Justin and Gabrielle in the Shadow of the Gods, 6

[xie_xie_xie]

Yes, we all know that I mercilessly mock the crack!fic. When, that is, I'm not writing it.

This is chapter six of "Justin and Gabrielle in the Shadow of the Gods," the sequel to Justin and Gabrielle in a Bottle. The previous chapters of this story are here.

Beta'd by
testdog65  . Icon and banner by
roc_abs  . Dedicated to her and to
gmta_nz  .

The underlying structural soundness of Pittsburgh was not broken during this story.





Justin and Gabrielle in the Shadow of the Gods, Chapter Six
By Xie

Justin woke up with his head throbbing in agony. The pain intensified when he sat up, heart pounding. Where was Brian?

The room was dark, and cold, and no matter how hard he strained his eyes, he couldn’t see anything. He reached out his hand, and felt a jolt of electricity in his arm as he made contact with a body. Brian. He knew, somehow, it was him.

He carefully got onto his knees and felt for Brian’s head. The other man didn’t move, but Justin felt his chest moving as he breathed, felt his heart beating slowly. Feeling tears well up in his eyes, the teen curled his body around Brian’s, trying to give the unconscious man his warmth.

At least, Justin thought as he fell back into a troubled sleep, I’m not tied up.

___________________________

Gabrielle paced from one end of Xena’s loft to the other. Periodically she stopped, stared into the distance, opened her mouth to say something, then shook her head and resumed pacing.

At first Xena ignored her. Eventually, though, however hard the architect stared at the information on her computer screen, ignoring her became impossible. “Gabrielle. What are you doing?”

The blonde stopped and looked at Xena as if she’d forgotten she was there. “Trying to think of where Justin and Brian are.” She wrinkled her nose. “I mean, more precisely than ‘somewhere under Pittsburgh.’”

Since that was exactly what Xena was doing, albeit with slightly more technologically advanced methods, the older woman didn’t say anything more. She went back to her laptop. Gabrielle went back to her pacing.

A half an hour later, an exhausted Amazon dropped onto the sofa. Just then, Xena looked up. “I found it.”

“What?”

The architect got up and walked over to the sofa, laptop in hand. “Look at this site on the history of Pittsburgh. I remembered it from a class I took when I was in school.”

Gabrielle had been taking a computer class at the GLC, but hadn’t gotten much beyond learning how to open the lid and push the “start” button. She stared at the screen as Xena slowly pointed out the system of tunnels and dens under the streets of the city, particularly one area near where Brian and Justin had disappeared. “I think they’re here, somewhere.”

Maps were something Gabrielle understood. She let her eyes follow the twists and turns, and finally nodded. “But who’s holding them?”

“You won’t like it.”

Gabrielle snorted. “Yeah, I’ve liked everything else so far. That’ll be a real change.”

Xena looked at Gabrielle, then turned her eyes away. “My guess is Alti is behind this.”

Gabrielle looked at Xena, her eyes full of a lifetime of memories, memories of pain, suffering, and having mendhi designs painted all over her body. “I thought we’d broken that karmic cycle.”

“So did I.” Xena drew a deep breath. “I guess we were wrong.”

The architect got up and paced to the window, and stood staring out. “There’s something more, though. I just don’t know what. It’s just a feeling I have. I still can’t believe Alti would work through Callisto. Why, and why her? Is she working through someone now, or does she have Brian and Justin?”

Gabrielle walked up behind her. “We’ll find them, Xena. And you’ll defeat Alti. Just the way you always have.”

Xena gave a short nod, her eyes dark and unreadable. “So far.”

Gabrielle let her hand gently squeeze Xena’s arm, then rested her forehead against the taller woman’s shoulder. “Maybe we should take a nice hot bath.”

______________________________________________

Justin was wandering the streets of a city he didn’t recognize, full of people in strange clothing. In his arms was a small wooden chest, with words he couldn’t read carved on it.

He stopped at a stone well, and a blonde woman lifted her eyes to him, and smiled. It was Gabrielle, and he tried to say something to her, but no words would come out. Just then he dropped the chest, and it broke open at his feet, spilling gold coins and jewels on the dusty ground.

Gabrielle was helping him scoop everything back into the chest, and Xena was helping her. But no matter how hard Justin tried, he couldn’t get them to understand what he was trying to tell them, that Brian was hurt and cold and needed help.

Finally he grabbed at Gabrielle’s wrist, and forced her to look directly into his eyes. “You have to find Brian,” he said, thinking the words as he said them. “He’s hurt.”

Gabrielle smiled and shook her head as if she couldn’t understand his words, and stood up, holding the chest. She was trying to tell him something, but he felt himself fading away, falling back into the room where he and Brian were held.

Justin woke up, shivering from the sweat on his skin and the cold floor. He opened his eyes, or thought he did; the blackness was so total it made no difference. He put his ear over Brian’s heart once more, and tried to sleep again, reassured by the steady beat.

The beat swelled up all around him. He could feel it in his feet, pounding up through his legs and into his hips and ass. He moved with it, dancing, Brian’s hands pulling him close. The taller man was kissing him, one hand gripping the back of his waist, the other tangled in his hair.

Brian had his knees bent, and their crotches were pressed together. Justin wound his arms around Brian’s neck, and let him lift him off his feet, still kissing him. Brian was carrying him somewhere, and when he let Justin slip down and stand on his own again, they were in a dark room, a strange blue light illuminating everything.

There were men everywhere, kissing and sucking and fucking each other. Justin felt his face flush, but Brian didn’t stop kissing him. He felt the man’s hands move to open his pants, and then felt them on his hips, firmly trying to turn him against the wall.

Justin let his head fall back, and turned to kiss Brian. But when he opened his eyes, he saw men staring at them, starting to move closer. The one nearest them looked familiar, muscular, tall, with eyes that cut right through Justin. He looked familiar, and Justin realized it was Erik, the man from the gym, and Babylon. There was something else about him… something about pulling him away from Brian… but Justin couldn’t remember.

Brian’s hand closed on Justin’s cock just as his own cock nudged at Justin’s hole, and the boy gasped at the dual sensations. He closed his eyes again, spreading his legs and pushing back to let Brian know he wanted him.

But just as Brian’s dick slid past the tight opening to his ass, he felt the room start dissolving all around them, the blue light turning white and misty. He tried to stop it, he tried to say something, but all he could see was brightness, and all he could feel was cold.

______________________________

Xena lay back against the side of the tub, Gabrielle tucked between her long legs, a mountain of sweet-scented bubbles piled around them. They seemed to do their best communicating there.

And other things that Xena tried not to think about, out of respect for Brian and Justin who were probably not having a very good time right about then.

Gabrielle lifted her arm out of the fragrant froth and ran a sponge down it slowly. “We should call Brian’s lawyer.”

Xena watched the path of the sponge and then blinked. “What? Bunny Happenshatz? Why?”

“She might be able to figure out a way to get us access to the passages under the city without getting the police involved.” Gabrielle moved the sponge to her other hand, and started cleaning her other arm.

Xena wrapped her legs around Gabrielle and pulled her more snugly against her crotch. She rested her lips against the girl’s blonde hair, and kissed her softly. “I’ll call her. Later.”

Gabrielle wriggled against Xena, dropped the sponge into the water, and pulled the older woman’s hands onto her breasts. “Later,” she agreed.

_______________________________

Justin woke up with the words “nice hot bath” ringing in his ears. And he’d have liked nothing better at that moment than to get into a nice hot bath with Brian. The older man was still unconscious, and the floor and walls were cold and damp. Every time he felt Brian shiver or moan, he pressed his lithe young body against him, trying to will warmth into him.

“How touching.” It was Erik. Or whoever he was. He had a torch in his hand that gave off an oddly steady light. He stuck it into a bracket in the wall and strode over to Brian and Justin.

Justin didn’t answer. The last time Erik had pulled him away from Brian... Tears filled his eyes at the thought of Brian lying on this floor without him. He buried his face in Brian’s chest and squeezed his eyes tightly shut.

Ares pulled him to his feet like he was picking up a kitten. Justin struggled, but it was useless. He finally just stood glaring at him, his upper arm held in the muscular man’s grip.

“You short blonds are all alike.” Ares sounded amused.

Justin’s eyes narrowed, but he still didn’t say anything.

Ares ran a fingertip along Justin’s rigid jaw. “So beautiful.” He sounded thoughtful.

Justin jerked his chin away, his pupils dilating.

Ares laughed and let his hand brush through Justin’s hair, and Justin jerked away again.

The dark-haired man brought up his free hand, and wrapped it around the back of Justin’s neck. He pulled the teen against his body as hard as he could, and Justin could feel his cock pressing against his stomach.

“Stop it.” Justin was surprised at how strong his voice sounded.

But Ares just chuckled, and cupped Justin’s ass with both his hands. “Don’t want to play?”

Justin looked up at him. “I’m not,” the boy said, “a toy.”

Ares threw back his head and roared with amusement, and let Justin go. The blond went and knelt next to Brian again, his back to Ares.

Ares crouched next to him, and looked thoughtfully at Brian. “He’s badly injured.”

Justin touched Brian’s face. He knew it was true.

“He might die, down here.” Ares looked sideways at the boy. “You could help him.”

Justin whipped his head around. “Let him go. You said you wanted Xena bait? Use me. Take Brian to the hospital, or at least put him out on the street where someone might find him.” He willed his blue eyes to stay locked on Erik’s unreadable gaze.

A faint smile danced over Ares’ mouth. “And if I do?”

“I’ll do anything you want.” Justin’s voice wasn’t uncertain or even desperate. It was like steel.

Ares suddenly felt a rush of anger. “What is it with you feisty little blonds and your great loves lasting until the end of time?”

Justin shook his head. He had no idea what Erik was talking about.

Ares walked to the far wall, then back again. He stood looking down at Justin, at his blond hair falling across his flushed cheeks, his blue eyes, his soft mouth. Only that still-tense jaw line betrayed the boy’s anxiety for the man lying unconscious next to him.

Ares regretfully shook his head. “I can’t do that, Justin. As much as I’d like to… play with you.” He grinned, his teeth glinting white against his swarthy, handsome face. “Even if you’re not a toy.”

Justin sank back on his heels, defeated. “Then what do you want? I don’t understand why you need Brian.”

Justin swore he saw Erik’s head turn towards the door before he heard the crashing sound.

“Yes, Ares, I’m curious, too.” It was Xena, her hair pulled back off her face, and what looked for all the world to Justin like a sword in her hand. “What a comedown for the mighty god of war, holding an unarmed teenaged boy and an unconscious man with no fighting skills prisoner for a dirty shamaness with ratted hair and jewelry made out of bones.”

God of war? Justin had no idea what Xena was talking about.

But Ares’ eyes were looking at Xena admiringly. “It’s true that I’ve fallen, Xena. But I’ll climb back up again, and I’ll do it over the dead bodies of a hundred unarmed teenaged boys and unconscious civilians, or dirty shamanesses, if I have to.” He smiled. “But I’d rather do it with your help, and you at my side.”

Xena smiled back, and her teeth gleamed in the light of the torch. “All these thousands of years, and you still don’t know how to take ‘no’ for an answer? You’re a slow learner, Ares.”

Ares shifted his stance and crossed his arms over his chest. “Speaking of unarmed men.”

Xena laughed. “Naked with one hand tied behind you, Ares, you’re never unarmed.” She made a gesture with her chin towards Brian and Justin. “If they were bait, they worked. Let them go.”

Ares shrugged. “Unfortunately, that’s not going to fit in with my plans.”

She sneered. “Your plans? Or Alti’s? And are you sure you know what her plans really are?”

“I know what my plans are, and as long as her plans work with mine, I’m happy enough with our… alliance.”

Xena flicked her sword on Ares’ upper arm, leaving a small slice in the black t-shirt covering his straining bicep. His jaw twitched, but he didn’t move.

Xena smiled again. “Alliance? Is that what you call it? I bet she’s got another word.” Her sword brushed over him again, leaving a nearly identical slash in the other arm of his shirt. “I’m guessing she thinks more of you as her pawn. Her tool. Just like Callisto was.”

“Callisto’s unstable. She always has been.”

“Yes, she is. But she’s also a god.” She once more tipped him with her sword, this time leaving a tiny bloody cut on his cheek. She stepped back as he lunged at her. “Unlike you.”

Justin rolled over Brian, trying to herd the man with his body against the wall. Erik… Ares had hurtled himself at Xena, and was trying to wrestle the sword out of her grip. She suddenly let loose with an ululating cry, and Justin wanted to cover his ears. But he didn’t, because Brian’s eyes fluttered open. They looked blankly at Justin for a second, and then closed.

Justin felt his heart thudding in his chest. He kissed Brian’s mouth, and spoke against his lips. “Brian… wake up. Brian!”

The taller man took a deep breath, and for a moment Justin thought he felt his lips press back against his. Brian’s hazel eyes opened again, and this time Justin saw recognition and awareness in them before they closed. He held Brian’s hand in his, and clung to it tightly.

Ares and Xena had fought to a standstill near the door. Justin watched her move backwards, never faltering even though the much-larger Ares was pressing her hard. Then Justin wrinkled his nose. Was that a light from the hallway?

Xena seemed to see it, too, and stepped back into the doorway. “Oh, by the way, Ares. I forgot to tell you. Welcome to reality.” She grinned. “Reality TV, I mean.”

Brian’s attorney, Bunny Happenshatz, bustled in the door, a cameraman and reporter behind her, CNN’s logo emblazoned on their equipment. “This way, Anderson,” she was saying, a big smile on her face. “We found them!”

Ares stared at Bunny, her wine-red patent leather pumps gleaming in the torchlight, and her long leg flashing out of the thigh-high slit in her charcoal gray Armani skirt. “What the…”

Anderson Cooper shoved the microphone into Ares’ face. “What are you doing here with these missing men? How long have you had them here?”

Gabrielle strolled in behind the camera crew, and Xena casually walked up to her and kissed her. “Thanks.”

“No problem. Bunny did it all.”

Bunny smiled at the two women. “Anderson and I are old friends. He was in town, and when I told him you’d found the missing teenager, well… he’s a reporter. He knows a good story when you shove him into one face first.”

Ares had watched Xena cross to Gabrielle’s side. He stood motionless for a minute, ignoring the news crew, playing his few options out in his mind. Despite what Xena might think, he wasn’t quite as unarmed as she thought.

A loud, sharp noise made everyone grab at their ears, and a flash of light blinded them temporarily. Xena shook her head and recovered her sight and hearing first, and leaped for the spot where Ares had been.

But he was gone. And he had Justin with him.

To be continued...