Violence/Sex/Profanity : No, sorta, a bit. Rated PG.
Author's Note : Takes place after "Amphipolis Under Siege". This is most definately NOT the best story I've written. I was just really bored and wanted to do something other than English homework.
Dedications : To Delenn, Raven Darkspell, and the *supposedly* sweetest guy in the world (SGIW), even though he'll never read this. It's his fault that I wrote this story, because my depression reached such heights that I decided to download some songs, and, one of them happened to be the one that inspired this.
Disclaimer : All characters are properly of MCA, Universal, and Renaissance Pictures. No copyright infringement was intended in the writing of this fan fiction. The titles of this series come from the song "Mine" by Savage Garden.
~*~
Sacrifices of food, wine, and dead animals sat untouched upon the black marble altar. Swords and other weapons of warfare hung on the walls, along with rich tapestries depicting a certain frustrating warrior. Candles cast a dim light throughout the room. Its lone occupant watched the flames dance with a scowl on his face. He turned away from them, and his eyes landed on a tapestry showing the Battle of Corinth. His scowl deepened, and a moment later the work of art was consumed in flames.
She had used him, rejected him, set the whole thing up just for her advantage. She had the bard knock down his temple wall so she had an excuse to leave him. She said that he really saved his dolly, not Eve, yet he had. Athena would have known it wasn't Eve if she had sliced it up. He saved them all, the whole damned town, and what did she give him in return? Three words. And they sure as Tartarus weren't "I love you." Of course not. They were "I felt nothing." She was lying through her teeth, he knew. The nerve she had, his Princess. She rejected him time and time again, and what did he do? Kept going for it.
"Lord Ares?" Trina's voice broke through his thoughts. He glared at her with eyes so fiery they could melt steel. She backed up a few feet and said meekly, "You wanted me?"
He looked her up and down. Her raven hair fell past her shoulders; her blue eyes watched him with uncertainty. Though she looked like all the others, she was not his Princess in the least. But she would have to do.
Without warning, he tackled her, and they both tumbled backwards. She bit back a shriek, expecting to hit hard ground, but found herself thrown onto a bed of silk. His lips captured hers before she fully realized they were in his bedchamber, tongue immediately demanding entrance. His hands viciously ripped the black garment from her body, and then he was ontop of her.
"Ares!" The voice was faint; he could barely hear it over the roar of the thoughts going through his mind.
"Ares!" A hand grabbing his shoulder pulled him back to reality. His head whipped around to face whoever interrupted his sport, and his eyes met those of Aphrodite.
"'Dite!" he roared angrily. "What the fuck are you doing here?!"
She pursed her lips and looked at him squarely. "Bro, you gotta stop doing this. No matter how many priestesses you screw, it's not going to make her magically appear."
"I don't CARE!"
She leaned against the bedpost with her arms crossed. "Yes, you do care. Why do you -- Oh, here, honey. Put these on and go practice your fighting or whatever." The last comment was directed to Trina as she pulled the girl to her feet, handed her a new dress, and pushed her out the door. She looked back at Ares. "As I was saying, why do you do this?"
"It's all the pent-up agression. Would you rather I go on a murdering rampage?" he asked sweetly.
Aphrodite shook her head and sighed deeply. "This isn't why I'm here anyway. 'Thena is calling another meeting. You gotta figure out some way to stop all this. If you don't, Xena's going to die."
He ran a hand through his hair. "You think I don't know that?!"
"Well, judging from the way you were indulging yourself, I could honestly say you weren't thinking too hard about your girlfriend's situation."
Ares shrugged. "Like I said, I need some way to get rid of that pent-up agression."
~*~
As Athena stood babbling on about how they need to kill Eve, Ares' mind was chaotic.
Xena, Xena, Xena. You know what, my dear? You're gonna die unless I do something. What to do, what to do. Do you deserve to live? Why should I help you if I'm not going to get anything out of it, hmm? After everything I've done, shouldn't I get something from you? Somehow, I'm going to have you back. Completely.
He closed his eyes, reaching out with his mind to find her. She was battling a group of thugs with the blond. Jump, kick, block, kick unconscious. Grab chakram, throw --
Wait!
His eyes shot open.
That's the answer!
Ares ran the plan through is mind and grinned. He *would* have his Princess back.
Suddenly, he felt someone's eyes on him and turned to see Aphrodite looking at him, concerned. He winked at her, and then disappeared.
~*~
Ares felt light-headed as he drifted through time. Images flashed before him, and before he knew it, he was standing on the ground again. He heard voices only a few yards in front of him, and he strained to hear them.
"Oh, yeah. It's all about you and me, Xena -- not Kal, not even Zeus. Just the two of us -- bringing peace and order to the world through force. Something you and I were destined to do...together."
Ares could picture perfectly in his mind how Xena looked the moment he was going to kiss her. But, as usual --
"Xena? Eli found -- Ares?! You --"
-- the irritating blond bitch of a bard had to make an entrance.
"Oh, you know each other?"
"Your hair is shorter, but you're still the same Ares. Only you would take advantage of Xena when she's like this."
"Like this? What do you mean? Because she can't remember things that make her mad? Things that fill her with hate? Well, when did you become so hard?"
Ares chuckled silently, remembering the Cheshire Cat grin he had given Gabrielle when Xena wasn't watching. He felt his presence leave, and Gabrielle walk up to the hot tub as the Warrior Princess sat back down in the warm water.
"Xena, what was he doing here?"
"Nothing. Just talking."
"Well...are you going to come out soon? Eli found something in the scrolls."
"Oh, okay. I'll be out in a minute."
"Alright."
Ares heard Gabrielle leave, and knew it was time to make his entrance. Silently, he walked up behind his Princess, placing his hands on her shoulders as he had before. She jumped a little and turned around, startled.
"Oh, Ares. It's just you," she said, relieved. She closed her eyes and settled into his gentle touch.
"Xena, I came back to warn you," he said softly.
"Warn me?"
"Yes. I know what's going to happen. The gods are going to come after you if you don't come with me right now."
"What have I done to the gods?" she asked.
Made them fall in love with you, he said silently, but outloud he replied, "It's not what you have done. It's what you're going to do." He waited for a few seconds, but when she said nothing, he continued. "Please, Xena. Come with me."
She was silent for a moment, as if struggling over how to answer. Finally, she said, "Where are we going?"
"To a secret place where the gods will never be able to find you." Seeing that she needed further persuasion, he knelt down and ran his lips over her shoulders. Whispering in her ear, he said, "I just want to save you, love. Come with me." He held his hand out in front of her to take.
She closed her eyes again as his lips found her earlobe. Without hesitation, she took his hand.
