Hi again!
I just want to say that I intend for this story to have some dark things in it so it may get somber sometimes and for sure in begin. I just wanted to let you all know before you start.
Hope you enjoy it!
I don't own any of them…well apart from the characters I invented.
Thank you Anca for being my beta again.
CHANGES
Life is full of wonders and beautiful things but sadly, that is never constant, it always surprises you and sometimes changes so much that you can't even recognize it anymore …just like a knife in your back.
1. Losing you
"Push Xena…Push…" Gabrielle urged,…the Bard, the Warrior Princess's best friend who was always there for her.
Drops of sweat poured down the warrior's beautiful visage, as an undeniable result of Xena's hard attempts for half a day to bring into the world her new baby. Ares, the once great God of War who had given everything up just so he could be with his family, was sitting on the bed, next to his love, his hand gripped hard by Xena's.
"I can't…"
"Just a little bit Xena…one more time…" her friend encouraged.
Xena's face turned red and screamed as hard as she could when she pushed one more time. She looked in Ares's eyes and she only found love and support so she tried a second time…
"Good…I see it…I can see the head Xena…" Gabrielle said in obvious excitement. Xena only smiled through her tears…Ares brought his princess's hand to his lips and kissed it gently.
Xena gripped his hand even harder and pushed one final time…The ordeal was finally over. Gabrielle looked at her smiling, waiting for the baby to come…
"You did great…" Ares said and kissed her forehead lovingly. "I love you!"
"Love you too…!" she whispered back, fatigue engraved on her face.
"Gabrielle…!"
There was silence.
"Gabrielle? " Xena turned her head in the direction where her friend stood paralyzed and looked at her and the baby that she was now holding in her arms…
"Gabrielle…" Xena's voice trembled when she saw her friend's face full of tears. "Why isn't the baby crying?" she asked, a hint of panic in her voice.
"X…" her friend burst into cries.
"No…no…"
She tried to get up from the bed but Ares restrained her.
"Let me go..!" she yelled at him as loud as she could and finally she got lose and got up and went near Gabrielle weakly…
"It's a girl…" the fearful Warrior uttered slowly, tears streaming down her face now, seeing the little child- her child. She took the baby from Gabrielle in her arms and just looked at her.
"She's beautiful!"
"Xena…" She looked back at the baby's father, eyes red with tears and then she just collapsed on the floor…
"No…it can't be…I…I felt her…I felt her two days ago…no…"
She started to breath air in her child's little lungs…to make her breath again…
"Breath...just breath again…sweetheart…breath…"Ares rushed by her side and tried to calm her down. Taking a glimpse of his daughter, a tear escaped his eye…
"Xena…it's over…"
"NO…no…." She yelled, once again trying to resurrect the baby…
Gabrielle couldn't take it anymore and got out of the room…She had all types of thoughts, that maybe it was her fault, that she had accidentally done something wrong…that maybe it would have been better to have Cyrene there with her daughter than her…It wasn't the first time that she brought a baby into the world but this time her skills alone were not enough and the guilt was killing her.
"Gabrielle…" Cyrene said once she saw the door opening to the room…but when she saw Gabrielle's face her heart stopped for a few seconds…
"What happened?" she asked in a trembling voice. Gabrielle exploded in tears once again.
"It's a…a girl…d…dead…" Cyrene brought her hands to her mouth…It couldn't be…What did her daughter do so wrong to receive such a wound from life…what?
"She's with Ares…he…she won't let it go…"
The two women hugged each other and cried silently.
"So…?"A five year old Eve came happily into the view…Her hair was long, wavy and chestnut going down her shoulders in waves of thick strands. "What is it, a boy or a girl?" She asked eager to know.
"Evie…" Gabrielle's voice was sad and when she saw the happiness on the child's face , something inside her broke even more.
"What?"
"Eve…you ran! That's not fair, you cheated! …Hey Gabby…"Adam came running to them, catching his breath now…He was three and with every passing day he was becoming more like his father…But what nobody could have guessed was that he was the pure image of his father yes but nothing like him...no temper…no selfness…no anger…he was a peacemaker to put it in a nutshell.
"Where is mommy?" Adam asked this time.
The two children just looked at the two women waiting for an answer.
"Gabrielle is tired children…" Cyrene said. "And your mother too so better go to sleep for now…It is late…"
They both looked dissatisfied.
"But…"
"No buts…Come on…In your room…"
"It's so not fair grandma." Cyrene went with them, leaving no room for protests.
Back in the room, Ares was on the floor still trying to make his princess somehow understand that she couldn't do anything more…their daughter was gone. And it was hurting him like hell too…
"Xena…"
"I can't…I can't lose her...she is our daughter…ours...Do something!" She looked angry at him…"Please do something…!"
Her words hurt more than anything...staying there and looking weak and helpless at her pleading form, not being able to change faith in any way….. How could he do anything when he had given up all his powers just to be with her, just to be normal, to be just a man as he knew she had always wanted…the man not the god…And now she was asking him to do the impossible? That was supposed to be the happiest day of their lives and it had just transformed in a nightmare…the worst that he had ever had.
Xena got up, the child still in her arms…
"You are weak…you can't stand…" She just ignored his worried words. "Xena…we need to bury her…"
"No…no..."
"Please give her to me…"
"No...I won't…She needs to sleep…just sleep…"
"Xena..."
"Shh...The child is crying…"
He turned her to face him…
"Xe…I know that it hurts beyond words…I know but…"
"You don't know…why her? Why her? "
"Listen to me…" he said harshly to make her wake up from that pain.
"No…she's crying…"
"She is not…she is dead." he screamed.
"Get out!" She yelled…"Get out!"
"Xena…" he tried to rationalize with her but all that pain was coming down furiously on her and she just didn't feel her legs anymore and then everything turned pitch dark.
Ares got to her in time though…He placed her on the bed, put a blanket over her exhausted form and took the child from her mother's arms but not before taking one last glimpse at his love.