'Broken'. And -- unlike Broken & though in places it's very dark -- this story has a happy ending.
So, before I give too much away, I'll let you read with no more rambling. Don't forget to leave a little review in the comment box, please!
Diana
Warrior Gypsy
(& her bard)
Legal stuff:
Title: Shattered (sequel to 'Broken')
Author: Diana
Rating: NC-17 (explicit sexual content :: mature subject matter :: strong violence & character death :: language :: innuendo)
Disclaimer: The following productions & characters are not associated with me:
H:TLJ & X:WP :: Rob Tapert, USA/MCA Studios, Renaissance Pictures, All of the priestesses in this story belong to their respective authors & are used with permission :: The character of Diana is mine & may not be used in other fanfic without my exclusive permission. Patrick Fabian belongs to me in all his delicious forms & variants (wicked grin), 'cept for alt Bitchy Rafe. Don't want him. (grins) Well yeah ok, I do. Believe me, one night with me & he wouldn't be bitchy no more! (evil grin) Do not archive or repost without contacting me. Story © :: 2007 Christy Burk.
Summery: Trying to recover from the devastating stunt pulled by Ares at the end of 'Broken', Diana is offered by the Fates the opportunity to 'redeem a single mistake'. She chooses to restore the life of her son Jonathan, hoping this would unite her with the betrayed love of her life, Rafe. But Ares is still determined to make Diana his protégé and will not let her go without a fight.
Feedback: You know you want to! The more feedback -- the more I'll write.
A/N: Actually rather proud of this story. Even for all its unusual twists -- I think it turned out beautifully. As Ares himself said: "Dammit, I like it!" (LOL!)
Christy
Technical Warning: (for readers new to the story & the series of Greek Fiction. If you haven't read one of my Greek stories before, please read this before continuing to chapter 1)
Dear Reader,
Although this is classified as H:TLJ & X:WP fanfiction (for lack of a better classification), I feel like I should clear up a few things before we go on. First of all, it'd be misleading to let you operate under the assumption that it is Hercules & Xena focused. On my own page, I term this fiction as 'Greek Fiction'. The reason why I call it that is because most of it doesn't center around the characters of Hercules or Xena. Instead, it is revolved around the 'World of Ancient Greece' as inspired by those shows, but centers mostly on Ares, God of War (as portrayed by actor Kevin Smith), Rafe, King of Cons (as portrayed by actor Patrick Fabian) & an original character of mine, a warrior gypsy named Diana. I wanted to clear that up from the start, because if you are looking for a story where the central focus is on the main characters of the show, well then this isn't the story for you. But if you want a bit of adventure, ingenuity & a bit of wild imagination all wrapped up in the ancient world; hang on 'cause this is the story for you!
I should note that these stories (though first written from '97) have not been posted on a 'public' forum since the days of the Temple BBoards (for which they were originally written). I have wavered a long time about posting these publicly, because --of all the fiction I ever wrote-- I'm proudest of these stories & characters & they are the dearest to my heart. But-- after many years of writing them privately, I've finally come to the conclusion what is the good of having fun & original stories if they are not out there where people can read them. That is the only reason I am posting them here now.
Because of this however, I STRONGLY recommend that you take a moment before continuing & review the cast of characters for this story, located here: (just copy & paste the link into your browser & it'll take you right to it. Don't forget to take out the spaces -- had to insert them to make the link show up for you.)
http://patrickfabianonline. dawnet. net/coc/coc1. html
The reason I recommend this so strongly is because these characters have been established since 1997 & the audience I wrote these stories for was already familiar with these characters and their backgrounds. Jumping in the later portion of 'their story' (so to speak) might leave you very confused unless you are already aware of who 'these people' are. (grins) It is a fully illustrated look at the main & surrounding characters of my little 'Greek World' & will bring you up to date so that you should be able to follow my stories with ease. I've tried to make them as thorough as possible, but if you still feel confused, feel free to send me your questions & I'll do my best to clear up any remaining confusion. To a certain extent, if you clicked on this story to read, you are probably someone familiar with the world of Hercules & Xena anyway -- so it shouldn't be too hard to follow from there.
Finally, this formatting is NOT my friend. I much prefer my stories with pictures & colors & lively fonts to decorate them, but I can understand why must decline such trappings & insist on uniformity to make the stories easily downloadable & readable for all. Still, if you'd like to see the stories as they were meant to be seen, you can download them in .doc format at the website below, complete with pictures & colors & original artwork to be enjoyed:
http://patrickfabianonline. dawnet. net/coc/fiction. html
Thank you, my friends -- & I hope you enjoy these stories as much I've enjoyed writing them all these years!
Sincerely,
Christy (still known as Diana in some circles & proud of it!)