CHARACTERS (in order of appearance in Part 2)
Gabrielle
Aphrodite
Xena
Octavius
Ares
Eve
Joxer
Ares' guard
Hephaestus
Eli's followers
They appeared on a road.
"Where are we?" Gabrielle asked as she looked around. "When are we?"
Aphrodite looked at the stone and squinted in concentration. "I set this thing so that we'd appear just as..." She stopped and smiled as she heard the sound of galloping horses. "Right on schedule."
Roman soldiers on horseback approached and stopped in the middle of the road. One of the soldiers got off his horse and looked at Xena and Gabrielle in shock.
"Octavius," Xena muttered in surprise.
"Xena, Gabrielle. I just left the beach a few minutes ago. Joxer said that Ares had..." He stopped short as he noticed Ares standing behind Xena. He pulled out his sword.
Gabrielle's eyes widened at the mention of the man who loved her. "Joxer," she whispered, falling into a daze just thinking about him.
Xena gestured to Octavius to put the sword down. "Octavius, I know what you're thinking, but right now Ares is no threat to us."
Ares scoffed and folded his arms in front of him, trying to look as big and bad as he could for a mere mortal.
Octavius put his sword away reluctantly, sending suspicious looks Ares' way. He walked about halfway into his troops and stopped at a wagon connected to a team of horses. He pulled back the curtain. Hiding behind it was Eve. She giggled when she saw the group, thinking they were engaging in a game of peekaboo.
Xena bit her lip and held her tears of joy back as Octavius placed her daughter in her arms. "Oh, Eve," she whispered into the child's ear. She felt emotionally overwhelmed as the adult daughter she had just left a few minutes before was once again a baby. "Gabrielle and I are going to be the best mothers to you," she promised. "When you have nightmares, we'll be there to comfort you. When you need advice, we'll be there to offer it. You'll feel so much love from the two of us that you'll never know what hit you." Xena laughed lightly at her words. Eve cooed and gurgled in response.
Gabrielle took a hold of Eve as Xena turned to Aphrodite with appreciation radiating from her eyes.
"Thank you, Aphrodite."
Aphrodite looked genuinely affected by the scene in front of her. She waved her hand in front of her face. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. It was nothing. Really." She sniffed. Xena smiled.
Octavius cleared his throat. "When we noticed you were gone, I developed a plan. Eve would come with me to Rome and I'd have her raised there. I was going to name her Livia, after a girl I've loved for years."
Xena, still affected by seeing her daughter so young again, merely raised an eyebrow at the remark and smiled. She rubbed her daughter's cheek with her forefinger, unable to keep her eyes on any other site.
When Xena didn't respond, Octavius continued, confused over why two gods were helping Xena when the rest of the pack was so set on killing her. "So the gods- at least the gods who want you dead-think you're dead. And you're free to live as you please?"
Xena sighed and her smile disappeared. "Not quite." She exchanged glances with Aphrodite. "We're going back to the beach."
"Do you need my army's protection?" Octavius asked.
"No. The gods are going to need it more."
Xena grabbed the knapsack that was sitting it the wagon, the one she used to carry Eve. She placed the baby in it and touted her on her back.
"Just like old times, hey Eve?" Xena smiled. Eve cooed in response. "Let's get going."
"Proceeding with Step Two?" Aphrodite asked.
"Proceeding with Step Two," Xena affirmed.
Aphrodite pursed her lips. "Do you want to see if Step Two is even necessary?"
Xena looked at the Goddess of Love for a moment, trying to discover her meaning. Aphrodite outstretched her arm and eyed Xena's sword. Understanding, Xena withdrew her sword and rubbed it against Aphrodite's arm. No mark or blood appeared.
"Then that settles it." Aphrodite smiled, elated to know that her skin remained as snowy white as ever and showed no signs of scars. "The power to kill gods isn't available to you in this timeline yet."
Xena cocked an eyebrow. "Then we'll see you at the beach."
Aphrodite and Ares nodded then disappeared. Xena and Gabrielle began walking toward the beach.
Octavius scratched his head. "Xena, is there anything I can do?"
Xena turned, keeping pace with Gabrielle by walking backwards. "Yeah. Go to Rome. Be a good emperor and a good man. Perhaps you'll even win the heart of the right Livia someday."
Her cryptic comments confounded him, but who was he to argue with the Warrior Princess?
"To Rome!" he cried.
He hopped back on his horse and like any good leader, he acted like he knew what he was doing.
Gabrielle heard clunking. It was faint at first but the sound increased, accompanied by loud sniffling.
"DAH!" Eve cried, hearing and happily recognizing the same noises.
Xena and Gabrielle exchanged hopeful looks just as Joxer rounded the path and knocked into Gabrielle. She fell on her backside.
Joxer held his eyes to the ground because tears were blurring his vision. "Oh, sorry," he mumbled, until he noticed who it was he had knocked down.
"Gabrielle!"
"Joxer?" she whimpered as she stood, unsure if it was really him before her.
"You're alive!" they exclaimed simultaneously.
They stared at each other for a few seconds, lost in each other's eyes. Xena stood by and beamed at the pair.
"DAH!" Eve reiterated.
Joxer's eyes left Gabrielle's and turned to Eve and Xena. Xena opened her arms and they embraced in a hug. He patted Eve and kissed her on the forehead. She returned the compliment by wiping her drool-filled mouth against his cheek. He laughed as he wiped his face with his sleeve.
"Eck, Evie honey, you need to learn a thing or two about kissing from your Aunt Gabby."
His muscles tightened in anticipation of a swat from Gabrielle. Instead, he noticed her eyes were upon him as intently as they were when his gaze first left her.
"What is it?" he asked.
Xena glanced at Gabrielle with concern. "It's a long story, Joxer. But we're back. And we know how to kill the gods."
Joxer's eyes widened. "They think you're dead."
"Then we have the element of surprise in our favor. Come on. We need to get to the beach."
She turned to walk away and stopped in her tracks. Ares was watching her. She frowned and scowled in the direction she sensed him. As quickly as the feeling enveloped her, it disappeared. The Ares she was traveling with was mortal now-it couldn't be him. Was it this timeline's Ares? How did he know she was here?
She tried to dismiss the thought. She had more pressing business to attend to.
Gabrielle continued to stare at Joxer. She approached him slowly and cautiously, keeping her eyes locked with his. She reached forward and touched his arm, shuddering at the contact. She smiled and looked away, biting her lip.
"Gabrielle, what's wrong?" Joxer asked. He put both his hands on her shoulders. His hands on her bare skin caused her bottom lip to quiver. "Joxer," she repeated in wonder, placing her cheek against his chest and wrapping her arms around him. It wasn't the most comfortable hug in the world because of his cumbersome armor, but she wouldn't have it any other way. The armor, the hat, the boots-they were all elements of him that she missed so much, thought of every day, every hour, every minute since his death. And here he was, back again, the same Joxer she'd always known, the same Joxer she wished to be with again. The thought of it was too good to be true.
"Are you really here?" she asked, her voice muffled from the armor and his shirt.
"Uhhhh, I think I am," he hesitated, wondering why she was acting so strangely. He thought about removing his armor, but he was afraid any movement to break off the hug would result in its end, which was the last thing he wanted. So instead he held her the way she held him, the way she wanted to be held.
Xena turned when she noticed her companions weren't following her and saw the sight with proud eyes. She hoped this was Gabrielle's wake-up call.
Gabrielle pulled away after a few moments and wiped her eyes with the back of her hands. She noticed Joxer's wet shirt. "Oh, um, sorry about that," she said with an embarrassed smile.
"Don't worry about it," he replied in quiet seriousness, his eyes fixed on her with love, adoration and concern.
She met his gaze with the same amount of intensity. Excited and frightened at the exchange, she forced herself to turn away and saw Xena standing in the distance patiently waiting for them.
She put her hand within his own. "Come on, we've got some work to do."
Aphrodite arrived at the main temple of the War God with the former God of War. They remained invisible to the guard at the main gate.
"Why here?" she mumbled to Ares. "Wouldn't my quarters..."
"You may be in your quarters or return to them before the battle is over. I know that I- I mean that other me- won't be back any time soon. This is the best place to leave Hephaestus until this mess is over. No one will expect him to be here."
Aphrodite nodded, took a deep breath and appeared before the guard.
"Hiya, trooper!" she cooed to the foot soldier. "Is the man himself in there right now?"
"What do you want, Aphrodite?" the guard snarled.
"The answer to my question," she answered sweetly.
"No. He's off on business."
"Hmmm, I don't suppose mooning over the loss of a certain lady love?"
The guard sneered in response. Ares, still invisible, pushed the Goddess of Love. She kicked him in response and he squealed in pain. The soldier looked around him, wondering where the noise came from. Aphrodite laughed like nothing strange was happening at all as she tried to shoo the guard away.
"Well, you can go running along now. I'll take care of the place until Ares comes back."
The guard eyed the Goddess of Love suspiciously. "I'm not supposed to let any gods into the God of War's abode without his permission."
Mortal Ares materialized in front of the guard, thanks to the help of Aphrodite. "Let her in," he stated sternly. "And scram."
The guard recoiled in fear, unaware of his employer's new status, and left the temple grounds.
Ares heckled. "Oh man, I miss this job. Don't suppose I can scare some more losers later, heh?"
Aphrodite rolled her eyes and made him invisible. She also made him mute so she wouldn't hear the grumbling she knew would follow.
With a few minutes, Heph appeared before Aphrodite. She was fixing her lipstick and her hair in a compact mirror.
"You rang?" Hephaestus seductively.
She beamed at the sight of him. He was here! He was back. Her heart raced at his presence. She had missed him even more than she thought. Losing all control, she embraced the god passionately.
A kick in her backside from an invisible foot brought her back to reality.
"Whoa!" Hephaestus grinned widely, happily enjoying the daze Aphrodite put him in.
She suggested, "I thought we'd have a nice little romp in there while Ares was out. I have it under good authority that he won't be back for a long while." Her eyes became doe-like as she held up a pair of handcuffs and shackles. "And he's got a great number of toys."
Aphrodite slithered through the main gate enticingly as Hephaestus followed without protest. He eagerly obliged to being handcuffed and shackled him to Ares' throne.
When Hephaestus was secure, Aphrodite made Ares materialize, and reluctantly restored his ability to talk.
"Oh yeah, this is the place!" the former God boasted as he strolled around the room. "It's good to be back here again."
Hephaestus squirmed in the handcuffs and shackles. "What's going on?" he asked in genuine confusion.
"Sorry, goobahkins," Aphrodite sighed. "This is for your own good, believe me."
Hephaestus glared at Ares, thinking that his beloved had been tricked into this by the God of War, when he noticed that something was different about Ares. He couldn't put his finger on it, but he mentioned it nonetheless.
Ares snorted, "Don't hurt yourself trying to figure it out." He walked past Hephaestus and into the back room of the temple.
Hephaestus returned his gaze on Aphrodite. The angry expression dissipated. He could never stay angry at his wife for long, no matter how hard he tried. "Why are you doing this?" he whispered, the hurt apparent in his tone.
Aphrodite stroked his cheek sadly. "Because I can't imagine my life without you." They stared at each other for a moment. Hephaestus covered her hand with his own handcuffed one. The cold metal chilled Aphrodite, but the warmth of hand was all that mattered to her.
Ares returned in a huff, interrupting their reverie. "I forgot how boring this place can be when you're mortal. I can't do anything without my powers here and it's depressing me. Let's get moving."
It suddenly hit Hephaestus what the difference in Ares was. "You're no longer a god! You're not even immortal!"
Ares fumed, "I may be a mortal, but I can still wipe the floor with your as..."
"Enough!" Aphrodite scolded, punching Ares in the stomach.
He bowled over in pain. "Can you please stop doing that to me?" he asked through clenched teeth.
"Sure," Aphrodite smiled sweetly, but her angry demeanor returned with her next words. "When you start playing nice."
She returned her gaze on her husband and gently planted a lingering kiss on his lips.
"I'll be back as soon as I can," she whispered before she and Ares disappeared.
The first of Eli's followers were already on the beach. They heard the crash when it occurred a few hours earlier and came to recover the bodies of the chosen one, her mother, and the first disciple. But all that remained of the crash was dying embers.
When Xena arrived, she noticed 11 of them peacefully sitting in a circle. They were holding each other's hands, their eyes closed in prayer. The crashing of the waves was the only sound for miles.
Xena approached quietly with Eve on her back. Gabrielle and Joxer waited a respectable distance behind.
Xena felt uncomfortable breaking the silence. She tried to think of something to say that wouldn't startle the holy men and women, but Eve beat her to it.
"Aaaahhhhhhhh," she cooed.
The 11 opened their eyes with joy, gasping and shouting their praises at the sight in front of them.
Xena nodded. "I believe my baby is ready to be baptized."
One stepped forward, eyeing Gabrielle and Joxer out of the corner of his eye. He motioned for them to approach and they did so reluctantly, still holding hands. "The child requires guidance in her life- loved ones who work together to meet her spiritual needs." He turned to Gabrielle and Joxer as they stopped beside him. "Will you two be willing to make such a commitment to her?"
"Definitely," Gabrielle answered.
Joxer hesitated. "Um, isn't there someone else a little more qualified?"
Xena smiled. "There is no one I trust more with my daughter than you two."
Joxer beamed at the compliment and he nodded his agreement to participate.
The four walked to the ocean. The follower took Eve from her mother's back, cupped water in his hand and dribbled it on Eve's head.
"Eve, daughter of Xena-let this water cleanse you from the curse of the gods and show you the Way of Love." Eve's face scrunched as the water rolled down her forehead and she gurgled her acceptance. "Welcome to the life you were meant to have."
Xena smiled at his final words when a familiar red light shot through her.
The follower gestured to Gabrielle to cup the water and dribble it on Eve's forehead as well. She did, repeating the words the follower asked her to.
"Eve, daughter of Xena-I commit myself to you in your spiritual upbringing. I will provide you with the life you were meant to have."
Joxer repeated the same words, stumbling over them in his nervousness, and getting salt water in Eve's eyes.
"Oops! Sorry!" he apologized. Eve didn't seem to mind. She just wiped her eyes and giggled.
As Joxer stepped back, the light left Xena. She quickly turned to the follower.
"Go," she advised. "They will be here soon. Save yourselves and spread the word." The follower returned Eve to her mother and left with the others in a hurry.
A few seconds after sending the followers away, both Xena and Gabrielle suddenly collapsed. Xena had only a tenuous grasp on Eve as she suddenly weakened, but Joxer made a dive and saved Eve before she hit the ground. Eve laughed, thinking Joxer was playing another one of his games with her.
"Xena! Gabrielle! What's the matter!"
"I don't know," Xena answered, closing her eyes tightly. "I feel like I'm, I'm..."
"Burning," Gabrielle answered.
The God of War stood before his Warrior Princess in her ice casket. She was still here where he left her, not roaming the road like he thought he saw with Eve on her back. That couldn't have been them.
He sighed. Her death was killing him. It was insane for a man of his stature to have such strong feelings for a woman. It was insane for him to maintain this shrine to her. He had to get on with his life; there were plenty of other wars to be had. He sighed, knowing that no wars would ever be as great or produce the same thrill as the ones he fought with Xena.
He needed to make the break though. She was dead, after all, and he wouldn't tolerate his mind playing tricks on him. Mourning her for a few hours was enough, in his opinion. And she definitely deserved a decent funeral.
He opened each casket and moved each body to a funeral pyre within the woods. He outstretched his hand and summoned a fireball. He watched the flames dance on his palm before he threw it on Xena, averting his gaze as it struck. He did the same with Gabrielle.
He sat and watched them burn, pretending that his heart wasn't.
Aphrodite and a mortal Ares appeared before the group on the beach.
"You've got to help them!" Joxer urged. "There's something wrong. They say they feel like they're burning."
Aphrodite gasped and looked at her brother. "You found them."
"What?!" Joxer exclaimed in panic, clutching Eve to his chest. The girl started to cry in fear. "What are you talking about?!"
Ares furrowed his eyebrows and became lost in thought. "Say that I did. That shouldn't affect them though."
"The other Ares is doing something to their counterparts," Aphrodite noted. She looked at Joxer and exchanged the same fear through their eyes. "I don't know what will happen."
"You're a god! You're supposed to know what happens! Can't you help them?"
Xena tried to stand. Joxer handed Eve to Aphrodite and rushed to her side.
"Xena, Xena, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I think so." Gabrielle was also recovering. Joxer helped them both up.
"What was that?" Gabrielle asked. "It came and left so quickly. I feel... different somehow."
Aphrodite let out a sigh of relief. "It seems your counterparts have died at the hands of Ares- the Ares from this timeline. Luckily, you guys didn't die with them."
Gabrielle looked at the Goddess of Love with confusion. "But how is that possible? How can we even be here if we died?"
"Our counterparts died," Xena noted. "This became another timeline entirely when we traveled back and recovered Eve. It's different from the one we left, because the one we left did not have us changing the past. Our counterparts are not us-they haven't seen the grown Eve-they're from a different timeline. We felt the burning because we shared a connection of currently being in the same timeline with them."
Joxer's eyes squinted in confusion. Everyone stood in silence trying to process Xena's words.
Ares broke the silence. "So," he stated, clapping and then clasping his hands together. "Your counterparts are dead because of my counterpart. It's only fair that you kill my counterpart now."
Xena glared at him. "Oh really? And what would you gain from that? The chance to be the God of War again?"
"Possibly," Ares mused. "Oh come on, Xena. Don't tell me you wouldn't enjoy shoving that sword through my heart and watching me die on the end of it."
Xena's eyebrow rose, conceding to the statement.
"I'll take care of my own counterpart, Xena," Aphrodite said with a wistful smile. "You won't have to worry about me. But first we've got to get everyone else to a safe place. The gods are on their way."
Before she was able to transport everyone, poor Joxer, confused by the previous conversation, blurted out, "Timeline? Counterparts? What is everyone talking about?"
Gabrielle took Joxer's hand in her own and squeezed it assuringly. "I'll explain later."
The group disappeared, leaving Xena alone on the beach. She wielded her sword in front of her, ready for action.
"Bring it on."