"Did I dream it or was it the painkillers?" Gabrielle mumbled into Xena’s shoulder. She was warm and comfortable in Xena’s arms in the small bed they shared in the safe house.

"Dream what?" Xena murmured, resting her cheek against Gabrielle’s soft hair.

"Did you say something about Will being Iolaus last night?"

"Oh that. No, you didn’t dream it," Xena confirmed. "You seemed to agree with me at the time."

"I did?" Gabrielle was surprised, everything a bit vague from the previous evening. She felt Xena nod and looked up at her lover thoughtfully. "So you really think that, hm? What happened?"

"We were sitting on the couch after I put you to bed and just suddenly it hit me as he looked me in the eyes. It was Iolaus," Xena said certainly.

Gabrielle was silent a long moment then breathed deeply. "So what’s the plan for getting ourselves out of this situation?"

"I think Will and I are going to take a trip to the precinct so I can get Suz alone for five minutes," Xena said darkly.

"And I have to stay here because…" Gabrielle prompted.

"This way I know where you are, that you’re safe," Xena answered.

"Xena, you don’t have to worry about me like that anymore, remember?" Gabrielle assured her. "I’m not sure what happened to me last night because you know I’m a lot cooler than that under worse circumstances."

"I know, Gabrielle, and you don’t have to explain yourself to me. But it would make me feel better if you just rested for a day or so. If only to heal up," Xena finished.

Scowling, Gabrielle pursed her lips then reluctantly nodded. "Okay. I’ll stay here. But there better be a list of take out places nearby for me to order from. And you’re buying."

Xena chuckled, pressing her lips to the top of Gabrielle’s head. "Thank you, love."

"Yeah, yeah," Gabrielle muttered. She didn’t want to admit that a day or two to rest would be welcome. Though not in active pain anymore, she did heal at an amazing rate after all, Gabrielle was still sore all over from the glass cuts. And she felt lethargic, probably due to the leftover painkiller medication in her system.

There was a knock at the door and, "Xena? Are you up?"

"Yeah, Will, be right out," Xena called back. "Time to go."

Gabrielle nodded but didn’t move except to press her lips against Xena’s throat. She wasn’t going to make this easy for the warrior. She was pleased by the groan that answered her kiss and moved her lips to another location further down Xena’s neck.

"You are trying to kill me, aren’t you?" Xena muttered. She captured Gabrielle’s lips in a light kiss then pulled back and raised herself onto an elbow. "I love you, Gabrielle."

"I love you, Xena," Gabrielle answered. Her hand reached up to caress the side of Xena’s face and the other woman leaned into her touch. "Go on. I’ll see you when you get back."

Xena nodded then rolled off the bed decisively and left the room. Gabrielle pulled the covers tighter and let sleep call her back into comforting darkness.

 

 

 

"Hey Suz, how’s it going?" Xena asked casually. Her eyes watched every move and nuance the older man made as soon as she was in his line of sight. Will was standing behind her, moving unobtrusively to fill the doorway to the lunchroom. She walked closer to where Suz was making himself a bagel.

Brown eyes looked her over casually and he grinned. "Good to see you in one piece, Ares."

"Good to be in one piece," Xena answered, leaning against the counter. "How’s your wife doing these days? Still putting up with your sorry ass?"

Xena saw him hesitate for a split second before chuckling. "Don’t know why but yeah, she is."

"I’ve been thinking, Suz," Xena paused expectantly for the familiar banter.

"There’s a first time for everything," Suz supplied.

"Yeah, yeah. So it occurred to me this morning that you’re in the wrong profession," Xena continued.

"Oh?"

She turned to face him and said, "Yeah. You should be an actor."

Puzzled, he said, "Why do you say that?"

Xena grabbed his wrist, digging her fingers into the nerve endings so that the bagel dropped from his fingers. "Because if you weren’t such a good actor, I’d have found out a long time before this that you’ve been setting me up," she hissed, throwing his hand away from her.

Suz stepped back, rubbing his wrist and licking his lips nervously. It was then that he noticed Will standing in the door, blocking his escape route. "I don’t know what you’re talking about, Xena. We’ve been friends a long time. You’re going to believe G-man over me? After all these years?"

"Since he’s not trying to get me killed, yeah, I am going to believe him over you, Suz," Xena said, stepping closer. "Why’re you doing this, Suz? As you just pointed out, we’ve been friends a long time, saved each other’s lives more than a few times. What happened? Lose at poker with the wrong people?"

Finally backed against the wall, Suz stubbornly shook his head and insisted, "I’m not doing any such thing, Xena, believe me!"

Xena’s fingers whipped out, triggering the pressure points in Suz’s throat. She watched coldly as he dropped to his knees, clutching his throat and gagging for breath. She also ignored Will’s fascinated look and said, "I’ve just cut off the flow of blood to your brain. If I don’t undo it within thirty seconds, you’re going to die like the miserable coward you are."

"They’ve got Macy!" Suz gasped out.

Xena immediately released the pressure points and Suz breathed in the air in great gulping draughts. "Why the hell didn’t you say something, idiot!" Xena exclaimed, helping him to stand. They walked to a wobbly table and each took a seat.

"They took her a couple of days ago. But they threatened her life just after you really started getting into Stafford," Suz explained. "I guess they thought I wasn’t properly motivated or something."

"The Rizello’s," Xena said.

"The Rizello’s," he confirmed. "They didn’t care about him but thought he might tip you or higher powers off to some of their score. Not to mention that with him out of the picture and you in jail for it, it would be two birds with one stone. I’m sorry, Xena, I really am but they’ve got Macy! You can’t imagine what it’s like when someone you love is being held hostage, their life in your hands, in whatever you do or don’t do."

Smiling without humor, Xena’s voice was like a glacier. "You’d be surprised, Suz. Go on."

"That’s it. They said once you were behind bars they’d let Macy go," Suz answered.

"Suz, you know that’s impossible to count on," Xena pointed out. "So do they. That’s why the hit last night, a lot more certain than a jury. How do you get in touch with them?"

"I’ve got a phone number but they said to use it only in emergencies," Suz explained.

Xena nodded. "Okay. Then we’ll just cook up an emergency for you to call them about. You go on back to work, we’ll think of something. And Suz, I’ll get Macy back for you, I promise."

Suz held her eyes for a long moment before nodding and leaving the room. Will took the seat he vacated. "What now?"

"How has the attack from last night been portrayed in the news?" Xena asked.

"Lone gunman acting alone against the City’s Finest. Still being searched for. Police officer’s condition unknown but taken to a city hospital for treatment," Will recounted.

Xena nodded slowly. "Good. Leak my location to the press. I think we need to have a chat with one of the Rizello boys."

"Sure. Before I do though, how did you do that?" Will asked, obviously dying of curiosity.

"Do what?" Xena replied innocently.

"That thing with your hands!"

"I don’t know what you’re talking about," Xena said, eyes twinkling.

Scowling, Will exclaimed, "Fine! Be like that. I’ll go and place the call. Any particular hospital you want?"

"Nah. I trust your judgement," Xena answered airily waving a hand.

"Gee, thanks a lot Xena," Will said sarcastically.

The more Xena watched Will, the louder his mannerisms spoke of Iolaus. How had she not seen it before in all the months they had worked together? Even his faux temper-tantrum had been with twinkling eyes. Shaking her head, Xena was about to rise when Josh entered the room.

"I thought I saw you. What’re you doing here? Why aren’t you looking after Gabrielle?" he demanded.

"She’s fine, Captain. I just came in to take care of some loose ends," Xena assured him.

Squinting at her suspiciously, he wagged a finger. "You are up to something."

"No I’m not," Xena denied, all wide-eyed innocence.

"That was convincing," he said dryly. "C’mon, you know you’ll feel better after confessing to your old captain."

Grinning, Xena stood then walked over and patted him on the shoulder. "Maybe, but you wouldn’t. See you later, Captain."

"Xena."

She turned back.

"Be careful."

Xena nodded and gave him a wry smile. "I always am."

At that he snorted but let her go without further comment.

"We need to get in place," Will greeted her in the hall.

"Let me just call Gabrielle and let her know what’s going on," Xena said, moving towards the department. "Did you tell Suz what to do?"

Will nodded, sitting in the chair next to her desk, grinning at her expectantly when she picked up the phone then hung up again. "Want the number?"

"Smart-ass. Yes, I want the number," Xena said, holding out her hand.

Will dangled a card out of her reach before she snatched it away. He laughed.

"Watch it or I’ll put the whammy on you," Xena threatened.

"The what? What’re you talking about?" Will teased. "Now, I might feel scared if I knew what you were referring to. But since something like that doesn’t exist…"

Shaking her head exasperatedly, Xena dialed the unfamiliar number and waited. Gabrielle’s voice answered almost immediately.

"Hey there," Xena said, turning away from Will for a little privacy.

"I was hoping you would call," Gabrielle said, a smile in her voice. "How’d it go?"

"Perfectly. I just didn’t want you to jump to conclusions if you watch the twelve o’clock news and find I’m in critical condition in the hospital," Xena explained.

"Ah. I see. Flushing someone out are we?" Gabrielle questioned.

"You are just too smart," Xena teased lightly, voice caressing through the phone line.

"What can I say? I do catch on quick. Oh wait, I’ve been in the business for almost fifteen years now, maybe I’m slower than I thought."

Xena chuckled and said, "I’m not sure what time I’ll be back, it might be late."

"Well, I’ll wait up for you," Gabrielle said.

"No, I want to find you in bed when we get back if it’s that late," Xena ordered. "You’re supposed to be resting, remember? Are the FBI officers on duty?"

"Yes. I offered them a danish since they are a step above cops, after all. An expanded palate and all that," Gabrielle said.

"I’m going to have to make you pay for that remark," Xena promised.

Gabrielle’s answering chuckle was warm and low. "I’ll be waiting."

The phone cut off and Xena jerked away from the receiver in surprise. Did Gabrielle hang up like that to tease her or was something wrong?

"What’s wrong?" Will asked instantly.

"I’m not sure anything is wrong yet," Xena said, tensing as she hitting the redial on her phone. It rang several times with no answer. "Call your friends and make sure everything is all right. She isn’t picking up now."

Will took out his cell phone and dialed a number. "Hi Jack, it’s Will. Listen, can you check on the bird for me? We can’t get through on the direct line." There was a pause then Will turned a pale face to Xena. "Okay. Check the area, standard procedure. Call me with any news. She’s gone. The window’s open but that’s a four story drop and no fire escape."

"I gathered that. They’ll probably hold her with Macy," Xena said tersely. She stood and walked over to Suz. "Call them in ten minutes. Tell them I’m in critical condition at Mass General and give them room number, Will, what’s the room number?"

Right behind her, Will answered, "723. Tell them she’s just been upgraded from critical to stable and moved to a private room."

Suz nodded and began to stand. "I’m coming with you."

Xena pressed her hand onto his shoulder, pushing him back into the chair. "I can’t have you there, Suz. You’re way too involved in this and you know it."

"And you aren’t?" Will asked as they strode purposefully down the hall.

"The difference is that when I get my hands on whoever took Gabrielle, I’m going to rip out their heart and feed it to them," Xena said quietly. "Suz is too emotional to be ruthless."

Will shivered, knowing somehow that she was entirely serious. "Xena, you can’t just kill whoever we find."

"Oh I won’t," Xena assured him darkly. "I’ll save that for the one behind this entire mess."

 

 

 

Gabrielle’s head was killing her. One second she’d been talking to Xena and the next something hard struck her in the back of the head and darkness claimed her. The next thing that assaulted her was the pervading smell of garlic, stinging her eyes with its pungent odor. Coughing on the fumes, Gabrielle opened her eyes and squinted painfully against the overhead light.

The good news was that she wasn’t alone. There was a woman sitting on a cot against the other wall, reading. The bad news was she was heavily chained to a chair that was, it seemed, chained to the wall. Taking a closer look, she saw the chains were made of silver and grinned. Someone was definitely mixing up their legends.

"Are you all right?" the woman asked upon seeing her awake. She was in her mid thirties with honey-blond hair and blue eyes.

Gabrielle cleared her throat and nodded. "Thirsty more than anything else. Is there any water?"

The woman nodded and put the book down then walked over to a closed door then returned with a plastic cup filled with water. Gabrielle drank greedily, spilling some down the side of her mouth. "Thank you."

"No problem," the woman answered. "I’m Macy."

"Gabrielle." Looking around the room, Gabrielle saw no mirrors and her grin got bigger. Whoever had her was definitely suspicious enough to employ every myth they’d ever heard of, regardless of how silly.

"What are you smiling about?" Macy asked curiously.

"Oh nothing much," Gabrielle replied. "Just thinking about how Xena’s going to kill everyone in sight trying to get me back!"

"What are you shouting for?" Macy exclaimed, stepping away as though she was demented.

"Sorry. Just wanted to make sure they heard me!" Gabrielle said, shouting the last few words. "Not to mention that if I get free they’ve really got something to worry about!"

"Are you all right? I think they hit you a few times on the back of the head before chaining you up," Macy said with concern.

"No wonder my head is killing me!" Gabrielle exclaimed. The water had helped but what she really needed was blood to finish off the healing process and get herself free. Looking around the room, Gabrielle saw only four solid stone walls but couldn’t be certain there weren’t cameras. "Macy, would you do me a favor?"

Macy looked at her and nodded. "What do you need."

Trapping Macy within her powerful gaze, Gabrielle pressed her will onto the woman and ordered softly, "I need you to sit here on my lap and put your neck to my mouth."

After a few halting steps, Macy did just that. When her fangs pierced the soft skin of Macy’s throat, Gabrielle gently drew out the hot blood. Macy swooned against her, arms going around Gabrielle’s back so she could press closer with a moan. Restraining herself, Gabrielle only took enough blood to get rid of the pounding headache and banish the remaining soreness from the glass cuts.

Withdrawing, Gabrielle licked the tiny marks clean then gently kissed the neck. "Thank you, Macy. Go and drink as much water as you want and then go to sleep. You won’t remember any of this when you wake up."

Moving like a robot, Macy did as Gabrielle ordered. Gabrielle settled in to wait, replenishing her strength during the forced vigil with meditation and sleep.

 

 

 

The bed was occupied by a long form, dark hair splayed out over the covers but the occupant was turned away from the door, resting on their side. The door crept open, centimeter by centimeter until a large man entered the room on silent feet. A pistol, laden with silencer, was pulled out as he moved closer. He aimed at the bed.

In a blur of motion, Xena jumped out of the closet and grabbed the hand with the pistol, spinning him face first into the wall. Her fingers pinched into nerve endings and the gun dropped to the floor. Spinning him around again, Xena’s finger stabbed into the paralyzing pressure points and he fell like a stone to the floor.

Will rolled out of the bed and went to stand beside Xena. "How do you do that?" Will exclaimed with admiration, watching the man struggling to move but unable to.

"Just a little something I picked up over the years," Xena answered with a grin. "If you’re a good boy I might teach you some day." She knelt beside the would-be assassin and cupped his throat in her hand. "If you want to live, you will tell me where your people are keeping Macy Suz and Gabrielle Amphipolos."

"Warehouse down on the waterfront," the man exclaimed, eyes wide with panic. "2065 Anderson Avenue."

"How many there?" Will asked.

"Eleven. Rizello’s younger son Jack is heading up the operation," the man answered.

Will turned hardened, eager eyes to Xena and she grinned, echoing the feeling. "Bonus! Okay, I think he’ll be safe enough here waiting for someone to pick him up."

"What? You’re just going to leave him like this?" Will asked.

"Nah." Xena denied. She took the gun from off the floor and slammed it into the man’s head, instantly knocking him out. Her fingers flashed out again, releasing the pressure points, and she stood. "But I’ll leave him like that. Handcuff him and make sure no one comes in here. I’ll meet you at the warehouse. There’s a few things I need to pick up first."

Frowning, Will said, "I don’t think we have much time, Xena. If this guy doesn’t check in…"

"I know. I’ll be there in half an hour, promise," Xena assured him.

Will nodded and pulled out his handcuffs.

 

 

 

Traffic was a bitch. As much as Xena cursed, the midday snarl would not move any faster. "What the tartarus are you people doing here? Why aren’t you at work, dammit!"

It took longer than she anticipated to get to the warehouse but Xena knew she was at least twenty minutes ahead of Will. She didn’t want him around to worry about restraining herself. If she could get in and overpower everyone on the QT, things would work out just fine. She could find Gabrielle and Macy, get them out and have everything wrapped up before Will even showed up.

Parking in an alley half a block from the address, Xena checked her two guns, spinning on the silencers and nudging off the safeties. The docks were busy in the middle of the day, it wouldn’t do to have gunfire attracting attention. Hopefully she wouldn’t need to use them, considered it a failure when she did, but ten to one odds against were a little steeper than she’d dealt with in awhile.

The warehouse was set at the end of the dock and she walked boldly around the back of the three-story building. It was a dilapidated wooden building, the gray paint peeling off in streaks and the windows knocked out in places. As she’d thought, Xena found a rear entrance next to an old metal fire escape. She climbed the fire escape and peered in a window on the third floor.

As far as Xena could tell, there was no one posted on the third floor but the lighting was poor, especially with the sun coming from behind her and shining on the dirty windows. She waited a few minutes then opened the window and climbed in. Moving slowly, Xena walked straight forward, sweeping left to right through rows of crates to make sure no one was around. Scanning the entire floor only took a few minutes and then she moved down to the second floor. The second floor was just as empty as the third but she could hear men talking and laughing from below.

Her boot scraped across metal as she moved towards the stairs and Xena looked down to find an old fashioned grate. Grinning at her luck with the Fates, Xena lay down and silently pried off the rusted metal. It gave her a clear view of the first floor and her grin turned feral upon seeing a group of six men with automatic weapons gathered mostly around a table in the corner playing cards. Looking the other way showed two men in the office in the east wall and another guarding the door. That left two unaccounted if her source hadn’t been lying. She guessed they were guarding Gabrielle and Macy.

So how to do it? Pursing her lips, Xena thought for all of two minutes. The stairs were completely open so if she went that way, they’d definitely see her coming. Of course she could take out most of them right where she was and not even kill them. Just nick them in the shoulders and/or legs. That left the two in the office, the one at the door plus the two out of sight that would probably come running at the commotion.

If there were some sort of diversion, she could make it down and around the stairs without being noticed. From there, it was only a matter of finding the door that led to Gabrielle and Macy...assuming they were being kept in the same room, of course. But how was she going to create a diversion? Being in two places at the same time was not in the list of demigod powers. Not that she’d discovered yet, anyhow.

As though in answer to her prayers, there was a pounding at the front door that startled the men below into attention. Xena jumped to her feet and ran lightly to the stairs. Moving swiftly, she took the first ten stairs in a jump, landing easily on the platform in a crouch. Eyes constantly checking out the position of the men, Xena took the next group in another jump and pitched herself over the side of the stairs for the final fifteen steps.

"Where is the manager! I demand to see the manager!" a loud, nasally voice demanded.

Xena repressed a laugh at Will’s over-exaggerated, New York accent and his ranting. As she walked to the first door and peered inside, she heard him insisting that his car had been damaged by one of the overgrown louts employed by this facility. It was the perfect diversion and she got through four doors before reaching the right one.

The dark red hair was the first thing she saw and Xena breathed a sigh of relief as she moved further into the room. The next thing that caught her attention were the shackles holding Gabrielle tight and…her nose wrinkled in protest taking in the smell of way too much fresh garlic. "Gabrielle."

Gabrielle strained to look but could only manage to twist part way around. "It’s about time you got here!"

Chuckling, Xena said, "Sorry. Had to find out where you were first."

"You must be slipping, Xena, it doesn’t usually take this long to catch up with me," Gabrielle teased.

Xena knelt by the chair and pulled the garlic ropes up and off, tossing them into a corner.

"Thank you so much!" Gabrielle gasped, heartfelt, taking in a deep breath of garlic-free air.

Grinning, Xena took a firm hold of the two links clasped together by three locks. "Are these silver chains?"

Gabrielle snorted. "Yeah. I guess they forgot silver is for werewolves."

Shaking her head, Xena pulled the chains apart, the soft metal grinding and twisting apart under incredible force. When they finally severed a minute later, Xena was sweating with the effort. "Tartarus that smarts!" she exclaimed, shaking out her hands.

Gabrielle was already shrugging out of the chains that had slackened without the locks. Just after they clattered to the ground, the door opened. Xena instantly whirled around, grabbing the man who stood slack-jawed with surprise at finding her there. She knocked him out before he could shout.

"I think it’s time to get out of here," Xena said. She looked at Macy and frowned, seeing the woman still lying on the bed, eyes staring vacantly up at the ceiling. "What’s wrong with Macy?"

Gabrielle flushed, answering, "I needed blood to get rid of the concussion our friends were nice enough to give me."

"You fed on her?" Xena asked incredulously. "Gabrielle, if she says anything…"

"She won’t remember," Gabrielle interrupted. "I told her the whole thing was a dream. It’s hypnosis, she really won’t remember much of anything."

Eyebrows raised, Xena observed, "Handy talent to have."

"I try not to use it," Gabrielle said walking over to Macy. She took the woman’s arm and said, "Macy, wake up. It’s time to go now."

Blinking rapidly as though coming out of a deep sleep unexpectedly, Macy shrieked before Gabrielle could put her hand over the scared woman’s mouth. "It’s okay, Macy. Do you remember me?" Gabrielle asked. Macy nodded slowly. "Xena’s here, she’s going to get us out. We have to leave now."

Standing with Gabrielle’s help, Macy looked over to Xena and managed a smile. "Xena! I’m so glad to see you! It’s been horrible!"

"I know, Macy, but we don’t have time to discuss it. Our diversion is pretty much over and we need to get out of here," Xena explained gently. The woman seemed confused and dazed. It occurred to Xena that Gabrielle had more powers than she knew about and they really should go over the whole catalogue at some point in the near future.

Opening the door a crack, Xena found Will still arguing heatedly only this time with Jack Rizello. They were in the center of the large space, Will making wild gestures with his hands. The other men were gathered in a semi-circle around the two, half protectively and half amused. If he had blonde hair instead of brown, Xena would’ve been hard pressed to tell between this Iolaus and the old one. Funny how mannerisms took over the image when you knew what to look for.

She led Macy and Gabrielle out of the room and towards the stairs, keeping Macy between them, the unprotected chink in their chain. They were mostly to the stairs when the lights went out and the warehouse dropped into darkness. The only light now came from the dirty windows near the ceiling.

"Bob, John, go check it out!" someone barked out. "You, jerkoff, stay right here where we can see you."

"Shit," Xena breathed. She pressed her arm against Macy, pushing the woman against the side of the stairwell.

"Now what?" Gabrielle asked, sotto voce.

There was a soft shimmering of light and Xena turned to find Ares leering at her. "Ares! What are you doing here?"

"Just checking up on my favorite daughter," Ares said, arms crossed as he leaned against the opposite wall. "Funny thing electricity. It sometimes goes out when I show up. I keep forgetting that little detail."

"Right," Xena said, voice drier than sandpaper.

"Xena, who’re you talking to?" Macy whispered.

"No one, Macy, just thinking out loud," Xena assured her. Scowling at Ares one last time, Xena returned her attention to the situation at hand.

"Xena, what about that window down there?" Gabrielle asked.

Following Gabrielle’s finger, Xena saw a window set at shoulder height instead of up by the ceiling. She nodded, "That’ll do. Make sure she gets out, Gabrielle. I’ll stay, to be sure they don’t follow."

"Xena."

Xena gave her a lopsided grin and said, "I’ve got business to take care of, Gabrielle. I’ll be right behind you, I promise."

Gabrielle’s eyes flickered to Ares then she pressed a quick kiss to Xena’s lips and took Macy’s hand to lead her rapidly towards the dimly illuminated window. On her way passed the God, Gabrielle jabbed him hard with an elbow and he hunched over, trying to regain his breath.

"Why are you really here, Ares?" Xena demanded, watching until Gabrielle began opening the window. Then she turned her attention fully back to her father.

"You know, it’s been too long since we’ve had a real chat, Xena," he began. Moving to stand inches from her, his hand reached out to caress the side of her face then trailed down her throat to rest against her breastbone. "I just wanted to see how you were doing."

Upper lip curling as though she tasted something bad, Xena gripped his wrist and peeled it off. "Please."

Expression mirroring hers, Ares said, "You know me so well, Xena. I’m not here for you at all, actually."

A faint frown marring her features, she demanded, "Why are you here then?"

At that point, Will exclaimed, "This is outrageous. I only came in here to get insurance information. What are you doing? Get your hands off me!"

Eyes flashing to Ares, Xena saw his satisfied smile and horror ripped through her. He was here for Iolaus!

"Boss he’s packin’!"

"What? Hold him!"

"Hey, a guy’s gotta have protection, you know what I’m sayin’?" Will explained hastily. "It’s just a little gun after all, nothing you big boys need to worry about."

"I’ve got ID here, boss, he’s a fed!"

"Shit! Everyone fan out and make sure there aren’t more of them around. I’m gonna take care of this one personally."

Knowing she had to do something, Xena pulled out both guns, took a deep breath and stepped forward. "Hey Jack, looking for me?"

The shadows concealed her but she could see the men running towards her. Taking careful aim, Xena dropped one right after the other until they were all moaning in pain on the ground.

"Drop it, Ares or your partner here gets it!"

Xena saw the glint of sun off the gun pointed at Will’s head and raised her hands, guns hanging from each pointer finger. She slowly bent over and put them on the cement floor.

"Good move. Now kick them over to me," Jack ordered.

Straightening, Xena kicked first one and then the other over to the two men. He shoved Will a few feet away and ordered, "Back off G-man or I’ll blow you away right here."

Will stepped away, hands also visible.

"Now what, Jack? Daddy’s not going to be happy with this little fiasco," Xena pointed out. "A decorated officer like myself and Mr. FBI can’t just disappear. Not to mention the multi-millionaire and cop’s wife you’ve got stashed."

As Gabrielle helped Macy out of the window, she heard the trouble with Will start. Glancing back, she saw Xena pulling out both guns and her heart jumped into her throat. Xena moved out of sight and she heard the solid thuds of bullets entering flesh. Then the thug started threatening Will. When guns clattered to the ground, Gabrielle practically shoved Macy the rest of the way out the window. She ran silently to the edge of the stairs and peered out from behind the corner, watching for the right moment to jump in.

"You got a point, Ares. And I could let you go with the threat against the woman and your bitch. We got her once, there’s no reason we can’t get her again. And we would, eventually, figure out how to kill her, too. Plenty of reading on the subject, if you know what I mean," Jack said. He looked at Will then back to her, pursing his lips. "Then again, international waters aren’t that far away. Screw it."

Xena’s eyes widened as he took a track she didn’t expect and aimed the gun at her head. Three things happened simultaneously. Gabrielle appeared out of nowhere, crashing into her and slamming them both to the ground. Will seized the opportunity to jump Jack, wrestling him as the gun went off with a loud echo. The door burst open and police streamed in, shouting and overwhelming the building.

Looking up into Gabrielle’s eyes, Xena tried to focus on something other than their green, eternal depths but couldn’t. She didn’t truly want to and when soft lips descended, Xena opened her mouth to receive their blessing. It was a short kiss as someone toed Xena’s shoulder a few seconds later. Dragging her mouth away from Gabrielle’s with great effort, she saw Josh staring down at her with a big grin.

"Sorry to break up the reunion but I thought you might want to know that your partner has been injured and is asking for you," Rockland informed her.

"Ares balls!" Xena swore.

Gabrielle immediately rolled off her and they both rushed over to where paramedics were working on Will.

"Hey you, what the hell were you thinking, jumping on him like that?" Xena demanded gently. She brushed the bangs off Will’s pale face with a smile.

"If I’d seen the size of his gun I wouldn’t have," Will assured her, heroically trying to ignore the man testing his shoulder. He gasped at the prodding and accepted her hand. "I thought for sure you were dead, Xena. Something inside, I couldn’t let it happen again. I know that doesn’t make any sense but I feel like I let you down some other time that I don’t remember and you were badly hurt because of it."

Xena knew he was struggling to remember her death on the cross aeons ago. Iolaus had confessed to her that both he and Hercules had struggled to make it to her and Gabrielle. It had badly wounded him that they hadn’t made it in time even though things had turned out okay. She squeezed his hand and kissed his cheek. "It’s fine, Will, believe me. Next time, just don’t get shot in the process of trying to save me, okay?"

Laughing weakly, Will nodded and said, "No problem with that."

Ares appeared behind Will, a snarl of hate frozen on his face. A glowing hand reached out towards Will’s unsuspecting throat. Xena stepped forward, thoughts filled with venom. "Don’t even think about it, Ares or I’ll hurt you so bad, it’ll take centuries to recover!"

His dark eyes flashed to hers and they stared at each other a long moment. He stepped back, hand dropping to his side. "This isn’t over, Xena."

"It never is," she muttered as he disappeared in a sparkle of blue stars.

"Sorry, Detective but we have to get him to the hospital now," the paramedic said, giving her comment a curious look.

Nodding, Xena stood back to let them do their jobs, calming her breathing from the silent battle of wills with Ares.

"Oh the paperwork and headaches you cause me, Ares!" Rockland complained, moving to stand beside her.

"Bitch, bitch, bitch," Xena said with a grin. "We just took down part of the Rizello family and I’m sure if you look, there’s bound to be something highly illegal to help soothe your carpal tunnel syndrome. Oh, and how did you know where to find us, anyhow?"

"Unlike some people, Jefferson knows proper procedure and called for backup. Of course the little bastard was probably already here when he did it, but at least he did it," Rockland said pointedly.

"And on that note, Gabrielle and I will be going now," Xena said. "Wait! Did you find Macy?"

Rockland nodded and answered, "She’s in the arms of her husband who is going to get almost as big an ass chewing as you are. As of right now, both of you are on leave. For as long as your earn time allows. Get it?"

Xena gave his weathered cheek a kiss then ducked as he tried to slap her away. "Thanks, Captain!"

"Get your skinny ass out of here!" he bellowed.

Grabbing Gabrielle’s hand, Xena led her out of the warehouse and into the hot sunshine. As they walked to the car, Xena slung her arm around Gabrielle’s waist. "What now, oh bard of mine?"

Leaning against her, Gabrielle answered, "I’m thinking a nice vacation elsewhere would be divine."

"Any particular place in mind?" Xena nuzzled Gabrielle’s ear with her lips.

"I seem to recall a lovely spot in the Florida Keys that’s got our name written all over it.”