Chapter 2

Ares and Gabrielle spent the day together. Ares took Gabrielle to all his favorite places, and Gabrielle made Ares laugh when she told him stories from her scrolls. When they arrived back at Ares' temple, Gabrielle decided to tell Ares the truth behind her visit. Ares had a hurt look in his dark eyes when he heard that Xena had wanted Gabrielle to find out what he was doing. "You didn't want to spend time with me?" he asked quietly.

"Oh yes, Ares... I had a wonderful time with you. You've been so nice to me today... I couldn't spy on you ... It's just so wrong of me to have thought of doing that..."

"Don't worry, Gabrielle. I don't blame you at all," Ares said, as he took her hands, holding them gently. "I don't mind telling you what I've been doing. Just don't tell anyone else, especially Xena, or all of Greece will be laughing at the God of War."

"I won't tell anyone your secrets, Ares. Thank you for trusting me."

Ares smiled at her and continued holding her hands as they disappeared from his temple and reappeared inside a tree house in a remote part of Greece. "This is a place I like to go to be alone and think."

"Oh... I shouldn't be here in your special place," said Gabrielle, worried that Ares really didn't want to be bothered with her.

"Yes, you should," said Ares, wrapping his arms around her waist. "Anywhere you are... is a special place."

"That's very sweet of you to say," said Gabrielle quietly, blushing prettily.

"It's true... Don't you know how special you are? Look... I have something for you." Ares pulled her over to a wooden chest standing against the wall. He opened the chest and pulled out something yellow.

"A rubber ducky?!" squealed Gabrielle, laughing with pure delight. "It's for me?"

"Yup," replied Ares, enjoying the look on her face.

"Thank you!" cried Gabrielle, flinging her arms around Ares' neck, and then she suddenly bounced away, turning pink again. Avoiding Ares' fond gaze, she asked, "Um... Are these your secrets then... the tree house and the ducky?"

"Only two of them... I'll show you the newest secret ... or secrets... Shhh..." he said, as he uncovered a basket in the corner of the room.

Gabrielle's eyes grew wide as she uttered a silent 'Oh'. Inside the basket was a black mother cat with three kittens nestled alongside her. All were sleeping peacefully. "I can't keep them anywhere else," said Ares, as he covered them, and he and Gabrielle moved away from the basket. "Ares God of War doesn't keep cute cuddly pets," he said with a wry look on his dark handsome face. "I have to visit them often so they don't get lonely."

"What are their names?"

" You'll laugh, but I call the mother Mama, and the babies are Tiger, Panther, and ...." At the end of his sentence, he mumbled, so Gabrielle couldn't catch what he said.

"What did you say, Ares? I couldn't hear you."

"The last kitten's name is Fluffy."

"I love their names,Ares... and they're adorable. You're a real sweetheart to care about them."

Ares turned red, and grinned at Gabrielle. "Thank you, Gabrielle. I think you're sweet, too... And you know what else?"

"What?"

"I have another secret that I want you to know about."

"You do?" asked Gabrielle, getting a bit nervous about the way Ares was looking at her... like a cat seeing a tasty mouse.

-TBC-