Chapter 12: The Chance

She finally said it! His heart leapt for joy. There she was, wrapped in his arms, her head on his chest. He leaned down and inhaled into her hair, lavender. They stood there, unmoving. Neither wanted to end this level of serene they'd been seeking for so long. Xena was the first to move, pulling back from his addicting embrace. She looked into his eyes. Those eyes, that caused her so much hurt and pain in the past, now stared at her with a new purpose. To love her. She slowly ran her fingers through his long curls, lazily twirling a few strands, letting her fingers drift to his face. That dimple, she caressed it with her thumb. Moving over to his lips, aching to be kissed. Not wanting to totally deny herself him, she leaned in for a soft peck, just to make sure she wasn't dreaming. Ares still stood there, unmoved. A god in all his glory, wanting to give himself to her. Then, she started to wonder, did he want to give himself to her completely or was she going to be sharing him with other women? She took his hand and led him to her bed. She sat down first against her headboard and pulled him between her legs, where the back of his head rested against her chest. Massaging his scalp, she said his name...

"Ares?"

"Yes, my love?" Her heart raced at the reply. He was already calling her his love and they hadn't made anything official yet.

"Where do we go from here?" He laced his fingers with hers.

"Well, I can call on the three fates and they can marry us by..." she turned him towards her and saw he was smiling.

"Yea, no, we're going to take this waaay slower than that Mr." she replied teasingly.

"It was worth a shot," Ares pretended to pout. She loved how relaxed he was with her. With her, he didn't have to be the God of War. He could let his guard down and not worry about any consequences. He knew with her, she would accept him even if he didn't have an ounce of strength in his body. She hoped one day, she could feel the same around him. She pulled his body back into her chest and let her arms drape over his chest. He picked up her hands and casually started to place kisses up and down her fingers and wrists. His mouth felt soo good on her skin. It was like fire that was unable to burn her. Burn her? She looked down at him. Would he burn everything they had all over again? Her mind began to race. Was she just making another mistake? Was he leading her on just to manipulate her later down the road? Was she setting herself up for a major heartbreak? Would he hurt her again? Ares felt her hands shaking. He sat up and turned to face her. He could tell she was lost in thought. Her face held a faraway stare.

"Where do you want to start?" Ares asked nervously. By the look in her face, he could not tell which way things were going to go. Xena looked down at him, a tear escaping her eye. Ares swiftly pulled her into his embrace. He knew she had doubts about him. At that moment, he even began to doubt himself. Could he truly make her happy or would he mess it up again and end up hurting her. The last thing he ever wanted to do was hurt her. He'd done enough of that in their past.

"Xena, please give us a chance. I'm not asking you to marry me or anything...yet...but just give us a chance. Let me be your man and you be my lady. We could just simply date, until you felt comfortable enough to move things ahead, or end it all," he said looking away hoping Xena would never choose to end it all. At that moment, there was a knock on the door. Before Xena could answer, the doorknob began to turn. Ares locked the door with his powers before she could open it. He was not going to let 'blondie' interrupt them. To him, that was her specialty. Xena got off the bed and went to the door.

"Yes, Gabrielle?" she asked, trying not to sound shaken up. She knew that Gabrielle could detect if something was wrong by her voice.

"Xena, I didn't see you come back to the house, and I thought I heard voices coming out of your room. Is everything okay? Are you and Aphrodite still talking?" Ares smirked when he heard his sister's name. Xena looked at him and ran to him to put her finger to his lip. She didn't want Gabrielle to find out about Ares until she was ready. He pulled her into his lap and started sucking on her neck. Xena softly moaned enjoying his hot mouth on her tender skin. Ares whispered to her between his sucks and nibbles on her neck, "...answer her..."

"I'm fine Gabrielle. I'll see you in the morning and yes, I'm still discussing things so you may still hear my voice."

"I can't wait to hear all about it," Gabrielle voiced. She stood there a moment, feeling awkward about the conversation. She felt like Xena was once again hiding something from her. Plus, if she really was speaking with Aphrodite, why would she lock the door? Aphrodite was her friend too. Gabrielle decided to let it go and turned to go back to her room.

Xena remained quiet until she heard Gabrielle's door close to her room. She got out of Ares' lap before things went too far, like it did when they were back at his place. She needed space between them so she could fully think. He was much too intoxicating when she was wrapped in his arms. She paced the room thinking. Ares watched her every move with anticipation. As she passed him, he grabbed her hand and placed a soft kiss on the back and then let her go. Xena walked to have a seat on the recliner.

"Ares, if I decide to do this, I need to know that I can trust you. Not only with my life, but with my heart. I still have a heart of a warrior, but my heart is fragile, and it terrifies me at the thought of giving it to a bastard like you." They both lightly laughed at her statement. Xena got up and walked to him while he was still sitting on the bed. She cuffed his cheek in her hand.

"I don't know if I could live if you broke my heart again," she whispered in the most fragile tone, looking him in his eyes. That statement almost shattered Ares. The last thing he wanted was to hurt his princess. He stood up and placed his hands on both of her cheeks, looking her deep into her eyes, and said..

"Xena, I would rather die than see you hurt by the hand of me again." With that, he kissed her softly, as to lock in the meaning of his words. Xena shook her head and stepped out his embrace. Here he was again, clouding her mind, and she wanted to remain clear of thought.

"What about other women, Ares? I know for sure there are women dying to have you, especially being the hot, single, gym owner. If we decide to date, will I be your only one? I don't want you sharing your bed with anyone except me. Can I trust you to do that?"

"I have no desire for another. Only you."

"Ares! We both know that's a lie. All I'm asking is that you be faithful to me. I don't care if we argue or fight, I don't want you running off to another woman. I don't think I could handle that," she voiced lowly, hoping that he would understand where she was coming from. She knew this was all new to him and she was willing to work with him. She knew he probably had many girlfriends within his long life, but this was really only an assumption. She didn't know much about his past life, how he treated other women, and if he'd ever had to be faithful to just one. Ares stood there taking in her words and deciphering the meaning of them, letting them fully sink in. Could he just give himself to her only. His mind drifted back to last night at Apollo's house. He didn't know anything about that woman and didn't care to find out about her. She was just a quick nut. Just like most of the women in his past. Was he truly ready to give up this type of freedom for one woman? Ares locked her hand within his.

"There isn't anything I wouldn't do for you. Just say the word, then I would place the world at your feet."

"Ares, I don't want the world, only you. A you that I can trust without worry. I don't want to keep my guard up around you, trying to assume what you'll do next." Ares brought her hand up to his mouth.

"You have my word." She smiled at him lovingly.

"Also, Ares..." Ares almost rolled his eyes. He didn't know how many more stipulations he would be put on in one night!

"...remember I said we were taking it slow. That means that I don't want to have sex with you right now. I want to date you and become friends with you before we take it there." Ares groaned inwardly. Never in his entire existence had a woman told him she didn't want to have sex with him! This time, it was Ares taking a seat on the recliner. He looked at Xena pensively. How in Tartarus was he going to date the woman of his fantasies, not sleep with other women nor her? He put his head in his hands. He hoped this torture would be worth it in the long run. He could see many cold showers in his future. Xena walked to the recliner and sat in his lap, placing a light kiss on top of his head. She knew that this would be something hard for him to agree to. Heck! Any man really. Given his perfect looks, she knew it was easier for him than most to get women. This was their first true test. Could Ares love her and still respect her wishes?

"Xena, you are going to owe me big time when we get married." They both laughed heartily at his reply. Xena kissed his lips and said, "Thank you."

Sensing it was way past her bedtime, Ares carried her to the bed and laid her down. She got up and grabbed her night gown off the bed. Right in front of him, she took off her lounge clothes and slipped into her gown. Ares never broke his gaze off her. His member twitched from the excitement. This was going to be harder than he thought. She crawled underneath the covers. He kissed her head and told her goodnight. Before he could disappear, she said his name.

"Ares,...please stay with me tonight." Ares brain screamed. How? How was he supposed to lay in the bed with her and not have sex with her? That seemed like an impossible task. Never had he been in a bed with a woman for any other reason than sex. He gulped at the thought. He changed into a pair of silk pajama pants and crawled in bed next to her. She turned his way and made herself comfortable on his chest. The way she made him feel at this moment, he would cut out his heart and serve it to her on a platter if she asked for it. He turned off the lights in the room and made himself comfortable, drowning in her love.