Title: The After
Author: Aresbitch
Summary: A new Gabrielle returns from Jappa and finds one brassed off God of War.
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: SO not mine.
Notes: Yep, it was all that talk about X & G & A post AFIN lately that caused this. I can't get it out of my head except to write it down. Lucky you guys.
Done in parts and fragments because I can't commit to another long, drawn
out fic.
~~
"Ares."
He pushed away from the tree, one hand going to the hilt of his sword.
"Where is she, Gabrielle?" He demanded. He bore down on her like a runaway horse and she barely resisted the urge to take a step back. Grabbing her shoulders, he shook her a little, and she reached for the chakram. "Uh-uh," he said, and reached down to pull it from its hook. "This doesn't belong to you."
She erupted in rage at the weight being lifted from her body, and made a sound of fury as she broke his hold on her shoulders. Stepping back, she reached up and used the heel of her hand to punch his nose. He reeled back for a second, more from surprise than any real pain, and she braced her feet against the ground and glared at him, waiting for his next move.
But he simply breathed, two hitched breaths, and when he lowered his hands she saw blood on his upper lip.
"Where is she?" He demanded again, his voice lower. She swallowed, the panicked feeling rising again, threatening to drown her. Ruthlessly, she pushed it back down, down into that hole she'd made in the center of her chest. It spilled over the edges a little, like water boiling for too long a stove, but she ignored it, blinking, the corner of her mouth twitching, and gazed at Ares.
He loved Xena too, the only other person in the world that could comprehend the nightmare she couldn't wake up from.
"You know, Ares." Her voice was numb. "You know."
He shook his head, unable to look into her eyes.
"No, I don't. I thought I - that I felt-" he stumbled and swallowed, pressing his lips together as he gazed at the line of trees beyond her shoulder. "I don't. Where is she?"
She took a step to the side and walked over to the horse she'd bought when she disembarked from the merchant ship. Taking out her saddlebag, she withdrew a sealed jar. It was smooth, made from clay and free of marks or lines, and it fit in the palm of her hand like it had been made for her grip.
Walking back over to where he waited, she tossed the jar at him. It made a dull slap against his palm as he caught it.
"There, Ares," she said dully. "There she is."
~tbc~
Author: Aresbitch
Summary: A new Gabrielle returns from Jappa and finds one brassed off God of War.
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: SO not mine.
Notes: Yep, it was all that talk about X & G & A post AFIN lately that caused this. I can't get it out of my head except to write it down. Lucky you guys.
Done in parts and fragments because I can't commit to another long, drawn
out fic.
~~
"Ares."
He pushed away from the tree, one hand going to the hilt of his sword.
"Where is she, Gabrielle?" He demanded. He bore down on her like a runaway horse and she barely resisted the urge to take a step back. Grabbing her shoulders, he shook her a little, and she reached for the chakram. "Uh-uh," he said, and reached down to pull it from its hook. "This doesn't belong to you."
She erupted in rage at the weight being lifted from her body, and made a sound of fury as she broke his hold on her shoulders. Stepping back, she reached up and used the heel of her hand to punch his nose. He reeled back for a second, more from surprise than any real pain, and she braced her feet against the ground and glared at him, waiting for his next move.
But he simply breathed, two hitched breaths, and when he lowered his hands she saw blood on his upper lip.
"Where is she?" He demanded again, his voice lower. She swallowed, the panicked feeling rising again, threatening to drown her. Ruthlessly, she pushed it back down, down into that hole she'd made in the center of her chest. It spilled over the edges a little, like water boiling for too long a stove, but she ignored it, blinking, the corner of her mouth twitching, and gazed at Ares.
He loved Xena too, the only other person in the world that could comprehend the nightmare she couldn't wake up from.
"You know, Ares." Her voice was numb. "You know."
He shook his head, unable to look into her eyes.
"No, I don't. I thought I - that I felt-" he stumbled and swallowed, pressing his lips together as he gazed at the line of trees beyond her shoulder. "I don't. Where is she?"
She took a step to the side and walked over to the horse she'd bought when she disembarked from the merchant ship. Taking out her saddlebag, she withdrew a sealed jar. It was smooth, made from clay and free of marks or lines, and it fit in the palm of her hand like it had been made for her grip.
Walking back over to where he waited, she tossed the jar at him. It made a dull slap against his palm as he caught it.
"There, Ares," she said dully. "There she is."
~tbc~
Where was I? 
