Taking a Break
by
"Ares!" Xena said laughing. "Stop!" Ares pulled back from Xena. They had spent the whole week on Mount Olympus while Gabrielle took care of Eve, Gabriella, Solari, and Xavier.
"What's wrong Xena?" Ares asked.
"I think we should take a break." Xena said.
"A break?" Ares asked.
"From, well, you know." Xena said smiling.
"Oh. Why?" Ares asked. Xena smiled at him.
"Well, that's all that we seem to do anymore. We hardly ever talk. The babies are nearly a year old, and Eve is almost six. We're parents to them, but we should be there often. All we ever do is come here to Olympus now. We should talk more. We should spend time together with our children." Xena said.
"Oh." Ares said disappointedly. "Okay."
"Honey. Don't hide your disappoint from me." Xena said sarcastically. She and Ares started laughing. "Come on. Let's get back to our children. Take me home."
"Come back here Solari!" Gabrielle called. The triplets were almost a year old, and they were running all over the place. Gabrielle caught Solari and saw that Gabriella and Xavier ran off. Gabrielle looked sweetly at Eve. "Sweetie, would you watch your sister?"
"Sure." Eve said taking the baby.
"Thank you." Gabrielle said running off to get the other two. Just then Ares and Xena appeared. Xena ran over to Solari and Eve and hugged them.
"Oh mommy, I missed you!" Eve exclaimed.
"I missed you too." Xena said. "And I missed you Solari! Eve, where is Gabrielle, Xavier, and Gabriella?"
"Gabrielle is chasing after Gabriella and Xavier." Eve said. "They're running all over the place."
"Okay." Xena said laughing. She turned to Ares. "I'll see you tomorrow?"
"Definitely." Ares said kissing Xena's hand. He disappeared. Gabrielle came back holding the two escapees in her arms.
"There's mommy's babies." Xena said taking them in her arms as Ares disappeared after saying good-bye to his children.
"Thank the gods you're back, Xena." Gabrielle said. Xena looked at her friend who looked as if she hadn't slept a wink in a week. She probably hadn't.
"Gabrielle, why don't you go get some sleep? I'll be fine here with these little guys." Xena said smiling.
"Thanks." Gabrielle said walking away to her bedroll. She fell asleep about as fast as she lay down.
That night, Gabrielle had been asleep for hours, and she didn't want to wake up for anything. Eve was sound asleep on a bedroll beside Xena, and Xena was trying to get the triplets to go to sleep in the basket that was on Argo's saddle. That's where they stayed on nights when there were loud noises or spooky noises that would startle them. This was one of those nights.
Finally, after about two hours of trying to get them to sleep, they finally gave up and went to sleep. Xena lay down on her bedroll, and fell into a deep sleep. She dreamt of all she could think of. Ares. They were dreams like she had right after Eve was born. When she was heading to get the antidote for the poison from the sword that Joxer was hit with, she had these same dreams.
She saw him kiss her neck, her lips, her chest. She could feel him with her, and she knew that he wasn't really there. It was all a dream. Xena wanted to wake up from this dream. It was pure torture to know that she couldn't do what she was doing in that dream with Ares for a while. It was her idea in the first place to take a break.
"Smooth Xena." She scolded herself. "What were you thinking?" Xena lay back down and tried to dream of other things, but she couldn't. After she dreamt of Ares, finally she just had a sleep with no dreams.
The next morning, Xena awoke before dawn to find Ares watching her sleep.
"I trust you slept well?" he asked. Xena scowled at him.
"No." She said.
"Why not?" Ares asked.
"Maybe because I kept having dreams of you!" Xena exclaimed.
"Oh. You can't stop thinking of me?" Ares asked.
"Don't flatter yourself." Xena said smiling slyly. Ares leaned down and kissed Xena.
"Mommy!" Xavier called in his sleep. Xena stood up and hurried over to her son. She picked him up.
"Hi baby boy. What's wrong?" she asked.
"Hungry. Apple!" he said.
"Okay." Xena said. She picked her son up just as the baby girls woke.
"Hungry mommy!" they both said. Xena smiled at them and gave Xavier to Ares. She handed Ares a apple.
"Here. Give this to him." Xena said. She picked her daughters up and found some more fruit in the saddlebag.
"Joxer!" Eve called. "Joxer!" She came over to Xena crying.
"Eve? What is it?" Xena asked.
"Joxer ran away." Eve said snifflling.
"No he didn't I let him walk around for awhile. He's over there." Xena said pointing to the dog over in the woods. "It's okay Eve."
During the day, Xena couldn't stop thinking about Ares. She was so ready for him to take her in his arms.
"Uhh…" Xena started. "Gabrielle, will you watch the babies? Eve, you stay with Aunt Gabby." Xena said.
"Okay mommy." Eve said.
"Where are you going?" Gabrielle asked.
"You know. Just for a walk." Xena said.
"Uh-huh." Gabrielle said smiling. "Go on." Xena smiled and ran off into the woods.
"Ares!" Xena yelled when she got into the woods. Ares appeared before her.
"Xena?" he asked.
"Maybe we don't need to take a break." Xena said kissing him hungrily. "Maybe after we tuck the kids in at night, we can go to Olympus. It'll all work out."
"I think that'll work." Ares said laughing. He kissed Xena.
"Good." Xena said. She pulled Ares into a fiery kiss as they lay down together, putting a time out on their break.
The End