AN: some fluff added in here and a few unfortunate obstacles. When will the chaos end? Enjoy lol ;)

Chapter 25

Gabrielle followed Xena through the long halls of Cleopatra's palace. Xena seemed to know exactly where she was going and she was in a hurry. Gabrielle tried to keep her step up with Xena but to no avail, she couldn't. She couldn't get Ares' mind games out of her head and she wanted to confront Xena about it, figuring there would be no good time, she pondered if she should mention it soon.

She groaned, skipping ahead finally a few feet behind the storming conqueror. "Xena!" she called out. Xena did not respond but instead quickened her pace allowing Gabrielle to fall further behind. She huffed and placed her hands upon her hips as she watched Xena about to round the corner until she stopped abruptly. Finally, she stops. Gabrielle walked up to Xena and peeked around the large column to see Octavius with Solan and they were both chatting with Cleopatra and a rather hung over Marc Antony. She now understood Xena's apprehension to enter the throne room. It seems that this was all planned by Marc Antony, although it didn't make much sense. Antony hated Octavius and vice versa, yet they were talking like civilized peoples. She couldn't make out what they were discussing but it did not look malevolent.

"Xena, I need to talk to you," Gabrielle whispered. Xena frowned as she watched the elites conversing with each other as if they were friends. "Xena," her whisper became more forced and she then tugged on her arm, causing Xena to turn around with a scowl.

"I don't have time for this Gabrielle," Xena grimaced and focused her gaze back to the throne room.

Gabrielle rolled her eyes and pulled her arm, forcing her body to face hers. Xena still held her sword and it lifted slightly as she was a bit on edge. "Then why don't you just go in there?" she smirked. Xena's eyes dropped to the floor then sighed as a response. "Look, I have something important to discuss with you."

Xena was not in the mood to get into a deep discussion with Gabrielle especially right now. She still had unfinished business with Marc Antony and her time with him was running out. Her mission was to finally rid the world of Marc Antony once and for all. If she couldn't kill a Caesar then she could at least fulfill her blade with Antony's blood. One Roman down, another to go. That's what was on her mind, not Gabrielle's impending words. She looked back to her blonde friend and started fidgeting with her pant-leg. She bit her bottom lip and then smiled anxiously at Gabrielle, who now had her full attention.

"Yes Gabrielle?" she said in a forced nervous tone.

Now that Gabrielle had her full attention, well somewhat full, she didn't know where to begin. She couldn't just dive right in, so she decided to be a bit cryptic. "Well...would..um," she fumbled and Xena's fidgeting worsened as the silence progressed.

"I don't have all day Gabrielle!" her voice was firm, yet not angered. She was irritated as time was not on her side.

Gabrielle exhaled slowly, "if given the chance, would you...uh, w-would you, kill me or perhaps someone you loved...you know..." those last words weren't in her original thoughts, but they kind of blurted out unexpectedly. Her cheeks began to flush, feeling embarrassed that she even said those words.

Xena's eyes widened and her face examined the flushed scribe. She didn't understand where this was coming from and then placed her hand on Gabrielle's shoulder. "Gabrielle, I mean...I wanted to..." she sighed thinking she shouldn't add her last words of the past when she desired Gabrielle dead for trying to assassinate her. "No. I wouldn't kill you." She saw her green eyes flutter at the response, not even wanting to look into hers.

"Whatever is on your mind...we can talk about it later, because we both know how much you like to talk and I don't, right?" she half smiled hoping that her jesting manner would lighten Gabrielle's sudden somber mood. Gabrielle finally looked up to her with a smile nodding her head. Xena's grin widened, "alright. Now, stay here. I'm going in there to break up their little party," she turned but Gabrielle's hold on her arm stopped her.

"Why can't I come with you?" Gabrielle asked.

Xena turned around with weary eyes. "I don't want you getting in the way of what I am about to do." Her voice deepened as her eyes changed from a warm blue to icy one more. Gabrielle knew that look in the conqueror's eyes and she wanted vengeance.

"You aren't going to kill someone are you?" her green eyes wavered and suddenly feeling angry at Xena's thoughts. With the silent response she knew exactly what she was going to do. "Xena, don't go down that path again. It's not worth it."

Xena frowned and snatched her arm from her now-friend's grip. "It's Marc Antony isn't it?" the scribe's voice appeared again stopping Xena from entering the throne room, losing her chance.

"He needs to go, Gabrielle." Xena retorted coldly.

"Why?" she stepped closer to Xena, causing her to feel uncomfortable at the closeness between them. Her eyes wandered refusing to look into Gabrielle's stern eyes.

Xena peered behind the column and saw the trio still discussing and it looked like the conversation was becoming heated. She needed to go in there and without Gabrielle as a distraction. She heard her voice again and she groaned.

"Because I don't want you..." she felt her voice waver. "I don't want him to be a danger to anyone else," she quickly changed her words, feeling that horrible emotion come over her again. She hated this feeling of warmth, of love. It was new to her and it was all so confusing and caused her to lose focus on the task she wished to commit. The last thing she needed was Gabrielle in the way, getting hurt, or killed for that matter.

She backed away from Gabrielle slowly, "I just have to do this," she turned on her heel and marched into the throne room leaving her friend behind. Gabrielle reached her hand out but it was too late as Xena was gone. She peered behind the column fearing the worst. She knew what was going to happen and if she capable of killing again, then...her thoughts began to travel back to what Ares said to her. She held her throat, breathing in slowly. She wouldn't kill me, no, she wouldn't. That feeling of doubt began to encompass her mind the longer she waited in the hallway outside the throne room.

Xena waltzed in twirling her sword casually with a determined look on her face. "Is this a Roman party? No Greeks invited?" her voice dripped with sarcasm.

Solan turned and immediately frowned at her. He glared at her as she came closer. Now she stood next to him and continued glaring. Xena felt the glare of her son on her but did not look at him, as she couldn't bring herself to.

"you're a Thracian," Antony replied with a smug smile. Xena rolled her eyes and pointed her sword in his direction.

"You and I have unfinished business, but first...what is going on here? A new treaty perhaps? Without me present?" Xena winked at Octavius, enticing him to join in with her riddle game that she was so famous for.

Cleopatra cleared her throat, "Octavius wants Egypt, but I kindly refused his offer."

Xena nodded, "so you side with Marc Antony, interesting." She tapped her blade's tip on the marble floor.

Octavius couldn't keep quiet anymore, "Xena, this is a business deal. You don't own Egypt nor are you Her ruler. You have no say in this and you shouldn't even be here." He frowned. Solan raised an eyebrow folding his arms, completely agreeing with his uncle.

Xena looked to Phraates who stood in the back behind Antony. She sauntered over to him, walking behind the Roman emperor and her son quietly. "Phraates...are you in this deal with Marc Antony? You now he is only using you, he doesn't care about you or your station. All he cares about is that little Egyptian trollop over there," she eyed Cleopatra and winked at her.

Cleopatra immediately called her guards over to detain Xena. Xena heard the footsteps near and she let out a loud cry, her sword clashed against the guards' blades and she sliced them in several different places. Blood began to seep from their fresh wounds and she growled, turning to Antony who was trying to flee her. "Oh no, you don't get to run away, not again!"

Antony ran with Cleopatra as they tried to flee to a safer area. Octavius' men pulled their bows out and he instructed them to aim at Xena. She ran towards Antony and finally caught up to him, plunging her blade into his torso swiftly. Xena grinned more as she pushed the scimitar in further. Cleopatra turned to see Antony's blood dripping onto the marble and flowing out of his mouth.

Xena smiled and then gasped as she felt an arrow strike her in the back. She looked down and saw the arrowhead sticking out of her right shoulder. She winced and fell to her knees, feeling her vision fading slowly. It felt as if everything was going in slow motion as her head hit the marble. She saw Cleopatra run to Antony as he knelt on the floor with the blade still inside his chest. Her eyes wandered and saw Gabrielle coming to her aid with a worrisome face.

"Xena? Can you hear me? Xena?" Gabrielle's voice became faint as her eyes started to flutter to a close. Gabrielle slapped Xena's face several times but she did not awake. Her pulse was still there, so she was alive. The arrowhead was not in a severe spot and she wondered why Octavius would do such a thing. She turned around to see Octavius and Solan standing at a distance.

"Why did you do that?!" Gabrielle yelled, getting up off the floor.

Octavius gestured to his guards to grab the blonde. "She will live. She's mine now," he nodded turning on his heel heading for his ship to go back to Rome. Solan turned to see Xena on the ground.

"Get Xena and put her on the ship with the scribe," Solan demanded the soldiers and they immediately picked her up in their arms, carrying her limp body back to the coast.

Gabrielle woke up and her jaw was rather sore. She realized she was on a ship once again. She had escaped Antony but only to be captured by another tyrant it seemed. Ropes and chains were tied around her wrists and she groaned, knowing she couldn't break free. She glanced over in the corner of the dark room and saw Xena lying down on a cot. The arrow was gone and she was patched up. She was stripped of her armor, gauntlets and boots. All she wore was a bandage around her breasts and her black pants.

"Xena..." she called out softly, but she received no response. "Xena!" she picked up a glass with her foot and tossed it into her direction hoping the noise would awaken Xena, but it didn't. Gabrielle sighed, feeling more lost than ever. She knew that Xena should have never gone in there to do what she did. Marc Antony was not a good person, but now they were captured by the Roman emperor and that was never good. She was beginning to think that this life that Xena lead was finally going to come to an end. Xena had a very colorful life and she was fairly young, she didn't want her life to go to waste because of a Roman emperor.

While she was being drug out to Octavius' ship she saw an Athenian ship and figured it was Xena's. Most of her men were on the ship along with Borias. He watched from the ship's deck as she was being pushed by Roman soldiers and Xena carried behind her. Her eyes conveyed help and plead. Borias did not try to intervene as he knew he wouldn't win especially if Octavius had an unconscious Xena.

The moment she thought of Xena's men not helping and Borias standing on the ship unwilling to move, brought questioning thoughts to her. That feeling of doubt was starting to haunt her and she no longer trusted anyone, not even Xena. Her eyes trailed over to Xena's sleeping state and she hoped she was alright as she hadn't awoken. Her chest rising and falling slowly, but not stirring at all.

Solan walked down the stairs and saw Gabrielle staring at Xena's unconscious body lying there on the small cot. Gabrielle frowned at him. If only you knew, Solan.

"She's quite a fighter, but yet did not see the arrow coming did she?" Solan gathered and smiled. He walked over to the conqueror and touched her limp hand, lifting her arm slowly and releasing it. Her arm fell against her side with a loud thump once more.

Gabrielle sighed, "Solan, why does Octavius want Xena? He doesn't want her dead, obviously," noting the cleaned wound from the arrow tip.

"For insurance I think. I will enjoy seeing her awaken once the medicine wears off," Solan sighed and leaned against one of the ship's posts.

The blonde was tempted to scoff but held back her emotions. She didn't understand why Solan was becoming more and more like his Roman uncle, but the truth was, he didn't know anything about warfare. He just wanted power and obviously desired to see Xena suffer. "You like to see her suffer?" she asked cautiously.

Solan looked at Gabrielle then to the sleeping Xena. He shrugged, "I thought she was so amazing because of her swordsmen skills and her ability to fight off anyone that comes her way." He sighed and continued, "but then I realized, she's just a horrible woman who needs to be stripped of her crown."

Gabrielle dared to ask, "what did she do to you for you to say such hateful words?"

Solan became irate and slammed his foot on the ground, "she undermines my uncle's position as emperor and so she undermines me as I am his future successor!"

Gabrielle jumped back surprised at Solan's irrational outburst. She now understood where he got that from. It certainly wasn't from Borias as he seemed more level headed than Xena at times. "Her hatred for Romans goes back way before you..." she lamented. "She doesn't hate you, Solan."

He started laughing profusely. "You expect me to believe that? The woman that impales innocents for sport and starves her empire for wealth and power?"

"She's not like that anymore," Gabrielle defended Xena's recent actions, although that was difficult since she just murdered Marc Antony out of revenge. She realized how ridiculous that sounded given what she had done.

Solan smiled and looked at Xena's limp body once more. Her waist length raven hair touching the wooden floorboards as she lay there almost useless. "We shall see what her condition is in the morning. We arrive in Rome tomorrow evening." He nodded bidding his farewell to the top deck.

Gabrielle sighed and let her head hang low. "I'm sorry Xena. You shouldn't have come to save me, then this wouldn't have happened to me...to you," she stifled an embarrassed laugh. "You can't even hear what I'm saying," she shook her head. "I suppose it's a good thing. You wouldn't like to hear that Solan thinks you hate him. I know you don't, he's just...misguided." she spoke to Xena's sleeping body, hoping that she'd wake up but didn't. She rammed her head against the post she was tied to and groaned.

The following morning Xena felt a sting in her shoulder and her eyes shot open. She looked around and knew instantly she was on a ship as she felt the subtle rock of the ship from the calm ocean. Groaning she touched her bandage and it had bled through. She didn't know how long she had been out but it couldn't have been long as they were still at sea. Xena's eyes traveled the ship's room and saw Gabrielle slumped over tied to a post. Her heart sunk, thinking her dead she slowly swung her legs over and tried to stand up but fell to the floor.

Gritting her teeth she managed to crawl on her knees and one arm to reach Gabrielle. "Gabrielle," she said in a hoarse voice. She touched her cheek gently and finally the blonde lifted her head, opening her eyes widely.

"Xena! Thank the gods you're alive. I thought you were dead for awhile," Gabrielle said. She saw the blood stained bandage around Xena's shoulder and frowned.

Xena smiled, "it's nothing that I can't handle," she reached around and began untying Gabrielle's ropes around her wrist. "Who's ship are we on?"

Gabrielle didn't want to answer that question but saw Xena's determined eyes. "Octavius' ship. I fear this trip to Rome will not end well, Xena. We need to get out of here." Xena winced from moving her shoulder too soon and Gabrielle grabbed her arm as her hands were now free. "I don't think we're going to get out of here with you like this?"

Xena smiled and scooted to lean against a large chest, resting her shoulder. She felt so weak everywhere in her body. "That arrow..." she said in baited breath. "Was poisoned. I can feel it in my legs, my lungs." She coughed, wincing some more.

Gabrielle sat in front of her touching her wound softly. She unwrapped the soiled bandage and saw the wound needed to be cleaned again. She immediately felt bad about everything. "I'm sorry, Xena."

"Why are you sorry? You did not do anything," Xena frowned, confused at Gabrielle's strange apology.

Gabrielle felt angry at herself and huffed, "because I got captured by Marc Antony and now this is my fault you're hurt...and on this ship!" she bit her bottom lip.

Xena smiled shaking her head, coughing a bit more. "There are a lot of things you can blame yourself for Gabrielle, but this is not one of them."

She did not respond and instead a few silent moments passed between them. Gabrielle expected Solan or someone to come down here at any moment so she quickly doctored Xena's wound the best she could. She tore off a part of her blouse and wrapped it around Xena's shoulder and arm.

Xena watched Gabrielle as she tended to her arm and never realized this woman was good at so many things. Which that reminded her of something back in the palace. "Gabrielle," she blonde looked up at her blue eyes.

"Back in the palace...why did you ask me if I would kill you?" she was very curious, now allowing her mind to actually process what she said to her. Before she was so focused on killing Antony that she did not truly listen to what Gabrielle was saying.

Gabrielle definitely didn't want to answer that question. She thought that Xena would have forgotten about that little spout.

Xena looked into Gabrielle's eyes, "Gabrielle?"

The blonde finally finished wrapping her arm and started to pull away until Xena grabbed her wrist. She looked at Xena's faint grip and didn't have the heart to leave her with an unanswered question, yet she didn't wish to tell her about Ares either. "I just thought about it. I mean, you wanted to kill me before. Several times actually," she grinned jokingly. She realized that Xena did not find that funny nor was it the answer she was looking for either.

She cleared her throat rubbing the back of her neck, "Ares came to –"

Octavius walked into the room with Solan behind him with two elite guards. Gabrielle looked behind her since she was interrupted. Thankfully, she thought, because she didn't want to explain that to Xena right now. Xena grimaced at the two standing over her and Gabrielle. Although Gabrielle was free from the ropes, the chains were still around her ankles, restricting her from moving any further than she already was.

"I'm impressed you were able to move that far of a distance Xena," Octavius smiled folding his arms.

Xena tried to get up but it proved more difficult with each movement. Her air became constricted the more she shifted her torso trying to stand. She eyed Solan who seemed satisfied that she was suffering. "Why shoot with me a poisoned arrow, Octavius? I didn't think you were that cowardly," she smirked, then coughed.

Solan frowned at the slain conqueror woman on the floor. Octavius saw he was very irritated at Xena's outburst so he put his arm in front of him preventing him from making a move on Xena.

"She is no threat to us, Solan. The conqueror is conquered," he smiled, feeling that he had done his adopted uncle justice in the long run. Caesar always wanted to kill Xena, but he could never capture her, but he did. He actually had Xena and alive as well. He wanted to see her suffer. The poison would slowly seep out of her pores in a matter of days, so she would be alive and well. Unlike his uncle, he wanted Xena alive, to negotiate with.

"Keep the guards here with them. Make sure the blonde doesn't do anything she'll regret later," Octavius eyed his best men and went back to the deck with Solan in tow.

Gabrielle turned back to Xena who was still coughing, more violently than before. "Solan has proven to be a fierce Roman..." she whispered. Xena narrowed her eyes as a response.

"Yes...I no longer can blame Borias for that, but only myself," she said barely above a whisper, intently watching the guards. Her eyes focused on Gabrielle again and recalled her saying something about Ares. "You were going to say something earlier. You mentioned Ares. Did he...did he come to you?" she coughed lightly and saw a drop of blood on her hand from her nose.

Gabrielle's eyes widened and ripped off another piece of her clothing to dab Xena's bloody nose. Xena scrunched her nose and waved the cloth away from her.

"I don't want you to baby me, Gabrielle. It's just a bloody nose," she wiped her nose with the backside of her hand, sniffling afterward. "I really hate that," she smiled crookedly.

Gabrielle didn't understand why but she smiled at Xena's joking behavior in the midst of all this chaos. "You hate what? Me babying you or your bloody nose?"

Xena leered, "both." She now wanted to focus the attention back on Ares. She knew that Gabrielle was acting strange and this would explain everything. "So Ares," she casually said.

She sighed knowing that Xena wasn't going to give that up. Out of all the things that was going on, that's what she cared about the most. "He...showed me where the weapon was located. The greatest weapon, as he told me."

The conqueror's eyes lightened at this. She had not even seen the weapon herself and was rather intrigued by this that Gabrielle had seen it, but then her heart sank. She soon realized that Ares must have told her about the little deal she made with him but she let Gabrielle continue on.

"He said..you needed a sacrifice to obtain the weapon and that sacrifice would be me..." Gabrielle's voice filled with sorrow and Xena sighed at this.

Xena touched Gabrielle's hand, trying to get a grip on it, but her body proved to weaken as time passed by. "I did make a deal with Ares. And..." as much as she didn't want to admit it, "I did agree." She saw Gabrielle's eyes look to the floorboards. Her fingers slowly trailed into Gabrielle's palm hoping that she was being sincere enough here.

"But I am not going to go through with it. If I take Ares' offer, it will somehow stab me in the back like all of his other games in the past."

Gabrielle lifted her chin to see a weak Xena in front of her. She was a conqueror, yet she was the one who was conquered here and it was almost sad to see. She looked defeated and very weak. "Even if you wanted the weapon, would you kill someone else for it?"

Xena smiled, "perhaps I would...a few months ago. I would be lying if I said I didn't want it." she felt ashamed to admit that. Her desire for a great weapon was still inside her but she wasn't willing to kill for it –killing Gabrielle.

This seemed to satisfy Gabrielle but she was still unnerved that Xena still desired the weapon even after she was willing to go through with the deal with the War God. Yet she was thankful that she would not be sacrificed, but that doubt still lingered in her mind. It took awhile to trust Xena, a long while, but she knew Xena had changed quite a lot, although killing Marc Antony was a step backwards in the wrong direction.

"My brother is still in Athens," Xena changed the subject quickly, now thinking of her dead brother, Toris.

Gabrielle nodded, "if we get out of here, what are you going to do with his body?"

"Take him back to Amphipolis to be buried next to Lyceus, our younger brother," Xena smiled warmly thinking of her younger brother. She was always so close to him growing up and she blamed herself for his death. She blamed herself for a lot of things gone wrong in her life.

"Hopefully we can get out of this mess," Gabrielle said hopelessly. She looked back at the guards who stood stoically, not paying attention to them as they spoke quietly together.

Xena coughed some more and gripped Gabrielle's finally, tightly. Gabrielle scooted closer to her, careful not to touch her shoulder or sore arm. "You...y-you underestimate me Gabrielle," Xena managed to say with a faint grin.

Gabrielle wanted to believe Xena, but in the state that she was in now, she had doubts. A lot of them. She returned the tight grip with a squeeze of her hand. She now felt that she needed to revert back to her training as a Roman again and she focused her mind on devising a plan.

"So what is the plan now?" she smiled and Xena returned the smile, a confident smile.