~X~~Xena & Gabrielle~~X~

"Calm down, Xena... take the baby..." spoke the Goddess of Love. She gave Xena the bundled child and lay a hand on Gabrielle's slightly-descended stomach. Almost instantly, the bleeding had slowed. Within a matter of moments, all the bleeding was gone, and Gabrielle's body had completely healed, as though she had never even borne a child. She was as she was before having become pregnant. All wounds were healed and her body showed no sign of ever having been with child. Xena couldn't believe it. She was both happy and mystified.

"Gabrielle will be fine now," Aphrodite said with a smile.

"Thank the Gods," Xena quipped, so pleased that the young woman she loved was going to be just fine.

"No, just me," said Aphie with a little giggle. She then settled her gaze once again on the tiny bundle in Xena's arms. "So what are you two going to name our little princess? Are you going to name her after me?"

Xena smiled, gazing at Gabrielle. "Actually, I've sort of been thinking of a name..." she said, but hesitated because she hadn't discussed her name choice with Gabrielle yet.

"How do you feel about calling our daughter Elysia?" she asked her Love. In Greek mythology, the Elysian Fields in Elysium were the final resting place of the souls of the heroic and the virtuous. It seemed like a perfect and beautiful name for their precious new baby girl. It was as though this baby were their own little slice of heaven.

Gabrielle smiled her thanks to Aphrodite for the help. She listened to Xena's name suggestion. "I like it," she decided. "Elysia; it seems fitting." She looked at Xena holding their daughter, their beautiful baby girl, Elysia.

Looking down at the little sweetheart in her arms, Xena too knew that it was the perfect name. The baby looked back at Xena, much wisdom in her tiny eyes. "Okay, Aphrodite, now it's time you told us what special gift this little girl is gonna have," spoke Xena as she carefully handed the baby to Gabrielle.

Aphrodite just smiled sweetly. "There are some things you are just gonna have to learn for yourself," she insisted, watching the happy couple together with their new baby. It was such a beautiful moment and the Goddess of Love felt blissful that she had been able to help Xena and Gabrielle's dream come true.

"Ohhh and before I go, please remember, the two of you and baby Elysia are under my protection. You did well in coming here to the Amazons. My sister Artemis is the protector of all Amazons and she too will provide protection for you if it's needed," promised Aphrodite. Sadly, Aphrodite knew that her brother Ares would want revenge. It was all he talked about in Olympius, home of the Gods. And sadly, Athena, their eldest sister, was on his side, saying he SHOULD make Xena pay.

No sooner had Aphrodite disappeared in her usual cloud of pink dust and sparkles, when Epiphany hesitantly entered the healer's hut, holding Solan. "Everything okay?" she asked, slowly approaching.

She gasped, seeing the beautiful infant girl in Gabrielle's arms. It was then she saw the healer, passed out in a dead faint upon the floor. "What happened to her?" she asked.

"Dunno," Xena said innocently, looking down at Gabrielle and winking. She then reached for her son, cuddling him and kissing his blond head.

"Eph, could Gabrielle and I stay on here at the Village? We'd like a hut of our very own..." Xena asked hopefully.

"We'd be honored to have you, Xena... and you too, Gabrielle," Epiphany said as she promised to make all the arrangements.

After Epiphany had left, Xena took the baby from Gabrielle so she could get dressed and get up off the bed. By then, the healer was waking up, looking all disoriented as she got up off the floor and dusted herself off. "Everything is fine," Xena assured the healer. "Baby's here; Gabrielle is perfect. Thanks for everything."

"Wh- what happened?" asked the healer dumbfounded. Before she passed out, she could remember Gabrielle's ravished flesh and then a woman appearing in the hut out of nowhere.

"I dunno," Xena said as she took her Love's hand and they got prepared to leave the healer's hut.

"She shouldn't be walking; she just gave birth!" gasped the healer, seeing Gabrielle get up as though she felt like running a marathon.

"Your healing skills are so great, she's all better now," Xena said with a small smirk as she and Gabrielle walked outside the hut. Xena was holding Solan, and Gabrielle was holding Elysia.

The Amazons came forward to look at the new baby. Everyone was amazed at her striking beauty. Epiphany announced that a small hut on the edge of the Village had been prepared for Xena and Gabrielle. "Amarice, take Xena and Gabrielle to their new home," said Epiphany.

It was now time to settle in. Once at their hut, Xena began unpacking their saddle bags. She left Gabrielle to tend to the children. While she was taking Argo to the stream for water, Ares appeared in the hut, standing there dark and dangerous, his eyes on the baby girl.

"She's here," he said, reaching out and snatching the child before Gabrielle could react. He brushed his lips against the baby's forehead in the softest kiss.

"She WILL BE MINE," he vowed.

"NO!" Gabrielle yelled. "Give her back!" She was so very afraid for Elysia's life. She would have reached out and taken the baby back from Ares, though she had no idea what he might try and do to her or baby Elysia.

Ares' dark eyes glittered dangerously as he looked at Gabrielle. "You really are an annoying blond," he said to her bitterly.

Once again his lips brushed across the soft flesh of the infant's forehead. "I've put my mark on her. She's mine now."

"And when she becomes a woman, when she's old enough to receive a man, I'm coming for her..."

"You took Xena from me... so now I am taking the next best thing, her daughter," he said with an evil smirk.

"She's going to become The God of War's Bride," he said with a sinister chuckle.

Then as quickly as he had came, he disappeared, leaving the tiny baby girl lying on the bedrolls next to her brother. As Xena returned to the hut, she was rushing. She just knew. As always, her sixth sense told her that Ares was near. She hoped she wouldn't be too late and that Gabrielle and their babies would be okay.

When she entered the hut, her gaze swept to Gabrielle. Then she looked at the babies who were lying on the bedrolls side by side. Solan was wide awake, cooing to himself and playing with his toes, and Elysia was sleeping like a tiny angel. Right away, Xena went to Gabrielle's side, drawing her into her arms. "Ares was here?" she asked, looking into her Love's troubled green eyes.

Gabrielle was shaking. Ares had to be lying. There was no way he would take their daughter away. Overcome with emotional anguish, she heard Xena speaking. "Yes," she said. "He... He... is upset that I took you from him and he put his mark on Elysia."

"He said that when she's old enough he's coming for her," Gabrielle said tearfully. "He cant do that, can he?"

Xena was seething with fury when she heard of this latest stunt Ares had pulled. Not only had he greatly upset Gabrielle, but he had touched little Elysia and claimed to have marked her. "Ares!" Xena cried out loudly, knowing that wherever Ares was now, he probably hadn't had the chance to have gone that far and he was mostly likely going to hear her rant. "Never again upset Gabrielle... and keep away from my children... or you WILL answer to me!"

Xena then placed her full attention onto Gabrielle who was trembling and crying from her encounter with Ares. Very gently, Xena kissed each one of her Love's tears away. "It's okay, Little One. We are safe here, in the Amazon Village. We are guarded by Artemis, Goddess of the Wilderness and Protector of the Amazons. She will see that no harm comes to any of us... and you know that Aphrodite wouldn't allow anything to happen to our little Elysia," Xena said in reassurance as she caressed Gabrielle's blonde hair and gazed into her sad green eyes.

Fearing that Gabrielle might just collapse, Xena lead her over to the soft furs and sat down next to her. "It's been a very long day, hasn't it? Are you sure you're alright? Aphrodite said she completely healed you," spoke Xena as she looked at Gabrielle with concern. "It was the most amazing thing ever, when you gave birth to our daughter."

Gabrielle felt fine, but Ares' threat had left her in turmoil. "I feel alright," she said. "I feel completely healed. Shouldn't I feel like I just had a baby?"

Xena lovingly kissed the top of Gabrielle's head while cuddling her. "I remember how I felt right after I had Solan. That was awful. I'm thankful you aren't feeling any of that... and that you aren't experiencing any pain," Xena said as she held Gabrielle close. "Try not to worry about Ares. Let's just concentrate on you and me, and our family here. We have a home now, Gabrielle. The Amazons have welcomed us into their village. And you do know what this means, don't you?"

"Here in the Amazon Village, we could have a joining ceremony," Xena spoke as she gazed into Gabrielle's eyes. "Would you do me that honor?"

"Gabrielle, will you join with me? Would you become my bride?" Xena asked, holding her breath as she didn't know what Gabrielle would say.

Gabrielle looked at Xena as she listened to her speaking. "Yes," she said happily. "Yes. I will." She was in a state of bliss, because not only had she agreed to marry Xena, they now had a beautiful daughter as well as a handsome son.

"Good, we'll talk to Epiphany about it tomorrow. She can make all the arrangements."

"But for now, let's just rest and relax. It's nice to be settled after weeks of travel. Look, the little one is sleeping and Solan is trying to crawl off the bedrolls," Xena observed. Solan, who was used to being cramped up inside his cradle-board for days on end, was now stretching his muscles and becoming mobile. Soon he scooted over to both of his parents and looked adoringly at Gabrielle. He had actually pulled himself onto Gabrielle's lap. Xena chuckled and ruffled his blond hair.

"I guess we are gonna have to watch him like a hawk now, since he's learning to crawl," she spoke. "He's going to have my wild sense of adventure. Wouldn't want him to get too far."

"Mama... mama..." Solan babbled, wrapping a little fist around a lock of Gabrielle's hair. He had always been fascinated with her beautiful long blonde hair.

As if Elysia realized she was being left out on the family bonding, she awoke, beginning to cry. Xena went over to get her from the nearby bedrolls. "I think she's hungry," Xena said as she carried the baby over to the furs where Gabrielle sat with Solan. "Wanna trade?"

Gabrielle laughed softly as she gazed at their hungry little girl. "Yes. Solan's going to be a handful," she said fondly. "Yes, I think a trade would be good, I can get Elysia fed.

Xena gently placed the newborn in Gabrielle's arms, then reached for Solan who was trying to squirm away. Solan was going to be an active one. Xena went looking for a snack for him to keep him occupied. Solan was just beginning to eat solid foods. Xena found a corn cake from their earlier breakfast and began feeding small bites of it to Solan. As Solan was eating, he looked over and saw Gabrielle feeding the other baby. He was looking at the other baby as though wondering why his mommy was holding someone else and not him.

Suddenly Solan started to whine a little, trying to reach out for Gabrielle. He wanted his mommy to hold him and not that other baby. Xena was having quite a time with him as he was trying to twist out of her arms. "Solan, what is wrong?" she asked her son. Usually Solan was such a good boy and hardly ever cried. All the sudden, he was being so difficult.

"Mama... mama..." he started to cry.

"Ohhhh no, he wants you..." said Xena as it all started to sink in.

Solan was jealous.