Summary:

Xena and Gabrielle have started a family in the Canadian country side in the year 2010. Sent there by Eli, the two warriors were only supposed to remain in hiding, with the gift of immortality, until the day they were needed in their own time again. But seven years is a long time to wait. With a third child on the way, Xena and Gabrielle are nowhere near ready when Eli sends a friend to bring them back. How will Xena and Gabrielle part with their family? Can the two women save their world and their children? Or will a choice need to be made?

Chapter 1

Gabrielle

I ran. Through the tall grass, around the patches of daisies and leapt over the small creek. I could hear the foot steps behind me; they were faster than mine but lighter. I could feel my heart pound in my chest as I push harder, trying to escape the hand reaching for me. I could do this. I careened hard, pushing my feet into the soft earth in an attempt to change directions, throwing the chaser off so I could place more distance between us. My breath comes in gasps and my feet move faster. I can hear another set of footsteps joining the chase and I now am desperate to make it back.

I clutch the scarf in one hand; holding onto it for dear life. I'm tired and out of breath and they're getting closer. I can see salvation, just mere feet from where I am when the weight of a body hits me hard. I'm sent to the ground with the person on top of me adding enough momentum to send the both of us skidding through the vegetation. The wind is knocked out of my lungs and my head is throbbing like my brain was trying to punch a hole through my skull. The other person is still on top of me. I still clutch the scarf in my free hand.

The second one stops and looks down at me, confusion and worry crossing her features as the boy on me coughs a few times before pushing himself up to look me at me. I'm still trying to breathe.

"Mom?" he waves a hand in front of my face "Mommy?" I cough a couple times as he looks over to the tall dark haired woman, I can feel the fear coming from him through the tensing of his muscles. "I think I killed Mommy!" He almost wailed and I wrapped my free arm around my son tightly and couldn't help but laugh at the misguided concern. Xena just shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"Way to scare the crap out of him Gabrielle." She gazed out across the small meadow, looking for someone.

"Alicia!" I called out, noticing the marking tree for the border and how my hand just managed to pass it. "Alicia we win!" suddenly a small, dirty-blonde girl popped out of the tall grass and came fumbling towards us in true four-year-old style.

"Do not!" the boy argued, getting off of me and standing by Xena, his longish darker coloured locks pushing in front of his face, his ice blue eyes full of challenge. Xena rolled her eyes again

"Eli, please. Can we not start a fight right now? It's nearly almost time for you and your sister to go to bed." The boy grumbled as Alicia walked up and hugged Xena's leg before looking down at me

"Why is Mommy on the ground?" I smiled and let my head fall back to the soft grass, feeling the warm sunset heat my skin. Two strong hands grasped my arms and pulled me from the ground and into a hug.

"Because Mommy's tired." She said, her arms around me tight. I felt myself melt into her embrace like butter on a hot pan. "And we're all going to go home and get a good night's sleep." I smiled against her skin. For the kids a good night's sleep meant going to bed. For Xena and I…it had a whole different meaning.

Xena and I had gotten here a while ago. And by "here" I mean the twenty-first century and by "a while ago" I mean roughly seven years. We were sent here to keep us "safe" until we were needed again back home. We hadn't aged since we arrived and there's been nothing to tell us we have to go back since then. Originally we were only supposed to wait here. We were supposed to just be idle until the day we were needed again, for what I still am not sure. But things...happened. Xena and I started a family. We weren't married. We felt that we didn't need anything to bind us together; we were soul mates, I would stay with her until the day I died and beyond. We found ourselves in the Canadian country side and we settled, feeling like we would be more accepted here than anywhere else. Maybe it sounds foolish to think that. But it's true.

Once Xena and I had found out that we could have children without having to actually use a man we, well, figured why not? We loved each other, we wanted a family. And with the added fact that I could have Xena's child and she could have mine it was a done deal. Though we were a little hesitant at first, seeing as we both had lost our children before; my daughter was the bringer of darkness who killed Xena's son, but we moved past that. The only exception was Eve, Xena's daughter, who was the messenger of Eli, the Devi not my son. The pain is still there but it's dulled by the new life we brought into the world. Xena carried Alicia, the oldest, I carried Eli, the youngest.

"Xena?" I whispered gently as we walked together, hand in hand but our arms pressed against each other. Alicia and Eli were playing tag while we walked. "What will happen when we have to leave?" I asked, looking at our children jumping and bouncing around. They were so full of joy and happiness it made my heart sing and a smile creep across my face.

That question always bothered me, what would happen if Xena and I had to leave. If we had to go back to where we came from. Where would Eli and Alicia go? I knew there would be no way that we could bring them with us. It would be impossible, not to mention exceedingly dangerous considering all the laws and law enforcement we have here doesn't exist. We could leave them with someone here, one of our friends, but then we'd have to explain everything.

"I don't know" she whispered and stopped me, turning my body to face her, her hands gently placed on my shoulders. "Let's not worry about that now. If, one day, the time should come we'll handle it then alright?" I nodded, not trusting my voice at that moment. She pulled me in and kissed my forehead before we continued walking again.

"Eli! Eli we don't have time for this!" Xena yelled searching our house for the small boy "You have to take a bath! Eli!" She growled and looked over to me where I was dressing Alicia, getting her ready for bed. "Gabrielle your turn" she muttered as I got up and she kneeled down in front of our oldest child, taking a towel and trying to dry her just-washed hair.

"Eli" I called out carefully looking around corners "Eli, I know you don't like having bathes but we all got to do things to keep ourselves healthy and clean." This was something we went through every night when it came to bed time. Alicia would go willingly but there was only a certain time frame she'd be passive for. After that she'd get fidgety and annoyed at which point Xena and I could never win. Eli refused to bathe. He'd kick and scream or he would cry the entire time. Sometimes he'd go willingly, but only if we bribed him or he felt guilty for something.

"I don't have to do anything I don't wanna do!" His voice whined from somewhere in the dining room. I was careful not to make a noise as I walked around the small room.

"Really?"

"Yup!"

"Well, I guess that I don't have to wash the clothes anymore, and Momma doesn't have to go to work. Which of course would mean that you and your sister wouldn't get anymore toys..which means all you'd get for your birthday is a rock and maybe a straw doll." He grunted, in what sounded like defeat, and climbed out from under the table. I smiled and ruffled his hair as she walked past me. Threatening to take away toys from Eli worked every time he had one of these fits. "Momma's waiting in the bathroom." I called after him as he disappeared around the corner.

"ugh" Xena groan and flopped down on the bed beside me, her hair and clothes dry in some places and completely drenched in others. I smirked and looked at her from where I was writing in my note book.

"Tough time with Eli?" I asked and she just pushed herself up on to her elbows

"How exactly is it that a boy named after the most peaceful man I've ever known could be so...so..."

"difficult?" She groaned again.

"Must be your genes." She muttered, I just stared at her.

"Oh please! You have enough stubbornness to supply the entire world's population, let alone single a child." She narrowed her eyes and crawled up so her face was only a few inches from mine, her fingers wandered to the hem of my shirt.

"Do I now?" she purred in my ear and I smiled slightly.

"Yes, yes you do." The tip of her nose just barely brushed my ear and instinctually I turned my head in her direction, eyes closed. I could feel her breath caressing the skin along my jaw, her lips gently pressed under my chin. "Xena" I breathed

"Uh huh"

"The kids aren't asleep yet."

"They won't hear us" she wrapped one arm around my waist.

"You're sure?" I asked, a knowing smirk on my face and I could almost see her roll her eyes

"Positive."

"Three" I counted and she yielded her assault on me

"Oh no, no don't start counting" she begged

"Two"

"Gabrielle!"

"One"

"MOMMA! Eli's scaring me!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!" I opened my eyes to see Xena flopped down with her head in the pillows

"It's not fair!" her muffled cry made me giggle

"Go on Xena." I said and shoved her off the bed playfully. "The children await." She lumbered out of the room and I rolled over onto my side. As soon as Xena had left the room, I felt the sudden over whelming amount of emotions I generally kept in check burst out of my control. The things I kept bottled up stung my eyes and materialized on my cheeks.

Xena

After wrestling with the kids for a good ten minutes I walked back to the bedroom only to stop in the doorway. Gabrielle's small form shook with silent sobs from where she laid with her back facing me. I leaned against the doorway. She did this sometimes, but never when she thought I'd see or know she did it. And I knew better than to ask her. She'd insist she was just being stupid and emotional. But I knew her better than that. She never cried without a reason. Within a second, I crossed the room and crouched in front of her, taking her hands in mine. She opened her wet eyes and looked at me, surprise crossing her features for a brief moment

"Hey," I breathed, brushing a tear from her cheek. "What's wrong Gabrielle?" I asked gently, caressing her face with the back of my fingers. She sniffled once and wiped at her eyes, seeming embarrassed that she'd been crying. Or that I'd caught her.

"I miss home" she said in a ragged voice, placing her hand over mine and interlacing our fingers. "God, how can I miss home when I am home?" she asked looking at the ceiling.

"Because we aren't home. There's no place for a warrior here. Or a bard." I added and brushed a small piece of short hair from her eyes with a slight smile. "believe it or not Gabrielle" I said softly, tracing intricate patterns on her snow white skin "You're not the only one who's home sick." I kissed each of her knuckles individually before she gently cupped my face in her hand

"We'll be alright…right?" I smiled slightly and nodded

"We'll be fine" I promised and rolled over her onto my side of the bed. She instantly rolled over and rested her head on my chest. I wrapped one arm around her gently and kissed the top of her head. "I love you" I whispered into her hair and she laid an arm across my waist

"I love you too" she murmured softly, nuzzling into my baggy T-shirt. We laid in silence for a few moments before two very quiet voices came from our door.

"Mommy?"

"Momma?" Gabrielle and I both looked up, spotting Eli and Alicia standing in the door way. Their ruffled hair had made it obvious that they'd both been trying to sleep. Gabrielle looked up at me with a smile and I smiled back before waving them in. They climbed easily on to the high king sized bed and snuggled up in between us; Eli's back to my front and Alicia's back to Gabrielle's front. We'd done this a million times before. Gabrielle's and my arms crossing over each other as we snuggled our children, our eyes locked together as we gently ran our finger tips over the other's skin. I leaned over the two small bodies between us, careful not to wake them, and gently placed a soft kiss on her lips.

We would be just fine. We had to be.