"Congratulations Xena, I'm so happy for you." Gabrielle hugged Xena.
"Thanks Gabby, I'm so happy for myself." Xena giggled, "Who would have thought?"
"I always knew that you two would make the perfect couple." Gab grinned at Xena and saw Herc watching the two of them, "I think Hercules is waiting for his bride."
"Well then, I better not keep him waiting any longer." Xena gave Gab a final hug and walked toward Hercules.
Gab watched Xena walked away and decided to go in search for some food. She was half way across the room when she bumped right into Ares.
"Ares? Didn't think you would be invited."
"Now Gabrielle, it's my little brother's big day." Ares shook his head in disbelief, "Xena as my sister-in-law, well at least the thought doesn't make me puke any more."
"I'm warning you Ares, you better not try to mess up their big day."
"Me? Hey I'm happy for them, honestly." Ares looked at Gab with an innocent look on his face, "So how does it feel to see your best friend getting married?"
"I'm happy for her and Hercules of course. They deserve to be happy together."
"But what about you? What are you going to do now without Xena?"
"Look Ares, I've always known that Xena and I would not be together forever. One of us is bound to move on at some time in our lives." Gab shrugged, "Xena is just moving on first that's all."
Ares looked around at all the couples surrounding them, "There sure have been a lot of weddings this past year, first Iolaus and Nebula, then Joxer and Meg, and now Xena & Hercules." Ares gave Gab a sly look, "So when it is going to be your turn?"
"Me?" Gab looked at Ares and laughed, "Since I don't even have a boyfriend, I guess it won't be any time soon."
"Really no boyfriend?" Ares said with a big grin, "That's it! That's what I'll do for you, find you a husband."
"Very funny Ares, and I guess I'm suppose to find you a wife?"
"Well no, I can do that for myself. I've uh? actually have already found her."
"You, planning to settle down with one girl?" Gab was skeptical.
"Well, now that the twilight had started, I can see myself becoming more and more like a mortal everyday. It won't be long before I loose all my powers and grow old just like any other mortal." Ares told Gab, "So I guess I might as well behave like a mortal and yes, I've found my girl."
"Really? And she is?" Gab gave Ares a disbelieving look.
"You'll meet her when we are good and ready. Now let's get back to you." Ares walked around Gab, sizing her up and down.
"Stop that!" Gab was beginning to feel really uncomfortable.
"Well, you not bad looking." Ares ran his hand through Gab's short hair, "I suppose you can always grow the hair back." He looked at Gab thoughtfully, "You do tend to talk too much." He put up his hand to stop her reply, "I got it. Apollo, yes, he would love your scroll thing." Ares grabbed hold of Gab's hand, "No time to waste, come on, I'll take you to see Apollo."
"Hey?."
Gab and Ares appeared in Apollo's temple. It was flooded with golden rays. Gab had to blink a few times to get used to the bright light.
"Apollo," Ares yelled, "Hey Apollo, come on out."
Gab kicked Ares in the shin, "If I live through this, you are going to die." Ares turned and gave Gab a heart-stopping smile.
Apollo came out, "Ares, I thought you went to Hercules' wedding?" He then spotted Gab, "Well, who is this lovely young thing we have here?" He walked toward Gab, and at the same time Gab backed away from him until she was practically hiding behind Ares.
"Well, Gab here is looking for a husband. Ouch??" Ares started when Gab stepped on his foot. "Hey, this is why I brought you, Ouch?" Gab stepped on his other foot.
"So the little one is looking for a husband? You certainly came to the right place." Apollo kept trying to get close to Gab, but she kept using Ares as a shield to ward him off.
"You don't have to be shy." Apollo said to Gab, "I'll make you my next Sun Goddess. We can get married immediately. And you don't have to worry about sharing me with my other wives."
"Are all of you crazy?" Gab looked at Apollo with total disgust. Then what he said hit home, "Your other wives?"
"Well yes, Apollo has 12 other wives. You'll make number 13." Ares then whispered in Gab's ear, "It's a good thing really. It means you wouldn't have to put up with him too often. Ouch?" This time Gab punched him in the stomach.
"Hey what are two whispering about?" Apollo looked at Gab admiringly, "Well little one, let me get someone to help you prepare for the ceremony."
"Ares???" Gab yanked on Ares' vest.
"Sorry bro, I guess the girl is not interested after all." Ares took Gab's hand and the two disappeared.
Ares and Gab were back at the wedding.
"You think that was very funny, don't you?" Gab gave Ares a murderous look.
"Well, I was only trying to do the best for you." Ares said innocently, "I thought you might prefer a god. But since you are not interested in Apollo, humm, let me see, oh I know, a king, yes, let's find you a king." He grabbed Gab and disappeared again.
The two reappeared inside a castle. "Please Ares, I really don't need your help. Honestly I'm not even looking for a husband."
"I'm sure King Angus would appreciate having the prettiest girl in Potadeia as his wife." Ares smiled at Gab.
Before Gab could say another word, the king came into the room, startled to see the 2 intruders, he started to call for his guards when Ares cut him off, "Don't panic, King Angus,
I'm here to present you Gabrielle of Potadeia. Don't you think she'll make a fine queen for your kingdom?"
"Well, she sure is pretty." The king walked toward Gab, who started to hide behind Ares again. "She wants to be my queen huh? Well then, come on out girl and let me take a good look at you."
Ares pushed Gab in front of him. Gab turned back and was about to kick him, but Ares got smart this time and quickly moved out of her way.
"So Gabrielle huh? The name is kind of strange." King Angus leered at Gab, "But don't worry girlie, with looks like yours, no one will care about your name." Angus then put out a hand to touch Gab, without thinking, Gab grabbed it and threw him across the room.
"Oops, time to go." Ares grabbed Gab and disappeared with her again.
"Hey, I was only thinking of you." Ares said innocently before Gab could even get a word in.
"I did find you a king, didn't I?"
"The man was the King of Jerks!"
"Well, I guess that means kings are out of the running." Ares took hold of Gab's hand when she started to walk away, "We can't give up so easily. Let me see, you were a farmer's daughter, let's go find us a farmer." Ares said with a big grin. Gab tried to pull away but Ares' hold on her was too tight, and the two disappeared again.
The two reappeared in front of run down farm house.
"Please Ares, I think you've had enough fun for one day. Just take me back okay." Gab begged.
"No, I've made it my business to see to that you'll be married soon." Ares smiled.
"Ares, believe me please, I really don't want to get married."
"Yeah well, I think I want you to."
A dirty farmer came up to them from behind the house, "Hey, what's going on here? Who are you two?"
"Hello Sir, my friend here is looking for a husband." While Gab stared at Ares indignantly, he continued, "She's a farm girl at heart, so we came to see if there are any eligible farmers around."
"Well, I'm a farmer, and I could use some help." The farmer looked at Gab critically, "She doesn't look much like a farm girl. The skirt is way too short. In fact, that whole outfit has to go." He grabbed a bucket from the ground and shoved it at Gab, "Here, get to the barn and let see if you can at least milk a cow."
Gabrielle was steaming by now. She took the bucket and slugged it at Ares. Ares saw it coming and managed to dodge out of the way. Without even a backward glance, Gab took off running.
Gab ran for about a quarter of a mile when Ares caught up with her. "Hey, you could have just said no."
Gab turned and tried to punch him, but Ares caught hold of her fist, "There's really no need to get violent. So the dude didn't work out, let's try someone else."
"Get away from me Ares."
"Be nice Gab, how do you expect to get back to town without me? You probably don't even know where we are."
"You are so sure of yourself aren't you?" Gab turned away from Ares and yelled, "Aphrodite, I need you, please."
Dite appeared in a flash of light and smiled and Gab, "Hello sweetie," she then spotted Ares,
"What have you done to her this time?"
"Me? Why do I always get blamed for everything?" Ares said with an injured look on his face. "I was just trying to help."
"Aphrodite, could you get me out of here?" Gab ignored Ares.
"Anything for you sweetie." Dite and Gab disappeared.
"I just don't know what he's up to." Gab paced up and down and complained to Dite. "All day he had taken me from one place to the next trying to marry me off."
The two were back at Xena's wedding reception and Gab had been recounting her entire day's event and unloading all her frustration on Dite.
Dite had been listening carefully and now gave Gab a sly smile, "But Gabby, seeing your best friend getting married does make you feel left out, doesn't it?"
"That doesn't mean I'm going to marry the first guy who's willing to have me. Am I really so annoying that he felt he had to find me all these creeps out there?" Dite can hear the hurt in Gab's voice.
"Ares really isn't matchmaker material, you know." Dite tried to comfort her, "But tell me sweetie, Ares really told you that he's planning on getting hitched?"
"Well, that's what he said." Gab was sounding annoyed, "I asked him if he expected me to find him a wife, and he said he had already found her."
"Hummmm, well, that's good to know." Dite gave Gab another long, hard look, "Listen sweetie, would you like to get back at Ares?"
"Well of course, but what do you have in mind?"
"Just don't do anything. Go find Xena and talk to her for a while. Just leave everything up to me." Dite smiled.
Ares was chatting with Joxer and Meg while watching Gab and Dite. Even from across the room, he could see that Gab was hopping mad. He saw that Gab had went over to Xena but that Dite had disappeared again. He was still debating whether he should corner Gab when Dite appeared, "Hello Joxer and Meg, I need to steal my bro for a minute." She gave the two a radiant smile and pulled Ares away.
"What are trying to do to Gabby? Dite demanded.
"Nothing, honestly, I just thought that it's time she settle down that's all."
"Well, since I'm still the goddess of love for the time being, I think that's more my job."
"I was just trying to help."
"There's no need for you to interfere any longer." Dite gave Ares a sly smile, "I've already set the wheel in motion."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, I've put up fliers in all village squares with Gab's picture on it and advertising a husband for her."
"What?"
"Oh you should see all the men goggling over her picture." Dite continued, "She'll be receiving thousands and thousands of proposals. She will be able to choose and pick whomever she wants." Dite looked at Ares and couldn't resist adding, "Now see bro, leave it to the expert, Gabby will find her guy in no time."
"How could you do that to her?" Ares was yelling by now, "All the morons out there will be coming after her. I thought she was you favorite mortal."
"Of course she is. Look Ares, my plan is so much better. There'll be kings, princes, warriors, rich men, well maybe poor ones too, but she will get to choose. I can just see it now, all these good looking young men lining up all the way to the next town." Dite said with a delightful smile.
"Dite, you don't know what you are doing. Did Gabrielle agree to this?"
Well, of course she did." Dite lied, "She was very enthusiastic with the whole thing."
Without another word to Dite, Ares marched across the room toward Gab.
Gabrielle saw Ares coming and saw that murderous look on his face. Although she didn't know why he was so mad, she figured that he was mad at her. Not wanting to face him when he's in that mood, she quickly walked outside the house.
She put a few paces between herself and the house when Ares yanked at her arm and pulled her to a stand still.
"How could you let Dite talk you into this? I thought you were the one with the brains."
"Huh?"
"Sweetie, I told him what we did." Dite followed Ares , "You know, the fliers in the villages advertising for a husband." She winked at Gab, "Gee, I can already feel them coming."
Gab caught on fast. She was not amused with Dite's plan but decided to teach Ares a lesson, "Yeah well, since you are in such hurry to marry me off, we just thought we'd help you along. Besides it's really none of your business."
"Well, I'm making it my business." Ares yelled at Gab, "You are not, I repeat, NOT meeting any of these guys."
"Like you can stop me." Gab was getting mad, "You know what, I've decided to marry the first man who ask me, and there's nothing you can do to stop me."
"You are crazy, you haven't even met this man." Ares then added quietly, "Don't do this just to spite me."
"You have too high of a opinion of yourself." Gab sneered, "You wanted me to be married, fine, I'm getting married. And I meant what I said, the first man who ask me."
Ares ran his hand through his hair and then smiled, "Okay, I'm asking. So I guess you will have to marry me now, won't you?"
By now Dite was laughing her head off, but Ares' statement stopped her giggling.
"Oh very funny Ares. And how fast can you run if I take you up on it." Gab said sarcastically.
"I'm serious. You said the first man, well, I was the first one. So, how long it is going to take you to get ready?" Ares demanded.
"You really are serious, aren't you." Dite wasn't laughing any more.
"Never more so."
"Aphrodite, he's scaring me." Gab turned to Dite.
"Gabrielle, I do want to marry you." Ares pushed Dite away from Gab, and caught hold of her hand, "I took you everywhere today to show you that there is no other guy out there for you. You were the girl that I was talking about." He added very quietly, "I love you."
Gab looked at Ares and gulped, "You love me? The irritating blonde?"
"Well, I actually haven't thought of you as being irritating for a long time." Ares admitted.
Gab turned to Dite with a totally bemused look on her face.
"Well sweetie, I'm glad he finally stopped playing that stupid game of his." She pulled at Gab and Ares let go of her, "Don't be afraid. I can't tell you what to do. All that I can tell you is to trust your heart."
Gab walked away from Ares. Dite stopped him when he would have followed her, "She doesn't need any pressure from you right now."
Xena and Hercules had just got back from their long honeymoon.
"Hurry up, I want to go see Eve." Xena said. Then she noticed the note on the table and picked it up, "Hey, it's a message from Gabby."
"Oh, what does it say?" Hercules asked while putting the bags down.
Xena started to read, "Dear Xena, I trust that you and Hercules had a great time. I miss you. I have something to tell you, but I think you need to sit down first. Well, I've been married for 2 weeks now." Xena turned to Hercules with an amazed expression on her face.
"Gabby got married," Hercules laughed, "Well, who's the lucky guy?"
"Let me continue this." Xena turned her attention back to the note, "Let me tell you Xena, I've never been happier in my life. I know you will probably find it hard to believe, but I love him, and he loves me. So just be happy for us and don't judge okay?"
"So who is he?" Hercules was sounding impatient by now.
"Stop interrupting me." Xena went back to the note, "I guess I have to tell you right, so here it goes, the guy I got married to well??..he's Ares." Xena screamed, "ARES?"