A/N: Sorry I took so long to update, but here it is a new chapter.

The Truth

"I see you're back, come back to face an honorable death?" Solan asked jumping down from the tree.

"No, I came back to talk to Kaliepus."

"She came to introduce you to your brothers and sister," Gabrielle told him.

"That's not possible," Solan told her.

"Your mother is a live, and these are your siblings you should be thankful Xena thought to bring them to meet you."

"My mother is dead!" Solan yelled at her."And you will keep your mouth shut about her."

"Come on we have a meeting with Kaliepus." Xena continued walking, she couldn't stand to be around his hate any longer. Not to mention thanks to Gabrielle he would find out she was his mother and she would see hate in his eyes.

"Why would you tell him that?" Kaliepus asked Gabrielle.

"I don't know," Gabrielle replied realizing that explaining about the children was more of a delicate matter than she had perceived. Hercules remained silent as he held his daughter trying to figure out a way to silence Solan's questions reasonably.

"I want you all gone you have no rights..." Kaliepus started.

"I've got it!" Hercules exclaimed startling a poor Ephiny in his arms. Xena and Hercules switched babies and she quieted down.

"What's your idea?" Xena asked willing to listen to anything Hercules had to say.

"Look, we'll just tell him that Ares held his mother captive for years, and you Xena freed her but unfortunately she died in childbirth. So just until we can convince him you're not a murdering...we'll just say she left Ephiny and Achilles in your care and asked you to take care of him or at least introduce him to his grandmother if this is where he wanted to stay."

"I will not give him a choice to leave here."

"Its not your choice to make," Iolaus snapped at him. He didn't like Kaliepus at all. For all they knew he had been feeding Solan lies in private to keep him away from Xena. Xena remained silent as she looked out the window at Solan just far enough away not to hear their conversation, but watching them all intently through the window. He definitely wanted to know what they were all doing here and he was definitely wondering if what Gabrielle had said was true.

"Xena!" She snapped out of her thoughts and turned towards them.

"What do you think?" Hercules asked.

"As long as they get to know each other as siblings I'm fine with it."

"Great!" They exclaimed except Kaliepus.

"I'll go talk to him." They all looked at her surprise.

"No, Xena, I'll go talk to him he doesn't know..."

"Gabrielle after what you just said to him he probably hates you more than me, besides I refuse to stand here and let you lie to him, I should have the courage to tell him myself."

"Tell me what?" Solan asked entering the hut.

"Your mother died in childbirth six months ago," Gabrielle blurted out before Xena could speak. Xena sighed.

"No, I can't lie to him like this, let's go," Xena ordered.

"Xena why..." Gabrielle started.

"No, I said let's go." She grabbed Oreias by the hand and left quickly. The others followed Iolaus quickly grabbing Gabrielle before she could speak for Xena. Solan turned towards his Uncle.

"What were you all talking about?" Solan asked.

"Nothing Solan don't worry about it."

"No, I wanna know, they know something about my mother is she truly dead or is she alive?" Solan asked.

"Your mother is dead, buried next to your father how many times do I have to tell you that, I'm your only family now and its time you got use to that." Solan nodded taken aback by his uncles harsh words, but still he wanted to know what it is Xena had had to say. He left out and followed them. He lost them in the forest.

Meanwhile they'd made it back to the tavern and Iolaus carefully kept the two best friends apart. Xena ordered them to be ready to in twenty minutes. Gabrielle started complaining about all their clothes not being dry and Iolaus was quick to shut her up before Xena heard. As they were all meeting by the forest Gabrielle started complaining once again. Xena already angry with her practically snapped her head off verbally.

"Gabrielle I am his mother and if anyone was going to lie to him to his face it should have been, he deserved that much, but once again you couldn't keep your big mouth shut!"

"Oh I'm sorry I thought it was better some one else said it than for you."

"Yeah, after I had just told you all I wanted to and it was my duty."

"Xena, you're so impossible!" Xena bit back a hurtful retort.

"You know what all of you just head for the next village I'll catch up tomorrow morning, I need to clear my head." So two men, one angry bard, and seven kids set off for their next destination while a depressed Warrior Princess watched them go. She sighed and took a seat on a rock as she thought about Solan. She felt tears roll down her cheeks as she thought about how she would never get to love him.

"Is it true?" Solan asked. He had just gotten to the town and was pointed in their direction by the tavern keeper. He had come upon them while Gabrielle and Xena were arguing. He'd been horrified when she admitted to Gabrielle that she was his mother. He couldn't believe it, because that would mean he had tried to kill his mother. He would have turned himself into an orphan. He'd ran off, but came back as he reasoned that he couldn't go through life not knowing and Xena was his father's partner long before he'd met his Uncle. He prayed to the gods he could convince her to tell him the truth about his family.

"Yes," Xena answered recognizing his voice immediately and answering before she could stop herself. When she said that word though she felt a huge weight being lifted off her and she knew her heart been waiting eleven years to say it to him. There was silence and she refused to turn around. She couldn't bare it if she ever saw hate directed towards her when he knew the truth.

"Whose my mother?" He asked.

"I am," She answered.

"How can I trust you?" Solan asked.

"Follow your heart, if your heart trusts me than that's the only thing you can go by." Xena took a deep breath. Solan just stared at the back of her head. His hate wanted him to take the opportunity to bash her head in, but there was something in him that told him he could trust what she said. He walked in front of her and looked into her stunning blue eyes that practically mirrored his own. He truly took a look at her and the bond created between mother and child connected them to each other once again. Xena hugged him while she had the chance and slowly he returned it as he breathed in her all to familiar scent of new leather and baklava Xena's favorite dessert that Gabrielle always managed to get a hold of practically every night.

"I'll never forget this smell," Solan whispered. He smelled pine from the forest and smoke from the camp fires. But there was also the smells that come with baby spit up in their first years.

"I'm sorry I left you, but I did it to protect you," Xena told him as she kissed his forehead and wiped her tears. Solan stared up at her with teary blue eyes.

"I'm sorry I tried to hurt you, if I knew I would have never even if you did kill him," Solan cried."Uncle said you killed him."

"Its ok just remember from now on its wisdom over weapons, I understand you were angry but you can't let yourself be so controlled by hate. Hate is what drove me into a life I knew you would never be able to survive in."

"Uncle always told me that you hated what my father and whatever woman he spoke of, had together." Xena shook her head.

"So many lies to fix," Xena muttered."Come on I'll tell you over dinner the truth." She quickly sent someone after Hercules, Iolaus, Gabrielle,and the children. She promised to meet them in Thebes, because whether Solan decided to stay with her or not she was going to take the time to spend some one on one with him. Of course she knew Hercules and the kids would come back because Achilles and Ephiny couldn't very well survive on tea for long. Three weeks at most before they got sick, but they were fat, healthy, and strong not to mention they had awesome parents and would probably last longer.

"So he's been lying to me about you for years."

"Yes, but I asked him not to tell you about me, I thought I could go through life and leave you in peace, but I had to tell you I just couldn't stay away from you."

"No, I know you asked him not to tell, but if he knew you were my mother how could he lie to me all these years about what you had done to who I thought was my mother and father."

"Borias is your father that was not a lie. "

"Are you sure he's truly dead?" Solan asked.

"I saw him die with my own eyes, I'm sorry." Solan shook his head.

"Its not your faught than, you were giving birth to me." Solan seemed depressed. Xena couldn't tell if he was depressed because she was his mother or depressed because Kaliepus had lied to him his whole life." Why would he lie to me like that?" Xena almost smiled glad he wasn't depressed because she was his mother.

"I guess he dreaded the fact that there was always a chance you would leave with me."

"Why?" Solan asked.

"Because despite all his lies I believe he loved you like you were his own son."

"Is his adoption of me legal?" Solan asked suddenly. Xena shook her head no.

"No, if I were dead than he could have made it legal, but I am alive and unless I sign something he can't legally adopt you if he knows who I am." Solan nodded.

"Do you want me?" Solan asked.

"I've always wanted you," Xena responded. Solan who was looking down at the little bit of stew he had left looked up at her.

"Than I want to come with you, I love Uncle and I'm grateful to him, but I want to be with my mother, you." Xena smiled at him and he smiled too as they hugged.

"Alright, we'll go tell Kaliepus in the morning." Solan nodded. They shared a room that night one wondering how Kaliepus would react to him leaving while the other wondered how she was going to handle his reaction.