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He materialized himself in the throne room of the castle, produced a full wine goblet in his hand, sank down on his throne and snapped a portal open. He needed to get his mind off of the conversation with his sister.

He didn't know why he did what he did next; when he saw Xena with Gabrielle, he would normally shut it down. Now, he kept staring instead, and then, something pushed him to tune in and listen. It was safe, they were in the kitchen; too far for her to sense his presence.

"Xena, we need to talk…"

"I'm worried about Ares."

"What? Why?"

"The whole Twilight mess is getting to him. He's been acting odd recently."

"You mean, you're also freaked out by how civilized he's been?" Gabrielle smirked.

"I think he's not coping too well with being at war with his family."

"Ares – not coping well with being at war – that's a good one," Gabrielle laughed. "Please… Xena… Ares doesn't care about anyone but himself. And you. And maybe Aphrodite. Besides, he's a god, Xena – his sentiments are different from ours, his notion of—"

"Something's off, Gabrielle, he's different, he's… suffering."

"Xena – don't you think it might just be your hormones talking? You just had a baby—"

"What the fuck does this have to do with anything? Are you fucking serious?"

"Xena, I'm just worried."

"About what?"

"About what you're doing and how it might affect our future."

"What…?"

"Look, I get it, you're attracted to him – fine – but playing family with him, seriously?"

"Gabrielle, we're living under one roof, it's only normal—"

"Not, it's not – not with him – Xena, you're not just sleeping with him, you're – I saw the way you look at him – you're falling for him..."

"You're overreacting."

"Tell me you don't have feelings for him."

He held his breath without him knowing.

There was silence.

"What's really the matter, Gabrielle?"

Gabrielle snorted, then exhaled noisily. "I'm just trying to think ahead, Xena – I'm sorry, but someone has to. The plan was to seduce him into helping us, not fall in love with him…"

He felt goosebumps run down the whole length of his arms.

"I'm off to bed, I'm tired."

"Xena, wait – wait – and what if he really gives up his godhood like he told you, what then? Have you even thought about it? He's gonna join us on the road, is that how you see it? Remember the last time he was mortal? Xena – he was a charity case…"

"It won't come to that. He's not gonna give up his godhood while the gods are after us. His powers are the only thing keeping all of us alive right now – himself included."

"So, when this is all over, what happens next? We'll be back to our regular life, like nothing happened?"

"Gabrielle…"

"And you'll move on, just like that…"

"Why are you doing this?"

"Xena, I'm just trying to understand – I just wanna know…"

"Know what?"

"If he's gonna be in our life."

"He's always been in our life, Gabrielle, he's a god…"

"After what happed with Dahak and my daughter – you don't have to remind me, believe me…" By the gods, she really didn't know when to shut up… how Xena'd been able to put up with this for years – he had no idea.

"Gabrielle—"

"My daughter – the Furies – your mother – Xena, he wanted you to kill your own mother – he made our lives hell, for years, toyed with us like we were his playthings – and after all this time, you're now just letting him in, like… like none of it happened… I just…"

He ran his palm up and down his gauntlet, waiting, but no response came; the blonde just rambled on.

"I just don't understand, Xena…"

"What is it that you want, Gabrielle?"

"I just want our life back."

"I want it, too; just without the bunch of gods trying to kill my child."

"So, we need him now, I get it. So, what's the plan now? The two of you go against the gods? What if your powers don't work on others?"

"They do, we tried it on Aphrodite, as well."

"So, you'll kill everyone but her and Ares, is that it?"

"I don't set out to kill anyone, Gabrielle, but – unless we wanna be stuck here for the rest of our lives – we'll have to get back out there, and once we will, they will come after Eve, and it will be our lives against theirs."

"And Ares will help you against them…"

"That's what he said he wanted."

"I don't know, Xena… I mean, I know this has been the plan all along, but still – how can you trust someone who's able to betray his family like that?"

"I never said I trusted him, Gabrielle."

"You trust him with Eve..."

"He wouldn't harm Eve."

"You can't know that."

"If he laid a hand on Eve, he would have me lay hands on him – and trust me, he doesn't want that."

"Oh really? That's not what I heard every night this week…" Gabrielle snorted.

There was a loud sigh.

"Doesn't mean I trust him."

"Good, because this whole altruistic act he's been pulling – I won't be surprised if it turns out it was just so he can turn us in to Zeus when we least expect it."

"He can try – god or not, under my blade he's as mortal as everyone else."

Gabrielle smirked. "Xena, please – you held a dagger of Helios to his throat after he killed Eli – and you couldn't do it."

"Didn't you used to be the advocate of me not killing people?"

"He's not people, Xena – he's the reason behind the deaths of billions—"

"He's the God of War, Gabrielle…"

"Exactly – and he'll never stop until he gets you in his grasp again."

"Is this what it's all about? You think my sleeping with him will turn me back into a monster, is that it?"

"You want the truth, Xena? Fine – yes, I think it could as well lead to that – or even worse – to him standing between us forever…"

"Even worse?"

There was silence, and then commotion, and Gabrielle's voice again. "Xena, I'm sorry, that's not what I meant – Xena, wait… Xena!"

The footsteps stopped, and the annoying voice filled the air again. "Xena… see? He's always tried to put a wedge between us, and look at us…"

"I am. And it's wearing me down, Gabrielle."

A moment of silence followed, and then a sniffling sound of tears, and Xena's voice, softening. "Hey… come here."

"I'm sorry… I just…"

"It's okay."

"I just want things to be the way they were… I want there to be us, Xena, the way it used to be…"

"There'll always be us, Gabrielle, you're my family…"

"Xena, I saw you – I'm sorry, I didn't mean to – the way you touched his face when you kissed him… your eyes when he was holding Eve… it's too late… you won't be able to live without him. And I don't think I'll be able to live with him. I'm sorry, Xena."

The muffled sound of his heartbeat was drumming in his ears. He held his breath, not sure if he wanted to hear the reply. Something was telling him to leave before it was too late.

"Xena… say something, please…"

There was another moment of silence before she spoke. "You're asking me to choose…" she whispered.

"No."

"You are."

"I don't want to…"

"You shouldn't need to…"

He froze, the lump pressing into his throat, the unpleasant cold spreading around his chest as he dimly realized that, for the first time in his life, this place didn't feel like home anymore.

He raised his hand to dematerialize himself, only to realize that he didn't really have anywhere to go.

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For some reason, he found himself in his temple in Amphipolis. Her hometown. How ironic.

He walked around the throne room, numbly glancing over the altar full of offerings. He always liked coming back here; there was so much her in this temple. Almost like it was hers. Maybe it was; his place to worship her.

Somehow, it didn't feel good to be here now.

It was dark just as he liked it; sunlight trying to slip in through the narrow gapes between the dark, heavy drapes, not quite successfully. He could see her here, walking up to the window and baring it, blinding him with sunlight. Like he wasn't blinded already.

"…she doesn't love you… you know that… you've always known that…"

His lids fell shut, heaviness weighing down his chest. He needed to sit.

Producing a goblet of wine, he sank down onto the throne. His throne; sitting on it had never felt so meaningless.

Bringing the golden goblet to his lips, he sipped slowly, and then downed it all at once.

So, she'd had it planned all along; it shouldn't surprise him. It almost didn't. Maybe just stung a bit. She was always a step ahead of him, so fucking cunning – but damn him to Tartarus if it wasn't what he loved about her most.

"The plan was to seduce him into helping us against the gods…" Gabrielle's voice echoed in his head.

He snorted, refilling the goblet.

Was this what she'd been doing? Sleeping with him for benefits?

He'd known something was off; it had been too easy, her jumping into his arms like that; after all those years of resisting him as a matter of principle. Was this what it was? A staged act? A calculated transaction?

And, what was the most pathetic – he would've done it all the same anyway; she didn't need to stoop that low.

Though, if he'd had more dignity and self-respect, he would've offered her a deal first; her body in exchange for his help, if she liked whoring herself that much; at least it would've been clear and honest.

Maybe Athena was right. Fucking weak, that was what he was.

And on top of that – he hadn't just offered his help – gods, he'd as much as begged her to accept it… "Fine, if that's what you want…" she agreed, with such nonchalance, like she was doing him a favor… perfidious bitch.

He looked inside the goblet in his hand; it was empty; quite like he was feeling.

He didn't even feel like confronting her. Besides, what the hell would it get him, anyway – more pity in her eyes; a sneer maybe; a few words of a bitter reminder of all the times it had been him who played her.

Funny, how he cringed at the thought of her now; and simultaneously, how much he fucking needed to see her, more than ever.

Or, maybe he should let it go. She wanted to leave; let her leave. Let's see how she would manage on her own. Without his help.

He looked around the temple and sneered. How ironic; years ago she had built it for him, so he could now have a place to shelter himself from her. If that wasn't the lowest he could fall, he didn't want to know what was.

Maybe he should just take Aphrodite up on her offer and end this once and for all. Or, just let her take Eve, look the other way; he wouldn't manage to do it himself, but maybe if she did it, if he wasn't there—

He froze, feeling a familiar stir in chest; something was wrong.

Before he could think, with a snap of his fingers, he had no idea why, but he was back in the castle, in Xena's room.

She wasn't there.

There was just Aphrodite. Standing at the crib. Reaching into the crib.

Out of breath, he rushed to her side before he knew it, snatching the crying kid from her arms.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" he hissed, shielding the baby with his arms.

"Relax babe, I just wanted to hold her…"

"Get the fuck out of here."

"Ar, come on… you don't mean that…"

"I said – get out…"

Pursing her lips as if she was about to cry, Aphrodite vanished without a sound.

He sank into the armchair with a loud exhale, lightheaded with confusion, waiting for his breath to return to normal, relaxing his arms muscles that still had him clutching the wailing child tight against his chest. He kept brushing her head with his thumb; she seemed to be calming down when he did that.

It wasn't long before the door flung open.

Xena barged in, her face softening when she saw him.

"I thought I heard her cry," she slowly, gently sat down on his lap, putting her hand on top of his that was holding the child's head. "But I see you already fixed it."

His heartbeat quickened again; because he didn't want it to feel so good; because it was torture to be here now, with her, like this, with this damn kid in his arms, with the uncertainty of what just happened with Aphrodite – he'd thought she wanted to take Eve – she wouldn't betray him like this, would she – this was him being paranoid.

"You okay?" she stroked the back of his head, making his lids close, as always when she did that.

"You let your sentiments rule you. Is it worth it? Those few moments in her arms in exchange for eternity?"

And she was asking him if he was okay; some nerve she had. Oddly enough, he was too tired to even be mad at her. He huffed under his breath. "What do you think?" he looked her in the eye. Her lashes fluttered, lips parting slightly. The damn pity in her eyes; he couldn't stand it. "I gotta go," he made a motion to push her off his lap.

She nestled Eve in her arms, eyeing him with concern and something else; was she nervous? "Where're you going?"

"Since when do we tell each other everything?"

Catching a glimpse of the confused frown on her face, he disappeared without a sound.

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