Gabrielle's Family

"There it is," Xena told Naomi. Before Dawn she had used her power to create the illusion of wearing normal clothes. She had felt Drake leave the realm, hopefully safe and sound. The town was bustling when they arrived.

"We're not allowed to have horses, if they catch us…" Naomi started as they dismounted just outside the village before they reached the sentries Xena had sensed.

"What horses?" Xena interrupted. They were now leading very harmless and loveable dogs. The sentries stepped out and Xena got them pass saying that Potidaea was their hometown and they had been allowed to return.

"Perhaps even marry some young handsome and distinguished soldiers like yourselves," Xena said sending him an alluring look. Both sentries were fat and ugly. Naomi put on a brave front and kept her dislike hidden. One moved to grab Naomi.

"No," Xena said. "Not until the wedding. Come along dear." They walked pass the centuries.

"When I get the chance, remind me to take a long bath, just being near them made me feel dirty." Naomi nodded her agreement. They walked towards Gabrielle's parents' farm. The village was still spread out a bit though there was more of a common center to the village now that it was full of soldiers. Xena knocked on the door.

"Please we don't want any trouble," Herodotus said through the door.

"Herodotus, its me Xena."

"Xena!" He opened the door looked at her and looked out quickly to see if anyone was watching before ushering them both in. Hecuba stood up along with Lila and a ten-year-old blond girl.

"Xena, where's Gabrielle, we've waited ten years for you two. We were so worried especially when Caesar said he had massacre the amazons."

"Is my daughter alive, warrior?" Herodotus asked.

"Please sit there is a lot I must tell you," Xena told them.

"What?" Hecuba asked automatically sitting down and fearing the worst.

"First relax a little and take comfort in the fact that Gabrielle was never near Caesar. I'm afraid other matters have kept me away longer than I had anticipated in retrieving you from this hellhole. The amazons are very much a live or at least Gabrielle's tribe. That reminds me."

"But where, where could you all be hiding?" Lila asked.

"I know this will sound strange, but we've been in Arcadia. Time goes by slower than it does here. Two years is ten years here. I'm here to take you there, to Gabrielle."

"Has my daughter's death made you delusional or has it made me crazy?" Herodotus asked sitting down.

"Neither because she's not dead."

"Please believe my Aunt, its true."

"I believe you," the girl said. Xena smiled at her.

"And who are you?" Xena asked.

"I'm Sarah, Lila's daughter."

"Lila she's beautiful." Lila nodded.

"Thank you, I wanted to tell Gabrielle, but you guys disappeared after you were in Amphipolis."

"That's my fault, we went to Arcadia. Gabrielle was only meant to stay a little while than make her decision if she wanted to stay in Arcadia or return to Greece. Than things got out of control and we were all busy. Ephiny came back for the amazons, but she didn't have time to come for you guys or my brother and his family."

"Where were you?" Hecuba asked.

"Fighting a war, I was captured or I would have come here sooner. Right now Gabrielle is waiting for my arrival before we came here, but circumstances have urged me to come a little earlier. Its better she doesn't see Greece this way." Hecuba nodded.

"Show us some proof," Lila said. Xena reversed her illusion spell. They became aware of her chain mail.

"How do we know that's not the illusion."

"Than you have your proof." Xena created a ball of purple fire. They felt the heat from it.

"Please pack, I really must insist we get back to Arcadia by Dawn. It's night now there."

"But the soldiers, will know nothing until we have disappeared. You just wheel your wagon out to the fields and make it look as if there is nothing inside it." They packed wanting to believe her story more than they had a desire to stay in Potidaea.

"What about our friends?" Hecuba asked. "They deserve a chance to live as much as we do."

"This is the problem with saving someone, it never ends," Xena told Naomi. She turned to Hecuba. "Look Hecuba, I really would love to save them, but its not their time yet. However it is yours. Please hurry I have to get Naomi out of here before General Ving comes this way looking for her. They were just driving off into her portal when General Ving did appear. Xena fought him off.

"Xena!" He yelled with anger. Xena smirked at him as Argo raised on her hind legs as she drew her sword.

"Just go, you won't go anywhere without me and unless I make it so." Herodotus kept going with a nod. Xena charged the General and they clashed swords for several minutes before she slashed at his horse taking him down. He slashed and cut her side. The sword cut was so sharp, she didn't even feel it as she followed the wagon into the portal. She closed it behind her as the General just missed entering on foot. A very stupid mistake it would have been had he made it through.

"Where are we?" Sarah asked from her place next to Lila who held her hand in fear.

"In between time and realms, Sarah, we're in absolutely nothing that's the beauty of it." Purple swirled everywhere and soon the night sky appeared.

"I'm scared," Hecuba said.

"Everyone hang on to the rope, I installed."

"For what?" Naomi asked as they exited into the night sky. All anyone could hear was screaming on the camp below. Before Xena landed lightly and the wagon bounced several times before it halted and the horse remained unharmed.

"Xena!" Drake exclaimed with relief.

"Naomi!" Torres exclaimed.

Drake ran over to her just as she dismounted and almost immediately she felt the pain in her side and dropped to her hands and knees. She hadn't realized his blow had been enough cut even through her chain mail. Her hand was covered in blood when Drake reached her.

"Get the healer!" He shouted. He lifted Xena up bridal style and took her to their tent. Sarah now thrilled by the flying and the landing rushed after Xena despite Lila calling her. Naomi also followed ignoring her father who merely followed to see about his sister since it was clear that she was okay.

"Xena," Cyrene said fearfully.

"No, mother go get Gabrielle's family." Xena started coughing and blood appeared in her hand.

"Xena…"Cyrene started.

"Don't argue, I'll be fine." Cyrene sent a guard to get them and see to their needs. Her ladies were upon her with everything the healer could need. Sarah watched in fear a long with Naomi.

"Girls come on, let's give them room," Torres told them and ushered them out. But they both refused to go any farther than just outside the tent. Torres could see their eyes were filled with fear for his sister's life. She hadn't known either of them long, but they were full of admiration for her. They wanted to be just like her.

"Girls, who did this?" Torres asked.

"Auntie Xena stopped General Ving from following us into the purple energy," Naomi told him. "He must have gotten her, none of us noticed until she had fallen." Drake exited the tent.

"Is she all right?" Torres asked immediately. Drake nodded, but his fear was still there.

"The healer is sewing her back up now, the rest is up to her." He turned to the girls. "Did you see who attacked her?"

"She and General Ving fought briefly. She was holding him off so we could get into the portal," Naomi told him. Drake was holding her chakram gripped it tightly in anger and blood poured down it.

"Drake!" Fiona exclaimed coming over she made him release it and he came back to reality with fury still in his eyes. "Oh honey come on, let's get you cleaned up."

"No, I have to go back to Xena."

"I know how you feel, but you're no good to her injured." Fiona whisked him off to the healers empty tent and fixed his hand. Cyrene hurried pass Torres, her granddaughter, and Sarah.

"Why isn't she at least awake?" Drake asked the healer in the morning.

"Poison my lord, lucky for her she's immune to most, but still she's fighting it. We'll have to watch her more closely as infection can easily get in the wound." Drake nodded.

"Lady Daphne lead Lord Seymour and the others to the crime scene," Drake ordered. She nodded and went to gather them.

"Lord Seymour!" They heard her call.

"Cyrene…" Drake started.

"I'm not leaving my daughter, Drake."

"Why don't we just get her to the Amazons?" Lady Clara asked. "She'll get more rest there, than she will in Moscow. Too many shady people there right now."

"How long a ride is that?" Drake asked.

"At least another four days. Three days from the crime scene if I calculated correctly how far they traveled."

"I don't know, I want to stay with her."

"What do you recommend healer?" Cyrene asked.

"Moscow, its closer and we want to be sure the Queen doesn't catch cold, her body temperature is hot and she shivers like mad as if she were half Glacian at night."

"Yes, we did have to keep it quite hot in here last night."

"Fine than we head back to Moscow."

"Cyrene please take the girls to the Amazons, I want to know they're under double the guard among the amazons." Drake's eyes pleaded with Cyrene. She nodded as she looked down at her daughter.

"All right, but than I'm returning until I see that Xena is better." Drake nodded. Soon Cyrene had gathered everyone and met her last granddaughter Naomi who insisted on staying with her Aunt. Sarah through such a tantrum like Lila had never seen if she didn't get to stay that she had given in.

"I'll take good care of her," Naomi yelled after the wagon as they waved. Soon they were rushing back to the tent with Xena. There were still many guards surrounding the camp. They slept with the ladies in waiting that night.

"You'll still have to share with the ladies in waiting," Drake told them. They nodded and he showed them into the room. The room was very crowded with servants to the ladies and than the ladies themselves later that night. Drake employed a lady to look after them both.

"Drake," Xena called in the middle of the night.

"I'm right here," Drake said waking instantly and moving from his chair to the bed. He poured her a glass water from the pitcher on the bedside table. "Here drink some water. It's laced with an herb." Xena merely drank after he lifted her up. She coughed and he pulled the glass away. She beckoned for him to give it back when the fit had passed. Her mouth was so dry, like sandpaper. She figured it was from the poison that must have been on his sword or she wouldn't have been out for so long.

"Eve, Melody?" She asked not being able to get out much else at the moment, she was still very weak.

"Safely with the amazons by now, I urged your mother to take them. Sarah and Naomi have become quite taken with you and demanded to stay." Xena groaned.

"They should be with her mother and my brother."

"They insisted on staying with their Auntie Xena."

"Shut up." Drake smiled at her and kissed her forehead.

"You gave us all a scare."

"Sorry." She tried to sit up more. He pulled her up rather than let her waste her energy. He pulled her right onto his lap and into his arms so her head was resting on his chest. She listened to his heartbeat in time with her breathing.

"Better?"

"Much," Xena answered. She was still hot, but he was becoming immune to it, Lady Daphne had told him as her true love he would soon become immune to her difference in body temperature and things would feel normal instead of him pulling away because she was too hot or cold.

"I thought you'd be comfortable here."

"Who were the nobles on the ground?" Xena asked.

"There are mostly rich nobility around here with no actual title. Just rich lands you know. Five of them were these men, the other five were residents of Moscow. So there were Masters Brown, Swan, Rinehart, Polley, and Bates that died. Masters Snyder, Bernsten, Newman, Finn, and Kenney are being investigated now. They're the only five other nobles who couldn't be accounted for until the morning of your return according to servants."

"Now what?"

"I've confiscated the five dead man's lands, all of them were very greedy individuals that treated the people on their land bad. I've appointed some good men from Moscow as stewards. The lands are there to do with as you please."

"Hmm…I want to know why they attacked me, they can't hate me that much to risk their lives. I'm more valuable alive than I am dead. Especially since you wouldn't necessarily take over Glacial or Sultry at my death. Eve would inherit."

"Didn't you mention something about them grabbing at Eve on our way to Greece?" Drake asked. Xena nodded.

"Maybe they were going to marry themselves to her or something."

"No, as King and Queen she can't wed unless we say so, otherwise she's not wed. There's no such thing as eloping here. Besides she's way too young to take her vows or even…" Drake shuddered to think about it. Xena did as well.

"I know and for that I'm glad."

"Maybe they were going to use her as a bargaining chip. I mean the smartest thing to do would be to marry you not Eve."

"And Melody as well, they went after Lady Nava, but they may have just wanted to keep her from coming back here had they succeeded. I imagine I was supposed to be captured as well. Feeling hopeless it was their hope I'd agree to whatever it is they wanted."

"Being this is the north I would bet on marriage. Marriage by capture, they'll force you into bed and lie…"

"Lie?" Xena asked.

"They tell the girl that because they've already had sex, that they're now legally married. Of course the girls from the south don't know that and so she marries him for real. That's why people with family up here like the Marquis Holt's family were reluctant to bring Colleen up here, turns out they guarded her so much from everyone else, they forgot to watch Barney as the Marquis tells it. He hopes to get his sister and niece back to the south."

"Poor woman, her own cousin." Drake nodded.

"You know what you should do," Drake said.

"What?" Xena asked.

"Invite her to tea and her daughter too, just the ladies. Yes their aren't many noble women up here, most can't stand it at all up here and residents who have daughters usually move and if they grow up here, they'll be sending them to work in the capital soon enough when they can work. With luck even married to a nice man who didn't steal her."

"Why, I'm recovering from a wound."

"That's my point. You need company besides, most of your ladies in waiting are gone. I want you to relax and have tea in the parlor tomorrow, I'll formally invite the ladies myself."

"I'd rather stay in bed in your arms all day tomorrow than do that if you don't mind."

"Okay sure, but you have to at least have dinner with her." Xena groaned.

"You're not going to give up are you?"

"No."

"Well forget it, I want nothing to do with the northern Holts. Especially Lord Holt." Drake smiled it seemed time away from Lord Holt had lessened his effect on Xena to the point of dislike or loathing as it sounded like.

"Please, I'll be your best buddy."

"You are my best buddy and before you go on you're my husband, lover, caretaker, and my hero." Drake was touched.

"I love you."

"I love you too," Xena said lifting her head to receive the kiss she knew was coming. He kissed her. "The answer is still no."

"Really perhaps I didn't kiss you right than." He delivered great torturous kisses to her lips.

"You're going to have to do better than cowboy."

"Is than a challenge?" Drake asked.

"Always."

"Too bad, because you're tired and I don't want to exhaust you."

"You could never exhaust me, you're the one always exhausted," Xena teased. She moved out of his lap and onto the bed.

"You're trying to tempt me, but you're injured and don't need this right now."

"Yes, I do, it'll make me feel better." The truth was Xena was very exhausted and in her mind she had suddenly figured out the answer to her hormonal problem. She had remembered the spell that bitch had put on her. It had effected her more than she had realized.

"No."

"Please, you can go…"

"What?" Drake asked. Xena forced herself to say slow.

"You can go slow if it'll make you feel better." Drake raised an eyebrow at her.

"But you hate it when I go slow, its like torture for you. Good torture, but torture none the less."

"I know, but I'm willing to deal."

"In that case I'll start from the bottom and work my way up." Xena groaned more from pleasure at the thought of it. She hated it when he did that because it was so mind blowing.

"Are you sure about this?" Drake asked as she undid his shirt.

"Yes, just be very gentle, I'm not exactly a non-virgin anymore."

"I get it twice."

"Lucky me." He kissed her again but than stopped.

"I can't do this."

"What?" Xena asked as he backed off and closed his shirt.

"I can't do this, I mean this isn't the first time obviously, but I just can't take it like this, you're not even turned on. I'm not quite sure why you want me too right now. Do you feel obligated to, because if you do I said if at any time you feel obligated to sleep with me don't."

"No, this isn't about me feeling obligated. I just want my hormones to go back to normal."

"Sex, won't solve that problem."

"In this case it will, that's what his mother wanted. My hormones are haywire because she turned me back into a virgin. I mean do you remember our first time." Drake was silent as he retreated back to his memories.

"Damn you were moody as hell in private sometimes until…"

"Yeah, I'm not sure she meant for that to happen, maybe make me easier to handle by Ubel if I wanted it. But I suddenly feel like I have twenty-four years worth of tension. I didn't know it until now, but its sexual tension mixed with the awful virgin shyness, which is why I've been avoiding you every time you make advances." Xena nearly cried.

"Okay, I understand how you feel, but second time being a virgin or not, you'll regret it if you lose it this way. Let's just get through the year, and on our wedding night, I'll exhaust you," Drake promised. He kissed her.

"Promise?" Xena asked after returning the kiss.

"Yep, in the mean time there are other ways to release all that sexual tension." Xena kissed him again and lay back.

"Acupuncture," Xena said. "This is your idea of releasing tension."

"Yeah, I studied this in Chin," Drake said getting the very tiny and thin needles out as Xena lay on her stomach.

"You're so full of shit, and I don't know, I've never seen you try this on anyone else, why should I trust you on this too?"

"Because I love you and would never do anything to intentionally kill you."

"In that case forget the acupuncture, I'd rather have tea with Colleen and her daughter Penelope than let you give me acupuncture." Drake grinned.

"Okay that's a fair trade off, I'll go send a messenger." Drake left out quickly.

"Damn it, I just got tricked. She pulled her night dress down to cover her back again as she got comfortable. Drake soon returned looking rather pleased with himself and brought over the medical supplies.

"I had better check your wound."

"I don't know maybe the healer outta take care of me. You like to trick me." Xena pouted just so he would feel bad.

"Oh I'm sorry honey, but your pout isn't going to work this time," He told her as she stroked her hair out of her face for a second. "Now come on, I have to make sure you don't get an infection."

"You're not fun." Drake grinned.

"I promise that after the wedding you'll be changing those words."

"You always say that."

"And you always do."

"Whatever just do it already." She lifted up her night dress again, but this time to expose her wound. He cleaned it, which stung a little and wrapped it.

"Did you put the poultice on it?" Xena asked.

"Yes, love I did, I've been doing this for several days I remembered to do it." Xena smiled.

"Awwe my baby is becoming a regular little healer." Drake grinned at her teasing and put the healer supplies away.

"Yes, I am aren't I." Xena nodded and kissed them. They spent the better part of the night making out until she was finally able to sleep. The herb had done more to keep her up than help her rest as she healed.

"Did she wake up?" Sarah asked a tired Drake.

"Only for a little while," Drake told her. Sarah looked sad.

"Will you tell me when she wakes up and not just for a little while?"

"Of course, I think she'll wake up later and you can join her for tea, you and Naomi. Lady Colleen and Penelope will be there too."

"Oh goody, I'll go tell Naomi." Sarah ran off as Lord Milton walked up to Drake.

"Lord Milton make sure the ghost is ready." Milton nodded and hurried off.

"What are you so excited about?" Naomi asked. She was in the library, but there wasn't much of a selection in Moscow.

"Auntie Xena is having tea later today, Uncle Drake expects she'll be up for tea at noon I think. He says there'll be two real ladies there as well." Sarah was excited to be going to her first royal tea party.

"But we can't go we look like villagers," Naomi said.

"We are villagers."

"I know, but Aunt Xena is a Queen, we can't embarrass her dressed like this."

"Oh," Sarah said sadly.

"I know you're sad, but it's for the best." Sarah left out with her head hung low. She didn't notice that the bedroom door to Xena and Drake's room was wide open. Xena was lying with her eyes closed when she heard weeping. She saw Sarah pass by the door as she opened her eyes.

"Sarah," She called. "Sarah!" Sarah heard her and turned back around. She poked her head inside the door trying to look cheery.

"Yes, Auntie?" Sarah asked.

"Come here and close the door behind you." Sarah did as she was told. Xena sat up grimacing a little as pain shot through her body. There was no herb to numb the pain at the moment, Drake and went to get some more from the healer. She motioned for Sarah to sit on the bed, which she did. Her dress had now been washed properly, but it was the same one she had arrived in. Through she had two other rough woolen dresses.

"Are you okay?" Sarah asked.

"Yes, I'll be fine, but I wanted to know why you were crying." Sarah looked away with her head down as she twiddled her thumbs. "Come on just like your Aunt Gabby you can tell me anything."

"Uncle Drake invited us to your tea party," Sarah said. Xena smiled at how Drake had been affectionately label Uncle by the ten-year-old.

"So than why were you crying?" Xena asked.

"Because Naomi said that we couldn't go."

"Why did she say that?" Xena asked puzzled.

"She said since their would be two noble ladies there, that we would embarrass you be wearing the clothes of a villager."

"You are a villager though I suspect you'll be an Amazon soon."

"I don't want to be an Amazon, I want to be a noble lady like you who fights." Xena smiled.

"A child after my own heart," Xena laughed. Sarah giggled a little too. "Look you wouldn't embarrass me if you came in dressed in rags, you're my unofficial niece, and Naomi is my niece. You're nobility in my book."

"I'd feel uncomfortable now in this, though I do really want to go Aunt Xena." Xena laughed.

"Okay I can take a hint." Sarah grinned and kissed her cheek.

"Thank you Aunt Xena, I love you."

"I bet you do." Sarah grinned again as Drake walked in. She ran over to him and pulled on his shirt.

"Uncle Drake, Uncle Drake will you take me and Naomi shopping for beautiful dresses to wear to the tea party?" Sarah asked excitedly.

"What's wrong with what you're wearing?" Drake asked. Sarah stopped moving and looked down sadly as she dug her booted foot into the floor.

"Everything," She muttered which made Xena laugh and than grab her side in pain.

"Oh I see well I'd be happy to take you and Naomi for a pretty dress each after I help your Aunt." Sarah nodded and ran out happily. Once Xena had eaten and drank some of the herb he was satisfied enough to leave her alone for an hour or two to shop with the girls.

"See you in two hours at the most." Xena shook her head at his stupidity, he had forgotten that one of them was a teenage girl.

"Why did you let me do that?" Drake asked as she sent a letter full of instructions to the Chancellor of the University.

"I don't know, learning experience?" Xena asked. Drake was silent.

"Okay I'll take that excuse."

"Help me dress, I sent my ladies out hawking for the day with the orphans, they were to noisy." Drake nodded and helped her in a nice loose lavender dress after a bath. She leaned on him for support as they walked to the parlor. Xena was still feeling very weak and her body was working to fight off the last of the poison. They heard screaming as they entered her parlor. Naomi and Sarah were already there looking very beautiful. Lady Colleen and her daughter looked pleased and happy to be invited to tea.

"If you'll excuse me ladies I'll go see what all that is." They nodded. Xena looked at the servant who began to serve tea.

"So Lady Colleen tell me about yourself."