First of all thank you all for the good back up that I've received from you. It means very much to me and makes me write more. Can't thank you enough!

Chapter 3: Dead or alive?

"Xena…wake up Darling…" His hands touched her face once more to be sure, she was indeed burning, all her body not only her face…He decided to make use of the cold water and a rag to make the temperature drop.

"Xena…you need to fight this…" Ares spoke to her, but the warrior was too lost to hear anything…she gave it all on that battlefield, thinking and knowing that she will find her end there, she didn't protect herself absolutely at all, too much of her blood shed on that hard ground…she was indeed battling for her life.

"Everything will be ok…I know it…" He said but most of all to reassure himself, trying to convince himself that she will get through this stupid fever. She can't be taken away from him so easily. He won't permit it.

"It's just a fever Sweet…you can do this. You really can, you survived the gauntlet, you survived Caesar, you cheated death so many times, you can sure survive five arrows…you can do this, do you hear me?" He raised his voice while his hands never stopped changing the rag with cold water that was fast turning hot with every contact of her skin.

After some time seeing that her state was only getting worse and worse, her fever didn't drop, not just one bit, he desperately took her carefully in his arms, her head resting on his shoulder, her arms limp around her- with one hand he ripped the sheets under her- and then set her on the bed again, lastly fixing one of her black strands that were glued on her pale skin- before he sunk those sheets in cold water. Until now he didn't remove her clothes cause he could work with them on her body but right now he needed to envelope her in those cold sheets and he needed her clothes away so that the contact of her skin would be 100% with the cold sodden material.

Ares undressed her quickly, not losing one more moment and brought as fast as he could the chilly material over her body, rolling her in it with carefulness. He saw her shiver slightly but he knew that he needed to give her body sometime to work that out. Her lips were cracked so he took a little water in a very old mug and approached her bed once more.

"Xena…you need to drink this…" He said before moving his hand under her head, raising it up for a little so she could take a sip of the fresh water.

"Drink…"

She moved her lips a little but it was such a hard thing to do, that most of the water fell on her. He quickly took the surplus on her face and mouth away with his hands, massaging her lips with his drenched in water fingers.

"You need to get through this…please!" He prayed to her, to anybody, somebody…he just wanted to see her open her sky blue eyes and look at him, wanted to hear her voice, to see her walking, even to fight him, call him names, it didn't matter as long as she was alright…alive. He desperately wanted her to fight this infection and win the battle. He couldn't lose her, not this way and so soon… not to death.

His eyes never ceased roaming over her, his hands never stopped checking her still too hot skin, his mouth never quit saying reassuring words. So the night past with him beside her, not closing one eye, protecting her with all his might …being her guardian.

On the brink of the breaking dawn as he was sitting with her left hand in his at his lips, his head inclined towards the hands, hoping for some reaction from her, he finally got it. He felt her fingers move a little. That simple, subtitle movement made him raise his head and look at her. She was still white as lime…her fever dropped a bit but it still wasn't normalized. He hoped though that she will wake up.

His orbs wandered over her, his hand reaching for her forehead…

"The damn fever!" He cursed.

He got up from the bed and reached from a wet rag in the basin beside Xena's bed. Being occupied with that he only heard her cuffing and that made him drop the rag back in the basin and shifting his attention back to her.

"Xena…"

She coughed again…and again…

"Love…"

The spasms were scaring him to death and more when he saw blood spilling on the pillow… She was coughing blood.

"Xena…damn!"

He knew what that particular thing meant: the arrows were poisoned or they damaged some intern organ. That's why the fever didn't drop, it wasn't an infection, it was probably the poison. That knowledge made him shudder.

That feeling of helplessness was killing him inside…How in the hell would he find a cure for that fucking poison? Frantic he looked for the arrows that he threw before on the floor aimlessly. He found a head and smell it. Next second the arrowhead was in the fire. His palm became fist…it was a gods knew what kind of poison from the far east…He was sure about it. He needed his powers…and he needed them fast…like right now, otherwise she will die and he would be forced to just sit here and watch her leave him for good, without being able to do something about it.

Xena's spasms calmed down for just some minutes before another round of coughing started, another pull at his heart seeing her like that.

"Xena…do you hear me?" He took her head with both hands hoping to get something from her but she was limp in his arms. He checked her pupils that were dilated by now and just when he put her head down on the pillow again he thought he felt her move but he was wrong…it was just another violent spasm and blood spilled all over him. That was the smallest concern for him right then cause right after that all her body started shaking without control…She was in shock.

"Xena…Xena…please…don't do this to me!"

And then…it all stopped…her uncontrollable shaking, her body moving, her blood running through her veins, her heart pumping blood…time stopped for those seconds in which Ares realized what happened.

"Xena…fight dammit! FIGHT this!" He was the one who shook her this time.

Tears that gathered for good hours in his eyes started to finally fall on his cheeks.

"Don't do this…don't do this to me!" He yelled at her like a mad man.

He was crying beside her bed when he finally felt sparks in his fingertips and from the raw pain in which he was drowning he felt a rush of power leaving him and going straight into the wall in front of him, blowing it up. He protected Xena's body with his to make sure no crumbs of the building will touch her perfect skin.

"My powers are back…Xena…Xe…do you hear me? I can…." He stopped mid-sentence. No response…he's only hope was that he could heal her, suck the poison from her blood with his freshly regained powers. He closed his eyes and focused on what he desired with all his being…for her to live. Instantly a white light started flowing from his fingertips and soon after from all his body going straight into the warrior's unmoving form, perfectly shaped under him. After the light ended he lowered himself back on the bed beside her to take a good look at her and seeing not as much difference as before in her, an alarm ringed hard in his head. What did he do wrong, why wasn't she waking up already? Was he too late? It can't be! With trembling fingers he touched her wrists looking for some pulse again and he found it. He brought her back. The relief that he felt now was indescribable. She was alive.

Having his powers back he gently took her still limp body in his arms and he vanished with her back home on Olympus where he knew she will be safe and will have the time to get back on her feet again. He will personally see to that.

His chambers were waiting for her. He laid her with the world's greatest caution on his four-poster bed and he once again breathed it all in. He was on the verge of really losing her and just the thought that it could've happened was shattering his soul. Memories of a beach and Xena laying dead in his arms, a crystal coffin were bringing back again the same feelings. But in this case he could breathe easily. Now he will see that she is safe.

His hands softly took her black, silky hair off her face and he checked her pulse once again. It was there beating strongly by the seconds. The fever was also gone, the poison in her system probably too by now. A small smile appeared on his face. With the wave of his hands he clothed her in a red silky but comfortable robe. Being all done it just remained for him to wait for her eyes to open.