Chapter 28:Close to death

Gabrielle POV

The slam of the door and then a raging Ares leaving the inn was all I needed to know that they had a fight.

Soon after him, but a few minutes later, Xena came into the kitchen.

"He left." I mumbled unintelligibly and that only appeared to unsettle her even more that she already was. I only got the unfortunate chance to see my friend in such turmoil on some occasions…and those very rare…

"Care to come for a ride?" she asked, still visibly shaken up by their argument. I just nodded and after that we took Argo and one more horse from the barn and left the town riding.

That calmed her and soon we founded ourselves alone in the woods just as before when she was pregnant with Evie…I missed our old life sometimes, but I knew better than to want it back again. Her safety and the one of her child came first now. We couldn't risk a God trailing us.

"Feeling better Xena?" I inquired timidly.

"Much better..."….She returned the smile, but I could see the sadness in her eyes.

"I'm glad."

"What do you think of fishing? There's a stream somewhere nearby. Me and Lyceus, we used to go there a lot, without Mom knowing about it of course..." She asked with enthusiasm and I just couldn't deny her the pleasure, even if truth being said, fishing was more her thing than mine.

So that's what we've done all day till twilight came and we returned back to Cyrene's tavern.

"Xena…you're finally here…"

Cyrene's smile was a little bit forced and I could see that my friend did notice that too.

" Something wrong? Where's Eve?"

"She's here, don't worry…"

Eve was on the floor playing with some toys.

"Mommy..!."

She came running to us. "I've missed you so much…"

"I've missed you too sweetie." Xena answered, kissing her little girl on the forehead.

"Where's Daddy ?"

Xena looked at Cyrene but her mother avoided her gaze and then I knew for sure that something was wrong.

"Mom…Keep playing sweetie…Daddy will come home soon…" Eve left and retook her game.

Xena took her mother aside.

"Mom where is Ares? Didn't he come back by now?"

Cyrene gulped.

"He did… right after you two left saying that he wants to talk to you but I didn't really know where he is now...I mean…Xena…"

Noise was coming from outside and we stopped talking for a few seconds. Moments later, we saw that four people were carrying someone inside. The color in Xena's cheeks disappeared as she saw Ares bleeding to death in the arms of those strangers.

"What happened?" She asked terrified.

Eve started to cry instantly when she saw him and Cyrene took her in another room to calm her.

"We only found him on the road…" the farmers answered afraid for their lives.

"Come, hurry…put him inside..."

She made space for them to put him on the bed in his room.

"Thank you!" She added, and the farmers nodded before leaving.

"Ares can you hear me?" She questioned, her voice strangled, but she didn't get any answer out of him. He was unconscious.

"Gabrielle?"

"Yes?" I went next to her.

"I need water, rags…those wounds look bad to me...and if the bleeding doesn't stop…" She said, starting to closely inspect every one of those wounds.

He had a cut on his left leg, a couple more on his arms and a very big one on his abdomen.

I froze. I was pretty much aware of the fact that if the organs were touched, he would bleed to death with or without Xena's help.

I left the room and looked for Cyrene to help me find what Xena had asked for.

"Cyrene..."

I finally spotted her a couple of yards away from her own room.

"Shh…I was barely able to calm Evie down..."

She closed the door to her room and came towards me.

"How is he?" she demanded to know, obvious worry in her voice.

"I need water, rags, ointments.."

"How is he?" she insisted, giving me a look stunningly similar to Xena's when she was mad.

"I don't know... not well. I wish I knew what happened.." I said to myself, surprised to receive her answer seconds later.

"It's kinda my fault…" I looked at her, not believing…

"He made me promise not to say a word to Xena…. being pregnant and all...and I was afraid too, so.."

"Wait…Xena needs this urgently…We can always have this talk later, ok?"

She nodded absently. I took all the necessary things from her and I got back to Xena.

I opened the door to his room and Xena gave me a desperate look.

"I have these…" I said to her.

She took the rags and put them in the water and began to feverishly clean his wounds.

"Gabrielle…can you do this?" She was referring to the cleaning part.

"I need to prepare a plant ointment for his abdomen .. The blood won't stop otherwise...I applied some pressure but…"

I began my work too, but I never stopped looking at her...When I was dying in that temple a couple of years back, I saw the exact same expression on her face...Impossibly to control tears were streaming down her cheeks…thinking that she was about to lose me...Now it was him…. I couldn't help asking myself what was it that she really felt for him? I wanted to ask her just that, but it wasn't the right time and place for it, plus, I was dead sure that she wasn't going to give me a straight answer anyway, so I just dropped the idea.

I was always scared of what he was capable to do to her if she ever tried to shut him out of her life…...Almost every time, I could see him breaking her neck or something….And still, seeing him with Eve lately, had somehow changed my opinion about him, in so many ways….He was not the same, evil, selfish God I had once known….He cared about Xena…and he loved Eve to pieces….

…..And now, they were both on the verge of losing him…he was no longer immortal, his blood on her hands was the undeniable proof of that…..

"Gabrielle..."

My name came out, but I could see that her eyes were still firmly fixed on him ….

"I need wood, fire…"

I nodded automatically, knowing very well what she intended to do.

"I will be right back…" There was a pause.

"….Xena.."

She finally looked at me.

"….He will be fine." I added, before leaving the room, trying to give her something to cling to.

In a very short time I was back. I opened the door again and Xena did not even flinch. Did she hear me? I was not sure. She was caressing his face….

"You can't give up…Don't you dare give up…."

Her voice was not clear and I could surely tell why…

"Xena… here."

She looked at me and I saw fresh trails of tears on her cheeks.

She took the stick from my hand and positioned it in front of that big, ugly wound that she wanted to cauterize.

"Hold him down." She ordered. "As tight as you can."

At the contact of the burning stick with his raw flesh, Ares regained consciousness almost immediately…not the most pleasant way to do so…The pain must have been excruciating...Xena took the stick out and Ares began to moan.

"It's ok...it's ok.." She said to him on a low, soothing voice.

"Who did this to you Ares?..."

He only moaned in response, his eyes still closed.

"It's ok….You will be just fine..."

"Xena…your mother knows something."

I decided to speak. She only gave me an incredulous look.

"I still need to smear this ointment on his wounds…Can you bring her here?"

I nodded, and soon after I returned with Cyrene.

"Xena is he..?"

"Mom what do you know? Who did this to him?" my friend asked angrily.

"Xena...I don't know…I just know that someone was searching for you and Ares asked me not to tell you anything because he would go meet that person in your place…He wanted to protect you and your child. I'm sorry!...I was afraid to tell you….."

"Mom he is mortal…!" Xena yelled as if Cyrene should have been able to understand more than the obvious.

"I'm sorry!"

"X…Xena.." Ares started to moan her name, over and over again.

She tried to calm him, but it was in vain. One didn't need to be a scientist to say that he was anxious about something.

"Shh..I'm here…."

He had high fever and he was delirious….

Suddenly, I saw her face change. Her hands were placed on her belly and she wanted to get up from the bed but she couldn't…I panicked.

"Are you alright?" Cyrene looked at us terrified and afraid.

"No…not now…he's coming...the baby's coming."

She looked desperately at me and then her eyes shifted back to Ares….

Hi guys, just wanted to tell that what really happened with Ares will be shown soon enough in the story, a couple of chapters or so, so don't worry! ) Thank you all one more time for reading this!