Connected...But Forever Apart
By: Aurora
Copyright Disclaimer: All characters that have appeared in the syndicated series Xena: Warrior Princess belongs to MCA/Universal and Renaissance Pictures. No copyright infringement was intended in the writing for this fan fiction.
Subtext: None--what, are you kidding?
Violence: A little--what do you expect? This is XENA
Sex: None--just ‘cause there’s no sex, doesn’t mean there can’t be kissing
Rated G
Date Written: May 7-23, 2001
E-mail: axbfeaurora@hotmail.com (Please send me feedback; I want to know what you think!)
Author’s Note/Summery: When a Samurai warrior in Japan kills Gabrielle, Xena returns to her old, heartless ways as a murderer and vows to kill every last one of the Samurai no matter what it takes. Ares learns what has happened and goes against everything he once stood for to stop Xena from continuing on the path of bloodshed. This is just one of the ideas as to how I think the show should end.
PART 1
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*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*
Chained to a wooden post, shackles securing her feet and hands, Eve watched in fear as a mighty warrior dressed in cloths of bright colors unsheathed his elaborately jeweled sword in front of her. He raised it in the air and shouted in a language unknown to her ears; the crowd circled around her cheering.
Gabrielle suddenly rushed onto the scene, waving her sais in the air. She charged the warrior about to kill Eve and swung her sai only to be stopped when his sword met it and knocked it out of her hands. He threw her to the ground.
“Gabrielle!!” Xena shouted pushing her way through the crowd.
But she was too late. His sword came down and sliced through Gabrielle’s chest.
“No!!!!” Xena screamed, watching her best friend die before her eyes.
Then the warrior turned to Eve and prepared to dispatch her as well.
*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*
Xena’s eyes opened wide and she sprung from her bedroll. Her breaths were short and quick, her forehead covered with a cold sweat.
Gabrielle had heard Xena gasp and sat up from her bedroll. She looked at her warrior friend next to her who was staring into the night as if she had seen a ghost. “Xena? Are you okay?” Gabrielle was concerned about her friend.
“Eve is in trouble, Gabrielle.” Xena stated plainly. “Serious trouble.” Xena continued to stare into the night, not looking at her friend.
“What? How do you know?”
Xena looked at Gabrielle. “I had a dream. More like a nightmare.” Xena stood up and walked over to a tree where her armor lay.
“But, Xena, it was probably just that--a dream. I wouldn’t worry about it.”
“No. It was much more than anything Morpheus could ever put upon me. It was much, much too real. It was a premonition of things to come.”
Gabrielle stood up and walked over to Xena who was finishing putting her armor on. “What did you see?”
“Eve was going to be killed by a warrior from the Far East, a place much further than Chin. And you…” Xena wasn’t sure if she could continue.
“What?” Xena was hesitant. “Tell me.” Gabrielle said.
“You won’t like it.” She paused. “You tried to save Eve and…you were killed in the process.”
Gabrielle looked at Xena in disbelief. “Well…it wouldn’t be the FIRST time.”
“I know. That’s why I’m going to have to insist that you don’t come with me. I have to do this alone. I can’t have you dying again because of me.” Xena rolled up her blanket and put it in Argo II’s saddlebag.
Gabrielle did the same with hers and walked up to Xena. “I’m not staying behind. Where you go, I go. I’m not going to let some dream stop me from doing what I know is right.” She put her bedroll into the saddlebag. “Besides, Eve is as important to me as she is to you. I’m coming with you and that’s final.”
Xena knew that there was no point in arguing with Gabrielle. Once she had her mind set on something, there was no changing it.
“All right.” Xena said, mounting her horse. “It’ll be daybreak soon. We’ve got a long journey ahead of us so we had better get a move on.”
Gabrielle mounted Argo II, sitting behind Xena. “Where is it that we’re going again?” Gabrielle asked.
“I don’t know it’s name but I have heard people call it the Land of the Rising Sun.” She told her as they trotted off as the sun was just beginning to peak over the horizon.
*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*
Xena and Gabrielle traveled for many, many months by ship. Every night the dream would return to Xena, feeling more real every time. Finally, they reached the shores of the unknown land.
They had brought Argo II and once on land, Xena and Gabrielle mounted.
“Do we even know where we are going?” Gabrielle asked.
Xena shook her head. “No but I feel that we won’t need to find Eve, she’ll find us.”
“Okay.” Gabrielle replied as they galloped off.
*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*
By midday, they had stopped at a marsh hoping to find something to eat. Xena went to catch some food while Gabrielle set up camp under a shady tree. She set up a fire and let Argo II graze in a nearby meadow.
Xena soon returned with a duck in her hand. She sat down next to the fire and started to prepare if for cooking. She didn’t say a word while she did so and Gabrielle knew her mind was elsewhere.
“Thinking about Eve?” The bard asked, sitting across from the Warrior Princess.
“Yes.” Xena looked up and sighed. “What I don’t understand is why they would want to kill her. I know she would have done nothing wrong. She had come east to teach Eli’s message. She came in peace, not to cause trouble.”
“We’ll find the answers soon enough.” She looked down at the ground. “Xena…” Gabrielle looked up. “…if it does happen and I do die, I want you to know that you have changed my life and that you will be a part of me forever.”
Xena stopped what she was doing. “Gabrielle, nothing is going to happen. We make our own destiny, remember? No one controls our fate but us. Just because I had a premonition doesn’t mean it’s set in stone.”
“I know, Xena, but should it happen, I don’t want you to blame yourself. Do you remember a long time ago when you promised that if anything ever happened to me, you would not become a monster and give into the hate and anger? Well, I’m asking you again to remember that. We will always be together, Xena. Even in death, you know that. So, please don’t become who you used to be if indeed something does happen to me.”
Xena put the bird on a spick and put it over the fire. “That couldn’t happen, Gabrielle. I think that you have had such an effect on me over the years that I wouldn’t be able to turn evil again.”
“Just promise me.”
Xena nodded her head. “All right. I promise.”
*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*
When they had eaten their fill, Xena and Gabrielle packed up camp. While they did so, they heard faint talking in the distance. Xena and Gabrielle took out their weapons and knelt down, peeking through the nearby bushes into the clearing on the other side. There was a group of colorfully dressed warriors circled around a woman.
“Eve…” Xena whispered.
The warriors were talking to each other but it was too faint for Xena and Gabrielle to understand them. Xena stood up and started toward them but Gabrielle reached out and grabbed her arm.
“What are you going to do?”
Xena looked back. “Rescue my daughter.” Gabrielle let go of her arm and she jumped from the bushes, back flipping into the middle of the warrior circle.
The warriors looked at her in surprise and then pointed their swords at her.
“Mother, what do you think you are doing?” Eve asked.
“Saving you. What’d you think?” Xena looked at the warriors whose swords were still pointed at her. “What has this woman done?”
“She has disgraced the ways of our people by not respecting our traditions and our gods. She comes to our land preaching about the way of love and that there is only one god. She can’t seem to respect our gods and she will be punished.” One of the warriors said.
“Who are you that can have the power to enforce this?” Xena said. “This woman has come to your country in peace, not to cause trouble.”
“We are Samurai, the elite group of warriors who protect our emperor.”
Gabrielle continued to watch from the bushes, ready to help Xena if she needed it.
“Well, I’m not going to let you punish my daughter for something you THINK she did.” Xena stated.
Eve touched Xena’s arm. “You can’t do this, Mother.” She whispered.
“I have to.” Xena replied.
She jumped in the air, spinning and knocking the swords out of the warrior’s hands. When she landed outside the circle, they turned to her, picked up their swords, and attacked her. One warrior grabbed Eve and pulled her away from the scene as Xena fought the others. But the Samurai proved to be much better fighters than Xena ever imagined. Gabrielle watched as her friend was beaten down.
The Samurai punched her in the face and chest several times and then knocked her to the ground. Once down, one of the Samurai went to strike her with his swords but another one stopped him before he struck.
“Wait. We don’t have to kill her. I think she’s learned her lesson. Let’s go.”
The Samurai put their swords away and left with Eve. Eve looked back at her mother who was lying on the ground, looking to be in terrible pain. When they were gone, Gabrielle ran over to Xena.
“Xena. Xena, are you okay?”
Xena sat up, her head pounding from the blows against her skull. “Yeah, I think so.”
Xena had bruises on he arms, legs and face but other than that she was fine. Xena slowly stood up and put her sword away. She whistled and Argo II came galloping up. Xena mounted and helped Gabrielle up.
“Xena, how do you expect to save Eve? Hmm? You saw how skilled they are. They’re too much for you.”
“I don’t have any choice, Gabrielle. They are going to kill her and I have to stop them no matter what it takes.”
“Well, I hope it doesn’t cost you your life.”
Xena looked back at her blond haired friend. “If it does, then so be it.” Xena guided Argo II out of the marsh and they followed the trail the Samurai had taken.
*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*
About an hour later, they came to a crowd of people cheering and hollering. Xena stopped Argo II and they dismounted. She let Argo II run off and then she and Gabrielle headed toward the crowd. As they walked into the crowd, four Samurai warriors recognized Xena from before. They ran over to her, swords in hand, anger on their faces. Xena started to fight them as they attacked. Gabrielle took out her sais but Xena shook her head.
“No. You find Eve. I’ll hold them off.”
“All right.” She nodded, pushing her way through the crowd as Xena continued to fight the Samurai.
In the clearing, Gabrielle saw Eve chained to a wooded post, shackles securing her feet and hands. Gabrielle could see fear in her eyes as a mighty warrior dressed in cloths of brilliant colors raised and elaborate sword decked in jewels high above his head.
Gabrielle knew what she had to do. She was the only one at the moment who could save Eve and even if Xena’s vision said that she would loose her life trying to save Eve that would not stop Gabrielle from doing what was right.
She rushed onto the scene and charged the warrior about to kill Eve. She swung her sais at him only to be stopped by his sword, knocking her weapons out of her hands. With much force, he pushed her to the ground.
While Xena fought the Samurai, she suddenly felt that something was wrong and her vision flashed through her mind. She quickly knocked the warriors unconscious and rushed toward the center of the crowd.
“Gabrielle!” Xena shouted, pushing her way through the masses.
But she was too late. Her face turned white as she watched the warrior’s sword come down, slicing into Gabrielle’s chest.
“No!!” Xena screamed, watching her best friend die before her eyes.
The Samurai then turned to Eve, ready to dispatch her as well. Xena grabbed her chakram and threw it at the warrior in front of Eve. It lodged itself into his back and he fell to the ground with a thump.
Xena ran over to him, took the chakram out of his back and went over to Gabrielle. The wound in her chest was deep, bleeding severely. She was lying on the ground, her eyes closed and her breaths shallow.
“Gab…Gabrielle…” Xena held up her head. She was unresponsive. “Come on, Gabrielle. You can’t leave me. Not after all we’ve been through together.” Xena shook her gently trying to wake her.
Gabrielle opened her eyes to see a teary-eyed Xena looking back at her. “Xena…” She said weakly.
“Yeah?” Xena held her head in her hands.
Gabrielle’s breaths became shallower. “…I love you. I…will miss you…my friend.” A tear fell from her eye.
“I love you too but you can’t leave me yet.” Gabrielle’s eyes closed again and her chest slowly stopped moving. “Gabrielle…” Xena’s voice broke. “Gabrielle! No!!!!!”
Gabrielle was dead. Xena set her on the ground not believing that her best friend in the entire world had left her. Vengeance toward the Samurai boiled in her blood; she had never felt such fury before. She was going to do everything she could to destroy every last one of them no matter what it took.
Xena stood up and turned to Eve who was still chained to the post. But when Eve looked at her, she saw anger in her mother’s eyes that she had never seen before.
“Mother, I’m sorry about Gabrielle. It is partially my fault that she is dead. If I hadn’t gotten captured, this would have never happened.”
“You got that right.” Xena’s tone was harsh.
“What?” Eve was surprised by her mother’s reaction.
Xena’s eyes were like fire, filled with hate. “You heard me. Just as you said--if it wasn’t for you, Gabrielle would still be here.” Xena slowly lifted the sword in her hands and placed it against Eve’s throat.
“Mother, what are you doing?”
“What I should have done long ago. If you weren’t such a pacifist weakling, Gabriele would still be alive. You should have stayed the way you were as Livia. You are such a disgrace to my name AND my reputation.”
Xena’s harsh words cut into Eve like a knife. She couldn’t understand what was wrong with her mother and why she was acting the way she was. “You don’t mean that. What is wrong with you?”
“Nothing is wrong with me, my darling daughter.” She said sarcastically. “Now, enough talk. Time to go.”
Xena pressed her sword harder against Eve’s throat. Eve closed her eyes, prepared to take whatever Xena inflicted on her. Before the sword pierced her skin, there was a rumbling sound and streaks of blue light filled the air. When they subsided, the handsome God of War stood in their place. He was standing next to the post Eve was chained to. He looked at Xena and put his hand on Eve’s shoulder.
“I can’t let you do this, Xena.” With a single thought, he disappeared with Eve, leaving behind a bewildered Xena.
PART 2
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*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*
Ares and Eve appeared in his room on Olympus. Eve looked around, wondering what had happened seeing as how she would have been dead had it not been for Ares.
She looked at Ares. “Why…did you save me for a second time?”
“Something’s wrong with Xena and I knew that she would eventually regret it if she killed you.”
“Well, thank you but I don’t understand what’s gotten into her. I’ve never seen her so full of hate and revenge.”
“I believe it is because of Gabrielle. She’s…she’s torn and I know she’ll do anything for revenge. But to do that, I fear that she will turn to the murdering warrior she was in the past.” Ares said.
“But isn’t that what you’ve always wanted--to have Xena turn vicious and cruel. That’s what I’ve always heard.”
Ares looked down and cracked a smile. He rested his hand on his sword and walked around Eve. “Well…I… That’s not what I want anymore. But I know that I have to do something to stop her from destroying everything she has worked so hard to achieve over the years. I know that she would never forgive herself if she became what she was.”
“So what do you plan on doing?” Eve asked.
“I don’t know…yet.” Ares walked over to a stone circle filled with water in a dark corner of the room. He put his finger in the still water and it began to swirl. When it became still again, it produce a picture of Xena. She had gained a large army already and she was seated in front of them on the back of Argo II shouting and obviously getting her troops excited for battle. Ares didn’t like to admit it to anyone, but it hurt him to see the old Xena return to the world. That wasn’t the woman he fell in love with.
Eve walked over to where Ares was standing. When Eve came over, Ares looked away for a moment so that she didn’t see his emotions that had begun to show in his face.
She looked into the water to see Xena. “Oh, Mother…” Eve said, watching her mother rally her soldiers. “…I can’t believe it.”
Ares touched the water again and the image rippled before disintegrating. Eve sighed and walked over to a chair, sitting down. “What am I going to do?”
“Nothing.” He turned around and looked at her. “You go near Xena and she may kill you. I’ll deal with the problem. You’ll be safe here.”
“But…” Eve started but Ares was gone before she could finish.
*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*
Xena was bathing in a lake underneath a waterfall. The water was cool and felt good against her skin. She ducked under the water and when she came up, she found Ares standing on the bank across from her. Xena picked up a rock from the bottom of the lake and threw it at Ares. He caught it and dropped it to the ground.
“What a nice welcome.” Ares smirked.
“I’m not talking to you, Ares. You spoiled the only chance I had at dealing with Eve.” Xena scowled at him.
“I didn’t screw anything up for you. I merely…stopped you from doing something that should be done in front of people who hate Eve.” Ares lied. He had a plan but he knew that he would first have to get Xena to trust him for it to work.
Xena’s facial features changed. “You mean you took her just so I could kill her later in Greece, in front of everyone who wants her brought to justice for her past misdeeds?”
“Of course.”
Pleasure crossed Xena’s face and she smiled. She swam over to the bank and looked up at Ares. “You are so good.” She gleamed.
Xena stood up and walked up to him, grabbing his head with both hands and pulling him into a lustful kiss. It was hard for Ares not to respond. Still naked against him, they kissed violently. The two of them disappeared and reappeared in a long hallway with mirrors covering the walls, candles between each mirror flickered in the dark.
Still embraced in each other, Ares snapped his fingers and Xena’s leathers complete with chakram and sword instantly appeared on her body. Ares broke the kiss and stepped back. Xena looked at herself to find cloths hanging from her body and then looked around the unfamiliar room.
“Ares, where have you taken us?” She growled, somewhat annoyed with him for having interrupted her moment of passion.
Ares grinned. “This is the Hall of Memories, meant to show you where you’ve gone wrong.”
“Where I’ve gone wrong? Ares, I have become everything you’ve always wanted. I am about to attack the entire army of Samurai and destroy them I will!”
Ares shook his head and waved his hand as manacles appeared on her hands and feet.
“Ares, what are you doing?!” She shouted. “Let me go!”
Ares walked up to Xena. “I can’t. Something has happened to you, Xena. Something terrible. You have become the old Xena, the one that I used to think was the greatest. But that’s not who you should be and I know you know that.”
Xena flashed him an angry glare. “You know NOTHING then! I had forgotten what it felt like to be the Destroy of Nations, the burning rage of it. Now I remember and it feels SO good! The darkness has always been inside of me and I am just now understanding that I am supposed to be this way.”
“You are misguided. You want to kill your daughter. That isn’t right. The only reason your like this is because of Gabri--“
“Don’t you speak her name to me! She was the one who kept me from my true path.”
“I don’t believe that.” Ares said.
Suddenly, the mirrors on the walls began to show images of Xena’s past with Gabrielle, all the things they had been through together, good and bad.
“Ares…” She snarled.
“Xena, you need to understand that the path you are on right now is all wrong for you.”
“You have become such a softly, do you know that?”
Ares ignored her insult and put his hands on her shoulders, turning her to face one of the mirrors. She struggled as he did so, but she could do nothing about it. In the mirror in front of her, an image from long ago appeared. Xena and Gabrielle were sitting in the forest at night, a campfire’s flames rising in front of them. Xena watched the mirror as she saw herself and Gabrielle talking.
“Look at Melas. I know that he is a good man, but this hate is making him an obsessed killer. Somebody has to say no to this lust for revenge.”
“That is SO hard to do.”
“YOU did it. When your village was destroyed, you were infected with blood lust but you overcame it.”
“I was lucky. I saw what I’d become and I was able to turn it around. But if something ever happened to Mother or Hercules or you, I might do just the same.”
“No look you promise me. If something happens to me, you will not become a monster. There is only one to end the cycle of hatred and it’s through love…and forgiveness.”
“No changing you, Gabrielle. I like you just the way you are. Go get some sleep”
“No you promise me.”
“I promise.”
The mirror’s surface then swirled to show an image from just a few days ago. Gabrielle and Xena were sitting in the forest talking. Ares watched Xena’s reaction as she relived her past. He swore he could almost see regret in her eyes.
“Xena…if it does happen and I do die, I want you to know that you have changed my life and that you will be a part of me forever.”
“Gabrielle, nothing is going to happen. We make our own destiny, remember? No one controls our fate but us. Just because I had a premonition doesn’t mean it’s set in stone.”
“I know, Xena, but should it happen, I don’t want you to blame yourself. Do you remember along time ago when you promised that if anything ever happened to me, you would not become a monster and give into the hate and anger? Well, I’m asking you again to remember that. We will always be together, Xena. Even in death, you know that. So, please don’t become who you used to be if indeed something does happen to me.”
“That couldn’t happen, Gabrielle. I think that you have had such an effect on me over the years that I wouldn’t be able to turn evil again.”
“Just promise me.”
“All right. I promise.”
The image was gone and all the mirrors on the wall were once again black. Xena closed her eyes and shook the images from her mind before looking at Ares.
“Nothing you do is going to change my mind.” Xena tried to step away from him but forgot that her feet were chained and she crashed to the ground.
Ares looked at her. “You don’t feel any regret at all? No guilt? I can’t believe that. I saw it in your eyes. But I’m not going to push you right now. In time you’ll see.” Ares sighed and waved his hand, the manacles disappearing from her hands and feet. “Go back to your army but I’ll tell you this right now, I will be back.”
Xena stood up. “Oh, yeah sure you will. Maybe by then you will see how right I am for this whole darkness thing.”
He transported Xena back to her army and then Ares himself disappeared.
*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*
Ares appeared back on Olympus and when Eve saw him appear, she stood up from the chair.
“I have to bring Gabrielle back from the dead. As much as I really don’t want to, I have to.” He stated.
“Well, how do you plan on doing that?” Eve wondered.
“Don’t know but it is the only hope of bringing Xena back. I showed her images of the past of her and Gabrielle but she can’t get the revenge out of her heart. The only way would be to have Gabrielle appear to Xena and show her how wrong she is. I know that if she sees Gabrielle again, it will affect her.”
Ares walked over to a couch and sat down, putting his head in his hands. Eve just stood where she was, trying to think of an answer to their problem. Then Ares got an idea and he looked over at Eve.
“Your god owes me, Eve for having saved your life not once but twice.”
“Well, I guess, but what good would that be?”
Ares stood up and walked over to her. “You could get your god to bring her back from the dead.”
Eve’s expression changed into one of uncertainty. “I don’t know about that. My god isn’t really into the whole resurrection thing. But I’ll try, for Gabrielle and Xena’s sake because I love them both.”
“Good.” Ares said.
Eve got down on her knees and closed her eyes, crossing her hands over each other. She started to prey, mumbling things that were too quiet for Ares to understand. When she opened her eyes, she stood.
“He’ll do it but only because I’m his messenger.”
Ares smiled. “Eve…thank you. Xena means the world to me and I know that without Gabrielle, the Xena I love would not be alive. I may not be too fond of the blond but over the years she’s grown on me, I guess.”
“Whenever your ready for Gabrielle, my god will be ready to bring her back. Just tell me.”
“Xena’s probably in the middle of an attack right now, what better time to show her the error of her ways?”
Ares put his hand on her shoulder and they disappeared.
*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*
Xena and her army had already attacked the Samurai and were in the middle of a battle when Ares and Eve arrived. They were under a tree on a hill above where the battle was taking place.
Ares glanced at Eve. “We need Gabrielle back now. Have your god make her appear here. The only way this will work is if Xena actually sees Gabrielle.”
Eve nodded her head. “All right.” She said as Ares disappeared.
Eve again got down on her knees and began to prey. Ares appeared in the middle of the battlefield. Xena was fighting one of the Samurai. She lunged her sword into his gut and he fell to the ground. Suddenly, Xena saw Ares and with a bloodstained sword, she looked at him with an evil gleam in her eye.
“What do you think about what I’ve done? Isn’t it wonderful?”
“Not exactly the word I would have picked.” Ares responded.
Xena scoffed. “I can’t believe what you’ve become, Ares. You telling me that you don’t enjoy the thrill and the rage of war, the bloodshed?”
“I’m not saying that at all. I am the God of War and gods help me, I love it. But not when it comes from you.”
“Why?” Xena asked as she crossed swords with a Samurai who came toward her. She knocked him to the ground and killed him with one swipe of her sword.
“Because…” Ares began to answer. “…the woman I fell in love with fought to help people not to kill them. That is why I loved you; not because of your warrior prowess but because of what was behind it--your TRUE soul.”
Xena just stared at him for a moment and then charged two other Samurai who were coming toward her. Ares sighed and looked up at the hill to see Eve standing with Gabrielle. In a flash, he appeared next to them.
“Ares…I guess I owe you again.” Gabrielle said.
“No, no you don’t. Thank Eve’s god for bringing you back. But now you have to stop Xena from destroying what is left of her soul.” Ares said, pointing at the battle and Xena in the middle of it. Even from the distance, Gabrielle could see that Xena was enjoying herself and it hurt her to see Xena like that.
Gabrielle stepped forward. “Xena!!” She shouted.
From the bottom of the hill, Xena stopped what she was doing when she heard the familiar sound of her friend’s voice. She looked around but didn’t see Gabrielle anywhere. Gabrielle walked down the hill and through the middle of the battle toward Xena. When Xena saw her, she was in shock and her sword dropped to the ground. Gabrielle looked firmly at her friend.
“Xena, what have you done? You broke your promise. By doing this, you are killing your soul, do you know that?” Xena just stared at her blankly. Gabrielle walked up to Xena and put her hands on her shoulders. “Xena, you can’t do this. After all of the years that you tried to make up for your mistakes in the past, you would just throw that all away and go back to being evil?” Gabrielle shook her friend. “You are hurting me by doing this but most importantly, you are hurting YOURSELF.”
“You’re hurting me too.” Eve said, appearing with Ares next to them.
Xena didn’t say a word. She looked around at all of the fighting that was going on and she suddenly realized that she WAS hurting her soul by doing this. She couldn’t believe what she had done.
“Y-You’re right. How could I have been so blind? I can’t do this. Not anymore.”
“Just what I wanted to hear.” Ares said.
He snapped his fingers and they all disappeared from the scene of the battle and the battle itself vanished as if it had never happened.
*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*~*_*
They materialized back in Greece, far away from the Land of the Rising Sun. Xena turned to Eve and hugged her daughter.
“I-I’m sorry that I tried to kill you. I don’t know what I was thinking.” Xena apologized.
“Mother, I know that it wasn’t really you who wanted to kill me. I don’t blame you.”
Xena smiled at her daughter and patted her shoulder before walking over to Gabrielle. She averted her eyes for a minute and then looked at Gabrielle.
“I can’t believe that I went against the promise I had made not only to you but to myself. Having you gone hurt too much, I guess and all I wanted was revenge. I’m sorry.” Xena hugged her friend lovingly. “I am glad you are back, Gabrielle. I missed you.”
“I missed you too.” Gabrielle stepped back from Xena.
Xena nodded her head and smiled. She looked to her side and saw Ares standing with his hand on his sword watching them reunite. He smiled slightly at her and she smiled back.
“Gabrielle, I need a moment alone with Ares. Do you mind?”
“No, it’s okay.” Gabrielle gestured to Eve and they walked off.
When they were gone, Xena and Ares just looked at each other without saying a word. Finally, Xena spoke.
“Ares, thank you.”
“For what?”
“For not giving up on me. No matter how far gone I may have been you didn’t give up. I’m grateful for that because if you had given up, then I would never have come around.” Xena paused. She wasn’t quite sure how to continue. “Ares, you really love me more now than when I was murdering warrior?”
Ares sighed deeply and walked up to her. “Yes. My feelings for you were only discovered when I realized that it wasn’t your warrior side that I loved but that it was your soul and spirit. You’ve changed me, Xena and I love you for it.”
Ares stepped closer to Xena until she was almost pressed against his body. His scent filled her senses and she closed her eyes. When she opened them, she looked deeply into brown eyes, seeming to pierce his soul. He lifted her chin gently with his hand and stared into her crystal eyes. Without a word and no apparent rejection for Xena, he leaned his head forward and tenderly captured her lips. He kissed her slowly but Xena increased its’ intensity, filling it with ardor. They were in ecstasy. Xena wrapped her arms around his neck and he put his arms around her waist, now completely together. Xena felt like she could stay with Ares forever and she knew she wanted too. Ares was finally with the woman he loved and he didn’t want her to leave him again. It hurt too much to see her go.
Finally, they broke free of their embrace and looked at each other.
“Ares, I have a confession to make. It may have seemed that since you became mortal, I have been trying to avoid situations with you where I know I wouldn’t be able to control myself. That is because it is hard for me to admit what I feel for you and I thought that I would be able to deny it. Now I know I can’t anymore.” Xena looked away for a moment. “I love you, Ares and I want to be with you. When I am not with you, I feel an emptiness that not even Gabrielle can fill. I need you but as much as I want to be with you, I can’t.”
“If we both feel the same way, then why can’t we be together?” Ares asked, kissing her neck.
“Because you are wrong for me not matter what I feel.” Xena sighed sadly. “You are my past, Ares. Everything that I have been trying to atone for is still there when I look at you. I HAVE seen a change in you but you are still the God of War and as you said once before, that is what you do and nothing will change that. We are wrong for each other. I may love you and you may love me but it can never be for us.”
“I know. I’ve always felt it would have to be this way. I know that being with me would probably turn you into who you were and neither of us would be able to stand that.”
Xena nodded her head. “Yeah.” She whispered.
She looked again at Ares and kissed him lovingly. “Goodbye, Ares. You will always be in my heart.”
“I will always love you too, you know that.” He smiled.
She smiled back and watched as he vanished in a flash of sparkling blue light that eventually faded in the air. She turned around and went back to Eve and Gabrielle. With a heavy heart, Xena glanced one last time at the spot Ares had stood knowing that they would always be connected…but forever apart.
THE END
