OK, SO JUST THAT YOU DON'T STONE THE WRITER TO DEATH OR UNJUSTLY BURN HER AT THE STAKE- HERE IT IS...YOU CAN ALL SLEEP TIGHT TONIGHT:))...( DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ THOUGH :))

" Well I'll be damned! Look who's here!" right out of nowhere the King exclaimed, pulling the God in a warm, fraternal hug and rudely slapping his wife's ass on his way to the Greek couple.

" Nabucco! " Ares answered merrily, patting his old friend on the back, and Xena couldn't help thinking that only rarely had she seen the War God so….human…..

" And who is this outrageously sexy gift from the Gods above?" he wanted to know, cupping Xena's chin and using his thumb to trace the contour of her lips.

The very following second though, his hand was being violently pushed aside, by a visibly fuming Warrior Princess.

"This my dear friend, is Xena of Amphipolis…"

" Your new favorite toy…" the King added, biting his lips lustfully at what he could already guess he was never going to have.

" My Chosen. And yes, she is off limits. You can look but you can't touch. Got it, King?" he teasingly threatened, the steel in his gaze subtly letting him know that he wasn't kidding.

" You mean no changing partners tonight?! " Nabucco asked, feigning disappointment. " Damn! I'm sure my wife was just dying to have your cock buried deep inside her tonight….." he added, much to Xena's surprise and to both Ares and the Queen's amusement.

" I'm afraid you'll have to learn to satisfy her all by yourself….." the War God playfully bit, arching an eyebrow at the illegally sexy redhead that was looking at him as if she were planning to undress him the very following second and fuck his brains out right then and there on that buffet table.

" So …why don't we take a sit and give us the chance to get to know better this absolutely ravishing beauty who has managed to charm you to the point that you have decided to choose heart over matter…" the King impatiently invited, pointing towards the royal table while already grabbing his tempting wife's hand in his own, ceremoniously leading her to her place.

" We'll be right there!" Ares yelled behind him, and the handsome King, just winked in understanding. "Sweetheart….." he began once they finally had a moment alone.

" Don't you Sweetheart me! Is this why you brought me here?! To prove a point?! To boast with your ex lovers or whatever in Tartarus she still is to you?!" she cut him off, pulling her hand free from his grip.

" No…." he firmly contradicted, taking a step closer to her, but in response she just took another one back. " Look….I should have told you about her, I know…..it's just that…how was I to guess that she was going to kiss me….?! There's nothing between us …not any more…Not since you…."

" Yeah right…" she sneered, turning her back at him, ready to leave- not really sure where exactly, since Greece wasn't precisely right around the corner- but as far away from him as possible, anyway.

Not being the one to waste his time with inexpressive, cheap talk, the War God did the first thing that crossed his mind- or better said the only thing he did right when it came to their relationship….He brutally grabbed her arm- swiftly turning her around- and before his Princess could even realize what was happening, his demanding lips and the ever so addictive taste of his tongue was telling her everything that he didn't really have the guts to utter…..

" If it were her I wanted…." he whispered, breathing hard against her lips once their kiss ended, his hands still firmly tangled in her long , silky tresses. " …don't you think I would have come here alone ? "

The Warrior Princess stood there perfectly still for a few seconds, her yet doubtful gaze locked with his fiery, devouring one….As much as she wanted to, she couldn't read deceit in his eyes. The Bastard was telling her the truth- and he did have a point there, too…..He could have taken her to camp earlier that night had he wanted to fuck some red-headed Queen on the other side of the globe, and she would have never found out about it anyway….How could she… ?

" Nabucco is a good friend of mine….I'll tell you all about him one of these days…" he continued, deep inside feeling that he still had some work to do to convince her…" And Amytis…we had a blast together. It was fun while it lasted…..But then, you came along…."

"To spoil the fun? "

" To give my life meaning" he screamed in his head, whishing he had the guts to also say the words out loud, but still unsure whether it was a good idea to give her that amount of power over him…." To make everything a bit more challenging…" he chose to say instead, his eyes smiling at her as she chuckled softly at his reply…..She rolled her eyes, parting her lips to talk, but before the words left her mouth , his hand was already extended and he already had a line ready for her.

" I said it before, I'm saying it again now…..if you want us to leave, just tell me….We can go anywhere else on this planet…anywhere you want…Just name a place and we'll be there in a blink…." he repeated, and Xena knew that he had meant it with all his heart…

Despite the overwhelming impulse to just say yes, thus vanishing from that accursed palace, the Warrior Princess knew that such a thing would have equaled a blatant, shameful defeat…. Running with her tail between her legs from a confrontation was something that she had never done and she sure wasn't going to start now….

" It wouldn't kill me, I guess…." she finally answered, squeezing his hand, and lightly brushing the tips of her fingers against his lips, closing her eyes for a split second at the memory of his soul enslaving kiss….By the Fates, he tasted so good…..Against her better judgment, there were times in which her heart truly thought that she could spend the rest of her life in his arms, slowly losing herself in his captivating darkness - she silently mused, gulping nosily as she felt him gently pushing her hand aside, thus giving him full access to her mouth…In spite of her expectations, he didn't kiss her though…Instead, his free hand entwined in her hair again, and, without a word, he pulled her slightly towards him so that their lips were brushing now, not even half an inch left between them…..

" No, it wouldn't…quite the opposite. And who knows, maybe you'll even get to learn a few things if you are willing enough….Babylon is a very…..interesting city…." he added after awhile, his hand now gliding down the back of her neck, sending shivers down her spine, making her involuntarily arch into him….

"Interesting, you say?" she questioned, doing even the impossible to control the erratic beating of her treacherous heart, fighting hard to suppress the irritating sound of blood pumping into her ears. .

" Fascinating…" he continued, entranced by the sight of her mesmerizing blue moons and even more by that unveiled desire glistening on their watery surface..

Almost on their own, as if forgetting for a moment where they were, his fingers clasped brutally around her neck, and, digging mercilessly into her soft delicate skin, he slammed her against the wall behind her with a loud thud…..Let's just say that if she had thought his kiss with the Queen had been the ultimate incarnation of passion, she was proved to be dead wrong….She had no idea when and how they had gotten to that precise side of the room, and it really didn't matter anyway, since the only thing she could really focus on, was that tight, pleasurable knot in her stomach and the distinct feeling that her entire body had been set on fire the instant he crushed her with his weight, kissing her as if there was no tomorrow, driving her absolutely crazy every time his hand glided up or down her body, and for an instant she just had to wonder whether she was still wearing any clothes or not…..

" Aresss…." she somehow found it in her to moan the moment she began to feel his hands pushing anxiously the soft fabric of her dress aside and sliding up between her thighs, trying to get his attention, and she sure did, but in a completely different way, cause the next thing she knew, he was pinning her hands above her head and, from there on, it wasn't hard to guess where they were going… " Ares stop it….." she breathed out sharply this time, fighting with her overly decent brain that kept reminding her about their whereabouts….." We shouldn't keep them waiting too much…" she casually mentioned, struggling to regain her breath. " …the King and your beloved Queen…" she acidly bit, a low hit, definitely below the belt- that instantly painted a frown on the God's perfectly chiseled face.

" I only have one Queen, my dear….and it is not Amythis…." he immediately responded, winking at her despite her irritating remark…

" Do you, now?" she jokingly questioned, straightening her dress and swiftly brushing her hands through her hair, wanting to look at least presentable for when they reached the royal table.

" Yeah….any decent man who respects himself does."

This time she couldn't restrain her laughter.

"Nabucco sure seems to respect himself…and he only has one Queen, by the way."

"You're a hard woman to please, aren't you?" he enquired, arching an eyebrow at her.

" You have no idea, War God…You have no idea….." she responded, proud that her irony had hit a soft spot.

" That's good…..cause there's nothing I hate more than ordinary, platonic relationships." he let her know, instantly wiping that smart smirk off her face.