Chapter 18: Envious Shadows

The old season died as a new one was born. Xena's recovery was fairly easy. Thanks to Gabrielle, Aphrodite, and Ares, she didn't have to lift a finger. Aphrodite covered the daytime, Gabrielle the evening, and Ares ended the night with her. The constant fuss over her was driving her mad. She was glad today was her final doctor's appointment and she was getting her cast removed. Ares and Gabrielle, as usual, engaged in their typical argument over who would accompany Xena inside, as the entrance allowed only one guest. Growing a headache, Xena decided to make both of them wait in the car. Ares fingertips sparked, visually frustrated. He was losing his patience with Gabrielle. Xena had lost hers with both of them. As she walked towards the doors of the building, she heard them arguing again. She just sighed and kept her pace.

~XA~

Ares held Xena in his embrace pulled against his body. He felt relieved that her ankle had healed, and the fear of inadvertently causing her harm was no longer present. They were in his bed, as he needed a break from Gabrielle. Xena spoke up first...

"I've thought about what you asked me," she turned to face him, softly stroking his face. Unaware of her actions, the day after he proposed the idea of her working at his gym, she chose to resign from her current job. She was excited and worried at the same time to give this a try. But she knew she could make a real difference training others. Ares' heart rushed at her words. He hoped that she would accept his offer. He lazily brought her fingers to his lips and softly sucked on them. Xena closed her eyes at this contact. Struggling to maintain focus on her words, his touches were becoming a distraction, clouding her thoughts.

"And, I accept." Ares thought his heart was going to stop. He pulled her on top of him and passionately kissed her. She pulled back from his embrace with a serious expression. She cupped the side of his face.

"Ares please don't make me regret this decision." Ares searched her eyes, swallowing hard. His throat bobbed.

"I won't baby, I won't," he replied, running his fingers through her hair.

~XA~

Ares and Xena pulled up to the gym together. Ares called a team meeting, therefore all the other employees were inside, waiting for him to arrive. Sensing Xena's hesitation, he grabbed her hand and gave it a light squeeze.

"Everything is going to be just fine." He gave her a sensual kiss and got out of the car. He opened Xena's door. Emma saw him pull up as she was passing by one of the windows. She stopped in her tracks, waiting for him to come in so she could greet him first. He seemed really distant lately and she planned to get him alone to herself since the gym was finally closed. She saw him open the passenger door and her face went into a frown. Her mind raced and she watched one foot slowly step onto the ground and then another. Time seemed to move in slow motion. Xena rose up from behind the door. Emma's mouth dropped. After all this time, she thought Xena was finally out of the picture. She hadn't seen her in the gym in over two months and now here she was, getting out of her man's car. She angrily pulled out her phone and texted Lana.

Ares held the door open for Xena as she walked in. She felt the uneasiness in her stomach. This was the first time she was being introduced by him. She wasn't sure if he was telling them about her new position or their relationship status as well. The employees were all waiting at the front desk for them. Xena eyed them all. She noted everyone looked cheerful. Everyone except the front desk lady. Xena looked at her nametag— Emma. Ares stood in the middle of the floor, and everyone gathered around. His strong voice filled the gym...

"Force, today is a very special day. As you see, I have closed the gym, for the first time ever." The staff all looked at each other as he spoke. They hoped he wasn't making an announcement that would end their careers there.

"We have a new team member joining us today." He stretched his hand forward and the circle opened up. Xena stood and grabbed his hand. He pulled her to the middle of the floor with him, circling his arm around her waist.

"This is Xena. She will be the new trainer here. She is also..." Ares took her hand and gave it a light kiss... "my heart." Xena's heart raced as she looked at all the shocked faces. One by one, they came up to her, greeting her warmly. Emma was the last to face her. Ares eyed Emma angrily behind Xena. She wearily looked at him and then back to Xena, extending her hand.

"Welcome to the force, Xena. I'm sure you will do great here. I can show you all the ropes."

"Thanks." Ares rolled his eyes at her words. He wasn't sure if he trusted Emma alone with her. He knew she wanted him but so did alot of women. However, she was the only one brave enough to do something about it. He had hoped she learned her lesson when he placed her in that chokehold.

Xena arrived at work the next morning in her Godly Gains sports bra and matching leggings, made especially for her. The outfit was all black. The leggings were trimmed in his God of War symbol at the top. There was an X cutout in the front of her bra and the back straps were also in an X. All the other staff only received shirts with the gym's name. Emma was told by Ares to train Xena since she volunteered at the meet and greet. She wasn't thrilled by this news, but she was going to use it to her advantage. She needed to earn Xena's trust, find out how she really felt about Ares, and any weaknesses she could exploit.

"Hey girlie, I've been waiting on you." Xena smiled through tensed teeth. Being addressed as 'girlie' wasn't a favorite phrase for her but she'd let it slide. Emma brought Xena around the front desk and showed her how to check people in. At that moment, Ares approached them both with his eyebrow inquisitively raised towards Emma.

"Emma, WHAT are you doing?" Emma stammered her words, not understanding why Ares was using this tone.

"I was showing Xena how to check in our members." Ares pointed his finger at her, cutting her off..

"No, that is your job. Show Xena what she needs to know that's relevant to HER position." Xena was taken back by Ares tone. She wondered if he often spoke to his staff in this aggressive nature. However, she wouldn't dare question his power in front of anyone. Ares walked away. Emma looked at Xena, cheeks flushed.

" .." he stopped and turned around with a glare... "where can I find Xena's laptop?"

"It's in my office with her name on it," came his stern response and he went about his business.

"Let's go get your laptop and I'll show you how everything works." She grabbed Xena's hand but Xena took her hand out of her grasp. Emma looked confusedly at her.

"I prefer not to be touched," Xena kindly said. Suddenly, Emma had a flashback of her and Ares making out in the pool room. Emma raised her eyebrow at her...

"Sure." She turned to head towards the office and Xena followed. Emma was glad to see that Ares wasn't in there. She didn't know why he was being so grouchy towards her. She found Xena's laptop on his desk. It had a sticky note with her name on it. The laptop itself was decorated with a giant chakram. She handed the laptop to Xena. Xena's heart fluttered. Another way of him showing his love towards her.

Back at the front desk, Emma explained to Xena that the Elite members had the option of selecting her or Ares for their trainers. They had to schedule their personal training in advance. Once they scheduled, Xena could see the information on the laptop, so she could put together her schedule. At that moment, a member walked in. Emma greeted him but he looked past Emma and said hello to Xena. Xena greeted him back and smirked at Emma's reaction. Emma cheeks reddened. She already disliked the fact that she was working here and now, she was going to steal all the attention! This member had an Elite membership and today was his training with Ares.

Right then, Ares walked up and greeted the member. He introduced Xena to the member, letting him know that starting next week, she would be an available trainer to select. The member looked Xena up and down slowly and licked his lips. Ares leaned in and lowly growled at him, whispering, "She's mine." The member cleared his throat, "Apologies," and the trio walked to begin his training.

~XA~

Xena and Emma sat at the large table, eating their lunches. Emma was trying to conduct small talk with her, but Xena really wasn't giving her the feedback she was looking for. Emma decided to leave her alone and sat at the other end of the table. Emma's phone rang. Xena felt a wave of relief. Emma was a talker, and she wasn't. She laughed to herself imagining Emma and Gabrielle having the longest conversations. Xena wasn't listening to Emma's conversation, until she heard her say Ares' name.

"No, Lana, I haven't talked to Ares about it. I was wondering why he hadn't taken me out on another date." Xena dropped her fork with a loud clank. The words replayed in her head slowly, ANOTHER and DATE. Her mind started to spin fast, her vision blurred. She was starting to feel sick. Her hands began shaking. Her breathing was becoming restricted. She fought hard to keep it together in front of Emma, but she knew she had to get out of there fast. Emma looked at Xena out of the corner of her eye. She laughed inwardly, knowing she'd hit a sensitive spot. She was so pale, she looked as if she were going to pass out any moment. Emma rejoiced. She knew that Xena was going to kick Ares to the curb and he could finally be hers. Xena exited the room without another word. Emma hung up the phone with a conniving smile.

Xena stepped outside to her car, seeking a breath of fresh air. She felt the need to calm herself down, realizing she lacked enough details to justify her growing upset. Nancy saw Xena burst outside with a sad expression. She went to find Ares. After hearing the news, Ares ran outside to investigate what had happened. He found Xena sitting in her car with her windows down, seat let back, and eyes closed. She spoke first.

"I need to get away from here." He could hear the hurt in her voice. Without another word, he pulled her into his embrace and led her to his car and they drove away.

The car ride was quiet. She didn't have anything to say to him at the moment and he didn't want to force her to talk. She walked into his condo and picked out a change of clothes. She kept a few drawers of clothes at his place now. She went to the restroom and ran a warm bath. Yes, that's what she needed. A bath to calm her body and mind. She filled the tub with her favorite scent, lavender.

Ares heard the tub water running. His mind raced trying to figure out what could have gotten her so upset. She didn't look at him the whole ride. He tried to grab her hand and she slid it closer to herself, something she'd never done before. That signaled that she was mad at him! Was she upset that she left her other job? The tension was eating at him. He started to go to her in the tub but decided against it. He would have to wait it out.

Xena felt refreshed once she got out of the tub. She wrapped a large towel around her body and exited the bathroom. Before she could completely dry off, her phone went off. It was a text message from an unknown number. Xena opened the message and found the shock of her life! It was a picture of Ares and Emma in front of a restaurant, and she was kissing his cheek. The picture also had a date on the bottom. She looked at the date and her heart literally broke in half. She dropped down to her knees. That was the same exact night that Ares had first told her that he loved her. Tears flowed down her face uncontrollably. How could he do this to her? She felt so weak, she couldn't move. Her legs felt too heavy to control. She wanted to kill him and her. Ares heard her body hit the floor. When he entered the room, the lamp came flying straight towards his face. He dodged it in the knick of time.

"Get out you lying bastard!" Xena screamed as the tears flowed down her face. Ares was so confused. All he could do was walk towards her. She slapped him.

"Sweet," he tried to say in the calmest voice.

"No, don't sweet me you selfish son of a bacchae." Ares let out a deep sigh. He wished she would tell him what this was all about. Xena looked at his dumbfounded expression. She threw her phone at him with the picture on the screen. Ares mouth parted but no words came out. He saw the phone number that sent the message. It didn't belong to Emma. She snorted at his speechless expression.

"And to think I trusted you! I knew I was a fool," she said, as her voice cracked, too hurt to keep it all together.

Ares stepped closer to her again and she swung at him, her towel falling off her body. Ares caught her arm this time. She swung with her other arm. He caught that one too. Next, she kneed him in the groin. He let her hands go. Not being in any real physical pain, he grabbed her again before she walked away.

"Get your filthy hands off of me," she elbowed him in the face. He was starting to get upset but he knew he shouldn't. It would make things 10x worse.

"Did you screw her too Ares? Huh?" Ares slammed his fist against the wall, causing it to crumble. He couldn't take it anymore.

"Oh, now you're mad that I found out about your little games? Just take me home, Ares. I never want to see you again. And I quit!" She threw her work uniform in his face.

"Could you let me explain, for heaven's sake!" he said louder than he wanted. He was getting tired of her accusations without hearing his side.

"WHY!? So you can sell me another fairytale. I think I'll pass," she said with a frown. She picked up her towel and wrapped it back around herself.

"Take me home or I'll call a ride." She looked at him daringly through her swollen eyes. He didn't move. He still had her phone. She tried to take it from him, but he overpowered her. They got into a scuffle, hitting the floor, her towel falling off her again. He sat on top of her and pinned her hands above her head. She couldn't move no matter how hard she tried.

"Stop it and listen to me!" She looked at him with defiant eyes.

"There's nothing left for you to say. The picture said everything I needed to know."

"Not everything." She looked at him slightly confused at this statement. Realizing she wasn't going to go anywhere with the grip he had on her, she agreed to hear his side.

"Xena, let me show you everything. Please, it'll be easier." She reluctantly agreed. Ares placed both hands on the sides of her head. Blue light lit up the room and she closed her eyes. The images played in her head like a movie. She saw Emma spying on them, going to get Gabrielle, Ares bloodrage, why he asked Emma out, their date, his vision, and his threat. She saw it all. When she finally opened her eyes, she met with Ares pleading ones.