In Veritas Memento

Rating: NC 17

Disclaimer: I own nothing. All aspects of Spartacus: Gods of the Arena are owned by Steven De Knight and Starz. This is for pure entertainment value alone.

This story takes place after the episode Missio, yet it veers completely into an A/U after the events of that episode. I am a huge fan of the series Spartacus; however, my favorite character is Gannicus. This is his story.

Warnings: M for a reason. This story is much like the show. It contains bad words and smut! If that is not your cup of tea, turn back now. Although, if cussing and nude scenes offend, are you sure you're a fan of Spartacus?! ;) Hehehe. Kidding. Anyhow, you've been warned.

Pairings: There are multiple pairings, and Gannicus has more than one partner in this story, however, Gannicus/Melitta is endgame. If reading Gannicus with multiple pairings offends you, again, turn back now.

A/N: This story has been rewritten, so, do not be surprised if much has changed if you have already read this.

*8* = Scene break.

Chapter 1: corruptio optimi pessima: The corruption of the best is the worst.

The House of Batiatus slave quarters:

The cold stone under her knees felt as unforgiving as the rough cloth along her flesh and the heavy burden she now carried upon her heart.

She had betrayed her husband.

Not by the deed in which had been forced upon her this night. That had been absent choice. No, her guilt lay in how she had enjoyed the act. The mask she wore of teasing sister had been torn from face and the smile she so often carried due to silly banter was nothing more than a lie.

Gannicus.

She desired him. Was attracted to his charm and charisma, just as every other woman in this ludus.

The exception being she had never allowed herself to admit it—until choice was taken from her. Now Melitta felt like one of the many women lining up for his eye. She was a part of the secrets that echoed throughout this house. Her heart was a deceitful serpent that slithered along darkened halls keeping to shadows lest discovery bring betrayal to light and destroy both a marriage and a brotherhood.

It sickened her.

She had never felt so put upon; her guilt tremendous as she washed his touch from her body. How could she have found such ecstasy in lying with him? Was she some faithless creature that would trade love and admiration for blissful fucking?! He was like a brother. Was a brother to honorable and loving husband, and yet she had tarnished that bond when her body found rapture (unlike any she had ever imagined) while performing an act which should have left her cold and empty—not clinging and whimpering.

She was quite obviously a woman with no honor and it shamed her to her core!

His arrogant comments about fucking his way out of unfortunate circumstance came to mind and she wondered if he realized how his words had born bitter fruit in ways neither of them had ever thought possible.

*8*

That same night, as Gannicus was led back to his cell, the events forced upon him earlier weighed heavy on his heart and mind.

He had known the night would end badly as soon as he had been led to the triclinium and Batiatus had informed him that pleasing Varis was to be his sole purpose, even if that meant sucking the man's cock! He had been disgusted at the demand, and while he judged no man for his tastes, (Auctus and Barca were brothers to him) the thought of being forced to service another man in such a way sickened him.

It had taken every bit of willpower he possessed to remain unmoving while Varis slid hands along his flesh, groping him as if his body might respond to being pawed by another man! When the Roman had asked for demonstration of skill at wielding impressive cock, Batiatus had agreed, saying he would 'lend privacy', he had very nearly balked; only Melitta's presence kept him from doing something rash. Humiliation waged war with fury and disgust, while mind raced in fear at what would happen once he was alone with the Noble. It was a circumstance he had never foreseen, and he'd had to battle his instinctual need to fight back, to escape such revolting fate. To his eternal gratitude, Varis had laughed at the misconception, ending his turmoil when he explained to Batiatus how he'd had 'too much wine and other pleasures for such rough exertion'.

Thank the fucking Gods!

Gannicus had nearly wilted in relief. He had thought his ordeal over, consoled that the distasteful matter of being fondled by another man would not bear even worse consequence. However, the Gods were not in his favor and everything quickly went to shit when Varis pointed to Melitta and said, 'Have him fuck this one and I shall watch.' With those words, his world had spun completely out of control, and the boastful, cocky statement he had made to Melitta about 'fucking his way clear of a situation he could not laugh or fight his way out' came back to haunt him…in most vindictive manner.

Sorting through his tumultuous memories, Gannicus felt her presence as he approached his cell. While the guard opened the old wooden door, he turned, and there she was. Melitta glanced his way briefly, her arms wrapped around her stomach as if holding the pain inside. Her distress was a palpable thing that reached out across the sand separating them, making him ache. She was ashamed. He understood that emotion, he felt the same. They had lost themselves tonight. Somewhere in those moments everything changed and having sex with her was no longer just for prying eyes. She had responded to his touch, becoming wet for him, easing his passage within her. In truth, her reaction had stunned him, but when she gazed up at him, he could see the burgeoning desire there and it excited him as well. Their audience had fallen away, and he had been focused solely upon her, on pleasing her and making her come for him.

And she had. Hard.

Melitta had clung to him, her hands pulling him deeper into her, clenching around his cock so tight his control snapped and he had spilled himself within her, coming undone in a manner he had not experienced since he was a youth in his thirteenth year with his first woman.

It was the best and (because of who she was) worst sex of his life!

The door clanged shut behind him, locking him in for the night, but he needed one last glimpse of her. Gannicus turned and gripped the bars, pressing his face to the small opening above as he watched her make her way into the ludus and her husband. Jealousy gripped him, and he detested it. He had not looked at Melitta with anything other than affection for a dear friend since days long past, back when he was recruit, and she had not yet married Oenomaus. Discovering she was promised to the other man had ended his brief infatuation before it began. At least, he had believed it so, until now. Presently, all he could recall was her body under his, how she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, nails biting into skin while he took her. The sounds she made as he thrust into her, how she whimpered, gasping for breath as she climaxed; Gannicus had never experienced anything so fucking spectacular.

The memory made cock hard with mere thought!

He turned away from the small window above his cell door and went to his cot, collapsing upon it with a huge sigh. Mentally, he was exhausted, but physically, he felt more alive than ever before, and that shamed him. He should not be engaging these emotions. Melitta was not his to desire. She was Oenomaus's wife, and yet, he had been inside her…had spilled seed within her womb. The possibility it could take root and create a child was there and to his utter shock, the thought did not terrify as it had in past!

"Fuck the Gods!" he muttered tiredly, for they had surely deserted him this night.

*8*

The next morning, Gannicus suffered through Batiatus's announcement regarding the good fortune of the House of Batiatus. He could not help but wince as the man bragged that due to "his performance" he had secured the primus in the up-coming Vinalia. His performance! He would have laughed had he not been so confused over his own emotions. He glanced back to Melitta, and when she met his gaze, he quickly looked away, his newfound feelings for her making him uncomfortable. Batiatus called him a man to emulate and admire and then raised arm high while his brothers chanted his name. It was ridiculous. Gannicus felt only more shame heaped upon over-burdened shoulders. He had not gained the Primus in a manner that was honorable. No, he had been given placement in the games because of his performance between Melitta's thighs! In what world was that to be admired and emulated?

He watched as Oenomaus was declared Doctore, but Gannicus could not congratulate him on his elevated position. He knew the man deserved such recognition but the sickening guilt he felt when realization dawned that while Oenomaus had been fighting for his very life—Gannicus had been fucking his wife for Roman pleasure and loving it! Self-reproach overwhelmed and would not allow Gannicus to meet the man's gaze much less break celebratory words with him, and the blonde gladiator sought to escape the villa and the troubling thoughts plaguing him without confrontation. However, Oenomaus followed him out of the atrium and into the corridor that led to the ludus. The newly appointed Doctore proudly informed him of the honor he brought to himself with his position in the games. Gannicus wanted to deny such praise and speak plainly regarding actions taken to achieve such accolades, but he held tongue—that would cause heartache to Melitta, and she had suffered enough. Instead, he nodded sickly and replied it was nothing. And that was even more disgraceful perhaps, because that was the biggest lie of all. The Primus may not have been earned by his prowess in the arena, but what had happened between himself and Melitta was far from nothing.

In fact, he was beginning to fear it was everything.

"You both bring honor to this ludus…each in his own way," Melitta said in her usual comforting manner.

He nodded and finally made his retreat, unable to indulge in his usual swagger and cocky banter due to the shame he felt clogging throat.

Something within him had been unleashed the moment she responded to him. Previous affections were altered, magnified, and afterwards, when he gazed down upon her face, it was as if his entire world had shifted with her suddenly at the center of it. It was as surprising as it was disturbing. He was now forced to deal with the aftermath of this emotional metamorphosis and found himself utterly unprepared for feelings he was experiencing. He had never felt such stirrings for any woman, much less the one woman in his life he had come to love as friend/sister, not lover.

Melitta's grace in the wake of such betrayal further added to the burden of dishonor he carried and Gannicus wanted nothing more than to escape her presence and pretend last night had never happened. With that thought firmly in mind, Gannicus headed for the training yard to begin his sparring for the day. With each blow from his sword he set purpose towards the primus. He had to focus on proving to himself he truly deserved the position and yet each time he glanced up at the balcony and caught sight of her, he'd become distracted by the memory of rich brown eyes filled with passion and succulent lips, lush and ripe as fresh strawberries gasping with ecstasy as he drove into her sweet, hot body.

With those lustful thoughts, wicked desire flooded brain and threw him right back into the roiling quagmire of forbidden longings and betrayal.

For the first time since becoming a slave, Gannicus felt truly damned.

*8*

Later that same evening, candles burned softly around the room. The flickering light caused the couple on the cot in the corner of the dank cell to cast shadows upon the stone walls that surrounded them as they moved against one another, their bodies dancing to a rhythm as old as time. Trying to forget her, Gannicus thrust into the slender blonde beneath him at a steady pace, his purpose determined, yet absent the lusty enthusiasm he usually relished when fucking. It was not as if he was without enjoyment—sex was still as good as ever, (the woman writhing beneath him was surely enjoying herself) and yet, fucking some nameless whore could not compare to being with her.

Melitta.

Her memory haunted him. He swore to leave her be, and yet, he could not stop thinking of her. Which is why he sought distraction to force her from mind. Finding it between the moistened thighs of another seemed a reasonable idea, except banishing her image was proving more difficult than imagined.

The blonde slave (whose name escaped him) raked her nails down his back as she found her climax, yet Gannicus was still striving for his. He could not concentrate and Melitta's visage kept distracting him. Frustrated, he admitted defeat and gave in to his innermost desires. Closing his eyes, he imagined it was her he was inside and (not surprisingly) that was all it took. Within moments, he was gasping for breath and falling hard as he found rapture. Unfortunately, as he came undone, it was not the blonde's name that fell from lips, it was Melitta's; a circumstance his partner was none too pleased with.

He had barely finished before the young woman was shoving him off her, her eyes spiting fury at him. "Speaking another woman's name while you are inside me gives bad form new meaning, you ass!" With those words, she leaped from his bed and angrily redressed. "If it is Melitta you crave, why do you settle yourself between my thighs?"

Stunned he had done such a thing, Gannicus was at a loss for words on how to proceed. He sat up, his naked body on display as he ran a hand through his sweat dampened hair. "Apologies," he murmured, aware that if she gossiped about his slip it could mean dire consequences for both himself and Melitta. "I would not have you repeat my transgression. It is my mistake. A momentary lapse of reasoning due to pleasant interlude and overheated brain."

The pretty slave girl paused in her anger as if gauging his sincerity, but after a moment, she shook her head at him, her tangled blonde locks swinging wildly. "Your tongue speaks false words of platitude. It was Melitta's image upon brain that made this pleasant for you, not mine. Is she aware you call her name when fucking other women?"

Gannicus drew the sheet over his loins. This was bad. He expelled a weary sigh. "No, she is not, and I ask that you hold tongue regarding the matter." When she did not respond promptly, Gannicus began to panic. "What would be gained by making traitorous thoughts public knowledge? It would only bring pain for everyone involved. Is that what you desire?"

The young whore gnawed at her bottom lip, debating her decision as she gazed upon the beautiful gladiator all the girls in the ludus vied to receive even the tiniest smile from. Did she truly wish to see him embroiled in ugly, possibly even dangerous situation? "No," she admitted softly, "I would not seek to see you harmed." She crossed the room and knelt upon the bed. "I will keep this to myself and never bring it to light," she assured him softly, cupping his face in her palms.

Weak with relief, Gannicus relaxed. "Gratitude. Such a tale would only bring sorrow."

She leaned forward and kissed his lips. "For whom? You or her? I have witnessed the lingering glances…"

"It is a chance meeting of the eyes nothing more."

The girl shrugged, not believing his bluff. "If that is what you believe, I would not argue point." She went to the door and paused, her eyes drinking him in. "However, if I were to press matter, I would say she watches you as well, and I am not alone in the noticing. You might want to inform her to keep gaze clear of your face and form before her husband catches sight of it," she said, before exiting his cell.

Gannicus watched her leave with a worried expression. He regretted wounding her pride, but he was more concerned with her spreading word of his enormous error in allowing Melitta's name to pass lips in such a moment. His lack of control now placed them in precarious position. He could only hope the girl honored her promise and did not carry the tale further. For if she did, by tomorrow this time, half the ludus could be aware that he lusted after his brother's wife.

Gannicus groaned loudly and threw himself back on his cot in frustration. It was an intolerable situation. One he could not seem to find his way clear of.

One fucking night—and it had changed his life forever!

Why was he feeling such a deep craving for her? Had it always been so, and he had simply ignored her continued allure until forced to recognize attraction? He had thought he had forgotten his initial desire for her and viewed her as nothing more than friend, but had he?

There had been a time…

Gannicus turned thoughts to when he had first laid eyes upon Melitta. It was his first week at Batiatus' ludus. He had been a new recruit at the time and she was a young house slave who had not even reached her eighteenth year. Doctore had just instructed him that he was to train dimachaerus after watching him work with the dual swords. Melitta had been on the balcony with the old Dominus watching the yard when he had caught her gaze. She was so beautiful, he had been unable to look away. In response, she had given him a shy smile that had taken his breath, and he had set mind to pursuing her after that. However, before he could even break words regarding his attraction, he had discovered she was to be Oenomaus' wife. Oenomaus was Champion at the time and Gannicus, even as a wet-behind-the-ears novicus, had known better than to seduce the House Champion's future wife. Therefore, he had turned his lusty desires towards several of the other young women within the ludus, letting Melitta go without ever truly making his admiration known. Perhaps he had never truly forgotten his yearning for her and now that he had possessed her, thoughts of her could no longer be placed into the category of friend.

Was that it? Had he always wanted her, or were these emotions a temporary reaction to the amazing sex they had shared? He was confused and conflicted and unsure of what he felt. Perhaps his friendship had kept hidden his infatuation…

Gannicus shook head at his internal musings. "Or," he said aloud to himself, "perhaps I am simply going fucking mad?!" He gave a short bitter laugh as he picked up his amphora of wine that was next to his bed and took a long swallow, hoping it would numb the pain. What a fucking shit storm he was in and, the truth was, did his feelings really matter? No. They did not. He could not have her. The quicker he accepted that as fact, the quicker he could let the entire matter go and return to normal state of fucking mind!

A/N: I have rewritten much of this story, so, chapters 1-8 will be reposted. They are just too different not to repost. Hope you enjoy the changes… or if you are just starting the fic, hope you enjoy it period! :)