Gabrielle had slept for only an hour when a loud sound had awakened her.
The blonde bard rubbed sleep from her eyes and stared around the area
groggily. Xena slept peacefully nearby, a huddled form under her blanket.
The fire burned low, just a few dim embers glowing in the darkness. Around
them, the woods were silent except for the wind in the trees and the hum of
crickets.
What had awakened her? She was sure it had been a loud sound, yet Xena slept on. Was someone out among the trees, watching them, meaning them harm? She strained her ears for the slightest sound, listening for the snap of a branch underfoot.
"WHOOOOOOO!"
"Eeeeep!" Gabrielle's body jerked in sudden fright at the loud call of an owl. Twisting around, she spotted the bird's glowing eyes high in a tree. The large eyes seemed to be watching her, perhaps even enjoying her fright. Gripping one of her rolled scrolls, Gabrielle jumped to her feet and hurried over to the tree the offending owl was perched in. "Get out of here, you dumb owl! I need my beauty sleep! How am I ever going to figure out a plan to grab Ares if you keep me awake all night!"
Taking aim, Gabrielle flung the scroll at the unblinking eyes. The scroll tumbled through the aim, bounced off a branch about ten feet from the bird and fell to the ground. The owl continued to watch her with interest, its eyes unblinking and feathers unruffled. Sighing, Gabrielle walked over to her scroll and picked it up. Turning around, she slammed into someone's muscular chest. Strong arms encircled her waist, the hot hands resting on her lower back.
"If you're planning on grabbing me, now might be a good time." Ares informed her. "But trust me, you definetely need more work on your aim."
Gabrielle felt herself pulled closer against Ares' hard body as he raised one arm and effortlessly tossed a lightning bolt at the owl. Screaming noisely, the startled bird flapped into the air only a few seconds before the white hot bolt hit. It struct the branch with an eardrum shattering crack. Light flared for an instant, then the large branch crashed to the ground. Dust and debris flew into the air, making Gabrielle cough. She closed her eyes and buried her face against Ares' leather vest.
"Let go of her, Ares!" Xena warned before the dust had even settled. The Warrior Princess was wide awake. Her sword was out and gripped tightly in both hands, the sharp tip pointing in Ares' direction. "Whatever this is about, leave her out of it. Let's settle this between you and me."
"And what if this is about her?" Ares asked.
"What do you mean?" Xena asked as she cautiosly moved forward, the sword still pointing at Ares. She didn't know what the God wanted with Gabrielle, but she had to stop it before it went too far. 'I'm not going to let you hurt her. If you do, you'll be sorry!"
Gabrielle raised her head to see the point of Xena's sword. "Xena, put that away before you stick someone with it, like me! And I'll never get a boyfriend if you keep scaring them away!"
"What?" Xena said, the sword's point dropping several feet. Her blue eyes took it all in: Ares' arms wrapped around Gabrielle, his hands resting in the small of her back. Gabrielle's arms around him, her hands on his upper back. And what was that spot of red behind her? Xena's eyes narrowed and she realized it was a flower! Ares held a red rose in one hand. Something like that could only be bad news! It was one thing for him to scam her, but to scam Gabrielle! Xena could see it now. Her innocent friend might actually believe him! It would be an utter disaster! Then he'd show his true colors and break her heart, leaving Xena to try and put it all back together. Worst, Gabrielle already thought Ares was good boyfriend material! "Trust me, you don't want him for a boyfriend. Now come over here where it's safe."
"But she's not always safe with you, Xena." Ares pointed out. "What about the time you took her through the middle of a war just to save a few hours of travel? That shortcut of yours almost killed her."
"A war you started!" Xena hissed.
"I don't start wars, Xena." Ares replied calmly. "Mortals start wars all by themselves. They can't control their feelings of anger, lust, jeolously, greed, hate, revenge. That is what truely starts wars. I just try to channel those feelings into proper outlets, otherwise you'd have hundreds of murderers running around. Do you want that instead? She would be a lot safer with me. I could take proper care of her. Sleeping in the woods may be OK for a man, but it's no life for a woman."
"We've been doing perfectly fine, haven't we, Gabrielle?" Xena asked her friend.
Ares loosened his grip on Gabrielle, his arms falling to his sides. He took a few steps backward, then offered the thorn-free rose to her. "You don't want to spend the rest of your life traveling from place to place to place, do you? Traveling is fun, Gabrielle, but when the trip is over you go home. And you know Xena doesn't really have a home. She doesn't want a place to hang her cloak and take off her boots. She'll be still sleeping outside when she's fifty or sixty, if she lives that long. Is that the kind of life you want, Gabrielle? Sleeping outside with the bugs chewing on you and the rain pouring on you? Even Hercules and Iolaus have homes, a place to hang their guantlets at the end of their adventure. Isn't it about time you found one?"
Gabrielle took the rose, her fingers brushing against Ares'. When their skin touched, a thrill raced through her body. And it had felt so wonderful being held in his strong arms. She had known she was truely safe. For once, she didn't have to worry about a strange man jumping out of the bushes with a knife, for Ares would protect her. "Ares is right, Xena. There's more to life than just traveling all over the place helping people. Don't get me wrong, Xena. I like helping people but I want a family someday, a husband and children. I'm not going to find one by being constantly on the road all the time. Why, half the places we go don't even have roads!"
"But why him?" Xena asked. "Why not a nice guy, like Hercules or Iolaus?"
"Oh, so I'm not a nice guy?" Ares asked, grinning. "Admit it, Xena. She's attracted to the bad boy image! You know, the black leather, the muscular body, the power and sense of danger. Not to mention my good looks! Why should she settle for a skirt chasing mortal or a geez look how many dead wifes I have Demi-God when she can have the most elegible bachelor around? Me? And don't forget I'm a full God."
Xena's mouth dropped open. It couldn't be true, could it? Gabrielle couldn't be attracted to bad boys? Not her sweet, innocent Gabrielle!
"He ... excites me, Xena." Gabrielle admitted freely as she sniffed the red rose. It felt so good to finally get it out in the open! And it was clear Ares felt the same way. "Hercules and Iolaus are good friends. I know they will be there if I need them and I can trust them with anything, but they just don't .... "
"Do it for you." Ares supplied.
"Exactly!" Gabrielle smiled up shyly at him, then snuggled against his chest. His arms went around her once more and she sighed in content. "Whenever I see Ares, my heart speeds up, my breath catches in my throat and I feel alive!"
"But you hardly even know him!" Xena argued. "Stop and think! What do you really know about him? He's the God of War, Gabrielle!"
"Look, Xena. I know what you're thinking." Ares said quickly. "And I want to assure you I'm not going to snatch her away like a thief in the night."
"You're not?" Xena asked, surprised. "You're not going to just pop off with her, to be another notch on your belt?"
"Of course not!" Ares fumed. "How can you say a thing like that about her? She's not no floozie! I'm looking for a wife, Xena, not a one night fling!"
"Since when do you want to get married, Ares?" Xena continued, her arms across her chest. She had put her sword away, realizing that it would be useless against Ares. In fact, it might accidently injure Gabrielle, especially if her blonde love-sick friend decides to be heroic! "I thought you never wanted the old ball and chain around your ankle, that the whole domestic thing was bad for your image."
"Since I realized what I've been missing." Ares drew Gabrielle closer, resting his chin on her golden hair. "In my case, someone had to point it out to me. But when they did, I realized that life was passing me by. Now I have more to look forward to than just going to work everyday. Why don't you find someone, Xena? Someone who will make you happy, someone who can be more than just a traveling companion and a cook?"
"So what are you going to do?" Xena sighed. It appeared hopeless. The two had made up their minds to fall in love, which is something she never dreamed of! Oh, the thought of Gabrielle falling in love had occured to her, of course. Gabrielle was, after all, a healthy young woman. But with Ares!
Ares led Gabrielle back over to the ashes of the cold campfire. With a flick of his hand, the fire was merrily burning again. Then he popped up another bedroll, which appeared on the ground on the other side of the fire. "One, I'm going to spend the night here, over there on the other side of the fire. Someone has to protect her from hooting owls, of course! Second, tomorrow I'm taking her out on a date!"
"A date?" Xena stared at Ares. Since when did he go on dates? The Warrior Princess was beginning to think there was someone else involved in this. Going on a date was just not Ares style as far as she knew. In fact, it wasn't her style, either. But with Gabrielle it would be proper thing to do. "You better behave on this date."
"Don't worry, Xena." Ares assured her as he disappered on his side of the fire. "I'll be a proper gentleman."
"Isn't he romantic?" Gabrielle sighed as she settled down on her blanket, the red rose held to her nose.
"Great. This is just great." Xena muttered to herself. "Now I got to stay up all night and watch two love sick people!"
"Xena, I don't need to be watched! I'm grown up!" Gabrielle protested.
"Yeah, but I don't trust him."
"Xena," Gabrielle laughed. "go to sleep!"
What had awakened her? She was sure it had been a loud sound, yet Xena slept on. Was someone out among the trees, watching them, meaning them harm? She strained her ears for the slightest sound, listening for the snap of a branch underfoot.
"WHOOOOOOO!"
"Eeeeep!" Gabrielle's body jerked in sudden fright at the loud call of an owl. Twisting around, she spotted the bird's glowing eyes high in a tree. The large eyes seemed to be watching her, perhaps even enjoying her fright. Gripping one of her rolled scrolls, Gabrielle jumped to her feet and hurried over to the tree the offending owl was perched in. "Get out of here, you dumb owl! I need my beauty sleep! How am I ever going to figure out a plan to grab Ares if you keep me awake all night!"
Taking aim, Gabrielle flung the scroll at the unblinking eyes. The scroll tumbled through the aim, bounced off a branch about ten feet from the bird and fell to the ground. The owl continued to watch her with interest, its eyes unblinking and feathers unruffled. Sighing, Gabrielle walked over to her scroll and picked it up. Turning around, she slammed into someone's muscular chest. Strong arms encircled her waist, the hot hands resting on her lower back.
"If you're planning on grabbing me, now might be a good time." Ares informed her. "But trust me, you definetely need more work on your aim."
Gabrielle felt herself pulled closer against Ares' hard body as he raised one arm and effortlessly tossed a lightning bolt at the owl. Screaming noisely, the startled bird flapped into the air only a few seconds before the white hot bolt hit. It struct the branch with an eardrum shattering crack. Light flared for an instant, then the large branch crashed to the ground. Dust and debris flew into the air, making Gabrielle cough. She closed her eyes and buried her face against Ares' leather vest.
"Let go of her, Ares!" Xena warned before the dust had even settled. The Warrior Princess was wide awake. Her sword was out and gripped tightly in both hands, the sharp tip pointing in Ares' direction. "Whatever this is about, leave her out of it. Let's settle this between you and me."
"And what if this is about her?" Ares asked.
"What do you mean?" Xena asked as she cautiosly moved forward, the sword still pointing at Ares. She didn't know what the God wanted with Gabrielle, but she had to stop it before it went too far. 'I'm not going to let you hurt her. If you do, you'll be sorry!"
Gabrielle raised her head to see the point of Xena's sword. "Xena, put that away before you stick someone with it, like me! And I'll never get a boyfriend if you keep scaring them away!"
"What?" Xena said, the sword's point dropping several feet. Her blue eyes took it all in: Ares' arms wrapped around Gabrielle, his hands resting in the small of her back. Gabrielle's arms around him, her hands on his upper back. And what was that spot of red behind her? Xena's eyes narrowed and she realized it was a flower! Ares held a red rose in one hand. Something like that could only be bad news! It was one thing for him to scam her, but to scam Gabrielle! Xena could see it now. Her innocent friend might actually believe him! It would be an utter disaster! Then he'd show his true colors and break her heart, leaving Xena to try and put it all back together. Worst, Gabrielle already thought Ares was good boyfriend material! "Trust me, you don't want him for a boyfriend. Now come over here where it's safe."
"But she's not always safe with you, Xena." Ares pointed out. "What about the time you took her through the middle of a war just to save a few hours of travel? That shortcut of yours almost killed her."
"A war you started!" Xena hissed.
"I don't start wars, Xena." Ares replied calmly. "Mortals start wars all by themselves. They can't control their feelings of anger, lust, jeolously, greed, hate, revenge. That is what truely starts wars. I just try to channel those feelings into proper outlets, otherwise you'd have hundreds of murderers running around. Do you want that instead? She would be a lot safer with me. I could take proper care of her. Sleeping in the woods may be OK for a man, but it's no life for a woman."
"We've been doing perfectly fine, haven't we, Gabrielle?" Xena asked her friend.
Ares loosened his grip on Gabrielle, his arms falling to his sides. He took a few steps backward, then offered the thorn-free rose to her. "You don't want to spend the rest of your life traveling from place to place to place, do you? Traveling is fun, Gabrielle, but when the trip is over you go home. And you know Xena doesn't really have a home. She doesn't want a place to hang her cloak and take off her boots. She'll be still sleeping outside when she's fifty or sixty, if she lives that long. Is that the kind of life you want, Gabrielle? Sleeping outside with the bugs chewing on you and the rain pouring on you? Even Hercules and Iolaus have homes, a place to hang their guantlets at the end of their adventure. Isn't it about time you found one?"
Gabrielle took the rose, her fingers brushing against Ares'. When their skin touched, a thrill raced through her body. And it had felt so wonderful being held in his strong arms. She had known she was truely safe. For once, she didn't have to worry about a strange man jumping out of the bushes with a knife, for Ares would protect her. "Ares is right, Xena. There's more to life than just traveling all over the place helping people. Don't get me wrong, Xena. I like helping people but I want a family someday, a husband and children. I'm not going to find one by being constantly on the road all the time. Why, half the places we go don't even have roads!"
"But why him?" Xena asked. "Why not a nice guy, like Hercules or Iolaus?"
"Oh, so I'm not a nice guy?" Ares asked, grinning. "Admit it, Xena. She's attracted to the bad boy image! You know, the black leather, the muscular body, the power and sense of danger. Not to mention my good looks! Why should she settle for a skirt chasing mortal or a geez look how many dead wifes I have Demi-God when she can have the most elegible bachelor around? Me? And don't forget I'm a full God."
Xena's mouth dropped open. It couldn't be true, could it? Gabrielle couldn't be attracted to bad boys? Not her sweet, innocent Gabrielle!
"He ... excites me, Xena." Gabrielle admitted freely as she sniffed the red rose. It felt so good to finally get it out in the open! And it was clear Ares felt the same way. "Hercules and Iolaus are good friends. I know they will be there if I need them and I can trust them with anything, but they just don't .... "
"Do it for you." Ares supplied.
"Exactly!" Gabrielle smiled up shyly at him, then snuggled against his chest. His arms went around her once more and she sighed in content. "Whenever I see Ares, my heart speeds up, my breath catches in my throat and I feel alive!"
"But you hardly even know him!" Xena argued. "Stop and think! What do you really know about him? He's the God of War, Gabrielle!"
"Look, Xena. I know what you're thinking." Ares said quickly. "And I want to assure you I'm not going to snatch her away like a thief in the night."
"You're not?" Xena asked, surprised. "You're not going to just pop off with her, to be another notch on your belt?"
"Of course not!" Ares fumed. "How can you say a thing like that about her? She's not no floozie! I'm looking for a wife, Xena, not a one night fling!"
"Since when do you want to get married, Ares?" Xena continued, her arms across her chest. She had put her sword away, realizing that it would be useless against Ares. In fact, it might accidently injure Gabrielle, especially if her blonde love-sick friend decides to be heroic! "I thought you never wanted the old ball and chain around your ankle, that the whole domestic thing was bad for your image."
"Since I realized what I've been missing." Ares drew Gabrielle closer, resting his chin on her golden hair. "In my case, someone had to point it out to me. But when they did, I realized that life was passing me by. Now I have more to look forward to than just going to work everyday. Why don't you find someone, Xena? Someone who will make you happy, someone who can be more than just a traveling companion and a cook?"
"So what are you going to do?" Xena sighed. It appeared hopeless. The two had made up their minds to fall in love, which is something she never dreamed of! Oh, the thought of Gabrielle falling in love had occured to her, of course. Gabrielle was, after all, a healthy young woman. But with Ares!
Ares led Gabrielle back over to the ashes of the cold campfire. With a flick of his hand, the fire was merrily burning again. Then he popped up another bedroll, which appeared on the ground on the other side of the fire. "One, I'm going to spend the night here, over there on the other side of the fire. Someone has to protect her from hooting owls, of course! Second, tomorrow I'm taking her out on a date!"
"A date?" Xena stared at Ares. Since when did he go on dates? The Warrior Princess was beginning to think there was someone else involved in this. Going on a date was just not Ares style as far as she knew. In fact, it wasn't her style, either. But with Gabrielle it would be proper thing to do. "You better behave on this date."
"Don't worry, Xena." Ares assured her as he disappered on his side of the fire. "I'll be a proper gentleman."
"Isn't he romantic?" Gabrielle sighed as she settled down on her blanket, the red rose held to her nose.
"Great. This is just great." Xena muttered to herself. "Now I got to stay up all night and watch two love sick people!"
"Xena, I don't need to be watched! I'm grown up!" Gabrielle protested.
"Yeah, but I don't trust him."
"Xena," Gabrielle laughed. "go to sleep!"