It was a small house, but quite packed.

Hanging the freshly washed linens on the ropes in the backyard, Gabrielle observed the kids running around; there were about ten of them, chasing one another, laughing, making faces, swinging their hands around; without a single care in the world.

And with that, the laundry was done.

Gabrielle looked around the lush green yard, thinking of anything else she could help with around the house while Pelagia tended to the two little patients that recently went down with influenza.

Normally, Gabrielle would have been at her side, assisting — but this was a special sort of situation.

The family was about to set off on their trip to the town of Cymateia for the annual, seven-day fair they attended yearly to sell crops and various household items they made; with good luck, it would earn them a living to survive till next summer. As the fair was starting in three days, they needed to leave tomorrow the latest.

The thing was, some of the kids went down with flu and it somewhat disorganized the last-minute preparations, to put it mildly.

At that very moment, two adults and a pack of kids were running around the place in utter chaos, where in the midst of all this, Pelagia tended to the two little girls.

That was why Gabrielle decided to make herself useful otherwise and help with some housework. Now, with laundry done, she walked back into the house, curious as to how the little patients were doing.

She was smitten by both, but especially the baby girl, Melitta; she couldn't have been more than a year old, didn't even walk yet.

Maybe it was the blue eyes, maybe the fact she was so impossibly tiny, even for a toddler, or maybe because of how much she resembled Eve — but for Gabrielle it was love at first sight. It was heartbreaking to see the little one suffer, and even more heartbreaking to think she might not make it. After all, children of such young age often died of the smallest things; and the current case of flu wasn't a small thing.

So, when Pelagia offered to take care of Melitta and her big sister till the family was back from the fair, Gabrielle almost jumped in her spot.

The other girl, Agatha, seemed much older, three — maybe four years old. She was of a darker complexion with long, straight dark hair and eyes almost black; adorable in a different way than her sister. Gabrielle could bet that those dark eyes, now tired and teary from fever, would normally shine with mischief as she would chase her brothers around and beat them up with a stick, sneering when they would run to mom for help. Sounded weirdly familiar, Gabrielle thought with a smile.

At first, the idea was that Gabrielle and Xena would pick up the kids tomorrow morning, but then, seeing all the turmoil in the house and the poor sick duo in the middle of all this, Gabrielle suggested they take them off their parents' hands already, so that the rest of the family could finish preparing for tomorrow's departure in less of a commotion.

Since this idea was welcomed by both Pelagia and the parents, Gabrielle went about figuring out how to organize the trip back home.

She couldn't remember the last time she felt this happy, her smile only widening when she realized that, in about an hour's time, Kyrillos was about to meet their newest tenants, and get to be a grandpa for a week. Somehow, she could already see it; the gray-bearded face beaming with a smile that she knew was going to bring tears to her eyes.

#

She tossed her sword to the grass and stood there, wiping the sweat off her forehead, not in time to wipe the drop that made its way lower and now made her eye sting. She didn't know why she kept doing that, working out at this time of day, with the sun at its most scorching.

But then, once she reached the shore, she remembered. Nothing felt as refreshing as jumping in the lake to soothe the throbbing muscles and wash the sticky saltiness off the skin. She just wished it could reach under her skin and wash him off, too. Because avoiding him since yesterday didn't seem to help at all. If anything, it only seemed to making it worse.

Since last afternoon when he'd stormed off, leaving her in the barn, she only saw him once; some time later, around sunset. He was walking out of the stables, Kyrillos behind him. It warmed her, to see them together, as it always did, the fatherly way Kyrillos eyed him. Interestingly enough, and it disarmed her even more, Ares seemed to genuinely enjoy his company; he even had a different vibe about him when the two of them hanged together; he seemed so at ease. She'd never seen him smile like that; a warm, genuine smile. The way he never smiled at her.

Okay, she had to snap the hell out of this — this was not a way to continue the day. The workout was meant to get her mind off him, not make her brood over him even more. Even if — it drove her crazy, not knowing if and when he was leaving, if he was even still there. The way he left her in the barn — maybe she deserved it, having done the same to him earlier that day — and maybe he was just embarrassed about what happened, the moment of weakness he had her witness — she understood, but still, it hurt all the more — him rejecting her now when she — pushing her away like that, when she wanted, needed to be there for him.

Maybe he didn't need that. Maybe she overestimated his humanity.

Several tears didn't necessarily make one grow a heart all of a sudden.

Maybe she was just seeing him for what she wanted him to be.

And maybe, it was time to stop.

Having jumped into the kitchen to refill the waterskin, she stepped out onto the porch and saw Gabrielle and Pelagia coming back, each wearing a sling with varying in sizes, but pretty much human shapes in it.

She approached them, her eyes widening.

"Xena, good you're here, we're gonna need a hand," Gabrielle said, taking off her sling. "I'll go prepare the beds," she added.

"Get that husband of mine while you're at it, will you," Pelagia said in that condescending manner that never ceased to make Xena's skin crawl.

Xena slowly took the bundle into her arms, unwrapping it slightly to take a better look. She was met with a blue-eyed gaze that mirrored her own, and lips so pouty there was definitely some serious discontentment going on.

"They're the neighbors' kids, they'll stay with us for a week," Pelagia said as means of explanation, but Xena missed it almost completely, as well as hardly registered the moment when the entrance door opened and Gabrielle, followed by Ares, appeared on the porch. It was all very distant now, everything was, apart from the little face in her arms; the face which then morphed into another little face she used to cradle in her embrace not so long ago. Her chest contracted so tight she couldn't breathe.

Gabrielle knew. She knew instantly, the very second her eyes fell on Xena with Melitta in her arms. Unknowingly, she gripped Ares by the forearm. She felt a pull when he yanked his arm away, but she only found herself clutching him tighter.

"Ares…" she whispered.

"What?" he asked, annoyed.

"It's the baby, we gotta take the baby…"

Bewildered, Ares took in a somewhat familiar view of Xena with the baby in her arms. The only difference was that now, she was breathing through open mouth, wiping her face with her palm, her chest heaving.

Dimly, he felt another pull at his forearm.

Gabrielle was saying something to him, but he didn't quite hear it. Not quite realizing what he was doing, in a bit of a trance, he headed towards the warrior woman with the child in her arms, as he had done so many times in his previous life. The difference was that before, the child was Eve, and he used to show up to strike a deal to save Eve if Xena gave him a child of his own. Right now — it was a random kid that just appeared out of nowhere, and he was walking over there because seeing her tears gave him this annoying tightening sensation in his chest.

The bundled-up kid disappeared into Gabrielle's embrace the moment he wrapped his arms around Xena. It struck him how numb she was, she didn't even twitch. Without a word, he encased her upper arms in his and hid her head in his neck, in a sudden urge to shield her from the eyes around them; and, for a while, he just held her, tightening the embrace when her hands encircled his waist and he felt her arms shake.

Teary-eyed, Gabrielle glanced at the baby girl in her arms, who appeared so adorably oblivious to the tempest around her, and then back at her best friend — squished in the loving, protective embrace of the man they once knew as the God of War.

Predictably, it didn't last long before Xena freed herself from his arms, wiped her face and disappeared inside the house.

Seeing Ares make a move to follow, Gabrielle she stepped to block his way. "Give her a minute, she'll be back."

Then, seeing confusion in his face, she added, "Eve looked quite like that the last time we saw her as a baby, before you uhm, put us in ice… I mean look at her, even the big blue eyes..."

Ares looked at the big blue eyes staring at him curiously, making him wonder if their child would have blue eyes like that, after their mother.

"…Ares, it's not your fault, you didn't know we were alive… But either way, she lost a baby, and there's nothing more devastating for a mother…"

He didn't grace her with a response, but was grateful for that explanation. In the meantime, the blue eyes continued to keep him prisoner.

Gabrielle smiled, noticing how Ares kept staring at Melitta. She wondered what was going through his head. His brows were furrowed, but there was a hint of softness in his eyes; and it was probably that softness that made Gabrielle act on impulse and push the bundle against his chest, catching him off guard.

"Put your arms under, like this" she prompted and slowly let go of the baby, once she felt the girl was safely encased in his arms.

She couldn't tear her eyes away from how hypnotized Ares was by the baby girl he was holding. Must be the blue eyes, Gabrielle smiled under her nose.

Ares didn't know how long he was standing there after Gabrielle had forced the kid into his arms, but as soon as he imagined that this tiny, blue-eyed creature he was holding could be his, his and Xena's, Kyrillos' words came crashing down on him, and he felt a sudden pull at his chest — a lump grew in his throat — and he completely forgot that there was a pair of green eyes on him to witness it all.

And that was when Gabrielle knew what was going through his head; and somehow, it made two single tears roll down her face in an instant.

#

Xena took a few deep breaths to compose herself.

Having dried her face, she was ready to go back. She had to help with the kids, this wasn't the time for her private emotional breakdowns.

Stepping onto the porch, the first thing she saw was Gabrielle's back, and there, facing Gabrielle, was Ares, holding the baby. She frowned, her heart skipping a beat.

Pulled in like a magnet, she stepped off the porch and walked over to where he stood.

He didn't seem to notice her at first, his eyes transfixed on the cooing baby in his arms; then, in a little bit of a slow motion, blinking, he looked up at her, his brows furrowed above the shiny eyes, and, for that little second before he escaped her gaze, his eyes were full of something so overwhelming that she just wanted to — heart thudding in her throat, she moved closer and reached out, touching his arm. She wanted to hold him, to tell him that — biting her tongue, she gave his arm a little squeeze. "Come on, let's get her to bed," she whispered against his cheek before her lips brushed against it lightly.

Gabrielle felt an urge to avert her eyes but couldn't. She stood frozen, taking in the intimate scene in front of her, until the silence of the moment was brutally invaded.

"You 'd better stick to holding a sword, dear, she's already had a rough day," Pelagia said in her favorite, patronizing manner, reaching out to take Melitta from Ares.

Instinctively, Gabrielle looked towards Xena and held her breath, automatically grateful she wasn't the recipient of the icy, blue-eyed glare shot Pelagia's way — and, her brows raising, she watched how Pelagia's hands were swiftly blocked by Xena's forearm, followed by a curt "We got this."

Pelagia's only reply was raised eyebrows and the subtly condescending expression that revealed a lot about what she thought of the attitude.

And, as much as Gabrielle always enjoyed Pelagia's callous put-downs directed at Ares, this time she didn't derive a single ounce of amusement from it.

#

Overwhelmed with all the chaos in the house and Xena's close proximity, Ares was glad to finally sneak out and breathe in solitude.

It wasn't that late, it was only starting to get dark, but he felt so worn out he was sure he'd pass out the minute he laid his head down. And at the moment, it really was all he wanted; have some wine, lay down and put this day to an end. He would leave tomorrow, first thing in the morning. It was too dark to set off now, anyway.

But, lost in thought as he was, he realized that instead of heading towards the barn, he somehow found himself on the main road, the dark forest before him. Why was he here?

He was about to turn back but something stopped him.

There was a little passage between the bushes, he realized as he remembered that this was exactly where — this was where he'd crossed to get to the lake two days ago, the very same spot — but back then he didn't pay attention to the trees — he only had his eyes on the damn white dress that led him here.

He didn't know why he ended up here, but when he was now looking at the huge forest wall in front of him, there was something unearthly in the air, he could feel it, something eerie to the way the dark treetops adorned the darkened sky.

It was almost as if some force was pulling him towards the trees.

After a while of forcing his way through the narrow tunnel of twigs and branches grazing his skin, he finally stepped out onto the shore; it seemed a bit smaller than he remembered it. The surface of the lake was perfectly idle, mirror-like, reflecting the darkest blue of the darkening sky.

There was something so alluring about it all that he just stood there, taking it in, crickets in the distance, the cool air of the night coating him.

As soon as he lay down on the grass, the image flashed before his eyes; the view of her, standing in front of him, the sun in her back. It promptly triggered many other images from that day and night, and she was there in all of them, the fucking never-ending nightmare. He knew it, he fucking knew it — that it was a mistake, that day — that the more time he spent with her, the more it would fuck him up.

But of course, she didn't get that.

Then again, she had her own fucked up reasons as to why they couldn't be together, and those he didn't quite get, so maybe they were even. All in all, they were both fucked, and he now saw it clearer than ever before.

She was right, there was no future for them.

All they had was those couple of days, before she left or he left or he found ambrosia, or whatever else happened that would split them up and send them back in time to those several months prior. And it was only suicidal to get so used to her now, to get to know her in all the ways she never let him before, to experience all those little things with her that only made him love her more; it was the most stupid thing to do; he was a fucking masochist.

And he couldn't stop himself.

He couldn't. He just fucking couldn't.

Today, right when he was about to just fuck it and leave, those damn children happened; and when he saw her tears when she held that kid, something broke in him, some switch went off, and he couldn't find his pride anymore, blinded by the urge to hide her in his arms.

Hell, he even felt bad about the whole Eve thing for a minute there.

She always made him weak but this was a new level. He never let anyone that close to him in his whole life.

It was quite horrifying.

She couldn't walk away now. She couldn't get under his skin like that and walk away free. He wanted to fuck her wild until she got that, till she couldn't breathe without him.

Or, till she couldn't breathe at all.

His ears perked up at the distant rustle in the bushes. A fox, likely.

He sighed. It was time to go back or he'd pass out any minute and she'd find him here when she came for her morning swim.

The fox was getting near.

Very near, and then nearer, until he knew; and both longing and despair washed over him.

She didn't even say anything. He was waiting for a question, but nothing came, apart from a heavy sigh. Had she known he was here? She didn't act surprised to see him.

Slowly, wine still cruising in his veins, he rose to his feet. When he turned around, she was within inches of his face, so close he could smell her — the sweet, musky blend of her sweat and the intoxicating scent of her cleavage. He closed his eyes, overwhelmed with how hopelessly bad he wanted her.

"I'd say you're stalking me if I didn't know any better," he said, trying to shake off the spell her proximity put him under.

She was silent. No witty comeback, nothing. It was unnerving.

"Well, I was just leaving anyway," he forced himself to say, making a move to walk past her.

He grimaced with both reluctance and pleasure when he felt her hand on his chest.

"Thank you…" she said, her voice velvety smooth, with a hint of sadness and resignation to it.

"For what?"

"For what you did back there. For… being there for me."

He sighed, thinking back to seeing her cry when she held the kid, and remembered what Gabrielle had told him right after, about how the girl reminded Xena of losing Eve as a baby.

"I'm sorry about Eve, and, the whole thing, the ice cave shit," he uttered, not looking at her. When he finally did, he saw her eyes were shiny, about to overflow.

"I can't hold it against you, you didn't know…"

He thought back to the feral day at the beach. Yeah, damn right he hadn't known — because she as much as decided to not even warn him about the plan. Suddenly, a wave of anger filled his chest.

"What the fuck were you even thinking, Xena? Did you think I'd just leave you there to rot on the damn beach?"

She let out a breath.

"What if I had burned you in a funeral pyre? Hadn't that crossed that clever little mind of yours?" He was fuming. "Or maybe I should've done just that. Wouldn't be here now, having you fuck with my mind."

"Ares, I didn't ask for any of this."

"Neither did I."

"What's done is done, and we're here now."

"Well, I'll leave you to it."

He felt a strong push on his chest.

"Don't."

"Why the fuck not, Xena? What do you even want from me? You don't even…" he started but trailed off, realizing how stupid it would sound to say it out loud.

"I don't even what?"

Ignoring the question, he let his eyes travel down her neck, down below the collarbone, down into the fullness pouring out of her leather dress, and he felt his groin tighten.

"I don't even what?" she inquired calmly.

"You're just drawn to this current, pathetically mortal version of me. Well, guess what, that ain't the real thing, and so — it's not good enough."

"Funny you should say that, being so hooked up on the version of me that's long gone."

Ares hesitated. True, he used to be obsessed with her old self ever since, well, forever.

He smirked. "It would be much easier to walk away from her."

She was silent.

He closed his eyes for a moment, his breath heavy with overwhelming misery.

Then, he felt her hand around his neck as she pulled his head down, feeding him full of her lips in a soft, probing kiss, making him dizzy, drunk with her. He grabbed her waist, pulling her close roughly, making her grunt into his mouth. He swirled her around abruptly and pinned her to the nearest tree with his chest. Undoing his pants with one hand, he reached under her skirt with the other. Gods, she was like a bitch in heat, so drenched she stained his hand even through her underwear.

Maybe he should just keep fucking her until he got her out of his system.