Chapter 3:Keeping you safe

Ares POV

My heart skipped a beat while I kneeled next to her, complete confusion taking over my senses...Not knowing what was wrong with her was like the scariest feeling of all...She didn't seem to be hurt...not physically at least...so what was the problem?

I gently took her in my arms and placed her on my bed while frantically looking for an injury that should have been there somewhere. Gods knew there was no other valid explanation for her lost of consciousness...When I found none, I still couldn't decide if I had to be relieved or worried about it...

Once more I took a long, wondering glance at her unnaturally pale visage...Her features didn't express pain in any way, on the contrary she pretty much looked as if she were drowned in sleep...a profound, but peaceful sleep...

And than it suddenly hit me- as only one of Zeus's thunder bolts could...If she was not physically wounded and if there was no loss of blood to explain the ghastliness of her carnation...then I was a dead God...For the love of ...me...! It couldn't be that...and yet at the same time it had to be...nothing else made sense.

I don't really know why I was so surprised about it I mean, when it did happen I was pretty sober and aware of what I was doing...Still, my brain refused to let my conscience deal with it...Once again, I've manipulated and hurt her- indirectly, yes, but then again, there was no justification for my selfish desires...Fouling myself with telling my brain that it was safe, was definitely a bad move...Who was I kidding? Doing something like that...These godly tricks are never easy and always way too complicated.

One thing I was sure of though...If something happened to her I could never forgive myself for having harmed her like that ... How stupid of me to forget that she was only mortal after all, she was strong but she was not made of iron...

"Xena…Princess wake up! Come on, Sweet!" I somehow managed to whisper, taking her hands in mine to check her pulse...Again, to my immeasurable relief, everything appeared to be ok...It was probably a matter of minutes for her to react to my voice and touch...

"Don't you worry, Darling, everything will be just fine, I promise" I added glancing for a split second towards her womb, wanting so hard to caress it's still perfectly flat surface but without actually daring to...It was as if admitting my guilt...

A few endless minutes of silent pleading, and, all of the sudden I felt her fingers intertwining with mine. I froze at the warmness of her reaction...Without actually premeditating the gesture, I raised her hand at my lips and I kissed it softly.

"Xena...can you hear me?" I said, hoping to get a response out of her.

She slowly opened her adorable baby blues and stared blankly at me for a few seconds before answering.

"Ares?..What happened?",she asked in a barely audible voice.

"I don't know...you just...fainted...I guess..."I uttered beneath my breath, trying not to sound too worried.

A few moments later, she withdrew her hand taking in her surroundings.

"This is your bedroom..bed." she observed as she finally gazed around and realized where she was.

Her first instinct was to get up and leave of course, but I made sure to stop her with a firm hand placed on her shoulder.

"How are you feeling?"I asked somehow fearing the answer.

"A little dizzy…but fine…could you let go of me, now?"she harshly inquired , throwing a very explicite glance in the direction of my arms , making sure to let me know that she was far from appreciating my concern.

Stubborn as she was, I was well aware that she had no intention of listening to my wise advice of taking it easy and lying down for a while longer, so I just let go of her shoulders, a resigned look in my eyes.

The very next minute she was up on her feet and ready to leave.

"Xena...don't you think it would be better for you to..."

I didn't get the chance to finish that phrase for the moody Warrior Princess cut me off quite rudely.

"I think I'm old enough to decide what's best for me, Ares? Take me back to the beach. "

...It did sound like an ultimatum.

"It sounds so very simple when you say it...and you are so damned convinced that I will do it too...But no, you're not going anywhere...not untill you're felling better, I mean look at you! You're as pale as a corpse!"

"You're always over reacting." She retorted, glaring back at me as if I were insane.

"Now do me the favor and take me back since you were the one who brought me here in the first place…"

She sounded more demanding this time.

"Xena... maybe you should just consider staying for awhile...With everything that happened...you're not well."

"Yes I am.." She said in a confident tone as if what had just happened was of minor importance , but I knew better. She would never admit it in front of me…not in a million years, but all that tragedy must have hurt terribly.

"Where's my breastplate...? My armor?",she asked while scanning the room, searching for it.

"It's not here…I thought you were injured..." I mumbled the apology...I still don't know why it sounded so weird since I didn't actually need an excuse to do it...We were ex lovers after all...

"Right..."she said sarcastically while taking a good look at herself and noticing that she was only wearing her linen, white shift. "Now give them back and take me to the.."

"Could you stop this for a moment?"

Gods knew I was on the verge of losing my patience. She did have the irritating habit of making me feel like that given that she was so incurably stubborn.

"Why?...What do you want now Ares? If it's the Queen garbage, you're wasting your time, I'm not going back to being what I was, end of discussion...now take me back, will ya'?." ,she barked at me in a more commanding voice.

"Why do you want to go back?" I asked intrigued by her persistence, really waiting for her answer, leaving my anger aside.

I just couldn't understand what in the world was so damn important for her there that couldn't wait a couple of hours more, just until we could resolve the part with her delicate health.I mean Blondie was dead, Eve was gone...Was she planning to burry them or something?

That's when she really turned around to face me , but she must have failed realising that I was so dangerously close to her, cause the instant she turned, our lips almost brushed... She had initially opened her mouth to say something but closed it back fast. That tempting mouth of hers...ohhh!

"...Gabrielle what else?" ,she finally stated .That pesky little friend of hers. Ohh how I hated her!

"Gabrielle is dead." I cruelly reminded her, without the slightest consideration for her suffering.

She swallowed hard and averted her gaze from me, taking a step back to put some space between us.

"She's my friend ...I need to be with her right now..but of course how could you understand that..?..You're a soulless Bastard, you've never loved anyone in your life"

Her remark hurt me...She was dead wrong...I did feel something for her...My disty Sister said it was love, but then again how could one make the difference between lust and real love when I hadn't loved anyone before her?

War was soooo simple: anger, hate, strong feelings on the battlefield, the smell of blood, the image of thousands of corpses decomposing in the sun...But Love...Love was so confusing...

"That's only because you always refuse to hear me out.." I answered back sharply.

"Please stop selling me that crappy of speech...You yourself don't believe it, do you actually expect me to swallow it ? "

"Fine.."

I did have a rather interesting speech in store for her but I let it be this time.. I was still too concerned about her condition to focus on that too.

A shade of surprise flashed across the surface of her beryl eyes. Maybe because she had been waiting for an outburst that didn't come...

"Now lay back.."I said on a commanding tone.

"What ?!", she exclaimed, glaring daggers at me.

"You've heard me. You will not leave this place until I say so."

...It was a wrong move but the line came out from my mouth without thinking.

"Well watch me then!" , she challenged decisively , while heading for the door, but I teleported myself right in front of her.

"Get out of my way Ares!" she yelled and I could literally feel her anger rising up. I knew that she needed to calm down and fast.

"Will you listen to me for once? "

She just pushed me angrily aside, only to discover that opening the door was an impossible task..

"You can't go outta' here….not without my permission. Did you forget that?" I specified, while she kept gazing in wonder at the colossal gates separating her from the rest of the world.

I shook my head and than kept an eye on her just in case...Unfortunately, my guess was right...Within seconds she was supporting her weight against the wall. Guilt and fear began washing over me once more ...

I quickly materialized in front of her.

"Are you ok...?."

"I…"

"Shhh!" I put my fingers on her lips and than I took her in my arms. As much as she wanted to protest she didn't have the energy to.

"I'll keep you safe…don't worry!"