POST AFIN 5

Chapter 5

"Ares!" Gabrielle called out to the empty room as she closed the door behind her. "Show yourself you bastard…" The tone of her voice held a frantic plea as she continued to call out.

"Now you want to talk…" Ares' voice filled the room but he didn't appear, not yet.

"Damn you…!" Gabrielle's voice was filled with torment as she dropped down on to the edge of her bed. With a sob, her head fell into her hands as tears now ran freely down her face. "Tell me it isn't her…tell me you didn't do this just to torture me!" She closed her eyes as the tears continued to roll down her cheeks. It had been a long time since she had cried like this, but she just didn't have the strength to fight it anymore.

Ares could no longer stand the agony that radiated off of Gabrielle so he finally materialized before her. It was an agony he knew all too well. He had felt it when Xena left this world but he had learned to channel that pain into what he did best, which was start wars. Gazing down at Gabrielle, he suddenly felt something so uncharacteristic that he shook his head as if it might change the direction of his thoughts, but it didn't. To his surprise, he realized that he felt sorry for the little blonde who had stolen Xena's heart away from him, something he would never admit out loud.

When he saw the small figure with her head bent resting in her hands, he had the sudden urge to touch her. Kneeling down in front of Gabrielle, he reached out to take her hands away from her face and was shocked that the usually stoic woman was now looking at him through tear filled eyes.

"Why? Why would you do this?" She whispered as she searched his dark eyes for an answer. Her tears slowed when she saw nothing but compassion looking back at her.

"I didn't do this Gabrielle…" He used his thumb to wipe some of the tears away from her face. It surprised him that she didn't pull back; instead she turned her check into the comfort he offered.

"You know I shouldn't believe you…but you are about the only one who knows what losing her feels like." She took a deep breath to slow down her rapidly beating heart. "Don't think this means I trust you though."

He tried to smile, but even he found it difficult to joke. "I wouldn't expect anything less…but this isn't my doing…" He implored as he watched her gain control over her emotions.

"I think I know who to ask…" Gabrielle gently pulled away from his touch.

"I know, I know…wrong equipment…" He gave her a lopsided grin as he pulled his hands back and held them up in a show of surrender.

"Aphrodite, Artemis…show yourselves…" Gabrielle called out with the hope that they would have an explanation.

"Not every God is as easy as me…" He rolled his eyes when Gabrielle let out an impatient huff as her summons was met with silence.

"I'm as easy as they come…especially when it comes to my Sweet Pea here…" Aphrodite appeared with a pop and a sizzle. She had her arms crossed as she glared at her brother. "Go on…tell her…I didn't set the rules." Her glower had Ares backtracking slightly.

"Look, I didn't bring her back…but I did get a little say on how this game plays out." He tried not to smirk as he watched Gabrielle look between him and his sister.

"Someone better tell me what the hell is going here. This is my life…not a game!" Gabrielle pushed herself up off of the bed. Her hands were clinched into fists and she was having a hard time keeping her temper from lashing out.

"Gabrielle…" The soft, low voice of Artemis caused Gabrielle to turn around to face the God who had, up until that moment stayed silent.

"Nice to see that you have time to make an appearance…" Gabrielle growled as she watched Artemis move around the room to stand in front of her.

The Goddess of the hunt stood tall and lean as she looked down at Gabrielle. Pushing her long red hair away from her face and over her shoulder, she studied the wounded look on her chosen one's face. Even though she was aloof by nature, Artemis couldn't help but be moved by the sight before her. She could almost feel the pain that was breaking Gabrielle's heart all over again and it caused her to look away from the piercing green eyes that reminded her of the lush green grass that grew along the hills and valleys where she often communed with nature.

The tall, striking figure of the woman that Gabrielle had come to know as the Goddess of the Amazons was an imposing sight but it didn't faze her in the least. She had come to a point in her life where staring into the eyes of a God or Goddess no longer affected her even if there were three sets of them looking at her now. The fact that Artemis had chosen to wear her soft deer skin leathers was an indication of the informality of their meeting. Gabrielle noted the style and cut were almost exactly the same as her own deer skin leathers. The presence of the tall, red headed woman set her at ease because she realized she was finally going to get the answers she needed.

"Sit, please and I will explain everything to you." Artemis said as she took a seat and patted the empty space next to her for Gabrielle to sit.

With a weak nod, Gabrielle conceded and sat next to Artemis. "Haven't I suffered enough…?" She implored.

"This isn't about making you suffer Gabrielle…" Artemis tried to reason. "It is about second chances…"

"What second chance…you've put her in the body of a petulant child. How am I supposed to handle that?" Gabrielle threw her head back in frustration.

"She's not a child…" Aphrodite said. "She is the same age you were when you met Xena."

"What is that supposed to mean Dite? I don't want this…I can't do this." Gabrielle turned to look at Aphrodite who had no answer for her. When she looked at Ares he just shrugged his shoulders.

"Make no mistakes Gabrielle, you can and will do this…the fate of your sisters depends on it." Artemis said, her tone brokering no argument and her dark eyes flashing with her impatience.

"Look, why don't we try to explain this better…" Aphrodite said suddenly feeling protective of Gabrielle.

Gabrielle was quiet for a moment as she thought back to a conversation she had had earlier with Brielle. She had been told that Leia had been injured about eight months ago, about the same time that Xena stopped coming to her. When her eyes moved to the small urn that sat on the mantle of the fireplace she got a small nod of acknowledgement from Aphrodite when she finally looked her way.

"You couldn't bring her back in her own body because it doesn't exist anymore…" Gabrielle was starting to put the pieces together. "But why did you have to bring her back at all?"

"Because dying on that mountain side in Japa wasn't supposed to be her destiny…" Artemis sighed. "She was wrongly convinced that she needed to sacrifice herself to save all of those souls she felt responsible for, but it was all a lie."

"I don't understand…Akimi said…" Gabrielle started to say but was interrupted by Ares.

"Akimi…" He growled. "She lied in an effort to trap Xena's soul. She meant for them to spend eternity together, but she hadn't counted on the one thing that couldn't keep Xena trapped."

"What is that?" Gabrielle looked up at him and frowned at the implication that she had lost Xena to something as petty as jealousy.

"You Sweet Pea…" Aphrodite reached out to touch Gabrielle's cheek. "She didn't count on the love Xena has for you, the love you have for her. It was enough to free Xena's soul from whatever bind Akimi tried to place on her."

"Are you saying that I lost the love of my life, my best friend, my soulmate…to a jealous ex?" Gabrielle asked dumbfounded that it could be true. She knew her answer when all three God's remained silent. "I feel sick…" She leaned forward and grabbed her stomach in an attempt to stem the need to purge her breakfast.

Artemis looked down at the young woman who was now bent over. She wasn't sure what to do, but when she saw Aphrodite glaring at her she reached over to rub gentle circles across Gabrielle's back. It wasn't something she was used to doing, but something told her she needed to do something…anything.

"Who brought her back?" Gabrielle looked up at Aphrodite and Ares.

"Well, that is a little complicated to explain…" Artemis started to say.

"Then un-complicate it…" Gabrielle forced herself to sit up so she could look at Artemis.

"Um…" Artemis cleared her throat nervously. "We made a deal with the God of Eli…with the help of the archangel Michael."

Gabrielle was quiet for a moment as her eye's traveled over the three figures that surrounded her. "What's the catch?" She asked.

"Well, that's where it gets complicated…" Ares tried not to smirk.

"I'm not going to like this am I?" Gabrielle glared at him.

"Probably not, but what can I say…I come by it naturally." His flippant remark drew a stern glare from his sisters.

"I'm waiting…" Gabrielle took a deep breath to prepare herself for what was coming.

"First, Xena…now Leia, doesn't have any memory of being Xena…therefore she has no memory of you." Artemis began.

"Please tell me that some innocent girl didn't give up her life so you all could play games…" Gabrielle asked.

"No…the girl was already lost. It was written by the fates for her to die that day and now her soul is free. We just needed the body." Artemis explained.

"She is, you know…" Gabrielle looked at Aphrodite. "She's just a girl…"

"Yes Gabrielle, she is just a girl…a very impressionable girl with a lot of anger she has no explanation for." Artemis continued. "But don't be fooled, she is very much Xena hidden within that young woman and we all know what happened to her…the path of destruction she chose with the help of him." She hitched her thumb at Ares who rolled his eyes in response. "What we need from you is to keep her from going down that path again…help her find her redemption before she needs it."

"I don't know if I can do that…" Gabrielle sighed as she dropped her shoulders in defeat. It was one thing knowing that Xena was back, but another to know that she was given the task of helping a perfect stranger find redemption.

"You can…" Aphrodite bent down to look at Gabrielle. When her blue eyes met Gabrielle's green eyes she smiled at the spark she saw hidden in the depths.

"I know there's more…what aren't you telling me?" Gabrielle looked away from the blue eyes that saw too much.

"Well…no one ever accused you of being dense…" Ares chuckled. "You are right, there is more. But I'm not sure you're ready to hear it yet."

Gabrielle turned to look at the God of War and a feeling of anger coursed through her at the somewhat smug look on his face. "Out with it…"

"Okay…" He shrugged his shoulders as if giving up. "I suppose you should know…it might even the odds."

"There are no even odds when it comes to you." Artemis sniped at him.

"Hey…it's not my fault they choose me to lay down some ground rules…" He sniped back.

"No, you're right. But it I am grateful they allowed Aphrodite and myself one concession in this whole mess." Artemis glared at him.

"Is anyone going to tell me?" Gabrielle looked between Artemis and Ares.

"Fine…I'll go first." He huffed as he turned to see an expectant look on Gabrielle's face. "It seems that if you don't move Xena to choose the path of 'love and light', then I get a do over."

"A do over?" Gabrielle raised an eyebrow in question.

"Yes…I get to use her to wage the wars I've always wanted. And it all starts with the Amazons…" His serious expression told Gabrielle all she needed to know.

"You've been trying for years to get your hands on my sisters…" Gabrielle slowly stood. Even though she was a good foot shorter than him it didn't show in her posture as she turned to face him head on. "I won't let you do it…" Her voice was barely a whisper.

"There is the Gabrielle I chose to lead my Amazons." Artemis grinned as she watched Gabrielle stand up to the God of War with no fear.

"I will die before you get another chance at poisoning her with your hate and anger." Green eyes that had once held nothing but sorrow flashed with a different type of anger, one she hadn't felt in a long time. "Her heart belongs to me…no matter what. Putting her soul in someone else's body will not change the bond we have."

"We'll see about that Blondie…but as always, I look forward to the challenge." Ares grinned at her.

"Ares can only communicate with her through her dreams, but even then he is limited to what he can reveal. None of us can tell her what her true identity is." Artemis said.

"I see…so as long as we remain here, she is safe from him." Gabrielle turned to Artemis.

"In a way, yes." Artemis nodded.

"What's Eve's role in all of this?" Gabrielle asked.

"Her role was to get you to come here in the first place. Once she is here, I think she will be able to help but you cannot tell her." Aphrodite gave her an apologetic smile even though she knew that Eve's role would play a larger part in how this played out in the end.

Gabrielle nodded her acceptance as she moved away from the three Gods. She bit her lip in concentration as she tried to decide what to do. "You know they are going to think I've lost my mind after what happened out there today."

"You're pretty resourceful…I'm sure you'll come up with something." Artemis watched as Gabrielle began pacing.

"You only said I couldn't tell anyone about Xena…you didn't say I couldn't tell my sisters that Ares is a threat…" Gabrielle's mind was already working on something to tell Varia.

"That's right." Artemis smiled when she saw Ares frown. It would do him no good to have the Amazon's tipped off to his threat.

"Hey…" He looked at Artemis. "That's not fair…"

"When have things ever been fair when you're around…?" Aphrodite made a face at him.

"Alright, fine…" He groused as he turned his attention to Gabrielle. "Let me just remind you though, when you let go of all of that anger…it can leave you feeling pretty lonely. That's where I come in."

Gabrielle stopped her pacing and looked at him with a surprised expression. Perhaps she had underestimated how much he understood because anger was the only thing she had left and she wasn't ready to relinquish it just yet.

"You mentioned something about destiny…what do you know of what should have been?" Gabrielle turned to address Artemis.

"Well, if the fates hadn't been misled…it was in both your and Xena's destiny to unite all of the Amazon tribes under one Queen." Artemis looked sad at the prospect that it might not happen. When Gabrielle gave her a questioning look, she continued by answering what Gabrielle did not need to ask. "Yes…you would have been that Queen…and Xena would have ruled alongside you. Together you were meant to save my dear Amazon's from the extinction that Ares wants."

All Gabrielle could do was nod in understanding. The one thing that had haunted her for the last three years was the idea that she had given Xena up much too easily. She had dismissed dreams of what could have been and now it pained her to know they hadn't just been dreams but images of what should have been.

"Hey, I'm all for this idle chit chat, but I've got things to do…" Ares crossed his arms as he glared at his sisters. "I'll be back when you have some time to let things sink in Blondie…I'm sure we'll find something else to talk about…just give me a shout out when you're ready." He gave Gabrielle a smug smile as he disappeared.

"I thought he'd never leave…" Aphrodite sighed when Ares vanished. She turned her attention to Gabrielle who had stopped pacing and was now looking at the spot where Ares had once occupied. "I'm sorry we had to involve him…but you know how these things go."

"Did you do this with Xena's consent?" Gabrielle asked, suddenly not caring so much about Ares.

"Yes Gabrielle, she had the final say on whether it was to be carried out or not." Artemis answered.

"So that last night she came to me, she knew?" Anger and sadness washed over Gabrielle as the image of Xena fading away came to her mind. Artemis nodded and Gabrielle let out a heavy sigh. "She knew and she didn't tell me…" Her voice trailed off as her emotions surged again.

"It wasn't her fault…" Aphrodite reached out to touch Gabrielle on the shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. "She knew the rules and still she chose the path that leads to you…"

"I need some time to think…" Gabrielle placed her hand on Aphrodite's and gave it a gentle squeeze to reassure her that she was okay. "I will accept the challenge and will to the best of my ability find a way to save her, but I need some time to process all of this." She held her arms out to indicate the big picture before bringing her arms back to hug herself. "Will you give me a day or two without interfering…please?"

"One day…" Artemis stood and nodded her consent. "One day of quiet contemplation and reflection, we owe you that much."

"Thank you…" It was all Gabrielle had the strength to say as she sat back down on her bed.

"I have faith in you Gabrielle…" Artemis reached out to touch Gabrielle on the check. She used her fingers to tilt Gabrielle's face up so she could look into calm green eyes the color of a meadow after a spring rain storm. It still startled her how beautiful the young woman she had chosen to lead her Amazons was and a pang of jealousy clouded her thoughts as she realized those eyes would never look upon her the way they looked upon Xena. It was a fleeting moment of weakness, but even the Gods were humbled from time to time and this was one of those times for Artemis.

Aphrodite had seen the shadow flicker across Artemis' face and decided that it was time for them to leave. "You know what to do if you need us Gabrielle…" She bent down to kiss Gabrielle on the forehead, essentially pushing Artemis away and jarring her from her light trance.

"Yes Gabrielle, as Ares said, give us a shout out if you need us." Artemis gave an apologetic smile to her sister when she realized that Aphrodite had seen more than she had wanted.

"I'll keep that in mind." Gabrielle mumbled as she leaned back and closed her eyes. She was so tired she could hardly keep her eyes open anymore.

"Did you do that?" Aphrodite turned to Artemis.

"No…" Artemis crossed her arms and glared at the empty space next to Gabrielle's bed. "You just couldn't leave it be could you Ares…"

"Just thought I'd give her a little time away from the here and now…" A voice spoke aloud even though no one was there.

"Well, I suppose it couldn't hurt." Artemis sighed as she looked down at the now sleeping Gabrielle. "But don't make it a habit…I promised her one day without interference and by the Gods, she deserves that much from us."

"Agreed…" The voice spoke again. "Later ladies…I'm off to find myself a warrior to mold."

"Damn him…" Artemis let out a heavy breath. "I guess that's our cue too."

Aphrodite couldn't stop herself from brushing the thick blonde bangs away from Gabrielle's forehead. She smiled when she felt the soft warm skin under her fingertips and the urge to touch the full, slightly parted lips got the better of her as she brushed her thumb over Gabrielle's bottom lip. "Sweet dreams Gabrielle…" She bent to place a soft kiss on the lips she suddenly found so tempting and as she pulled away her heart broke just a little at the thought that she would never feel those lips returning her kiss.

"It's hard not to fall in love with her…isn't it?" Artemis had quietly watched the exchange.

"Sister, you just said a mouthful…" Aphrodite took her sister's hand and with a wave of her hand they disappeared leaving Gabrielle to her solitude…finally.