Title: Dawn of Tomorrow
By: ~Jenny~
Summery: It's a sequel to Return to Twilight. Xena retires for a while to take care of Eve and Gabrielle continues Xena's quest to help people.
Category: G/A
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I don't own ANYTHING here but the original plot. Not making any money either.

~~~~~~~~~

"Are you sure that you'll be alright?" Xena asked her friend.

"I'll be fine. I've been with you long enough to at least pick up a few tricks, and didn't you start off alone?" Gabrielle reassured Xena.

"Well yeah but...oh okay, but take care of yourself. Don`t do anything I wouldn`t do, and maybe even a few things that I would." The two grinned at each other.

"And you take care of Eve. Say hi to your mother for me Xena." Gabrielle said as Xena mounted Argo.

"See you!" Xena shouted as she rode down the path.

"Bye!" Gabrielle stared at her best friend and the baby strapped to Xena's back. When Xena turned around one last time, Gabrielle quickly waved her on. She watched as they disappeared out of sight and then Gabrielle sighed, walked over to her horse and got on. She moved the horse slowly down the path in the opposite direction. After riding for about an hour Gabrielle stopped by a small stream so the horse could drink.

"Well, how about that. So are you going to be Gabrielle the Warrior Bard now?" A familiar voice drawled. Gabrielle got off her horse and turned around to see the God of War leaning casually against a tree.

"What do you want Ares?"

"Must I always want something?" he asked.

"You usually do." She shrugged and got back on her horse.

"Maybe I just want to talk to you Gabrielle," he said, walking beside her horse.

"And maybe one day I'll turn into a Fury. Do you see that happening Ares?" she asked, not bothering to turn her head around to look at him.

"I'm shattered," he said.

"Then my work is done."

"Ha, ha." Ares scowled at her.

"Did I get to you oh mighty God of War?" she asked.

"Yeah, right," he said before disappearing. At first Gabrielle couldn't tell why he was leaving but a few dozen meters up the road she saw why.

"Hi Gabrielle!" Joxer exclaimed. Seeing Joxer alive again made her feel great. She jumped off her horse and hugged him tight.

"Uh, as nice as this is Gabby, I can't breathe," he gasped.

"Oh sorry." She went up and kissed him on the cheek too. "Look at you, young and alive." She laughed.

~~~~~~~~~

In his temple watching the scene, Ares threw an ornament at the ground in anger.

"Jealous, are we?" Aphrodite said as the ornament crashed near where she had just appeared.

"I'm not JEALOUS!" Ares shouted as he threw another ornament, which shattered on one of his walls.

"Of course not bro. I don't know why I ever thought such a thing," Aphrodite said, looking up at Joxer and Gabrielle hugging again with a very confused look on Joxer's part.

"What's he got that I haven't?" Ares asks his sister, fuming.

"Well he died for her in the other future," Aphrodite said softly. Try as he might, Ares couldn't figure out a good remark to answer it with.

"Well...I gave my immortality for her and Eve," he said finally.

"And how did you explain that to Gabrielle?"

"I said I did it because otherwise Athena...would have killed Xena." It dawned on him.

"And you have a thing for Xena right bro?"

"Not anymore."

"So you're falling for Gabrielle."

"No...well...no..." he knew he was lying and he knew that his sister knew he was lying. "Oh alright, yes I do have a thing for the girl, happy?"

"No, because you said it to the wrong girl." And Aphrodite disappeared in a flash of pink. Ares cursed after her.

"Ah gees!" he said and disappeared too.

~~~~~~~~~

"Well Eve is great. Xena is retiring from this fighting stuff at least until Eve grows up a bit," Gabrielle told Joxer as they walked down the path side by side. She was leading her horse.

"Well Xena is retiring, never thought that would happen." Joxer replied.

"Yeah me either."

"So...I guess you're looking for a new partner now?" Joxer shot Gabrielle a sideways glance. She looked at him as saw the man that died for her in about 25 years (that didn`t sound right =).

"Well...no," she said. He looked crestfallen.

"But I am looking for a travelling companion to keep me company," She added. "Are you in a hurry to go anywhere?"

"No, I'll go with you." Joxer said quickly. She grinned at him and he grinned back. The man spying on them invisibly was not happy though.

~~~~~~~~~

At the inn Gabrielle let Joxer take the horse to the back and pay for the rooms. She decided to explore the city. She had wandered a while before someone grabbed her arm and pulled her into the alley. She grabbed her sais and faced...

"What are you doing here Dite?" Gabrielle asked. The Goddess of Love looked around as if expecting to see someone in the shadows.

"I take it my brother hasn't told you yet." It was a statement instead of a question.

"Which brother? You have lots of them now." Gabrielle smiled at her.

"The one...never mind." Aphrodite sighed and disappeared.

"What just happened?" The bard asked into the silence. Still bewildered, she walked back to the inn. After having dinner with Joxer she walked up to her room and collapsed on the bed.

"Tired are we?" She heard a voice ask. It sounded familiar, way familiar. She sat up and saw who she expected to see at the edge of her bed.

"Oh it's you," she said and laid back on her bed. He walked around to the side.

"But then you already knew that didn`t you?"

"What are you doing here Ares? Xena's gone home so you can leave me alone now," she said. She was surprised when Ares laughed.

"What if I don't want to leave you alone?" Gabrielle sat up again and turned her head to meet his gaze.

"Do you really think that Xena was able to become the `Warrior Princess' without help? She learned all she knew from me, you know." Ares walked to the other end of the room and leaned against the wall.

"What's your point?" Gabrielle asked, swinging her legs over the side of the bed.

"Well how would you like a lesson from me?" He asked casually. He could tell immediately by the look on her face that she wasn't going to accept.

"A lesson in exchange for what, my soul? Come on Ares, you have to do better than that. That was the worst excuse for the 'come and be my warlord' question yet. Go away." Ares mentally kicked himself. Knowing that he wasn't going to be getting this girl tonight, he sighed.

"So be it bard," he said and disappeared.

~~~~~~~~~

When he got to his temple he saw Aphrodite lounging on his throne, watching the wall which held an image of Gabrielle's room. When she saw him she waved her hand and the image vanished into the wall.

"Well bro, I'm sure your romantic words swayed her as much as they swayed me," she said sarcastically.

"Shut up and get down from there," Ares said tiredly. Aphrodite listened to him for once and let him sit on his throne.

"You know you aren't really getting anywhere with the girl. It's like every time you take a step forwards your ego shoves you a few thousand steps back," Aphrodite taunted, conjuring up her throne about three feet away from his. She sat in it sideways so she was able to look at him.

"Dite, you aren't really helping."

"Well how about if I go and tell her since you obviously can't?" Aphrodite asked him, getting serious.

"No, just stay out of it Dite. I'll...well, I'll go talk to her tomorrow," Ares said.

"I doubt it but fine." And in a flash of pink, both the Goddess of Love and her throne disappeared. Ares shook his head and tried his best to pretend that his meeting with the bard tonight never happened.