The End of the World Has Its Perks

A shipper story train

by

Aglaia, Angelares, AreslovesXena (Kelly), Aurora, Deadly Chakram, Delenn, Elfrieda, LadyKate, Secular Atrophy, Xena321, Xenacrazy

Disclaimer: We do not own the characters, but we like to make them do wacky things from time to time. Especially Xena and Ares . . .

This story is rated . . . whatever, I hate the MPAA, so whatever. So . . . this story is not yet rated.

Gabrielle!!!

Xenaaaa!

Gabrielle's face was pale and terrified as she clutched Hope, the two of them falling, falling, falling -- the air shimmering with firelight and heavy with sulfur and evil -- and then -- nothing, just the horrible crimson emptiness of the lava pit.

And then, that laugh.

I never thought I'd feel so good again! Seeing poor, dear Gabrielle sacrifice herself makes it all worthwhile. It finally gives me a reason for living, and I have you to thank for it, Xena!

That laugh again. The awful, familiar sound of blade slicing through flesh -- the warmth of blood on her hands -- the low guttural cry --

No more living for you.

Callisto crumpling slowly at her feet, hand snaking down her body as if in a caress, or supplication --

No, not Callisto --

Gabrielle.

Xena sat up in her bedroll with a gasp, cold clammy sweat clinging to her skin. Gasping for breath, she looked around wildly. The clearing in the woods. The dead campfire. Argo dozing nearby, tied to a tree.

A dream. Just a dream.

Except that it was real. Gabrielle's face as she fell clutching Hope --

Xenaaaaa! --

Callisto's awful laugh --

She could barely remember the others. That fool Seraphin, sobbing as the realization of what had happened settled in -- Joxer, numb with shock and grief --

And Ares, breathing hard as he rose to his feet, the effects of Callisto's fireball finally worn off -- and disappearing in a burst of blue.

The coward.

Her hand shaking a little, Xena wiped the sweat from her forehead and reached for her water-skin.

Her hand froze at the sound.

The slight rustle of leaves -- the crackle of a dry branch -- that was no animal.

Slowly and carefully, she reached for her sword.

The branches parted and a tall black-clad figure stepped forward. Even before the moonlight fell on his face, she knew who it was -- only she didn't want to know. She had expected anything but that. Anyone but him.

Anger tightened into a knot in her chest. How dare he --

He came closer as she rose to her feet. In the near-dark, she could see the glitter of his eyes.

"Hello, Xena," he said, a strange hollowness in his voice.

She swung and punched him, hard.

He staggered back and nearly fell, clutching at his mouth with a groan.

"Dammit," he said, his voice muffled. "I think you broke a tooth -- "

Wincing, he took his hand away, and she saw blood, almost black in the moonlight, trickling from his lip.

But of course.

"You're mortal."

Ares prodded gingerly at his split lip. "Gee, thanks, Xena. I never would have known. I thought I just woke up one day and decided to go traipsing around this godsforsaken swamp."

The look she gave him made his blood run cold. It was an intensely disturbing experience, one he never wanted to feel again.

"Yes, I'm mortal," he muttered.

"Oh, goody." She drew her sword.

Ares stumbled a few steps backwards, his hands half-raised in a futile effort to fend off any swipes she might take at him.

"Look, Xena. I'm on the outs with Zeus for the whole Dahak misunderstanding. I didn't know you were going to be here, and now I'm going to go this way. I want you to tell the hunters Zeus's got on my tail that I went that way."

"Hunters? Bit extreme even for Zeus."

Ares shrugged. "He was mad."

He stood self-consciously before her in the silence. The hollow whistle of the wind through the leaves around them sounded too loudly.

"Whatever happens, you deserve it," she hissed and turned away from him. She splashed a handful of cold water from her waterskin onto her face, and when she turned around, he was gone.

x x x

Xena walked slowly through the undergrowth, her sword in one hand and Argo's lead in the other.

She hadn't slept after Ares made his appearance. The visions. They kept coming.

Gabrielle stretching out a hand to her in mute, terrified supplication, and she stood beside the pit, laughing as she swatted the pale hand away like so much garbage.

No. No. That's not what happened...

But it might as well have, a voice taunted. She's dead because of you.

It's my fault.

An anguished yell bubbling from her chest, she hacked wildy at a nearby tree.

"Ahhhhh!" A black shape thudded to the ground before her.

She had her sword on him before he could twitch.

"You again," she said.

Ares waved weakly, his back vehemently protesting.
"Are you following me now?" Xena asked through clenched teeth. "Or maybe you just want to experience what mortality is really about."

Standing over him, she moved her sword so that it was only inches away from his chest.

"Whoa, whoa, hold on." Ares tried to sweep the sword away from him but Xena held it firmly in place. "Listen, I know you're not real fond of me right now, but—"

"Well, if that's not the understatement of the year..."

"--but I might be able to help you."

Xena let a dry, mirthless laugh escape her lips. "Help me? Like you helped me in the whole Dahak mess? I still didn't get the chance to thank you for that. Besides, look at you. You're in no position to offer anyone help."

Having his shortcomings as a mortal be so blatantly flung in his face, he felt an involuntary pang of humiliation run through him. He hated feeling this way: weak and defenseless, and at her mercy. Dully, Ares realized why these feelings disconcerted him so much: they reminded him all too well of how he felt during his interactions with Dahak. Being forced to yield to a greater power and to do his bidding was not something he was accustomed to, but being made to feel like a slave thoroughly revolted him. He shuddered at the memory.

But it's not as if he had a choice then. He had to look out for himself---had to ensure his survival. Siding with Dahak, against his family, would have provided him with an opportunity to come out on top.

And look at him now. Pathetic.

"Would you at least hear me out?" he asked, a little quieter.

Ares could see the struggle waging in her crystal blue eyes. He held his breath.

Finally, reluctantly, Xena drew the sword away from him and took a step back.

Ares slowly sat up, brushing away dead leaves and twigs from his vest, and felt a sudden twinge of pain shoot up his spine. Some things he was not going to get used to. He winced slightly and trying desperately to hold on to whatever shred of dignity he still possessed, unsteadily got up on his feet.

"How you mortals deal with all these painful hassles on a daily basis, I will never understand," he smirked, trying to lighten the mood.

Xena stood there, unamused; her eyes, dark and accusing, boring into him. That, coupled with her silence, unnerved him more than he cared to admit.

At that moment, he wished that the earth would split open and swallow him whole; anything to escape her scrutinizing glare. How was he going to explain to her the reasons for his recent actions? And would he really be able to offer her any help?

The awkward silence dragged on.

He was eying her warily and Xena thought she detected a flash of fear run across his rugged features. That should have given her a certain satisfaction, but no—all she felt was dull pain. The sting of his betrayal lingered in her mind and she briefly wondered why she didn't just kill him. He certainly deserved it. Gabrielle was gone and it was all his fault.

Was it, really? The taunting voice was back. And you're all innocent in this?

She tried to suppress the thought but it persistently invaded her mind, demanding to be acknowledged.

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"All right, Ares," she said, careful not to betray any emotion. "I'm listening."
Ares breathed a sigh of relief and then stared at Xena, as if mustering the courage to speak.

Then he blurted out, "She's alive."

Xena's heart stopped for a moment, then raced so wildly that her chest hurt. Steady. Steady. She wasn't going to let him throw her off-balance --

"Hope?" she asked through clenched teeth.

He shook his head. "No. Your frie-"

In an instant her hand was at his throat and his back was slammed into a tree, knocking the breath out of him.

"You bastard," she spat out. "Don't mess with my head."

He gasped for breath. "Why would I mess with your head?"

Until that moment, he had never fully realized what the expression "If looks could kill" really meant.

"All right, all right," he croaked, "I admit that I've given you reason to -- to think so -- but --" he coughed. "Dammit, Xena -- you're choking me!"

She let go and stepped back. Ares gasped and coughed again. Breathing hurt. Mortality was pathetic.

"You're saying Gabrielle is alive." She managed to keep her voice steady but she wanted to cry with joy. It was true. It had to be true.

"Yes." He looked away uncomfortably. "Hope -- " He sighed. "She's probably alive too. That's the other thing... But Gabrielle -- yeah." Reluctantly, his eyes met hers. "I know for sure."

"How?"

Ares turned away again. "I … well -- after … after it was all over, I came to the Halls of War … to see if I could find out what happened to Hope."

Hope. From what seemed like ages ago, her own voice came back to her: Hope is pregnant with your child. She pursed her lips in disgust.

"Why?"

Ares was silent for a moment. When he spoke, his voice was harsh, with a note of desperate defiance. "Because I wanted to make sure she was dead, dammit. Her and that -- thing she's carrying."

Xena nodded. "So you went back there."

Ares nodded nervously. "I -- look…"

He paused, searching for words, and then it hit her.

"You got her out," she gasped.

He nodded, looking both sheepish and relieved.

"She somehow got thrown into a niche in the wall. I found her there."

Xena narrowed her eyes at the former god. "And you saved her? Why?"

He squirmed visibly. Could it be that he had wanted to save Gabrielle for her … to make up for what he had done? No, it couldn't be … how stupid of her to even think he could have a conscience. . No doubt he had wanted to use Gabrielle as a bargaining chip. But that didn't matter. Gabrielle was alive, she was sure of that now. Alive. Gabrielle. Alive. Gabrielle is alive…

Ares was staring at her, almost in shock, and she realized that she was smiling -- and that she had tears in her eyes.

She cleared her throat. She didn't trust herself to speak until the mask was back on and her voice was clear and hard.

"Where is she?"

Ares sighed. "I took her to my temple in Amphipolis."

Her head was spinning; a thousand thoughts of Gabrielle running through her mind all at once. Could it really be true that she was alive, that Ares had really saved her?

"Why would you take her to Amphipolis?" Before Ares had a chance to speak, Xena suddenly narrowed her eyes, a bit of anger in her voice. "You should have brought her to me instead of letting me believe she was dead all this time."

"Xena..."

"Do you have any idea how much pain I've been in?"

Ares didn't know how to respond—she did have a point. He looked down, wanting to avoid her eyes as much as possible. Finally, he glanced away from her, still not wanting to meet her eyes.

"I would have, Xena," he said, in a near whisper. "But I didn't get the chance." Xena was silent. "I took her to Amphipolis because I knew she'd be safe there. She was in pretty bad shape from the fall—barely conscious—and she could be taken care of there."

Xena's eyes flickered with concern for her beloved friend.

"I was going to tell you, Xena. But then I was stripped of my godly powers shortly after and I never got the chance."

Xena's face reflected conflicting emotions: concern at the thought of Gabrielle being hurt, maybe dying...again, understanding that maybe Ares was speaking the truth and anxiety that she had to find out if her friend was all right for herself.

"Is Gabrielle okay?"

He hesitated. "Last I saw her she was sleeping. She had a fractured arm. That was two days ago."

Xena comprehended this and then brought her fingers to her lips, whistling. Argo came galloping toward her. She jumped in the saddle and looked down at Ares.

"I'm going there. I don't care if it's a week's ride away. If Gabrielle is alive, I'm going to get to her...before anything else happens."

Xena turned away and started Argo off at a trot. Ares watched her for a long moment.

"Xena," he called out.

Xena pulled the reigns back, stopping Argo. She glanced over her shoulder to look at Ares.

"Hope may still be out there, we both know that." Xena looked away uneasily. "She's got a bone to pick with you and your friend." He paused, trying to put his words together without sounding overanxious or weak. "It might be best if we travel to Amphipolis together."

Xena pondered this for a moment. Did she really want him tagging along? He'd been nothing but trouble recently, and did his mortality and the fact that he claimed to have saved Gabrielle really change anything?

"All right," Xena said reluctantly, looking away, "you can come." In a moment, her head whipped back to look Ares straight in the eye with a steely gaze. "But try anything and you'll be sorry."

Xena turned and rode Argo forward. Ares watched her slowly ride away. He smirked slightly, shaking his head. She always had so much pride—and that was one of the things he liked most about her.

Ares followed her through the forest.

For several hours they continued on, saying nothing to one another. Xena rode ahead of Ares, not stopping to turn her head in his direction. Ares had to wonder briefly if she had forgotten about his presence. He shook his head. Xena would never forget about him. Although they were working together now, at least Ares assumed they were, he still had the potential to be her enemy. Xena would never allow herself to lose her alertness.

The day came and passed without much to mark the passage of the hours. The forest was quiet, save for the chattering of birds high up in the trees. Once, a fox, hot on the trail of some small morsel of food, darted out of the underbrush right before Ares and disappeared again just as quickly. Around the noon hour, when the sun had reached its peak, they rested and ate a little after Xena caught a few fish from a nearby stream.

She hadn't said a word to him then either, and Ares hadn't offered to break the silence. He knew what she had to have been feeling towards him, but nonetheless, the silence was uncomfortable. He was glad when they broke camp and took to their feet once more.

"Well, I was glad," he thought ruefully to himself.

He hadn't factored in that in his now mortal body, muscles and limbs could become sore and tired. Now the soles of his feet begged for respite. Almost, he called out to Xena, but at the last moment, he held his tongue. Admitting his mortality had been embarrassing enough. To admit exhaustion to Xena was out of the question. Gritting his teeth, he walked on, the trek continuing in silence.

As the sun got ready to set, the two found themselves coming to thicker woods.

"Up ahead there's a bridge across a small chasm," Xena said. They were the first words she had spoken to him since allowing Ares to accompany her to Amphipolis. "We'll cross over and find a spot to camp for the night. It'll be dark soon enough."

Her words were more orders than statements, Ares noted, but he noticed also the slight twinge of regret tainting them. He grimaced. Stopping for the night was eating away at her, especially knowing that Gabrielle was alive.

They came to the bridge and found that the once-abandoned passage had attracted new owners. A dozen or so mean and scruffy looking warriors stood about, idly talking. They stood at attention as soon as they could hear the dull clomping of Argo's hooves on the soft ground.

"And what are you, the welcoming committee?" Xena said to them as the first man moved to come up alongside her horse.

"This is the only way across," the man replied, "or else you have to go two day's journey 'round either side. The toll is ten dinars a piece."

"That so?" Xena asked, arching an eyebrow dangerously. She was in no mood to deal with the men.

"You heard me," sneered the greasy-haired warrior. "Pay up or get lost. Or might you be short on coins? I'm sure the boys and I could find some ... alternate payment," he added.

Xena rolled her eyes and delivered a swift kick to the man's jaw, knocking him out for the time being. The others, seeing their leader down, attacked as a single unit. Xena flipped from Argo, unsheathing her sword in one fluid motion. Her blade met another as her feet touched the ground. A feral smile passed over Ares' lips at the thought of a battle. He licked his lips in anticipation as the bloodlust washed over his body. He readied his sword and joined Xena at her side.

The battle was over quickly with the warrioress and former god of war battling together. Three of the warriors lay dead, their blood staining the ground. They were the unfortunate three that had attacked Ares. The others lay on the ground, moaning in pain.

"Let's go," Xena said coldly as she took up Argo's reins and began to lead her over the rickety bridge. Ares sheathed his sword and followed behind. Once they were over, Xena used her blade to slash at the ropes that helped suspend the bridge over the chasm.

"Can't leave that up for them to cross over. For Hades' sake, Ares! You didn't have to kill those men. We don't want to make more enemies. With Hope still out there someplace, we've got all the trouble we need."

Ares felt stung by the reprimanding tone and he shifted uncomfortably. Xena shook her head and stalked off.

It did not take long to find a suitable spot for their camp. Xena left Ares to get the fire started and came back with a couple of young rabbits for their supper. These she roasted over the fire as best she could, and was secretly pleased when the food was cooked without being too much of a disaster. They ate in silence, sitting across from each other, the campfire separating them. Xena looked at Ares thoughtfully, perhaps for the first time since running into him in this mortal state. There was a fear in his eyes, a reluctance to meet her gaze. His body was half-curled like a child trying to protect himself from unseen fears. She should have been glad, she had every right to be. But the sight before her tore at her heart. To see War so diminished and fearful was unsettling to the hardened warrioress.

"Ares," she said softly, and her voice made his head shoot up with a nervous glance. "Come here," she patted the space next to her.

"Why?" he asked suspiciously.

"I know you were cut with the last thug's sword earlier. You haven't said anything about it, but I want to get a look at it."

Ares got up obediently and came up to Xena, shedding his vest. A neat line of dried blood slashed across his left chest and side. Xena examined the gash, avoiding looking into Ares' half lidded eyes. The pig was enjoying her ministrations to his wound.

"I wanted to ask you about your godhood."

"Yeah?"

"When Zeus stripped you of your power, did he give you any ... clues or instructions about getting it back?"

Ares' eyes flew open and he gave her an amused look. "Why, Xena -- I didn't know you cared."

She wiped the cut with a cloth soaked with a cleansing mixture that made him wince and yelp, "Ow!"

"Don't be such a baby." Her flippant tone masked a mix of concern and anger. This cut wasn't dangerous, but she had no illusions about his ability to fend for himself long-term. But why, exactly, did she care? After everything he had done, she should have glad to see him suffer. But … to see him dead? The thought of it frightened her; and her own fear frightened her even more. She had assumed that he would always be there, if only as a pest.

"Are you trying to poison me?" he grumbled.

She arched a brow. "Can you think of any reason I'd want to?" He gave her a sheepish look and squirmed a little as she continued, "I'm trying to keep that wound of yours from getting infected. A simple cut like this could kill you, you know."

"Great. How do you mo- "

"Yeah, I know, I know." She finished cleaning the cut and picked up the bandage. "How do we mortals get by from day to day. We just do, Ares -- like this. And sometimes," she added bitterly, "we don't. Then we die."

"If you're trying to cheer me up," he said, his voice strained, "it's not working."

She tied the bandage and tugged at the cloth, to make sure it fit snugly enough. He clenched his teeth and closed his eyes for a moment.

"I'm trying," Xena said in a steady voice, "to give you an accurate picture of what's likely to happen if you keep hanging around like this... All done -- you can put your shirt on. Now, I asked you a question. How can you get your godhood back?"

"I thought you didn't want the God of War back in business," Ares retorted as he slipped into his vest.

"War will go on whether you're in business or not." She suddenly gave him a puzzled look. "By the way, how come people haven't been losing control of their aggression like last time it happened?"

Ares was silent for a moment; then he shrugged. "You have to give Zeus some credit -- he's smart. This time, he's split my duties among the other war gods. Athena's in charge of the anger management. Seems to be working out fine." He stared at her defiantly. "Still wanna help me get my godhood back?"

"I'll get back to you on that," she said evenly. "If you're still around, that is. For now, just tell me how."

Ares was silent for a moment, staring off into the darkening woods. Finally he spoke, still looking away. "It's real simple. I have to destroy Hope and that kid of hers."

She had suspected it was something like that.

"And that's it?"

He turned to her, his eyes hard with defiance once again. "Oh yeah, almost forgot. Dad and the other gods are scared to death of going up against Dahak. So they take my powers away and tell me that I can get them back when I've done the job."

"Done the job…. You mean -- they want you to destroy Dahak?"

"You got it." He bit his lip. "Who said Zeus had no sense of humor?"

Xena stared at Ares for a moment, one eyebrow arching dangerously, then shook her head. "Terrific. And just how are we supposed to get rid of Dahak? I'm guessing Hind's blood isn't going to do the trick this time."

Ares was relieved that she had used 'we' and not 'you', but was smart enough to stop himself from pointing that out to Xena. He didn't want to risk a jab to her pride now that she seemed to be on his side for the moment. He'd be better off telling her the truth now. "No, Hind's blood's not going to cut it this time. Besides, Dahak isn't even in this realm. And even if we can get to him . . ."

"We'll be powerless against him."

"You got it."

"Great."

"What do you – " Ares began.

"Not now, I've got to think. There has to be something we can do. Let's get moving again. Once we find Gabrielle and make sure she's all right, then we can worry about taking care of Dahak."