Title: Confession in the Night Author: Magdalena Disclaimer: Characters don't belong to me. They belong to MCA/Universal/USA Studios. Summary: Takes place after "The Quill is Mightier". Gabrielle is confused about her feelings towards Ares. (This is my first fanfiction I have ever written. I hope you will like it. I'm sorry if my English is bad, I'm from Sweden, and my English could be better. ) ******************* Let your mind Start a journey through a Strange, new world! Leave all thoughts Of the world You know before! Let your soul Take you where you long to be! Only then Can you belong To me... "The Music of the Night - From the Musical The Phantom of the Opera." * * * Gabrielle stared into the fire. Xena slept beside her. But she couldn't sleep. Her mind was full of new thoughts and new feelings. And it was all because of him. What was it about him that made her feel this way. Why did the thought of him make her all warm inside. Damn him, why couldn't he just let her be. Ares. Just thinking his name, send a shivering up through her body. His dark glittering eyes that could look though on. It had been much more easy to hate him before all the enchanted scroll things happened. But now, now she saw him in a different light. "Gabrielle what's wrong?" Xena asked her. "Xena, I thought you were asleep." Gabrielle said, trying to sound happy. "How could I sleep when I could feel your discomfort?" Xena said, reaching to take Gabrielle's hand in hers. "Xena I don't know what's wrong with me. I feel different now towards him". Gabrielle finally confeøsed. "Different to who?" "Ares." "Ares?" "Yes. Somehow my feelings have changed regarding him. I don't hate him anymore. I... don't know what I feel anymore." Gabrielle looked at Xena with tears in her eyes. And she was surprised that Xena looked at her with a smile in her eyes. "Didn't you hear what I said Xena? I think that I'm falling for him." Gabrielle said and hot tears started to fall from her eyes. "Gabrielle, Gabrielle." Xena said and took her in her arms. "Ares has that effect on women. Many have felt it. Heck, even I felt it too. And I still do." "You still care?" Gabrielle said, surprised. "Yes." Xena laughed at Gabrielle's bewildered expression. "You know that he is the God of War, all evil, ruthless and cold hearted. But a part of you wants to change him and show him that war isn't the only thing that can fill one with passion." "But I thought that you hated him?" "Well... a part of me hates him, but another part feels for him. Gabrielle, what is your true feelings for him?" "I don't know." Gabrielle answered Xena, confused. "For a long time I hated him, then all the business with that damn enchanted scroll happened and I was forced to work with him and it actually made me see him a bit different. I could talk with him, even laugh with him. I even forgot that he is the God of War." "You know Gabrielle, you are very lucky." Xena said smiling. "You saw something Ares would never show anyone that he doesn't trust. His heart. Sometimes, when I was his chosen, I could catch glimpse on it, but only for a short time, then he would return to his old self again." "What should I do?" "Well, I think you should not deny your feelings. Honestly, I don't like the thought of you and Ares together, but if someone could change him, that would be you. After all, you changed me." Xena said and looked in Gabrielle's eyes with love. "Thank you Xena." Gabrielle said and hugged her. "You're welcome, now lets get some sleep, I'm dead tired and we have a long day tomorrow." "Okay". Gabrielle said and lay down on the ground. For the first time since her encounter with Ares, did she feel at ease. And she slept soon as a little baby. Xena lay beside her and watched her fall asleep. She marvelled that Gabrielle had won the trust of the most complicated man that had ever walked the earth. Soon even Xena slept peacefully. *** Far away in a temple, a lonely man sat staring into a fire. Dancing in the fire was a face of a woman. A sleeping woman. The man's face was a mask of different emotions. There was pain, sorrow and confusion mixed with happiness. "Sleep well Gabrielle, sleep well," the man whispered to the sleeping face. "I will watch over you." Ares turned away from the fire. With a twisted smile he said to himself, "Father what has she done to me?" In her sleep, Gabrielle smiled, knowing that she was safe beside her best friend. And not knowing, that Xena wasn't the only one that watched over her. The End! Or is it?