"Xena," she heard a voice calling out to her, but she ignored it

"Xena," she heard a voice calling out to her, but she ignored it. "Xena!" The voice said more insistently as someone began shaking her.

"Leave me alone. Get away from me." She yelled back, but the voice did not stop.

Suddenly Xena felt herself being pulled from Ares' body as darkness filled her vision.

Chapter 11

Xena fought with a strange feeling of drowsiness as the darkness began to vanish. The voice returned and called out to her once again and this time she was able to recognize who it was. "Gabrielle?" Xena mumbled as she gradually opened her eyes and found herself back at the old farm.

"Yeah, it's me." Gabrielle's face slowly came into focus. "Are you all right? It sounded like you were having a nightmare." There was obvious concern in her voice.

It took Xena a long moment to respond. She almost looked as if she was trying to remember where she was. She sat up and took a deep breath before speaking. "I couldn't wake up." She whispered. A slightly haunted look briefly filled her eyes.

"What was the dream about?"

Xena glanced towards the bard as if she had forgotten she was there. "I don't remember." She said, looking away.

The look on Gabrielle's face clearly showed that she didn't believe her. "Well, then do you want some water, or anything?"

"No…I just … I'm fine, really."

Gabrielle simply nodded in response then hesitantly began to move towards the door. She was almost afraid to leave her alone, but she knew that she could not force Xena to tell her what was wrong. "Good night." Gabrielle said before walking out and closing the door.

Xena released a heavy sigh as she laid back down. She could still feel her heart racing in her chest, and she momentarily felt as if she couldn't breathe. It was all just a dream. She thought to herself, but still could not shake the lingering feeling of dread that had crept into her body. "It was just a damn dream." She said out loud, but every time she closed her eyes the images from her nightmare came rushing back.

She groaned in frustration as she pushed the covers off of her and sat on the edge of the bed. "He's fine, it wasn't real." She said trying to convince herself, but the dream had left her feeling raw. And even though she knew he wasn't hurt it still did not make her feel any better. She had to make sure, had to see him with her own eyes.

Before she could change her mind, she stood up and walked out of her room. When she finally got to his door she hesitated for only a second before quietly opening it. With the help of the moon she was able to see the outline of his body. He was lying on his side facing the door, with a cover draped loosely around his waist. She knew that she could turn around and leave right now and he would never know she was there, but something inside of her refused to let her do so. Instead she stepped inside the room, walked towards the bed then laid down beside him.

Ares shifted in his sleep as he gradually awoke. A smirk instantly appeared on his face when he realized something was leaning against him. "I knew you couldn't resist me." He said as he moved closer to her and wrapped an arm around her waist. Almost immediately he realized that something wasn't right. He could feel her slightly shaking. He opened his eyes and looked at her. "Xena, what's wrong?" His voice was filled with concern and panic.

A sad smile appeared on her face. "Nothing," she replied and silenced him with a gentle kiss. She closed her eyes as her feelings of fear and dread completely vanished. She should have been unnerved that he could affect her in such a way, but instead she felt only content.

Ares knew that there was something obviously bothering her, but he had no idea what to say to take away her pain. So he did the only thing he could; he wrapped his other arm around her and held her tightly against his body. He softly kissed her forehead and silently prayed that it would ease her worries. And right before he drifted off to sleep he heard her whisper.

"I love you."

THE END

I hope it didn't get too confusing in the dream sequence. I wanted Xena to be stuck in a dream that felt so real that even the reader couldn't tell the difference. And I wanted to end the story on the central theme of the title, that one night could change everything. I might do an epilog, but I'm not sure yet. I hope you enjoyed the story. And thank you to everyone who left reviews, I really do appreciate them. :)

Let me know what you thought about the ending:)