Xena was looking back and forth between the kneeling Aphrodite and the stunned looking Erin. 'So it's really her?' She asked.

Aphrodite reached out and took Erin's hand, breathing in deeply, eyes closed. 'it's her alright. The blood of the Amazons beats strongly in her veins.'

A smile was spreading across Xena's face. 'but is she really the last? There really aren't any more Amazons on Eath?'

Another pause from Aphrodite and then 'She's the last. The only one.'

Erin jerked her hand away, something about the hungry expression in Aphrodite's eyes making her uneasy.

'it's alright, Cyane.' Aphrodite said gently, advancing towards her again, eyes wide and arms outstretched. With a small, scared sound, Erin ducked behind Xena, suddenly certain that she didn't want Aphrodite's grasping fingers anywhere near her.

'Stop it,' Xena said sharply to Aphrodite. 'You're scaring her.'

Aphrodite stepped backwards then. 'Sorry, Xena, sorry.' She muttered, looking down at the ground like she was a child who'd been told off. 'I'm just a bit emotional, you know. She's come to make it right, but I'm scared of what I have to do…'

'I know you are and it's ok to be scared.'

'but it's the right thing, isn't it?' And again there was the childlike tone.

'Yes,' Xena's voice was firm. 'It's the right thing. This isn't you. You shouldn't be living like this.'

'The people don't need me anymore. There's no love anymore and I'm losing myself.'

'I know and we're going to get you back.'

Erin stepped out form behind Xena then. 'Will someone please tell me what's going on? I know that Xena wants to change the world and get Gabrielle back, but I don't understand what this has to do with me or,' and here she gestured at Aphrodite 'her. I'm not even sure who she is.'

'She's the goddess of love,' Xena said. 'Or she was, when there was any power in her. The problem is that the people here have forgotten how to love so Aphrodite's lost her essence. The world is out of balance. Love needs to be strong for the human race to survive. Love's the strength in all of us.'

'But you're still strong…'

'Not like she was,' Aphrodite said. 'When she was mine, when she had Gabby, she was invincible. Heroes like her need love most of all.' Aphrodite gave a bitter little sigh then and looked across at the two of them. 'We're a pathetic lot, aren't we? There aren't any heroes anymore except Xena and there aren't any Amazons except you and there aren't any gods except me. So, here we are, the last Amazon, the last hero and the last of the gods.'

'But I remember stories of lots of gods in the ancient times,' said Erin.

'There were lots of us once, but the others all went back to Mount Olympus when you lot stopped believing in us. Not me though. I had to go all sentimental and stay.'

'The others didn't care about the fate of humanity.' This was from Xena. 'But you did. You always did. You couldn't let Earth destroy itself.'

'Well I'm a sucker for a happy ending.' Aphrodite reached out again, taking first Xena's hand and then Erin's. 'So what can the three of us do?' She said 'Against the world?'

'Keep fighting till we can't.' Xena said. 'Keep doing what's right.'

Erin had pulled her hand away again. 'I still don't understand what all of this has got to do with me.'

'We need to change history,' Xena said 'So this world never exists. And we need you to open the time portal.'

'I don't know how to open a time portal.'

'You don't have to,' said Aphrodite. 'We just need the blood of the last of the Amazons. The Fates decreed that time could only be altered once the world was about to destroy itself and, without the Amazons, it will. You're everyone's last hope.'

But Erin has jumped away from Aphrodite and Xena and was backing towards the doorway. 'Blood?! Am I here to be some kind of sacrifice?!'

'No!' Xena and Aphrodite said together.

'But how…?'

'We just need a drop,' Aphrodite said. 'just a cut. Nothing scary. Once the time portal is open, you and Xena will go through and save Gabby. Then the world will be right again.'

'Xena and I go through? What about you?'

Aphrodite looked down at the ground. 'I won't be coming with you.'

'Why not?'

'Aphrodite's over-simplifying what we need to do.' Xena said. 'Your blood will open the portal, but only when it's combined with the power of love. We'll need what's left of Aphrodite's essence too.'

'You mean…?'

'That's right,' Aphrodite said. 'Wham, poof, kapow and no more love goddess. And that's where it gets complicated. You and the warrior babe exist within time so when you travel back to the past, there'll be another Xena there; the Xena from that time period. But I exist outside of time, so when I cease to exist here, I won't exist back then either.'

'And if Aphrodite doesn't exist, we'll be going back to a world without love.'

'But you said that without love…'

'You two have to bring me back by finding true love yourselves before my essence disappears completely. Xena has to win the heart of Gabrielle. They're soulmates. When they comes together, I come back, and everything's right again.'

'And there will be two Xenas.'

'Fun, isn't it?' Said Aphrodite with a slightly bitter smile.

'And I mustn't meet myself,' Xena said. 'otherwise it will cause a temporal explosion which could destroy the universe.'

'So…' Erin said 'Xena and I have to go back in time, save Gabrielle and get her to fall in love with Xena in a world without love and without the other Xena finding out?'

'Should be easy enough,' said Xena and Erin couldn't work out if she was joking or not.