"Look at me," Gaia commanded upon stepping out onto the balcony. Lucretia, Octavia, and Melitta all shifted their attention to the woman curiously. "What do you see? Am I a withered old crone?"

Melitta and Octavia glanced at each other hesitantly, unsure of how to answer. Lucretia rolled her eyes and beckoned her overly dramatic companion to come and join them where they sat overlooking the proceedings below. For several days the gladiators had been in competition to see who stood best among them and who would be condemned to the mines. "Tell us what's happened," her mother urged.

"I stood before your man Gannicus with obvious charms and he would not have me. I fear I have lost delicate touch," she lamented, sending the man in question a withering look that he did not notice. "You said the man was often for the embrace of women."

Lucretia spared her daughter a quick glance before moving her eyes back to Gaia. "He was upon a time," she explained. "He has been of a mood as of late. Coin that used to go to the procuring of wine and cunt now sits unspent. We'll have the man whipped for disobedience after competition has ended."

"No, no," said Gaia, waving a dismissive hand. She looked to Octavia now and sour expression was replaced with a smile. "I should have known the man would not be swayed."

"You would lie with a gladiator?" asked Octavia, wondering if it was possible that she had understood the conversation happening before her correctly. She'd been forced to lie with Gannicus as a cruel joke for the Romans to laugh at. The union had been a jest to all who'd witnessed it, and yet now Gaia would do the same of her own volition. "Why?"

Gaia and Lucretia shared a look and then a laugh. "Would that you could have borne witness to that night. You would not stand so confused," Gaia assured her, smiling a knowing smile that made Octavia feel stupid. "It was quite a performance. You must understand why Caesar himself favored you so."

"He did not favor me," she said.

"He favored you as a whore is favored by the man atop her," said Gaia. "But favor you he did." Octavia pursed her lips, wanting to argue but not wanting to discuss that night again and rehash all of the feelings that came with it. "I have had … certain cravings since that night."

"Perhaps a different slave," suggested Lucretia. "One more obedient."

"Oh, I pray he not be," Gaia said with a giggle. "I would have him wild and untamed." Octavia watched as her mother and her friend surveyed the men below, looking as if they were picking the ripest fruit from the market. She could tell the melon was firm when both women shared a smile. "Your Gaul does appear to be of a form. Look at the fire behind every swing of his blade."

Lucretia smirked, glancing away from Crixus and to Melitta instead. All it took was a jerk of her head for command to be given and Melitta bowed in simple understanding. "Shall I retrieve him for you?" asked Octavia, speaking loudly and quickly before Melitta could skitter away. She could see her mother's brow knit together out of the corner of her eye, but she kept her gaze firmly on the other woman. "Would you like him bathed or do you prefer him in his … current state?"

"Do something to mask the stench," said Gaia. "Otherwise, I'll have him as he is."

Octavia could still hear the women laughing amongst themselves as she walked back into the villa. She could feel an odd anger bubbling up in her belly and she needed to get away before it erupted. What was she even angry about?

It wasn't much longer that she found herself leading the man up the stairs and into the ludus, past a handful of guards until she could pull him into her own chambers, away from prying eyes and ears. It almost hurt to see the way he looked at her, his eyes filled with something resembling trust. "Crixus," she began confidently enough. "I … there is something we must discuss."

"Have I done something wrong, domina?"

"No! No." Octavia moved to sit on the edge of the bed, pulling her legs up and crossing them in front of her. "You have done everything and more for this House than I ever hoped. I cannot begin to thank you enough. My father believes you will be champion upon a day."

"And you?"

"I have seen you rise from an untamed stone layer to one of the best gladiators in this ludus. I do not think there is a limit to your potential or how high you will rise, but that's not what I've brought you here to discuss." Confusion splayed out over his features again. "You're going to be asked to do something but the question is a lie. You do not have choice."

Crixus didn't understand why Octavia seemed so concerned for him. He didn't understand why he'd been brought to her chambers, either, but he'd have been lying if he said he hadn't hoped for something else. "A slave never holds choice," he told her. It was not his choice to live in the ludus, to fight and bleed and likely die for the House of Batiatus. He had more than accepted it, but none of it had been of his choosing.

"I know," said Octavia, her eyes struggling to meet his. "This will be different. You will be asked to do things that should never be forced upon anyone." Things were beginning to dawn on Crixus and he shifted uncomfortably before her. "You do not stand alone in your plight. I am not certain if that makes it better or worse."

"Domina?"

"The strong prey on the weak and the weak prey on the weaker," she murmured. "That is the Roman way. Was it different in Gallia?"

Truthfully, Crixus had been no more than a boy last he stood upon the dirts of his homelands. "No, domina."

"Come," she commanded, waving him over closer to her bed. Swallowing, he obeyed. "I am … I do wish it could be different," Octavia told him, grabbing his hand and rolling it so his wrist was exposed to her. A strong scent wafted up into his nostrils as she dabbed an oil against his wrist before doing the same to his other hand. "It's a perfume of my own creation," she said with a smile when she noticed him smelling his now free wrist. "Frankincense, myrrh, cinnamon and rose petals. I'm not sure if it's better suited for a man or a woman."

Octavia grew even closer to him then, standing up from the bed and dabbing a bit of the liquid behind one of his ears and then the other. His jaw clenched tightly as she dragged her finger and the excess oil down the nape of his neck. He watched as her eyes drifted downwards, towards where the rest of the scent likely needed to be applied, and she floundered for only a moment before his hands wrapped around hers, taking the vial of liquid and setting his own hands to purpose.

"Gratitude," she murmured awkwardly, taking the vial back when he had finished. A painful silence fell over them for a long moment before she took his hand in her own, this time only to embrace it. "You mustn't keep her waiting any longer."


Gannicus could not remember the last time he'd walked so freely through the streets. There were no chains around his ankles to stop him from running, nor around his wrists to weaken him. They were not needed with his current companion. He would not run unless she went with him, and he would only fight at her command. "What do you think?" she asked him, grabbing a piece of lace dyed a deep, rich purple and wrapping it around herself.

"Venus herself weeps to know she could never achieve such beauty," he told her, throwing his arms out theatrically for embellishment. Octavia cut him a less than pleasant look and he laughed. "Do women grow weary of being informed of their great beauty?"

"Only when they need to choose fabric for a new dress for the opening ceremony," she answered, dropping the lace and moving on to other options. "Melitta would have made better companion."

Gannicus merely smiled as he followed behind her in the streets of the market as they made their way to the fourth fabric merchant. The opening games of the new arena meant a great deal to Batiatus, especially now that he had somehow managed to secure his men in the primus. With the competition back at the ludus completed and the thought of his sale forever stricken from mind, Octavia was free to fret about more frivolous things. "It is true I prefer you with no fabric at all," he admitted, leaning closely to whisper in her ear as they passed behind a soap merchant.

He was met with a sharp elbow to his ribcage and feigned great pain as he fell a few steps behind her. "I shall command your return to the villa presently," she threatened, her lips pursed as she examined a deep green silk. "Do not tempt my wrath, Celt."

"Only a fool would dare, domina."

He could see her lips twitching as she tried to fight off a smile, intent her day not ending so fruitlessly. The opening of the arena was only a few days away. "Which color do you like most?" Gannicus glanced to the fabrics before him, with every color he knew and more at their disposal. She made no gesture to any particular fabric. "Not of the fabrics before you. Close your eyes and think of a color. Which comes to mind first?"

"Red," he answered.

Like blood, she thought. She should've known. There were quite a few shades of red before her and in quite a few different styles, but she chose a dark crimson in silk and in lace and handed them to the merchant. "Twenty denarii," he said.

"Do criminals walk the streets of Capua masquerading as merchants?"

The voice alone was enough to send a shiver down her spine. She could see how tense Gannicus looked out of the corner of her eye and it only served as confirmation. "Imperator," the merchant said, bowing his head anxiously. "Perhaps I misspoke. Five denarii?"

Octavia suspected Caesar could've gotten the man to pay him to take the contents of his cart, but he seemed to accept five denarii and reached out to pay the sum. Anger flared up in her belly and she stepped between the two men, offering up her own coin to make purchase. "Gratitude," she muttered under her breath, picking up her fabric only to have it torn from her embrace. Octavia's jaw was set as she turned to face her newest companion. He looked strangely taller, more golden, with his hair cropped short and neat, and the smile upon his lips that still made her nervous. "Would you have me bake in sun entire day to indulge whatever game you're playing now?"

"No," he answered, smile never faltering. "I had hoped to receive invitation to your villa in payment for negotiation skills lended."

"Negotiation and intimidation are two different things."

"But prove equally effective," said Caesar.

"I had thought you for Rome," Octavia stated, making it perfectly clear how disappointed she was that rumor proved false.

"And I had thought gladiators above position of common guard," he replied, his attention finally shifting from her, if but for a moment. "I find many exceptions are made for the man."

Octavia swallowed, forcing her gaze to remain on Caesar though her eyes craved desperately for another. "I shall return him presently to the ludus," she offered. "And you may return to Rome."

"You would have me miss the games?" asked Caesar. "I was invited by good Varus after regaling him with tales of your man's most memorable performance." Octavia blanched, imagining the men of Rome gossiping about the loss of her virtue. Caesar's smile widened. "Have you already forgotten his victory in the games where your Gaul proved himself worthy of title of gladiator?" With one last withering look, Octavia turned on her heel and marched away from him. Caesar did not hesitate to follow. "You've forgotten your silk."

"I fear the fabric forever tainted with the stench of pomposity," she called back over her shoulder, oblivious to the smile ever growing on Caesar's lips.


A/N: God damn Spartacus fandom is alive and well! I'm flabbergasted by how many reviews this has gotten, specifically the latest chapter. You guys are seriously the best. GO WRITE YOUR OWN SPARTACUS FICS SO I CAN COME AND READ THEM! :P

Also, sorry this took so long to put on. If I'm being honest, I'm really running out of inspiration for this portion of the fic. Gannicus is hands down my favorite, but it's hard to stay committed and interested in six episodes of a series that was on the air so long ago. Whenever I need to write a new chapter, I try to watch a few episodes to get in the mood for it, but you can only watch the same few episodes of TV over and over and over again in a short period of time before it stops inspiring you.

I realize that sounds really scary to anyone who's reading this story hahahah. I'm in no way shape or form losing motivation to write this story. But the next chapter or two may take me a while to put out as I try to finish Gods of the Arena and write chapters that will largely be a bit sad for me. The GOOD news, however, is that I've already got the first two chapters of the Blood and Sand era written and ready to post. So once I get over this little hump, it'll be smooth sailing with new material and almost twice as many episodes. :)

Special thanks to:

Helinahandcart: As much as I would totally love to just write a Gannicus fluff fic, I care way too much about all of the characters and the entire overarching story to not want to include and write about that. And for me, having that perfect happy story where they manage to stay together through the years betrays the fandom I'm writing about! I wrote Spartacus fanfiction because I live for the #suffering. :P Thanks for the review, I hope you continue to read and enjoy even if it doesn't follow the path you hoped. :)

BookKeeper88: Wow, I totally and completely agree with everything you said! It's like you read my mind! I definitely think that love comes in different forms and different levels. She's loved Gannicus for most of her life and I would never want to take away from what they had or try to diminish it. HOWEVER … that doesn't mean she wouldn't be able to have something with someone to follow, sort of how Spartacus had Mira but he could never love her the way he loved Sura. Thank you so much for your review and your continued support for the story. :) It really makes me motivated to write more.

Itsreagannn: Hey, your wish is my command! Enough people wanted to see her with Spartacus that I'm definitely going to include what I've already written for the two. :) Thank you for the review and I hope you continue to enjoy!

Gabby3: I definitely agree Spartacus needs a happy relationship! My poor boy never got to be happy the entire damn show. I'm going to have to do something to remedy that. :) Thank you so much for your review!

Acwwluver: Don't worry, Octavia/Gannicus is definitely what I'm rooting for too. It makes me so happy that you guys seem to actually care about their relationship. :') It must mean I've written it at least decently well! Thank you for your review! I know you've been following this story for a while and I really appreciate it. :)

Swingrim: Hey, even more Crixus for you in this chapter! :P I love all of your ideas, please feel free to share them! Crixus is so underrated in the fandom I think, so I'm definitely happy to include as much of him as you can handle. :) Thank you so much for your review!

Vikihungerrgame1: Whaaaat?! I could never get tired of it! I love love love your reviews and how weird they are. Honestly, I probably would've quit writing it several chapters ago if not for you, ya weirdo. :P

Those Caesar abs were … really something. So were the biceps. That has nothing to do with why I wanted to write about him either, though, of course! I totally loved Crassus as a character but I wish he would've done something differently by Kore. You could tell Caesar didn't agree with it and it would've humanized him more and made the fact he won a bit easier to swallow. I guess maybe the show wanted to remind you he's an asshole in the end.

I HAAATTTEEDDD SYBIIIILLLL! Ugh, I love every other character in the show but I couldn't stomach her. I loved Gannicus with Saxa and that was really his only relationship that made sense to me. I didn't really like him with Melitta, but I liked Melitta on her own. She had a character, you know? She was a loving, supportive wife, a mother figure trying to guide the other slave girls in the villa, and she was so kind and wise even Lucretia cared about her. All we knew about Sibyl was that she liked Gannicus, she wanted to bang Gannicus, and … did I mention she really liked Gannicus? Blech! The worst!

You are sooooo right about Gannicus not going celibate for her! Why should she pine over him for years while he's off whoring around? Especially when she's got Solonius's sexy ass walking around ….. :P I hope you're feeling better after the dentist! And that you're not in jail. I don't think they have in prison. :P

CrixusFan: Wow so many fans of Crixus coming out of the woodwork lately. :P I love that I basically gave you what you asked for unintentionally! You picked the perfect time to leave a review, and I thank you for it! :)

Alessandra92 & Stargurl: Thank you for your reviews! I'll take them into consideration when writing. :)