Disclaimer: I don't own these characters although I would like to lease Ares with a option to buy!) I don't profit from them, so keep your lawyers on a leash. "The Wish" Author: Lady Leonie Feedback: Yes Please!! malory70@yahoo.com Archive: If you want it you can have it, just let me know where I can come visit it. :) A light dusting of snow covered the ground outside her window, as Gabby sat staring into nothing. Her mind wandering back to all the winter solstices she had spent with her family. The cherished home made gifts and the feeling of warmth and love her family had shared on the holiday. Tonight, she had celebrated with her adopted family. Xena,Eve and Virgil had all exchanged solstice gifts with her, as they sat around the fire giving thanks for the things they had been given and remberances of the people they had lost. Gabrielle had kept a smile pasted on her face, but inside something was missing. It had now been 5 years since their awakening in the icy tomb, that had held their suspended bodies for so long. Her parents were gone and her sister Lila had recently remarried. Xena had Eve and Eve had Virgil, but what did she have? Silent tears streamed down her face at the lonliness she felt inside. Needing to have some time alone, she grabbed her coat and went outside. The others were sound asleep, so she wouldn't be missed. On impulse, she saddled her horse and headed for her favorite spot. She had found this tiny brook on the edge of the woods. In the summer the earth around it was a rainbow of flowers and the peaceful trickling of the water always managed to sooth her. Now the sound was silenced by the winters frost, but she still enjoyed going there. Once there she dismounted and pulled the saddle blanket from its roost. Laying it on the ground by the frozen waters, she laid back and stared at the stars. Alone she felt free to let her tears flow free. One shimmering tear traveled along side her cheek and turned into glistening bead of ice, before touching the ground. In her heart she was wishing for someone of her own to love. Someone to share her life with and start the family she craved so badly. Lost in her thoughts she did not notice the fallen tear beginning to glow. Far above her, watching from his home in the clouds, the archangel Micheal heard her wish. Rapheal stood at his side and wondered what his friend was thinking. He knew Micheal had a special place in his heart for Gabrielle and was forever watching out for her. Micheal turned to him, with a smile on his face. "She has made a wish, my friend. One that is in my power to grant." Rapheal quirked his eyebrow in confusion. "We are not genies here to grant wishes, Micheal. What is this wish and how can you make it come true?" Once again Micheal smiled. "She wishes for someone to love. But, you see there is already someone hidden within her heart. She only needs my help to find it." Gabrielle was on her way back to Xena's home when a beautiful white light heralded Micheal's arrival. "Micheal, its so good to see you." "It is good to see you as well, fair one" Micheal gathered her into his arms and whispered in her ear. "There is something I wish to show you." With that they disappeared only to reappear in front of her families old farm house. "Why have you brought me HERE, Micheal? My family is gone. There is nothing for me now, but memories." "Ah, but you are mistaken, Gabrielle. There is something here for you, if only you will look into your heart and see it." Before Gabrielle could ask what he was talking about, he was gone. Bewildered at the turn of events it took a moment before she realized there was smoke coming from the makeshift chimney. Someone was living in her families home? Making sure no one was around, she peaked inside the window. Sitting in front of the fireplace, was the figure of a man. His face hidden in the shadows of his hooded robe, he sat holding something very familiar. It was one of her old rag dolls. The one her mother had made for her, when she was 9 or 10. "Who is this man and what is he doing with my old toy?" she thought. Then as if sensing he was being watched the man turned towards the window. Gabrielle stepped back, startled at being caught peeping. She quickly walked around to the side of the house and listened for the door to open. The crunching of snow as the man stepped from the house alerted her that she had indeed been caught. Deciding to face the man and apologize for snooping, she walked out of the shadows and came face to face with..Ares! "What are you doing here?" they asked in unison. "I asked you first." they once again talked in time. Gabrielle stiffled a giggle at the absurdity of the situation and Ares appearance. Beneath the robe,she could see he was wearing a pair of homespun trousers and a rough woolen shirt. The sight of the former God of War in anything but his usual leather was disconcerting. "You haven't answered my question, Gabrielle and what's so damn funny?" "You haven't answered me either, Ares. Besides I have every right to be here, this is my home. What is your excuse?" Ares seemed ill at ease, so unlike his usually arrogant- beyond- words self. " Well...ah..ah..I live here, sorta. It's no Olympian temple, but it puts a roof on my head." The enormity of his words hit her like a ton of papyrus. He was living here in exile. She and Xena had heard how the other gods had turned their back on him after the Twilight. Even Aphrodite refused to acknowledge him, for fear of the remaining Olympians. It had always torn at her heart knowing all that he had lost, by saving her and Eve. But knowing how Xena felt about him, she had never mentioned it assuming he was off somewhere rebuilding his army. Instead he had been here in her families house, living alone. A snowflake landed on the tip of his nose and without thought she reached over and brushed it away. "Do you think we could finish this inside? I'm freezing, aren't you? Ares watched as she marched past him and walked inside the house. A slow grin crept across his face. He knew one day she would come. It was why he had picked this place to settle, in the hope that one day she would return. It was so odd the feelings she invoked, so unlike the ones he had for Xena. Xena represented power, passion and his past, but Gabrielle was a light that filled his soul with hope for the future. Pulling the robe tight around him, he followed her inside. She was sitting where he had been and was holding the rag doll he had found. Somehow he had known it was hers and had kept it close to remind him of her. "Where did you find this? I thought Lila took everything with her, when she left." Sitting down next to her, he removed his robe and wrapped it around her. "I found it underneath a loose board in the floor of your room." Wondering how he had known it was her room, she started to ask, but stopped. He was once more gazing into the fire and she saw a look on his face that mirrored her own from earlier. "He is lonely, like me. He has no family anymore, like me. Is this what Micheal wanted me to see?" Her thoughts were racing and her heart ached to pull Ares close and take away his lonliness. "Why don't I? What do I have to lose? Don't I deserve some happiness too? Ares isn't the same man he was, even Xena has admitted that. Why can't I let him know how I feel? How I have felt, since the first time we found a connection. I no longer need to deny my feelings for him, do I? No, by the gods I do not!" Her continued silence was unnerving. He had expected accusations and demands for him to leave. All the while he had dreamed of her throwing herself into his arms and professing undying love. Silence was not in either scenerio. "Gabrielle, do you want me to leave? I can find another place to live." Unaware of the mental argument and realizations she had just come to, he was surprised when she answered with a kiss on his cheek. "It's Winter Solstice, Ares. A time for peace, goodwill and.....love. I would never think of asking you to leave. You have made this your home now and I...." Before she could finish, he put his finger against her lip to silence her. When he pulled it away he replaced it with a kiss of his own. Gabrielle felt as if she were drowning in the warmth of his lips on hers. This all felt so right, but she needed to know he cared for her as she cared for him. Once he held her life in his hands and now he was holding the key to her heart. Ares placed his hands on either side of her face and looked into her eyes. Wishing she could see how he felt about her. Wanting to tell her, without the words that were so hard for him express, how much he needed her to love him in return. "Ares?" "Yes" "Happy Solstice" Gabrielle twined her fingers through his hair and kissed him with all the love she had inside. They each let the kiss speak for them the words that would come later. Resting her head against his chest, she heard him whisper against her hair. "It is now, my love. It is now." Finally she felt complete and as she lay nestled against Ares, Gabrielle saw Micheal's face shining through the window. When she saw his smile, she silently mouthed the words. "Thank you" Gabrielle knew he had heard her heartfelt wish and given it to her.