2. Necessity

"Adam…" A hushed voice filled the room sometime after Cyrene put the two children in bed. The little girl couldn't sleep and she got up from her laying position lightening a lamp placed between the two beds.

"Are you sleeping?"

Her brother was lying in the other bed across from hers.

"Adam…"

"Evie…What is it?" He asked, getting up from his position to take a look at his sister.

"I can't sleep…"

"Do you want me to sleep with you?"

"No…it's not that…Something happened. I can feel it…don't you?"

"I don't know…but we better go back to sleep."

"I must see mommy!" Eve sighed, and suddenly, Adam forgot all about sleeping and jumped out of the bed when he heard his sister.

"I want to see mommy too."

"Good…Come then!" She took his brother's little hand in hers and they got out from the room, careful not to wake somebody.

Their little steps brought them slowly but surely face to face to Xena's room. Eve took a look at her brother one more time before opening the door slowly, without making a sound. Adam bit his lips knowing that they were doing something they shouldn't have done... Grandma told them not to.

"Where are you two going?" Cyrene took a grip to Adam's shirt, pulling him back... Eve also turned and Cyrene closed the door.

"I thought you two were sleeping…"

"We were…but grandma I can't…" Eve complained.

"I said mommy is tired sweetie. She is sleeping." Cyrene pointed one more time.

"Can we see her in the morning then?"

"Probably…" she ended on a sad tone.

"Where is daddy then?" Adam asked curiously, missing his father too. "He didn't come to kiss us good night."

Ares…he left…she wanted to say...but knew better than to worry the children…

Cyrene was coming into the kitchen when she heard the door closing with a thud behind him soon after she put the two children to sleep. Gabrielle was making a cup pf tea to calm herself...the tears might have dried but her heart was still bleeding for her friend. Cyrene told her to go to sleep too and she eventually obeyed but Ares never came back. She waited after him for hours, but still, no sign of him…

"Adam sweetie…" How could I tell them? she asked herself…I can't do it…I can't. "Come on…back to sleep…Grandma will kiss you good night instead." Both children came behind their grandmother without saying one more word.

She tucked both of them back in the bed, kissed them and left.

"Can I come to your bed?" Adam asked a few minutes later. His sister nodded.

"Thank you Eve…!" he added once he felt himself safe in Eve's arms.

"I love you…!"

"Love you too Sis!" Adam was soon asleep but Eve's dreams came so much later.

Cyrene was right…Ares did leave the house but he did it so that he could bury the pain…their daughter. He didn't have one clue about how much time had passed since he started digging the ground…He forgot to take any tools, so he made it with his hands…The child was on a log not far from where he was…bushes were all around that clearing. Thoughts were running hard in his brain as in a marathon…He was tired too but the suffering had swallowed everything in just one single day.

"That's like so sad…" Aphrodite appeared from nowhere giving her brother a sad look and then briefly glancing at the dead child laying on that piece of wood. Her brother appeared to not have heard her…the rain was coming down hard and mercilessly for some time now.

"Ar…you should stop…I can do it…" she yelled, but Ares just stopped for a moment to look at her and then he just continued digging.

"Ar…can you hear me? You will get sick…"

"I've heard you…" he answered, his voice hided by the now mercilessly pouring rain. He couldn't tell anymore what it was rain and what his tears.

"I need to do this Dite…" he looked pleadingly at her… "I just need it…" she nodded when she understood that he was grieving right now, even if it hurt her to see him like that, knowing that he was blaming himself for it…a moment later, in a flash of pink, she vanished into nothingness.

Morning came and the first rays of sun broke through the thick forest and landed on his face. He opened his eyes slowly and then he knew that he must have slept over on the tomb…His hair was a mess, he was cold too and dirty because all that rain that had molded together with the sand that was on him. He even had a taste of mud in his mouth. He got up and took a good look at what he had done….A tear escaped his eye and he whipped it away and left in silence knowing that his daughter must be in peace now and he made it possible.

He couldn't wait to go back to see how Xena was. He didn't want to leave her in that state but there wasn't a choice…

He rubbed his eyes and opened the door. Cyrene was pacing back and forward impatiently and when she heard the door she looked in his direction.

"Ares…are you ok?" He just nodded silently. "I'm so sorry!"

"How is Xena?" He asked not wanting to know anything more than that. Cyrene took a deep breath before answering.

"She…she woke up middle of the night…I couldn't sleep so I was in the kitchen and heard her. She made a crisis and I forced her to drink a tea to calm her down. She…" The tears were coming down Cyrene's face and she just couldn't continue.

"My poor daughter…Gabrielle is with her right now…Trying to get her to eat something."

"And the children?"

"Still sleeping…They don't know. I couldn't tell them."

He silently moved past her and went to the bathroom to take a bath and wash all that dirt away. The hot water was a pleasant feeling for his tired body but even so, he tried to be quick about it and soon he was dressed in something clean and found his way to Xena's room, a room that he used to share with her since some months ago when they decided to come to Amphipolis…to give birth here and spend some more time with Cyrene.

He stared some good minutes at the door for once questioning himself about his strength…and being terrified about Xena's condition, his mind full of 'what ifs'.

"Ares…" Gabrielle opened the door at the same moment he wanted to go in. She was holding a bowl in her hand, still full with food…So Xena hadn't eaten at all, but before he could ask about it she continued.

"You are burning up…" she brought her hand to his forehead to be sure about it.

"That's not important…Did she…" But Gabrielle knew what he wanted to ask so she just gave him a silent no.

"Maybe it's better to take something for the fever…It will…"

"Don't you tell me what to do…!" he snapped at her. "Sorry…" he added after a moment. "I just…I want to see her."

She briefly nodded and just left, knowing that they both needed some space now.

He closed the door behind him and looked into the room, searching for her. She was on the bed just like he had left her yesterday but now she was awake and looked into nothingness; her hair was all sprawled on her back wildly. He called her name, but it sounded so silently that he didn't even hear it himself.

"Xena…" He called one more time- this time louder- but even so, she didn't flinch one bit. The space was soon filled between them and now he was standing near her bed on his knees not having one clue of what to do. He extended his hand to touch her lightly on her arms but she withdrew…

"It's ok…It's me Xe…it's only me…" He brought his hand to her face and turned her head to face him, to see her better…those eyes were so sad and without a flicker of emotion in them…the same eyes that he loved so much and full of life just yesterday…The tears were dried on her cheeks and new waves of fresh ones were coming down.

"Xena…" He wanted so much to wash the pain away so he did what he felt he must…what he needed…hugged her hard as if his life was depending on it…

"I love you…" The words came out from his mouth and tears were coming down too…Xena broke off in his arms and cried…and cried…his hug being returned to him.

In all that darkness, seeing that something like that was happening, Ares thought that they were on the good path…that it will all go away eventually.