A Matter of Trust

Remembered Glory. Many thought it was a strange name for a tavern, and yet, it seemed to fit perfectly with its new owner. Previously known as The Lion's Claw tavern, it had received its name from a claw of Androcles's lion. Someone had offered it as payment, and the previous owner thought it an appropriate name. He had even mounted it on a plaque on the wall. The old owner sat in the corner of the new tavern and remembered the day he lost it all. He'd never expected to see an obviously sweet refined woman come into his bar. She looked so demure, almost shy, as she walked up to the bar. She gave a very sad story of how her whole family was lost to her, and she needed to make an honest living. He felt so sorry for her as he looked into her glorious jade green eyes. They were most enchanting, and he almost didn't hear her repeat her appeal for a job. He remembered the lascivious predatory smile he gave her as he told her the only job he could offer her. He half expected her to slap him, but she just bowed her head in shame and accepted under one condition. She offered to play a game of cards with him. If he won, she would do his bidding, but if she won she would own the tavern. He shook his head at the the sly move she'd made at the gaming table. The next thing he knew was that he no longer owned the tavern. Only sitting back now and considering his Remembered Glory did he see the slightly voracious smile of the new owner. He should have known not to trust anyone named Voluptua.

Everything was going according to her plans. She now had a way of earning the dinars she so desperately needed to get back on top. She considered turning this small tavern into a gaming palace like the old one; however, this would just be too small, but it would be large enough for her purpose now. She hated being poor. Voluptua couldn't believe it had been almost two years since she ran the gaming palace in Midas's kingdom. She certainly would have been a much wealthier woman if Hercules hadn't interfered. She sighed as she remembered the glorious gold, scarlet, and emerald green dresses she used to wear. The gold, sapphire, diamond, and ruby jewelry that once adorned her smooth skin was replaced with common blue beads she had purchased from some street vendor. Gone were the expensive gilded flowers she once wore in her hair. A simple ribbon now pulled her hair back . Voluptua was reduced to play this peasant part now, thanks to Hercules. She almost spit at the thought of his name, and she would have too, but this would have revealed a less than genteel nature that she wasn't willing to expose at the moment.

To the patrons of the tavern, she was a pleasant sight instead of the gruff old man who had run the tavern. She appeared to all as a sweet, young, woman hard on her luck. Well, that is until she won the tavern. Most of the customers showed respect to her. She was a war widow, or so she had told them. Since several were grizzled war veterans, they felt very protective of her. She rarely had trouble in the three months since she came into possession of the place. Voluptua had also made improvements. She served better food, such as roast lamb instead of the ordinary boar stew that every tavern in Greece served, and she also kept the place cleaner and brighter; some commented that it was her smile that accomplished the latter feat. Yes, the tavern deserved its name. She brought it back to its remembered glory.

Iolaus was to meet Hercules at the end of the week at Astrophena's farm. She was the widow of a warrior friend of theirs. Her husband had fought many years, and when he retired he decided to be a serious farmer with his beloved wife at his side. Iolaus shook his head as he approached the farm. It was strange that Clarious had survived so many battles and succumbed to a simple fever in his own bed. Astrophena had her younger brother to help her, but he really wasn't much help. Clarious had often complained about his lazy brother-in-law, and now Iolaus was seeing it first hand. However, Astrophena never complained; in fact, she reminded Iolaus of Alcmene. He stood in the fields looking back at her in her small garden and felt a twinge in his heart.

"Hey! I thought you were going to plow this field. I can't do this all by myself, you know," complained Dirius.

"Oh, okay. Sorry, I was just thinking about your sister. How will she ever pull off running this farm by herself?" wondered Iolaus.

"Excuse me, I'm here. I break my back on this stupid farm. I've tried to get her to sell it and move into town. I'm sure we could buy a little inn or something. All of the action is in town anyway. Who wants to be out on this isolated piece of dirt! No, she wants to keep it in memory of him," sneered Dirius. Iolaus turned slowly toward the man; Dirius was oblivious to the stern look and continued, "Hey! I've got an idea to end all ideas! You could say it's The Mother of All Ideas! Instead of staying home tonight, why don't we go to this place called Remembered Glory. The new owner is gorgeous, and she serves the best food in town, not to mention ale that's got to come straight from Mt. Olympus itself! Come on, Iolaus. It'll be fun!"

"Well, maybe. But let's get this field plowed first," Iolaus knew that would be the only way he could get him to work in earnest.

Later that evening, Dirius was very persistent in reminding Iolaus of his promise of maybe. Astrophena laid a gentle hand on Iolaus's arm as he stood in the doorway. He turned to this gentle woman and grinned. "Go ahead. You deserve a little fun with people outside this farm. They say that the food is very good at Remembered Glory. I wish you'd take some time off before Hercules gets here. I'm sure it will be all work once he arrives anyway," she reminded him with a smile. Iolaus agreed, but inwardly he knew he really would be going to keep an eye on Dirius.

They walked into the tavern, and Iolaus found his breath taken away by the site. She was standing near a window, and the last ray of sunshine seemed to illuminate copper strands braiding through her dark hair. She was dressed in a deep green gauze dress that bore a simplistic elegance usually uncharacteristic of that style dress. It was a common chiton giving small glimpses of her shoulder and shapely arms. A delicate necklace of indigo beads danced along her neck and superb collarbone. When she turned toward him, he stumbled slightly as their eyes met. He had a vague sense of being struck by lightning when blue collided with gray. Perhaps it wasn't just their eyes connecting; he was sure their souls were connecting as well. Her smile seemed a continuation of the light slipping through her hair. Iolaus felt his heart quicken as she approached him.

Dirius smiled as he watched the connection unfold. He was positive now there would be more trips into the village. Yes, life would be good to him now.

"Can I help you gentlemen?" she asked demurely

Iolaus stood for quite a few moments just staring and grinning at her. He felt a sudden pain in his stomach as Dirius's elbow made a connection of its own. "Oh, uh, yeah...we came for..." Iolaus was suddenly dumbfounded as he couldn't remember why they were there.

Dirius leaned over and whispered, "food."

"Oh, uh, yeah. We came for food; uh, supper. Do you have any?" Iolaus grimaced at his last question. "How stupid can one man sound?" he asked himself. Taking a deep breath to regain some sort of composure, Iolaus tried again. "I'm Iolaus and this is Dirius. We'd like a table please." Iolaus thought he handled himself much better that time.

Voluptua smiled and showed them to a table in the corner. However, the whole time she kept trying to remember where she'd heard that name before. She was sure it was in connection with someone else, but who? Her answer came when one of the old warriors got up to greet the blond.

"Iolaus, you old son of a Bacchae! How on earth are you doing? What brings you here? We have monsters to slay around here we haven't heard of yet. And where's Hercules?" asked Sardonias.

Voluptua's face went stone cold for a split second; then, she recovered her sweet demeanor before Iolaus could see the change. Of course, he was Hercules's best friend. "Oh this will work out perfectly," she smirked inwardly.

"Oh, Herk will be here at the end of the week; we're helping Astrophena and Dirius get their crops planted while it's still planting season," he answered returning his gaze to Voluptua.

"Well, you make sure you drag him over to my place when he gets here. Agriphelia would love to see you both. Of course, you'll get much better food here," he said smiling at Voluptua, "but the wife can make a pretty good stew." The old warrior chuckled at the teasing he was receiving from his buddies at his table. He returned to show them a thing or two.

"Iolaus? The hero, Iolaus? Oh, I'm so honored to have such a brave warrior grace my humble establishment. Please, consider your money no good here tonight. I suggest the lamb. It's wonderful," she smiled her most deceptive smile. Oh, yes this would be perfect for her. She considered Iolaus again; she decided that he could also furnish a few distractions while she waited for Hercules. It was a pity she'd have to kill him. "Oh well," she thought, "at least he'll provide a little fun before the end."

"Oh, we couldn't allow that," Iolaus said earnestly.

"We couldn't?" interrupted Dirius.

"After all, my friend here tells me that you're a war widow. We can't take money from your place. In fact, it looks like you could use some help fixing the roof," he offered.

"What's wrong with my roof?"

"See, you have a hole in the corner there. If you can see one, there must be dozens you can't see," Iolaus explained.

"Still don't see it. Could you point it out to me?" she lied.

Iolaus stood and pointed directly at the hole. Voluptua moved behind him so that she was barely touching him. Her chin almost rested on his shoulder as she whispered in his ear. "I still don't see it, Iolaus." She leaned in further until her whole body made contact with his. Iolaus tried to calm his breathing when he told her to follow the direction of his arm. She moved slowly from behind him trailing her long pale copper fingernail down the length of his arm. She moved in front of his finger still making contact with her own and reveled at the look she was receiving from him. In one swift move, she had her back against his chest reversing their previous position. She bent her knees slightly and rested her head on his shoulder looking down his arm. Iolaus held his breath. The other tavern patrons were doing the same as well as considering Iolaus to be the luckiest man in all of Greece. "Oh! There it is! Thank you for pointing that out to me. It sure would have been tragic if it was discovered during our rainy season," she exclaimed as she turned around to face Iolaus. Once again when they made eye contact, Iolaus felt he was totally lost. She lowered her eyes shyly and said, "I would be honored if you would help me with that. If you could, I would insist on providing your meals. When can you start?"

Dirius suddenly realized that if Iolaus was helping her, he would be plowing and planting without him. "Hey! Wait a minute! You do remember my sister, don't you? You did promise to help her out," he reminded Iolaus.

Iolaus remembered the promise, but he also remembered that he was really there much earlier than intended. When he looked back to Voluptua and saw her vulnerability, he made his decision. "I'll help you in the morning, Dirius, and Voluptua in the afternoon. That should make everybody happy, and besides, we wouldn't want Herk to feel left out now, would we?" He smiled as he barely took his eyes off this beautiful woman.

After the two men left the tavern, Voluptua searched the room for a man known to frequent the establishment. She had heard Calraus on more than one occasion speak with contempt for Hercules. Usually, he was loud and obnoxious, but she had noticed that night he had been in an isolated corner, downing his ale, and staring coldly at Iolaus and Dirius. She glided over to his table and slipped him a message.

He had recognized the "golden hunter" as his ex-girlfriend had once called him. Calraus's bullying cowardice had been exposed by Hercules and Iolaus, and he was forced to leave his command after they spoke with Clarious. He smiled as he fingered the folded message. It was no enemy's arrow that brought the old warrior down. He nodded slowly in Voluptua's direction as he read.

After the last patron exited Remembered Glory, Calraus slipped in through the rear door. He sauntered over to Voluptua and grabbed her waist from behind. She grimaced as his hot foul breath whispered in her ear, "I always knew you weren't the innocent you pretend to be. I bet you're waiting for a real man to show you a good time."

Voluptua clinched her jaw. "Why do these idiots always reek? What unwritten law said that the heroes should smell of spice and villainous pawns of the garbage dump?" she wondered as she remembered her previous closeness to Iolaus.

Without missing a beat, she stomped on his instep with such force, he released her. As she turned to meet his gaze, he didn't see lust, longing, or passion. Her gray eyes shot splintered shards of bitter hatred in his direction. He hobbled back a few steps as she approached him like a prowling lioness. Calraus knew at that moment that she was way out of his reach. She almost impaled him on her long copper fingernail. He tried to grab her hand to pull it away, but she speared him deeper until drops of blood trickled down his chest. She narrowed her eyes and pulled back her weapon.

"Don't ever touch me again!" she said through her teeth with such an intensity that Calraus just took a step back again and covered his chest with a trembling hand. "You do understand this, don't you?" Calraus just nodded. He was astonished to see her demeanor return to the "sweet, innocent widow". "Now," Voluptua began, "I believe we can both benefit from a sort of working relationship here as long as you can remember who's in charge of this little arrangement. I understand you have no great love for Hercules. Well, neither do I. How would you like to make the rest of his pitiful life miserable?"

Calraus sat up straight and became more businesslike. "I'd like to join any outfit that wants to rid the world of those two heroes, Hercules and Iolaus. What do you have in mind? I have been known to pull an assassin's job a time or two."

Voluptua grinned, "Oh no! Nothing as simple as death for Hercules. I've suffered almost two years from his meddling. I intend to make him suffer; everyone knows how much Iolaus means to Hercules. What if we tortured and destroyed him first. Let's see, according to some of the other warriors, he's lost his children, two wives, his mother, and now his 'brother'. How much could this demi-god take before he'd completely lose it?"

"Okay, what do you have planned?" asked her fellow conspirator.

"You do nothing for a couple of days. Then I'll let you know what to do. In order to pull this off, we must have exquisite timing. Now, the tavern is closed; don't let anyone see you leave," she ordered as she moved toward her private quarters. Calraus shook his head as he saw her slink across the room. He grabbed one of the rags used to clean the bar and wiped the drying blood from his chest. He determined that she would one day pay for his humiliation, but he needed her to pull this off. He'd definitely have to watch his back with this viper.

The next afternoon, Iolaus strolled happily into the tavern with tools in hand. She was waiting for him with the sweetest smile on earth. The lightning struck him again as she moved across the room with a sort of economy of movement that almost seemed like a dance. The moment her soft hand threaded through his arm and rested on his biceps, he almost forgot why he was there in the first place.

"I, um, better get started while we still have daylight. Do you have a ladder?" he asked trying to avoid being lost in those impossibly beautiful eyes.

"The ladder is in the back. Now make sure you don't overheat out there. I'm fixing a special dish tonight and I want you terribly famished when you're finished out there," she smiled guilelessly.

Iolaus tried to ignore another type of hunger she was stirring up and walked outside to the ladder. Climbing on top of the roof, he shuddered. It was in much worse shape than he originally thought. Several places were almost rotted through, and he'd had to watch his step, or he'd have found himself on top of the bar in a less than graceful position. He was thankful that there weren't too many people in the tavern that time of day. He found himself halfway through the job just before it started filling up. As this was a job that would take more than one day to complete, he had just decided to quit. Climbing down from the ladder, he bit back a yelp. He didn't want Voluptua's customers to hear the few words he normally would have released as one of the rotten planks deposited a splinter in his hand.

Voluptua withheld a gasp of her own as he walked through the doors. The fading sunlight anointed his sweat soaked torso and burst like dew drops in his damp gold hair. Suddenly the name "Golden Hunter" totally fit him. The effort he put forth on the roof had expanded his already well defined muscular form. He walked over to her and started to take his leave of her when she noticed the splinter.

"Oh no! Remember our deal? I have the most delicious meal prepared for you. Besides, I can't let you leave while you're injured," she explained as she gently took his hand and turned it up to show his wound. She silently cursed herself for feeling anything for this friend of her enemy, but she was beginning to feel as helpless as Iolaus felt toward their attraction. "Let's clean it up, and I can tend to my injured hero."

Iolaus swallowed hard as he saw the obvious concern in her face. He suddenly became aware of how dirty and sweaty he was as her cool clean hand tenderly explored his palm. "Think we could make it a total cleaning ? I mean, um, that I'm really hot and sweaty. Oh, I mean that...I mean that I'm totally embarrassing myself at the moment and could use a dunk in a very cold lake. By the gods! Did I just say that out loud?" Iolaus covered his face with his other hand. Voluptua actually giggled and then frowned at the ridiculously juvenile behavior she just displayed. Her grin returned though when she saw that this just endeared her further in his heart. His blue eyes laughed along with hers.

"Well, I don't know about a cold lake, but you can clean up a bit in my rooms through that door. Don't worry, you'll be safe from my newly hired waitresses. Marious guards that door pretty stoutly." Marious was an older woman who usually stayed in the kitchen. Her face showed a strictness reminiscent of a harem guard. No one would cross this matron. "Come on, I'll show you where you can wash off the hard day's work you've put forth. Then, I'll see to that hand before I feed you."

Iolaus followed her with the silliest grin known to man. He heard a disapproving grunt coming from the kitchen as they passed by toward Voluptua's quarters. He was not surprised to see a simply but beautifully decorated room. It was clean and smelled of lavender. Her bathing room held a large basin along with a deep marble bath. It was the only luxury the previous owner supplied himself in the tavern. Voluptua was very thankful for his indulgence. It was the only reminder of her once opulent lifestyle. Iolaus stepped through the curtain from the other modest rooms into the bath. His jaw dropped to his chest.

"Wow!" was all he could muster to say.

"I know; it quite took me by surprise when I saw it as well. It seems the former owner had good taste in one thing. The towels are on the bench over there. Feel free to use either the basin or the bath," she remarked as she left the bathing room. "I've got to check on my customers and our dinner."

Iolaus looked at the bath and was wondering how he was going to fill up the tub when Marious rumbled into the room. He grabbed a towel even though he was still fully clothed. She grumbled, "Well, why don't you fill it up, young feller. Didn't the Missus tell ya how? See that disk? Puller over to the side." When He did, warm water gushed out of the hole presented by sliding the disk over. Iolaus smiled and remembered tales of a hot spring somewhere in the area. "Yep, it's a spring all right. When yer through, slide that other disk at the bottom of that tub to drain out the water. Hmph! I thought he was a smart one," she muttered finally under her breath as she exited the room. Iolaus let the tub fill up, slipped out of his clothes quickly, and hopped in the tub. He slid down and let the warmth relax his tired muscles. Between Dirius and repairing the roof, his muscles were quite tight.

Iolaus heard the door open, and he jerked up quickly looking around for the sponge to place it in a strategic location. He was horrified to see Marious return to the room. "You can relax feller; I have had three sons and two husbands. If I see sumthin' I haven't seen before, I'll stomp it." This did not make Iolaus stop his search for an adequate cover up. Marious scuttled over to his clothes and scooped them up.

"Hey! What are you doing? Those are my clothes!"

"Well, young feller, I sure didn't think they belonged to the hydra. The Missus wants me to clean 'em for ya. I'm not sure that's completely possible, but I promised her I'd try. Don't worry, ye ain't gonna have to run around buck nekkid. Voluptua sent me over to the vendor to find ya some new clothes. Ya look to be the size of my 2nd husband. Hehehe. Says to me I should find sumthin' in blue. Well there on the bench over there with the towels. Hey, don't stay in there too long. Yer sure to get as wrinkly as Ol' Marious here," she chuckled as she left the room.

Iolaus cursed himself for getting a tad bit too relaxed and slid the draining disk to the side. He watched in fascination as he climbed out of the tub. He'd have to make sure to tell Herk about this really kewl bathtub. He quickly toweled off fearing Marious's return and slipped into his new clothes. The pants were a deep midnight blue and the long tunic was a beautiful light blue that was the perfect accent to the pants. He looked in the mirror in her rooms when passing through the bedroom. Iolaus found himself smiling at the image. "You know, I do look pretty good in blue, don't I?" he said softly.

"Absolutely stunning!"

Iolaus turned quickly to see Voluptua staring straight at him.

She smiled slyly as Iolaus covered his face with both hands. She jumped as a sudden gasp erupted from her companion. He turned very pale and grabbed his injured hand.

"By Zeus! Why do I constantly seem to be embarrassing myself in front of you? You haven't cast a 'make Iolaus into a blithering idiot' spell, have you? I'm sorry. I think I could use your help with this splinter now please. Maybe if I'm in more excruciating pain, I won't humiliate myself any further," he grinned sheepishly at her.

She led him over to an unassuming reclining couch. She held his hand gently and probed his palm again. "Well, this may hurt a little, but you're a brave man...I'm positive that you'll live." She positioned her index finger and thumb at the entry point of the piece of wood. She grasped the exposed sliver with her long fingernail and thumbnail and pulled quickly. She winced herself at the sight of the rotten spike and looked into his eyes. He seemed to be concentrating on some spot in space and breathing deeply. She thought for a minute that he had gone into some sort of shock when she touched his shoulder.

Iolaus shook his head as a shudder shot through him. "Whoa! I never thought something that small could cause that much pain."

"Well, it was a bit rugged looking actually. Let me put some salve and a bandage on that. Then, we'll be able to enjoy our dinner. Marious has agreed to watch over the tavern so we could have a little private meal. Follow me," she suggested still holding the injured hand. They moved into the cozy living area where a small rectangular table had been set up. He could tell that the table and bench had been moved into the room from the tavern. Iolaus sat on the bench and watched Voluptua move around the room gathering the medical supplies needed to complete her ministrations. Her own pale blue chiton was cinched at the waist by a braided satin girdle. It almost appeared to be the same midnight blue of his pants. He wondered if this matching was planned. At any rate he didn't care; she was like a cool breeze on a hot summer's day.

"Marious will bring our dinner here in just a moment. Let me see your hand again," she said as she pulled it toward her. She sat next to him on the bench, applied a salve to the wound, and lightly bandaged his hand. "I think you'll really enjoy this. It's a most succulent lamb dish called Souvlaki. Think marinated in wine overnight with garlic, lemon, sweet peppers, and other secret spices added. And I have a slight confession to make. Marious does all of the cooking around here; I'm afraid I never was a good cook," she said with a forced grin.

At that moment Marious carried in the meal herself. She first carried in trays with grapes, cheese, and bread. She muttered as she poured the most expensive wine into his cup then looked up and gave him a small wink. Iolaus was just starting to really relax when Marious rumbled into the room again carrying a platter with the aromatic lamb and a strange looking dipping sauce. She sliced through the tender meat as easily as if the knife had been moving through butter and placed a large portion on Iolaus's plate. Then, she served Voluptua a small portion and exited.

Iolaus looked at the dish with a feeling of remembrance. "What is this called?" he asked.

Voluptua smiled and answered, "It's called Souvlaki with Tzaziki for dipping. Tzaziki is a type of..."

"Yogurt cheese, garlic, and oil? I did have a little bite of this once, but ...," Iolaus's voice faded out as he pulled a small piece of the serving from the whole.

Voluptua tenderly laid her hand on his shoulder and asked, "But what, Iolaus? You only had a bite of it; didn't you like it?"

Iolaus continued to look at the lamb between his fingers, "No, I mean yes it was great." He continued to stare at his plate as he popped the small piece into his mouth. "This is fantastic; you know what else would go with this?"

Voluptua placed her hand over his and asked again, "What is it, Iolaus? Why did you only have one bite if you like it so much?"

He sighed. He hadn't really planned on opening up to her, but somehow, Iolaus felt secure enough to speak of his childhood. There were not that many people on the earth who knew of what his family endured; he had been very careful to keep that part of his life barricaded away. However, there was this soul connection he felt for her that demanded his trust.

"Well, my father wasn't exactly a stoic; he certainly could show his intense anger from time to time. It's just that he had a difficult time showing any kind of affection for his wife, kids, or even friends, if he really had any. You see, he was a general and very concerned with his image of toughness. Skouros never thought my mother disciplined us enough when he was gone so when he returned he sort of tried to catch up, I guess. Mostly he wasn't around, but like I said, when he did return, we all tried to stay out of his way. He really seemed angry with me, said I was lazy and a troublemaker and that I'd end up at the end of some noose. You know, I could take that for me any time. The truth is sometimes I did purposely provoke him. I guess you could say I was a little bit on the defiant side," Iolaus said as he looked up at her.

Voluptua grinned slightly and muttered, "Uh huh. A little?"

"Okay! Okay! I loved to torment the man. I just couldn't stand the way he'd push around the rest of the family, especially my mother. I remember the time she fixed Souvlaki; she was very excited because she had heard that he was coming home from one of his many wars. My mother scrimped and saved to make this special meal; she had heard that the battle had been costly to him even though he had won the war. She wanted to make him feel good so she fixed this really terrific meal. We were so excited, and for once, I was looking forward to seeing him. I wanted to show him this new hunters' trick my uncle had shown me. After he had cleaned up, we sat down for the meal. I snuck a little taste of the lamb when all Tartarus broke loose. He cursed her for being so extravagant; he criticized her housekeeping skills and reminded her that we were not rich enough for this kind of meal. Then he picked up the lamb and threw it out the window to the dogs. I jumped across the table when he grabbed my mother. I don't remember a lot of what happened after that. We only saw him a couple of times after that before he deserted us." His gaze went back to his place until he heard a little sob. When he looked up again, he saw tears filling her eyes and put his arm around her. "I'm sorry; I didn't mean to dump all of this on you and spoil our supper, " he sighed.

Voluptua silently cursed herself for being moved. He had touched a nerve that had been buried for so long. When she returned his gaze, she was appalled at what spilled forth from her. "I know how you must have felt. My father was also in the military, but he wasn't a general, just a commander. He was disappointed at my birth since I was a girl. Girls aren't worth much to military men, you know. He only saw me as marriage fodder. I was simply a possession to barter with; believe me, he told me this my whole life. Once I was 'sold' to the highest bidder, he could care less what happened to me. I don't think he even cared what kind of monster he was marrying me off to. I was only thirteen when Garduan took me for his wife. He was a military man as well. Can you imagine the terror in the heart of a thirteen year old born from this cruel man. He believed in discipline he had always said, so he beat me," she said almost matter-of-factly. Iolaus pulled her closer to him as a small sob escaped her again. "It didn't matter what I did; it was always wrong. I overcooked something, or I undercooked it. I'm not the best cook in Greece; he sure told me that plenty of times. Iolaus, he brow beat me as well. Garduan always told me how worthless I was, what a disgrace I was to his family name, and how it was all my fault that he didn't have an heir. I began to look forward to the wars that would take him away. Isn't that horrendous? I looked forward to other people dying so I could get a break from him."

Iolaus felt very protective of her at that moment. He stroked her hair and whispered words of encouragement into the dark treasure. "Voluptua, remember, it wasn't for other people's deaths you hoped for, it was for your safety you longed."

Voluptua buried her face into his strong chest and released tears that had been hidden for so long. With a shuddering breath, she looked into his stunning blue eyes and continued, "But Iolaus, I did hope for a death. His! The last time he returned was the worst. I was only 17, but I had finally managed to conceive his precious heir. I was so sick at the smell of food, I didn't have his dinner ready. I thought he was going to kill me; he didn't manage to do that, but he did kill our child. I lost the baby, and the neighbors, who feared for my life, had to stand guard over me because he was furious that I had put the baby at risk by making him angry. And I believed him. A soldier came later that night and called him away to another war. He never returned, and I was forced into a life of terrible poverty, but at least it was a life of freedom."

She clung to him as a lifeline and was struck by the tenderness in his eyes. He understood! She knew at that point that she could never kill him, but she was determined to make Hercules pay for throwing her back into the poverty she hated so. A plan was born in her heart to keep this man who had captured her love and in doing so, destroy the man who held her hatred.

Iolaus held her for a long time taking comfort in her steady breathing. He knew that he had lost his heart completely to her. "I promise you this, Voluptua. No one will ever hurt you again," he whispered as he brushed her hair from her teary eyes. With that promise, he kissed her with such tenderness that she almost forgot her scheming.

Voluptua broke away from the kiss breathlessly and spoke, "Iolaus, I've done some bad..."

Iolaus laid a finger against her lips to stop her. "That was the past. Forget it completely. We only have now...and the future to be concerned with," he reassured her. He kissed her again as Marious walked into the room.

"Hmph! I spends all afternoon fixin' this food for the feller, and yer not even gonna eat it? This cost the Missus way too many dinars for ya to be wastin' it. EAT!" she said forcefully. Iolaus jumped quickly away from Voluptua in mock terror.

"Look! I'm eating; see? It's wonderful, Marious," he said quickly as he ate the lamb.

"Well, sir, I didn't mean for ya to get the belly pain cause ya ate too fast. Slow down. And you, Misses. Ya need to eat to keep up yer strength. The customers expect to see a healthy young woman, not some skin and bones skeleton. Eat!"

Iolaus and Voluptua laughed heartily as Marious mumbled all the way back into the kitchen. They spent the rest of the evening talking, laughing, and gazing into one another's eyes. Voluptua was a little upset when he started to tell her good bye. This was definitely not going the way she had planned!

"I really need to go, Voluptua," he said as she kissed him farewell for the third time.

"But, Iolaus..."

"Astrophena will worry about me if I don't return. We have all the time in the world to...," his words were halted by Voluptua cuddling a bit closer and resting her head on his shoulder. "Um, I do have to help Dirius in the morning; I'd love to stay, but perhaps it would be best for me to leave tonight," Iolaus whispered as he gently disengaged himself from this stunning woman.

"You will stay for...dinner tomorrow?" she asked lowering her eyes.

Iolaus pulled her up toward him and held her tenderly. "You can count on me, Voluptua. I won't let you down," he said smiling. "I'll finish your roof tomorrow, and tomorrow night, I'll stay for...dinner."

Voluptua stood in her doorway watching this amazing man walk toward the edge of town. She was considering her life with Iolaus and their future once Hercules was out of the way. For the first time in years, Voluptua could see herself truly happy. She became aware of a presence moving behind her. At first she thought it might be Marious, but a distinct odor overtook her, and she knew it was Calraus.

"Doesn't look like to me that you're torturing the guy too much! When are you gonna get serious about this plan?" he asked as he almost put a filthy hand on his patroness's smooth shoulder.

Voluptua turned around slowly again and stood toe-to-toe with her fellow conspirator. "You will tend to business that concerns you. What or when I do something to Iolaus is none of your concern. If I decide to leave him alone and go after Hercules, that is what you will help with. You will remember your place, dog," she sneered as she pushed him away with her fingertips. Calraus moved easily for he had learned it was not wise to confront this one head on. "Tomorrow night you and your 'friends' will come in handy. Make sure you follow my instructions to the letter. No variation at all will be tolerated. Do you understand?"

"Yes, ma'am. I understand the plan completely," the thug answered. She didn't hear him as he muttered under his breath. "Let's just hope you do."

"You may go now," Voluptua regally commanded. When she turned her back on him, she missed the murderous look in his eye as he turned to go.

The following day, Astrophena laughed to herself as she saw the speed with which Iolaus worked. Poor Dirius could barely keep up with him. She heard her friend speak of this wondrous lady well into the night and knew that this brave warrior had been swept away. It was about time one of those heroic wanderers found someone to love, comfort, and encourage him. A small tear escaped as she remembered that Hercules and Iolaus both had experienced love and the same devastating loss she too felt. She was so lost in their shared tragic history that she hadn't noticed Iolaus's approach from the field. When he came face to face with her and spoke, she actually jumped.

Iolaus smiled as he held on to the her. "Astrophena, are you okay? I didn't mean to startle you," he reassured her. "I've finished much of the plowing, and Hercules should be here in the morning to help plant. I, um, well, I might not....Just don't wait up for me tonight; it might be quite late when I get in." Iolaus blushed deeply at the knowing glance she returned to him. "I mean.."

"Don't worry, Iolaus. I was young and in love once; hmph...I've been old and in love too, for that matter. Go on and spend some time with your lady friend," she said with a familiar grin creeping in.

He kissed her cheek and turned to go. Iolaus felt relieved at the widow's understanding, and for a moment, his heart ached for her and the loneliness he knew she felt. With a deep sigh, he quickened his step toward the tavern and his "lady friend", as Astrophena had called her.

Iolaus went right to work on the roof and completed the repairs in what seemed to be record time. The patrons could only imagine what spurred the hero on at that speed. All eyes were on the lovely patroness as she glided through the tavern glowing with every nail hammered into place. Some of the older warriors were looking at her with a protective heart. A couple of them argued as to whether or not Hercules's best friend deserved to be "consort" to their Voluptua. Most were happy for this woman who had suffered so much, except for the former owner and Calraus. The former felt sorry for the poor sap on the roof while the latter simply looked at the couple with all consuming bitterness.

Though he was hot and tired when he climbed down from his chore, Iolaus beamed with a sense of accomplishment and pride of workmanship at his completed task. He almost bounced into the tavern, and Voluptua was genuinely eager to see him. She grabbed him by the hand and almost ran to her quarters with him. The look of astonishment on his face caused a mumbled cheer to circulate throughout Remembered Glory. Even Marious shook her head and gave up a smirk as she went to prepare their meal.

Iolaus sat on a small bench in the bathing room as Voluptua filled the tub herself. His mouth gaped open as she poured fragrant oils into the steaming hot water. His breath quickened as she took the flower in her hair and floated it on the aromatic pond. She turned and flashed a brilliant smile at him, and there was no question in what he read in her eyes.

"Well, I've never had a bath quite as...inviting before," he whispered as he drew her nearer.

As she kissed him softly, a loud noise shattered their celebration. Iolaus jumped and ran back into the tavern as he heard Marious scream. Voluptua cursed under her breath, "That blasted idiot, Calraus. I told him to wait until I gave the signal. This is getting very frustrating." She, too, went toward the racket and gasped to see Calraus trashing Remembered Glory with his thugs. Several of the older warriors who tried to defend the place were lying on the floor in various positions of pain. Iolaus was battling one of the biggest thugs when she felt Calraus's presence again behind her. She turned quickly and glared, "You were supposed to wait for my signal. I wasn't ready for this just yet!" she muttered intensely.

Calraus raised his fist and pounded her in her face with all of his strength. Iolaus had just dispensed with the large brute in time to see Calraus thrash Voluptua. His voice tore the night as he rushed toward her. Calraus turned and ran through her quarters out her back door. Iolaus was torn between tearing him limb from limb and tending to his shattered lady. The moment he reached her, there was no debate. He dropped to his knees and cradled her in his arms. Just before she passed out, she looked at him with such vulnerability and pain that he vowed to protect her from harm for the rest of his life. As consciousness slipped from her, the small smile she graced him with sealed the promise.

After checking on Marious, Iolaus tenderly picked up Voluptua. "Are you sure you'll be all right, Marious?"

"Why, I'm fine and dandy after the help ya gave tonight. I'll go home and tend to a bruise or two on my knuckles from when I plastered that toothless idiot! Hm...Hey! I think snaggletooth had a full set of pearlies before I got ahold of him. Hehehe," she said wiping a small tear from the corner of her eye, "But ya gotta take care of m'lady there. Make sure she's okay, sir." Marious was genuinely concerned with Voluptua's well being.

Iolaus pulled her unconscious form even closer to himself, "Don't worry, Marious. I'll take care of her." He began walking to Astrophena's farm. He'd thought long and hard about where would be the safest place for her. Iolaus also knew that Astrophena was as caring as Alcmene and she would help tend to any injuries Voluptua sustained. He placed a gentle kiss on top of her head as he stopped to rest.

Iolaus sat on a boulder and rocked gently back and forth with her. She stirred for a moment and looked up tentatively into his eyes. "Hey you; how are you feeling?" he whispered.

"I feel like this boulder hit me in the face. I'm sure I look like it as well. Oh, Iolaus, it was awful; I wasn't frightened until he hit me. All the past came rushing in at me. I'd thought I had dealt with it pretty well, but all of a sudden I was with Garduan again. It shocked me, and I didn't even fight back. I'm terrified that he'll come back. Iolaus, I'm...," her desperate whispering dissolved into sobs as she buried her battered face into the crook of Iolaus's neck.

"He won't touch you again! I promise you that as long as I live that I'll never let another man hurt you again. Astrophena's home is warm and safe, and I know you'll be well protected there. Shhh, my love, everything will be okay," he spoke softly into her hair. At his words, they both pulled apart and looked into soul connected eyes.

Voluptua was overwhelmed at his declaration of love. Had anyone ever called her that before in such tenderness? She couldn't recall, but she knew this man she had planned to use miserably had sincerity in his voice. Did she now love him as well? She pushed the questions down and tried to bury them as she leaned back into him. She'd save her feelings for him after she rid herself of the burden of Hercules. As she closed her eyes and slipped back into unwanted darkness, she also remembered the vengeance she would visit upon Calraus. For even though wrecking the tavern was in the plan, hitting her at all, let alone in the face, was definitely not.

"Sleep and let me take care of you, Voluptua," he said as he lifted her again and continued walking to the farm.

Astrophena was finishing up the night's dishes when she looked out of the window and saw the form of Iolaus carrying something, or someone, across the field. At first, she was terrified that it was Dirius's body because he had not returned from his "night on the town", as he called it. On closer inspection she could see it was the body of a woman. Astrophena quickly gathered her small supplies of herbs and cleared Dirius's bed of the clutter of filthy clothes. She laid out clean sheets, boiled water for tea, and placed bandages by the bedside. She shook her head at the filth surrounding her as she rarely made it into his room. It was clear to see why he requested this. At a speed that even astounded her, she had the room spotless just as Iolaus burst through the doorway, and she hurried to him as he called for her.

"Oh the poor dear," she kept saying as she directed Iolaus to Dirius's room. He carefully placed her on the clean bed and turned to Astrophena.

"Some thugs tore up the tavern. I thought they were just there to stir up a little trouble, and I didn't see one of them by her. Gods, Astrophena, if you could have seen how hard he hit her in the face, if you could have seen her crumble to the ground...," Iolaus covered his eyes with his hands as if to block out the torturous vision. He felt her hand on his arm and released the tears he'd held such a tight reign on. "I...should have..been by her side. I should have never left her alone!"

Astrophena pulled him into a comforting hug and whispered, "It's not your fault, Iolaus. Now, let me tend to your young lady. I think her injuries are minor. She'll be good as new in no time at all, especially with someone like you to love and help her through this all." With a quick squeeze, she released him, shooed him out of the room, and tended to Voluptua.

As Iolaus walked out of the room, he jumped. Hercules stood just a hand's length away. "Don't ever do that to me, Herc! If you only knew the kind of night I had, you'd be a little more careful. I almost knocked your head off!" he anxiously said.

"Yeah, right, Iolaus. What happened? Is there trouble here on the farm? Where's Dirius?" Hercules questioned.

"No, it's not about the farm, or Astrophena, or Dirius. It's about the love of my life being beaten up by thugs who also destroyed her place of business. I swear I'll make that creep pay for what he did to her," Iolaus swore under his breath.

"Wait! Hold on there! Love of your Life? Did I miss something? Iolaus, I mean this is your business, but how long have you been in love with her? You've only been here a few days." Iolaus threw Hercules a look of utter distraction. "I'm sorry, Iolaus. I was just teasing you. Is she all right? Your new love?"

"Well, I don't know," he said seriously. "Astrophena is taking care of her now. He hit her pretty hard in the face, Hercules. I think her arm is a little bruised up from the fall she took with that battering. I'm pretty worried about her, but not because of her injuries. It's like it opened a wound from her past, and she's like a terrified child. I swear I'll never let anyone hurt her again!" Iolaus kept repeating that final phrase until Astrophena stood next to him again.

"Iolaus, she'll be fine. She's got some pretty bad bruises, and she's completely shaken from the whole ordeal, but she'll recover from them all. She's asking for you now. You can go in, but she'll get pretty sleepy soon. Don't stay in long, she does need to rest," Astrophena offered.

Iolaus sighed in quick relief and turned to Hercules, "Come on, Herc! I want you to meet her. I'm not so sure that she would want you to see her all bruised like this, but I know she wants to meet you." Iolaus grabbed Hercules by the arm and pulled him into the room.

Hercules shook his head as he considered how fast and hard his friend had fallen in such a small time. As he entered the room and looked at the figure on the bed, his heart froze. This couldn't be! Hercules was terrified that this would escalate into another "Xena" affair. How on earth could he shatter his friends happiness?

"Hello, Voluptua," he whispered flatly.

Iolaus looked excitedly at his friend. "You know each other? Man, this is great! Isn't she just wonderful?"

"Yeah, wonderful," Hercules managed to force out. Iolaus looked at him a little puzzled, but Voluptua's movement brought his attention back to her.

Voluptua turned her bruised and swollen face toward Hercules and fought back the temptation to show the contempt she felt for him. For just a second, she flashed a look of pure hatred. Just as quickly she returned to her look of vulnerability as she looked to Iolaus and moaned. By the look on her would-be lover's face, she came to the conclusion that she must look as bad as she felt, and she turned in an unguarded moment and let a tear slip down a swollen cheek.

This gesture moved Iolaus beyond all conscious thought as he rushed to her. "Voluptua, everything will be fine. Let Hercules and me take care of everything," he said as he lightly stroked her arm.

"I must look horrible," she sobbed lightly.

"You look gorgeous to me," he whispered and lightly kissed her bruised cheek.

"I'll wait out there, give you some time..," Hercules stammered and made a hasty retreat to the living area. As he crossed the doorway, he turned in time to see Iolaus kissing someone he was sure would rip his heart out. Hercules brushed past Astrophena and quickly rushed outside.

Astrophena followed Hercules to a small grove on the edge of the farm. She thanked Selene for blessing her with a full moon. Otherwise, the older woman would never had been able to make her way to her young friend. She walked up behind him just as he put his fist through a large tree. Her gasp startled Hercules, and he spun around ready for a confrontation.

"Astrophena! I'm so sorry. I didn't mean... You shouldn't have followed...I mean...Aaah! What do I mean? This is so fouled up!" Hercules dropped to the ground and ran his hand nervously through his tousled hair.

"Maybe I can help with whatever is fouled up if you can tell me the problem. Clarious always said I was a pretty good problem solver," Astrophena laughed, "even when I was THE problem."

Hercules shook his head and laughed softly and reached for the woman's hand. She reminded him so much of his mother that he felt he could confide in her and trust her judgment. "It's this woman Iolaus is 'in love' with," he said sarcastically. The gentle warning look he received for that remark put him back on course. "I know, I know...this is his life, but Astrophena, I know this woman. She's not what she seems to be. Voluptua is a cruel, selfish, uncaring...," he pulled back a few of the words he would have used in deference to the widow. "How does Iolaus keep getting into these kinds of impossible relationships? How could an intelligent man like Iolaus fall for her? She's no good for him, Astrophena. She only wants to hurt him, and how do I tell him that especially since he's obviously so protective of her right now?" he muttered helplessly.

Astrophena knelt beside him and placed a comforting hand on his slumped shoulders, "Hercules, maybe she isn't the same woman you remembered. By the way Dirius and Iolaus have both described her, she doesn't sound cruel. She's just a poor warrior's widow..."

Hercules laughed bitterly, "Yeah, right! She's lying; can't you see through her either?"

"I don't know anything about that other, but I do know she's not lying about that. Clarious knew her husband, Garduan. He was definitely a cruel, hard man. I remember vaguely now. I've met her many years ago. She couldn't have been more than 15 years old trying to be a soldier's wife. He brought her to one of the general's gatherings once, but she was so beaten down she only stood on the fringe of any conversation. I tried to talk to her, but the poor thing was terrified. When I took her arm, she winced, and that's when I saw it. A terrible bruise that rivals the ones she has tonight. I tried to get her to talk of what happened; oh, Hercules, I was so naive back then. I think I even asked her if she had fallen. It wasn't until later that night when Clarious and I were alone that I found out the truth. Garduan was a very abusive warrior. And it seems his viciousness on the battlefield followed him into his own home. Perhaps she changed into what you said she was, but perhaps she's also changed since you knew her. Trust Iolaus, Hercules," she said tearfully as she saw the conflict in his eyes.

"Having a bad life doesn't excuse hurting other people. People like that don't really change, and somehow, this is going to be a disaster that will crash in on Iolaus," he grumbled.

"What's going to crash in on me?" asked Iolaus.

Astrophena and Hercules both leapt to their feet at the sound of his voice. "I thought you told me never to do that just a few moments ago?" asked Hercules. Astrophena looked at them both and decided it would be best to leave the two friends to the problem at hand.

"How's Voluptua doing?" she asked quietly.

"She's sleeping right now; I stayed with her until she drifted off; then I discovered you two out here. What's wrong? There's not anything you're keeping from me about her; is there, Astrophena?" Iolaus caught the look Hercules cast in her direction, and Astrophena dropped her gaze to the ground. Taking a deep breath, Iolaus approached the question nagging his spirit at the moment, "She really will be okay; won't she?"

"Of course, I'm sorry, son. I didn't mean to scare you. She's just got some deep bruises, and certainly she'll be sore for quite some time, but otherwise, Voluptua will be good as new...especially with you in her corner," Astrophena added with a quick glance to Hercules. The widow gave them both a quick hug and headed back to the house.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Well, are you going to tell me what's going to crash in on me, or do I have to wait until I'm lying flat on my back to recognize it?" asked Iolaus.

Hercules turned his head and faced the bright moon. How brightly it shone! And Iolaus was standing there glowing just as brightly. Hercules struggled with whether or not he had the right to douse that brilliance. Though not looking at his friend, he felt the change in Iolaus's countenance. Hercules released a sigh and closed his eyes.

"What is it, Hercules?" asked Iolaus now frowning.

"It's about...about...Voluptua."

Iolaus narrowed his eyes and laid a hand on Hercules's shoulder, "It's usually easier to talk with someone when that person is looking at you. Don't look off like that and say something so ominous. What about Voluptua?"

He didn't know how to gently tell his "brother" about his chosen love. Yet, he felt that Iolaus had the right to know everything about her. And if it cost him this special friendship to keep him safe, well, he was willing to risk it. Taking a deep breath, Hercules started a recitation sure to split them apart, "Voluptua isn't all that she seems to be. She isn't some helpless widow; she's a snake.."

Iolaus felt his world crashing in as Hercules said it would. "How dare you! Do you even know her like I know her?"

"Oh, friend, I believe I know her a lot better than you do. Remember that trouble I had a few years ago at King Midas's palace? It was turned in to a gaming palace, and Voluptua was that wicked witch at the heart of it all. She.."

"Wait! Not another word! First of all, don't you ever call her a witch! And yes, I remember you talking about the trouble you had, but are you sure that she's MY Voluptua? This woman I know, is kind and gentle. She would never be the..."

"NO! You wait! Iolaus, you are my BEST friend, but it goes beyond me how you manage to get yourself in these situations! Can't you see what she's doing? Wake up man! She's using you to get to me. She is evil, pure and simple. And if you can't see that, well I guess you're the one who's simple!" Hercules shouted. However, the minute he said it, he regretted it.

"Oh, so I guess the only reason a woman would be interested in me is to get to you? Do you even have a clue as to how arrogant that sounds. What about Niobe, Evanthea, Daniella, Nebula.." yelled Iolaus.

"Xena?"

Iolaus couldn't believe that Hercules brought her up. That whole time period in his life was entirely too painful to be dragged into this argument, yet here was someone he loved like a brother purposely hurting him. He swallowed a painful knot in his throat and glared at him.

"Since you brought her up...Look I know Voluptua has done some bad things."

"Bad things, Iolaus? She didn't just pick someone's pocket. She put people in danger. Children, women, old men, they didn't matter to her. All that mattered was the money she would earn from the wagering."

"What about Xena? I believe she was responsible for quite a bit of death and destruction in her past, and yet that sure didn't prevent you from falling into bed with her," struck Iolaus. Hercules winced at the accusation for this was a sensitive era in his life as well.

"That was different, Iolaus. She changed her life. You know she battles evil now, and I don't see how you could compare a noble warrior to a viper!" Hercules replied vehemently.

Iolaus pointed a finger to the center of Hercules's chest, " I thought I asked you not to call her names. And yeah, Xena's a noble warrior... now, but what was so noble about the towns she laid waste to? Or was it noble when she had innocent men killed for defying her orders? What was particularly valorous about sleeping with a man's friend in order to get them to kill each other?" Iolaus choked at that painful memory. Exasperated, he continued, "Do you not see what you're saying? Is it not possible for Voluptua to have changed as well? What happened in her past is PAST as far as I'm concerned. If it was possible for you to 'unchain' Xena's heart, why is it so impossible for you to consider that I could or already HAVE unchained Voluptua's? Or is it that you don't think I'm capable of that act? Only the MIGHTY Hercules can change people's lives."

Hercules batted away Iolaus's hand, "Come on, Iolaus. This is different, and if you were thinking with your mind instead of another part of your anatomy, you'd see it too!" He grabbed Iolaus by the shoulders and shook him slightly. In spite of his better judgment, Hercules stabbed his friend with sharp destructive words, "In fact, I would have thought you would have learned your lesson from that whole Xena incident. This is like living that desperate time all over again. Listen to me one more time; she's using you!"

Hercules shoved him back so much harder than he had planned to. Unfortunately Iolaus hit the tree the demigod had weakened earlier. The look on Iolaus's face changed dramatically from wrath to shock to fear as he felt the tree splintering behind him. He rolled quickly to get out of its way as it crashed to the ground, but he wasn't fast enough. Even though he managed to avoid being hit squarely by the massive tree, it pinned his hand to a boulder. Hercules moved with great speed to remove the tree from his hand only to grow nauseated when it was free.

Iolaus writhed in pain as the pressure was released and loosed a cry of extreme pain.

"Oh, gods, Iolaus! I'm sorry; I didn't mean... Let me see your hand."

Iolaus looked disbelieving into his friend's eyes, and even though the guilt he felt was written all over Hercules's face, Iolaus pulled away from him. "I'm okay, just don't touch me," he said through chattering teeth.

Astrophena and Dirius, who had arrived slightly drunk, rushed to them. They had heard the tree fall and Hercules's and Iolaus's shouts. Astrophena reached him first and put her arms carefully around the injured man. He was shivering from the shock of the injury; she was trying to concentrate on Iolaus, but she was getting distracted from Hercules repeating over and over that it was an accident.

"I'm sure it was, Hercules. But I need you to be quiet for a minute. Iolaus," she whispered to the man curled into a ball sheltering the maimed hand. He turned to face her and tried to sit up, "No. Don't move right now, son. Just let me see your hand." He carefully allowed her a look at it. Astrophena gasped slightly as she saw it in the full moonlight. Dirius ran deeper through the woods to throw up, and Hercules closed his eyes in shame. It was bloody so she couldn't get a good look at the actual damage done. "Hercules, help me get him back to the house, and I'll need you to run into town to get Phradus, the healer. I'm afraid this is way beyond my meager skills."

Hercules moved once again toward Iolaus to pick him up when his friend said with his jaw clenched, "I can get to the house on my own. I just need a little help to get up."

"Iolaus, you're hurt pretty badly, and I'm not sure you can make it to the house. Let me carry you." Hercules pleaded.

"I believe I walked across the whole province of Thebes to get to you after that last Enforcer hurt me worse than this, remember? Just help me up, I can make it with a little help. You're good at that aren't you, Herk? Helping people?" he muttered through the pain.

Astrophena looked puzzled at the whole conversation between the two as she and Hercules helped Iolaus to his feet. Hercules steadied him, but Iolaus basically stumbled to the house on his own feet. Dirius caught up with them and stood in for the demigod as Iolaus made it to the house. Hercules turned and ran to the village to retrieve the healer.

Voluptua had heard the commotion through her pained sleep and opened her swollen eyes to the darkness. Iolaus's shouts were what drifted into her tortured dreams, and she rose and limped to the window. It was difficult for her to see what was going on because of her injuries, but her eyes soon adjusted, and she could see and hear the two arguing about her. Even the small grin she allowed herself nearly drove her to her knees in agony. But the grin was replaced by utter horror when she saw Hercules shove Iolaus. She could tell even from a distance that Iolaus was hurt. Her heart cried out for him. And she gasped to admit that she really did love him with all of her being. She also realized how much more she hated Hercules for hurting him.

As Dirius and Astrophena were laying Iolaus on a couch, Voluptua fought dizziness to get to him. Everyone, including Voluptua, was surprised to see her out of bed. She tenderly stroked his hair remembering their positions being reversed earlier. Astrophena left Iolaus to his love and gathered the materials she had first taken into the room with Voluptua. Returning with a basin of clean water, Astrophena couldn't see this young woman in the light Hercules had presented her. This supposed wicked woman was speaking soft words of encouragement to the maimed warrior. True, she was different from the browbeaten mousy little girl she had met, but she wasn't a viper as she had heard Hercules shout at Iolaus.

Kneeling next to the bruised woman, Astrophena started a conversation, "You know, Voluptua, we've met before. My husband was Clarious, and he knew Garduan. The wives of the other warriors tried to get your help with him, but Garduan threatened to beat you worse if we ever meddled in his affairs again. I'm sorry, we should have done something. I'm very ashamed that we didn't," she confessed as she carefully bathed his hand averting her eyes from the injured woman.

A painful tear slipped from her eye again as she looked at the older woman with a kind of gratitude. "I'm sorry I don't remember you, but I was quite shy at the time. His hand will be okay, won't it?" she asked anxiously. Voluptua didn't want to dwell on that part of her life. In fact, it seemed so long ago it didn't even seem real. She was in the midst of trying to focus on the problem at hand when Astrophena delicately lifted the injured hand from the basin of water. She held back a strangled gasp as Iolaus moaned.

His fingers were so swollen, he couldn't have bent them if he had wanted to. They were also connected to his obviously crushed hand at odd angles. Astrophena was positive that the bones in his hand were quite broken, but the swelling made it look like there were no bones at all in it. She shuddered when she noticed that splinters from the tree were imbedded in his hand. Astrophena had seen a lot of wounds being the wife of a warrior, but they never ceased to make her queasy. This was no exception. She grimaced to herself as she laid the swollen mass on a pillow Dirius brought into the room. That was as much help as he would be. As soon as he saw Iolaus's hand again, he dashed outside to empty his stomach.

"Iolaus, we're going to help you into Voluptua's room," Astrophena quietly told the warrior.

"Excuse me?! I believe it's my room you're loading up with invalids. Can't we just load them in the cart and take them to the healer's house. I mean he has more room than we do," grumbled Dirius.

Iolaus was about to agree with Dirius about putting them out when he saw Astrophena's eyes almost burst with fury. She turned to her younger brother and grabbed him by the collar. "This is MY home. Get that MINE! I've put up with you for years. I don't know; I guess I felt sort of responsible for you. Clarious tried to get me to see that I wasn't helping you by coddling you and making excuses for you. Now that is over. You may stay here if you agree to work; if not, well there are workers in the village that I can pay to do a job cheaper than I can keep you in food. These two people are hurt, and I'm not about to shuttle them off to someone else because you don't want to give up your bed. You, my brother, will sleep out in the barn tonight. Perhaps then you will feel a little more generous toward our friends who need our help! Now you can help me get Iolaus into the bed in Voluptua's room. Understood?"

Dirius stood there with his mouth open and choked. "Well, I never thought you could be so cruel, Sister. Just think of me as a hired hand from now on," he muttered as he assisted the injured into his former room.

Iolaus carefully laid down on the bed and shut his eyes to the pain radiating from his hand. He drew in a ragged breath and tried to smile for Voluptua's sake. His grin tightened with each agonizing moment. He planned to leave enough room for her, but the slightest movement was torture. She winced to see him in that kind of pain.

"Be still, Iolaus. The healer will be here any moment now. Try to relax; Astrophena, do you have anything you can give him for the pain? What about that tea you gave me?" she asked turning toward the older woman.

"Good thinking, Voluptua. I think I have some of it left. Make sure he doesn't try to move that hand, and try to keep it elevated. That pillow across the room might help. I'll be right back after I warm it. Trust me. It tastes even worse when it's cold," she said relinquishing her chair to Voluptua.

"Hey you; how are you feeling," she whispered as she ran her fingers through his hair. He smiled weakly and sighed. "Iolaus, I...I'm not sure how you'll feel about me, but...some of those things he said about me were true. I was evil, greedy, selfish, were there any other words he used to describe me?"

"Viper," he offered with a wink.

"Iolaus, I'm trying to be serious here. I know you will hate me, but I did run that gaming palace just as he said I did. I've been so torn up by bitterness, fear, and anger I was just determined to never have to depend on a man again. I didn't really know that all unions weren't the way mine was with Garduan. I'm sorry for everything, but one thing that Hercules had wrong was that I didn't love you," she looked to the floor and took a deep breath when she felt Iolaus try to turn to her. He was trying to sit up. Voluptua looked through her own painful eyelids at this amazing man who had stolen her heart. She gently put her hand on his shoulder and guided him back down to the bed. He looked through his pain and reached to her with his good hand. She didn't see hatred, or anger, or bitterness in the depths of his blue eyes. Forgiveness, understanding, and tenderness lived there. At that moment she took his good hand and placed it on her chest over her heart and whispered, "I swear on my next heartbeat that I love you beyond words, thoughts or dreams. You ARE the other half of my heartbeat, Iolaus. This you can believe." Tears ran freely from both their eyes at the pledge.

Hercules stood in the doorway astonished at what he had just witnessed. The healer and Astrophena pushed past him into the room and proceeded to help Voluptua from the room. Hercules protested, but Phadrus insisted that he needed to be alone with his patient. Astrophena gently grasped the demigod's elbow and pulled him reluctantly out of the room. Astrophena persuaded Phradus to allow her in the room, and she laid a finger to her lips as she shut the door to the room.

Hercules and Voluptua found themselves alone with each other.

Voluptua sat silently in a room with a man she loathed. She wanted more than anything to gouge his eyes out with her sharp nails. She was utterly horrified when he walked over and sat next to her. He sat there without saying a word for a few moments, but when he could feel her trembling, he naturally thought it was from fear. How could he know she was trying to control her fury? So, in a movement that was meant to give comfort, Hercules put his arm around her.

"Don't touch me!" Voluptua intensely whispered. She turned cold eyes to him, and Hercules recognizing the harsh hatred within her jumped to his feet. "How dare you! After all you've done to me...what you've done to him, how dare you!" she continued.

"So, I was right. You are still a viper! You're using him to get to me. Even now, when he's lying in there in great pain, you're just here because you want to hurt me. I wish he could hear this now; I wish he could see the 'love of his life' right at this moment. He wouldn't be fooled by your act," Hercules muttered rising to his feet.

"You arrogant fool! Just stay away from me, or I promise you will definitely regret ever crossing my path," she hissed.

"Yeah, right! So how were you planning to do it? Were you planning on him falling for you then killing me? You people can't ever be original with this 'kill Hercules' business. I saw that incredible act you put on in there, and I must confess, you almost fooled me. But I can see the hate seething from you right now. You'd make a good man like that think you love him just to do away with me. You're pathetic!" he said with the vein in his neck rising.

Voluptua struck out at him, but as weak as she was feeling, he easily stopped the blow, "Yeah, well, if I could hurt you right now, I would. If I didn't feel like I'd been trampled by a cyclops, I'd rip your heart out...but not for anything you'd done to me. Talk about me being pathetic! What about you? You just knocked a tree down on your 'best friend'. You humiliated him by telling him that women aren't really interested in him. Then you hurt him physically. I knew someone just like you. Humiliation and physical violence were weapons he used as well. Listen to me carefully, you big ox. I love Iolaus, but I despise you, Hercules!"

"Whatever! You won't fool me like you've fooled everyone else. I know your true motives behind your 'feelings' for my friend. Suppose I get Salmoneus, Midas, or Flaxen for that matter to come here and tell him the truth about your gaming palace? They could all see just how wicked you are. Iolaus will too when I can convince him to look at you through true eyes. You're just another user out to destroy someone in order to get to me. I've faced your kind before," Hercules said forcefully.

"Everything revolves around you doesn't it? I heard what you told him, and you know what? He knows all about Midas's palace, and he doesn't care. He doesn't sit in judgment of me. How about that? Iolaus loves me, and he's vowed to never let anyone else hurt me again! I believe that includes you!" she managed to spit out in her controlled rage before Phradus and Astrophena came into the room. The older widow was taken aback at the combative stance Hercules and Voluptua had taken with each other. She quickly moved between them and supported a swaying Voluptua. The excitement was more than the young woman could take, and yet she would not back down from her posturing.

Hercules narrowed his eyes at her and declared, "Astrophena, don't be taken in by the act. I'm sure she's learned to be quite theatrical. Tell me, Voluptua, how much did you pay those thugs to beat you up?"

Voluptua staggered back and gasped. Astrophena and Phradus caught her as the young woman's knees seemed to give out on her. Astrophena snapped her head around to glare at her friend. "Hercules, I can't believe you'd say something like that. All this arguing is not going to help Iolaus, and if either one of you really cared for him, you'd be able to control yourselves. Hercules, put away your wild accusations, and Voluptua, put away your anger as well. Neither one of you has even asked if Iolaus was okay!"

Voluptua was overwhelmed by the emotional and physical stress of the day and had to be taken to the couch where they first laid Iolaus. She took a few breaths to try to squelch the dizziness and nausea she felt. A quick glance at Hercules proved to her that this demigod was suffering as well. Suddenly, anxiety clutched her heart as she thought of her love in the next room.

The young woman grasped Astrophena's hand and pleaded, "Please tell me he will be fine, Astrophena."

Astrophena closed her eyes and whispered, "Phradus, tell them." She lifted her eyes once again to survey the two most important people to the hero in the next room. "Perhaps, then you two will stop this bickering."

Phradus cleared his throat and looked to them, "I'm afraid it's not good."

"No," a very pale Hercules gasped.

"This isn't a fatal injury, of course. But..." Phradus wasn't quite sure how to continue.

"But what, sir?" asked a shaky Voluptua.

"The damage to his hand was pretty massive. We removed all of the splinters imbedded in his hand, and so hopefully, he shouldn't have any infection where they were concerned. However, he may never regain full use of his hand. I know his fingers are dislocated, and..."

"Wait a minute, Phradus! Didn't you set them back in place? You didn't just leave him in agony in there, did you? You're suppose to be a healer, " Hercules said pacing back and forth in the room.

"His hand is just too swollen. I can't even tell which bones are broken or whether or not they can even be set. Hercules, the bones in his hand may be crushed for all I can tell just yet. Now, the swelling should be down in a couple of days; by that time, I can tell what course of action to take," Phradus stated cautiously.

"Phradus, please tell them what you told me. If Iolaus has to face this, it's best that these two people know in advance so they can help him deal with it," Astrophena added.

Voluptua took in a deep breath and whispered, "I'll do whatever it takes to help him."

Hercules rolled his eyes and muttered, "Help him in the grave, that is."

Astrophena snapped her eyes again to her friend. She had never known Hercules to be so cruel. Then Voluptua said something just as biting in return.

"I'm not the one who knocked a tree over on him! You're suppose to be his best friend; if he's not able to use his hand again it will be your fault. I hope.."

"Children! Stop this! It's not just a matter of him not being able to use his hand; He could lose it all together. And you two arguing like little children isn't going to help him one bit. He'll need support from both of you," Astrophena blurted out .

Hercules looked to the physician, and Phradus nodded, "I'm afraid she's right, Hercules. If after the swelling is down, and if the bones are crushed, I'll have to remove his hand. That will put him at more risk. I've known many men who didn't make it through that kind of procedure. The shock to the system was too much, or perhaps it was the shock to the spirit that took them in the presence of Charon. At any rate, Astrophena's right. If you two want to see him make it through this time, you're going to have to put away this problem you have between you."

"Look, Phradus, Astrophena, I'm just trying to protect him from her. She's bad for him; I know her better than you do. Of course, I'll be there for Iolaus, but I'll spend eternity rowing Charon's boat for him if I'll let her near him again," vowed Hercules.

All attention was drawn to the sick room when they heard a loud groan almost echo through the house. Astrophena and Phradus rushed back into the room as Hercules and Voluptua glared at one another.

Astrophena stuck her head out of the door and softly said, "He's asking for you."

Hercules moved toward the door when the slightly embarrassed widow stopped him, "Not you, Hercules. He's asking for Voluptua. Honey, can you make it up on your own, or do you need help?"

Voluptua smiled triumphantly as she rose carefully from the couch. Her injuries were making themselves known once again. "I'll make it fine, Astrophena," she said as she slowly walked past a stunned Hercules. "It looks like you don't have a choice about letting me near him. He wants to see me, not you," she whispered as she past him.

Hercules fled the house. He felt like knocking down another tree. His anger was rising along with his fear. "What if Iolaus did lose his hand? Would Iolaus forgive me, and could I ever forgive myself?" the demigod muttered.

Iolaus tried to hide the agony he was currently experiencing from her, but Voluptua could feel it surround her. Seeing him like that would have one time brought her glee; now, it squeezed tightly at her soul. She carefully moved toward him.

Astrophena placed a hand on her shoulder, "Please remember what we said. He needs your support...and love at this moment. Try to keep this other from touching his heart right now. I'm not sure he can take it," she whispered to Voluptua. Voluptua agreed to leave her contempt out of the room and turned back toward her love.

Iolaus managed a weak grin and with his good hand gingerly patted a spot on the bed next to him. She managed a painful smile of her own as she shuffled to that spot. Being very mindful of his and her own injuries, she laid down next to him. "We're sure a sight, aren't we?" he mumbled as he tried to turn to her.

Voluptua stopped him from turning and carefully rolled on her side. Looking up into his clear blue eyes she softly uttered, "It just looks like we belong together."

"Well, this is not exactly the way I imagined we'd end up tonight, but we are in the same bed," he grimaced.

"Iolaus!" she said in mocked surprise. "You need to rest, and just look where your mind is! Now close those incredibly gorgeous eyes and go to sleep. There! I can't believe I just said THAT."

Iolaus pulled her closer, gently kissed her, and whispered, "Yes, ma'am."

They waited until Iolaus was fully conscious the next day before they told him the true condition of his hand. He held his breath when Phradus told him about the possible amputation and closed his eyes to avoid the pain he saw in everyone's eyes. Voluptua was being particularly tender with him, but he noticed that when Hercules came around she became cold as ice. He couldn't get over her transformation whenever the demigod was near him. He knew that she blamed Hercules for his injury, and even though Iolaus recognized in his heart that it was an accident, a small part of him blamed Herk for the predicament he found himself in. Iolaus agonized at what his future would hold for him if his hand proved useless or if it were gone completely. A small part was worried that this change in him would repulse Voluptua and make her turn from him. After Hercules's lecture the night before, Iolaus wasn't feeling too confident about his ability to have someone love him for himself. He knew deep down that Hercules hadn't meant to make him feel that way. Yet, Iolaus was now filled with self-doubt.

"A dinar for your thoughts," purred Voluptua.

"I'm afraid you wouldn't get much for your money," he replied.

"Come on. Tell me why that handsome face of yours is all scrunched up in a frown," she pleaded.

"No reason; it's just that my hand hurts a little," Iolaus explained. She gave him a look that spoke volumes about her belief of that line, and he relented with the truth. "Okay, Voluptua. It's just that...well...why are you still here? What could you possibly want with a person who could be useless for the rest of his life? I mean just look at my prospects; I'd never be a wealthy man even if I had two good hands. You could do so much better."

"I can't believe you said that. So, now you believe Hercules? You think I'm only here because of what I can get from you? You say that you're not a wealthy man, but did you ever see me checking out your money bag? I'm hurt that you think so little of me," she sniffed convulsively. "Do you really think me that shallow?"

Iolaus was feeling guilty for selling her short and quickly sat on the bed next to her. It was difficult maneuvering around the temporary splint Phradus had fashioned for him, but he felt compelled to put his arms around her. He whispered, "I'm sorry, my love. I never would mean to imply that. I love you, and I guess I'm just feeling a little sorry for myself." She pulled back and saw the truth in what he said.

"Iolaus, it wouldn't matter to me if you were a king or a pauper; I love you whether you have both of your hands or...," she stopped as she saw tears in his eyes. She marveled that she really did feel that way. One part of her life felt remarkably clean and pure. She was sure if she could only get rid of Hercules, the rest of her soul would be as unpolluted as her feelings for Iolaus. She leaned her head back on his shoulder and continued. "It's your heart, your soul, your love for me that I feel connected with, not your hand. Would your love for me change if our positions were reversed?"

"Of course not," he said gently. "I love you so much, Voluptua, and I feel that connection too. I'm just not feeling very confident at the moment. There's this little part of me that always feels a little inadequate; I don't know where it comes from. It's just there, and I try to bury those doubts, but sometimes they just pop up. Voluptua, I've never told anyone that before besides..."

"Hercules! He knows about them, and he keeps you in your place by reminding you of them. Don't you see that he's the one responsible for those feelings?"

"No, my love. I'm the one responsible for those feelings. Hercules isn't responsible...," he said pulling her closer to him.

"Funny! I always thought I was the responsible one," came a voice from the doorway. Voluptua's eyes narrowed as she saw Hercules leaning against the entrance with his arms crossed. He had a forced grin on his face, and she was furious at his intrusion. "I don't mean to interrupt, but Voluptua, Astrophena has some herbs she wants you to try for your bruises. I'm sure you'd love to get rid of them a little more quickly."

Iolaus whispered in her ear, "Go on, Voluptua. I'll be okay; you've been so concerned about me that you haven't seen to your own injuries. Herk and I need to talk anyway."

She rose slowly and walked past Hercules. She stopped as she was even with him and said, "I guess you'll be safe, my love." She made sure she emphasized her endearment to Iolaus. "I don't see any trees in the room he can push over on you."

Iolaus and Hercules grimaced at that jibe. "Voluptua...," Iolaus pleaded.

"Okay, I'm sorry," she said flatly as she walked out of the room.

"Surely you must realize now how she feels about me," Hercules began.

"Please don't start that again, Herk. I know how she feels about you, but don't confuse those feelings with how she feels about me. My hand is doing just fine, thank you," Iolaus said cradling the injured hand.

Hercules felt instantly ashamed for jumping on that issue before even checking on his damaged hand. "I'm so sorry, Iolaus. Sometimes I can act like such a jerk."

Iolaus smiled through his pain, "Yes, you can."

Hercules reached out for the injured hand and gently looked over Iolaus's fingers with intense scrutiny. "Are you sure it's doing just fine? I don't know what to say; how will you ever be able to forgive me for what I've done?" he asked avoiding his friend's eyes. Tears welled up in their blue home, and Hercules nervously cleared his throat. "You've got to know that I didn't mean to hurt you, Iolaus," Hercules managed to choke out. "I was just trying to protect you, and look at what I've surely doomed you to."

Iolaus reached out his good hand to Hercules and placed it on his shoulder. Ducking his head, he tried to look up into the demigod's downcast eyes. "Herk, I know you didn't do this on purpose, and no matter what happens, you'll always be my friend, my brother. You've got to realize, though, that I don't need protecting. Believe it or not, you can be wrong from time to time. I forgive you for my hand; it was an accident. I'm just having a hard time with the way you don't trust me."

Hercules jerked his head up and looked tearfully in his friend's eyes. "Iolaus, you're wrong. I trust no one the way I trust you. If it's a matter of trust...," he began.

"Yeah, it's a matter of trust. But not the way you're thinking. I know you trust me to fight at your back and that you trust me with your life, but will you allow me to follow my heart? Have a little faith in me, man. I know the difference between love and lust, and I know I've messed up before, but nothing has felt this real. I love her, Herk, and I know you don't think so, but she really loves me. I can come to grips with the prospect of losing my hand," Iolaus stopped to laugh ironically at his own pun. Hercules looked uncomfortably down at his feet. "Come on, Herk. Don't get so sensitive on me; it was funny, and you know it."

The hero looked up with a pained smile, "Well, it wasn't that funny."

"Yeah, still jealous of my sharp wit I see. As I was saying, I can come to grips with losing my hand, but what I can't deal with is the way the people I love most in this world hate each other so fiercely. Please, Hercules, try and see her through new eyes," Iolaus pleaded

Hercules wasn't sure he could live up to the promise, but he knew that he owed it to his friend. So he reluctantly agreed to give her a chance. However, he vowed to himself that he would keep a vigilant watch over both their backs. "Where have I heard that before?" he said to himself.

Voluptua was not too happy to see Iolaus and Hercules chatting amicably. She didn't trust Hercules, but Iolaus asked her to try to put away her hatred. "After all," he said, "if I don't blame him, why should you? Just give him a chance, sweetheart."

"Iolaus, I'm afraid my heart is not as good as yours is. I'm not sure I can forgive him for what he said about me, for trying to turn you against me, or for forcing me into extreme poverty. I know what I did with the gaming palace was wrong, no evil, but he didn't even leave me a dinar to try and reform. If I'm not sure I can forgive him for all of that, I'm certain that I can never forgive him for what he's done to you," she sobbed sincerely.

Iolaus stood unsteadily and pulled her to him. "I know it will be hard, Voluptua. But it's the only way you'll be whole as well," he said looking into her eyes and brushing the tears gently from her face. The bruises were starting to fade, but she was still embarrassed by the multicolored mottling that still spread across her once gorgeous features. She tried to turn her face from him so he wouldn't look so intensely at her. "It's not going to work, Voluptua. I want to look at your beautiful face while I'm talking with you," he grinned. She looked shyly back into his eyes just as they closed in anguish.

She noticed that he was starting to tremble and that he was leaning into her for support as well as for the comfort her arms would bring. "Iolaus! It's your hand, isn't it. How could I be so stupid as to let you stand. Come back to the bed, my love," she spoke through her own agony. Voluptua helped him to lie back on the bed. She tenderly placed a coverlet over him as he had started to shiver even more. "I'm going to get Astrophena."

He grabbed her wrist with his good hand to stop her, "No, Voluptua. I'll be okay. I just need to rest a little. Can you stay with me until I can drift off?" She noticed small beads of sweat gathering on his face and nodded. He groaned as she rose from the bed to get a soft cloth. Dipping it in the cool water in the basin on a stand, She wrung out the excess and returned to the bed. Comfortingly, she bathed the sweat from his face and whispered words of encouragement as he slipped back into unconsciousness. Laying the cloth in the basin, Voluptua shuddered to think about what she originally had planned for him. Would he be able to forgive her as easily as he forgave Hercules? She couldn't be sure, and she hoped he would never find out.

The next morning, the swelling had retreated a great deal though it was not gone completely. Iolaus convinced Hercules, Astrophena, and Voluptua to let him go into the village to see Phradus instead of waiting for the healer to come to him. Dirius was very pleased with the prospect of perhaps getting his bed back for he didn't care too much for barn sleeping. Hercules was insisting that he accompany Iolaus, but Voluptua was vying for that position herself.

Astrophena was determined that they would reach a compromise and said, "Why don't you both go with him. I'm sure he could use all the moral support he could use. Wouldn't you agree, Iolaus?" Iolaus rose and nodded weakly as the pain started making itself known even more. "Good! Then it's settled. Hercules and Voluptua, you will take Iolaus into the village to see Phradus. Now I'm not going to hear any arguing about it. Hercules, you can take care of any trouble you might run into, and Voluptua," she said with a grin, "you can take care of Iolaus." Iolaus grinned wider at that suggestion.

"All right, Astrophena. For your sake and Iolaus's, I guess I can travel with him. Besides, I really need to check on my place and Marious. I'm sure she's been worried about me," stated Voluptua.

"Right, then. We all go," simply stated Hercules.

Astrophena made Dirius place a soft pallet in the back of their best wagon, and he loaded it with blankets and a few bottles of wine. He was sure Iolaus would need it for pain, but he looked at the bottles, thought of how they should be used and sighed. Iolaus walked out of the house into the sunlight and closed his eyes in pain. Hercules and Voluptua nearly knocked each other over trying to get to him. Iolaus smiled at the both of them and allowed the pair to help him into the wagon.

Astrophena climbed into the wagon to make sure Iolaus was as comfortable as possible and leaned forward to place a kiss on his forehead. "Thank you," whispered Iolaus. He was eternally grateful for her intervention with Hercules and Voluptua. She seemed to be the only one who truly understood what their conflict did to him.

She willingly surrendered her place to Voluptua. But as the two ladies passed each other, Astrophena grabbed her in a hug and said softly, "Take good care of him, Voluptua. He's a keeper." She winked, and Voluptua smiled in genuine affection. Astrophena made her feel as her mother should have. Acceptance and complete trust were in her eyes. With a nod, the younger woman climbed into the wagon, and Hercules approached the vehicle as well. Astrophena had a different word for him, "Take care of them both, Hercules. For Iolaus could not bear to lose his hand and his heart at the same time." He nodded too as he climbed up and grabbed the reins of the horses hitched to the wagon.

The trip was basically uneventful except for the occasional groans from Iolaus when the wagon traveled over rough terrain. At one point, the pain became too intense as a bump in the road caused Iolaus to slam his hand onto the side of the wagon. "Stop, Hercules!" shouted Voluptua. Iolaus had turned deathly white and was holding his breath.

"I think I'm going to be sick," he muttered apologetically.

Hercules quickly stopped the horses and rushed to his friend's side. He helped Voluptua guide Iolaus from the wagon into a clump of bushes. They both held him as he emptied his stomach of that morning's breakfast. Voluptua comfortingly stroked his hair and rubbed his back as Hercules supported him. "I'm sorry, guys," he said weakly. They brought him carefully back to the wagon and helped him return to his makeshift bed.

"Maybe we should stop for a moment to let you rest," suggested his friend. Voluptua looked to him in agreement for the first time. Pouring him a small cup of wine, she nodded as she looked into his weary gaze.

"He's right, Iolaus. Now, sip this wine; it will help settle your stomach," she said softly. He allowed her to put the cup to his mouth, and he sipped slowly. It was helping settle many things down. He relaxed back onto the pallet and closed his eyes. Voluptua looked to Hercules after a while and said, "He's asleep; I think we can continue now." Hercules nodded, and they returned to their quiet travel.

When they got to the village, turmoil was erupting everywhere. A small child had fallen into one of the old abandoned mines in the area, and the villagers were desperately trying to figure out how to retrieve him. Iolaus woke to the cries of the mother agonizing over her child. As soon as he realized what had happened, he saw the look of dilemma on his friend's face.

"Go on, Hercules. I'm sure Phradus is at the mine already. You'll be needed there, and I'll be fine here with Voluptua," he reassured him.

As the demigod rushed with the other villagers out to the mine, Iolaus suggested that they go to Remembered Glory to check things out. "Are you sure you're up for this?" asked Voluptua.

"Sure; it will take my mind off the pain, actually."

So, Voluptua helped Iolaus into the abandoned tavern. The place looked worse than they both remembered. Tears started to pour from Voluptua as she considered all of the work that went into improving the place. Iolaus put his arm around her; he was unaware that her tears were bitter because she had planned this destruction. They were so wrapped up in each other's feelings that they were unsuspecting of the evil present in the shadows of the room. From the darkness it struck. Calraus jumped and clubbed Iolaus from behind. Iolaus crumpled immediately to the floor.

"What are you doing?" she demanded.

"I no longer work for you, lady. I take my protection from a higher power. And my higher power wants Hercules and this toad dead. You don't look so high and mighty, now," he scowled. Just as he was about to pull the stunned woman to him, light showered around them as a malevolent force overpowered the room.

Ares laughed wickedly at the tragedy before him. "Leave her alone, Calraus." He walked next to her and pulled her into his strong arms. Voluptua couldn't speak as she looked into his glory. She was brought back to the reality of her situation when she heard Iolaus groan.

Ares pulled her more tightly into his arms as Iolaus regained consciousness, "After all, isn't this what you had planned all along?"

Iolaus couldn't believe what he was hearing; he hoped and prayed it was part of the delirium of being knocked unconscious. His breath was stilled though, at Ares' remark.

"Remembered Glory, huh?" Ares laughed. "I can give you your remembered glory back, my dear Voluptua." With a wave of his hand, her bruises were erased, and she was dressed in a gown of gold that clung tightly to her small waist and was so lowcut, she looked as if she would fall out of the dress with one deep breath. Her hair took on a luster it hadn't seen in days, and it was piled up most delicately with a string of pearls tying her hair in place. Her lips were as crimson as a fiery sunset while her eyelids were painted as blue as lapis. They were further illuminated by a light dusting of crushed pearls. Her nails were as red as a tiger's after a kill. "Stunning, isn't she, Iolaus? Now, about your plan to destroy Hercules, Voluptua. You've done an excellent job so far. My brother is actually beginning to believe you could care for his little buddy. He's at a very vulnerable state, wouldn't you agree, Partner?"

Iolaus gasped. His soul felt as shattered as his hand as Voluptua did nothing to deny this nightmare. Hercules was right. His father was right; anyone who ever took him for a fool was right. He would forever be wrong.

Before Voluptua could explain anything, Ares rushed her out of the room. He shuttled her to his chariot and rode off across the sky clutching a trembling Voluptua. Iolaus groaned as Calraus kicked him in the ribs, and Iolaus tried desperately to guard his hand. Calraus was never one to bypass an enemy's weakness, and he cruelly stepped on one of Iolaus's damaged fingers. "She called you her golden hunter; hah! you don't look too golden now. That Voluptua sure knows how to carry out a plan, doesn't she?" he sneered. Iolaus's last conscious thought was of his sweet lady, and grimaced to think it was all an act.

Calraus and his men roughly threw the hero in Astrophena's wagon, and ignoring the unconscious groaning coming from the back of the wagon, they raced the wagon back to Ares's Temple. When they arrived, they heard yelling coming from Ares's private rooms and glanced knowingly at each other. Not wanting to attract the god of war's attention, they hurriedly dragged Iolaus down the steps into the darkest part of the temple's dungeon. They callously ripped off the splint supporting his injured hand and slapped his wrists into the manacles. The pain jolted Iolaus into consciousness as he witnessed his wrist begin to swell along with his hand. He looked into a darkness that mirrored his heart.

In Ares's private quarters, a battle was ensuing. Voluptua was furious with Ares. "How dare you kidnap me!" she demanded. She was trembling, but Ares was more than a bit disturbed that it wasn't in fear. Not many mortals were allowed to speak with him in this manner; however, this beauty was about to accomplish what many before her had failed.

"I think you'd better reconsider with whom you are speaking! I could destroy you with a thought, my dear. And what are you so upset about? We both want the same thing, Hercules destroyed. What does it matter that his best bud trot off to the Underworld after him?" he asked with a feral grin.

"Leave Iolaus out of your plan. Hercules, I don't care a fig about Hercules. Do with him what you will. Good riddance as far as I'm concerned. He doesn't deserve to walk in Iolaus's shadow let alone make Iolaus walk in his," she said bitterly. "But you keep your 'almighty' hands off of Iolaus. Calraus didn't have the right to involve you in this at all, and if I could get my hands on him, I'd rip his eyes out!"

"Oh, I see, now. You love that little toad. Okay, I'll make a deal with you. You help get Hercules for me, and I'll let you and that annoying friend of his live happily ever after. I might even restore that hand of his. He's going to lose it, you know. Even as we speak, the manacle around his wrist is cutting off any circulation to that hand. His hand is quite a lovely shade of blue," he said. The pain and anger flashed in her gray eyes, and Ares thought she looked all the more intriguing. He had plans for this one after Hercules was taken care of.

"No, Ares. Don't hurt him. I'll do anything you want; just let him go," she pleaded.

"We'll see. If you are successful about ridding the world of my brother, I'll consider releasing him. Now, go. You may check on him; if you think he would want to see you," he laughed.

She turned completely pale as she realized the ramifications of what the cruel god implied. Would Iolaus want to ever see her again? Tears threatened to make her destroy the gorgeous illusion Ares created. She suddenly hated the trappings of wealth being afforded her. She cared nothing about revenge and Hercules. The only thing she was concerned with was the safety of the man she loved, even if it cost her everything. She was sure she had already lost his love, and to Voluptua it had become everything. Trembling, she started down the stairs to the dungeon.

In the meantime, Hercules had rescued the child, as usual, and made his way back to Phradus's home. He was sure that Iolaus would be there by now, but he was no where in sight. He waited for a while, and then when he was convinced that there had been trouble, he dragged Phradus to Remembered Glory.

His heart stilled the minute he walked into the tavern. All around he sensed a sort of panic permeating the air. The tavern had a familiar scent Hercules couldn't shake. His eyes searched through the darkness, and then he recognized that nagging awareness. ARES! He spun around in time to avoid a sword thrust from one of Ares's disciples. Hercules picked up a broken table leg and blocked the next swipe made at him. As his attacker stumbled back, the demigod became the aggressor. He knocked the sword from the soldier's hand and pulled back to deliver a blow with the leg when his attacker collapsed on the floor. Behind him stood an old woman wielding an iron pot. Her feisty smile encouraged Hercules.

"The name's Marious, young feller. Ya fight just like the other one the Missus hooked up with. Do ya know 'im?" She asked breathlessly.

"Iolaus? He's my best friend. Have you seen him? We came to town to let Phradus look over his hand. He and Voluptua were supposed to go here first then go to the healer's home," he explained.

Phradus bent over the unconscious villain and said, "I know this scoundrel. He's always bragging about his exploits in the wars, but I have a feeling it was all talk...What's his name?" he asked as he tried to search through his memory.

"Calraus," stated Marious with a frown. "He allus come sniffin' around the Missus. I don't know why she ever let 'im even come into the tavern. He tried to get right friendly with her, but she would have none of it. Why did he attack ya, young feller?"

"I don't know, Marious. What I would like to know is why Voluptua would keep this guy around if he's that much trouble. By the way, thanks for helping me out here. Now, let's see if he will give us any answers," said Hercules. He walked over to a basin filled with old dish water and scooped Marious's pot into the foul liquid. Walking over to the unconscious man, he dumped the contents of the pot on the head of the villain. Calraus sputtered and choked back to consciousness to see three people standing over him, and he knew that he was in trouble.

"You can do what you want, but I'll never betray my mistress," he sneered. Inwardly he was laughing gleefully at the expressions on those confronting him. The old woman and Phradus had a look of disbelief; however, Hercules had confirmation written all over his face.

"Your mistress? Are you and Voluptua working together?" he asked suspiciously.

"She's my partner. Though we both work for..." Calraus stopped just as he was told to.

Hercules reached down to the creep and grabbed him by his shirt front. Jerking Calraus up to eye level, Hercules spoke intensely, "Is she working for Ares?" Calraus looked down at his dangling feet and became slightly afraid. Still Ares told him to expect this kind of treatment and that he would protect Calraus from his brother.

Looking Hercules straight in the eye, Calraus said, "All hail, Ares! All hail his high priestess, Voluptua!" He felt the demigod begin trembling and smiled. Suddenly he felt a knife plunge into his back, and he looked incredulously at Hercules. A shadow passed by the window as Phradus tried to minister to the dying man.

"Sir, he's a lying beast. My Missus wouldn't be in nary league with that violent god. She's sweet and innocent, and ya cain't believe him," pleaded Marious.

"Your lady is neither sweet nor innocent, Marious. She's a wonderful actress that's all. And if Iolaus is harmed in anyway, I'll make sure the rest of her life is spent in a living Tartarus which is where she's heading anyway. Now, if you'll both excuse me, I believe my brother has sent me an invitation," he calmly said pulling the knife from Calraus's back.

He ran as quickly as he could. He took no pleasure though in being right about her. He knew what Iolaus would be going through, and he needed to be there to pick up the pieces. He only hoped that it wouldn't be literal pieces.

Voluptua heard the click of her on heels on the stone steps of the dungeon. It smelled of sulfur, sickness, and despair. Her heart ached that her one true love was down here because of her. When she reached the bottom, it took a while for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. Ares allowed only minimal light to reach this pit. She anxiously approached a figure chained to the wall. She winced as Ares description of his hand proved not to be exaggerated. As she approached him, she saw Iolaus raise his head weakly.

"Iolaus," she began.

"What are you doing here? Did you come to gloat? I guess you really played me for a sap. Just stab me in the heart; it would hurt less. Please, Voluptua, please just go away; I really don't want to see you," he choked out.

"Iolaus, it's not what you think...You see...Iolaus, your hand is blue. Let me see if I can get Ares to loosen your bonds," Voluptua suggested. She was trying to avoid those blue eyes which saw into her very being.

"My hand? I don't even feel my hand anymore. I wish I could do the same thing with my heart. Tell me, did you and Ares have a big laugh about all of this? I can't believe you pledged on your next heartbeat; oh excuse me, I guess I should have asked first if you had a heart," he said bitterly holding back the torrent in his soul. He saw her flinch and felt some satisfaction that he was able to strike out as well.

"Iolaus," she sobbed. "Please, it didn't happen the way..."

"Are you trying to tell me that you didn't join with Calraus to use me? Are you saying you never really planned with him to get Hercules?" he asked narrowing his eyes. He could see tears pouring from her eyes, but he refused to trust his own feelings or her actions. "Look at me, Voluptua. Put your hand on my heart and swear you didn't do that on my next heartbeat."

Her eyes widened in horror as she realized she must tell him the truth. "I won't swear because it's true. In the beginning, that was the plan...to use you to get to Hercules."

Iolaus hung his head and whispered wretchedly, "Hercules was right." He immediately allowed his tears to flow out of him as he lost hope. This brought on a coughing jag which tore at his tortured hand even more. Voluptua rushed to his side putting away her fear of rejection to help him. She searched the darkness and found a bucket of water. Grabbing the dipper, she hurried back to him, and reluctantly he succumbed to her ministrations. He tried to turn from her once the coughing subsided, but she firmly held his head to face her.

"Listen to me, Iolaus," Voluptua took a deep ragged breath and continued. "In the beginning, yes that was the plan, but somehow...somewhere along the way, I started changing. You started my metamorphosis, and I fell in love with you. I've admitted to you before that I hate Hercules for what he did to me...for what he did to you. But I've loved you since the first night we opened up to each other. Now, I know you might not believe this; I had given up my plan of revenge. I still despise him, but for your sake, I was willing to give that up. You are the only thing that I care for in life. Please don't harden your heart against me. I... I...can't live with the thought that you hate me. Please, Iolaus, please," she pleaded as tears flooded her face.

He looked into that face and somehow beyond all of the betrayal, he believed her. "So what are you still doing here," he said calmly.

"Ares has promised your safety to me if I help him destroy Hercules. He's even promised to restore your hand," she said hopefully.

"What?! No! Voluptua, No! I'd rather lose my hand, my arm, no my whole life rather than betray Hercules. I couldn't live with that. Think about it, Voluptua. Do your honestly think he's going to just let us go and live happily ever after? You're smarter than that! Please, don't help him," he said anxiously.

"I care nothing for Hercules. If there's a chance I could free you, I'd sell him out in an instant. And at least this way I have a chance of getting you out of here," she said defiantly.

"If you do this, if you align yourself with him, even though I love you beyond all reason, I could never be with you. Do you understand, Voluptua? This act would destroy us," he beseeched her.

She quietly stroked his face as if to imprint it on her heart forever and issued a huge sigh. She kissed him tenderly, and it blossomed into an intense supplication. She pulled back only when they were both breathing raggedly and whispered, "I have no other choice. If I could save your life even though it would take you forever from me, I'd do it. I'd face Tartarus itself, I'll probably be doomed to that place anyway, to keep you from harm. Farewell, my beloved. Please don't hate me. I do this not for my own revenge, but for your salvation," and she sadly turned to walk up the stone steps. She closed her ears to the pleas he shouted to her. She turned only once. She could have sworn she heard him say, "I'll always love you, Voluptua."

It would have taken no time at all for Hercules to arrive at Ares's Temple, but he wanted to bring Phradus with him in case Iolaus needed him immediately. Then Marious insisted that she be allowed to accompany them as well. She needed to be with her lady, and she needed to prove Hercules wrong. Once they arrived at the temple, they were shocked at the transformation Voluptua had made. Hercules turned smugly to Marious and said, "Well, do you believe me now? I believe those are Ares's arms she's snuggling in."

"I cain't believe it. I jest cain't believe it," the old woman muttered over and over again.

"Hercules," Voluptua called with a forced confidence. "How glad we are that you would join us! Please enter the temple."

"Well, it looks like Voluptua the viper is still alive and well. What have you done with Iolaus?" the demigod demanded. "Or are you through using him, you witch?"

She flinched at his accusations and drew a breath. Ares told her that she only had to get him into the temple, and he would do the rest. There had always been trap doors in that old temple. All the god had to do was will the stone facade to disappear. He gripped her more tightly and growled in her ear, "If you want that runt to survive this all, you'd better try a little bit harder to get him in here."

"Hercules, you were right about me. Does that make you happy? Will you gloat over your omniscience with your friend? Will you shake hands and make up? Oh excuse me, that probably won't be possible after today. Still I suppose you'll not be able to get him to recognize you anyway," she said cruelly.

"Madam!" cried Marious. "Stop this cruel plan of yers. It's breakin' m'heart. I was defendin' ya, and now it looks like what the big man said was true!"

Voluptua was shaken to see Marious standing at the entrance of the temple. She tried to signal to her to stay away, but Marious continued into the trap. She could stand it no longer and yelled, "Stay out, Marious!"

Suddenly the floor collapsed, and Marious clung tenuously to the edge of the floor. Voluptua tried to get to her, but the god's grip was stronger than any she had ever experienced. The sight of Marious sent Hercules over the edge, and he rushed headlong into the temple.

Rolling past several disappearing floor panels, Hercules leapt to Marious. Reaching down, he grasped her hand and tossed her toward Phradus. Ignoring her mumblings, Hercules dashed for the throne where Ares and Voluptua sat. The sight of Hercules rushing in at them in a rage thrilled Ares, but Voluptua was truly frightened of him. He had a look she had recognized from Garduan just before he would hurt her. It was apparent that his reason was surrounded in a red fog of fury, and he meant to tear her apart. Ares laughed wickedly as he disappeared from behind her. Voluptua at that moment realized he had tricked her. What Iolaus said was true. Ares never planned on releasing him. Hercules reached her and grabbed her at her shoulders.

Hercules had never wanted to smash into someone, well, maybe Callisto, the way he wanted to tear into Voluptua. She was struggling in his arms screaming something at him about Iolaus, but all Hercules wanted to do was rip her apart the way she had ripped apart Iolaus. He drew back his fist to deliver a frightening blow when the fury cleared. Marious was at his elbow pulling at him, and Phradus was on the other side trying to hold him back. While these were futile acts, they jolted him back into reality.

Voluptua had disintegrated into a weeping fearful child, and now, Hercules could not get a straight answer from her. He cursed himself for his brutality even though he thought it was justified. He let her go, and she crumpled to the floor weeping hysterically. Marious dropped to her knees and tried to comfort her.

"Mother, mother, the man was going to hurt me...why do I have to marry a man who will hurt me? Please, don't make me marry him. I'm afraid," she whispered desperately between sobs.

Hercules stared at her, and his heart ached for her for just a moment. He knelt beside her and spoke gently, "I'm sorry I tried to hurt you, Voluptua. Can you tell us where Iolaus is?"

"Please, Mother...don't let him touch me. I'm scared. Where is that nice man who loves me? He won't hurt me...he promised. Mother.." She grasped Marious's hands, and the old woman wept for her Missus. "This man who wants to hurt me wants to hurt the nice man. Can't tell him...can't tell him where he is. Got to protect him. I love him, Mother. I want to marry him. Please don't let the big man hurt him anymore. He hurt his hand."

Hercules looked to Marious pleadingly. Understanding, Marious wiped the tears from Voluptua's eyes and whispered, "We won't tell the big man, but will you tell mother where the kind man is. I want to talk to him about yer dowry." Marious managed to choke out the plea. Voluptua beamed at the old woman.

"He's downstairs in a dark place, Mother. But I'm sure we won't live there once we're married. Thank you for not making me marry the bad man, Mother. Thank you for protecting me," she said smiling through her tears.

Hercules looked sadly to Marious then took Phradus by the arm and headed for the stairway to the dungeon. Phradus said, "I can heal the body, but I'm afraid her mind is gone, Hercules. Her mind may be no better use to her than Iolaus's hand. By the way, how did you know this was the stairway to the dungeon?"

"Ares is predictable...his dungeons are always off the main throne room. Right now, I don't care much about Voluptua's mind. I'm more concerned with Iolaus's life."

They quickly made it down the darkened stairway. When they reached Iolaus, he was quite delirious with pain. Phradus was worried that the hand had become infected or that it had been deprived of blood for too long. Hercules broke the manacles easily from the wall, but Phradus warned of being too zealous about breaking the bond from his wrists.

"Hercules, I'm not sure that hand can withstand anymore shock. We really need the keys to remove it carefully," Phradus suggested.

Hercules cradled his friend in his arms and wondered where he was going to find keys. Iolaus opened his eyes and smiled weakly at his friend. "Voluptua," he said wearily.

"I know what she did, Iolaus, and trust me, she's already paid dearly for hurting you," he said callously.

Iolaus's eyes widened, "No! She's not dead is she? She can't be dead. Oh gods, Hercules, if she's dead, how will I go on?" Iolaus was completely despondent. He had spent what seemed like an eternity to see if Hercules would be destroyed. He never considered that Ares might be furious with Voluptua at failing and kill her.

"Iolaus, how can you have any feeling for her after what she did," Hercules stopped himself before he said something that would forever divide them. "Iolaus, do you know where the key is?"

"Ares has them," he whispered helplessly.

Hercules's heart ached. There was no way Ares would give them the key. The prospect of Iolaus losing the hand was becoming more and more a foregone conclusion. "We have to get out of here," Hercules said desperately. Phradus helped Hercules carry Iolaus to the stairway. The healer and demigod looked to each other at the shock Iolaus would face when he came in contact with Voluptua. Hercules was dumfounded that Iolaus didn't hate her as deeply as he did. The fact that Iolaus didn't hate her at all for using him confused the hero. Hercules was relieved when Iolaus passed out from the movement and the ache in his arm starting to radiate from his unfeeling hand.

Phradus was not as close to the situation as Hercules, and he stated briefly, "Hercules, they love each other."

"Phradus! Haven't you been listening?! She used him to get to me. Somehow that doesn't qualify as love in my book!" he almost shouted. He looked on the completely mad Voluptua with a mixture of disgust and pity. "She deserves what she's getting now."

Phradus shook his head, "Hercules, if Iolaus is going to make it through this without going through what she's experiencing, you're going to have to put away your bitterness. Regardless of what you feel for her, she loved him. I'm not sure what motivated her to do what she's done this day, but it wasn't based on revenge as you seem to believe. He knows that."

They came through the doorway to see Marious clutching Voluptua protectively. Hercules couldn't allow himself the luxury of trust. He still saw her as an enemy, someone who was in league with his vicious half-brother. They laid Iolaus's limp body on a stack of cushions in an alcove, and Hercules walked back over to Voluptua. She cringed as she saw him coming and curled up into a tighter ball. Her obvious revulsion did not stop him from dropping to his knees and turning her face to him.

"Voluptua," he said sternly. She looked at him with a kind of terror usually not reserved for the demigod. "What did Ares do with the keys to the manacles?"

She turned her head back into Marious's shoulder. "Mother, help me. He's back, and he's going to hurt me...make him go away; he frightens me. Where is the nice man?" she asked trembling.

"Hercules, go tend to the young feller. I'll find out the answers you want, but can't you see that your very presence terrifies her?" Marious pleaded.

"Marious, I really don't care if I terrify her or not; I've got to get those keys, or Iolaus will lose his hand," he said impatiently. A look from Phradus across the room convinced him to back away and let Marious try. "Okay, Marious. But please hurry."

Hercules backed down the steps and instantly went to Iolaus's side; however, before he could reach his side, Ares materialized between them. Hercules grabbed him andthrew a punch that sent the god sprawling across the floor. The noise jerked Iolaus out of the darkness, and he squinted through his own pain to see Hercules and Ares going after it again. He smiled until he saw Voluptua and Marious across the room crumpled on the floor. As Hercules was tossed easily through the air, Iolaus stumbled to his feet, much to Phradus's chagrin and started making his way to her. Phradus gave up trying to convince him to lie down and began guiding him through flying pottery and people. When Iolaus reached his love, he laid next to her and tried to get her attention.

"Oh Mother, look it's the nice man. Kind sir, my mother has agreed to speak to you of my dowry, and I'm sure you will be able to reach an agreement soon. Please sir, watch out for that big man over there for I think he means you harm. Oh look, your poor hand has been injured. You must let me get a bandage for you. I'm not sure how you'll hide the injury from the big man, but I know you must," she said desperately.

Iolaus agonized over her current state and looked to Marious for an explanation, but she turned away as soon as the pathetic woman wriggled out of her arms. Voluptua laid next to Iolaus and snuggled up to him. He clutched her with his good hand and gasped.

"ARES!" he shouted. "What have you done to her?"

Iolaus's shouts stilled the two fighting divine beings. Ares began laughing uncontrollably. "Oh no! You can't lay that on me, but I must say the result will be priceless. Tell him, Hercules."

Iolaus looked weakly to his friend as he felt Voluptua slide out of her position to run to Ares's throne. She quickly slipped a key from a secret compartment and ran back to Iolaus. "The other bad man won't mind if we borrow this," she said to him as she unlocked the manacle. "Now you can hold me with both hands," she said grinning simply.

The blood started returning to his hand, and it felt as though hundreds of needles were pricking the already painful hand. He was afraid to hear what Ares had to say; he was sure it would cause the same feeling in his aching heart. Voluptua was muttering something about living in a nice small house, having dozens of children, and fixing his meals. "I'll learn to cook, Iolaus. I promise; Mother will show me how. You'll never have to beat me because I'll do just as you ask me to. I .." her face was wet again from her agony. She just buried her face into his chest. Stunned he held he as tightly as his arms would allow. "Please accept me, sir. If you do not, I'll have to marry Garduan, and I know he's a cruel man. Please, sir, don't turn me away. I promise to be good," she whispered.

"What have you done to her?" he asked Ares once more.

"I told you, toad. It wasn't me. It's amazing what the sight of my brother in all his furious glory can do to a person. Pity, though, I could have used her," he said matter of factly.

Hercules pinned him from behind and demanded. "Fix his hand, now. Ares, I'm sure Zeus would love to hear about your involvement with Callisto and Strife's death. Shall we go to Olympus for a visit?" he said through clenched teeth.

Ares frowned and relented, "Okay, I'll do away with the injuries I've inflicted. But," he said laughing maniacally, "they'll have to live with the afflictions you've caused." With a wave of his hand, Iolaus's hand was reduced to it's original painful state. He marveled at how good that pain felt in comparison with the agony he had experienced. Iolaus smiled as he pulled away from Voluptua carefully, but was shocked as he saw no change in her condition. The reality began to sink in that it really wasn't Ares who was responsible. He looked to Hercules disbelieving and continued to cradle his love in his arms.

Hercules looked down at his friend's scrutiny and tried to explain, "Iolaus, she was on Ares's side. I had to do something to find out where you were. The things she said, the things Calraus said, and the way she was acting all screamed that she was in Ares's service. But, Iolaus, I didn't hit her."

Marious looked at the two and added, "He didn't hit her, Iolaus. He was goin' to, and that frightened my lady. She changed into a little girl; the poor thing is terrified of him."

Iolaus closed his eyes, "Of course she would be terrified. Anyone who's ever looked down the end of Hercules's powerful arm would be an idiot to not be. Shh, shh, my love. I'll protect you; I promised that." He turned to face Hercules and said, "She didn't betray me, Hercules. She was trying to protect me. Ares told her that if she lured you here, he'd restore my hand and let us go. She's just never had the close contact we've had with him. She really believed him; she even was willing to sacrifice our love in order to keep me safe."

Hercules looked at Iolaus and struggled with what he would say, "And willing to sacrifice me as well?"

"Is she really that different from you, Herk. Weren't you going to sacrifice her in order to save me? I know what she originally planned, but by the time we arrived at the wrecked tavern, she was even intent on giving up her revenge she plotted against you. Calraus had joined forces with Ares, and she was just a pawn. Calraus betrayed her; she didn't betray me. She really had changed Hercules, but now I wonder if we'll ever get to prove it to you," he said gripping her closer to him.

Hercules felt ashamed of his feelings for her now. "I guess you're right, Iolaus. She was only trying to protect you. I'm sorry for doubting you, for distrusting her. You know, Iolaus, if I had realized that, I would never have threatened her. Phradus, can you help her?"

"I'm afraid I'm used to broken bodies, not broken spirits. Still, there's no telling what the human spirit can endure with love and trust," the healer said offering a small hope. "In the meantime, let's get out of this depressing place and go to my home. I think I need to set Iolaus's hand."

Hercules knelt to pick Voluptua up, but she clung horrified to Iolaus's neck. Iolaus spoke gentle words to her easing from her grip. "He'll help you Voluptua. I can't carry you right now. Let him help you, please," he pleaded. She shook her head violently and released a sickening whimper. "Okay, okay, you don't have to let him carry you," Iolaus said laying a hand on her arm. When she jumped at that move, Iolaus and Hercules looked at the deep bruises left by Hercules's grasp. The demigod winced to see the evidence of his wrath. Iolaus just lightly brushed his good hand against her arm.

She looked directly into his eyes and said, "All right, my love. I'll let him help you. Mother can help me out of this bad man's home. Come, Mother, we must get my gentleman to the home of the healer." She held out her hand to Marious, and the old woman humored her even more.

At Phradus's house, Hercules laid Iolaus on a small cot in an adjoining room off the main living area. After closing the door, Phradus told Hercules that he would need his help. "Consider yourself fortunate, young man. There are only two main bones broken and your last two fingers to set. It will be painful, but you should have full use of your hand in a couple of months. You are a very lucky man."

Iolaus tried to hold back his anguish and swallowed hard before answering the physician. "I don't feel very lucky at the moment. I'm sorry, guys. I know I should be grateful, but I'd gladly give my whole arm to have Voluptua back to normal. Herk, he said this is going to hurt, and I don't think Voluptua could handle the sound of me screaming. Do you think you could...," Iolaus didn't get a chance to finish as Hercules carefully delivered a well aimed blow to his chin. Phradus looked shocked at first until Hercules looked up at him with huge tears.

"It's what he wanted."

Phradus nodded and set to work. When Iolaus was properly taken care of, Phradus rejoined the ladies with the news of the hero. "He'll be fine. In a few months his hand will be completely back to normal. My lady Voluptua, may I ask you to step in here? I have a few questions for you to answer." She nodded tentatively and followed him.

Hercules entered the room and looked guiltily at Marious. "Sir, you couldn't have known she warn't in with the likes of Ares. Fer a moment, I had my own doubts. What is the poor lady to do now? She cain't run Remembered Glory. I certainly cain't mysef. I have no space fer her in my small room. What's to become of my gentle Missus?"

"I have an idea. Wait right here, and I'll return. I don't think Iolaus will be moving anytime soon anyway. He's, um, resting," Hercules offered as he dashed out of Phradus's home.

Phradus returned with Voluptua and guided her to the chair in the corner of the room. "I've given her some herbs that might calm her spirits, but I'm sure it will take a lot of patience and understanding in order for her to ever hope to regain her senses. She seems drawn to you. Do you think you could keep up this tender deception?"

"I'll swear, Dr., I'll be her mother the rest of my days if she needs me," pledged Marious. The old woman informed Phradus of Hercules's instruction to wait on him.

Iolaus came to before Hercules returned and called out groggily for Voluptua. She heard him, rose quite confidently, and entered his sickroom. She sat so calmly next to him that he was full of hope once again. His hope was shattered when she spoke, "The big man has left so there's no need to fear. Mother is speaking with the physician about your needs. That's what she said anyway," she said. Then with a surreal twinkle in her eye, she giggled unsteadily and whispered, "Really I think she's asking about whether or not I'll have an easy time bearing our child. I'm afraid Mother suspects that I'm already with child, but don't worry, I've told her nothing. We'll just have to make sure the wedding takes place quickly." Iolaus pulled her to him with great tenderness and faced an empty future hopelessly.

Hercules returned quickly with Astrophena in tow. She immediately went to Phradus and inquired about both her young people's conditions. Astrophena grasped Marious and pledged, "You two are welcome in my home for as long as you wish. I've grown fond of her, and she spoke so kindly of you, Marious."

"Oh madam, I couldn't! 'Twould be a hardship on ya. Course, I'm a pretty fair cook, and I could earn our keep, if ya need someone to fix yer food," she said hopefully.

"I expect nothing in return, Marious, but if you would feel more comfortable in that situation, I've heard my brother comment on what a fantastic cook you are. I'd love for you and Voluptua to come live with us," Astrophena said earnestly.

"Good," said Hercules. "Then this is all settled. Phradus, can Iolaus be moved yet?" "Of course! Let me help him and Voluptua out to your wagon," said Phradus. As he helped them from the room, Voluptua started backing away when she saw Hercules. Then, she caught sight of Astrophena.

Voluptua clapped with glee and rushed to her, "Mother, you must absolutely meet my lovely young man and my mother. And the most exciting thing has come to pass, Mother," she said looking back and forth between Astrophena and Marious. "There's to be a child! Isn't this exciting? Of course, I know you must be very angry, Mother. But he's a good man, and he's promised to protect me. Won't you just love listening to the little feet padding around the house?" she asked enthusiastically. All eyes, except Voluptua's, shot straight to Iolaus. He looked to the ground and sadly shook his head.

The next three weeks were filled with Voluptua's wild planning, Dirius's complaining, and extreme sorrow pouring from the four sane people of the household. Iolaus humored her and never ceased to show his love and devotion to her. On the fourth week, someone came running to Astrophena's home in search of Hercules and Iolaus, a vicious lion was loose in Nemea and needed immediate attention. Iolaus was torn with his course of action until Voluptua joined him outside.

"My love, you know I don't trust the big man, but people are relying on you. They need your help; you don't have to worry about me. Mother will take care of me and keep me safe until your return. You have your destiny to fulfill. Just don't forget to come back for me. And don't wait too long since I'm not sure how much longer I can hide my condition from the neighbors, "she giggled.

Iolaus held her tightly and whispered his love into her ear. This time he held nothing back and sobbed into the crook of her sweet smooth neck. She spoke softly, "I'll miss you too, my love, my one and only love." Then they parted.

Hercules and Iolaus walked in awkward silence for half the day. Finally, Hercules could stand it no longer, and he began, "Iolaus, I know this was the hardest thing you've ever had to do, walking away from her like that, but."

Iolaus stopped dead in his tracks and blinked incredulously at Hercules.

"What? Have I grown another head or something," the demigod joked nervously.

"No, my friend, but I just can't believe that you still don't get it. I'll never, NEVER, walk away from Voluptua. I love her deeper than I've ever loved anyone before. I've sworn my love, my protection, and my life to her. Even if she never returns to her senses, she's my life. She's ...she's the other half of my heartbeat. And I'll never betray her trust in me," vowed Iolaus glancing back mournfully in the direction of Astrophena's home.

Hercules nodded and finally acknowledged his friend's feelings ; however, he wondered if this matter of trust would ever create a barrier between them again. As the duo continued silently on their journey, Hercules just sighed.

end

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