Pairing: Gabrielle/Ares

Summary: My take on what could've happened between Ares and Gabrielle on the farm in "Old Ares had a farm" And did Ares really give up his Godhood just for Xena?

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, though I wish Ares was mine. :D

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Just An Afterthought?

By TaladarkieJJ

After the showdown on Mount Olympus, Ares was left mortal. To everyone's surprise, he had given up his Powers to save the lives of three mortal women. He no longer was the once fearsome and powerful God of War.

Word had spread of Ares being mortal, resulting in the fact that every Warlord in Greece was out to kill him. Xena and Gabrielle decided to help Ares as they owed their lives to him. So Xena offered her old farmhouse, making it Ares' new home. At first he had been skeptical but after awhile he warmed up to the idea of being a farmer, especially when he had met his overfriendly woman neighbour Greba.

They were busy cleaning up the old house when Xena decided to go have a talk with Gasgar, one of the Warlords who was looking for Ares, leaving the two of them alone. Gabrielle wanted to clear out the fireplace, and though Ares hated doing any form of physical labor he briefly helped remove some heavy material. Soon a small fire lit up the main room, casting a glow on Ares and Gabrielle who silently sat in front of the fireplace, both lost in their own thoughts, waiting for the Warrior Princess to return.

Gabrielle enjoyed being around the mortal Ares. He still had that same sense of humor. He could always make her laugh, just like that time when he had lost his powers because of that enchanted scroll. Ares on the other hand didn't like the idea of staying mortal for the rest of his life. It had been fun the last time because he knew his Godhood would be restored eventually.

"Ares?" Gabrielle asked, ending the silence that seemed to go on forever. It was making her slighty uncomfortable.

Ares who had been staring at the fire, slowly lifted his head to look at her. "What?" He asked, sounding not to pleased with the interruption.

Gabrielle noticed that the glow from the fire made him look more like the God he used to be. She couldn't deny it, he was very handsome and attractive. She felt herself blushing at the admission and just hoped that the flickering firelight would hide her flushed cheeks. He cocked his head.

"I..Uh..I wanted to thank you for saving my life. I know that giving up your Godhood must have been a huge sacrifice." She said, trying to keep her voice as steady as possible.

Ares leaned back in his chair and stared at the blonde woman in front of him. He had always thought of her as an obstacle, someone who kept Xena away from him. But he had also watched Gabrielle change from a young insecure girl into a beautiful and competent warrior. He wouldn't have offered her Xena's succession if he thought she wouldn't be any good to him. Of course, the main reason was to lure Xena over to his side but if he got Gabrielle instead, he wouldn't have minded one little bit. He had develloped an interest in the peace loving Bard.

"If Xena lost her power to kill the Gods than Athena would have killed her, So I saved Eve in order to save Xena.. You were just an afterthought." He stated flatly, though deep down he knew it wasn't entirely the truth.

A part of him really cared for Gabrielle. But she was just so..good..perhaps too good. It was almost scary. Besides, Xena would have been devastated if she had lost Gabrielle up there.

Gabrielle chuckled softly. "Well..uh..thanks anyway.." Somehow, she wasn't surprised by Ares' answer. Why would he save her beyond any selfish reason? Xena was all that mattered to him. It would always be that way.

For some reason she felt a pang in her heart at the thought. Could she be having feelings for Ares? Someone who had caused her enough grief to last an entire lifetime? No, it couldn’t be.. It sent her reeling and she nearly lost her balance but soon found herself being held by two strong arms.

"Gabrielle..you alright?" asked Ares, sounding more concerned than she could have ever imagined.

She looked up into his handsome face and smiled. "Yeah, I..I guess i'm more tired than I thought I was. It's been a long day." Ares nodded and sat back in his chair, just as the door swung open and Xena walked in.

Later that night, the three of them shared a bed because it was the only one in the house. Ares lay in the middle with Xena on his right and Gabrielle on his left. They were sound asleep, but Ares was wide awake.

He looked over at Xena who had given him the cold shoulder from the beginning. The former God of War sighed. Here he was, laying in bed with two beautiful women and he couldn't get anything out of it. This was not the way he had pictured it to be. He felt Gabrielle shift and snuggle up to him. Her arm rested across his abdomen and her head was nestled next to his shoulder. He lifted his head to look at her. She was sleeping peacefully. A smile came to his lips. He didn't want to wake her up so he decided not to move. And if he was completely honest with himself, he liked the physical contact, not just because it was a woman but more importantly because it was Gabrielle. He laid a hand on her shoulder and gently caressed it. He once more closed his eyes, trying to get some sleep.

Gabrielle woke up and found herself cuddled up next to a very muscular body. Her first thought was to back away but then she remembered she was sleeping in the same bed as Xena and Ares. She slowly looked up to find Ares sleeping, or at least she thought he was sleeping until he opened his eyes and looked back at her. He gave her a small but surprisingly warm smile. Then as she realised what position she was in she couldn't stop herself from turning red. She was sleeping in Ares' arms.. ARES of all people!

He was sure Gabrielle would have freaked out for her being so close to him but instead she blushed a nice shade of red. He kept looking at her, her face..her lips only mere inches away from his. Wow Ares, stop right there! This is Gabrielle, the annoying little sidekick.. Xena's the one you want, remember..? a little voice inside pointed out. Then why did he want to kiss her? Because he saw more in her than he was willing to admit. And would he ever get another shot at being this close to her? Most likely not. He slowly lowered his head to hers. He saw her eyes widening in surprise but she didn't make a move to stop him. Soon their lips met in a gentle caress, barely touching one another. He carefully shifted onto his side, trying not to awake Xena in the process, and pulled her closer. As she parted her lips for him to enter, he deepened the kiss.

Gabrielle could not believe she was kissing ARES! Her mind screamed for her to stop, but her heart told an entirely different story. Believe it or not, she cared for this man. She ran her fingers through his dark hair. Ares' tongue battling her own made her lose all sense of reality! If he could make her feel like this when he was just a mortal, she didn't dare to think what it would be like if he was still a God. She wondered how Xena had been able to resist him all these years. She moaned softly at the intensity of his kiss.

After awhile they broke apart, both breathing a bit faster.

Ares stared at her pondering what to do with these newly found emotions. Sure, Gabrielle was no Xena, yet she was special in her own way. Gabrielle felt a deep sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as she remembered the conversation she earlier had with Ares.

He leaned in again but this time she turned away from him. "Don't." Gabrielle whispered. "Just an afterthought right?" She added and turned her back on him. She was not going to be some substitute for Xena.

Ares realised that maybe Gabrielle had been in denial of her own feelings for him. They had had numerous encounters over the years, mostly when he was still the God of War, but also when he was mortal. They had gotten along fine. As a God he acted different, ruthless, without emotion but as a mere mortal he didn't have the same problems with expressing his feelings. It made him softer or "weaker" as he called it. He knew that if he ever returned to being a God he would never be able to admit his feelings to the little Bard. His ego would always get in the way. So maybe now was the time to come clean. If she returned the feeling than maybe it wasn't a lost cause, there was also Xena to consider..but he didn't want to think about that right now. One thing at a time. He snaked an arm around her waist and pulled her to his chest. She struggled a little but not much as she probably didn't want to wake up Xena herself. That would most definitely ruin everything, for Xena was very protective of her friend.

Gabrielle was backed up against Ares' well muscled chest, a strong arm across her stomach held her in place. Then she felt his hot breath on her ear and her heart skipt a beat when he breathed. "Maybe I lied."

End.

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A/N: 1) Don't shoot me for being a Gab/Ares shipper 2) I apologize for any bad use of English. It’s not my native language. 3) R&R.