Disclaimer: I own none of the characters portrayed here in.
(Though don't get me wrong, I'd love to own Ares!:)...)
All are property of MCA/Universal/Renaissance Pictures.
Violence: None really to speak of, unless you count someone getting hit with
an arrow.
But no blood-and-guts standard Xena warfare, if that's what you mean.
Rating: All in how you look at it, I guess...;):)
(You'll see why I say this later!) I'd go with PG or PG-13, as one particular
scene
may be intepreted in any number of different ways!;):)
One hot, sticky summer day, Xena was traveling through the forest
alone, as Gabrielle was off visiting her family in Potedaia.
The weather, coupled with Gabrielle's absence, had *not* left her in a
very good mood.
*Nor* would what was *just* about to happen...
"Show yourself, Ares! I'm in *no* mood..."
"Funny...,*I* am!" He appeared before her, flashing that *irresistibly*
wicked grin of his.
"Look, I'd just *love* to stay and *bicker*, but..."
She never got to finish...
She swept his ankles out from under him with hardly a split second to
spare, Xena snagging an arrow from the air from where his back would
have been.
"What was *that* for?"
"Answer your question?..." she drawled, passing him the arrow.
"Waitaminute...lemme see that arrow..."
Just as Xena had suspected, the arrow's head was coated with a sticky,
faintly *reddish* substance...
"Just as I thought...Hind's Blood..."
Ares shuddered at the implications.
"If that had hit..."
"My thoughts *exactly*. *Someone...I can't say exactly who, is after you
for one reason or another. You need to be somewhere *safe*"
::"And *all* the *more* reason for him to *leave!*:: she thought
hopefully.
"No, Xena, to be honest, I think my best bet is to stay right here."
::"*WHAT!* *WHY????*::
"Why do you say that?"
"Xena, for a god with a Hind's- Blood-wielding assassin hot on his
heels, *nowhere* is safe. Olympus would probably be the *first* place
they'd look. Besides, what if the assassin is another Immortal?"
"You'd have to be either revenge-bent or *insane* to track an Immortal
back up to Olympus itself!"
"My point exactly. *Think* about it, Xena, what Immortal do we *both*
know that wouldn't mind my job who's both revenge-bent*and* insane?"
Unbeknownst to either, another fatal arrow pierced the nearby foliage,
unseen and unheard.
Xena was first to notice, but any warning she *tried* to give came
moments too late.
Ares fell without a sound to the forest floor, the second lethal arrow
imbedded deep in his chest.
"*ARES*!!!!" Her anguished cry rang out through the silence of the
forest.
She caught a glimpse of sunlight glinting off of platinum-blond hair,
and heard the faint echo of maniacal laughter from the treetops above...
::He was *right*, for once...another Immortal...both revenge-bent *and*
insane!::
::Okay,:: she thought, half-panicked, ::I have to get him back to camp,
cleanse the wound, and *try* to keep the poison from coursing through his
system any faster than it already is."::
She accomplished this by applying the pressure point above and below the
wound to slow the flow of blood and poison.
She, too, was able to cleanse and bandage the wound.
With these things accomplished, all she could do was wait.
::What can I do:: she anguished ::the only know antidote to Hind's Blood
is ambrosia, and there isn't any within *miles* of here...
He could well...die if I don't do *something*, but what can I *do*????
A plus in my favor, though, is that I *have* stopped the bleeding *and*
the poison...
The only thing I cant stand is to see him like this...::
She had whispered the last line aloud and quietly continued her musings.
She sighed and went on.
"Tartarus take it, Ares, I don't want to see you hurt...I can't
*believe* I'm actually saying this, but...I love you, and I always
have...For that matter, I always will. If there's anything I can do for
you, I will...I'll do anything to keep from losing you...I know
sometimes it gets hard to separate who you are from what you do...
*I* don't even know how I can *love* who you are with the same passion
that I *hate* what you do...I know that you *can* care...*can* love...You
loved *me*, didn't you? Even though I'm not on your side anymore, that
doesn't mean I don't still care...I don't know if your listening, or, for
*that* matter, if you can evgen hear me, but, this is just to let you
know that I'm still here or you...I'll be here for as long as you need
me..."
---------------------------------------------
At her words, he seemed to stir, but she could not be sure why, as the
poison in his system caused him to run a high fever and hallucinate.
Xena spent a sleepless night watching him, and, just before dawn he
stirred again, starting to mumble something about
'Battle at Thermopyle' and 'War on Sparta'.
Xena assessed that he was probably reliving past glories and defeats
through the feverish haze, much as she had done in the Dreamscape.
Checking his temperature once more, she found that his fever had almost
broken.
She then proceeded to soak a rag from the waterskin and place it gently
across his forehead.
Inspecting the wound site, she found it to be healing well despite the
Hind's Blood poison.
He began to regain consciousness around midday.
"Xena?..." he moaned, voice hoarse from disuse.
"Welcome back to the world of the living, Soldier Boy!" she joked
weakly, the relief she felt mirrored in her voice.
"What am I *doing* here? Oh, no..."
This last was due to Ares' trying without much success to raise himself
from his prone position on the ground.
"Don't try to sit up...Lie back, take it easy, relax...You gave me
*quite* a scare there for a while."
"I reiterate...*What* in the *name* of the *darkest* pit of *Tartarus*
am I *doing here?*"
"Three words...Hind's Blood Arrow..."
"You mean I actually took a hit?"
"Yes, and a *nasty* one. You're lucky to have even *survived*..."
He cringed.
"So who's our mysterious assassin, do you know?"
"I'll give you *one* guess...
Hint: think revenge-bent *and* insane...'
"Callisto."
"Who else? They say stress is detrimental to the healing process, so
I'll *not* have you worrying about *her* while you heal.
I'll get back at *her* *later*."
"May I join you? After all, there *was* that little incident of Strife's
death, and all, so I have my issues to take up with her, too."
"Join me by all means. Just *wait* until you're *healed*."
"That's the *one* thing I *hate* about healing above all else.
I hate feeling worthless like this...I should be *fighting* not
*healing!* I *hate to be laid up flat on my back like this..."
"Did you *really* mean that about hating to be...'flat on your back'?"
she purred, a mischievous edge to her tone.
"Don't *tempt* me. I'm *injured!*"
"Later, then..."
**
After a meager, pre-packed meal
("You'll wish the poison *had* killed you if you have to suffer through
*my* cooking!)
the two sat basking comfortably in the glow of a warm fire.
Even in that quasi-peaceful moment, though, Xena could sense that
something was wrong.
Trying to hide the half-concerned amusement in her voice, she asked "You
wouldn't, by any chance happen to be in any *pain*, now would you?"
"Do you think for a *second* *I'd* tell *you*, even if I *were*, which I
am *not*?
"Never mind, I could see it in your eyes. Come here. I'll...*help you
out*." This last was an invitation to her side of the fire.
"You think I'm in pain?"
"No. I *know* you're in pain. *You* just won't admit it." She tried to
stifle a chuckle.
"I can't believe it...*Me*, saving the life of the God of War..."
"Just *rub it in*, why don't you?"
"Thanks!" She grinned,"I think I just might do that!"
"You just *insist* upon rehashing the fact that it *had* to be *you*, of
*all* people, to save *my* life, don't you?"
"Yeah!" If it was possible, Xena's grin grew wider.
"Xena, Xena, Xena...*Why* must you be so...*so*..."
"Frustrating?" she supplied, "irritating, aggravating, infuriating?"
"All of the above could *just* as well apply, but I was *going* to
say...*stimulating..."
"Oh,*No*nonono*NO* *That's* a path we're *not* gonna take!"
"Why not? We've traveled it before..."
"That was *years* ago, too."
"Nothing's changed..."
"Except *me*..."
**
Xena spent yet another sleepless night, but *this* time, for an
*entirely* *different* reason...
"Still awake, *are* we?"
"What's it *to* ya?"
They both lay awake for a few moments when Ares broke the silence.
"Dinar for your thoughts?"
"They're worth a *lot* more than *that*, I can *tell* you!"
"You're thinking about --*us*-- aren't you?" he queried, making doubly
certain to stress the 'us'.
"Sort of..."
"How so?"
"Just that...well...'back in the day', we seemed to make *quite* a
match, didn't we?"
"Though I'm sure *you'll* be the *first* to admit we weren't exactly a
match made in Elysium!"
"More like a match made in *Tartarus!*" she quipped, causing them both
to start laughing.
"Do you think we're just as...*compatible* now?"
"I've often wondered..."
"You know, there are *ways* of finding out..."
"You *sure* you're up to this?"
"Don't *worry* about it, I'm *fine!*"
"Still, with that wound, and all..."
"Trust me."
"I'm just not sure you should use *this* much energy until you're
*completely* healed..."
He gritted his teeth and mumbled "*Great!* *Me*, *Ares, God of War*
taking orders from a mortal woman...If she weren't who she was she'd be
*Harpy bait* right now!"
He concluded by directing the last statement back at her with his voice
menacingly low. "*Look*, for the *last* time,
-I am *FINE*- so will you just *stop* with the mother hen routine?"
"If you say so...Now...*Where were we?*"
_____________________________________________
"Ya wanna play rough?...Come get me..."
Xena's tone seemed almost taunting as a feral smile
spread slowly across her face.
"So what happened to Ms. 'We're-not-gonna-travel-this-path?'
"She...wised up a little..."
_____________________________________________
Hardly a glance passed between them as a sweet bolt of fire shot through
both at the prospect of what was to come...
A great rush of energy clouded their thoughts
making their hearts pound and taut, aching muscles cry out for
release... "I *love* it when you come on strong..." He noted that, even
after such a long time, her style hadn't changed.
"You'll *really* enjoy *this..."
All control was surrendered;
Each could tell that the other was weakening, but both strived to
maintain control...
"I could keep this up for *hours*..."
"So could *I*..."
All was intricate motion and pure, vivid kinetic energy...
"*Xena!* Where did you learn *that?*
You've improved *so* much..."
"Yeah, well...I've...*picked up a few things* since last time..."
"You're *too* good at this..."
"I know..." she teased, only fueling the fire.
One final sweet, climactic moment, and both collapsed, spent and
gasping. For a time, neither spoke, just laid back basking in the
euphoric glow that surrounded them.
Xena was first to break the serene silence.
"That was...*incredible*..."
A dreamy, husky quality had somehow crept into her voice.
"As good as last time?"
"Better."
_____________________________________________
Both sheathed their swords with the knowledge that it had been another
successful battle.
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