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The day was hot and sunny; one of many recently. Not even a slightest breeze.

Gabrielle sighed, looking at the old but nicely polished brown wooden door of the place they'd arrived at just yesterday.

Cyrene's inn was just as she remembered it.

There was some warmth in here that she hadn't felt anywhere else, not even her family home. Whether it was Cyrene and her motherly vibe, or the staff – all the women and girls, whose very faces made one feel at home. Amidst the tempest going on around them, it was a balm to the soul.

As was the happily cooing bundle in her arms, adorably oblivious to being the main character in the twilight of the Greek gods.

"You love it here, too, huh?" Gabrielle pressed her lips to the girl's forehead, getting a happy giggle in return, the soft, sweet baby smell filling her nostrils; no wonder Xena smelled her all the time; she secretly did the same.

"Gabrielle," Cyrene beamed, coming from behind the bar; Gabrielle knew it wasn't as much to greet herself as it was to hug her granddaughter, but she didn't mind; it was so heart-warming to see Xena's mother so radiant and happy for once; the way her own mother had never been. And likely never will be. They considered it, of course they had – coming with Eve to Potidaea, to Gabrielle's parents; but she knew they wouldn't. Xena wasn't too stoked about the idea of seeing the people that still held a grudge for what they called taking their daughter away from them. Gabrielle didn't blame her. She wasn't too keen on going there herself. They wouldn't even understand the Eve situation on its own, not to mention Gabrielle introducing Eve to them as her daughter. It was a lost cause.

"Where's Xena?"

"She's out scouting, should be back soon," Gabrielle smiled, watching Cyrene nuzzle the baby's face, eliciting more giggles.

Cyrene didn't know.

Not yet. They would tell her once Xena was back with the result of her negotiations with Ares.

She had a bad feeling about this. Nothing good ever came out of situations he was involved in. One way or another, Xena would always outsmart him in the end, but they'd pay the price in emotional toll every time. And right now, with Athena's troops advancing towards Amphipolis, more drama was the last thing they needed.

A part of her wondered, wasn't Ares behind all of this? Yes, after the death of Zeus and Hera, Athena was the head of Olympus and the one in charge of the godly hunt for Eve, but it somehow seemed a bit below the Goddess of Wisdom to go and massacre innocent people, even given the circumstances. No; this had Ares written all over it.

Xena hadn't disclosed the details with her, but "I'll try to get Ares on our side" sounded anything but good.

Because there was only one leverage she had over him – herself. He was obsessed with her, desperate to get her back for years; and into his bed, undoubtedly. Xena claimed they'd never slept together; Gabrielle had a hard time believing it, to be honest, but then again, there was no reason for Xena to lie about it – she'd shared much worse details from her past. Maybe that was why this potential alliance about to happen was eating her alive now. It was obvious Xena would never take him up on his absurd offer – bearing him a child – what was he even thinking? But still, the very fact she was now with him, alone, bothered her more than she wanted to admit. With the way he was acting recently, with all his chasing after Xena, trying to get her to be with him, the hurt in his eyes when he looked at her – this thing between them was starting to lose its previous definition – and, as much as she tried not to make a big deal out of it – it was starting to get to her; mostly because Xena didn't seem as indifferent to him as she claimed to be.

She glanced toward the sound of the entrance door creaking open.

The sunlit doorway held the broad-shouldered silhouettes of Ancus and Atys, the twins. Gabrielle smiled; those two were inseparable; and those baby faces – if she hadn't known they were in their twenties, she'd think they were barely sixteen. Maybe that was what they tried to cover up with all the muscle mass; they were hardly taller than herself, but whenever her eyes roamed down past their necks, she found herself blushing.

"Gabrielle, a word," they waved at her. Xena and herself were anticipating their arrival to learn how much time they had to prepare defenses before Athena's forces reached the village. Judging by their faces, they brought good news; if any news could be considered good at the moment.

"Be right back," she smiled at Cyrene, following the boys outside.

"Two days," one of the brothers said. Embarrassingly enough, she still couldn't tell them apart.

"How big the army?" she asked.

"Twice what we have," the other boy said grimly.

Gabrielle's heart faltered; she couldn't tell them about Xena's plan yet, but she had to lift their morale somehow. "That's doable – two days is more than enough – Xena is a brilliant strategist – have I told you how she once fought off the whole army by herself?"

"That's a little exaggerated, I'd say," the familiar deep, sharp but reassuring female voice resounded behind her. "It was several dozen tops, and just infantry – not too well-trained, at that – which is why the two of you had better remember to drag your asses to the drill practice after dinner."

"Yes, ma'am!"

The boys' faces lit up at the very sight of her even before she opened her mouth; but then again, she understood as no one else. There was this calm, stubborn confidence about her that made one feel both safe and in awe at once. It had been just what drew her to Xena in the first place, back when her teenage self had first laid eyes on the grim, intimidating warrior woman passing by a place as utterly insignificant as the little village of Potidaea.

"What weapons did you have on you? Just a sword?" one of the twins started.

"By the gods, Atys, you're even dumber than you look…"

"Oh yeah? Right back at you – we're identical twins, you idiot," Atys frowned at his brother. They were adorable, those two.

"Did you have a bow? You had to be up on a tree, with a bow at least…"

"A crossbow!"

"Shut up, Atys."

Gabrielle stifled a chuckle. Well, their young looks weren't the only reason she'd first thought they were just kids.

"I only had a sword and my chakram. We were in a house – Gabrielle was sick in the attic – and they were coming in through the door and the roof."

"I'll be inside," Gabrielle winked, leaving Xena with the wide-eyed, flushed-faced brothers to answer the rest of the fervent questions about what Gabrielle personally counted as the most unbelievable stunt Xena had ever pulled, in all the years they'd known each other.

The tree of them – Xena and the twins – entered the inn minutes later. Gabrielle was sitting at the bar, keeping an eye on Cyrene playing with Eve nearby; with the gods after them, they had to be on alert at all times, even in as safe an environment as this. It did get mentally draining, but there was no choice.

She looked towards Xena; she was dying to hear about the outcome of her visit in the temple. Luckily, when their eyes met, Xena motioned towards the stairs. Cyrene didn't notice her daughter, anyway; the granddaughter was now all she could see.

"How was it?" Gabrielle asked once they were alone, in their room upstairs. She didn't like the vibe she was feeling; she didn't like what she saw either. Xena's calm disposition was gone; there was angry tension about her that made it very obvious that Gabrielle wasn't going to like what she was about to hear.

"I have a plan, Gabrielle –we need bows – find out who can make them and have them make'em fast – and plenty – four dozen would be good."

"I see the chat with the twins turned out fruitful?"

Xena raised her brow, half-grinning. "You can say I got inspired."

"Xena – you know that wasn't what I asked about, right?"

"What?"

"How was the talk with Ares?"

Xena's lips tightened, her expression darkening. "We don't need Ares, not if my plan works."

"We might need him eventually… we can fight off an army, but Athena won't let it go after one battle…"

"This will be the next step. Right now, we need crossbows."

"You said bows."

"Bows, sorry. Crossbows would be better, but bows are simpler and faster to make."

Gabrielle watched her with worry. She was distracted. And avoiding the subject. Something had happened in the temple.

"Xena…"

"There's no time to waste, Gabrielle – let's go."

"No."

"What?"

"Not until you tell me what happened."

There it was, the jaw clenching. "Come on, Gabrielle."

"Xena, stop it, for – heaven's sake!"

Xena drew in a breath, visibly taken aback by the outbreak; Gabrielle was a bit shocked herself.

"We are in this together Xena – Eve is my daughter, too – and we're about to embark on something that might as well end up being the last day of our lives – so if you're choosing this very moment to start hiding things from me – you're—"

"We discussed a deal. But it won't be necessary, not if—"

"What deal?"

"He's to protect Eve. Bound by a contract," Xena said hurriedly, removing her breastplate and scabbard, and then, after a moment, putting the scabbard back on, and taking a step towards the door. "I need a quick bath before dinner."

"To protect Eve in return for what?"

"You coming?"

With a loud sigh, she got up and followed Xena downstairs.

Once they entered the bath chamber, she grabbed a bucket, but Xena stopped her. "We don't have time, Gabrielle – it'll just be a quick cold one this time."

She let out a long exhale of disapproval. There were few things she hated as much as she hated cold water.

"Just imagine it's a lake," Xena said, pushing the black leather dress down her hips until it dropped to the floor.

"You know I hate lakes."

"I do," Xena threw her a grin, reaching back to gather her hair up.

Gabrielle raised her brows, shaking her head. And then, she caught herself staring, maybe a bit too long, a bit too much; as the black underwear joined the leather dress on the floor, baring the view as natural and familiar as her own face in the mirror, and yet so different now; making it almost indecent to look. She felt her face heat up.

"What?" Xena asked, glancing down her body and then back at her; and she was grateful for the humble light in the room, hoping it concealed the embarrassment on her face, even if just a bit.

"Nothing, just tired," she said lightly, leaving her own clothes on the floor and bracing herself for submerging in the cold water, to Xena's unhidden amusement.

Cooling her blushed face – that was one good thing this bath did. Not for long, though. Their usual washing rituals, the simplest things she never paid attention to – washing each other's backs or hair – were now heavy with new sensations, rousing her body in ways she was ashamed of; not even before herself – but the thought that Xena might pick up on it was paralyzing.

She couldn't imagine it. What would she even tell her? The past several months of living with it herself had been awkward enough; the thought of Xena finding out made her cringe.

"Gabrielle," Xena handed her the washcloth and turned around, exposing her back to her. She pressed the cloth to the back of the shoulder and worked her way down, and then up along the spine, trying to ignore her racing heartbeat and focus on something else. It was uncanny, how unblemished most of her skin was; there was an occasional scar here and there, but most of it was milky and smooth, up to the very hairline above her back. There was a rogue, damp strand of hair stuck to the back of the neck; she brushed it aside with her fingers, and blinked, seeing an unmistakable red mark underneath. She held her breath, a knot tightening in her chest.

"Xena…"

"Mm?"

"What's the price of his help?" she asked, both aching to and not wanting to hear the answer. Her heart wasn't racing anymore, it was thudding, pounding, her hands quivering. "Please tell me you're not gonna have his child…" She felt her throat go dry, a single drop of sweat trickling down between her shoulder blades.

"He'll try, but it's not in the contract."

"So, you're gonna sleep with him…"

"If we play things right, it won't come to that."

She closed her eyes, trying to catch a breath. Why did it shake her so? What on earth was going on with her?

"How so?"

"You'll blow up his temple."

"What?"

"We'll reinforce the wall with explosives. When I meet him in the temple, you blow it up."

"He'll come to collect later."

"Not if we manage to get a hold of Celesta's tears by then."

"If he helps us in the first battle against Athena, and you distract him enough to give me time to catch Celesta… we could be dead by next morning if it works."

"We'll have to wait until after the battle, to send Eve to Octavius."

"Why not send her now? We'll be using the doll with Athena, anyway."

"Ares. When Athena's gone and he sees the doll, he'll need to see Eve with us, too. He'll get nosy otherwise."

"And you'll be playing cat and mouse for several days? How many temples will we have to blow up?"

"You let me worry about it."

"You don't look too worried to me."

"Alright, time to get moving," Xena emerged from the water and stepped out; and if it was hard not to stare before, it was close to impossible now, with luminous waves cascading down the swell of her breasts, the taut skin underneath, down to the—

"Why are you so worked up? What happened in the temple?"

"Why do you need to know it?"

"No, Xena – the question is – why do you need to keep it from me…"

"Oh, for fuck's sake…" Xena exhaled, cursing her breath.

"Did you sleep with him?"

"What?"

"I thought it was why you needed a bath."

Xena tensed her jaw, closing her eyes and exhaling.

"Did you kiss?"

"Yes," came the reluctant answer.

She bit her lower lip and closed her eyes, trying to calm her breath; but the heat flooding her chest and her face – that she couldn't control.

"He kissed you first?" she asked quietly, remembering the bitemark.

Silence; silence hurt. Asking this question hurt; but silence hurt more.

"You kissed him first…" she whispered, her eyes still closed; she tried to disperse the imagine forming in front of her eyes, to no avail.

"I was playing him, Gabrielle, it wasn't real."

"Do you think he really loves you?"

"What does this have to do with anything?"

"He told you he wanted to be with you, be a father to Eve. He keeps showing up whenever your life's in danger. Maybe, in his own selfish, godly way, he has feelings for you."

"Gabrielle, whatever he—"

"Could you do it, Xena?"

"Do what…?"

"Be with him. Would you wanna be with him, if… he didn't want anything in return?"

Gabrielle sniffed softly, and smirked; there was her answer – the flutter of the eyelashes, the sadness in her eyes before she cast them down; it said enough.

"What're you doing, Gabrielle?"

"Maybe deep down, you're simply just mad you can't be with him."

"Are you done?"

"Hardly."

"Gabrielle, Ares is a tool – as he's always been – he's not even a person—"

"What if he were?"

"If he were, he'd be a scumbag not worth spitting on – not that it'd be much of a change..."

"Just your type, then," Gabrielle half-grinned.

"No, thanks – I grew out of it," Xena replied with a small smile of her own, adjusting the straps of her dress.

Gabrielle knew it wasn't a lie. It was what Xena wanted to believe; maybe it helped her keep her head on straight when dealing with Ares. Maybe. But it wasn't true at all; even if she grew out of the likes of Draco and other bad boys in leather, Ares she had never grown out of. It probably wasn't even possible.

"So, what happened next to get you so pissed off? Was he that bad of a kisser?"

"Gabrielle..." Xena grimaced, making her regret her lousy attempt at a joke.

"It's just a question, Xena..."

"We argued and I left."

"Argued about what?"

"About the conditions."

"He asked a child of you."

"He can ask all he wants, he's not getting it."

"Would you be able to do it?"

"What?"

"I mean, if our lives really depended on it, if there was no other way out – would you have his child?"

"Are you fucking kidding me?"

"It's just a question."

"I'd rather kill you, Eve, and then myself. I'm serious."

Gabrielle gulped, speechless, pensively following her every move – when she bent down to put on her boots, when she mounted the scabbard on her back, hooked the chakram to her hip; every move, like her voice, heavy with angry bitterness.

"The very thought of him makes me sick to my stomach."

"That had to be quite an argument," Gabrielle raised her brows slightly.

"See you at dinner," Xena threw her one last look and walked out of the room.

Having finished tying her boots, she reached for the brush and, absent-mindedly, ran it down her wet hair. Xena hadn't told her everything. And she'd never talked about Ares with such hatred.

And ironically, this was what hurt the most.

But now – now they needed the bows.

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With a snap of his fingers, the nude bodies around him were clad back in their usual black gowns.

Apart from the brunette in the middle, the one who was still shaking as the others helped her up. She was still wearing Xena's black leather dress; and he stared for a moment, at the disgusting reminder of how fucking pathetic he was.

He had to leave; if he stayed any longer, he'd either pulverize her or he'd pulverize all of them.

With one last look, he turned the outfit back into the black gown and materialized himself sprawled over the red settee upstairs. He didn't even bother putting his clothes back on; he just produced the wine goblet in his hand.

He fought with himself for a moment but lost the battle; the need to see her was stronger.

The portal opened before his eyes, and, upon seeing her and Gabrielle in a room, talking, he tuned in to listen. Good timing. It was boring at first, then a bit more interesting; then, he saw her naked and lost the plot for a moment, and then – he was close to going there and burning the place down with them in it.

It took a while, but he eventually managed to stay where he was; and he was glad. Apart from seeing Xena's eyes widen in panic, it wouldn't be otherwise beneficial. Acting like he was in the dark – now that presented a nice range of options of how to profit from this knowledge. And oh, he would. She was going to remember this for a long time.

He refilled the goblet and, having downed it all at once, he sent the metal vessel flying until it clashed with the blue ceramic vase sitting on the little altar in the far-right corner of the room. Strange, he didn't remember seeing anything blue here before. It was a pleasant sound, though. He loved the sounds of things breaking, but the sound of breaking ceramics was particularly pleasant; right after the sound of breaking bones, that is.

Refilling his goblet, he walked over to where the previous goblet had landed. The little altar was empty, apart from the blue vase, or rather what was left of it; three big pieces and several smaller ones. He reached for the big ones, trying to fit them together; strangely, he couldn't match them at all; the little pieces would have to go in between, but there were too many. He picked up one of the smaller ones; they all looked the same, it was pointless. He rolled the piece between his fingers, the dry roughness of it making his fingertips feel powdery.

The entrance door creaked open. Snapping his clothes back on, he walked over to the settee and stretched himself over it, taking a sip from the freshly refilled goblet in his right hand.

What the fuck did she come here for? As if the last several minutes of having to listen to her harpy voice hadn't been enough.

"Are you lost?"

"Ares..."

"What the hell do you want?" he blinked, his eyes roaming over the silken black canopy of the ceiling. Gods, he loved silk. She would look good in silk. He was going to dress her in crimson silk. No, in blue silk; it would bring out her eyes.

He sighed, realizing that Gabrielle's lips were moving. "I'm sorry, you were saying?"

"Don't do this, Ares…"

"You know, I wonder – where did you get this notion that you can tell me – a god – what to do? 'Cause if you're trying to copy your friend, I would recommend against it – my patience with the two of you is getting real thin."

"Please…"

"Please what?"

"Don't take her up on her offer," she said quietly, her eyes, her whole face begging. Her acting was top notch, he had to hand it to her.

"Look, if you worry about decency – trust me, what I'm gonna do to her will be chaste compared to what she used to do back in the day," he laughed, seeing the green eyes glaze. "She didn't tell you, did she… Well, if you'd seen what I have, you'd know why. I'd even say she actually did you a favor."

"Ares – if you make her pay for your help this way, she'll never love you… you'll lose her forever—"

"Look, if that's all, I got places to be," he cut her off, trying to ignore the unpleasant way her words resonated in his chest.

"This is the one chance you have to prove that you love her."

"That I love her?" he laughed. "Did she tell you this?"

"Why are you here, Ares?"

"It's my temple."

"Why are you in Amphipolis? Going up against your own sister, betraying your family, why? You wouldn't be doing all this just to spend a night with her—"

"Making a fool of Athena has been a hobby of mine since we were kids – and in case that escaped your attention, it was Xena who asked for my help – who came to me with her conditions – which I agreed to, even despite finding them way below satisfactory – so in fact, you should be thanking me for doing you a favor."

"You really don't get it, do you…"

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I rather had the impression that what I do with Xena is none of your fucking business – forgive the pun," he snickered. "Either way – get lost, time's up."

Not waiting for the annoying voice to leave her mouth again, he disappeared into the ether.

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