Warning: This story is still in progress!

Title: Thief Of Hearts
Author: Sweeneybird
Rating: PG
Feedback please! Sweeneybird


Chapter 28

Autolycus crouched near the still figure on the floor, carefully folding
her arms on her chest. He arranged her hair so that it softly framed her
face and brushed her cold cheek with his fingertips before rocking back on
his heels and rising to his feet. A familiar voice rumbled behind him,
"You need to get out of here." Hercules reached over and squeezed the
thief's forearm, promising, "I'll take care of it, Auto - I'll make sure
Costa knows."

Autolycus' head shot up and he glared at Hercules. "Don't you dare tell
him anything. I don't know what you thought you saw, but this isn't her
fault." Swallowing hard, the thief drew himself to his full height, his
eyes hard and black as they bored into the demigod's. "Lissa didn't
deserve this, Hercules - tell her husband that, or so help me I'll kill
you myself." Quivering like a taut bowstring, Autolycus stood toe to toe
with the taller man.

Hercules responded, "OK, OK, I won't tell him that she stole it in the
first place. Now get going before someone else sees you here." Autolycus
turned to slip through the side door. "Auto," Hercules called after him.
The thief paused and Hercules said, "You're a good friend."

"Not so good - she's dead, isn't she?" he retorted bitterly and left.
********************************************************************

Hercules watched the silent man who sat on the bed beside the now-shrouded
form of Lissa. "Costa, you have to see that there's no reason for the war
with Sparta now - Ares cooked the whole thing up. Lissa, well, she just
got in his way." Costa nodded curtly, running his fingers lightly over
the rich purple silk that covered his young wife, his back half turned to
the demi-god. "Costa?"

"Thank you Hercules. If you'll excuse me, I must attend to the
arrangements and then find out if the guard has captured that thief, that
accomplice to murder. Now that we know that Ares sides with the Spartans
we must proceed cautiously, but Autolycus still must pay. If not for him,
my Lissa...." Costa's iron composure shook for a moment, but he gripped
the heavy seal of office on his chest and resumed his stoic demeanor.
"Please excuse me - I would like to say goodbye."

Hercules pressed the rigid man's shoulder and answered, "Costa, I'm sorry.
Lissa made choices that put her in danger, and unfortunately Ares plays
rough. Autolycus had nothing to do with that, he..." Remembering his
promise, Hercules paused and looked impatiently toward the door - damn the
thief's warped code of honor. "Look, Costa, I saw what happened -
Autolycus tried to save your wife. If I can get the stone back to you,
will you forget the whole thing?" Hercules lowered his voice and added,
"I know the pain you feel, my friend, but killing won't bring her back.
And it won't bring you peace."

Without looking up, Costa gripped his medallion again. Finally he nodded
and his voice cracked as he said, "All that matters now is the stone -
return it to us." Hercules squeezed his shoulder again, turned and exited
the bedchamber, pausing in the doorway to look back at the mourning man.
Costa had pulled the silk back from her face. Taking Lissa's lifeless
hand in his, Costa began talking to her. Eyes awash with pity, Hercules
turned away and headed back to the tavern.
********************************************************************

The sun had long set by the time Hercules found his way back to the little
tavern. He pushed open the door and walked into the dingy main room. The
bartender jerked his thumb toward the stairs without looking up. Hercules
nodded his thanks and took the worn steps three at a time. He paused in
the dark hallway outside the first door, then slowly pushed it open when
he heard only soft breathing within.

A single stride brought him to Iolaus' side, where Hercules swiftly
examined the sleeping hunter. His color had returned to normal and his
regular breathing reassured Hercules that the healer had done her job
well. Helena had closed the cut on his face with a stitch or two, leaving
only a thin red line across his temple and cheek. Iolaus shivered, and
his friend pulled the rough blanket up around his neck and tucked him up,
ruffling his blond curls affectionately. The demi-god glanced around,
looking for a chair where he could sit watch over the hunter and noticed
Katerini sleeping across the room.

She had twisted herself so that she could pillow her head on her arms atop
the chest and seemed sound asleep despite the apparent discomfort of her
position. Hercules shifted the softly snoring woman so that she curled up
on the floor, his lips twitching at the sight of the faded vest clutched
against her cheek. Opening the chest, Hercules wrinkled his nose and
coughed at the musty smell before pulling out a pile of moth-eaten
blankets. Quickly he made up a pallet beside the cot, moved a sleepily
protesting Katerini there and covered her with the blanket that had the
fewest holes. 'Now, where's Autolycus?' he muttered in irritation.
********************************************************************

He always thought better up high - had since childhood, when he'd seized
every opportunity to climb to the top of trees, ladders, buildings -
anything to get closer to the sky, up where he could see, get some
perspective. Autolycus looked out over the low buildings surrounding the
inn and stroked his mustache thoughtfully. His boots drummed a quiet
tattoo against the grimy wall as they hung over the edge of the clay tiles
of the inn roof. All traces of warmth had fled his handsome face - his
eyes glittered in the starlight as he plotted his next move, the fading
bruises adding a hardness to his expression that boded ill for anyone or
anything that got in his way.

Watching Ares kill Lissa had shaken the thief more than he'd like to
admit. He thought he'd gotten over her, but to see her die like that - so
alive one minute and a crumpled husk the next - he didn't have words for
the black pain in his soul. Going up against Ares posed some special
challenges, even for someone with his special skills. But the god had
raised the stakes when he killed Lissa - Autolycus shook with harsh,
silent laughter at the thought that he, the King of Pragmatists, wanted
vengeance.

Lissa's face lingered in his memory, those dark eyes that had drawn him
into folly after folly with the promise sparkling there. His fists
clenched and he closed his own eyes as he threw his head back, willing
himself not to remember the treachery and cunning on that beautiful face
as she turned the sword on him in the temple. He had to direct the dark
anger that consumed him against the god of war - looking too closely at
the pain of betrayal that fueled his rage would rip him apart. 'Women,'
he thought, bitterness thickening his throat.

He fingered the gem that he'd palmed from Lissa's hand at the temple -
this might give him the angle he needed to thwart Ares' little plan.
Springing lightly to his feet, Autolycus began to pace the length of the
roof, his sure-footed stride instinctively avoiding the weak spots. The
King of Thieves worked best alone, but how could he keep the others out of
this? Autolycus figured that his injury put Iolaus out of commission for
a bit, and he didn't think it would take much to convince Katerini that
the hunter needed constant care.

Autolycus paused for a moment with a frown. Hercules - what to do about
Hercules? The thief knew that the demi-god probably had a pretty good
idea where Ares would stow the sword, but if the big guy showed up at the
wrong moment it would ruin everything. He needed a cover plan that
included Hercules until he got the information he needed. Suddenly
Autolycus cocked an eyebrow and a cold smile spread across the dark
thief's face, a smile that never reached his eyes. This could work.
********************************************************************

Hercules stepped out of the room and looked down the dark hallway. He
started at an unexpected footfall behind him, turning quickly to confront
the intruder. "Autolycus," he hissed at the composed man. Looking over
at the closed door behind him, Hercules grabbed Autolycus' arm in a grip
slightly tighter than it needed to be and started down the stairs. "Come,
King of Thieves, let's discuss your whereabouts for the past few hours.

"Certainly, Hercules - what do you want to know?" Autolycus replied
smoothly, barely grimacing at the demi-god's bruising grip.
**********************************************************************

As pale pink dawn began creeping over the horizon, Iolaus stirred. He
yawned, stretching his arms over his head until the dull ache in his side
reminded him of his wound. Moving his hand down and across his smooth
chest he felt the bandage - dry. Good - the bleeding had stopped. Iolaus
swung his feet over the edge of the bed and encountered a soft pile of
something on the floor. It stirred, and sleepy blue eyes looked up at
him, struggling to focus. Iolaus felt a foolish smile creep across his
face to match the one slowly carving itself on the full lips below. "Hi,"
he blurted, unable to tear his eyes away from her face.

"Hi," she answered, not quite meeting his eyes as she sat up and scrubbed
both hands through her hair. "How do you feel, Io? Your face looks
better - how's your side?" she added as she yawned again and pulled the
ragged blanket around her. Dull red creases marked her pale cheek where
she had pillowed her head on his vest. 'How much does he remember?' she
wondered, a faint pink staining on her cheeks.

'How much of that was real?' Iolaus wondered as bits and pieces of the
previous evening fell into place. Most of the images blurred, but one
vivid kiss lit his memory like the sun. The hunter brushed the side of
his thumb across his lips as his eyes searched Katerini's face for a sign,
an indication that he hadn't dreamt the taste of her mouth, the
indescribable feeling of her lips on his.

"Uh, Kat, did you put something in that soup?" he asked, his low voice
sending a thrill down her spine. As he leaned his head on his hand,
Katerini longed to reach over and comb her fingers through the blond
tangle that he impatiently pushed out of his eyes. She twisted her
fingers together, afraid that she might betray herself and give in to the
impulse to touch him.

"Helena said it would help with the pain," Katerini answered, rising to
her feet and moving to the window. Her knuckles whitened and the worn
blanket slipped from her shoulders as she struggled with the heavy sash.
Tanned arms encircled her as the hunter grabbed the sill and raised the
window a few inches.

"Ow," warm breath tickled her ear as Iolaus eased his shoulder back.
"Guess I'm still a little stiff." Katerini turned slowly, her eyes fixed
on the hunter's collarbone as she leaned back against the window ledge,
away from the temptation of that tanned chest. A single bright star still
twinkled in the brightening sky behind her and the cool air raised goose
bumps where it touched her exposed skin. "Kat, about last night..." The
slight roughness of his callused hands barely registered as he ran his
hands delicately down her arms, catching her hands with his and caressing
her palms with his thumbs.

"It's okay, Io, you had a lot of poppy powder in you. Don't worry, I took
everything you said with a boulder of salt." Katerini raised her eyes to
a spot somewhere just past his left ear and tried to smile.

Iolaus squeezed her hands and asked, "Um, what DID I say?" Stammering
slightly, he continued, "I, I only remember, I mean I sort of remember,"
he drew a deep breath, "Did you kiss me?" His blue eyes clouded slightly
with anxiety and he bit his lower lip as he waited for her to answer his
blurted question. 'Please,' he thought incoherently, not sure who he was
asking or for what.

Katerini stood still, at a rare loss for words. Iolaus drew her hand to
his cheek, rubbing his prickly beard against the backs of her fingers as
he looked at her. Just as she had the night before, Katerini felt drawn
like a magnet to his eyes, his lips. He leaned forward, aching moments
passing as their lips hovered next to each other, their breath mingling.
Finally Iolaus closed his eyes and kissed her, barely touching her lips
with his own at first but then gradually intensifying the embrace as
Katerini made a small sound and leaned toward him.

At the sound of the door opening, Katerini broke from the hunter's arms
and moved quickly to the bed, bending over to straighten the blankets.
Iolaus turned and leaned back against the windowsill, willing his pounding
heart to slow as he cursed the interruption.
****************************************************************

"So if I get the stone back, this all goes away." Autolycus looked over
at Hercules, frost in his voice. "Like it never happened." He watched as
the demi-god rubbed the back of his neck, trying to come up with a
response. The thief challenged Hercules with the glittering eyes that had
unnerved the demi-god since he'd first seen them harden in the temple.
Hercules had seen and felt most kinds of grief, but this icy calculating
demeanor threw him. Everything that he knew about Autolycus told him that
the man stood on the edge of a precipice, that the good-hearted braggart
that he knew could turn to something far darker if he didn't step back.

"Autolycus, of course it's not like it never happened. It's just, you're
the one that won't let me tell Costa that Lissa," his voice faded at the
thief's glare, "anyway, I'm just trying to save you from prison. Or
worse." Hercules looked at the man sympathetically, asking, "Do you want
to talk -?"

"Can the warm fuzziness, big guy - I just want to finish this." Autolycus
rose to his feet. "So we're clear, right? You go make him mad, toss him
around a few times while I switch the stones." The thief rolled the paste
jewel across his fingers as he added, "Then you bring the real gem back to
Costa and everyone's happy."

Hercules frowned. "I still don't like this, Autolycus. It's too
dangerous - you've never really gone up against a god." At the other
man's raised eyebrow, Hercules remembered and added, "The Discord chicken
thing doesn't really count." The demi-god said, "Look, I've got a lot
more experience with -"

"I'm going. End of story." Autolycus crossed his arms and stared at
Hercules.

Sighing heavily, Hercules replied, "All right, all right. Let's go tell
Iolaus and Kat where we're going."

For the first time Autolycus' eyes warmed, but a second later they froze
again. "You go - I'll wait here."

"Yeah, that's a great idea. Sorry, you're upstairs with me." Hercules
pushed his chair back, standing and rocking forward on his toes.

Shrugging, Autolycus moved past him and headed for the stairs.
****************************************************************

Leaning on the doorjamb, Hercules surveyed the room, taking in the way
that Katerini and Iolaus studiously ignored each other. "Are we
interrupting something?" he asked dryly, crossing his arms and pulling one
corner of his mouth into a slight smile.

"Just straightening up the bed," Katerini said, keeping her head down as
she pulled the covers up and fluffed the pillow.

Hercules looked over at Iolaus, who seemed fascinated by a spot on the
ceiling. The hunter's expressive mouth twitched with the effort not to
giggle. "Is that what the kids are calling it nowadays?" Hercules asked
innocently, causing an eruption of something suspiciously like laughter
from near the window.

Katerini spotted Autolycus standing behind the demi-god, expressionless.
She bounced to her feet and shot Hercules and Iolaus an annoyed look.
"Not nice, guys," she said. "Auto, what happened? You left hours ago."

The dark man answered, "Ran into a little trouble. Nothing to worry
about, Katy - just business." Katerini narrowed her eyes and tilted her
head slightly. She glanced at Hercules, who shrugged imperceptibly and
gestured toward the door with his eyes.

Donning her most charming smile, Katerini stepped forward and took
Autolycus' arm. "Good. Then you won't mind telling me about it." She
pulled him down the hallway, heading for the stairs. Autolycus dragged
his feet slightly but put up no real resistance as the redhead tugged on
his arm.

"How you feeling, buddy? You seem to have gotten your energy back,"
Hercules teased as he joined Iolaus at the window. His sharp eyes checked
for signs of pain or discomfort as he grinned at his best friend. The
hunter leaned back against the windowsill and crossed his arms, wincing
slightly as the movement knocked his arm against his injured side.

"Seriously, Iolaus, how's your side?" Hercules asked, grabbing the injured
man's wrist and pulling his arm up over his head to get a better look at
the bandage.

"OW," Iolaus complained, pulling his arm back down and glaring at
Hercules. "Fine until you ripped my arm off," he said, cradling his elbow
close to his body. "You'd make a lousy healer, Herc."

Hercules ignored the complaints, grabbing Iolaus' head and turned it so
that he could look at the healing cut on his face. "Come on - you're not
bleeding, so quit whining." Satisfied that his partner would survive,
Hercules stepped back and looked at Iolaus.

"What?" the hunter asked, raising one eyebrow and shifting uncomfortably.
"Oh, nothing. It's just, I could have sworn that someone told me that
your feelings for Kat were purely 'brotherly'. I just wondered - what
were those noises I heard just before I walked in? Brotherly advice?"
Hercules started laughing, and soon Iolaus gave up his pretended
indignation and joined in. As their mirth subsided, Hercules grinned at
Iolaus and said, "Seriously, bud, does this mean you and Katerini made
up?"

Iolaus collapsed in laughter again, managing to gasp out, "Yeah, I think
so," before his contagious giggle sent the two friends over the edge.
Finally calming down, Iolaus grinned at Hercules and asked, "So what did I
miss?"
**********************************************************************

Katerini looked down, noticed her hands twisting in the fabric of her
skirt and forced herself to lay them still on the table. Autolycus leaned
back into the corner of the booth where shadows hid his face as he waited
for the uneasy woman to speak. Katerini grew even more nervous when she
couldn't read anything in his eyes. "Um, Auto, about upstairs -" she
began hesitantly.

"No worries, Katy. We had some laughs, but even Joxer could tell you're
in love with the sidekick." Autolycus bared his teeth in an attempted
smile. "Hope it works out for you."

Stung, Katerini tilted her head again, trying in vain to make direct eye
contact with the thief. "Auto - what's wrong?" She fingered the silver
crescent at her throat, asking, "Where did you go this afternoon?
Something happened, I know it - please, can't you talk to me?" The
kindness in her eyes nearly undid his resolve, but Autolycus hardened his
heart - he couldn't soften or he'd never get the stone.

The dark thief finally met Katerini's gaze, and she drew back a little.
"Well - Lissa's dead, Ares has the stone and I need to get it back to
Costa or I'll be doing the rope dance. I think that just about covers it.
Don't worry, kid - I've got it under control." Autolycus rose to his
feet and looked down at Katerini. For just a moment the charming rogue
that she had met at the festival reappeared and he bent to kiss her
bruised temple. "See you later, my dear - I've got a jewel to recover."
He ran a gentle finger along her jaw, and before she could react he was
gone.

Katerini jumped up, shouting, "Hercules, Iolaus," as she darted up the
stairs two at a time. The door to the room swung open just as she reached
the top step and she barreled into it, unable to stop. "Ow," she yelped
as she came into abrupt contact with the wood and stumbled.

"Sorry about that," Hercules caught her and pulled her into the room.
"Let me see," he insisted, pushing her hair back and examining her head.
"You're okay, right?" he asked as he squeezed her shoulders.

"What did that big klutz do to you, kid?" Iolaus was at her side in a
moment. Impatiently Katerini pushed Hercules arm off of her shoulder and
turned to face the two men.

"I'm fine, listen, what happened last night? Autolycus bolted," she said,
"he said that he had a jewel to recover, and then he just," she snapped
her fingers, "poof!"

Hercules and Iolaus looked at each other. "Uh-oh," they chimed in unison.




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