AN: wow guys, I made it to 50 chapters lol. I really liked writing this one, hope everyone enjoys ;)
Chapter 50 –Next of Kin
Eve sat in her old bedroom at the desk and tried writing a letter to Samuel for over two hours. Every draft she wrote she crumbled up and threw them on the floor. Groaning she folded her arms staring at the blank parchment and quill. She didn't want to tell Samuel through a letter, it was really impersonal but her mother convinced her to stay here for awhile, she didn't know how long that might be. Though, she enjoyed staying here with her and missed her and Gabrielle as well as her children.
She had been in Rome for a week now and hoped that everything went well in Persia considering that Samuel was supposed to meet with Nimrood to call off the attacks like she told him. Samuel really wanted to win, but he had never been in a war before and was not very experienced. She hoped that he listened to her, after all, she was his advisor, though she suspected that her role as vizier and wife was a hindrance on their business relationship. He often spoke to her like a wife more than a vizier, which could cloud his decisions, but she was really firm, or at least she tried to be.
A knock came to her door and she saw Gabrielle enter the room, "how's the writing?" her eyes glanced down at the floor, seeing over twenty crumbled parchments everywhere. "Not good?" she smirked.
Eve sighed heavily, "Gabrielle, I don't know what to say to him!" she buried her face in her hands. Gabrielle came beside her, rubbing her back gently.
"Just tell him how you feel!" she said and Eve glanced up at her with watery eyes. "Don't cry," she smiled and wiped Eve's cheeks with her fingers. "Maybe this news will take his mind off of the war."
"Or it will distract him," Eve sighed heavily. "I can't be his vizier, Gabrielle. It's too stressful to be a wife, a princess and a vizier."
Gabrielle nodded and pulled up a chair, sitting close to her. "But you are very good at it," she smiled and Eve grinned weakly. "Remember the war between us and Octavius?" she asked and the princess nodded. "When Xena was really sick or whatever you want to call that..." she chuckled, "you wanted to control everything and even took your mother's place, even though me and Samuel advised against it. You were so determined to help even if it meant facing Xena's wrath, you didn't care and did it anyway!"
Eve smiled, remembering her mother's face. "She was so angry with me." She sniffled, "but that was different. Persia is different than Greece, Gabrielle. Samuel is still the king and my words don't mean anything over there, especially with Hatima there. She is still Queen. I'm just a princess there."
Gabrielle shook her head, "you're not just a princess, Eve. You are the wife of a powerful king! Your word obviously means something if he was willing to listen to you. Your opinion is special to him and he cares about you, we all do." She looked at Eve's distressed face, "I can write the letter for you if you want?"
Eve chuckled, "no Gabrielle, I will write him myself," she grabbed the quill and dipped it in the ink. Sighing, she wrote down his name first then stared at the blank parchment. "Do you think he will be upset?"
The blonde raised an eyebrow at her disbelief. "I doubt it. He wasn't upset the first time, was he?" Eve shook her head and began writing some more. Gabrielle stood up and started to leave the room to let Eve write in peace.
Eve turned, "Gabrielle..." she called out and the woman turned around. "Would you stay here with me? I mean just so I can finish the letter and maybe you could read it –"
"I will stay," she smiled and sat back down beside her. Eve's lips curled up in a big smile and continued writing slowly as Gabrielle watched her.
Outside in the gardens Xena decided to teach Layla and Luca how to use a weapon and plus it would give Luca something to do to channel his wildness in order to calm him down. They both had small staffs and she paced in front of them, holding a larger staff of her own.
"Now, when the enemy is close to you, you don't want to leave any spots open for an attack," she began and both children's eyes went back and forth, watching her pace around.
Luca frowned, "but what if the enemy is bigger than you?" he asked, feeling hopeless already.
Xena smiled and stopped a few feet in front of them. "Size doesn't matter, as long as you know how to strike at the right time," she said and both of them looked incredibly nervous. Layla seemed more excited than Luca, though she saw his eyes were wild and he would probably be harder to train. She walked up to Luca and grabbed his staff firmly. "This is your weapon. It is your best friend."
He nodded, "my best friend?" he looked at the staff confusedly. "But it's just a stick."
"Anything can be a weapon, Luca," she swiftly knocked the staff out of his hands with her own staff and his eyes widened.
Layla's eyes grew and she smiled, "how did you do that?!" she was eager to learn now and Luca picked up his staff, frowning up at his grandmother.
"I will teach you, but you must be patient," she firmly said and both of them stared up at her. She smiled and walked a few feet backward, "alright then," she lowered herself, bending her legs holding the staff behind her. "Come attack me," her eyes narrowed and the twins looked at one another, bemused at what she said.
Luca frowned, still angry that she kicked his staff out of his hands so easily, he ran towards her with the staff and she side stepped him. He grunted and she smiled down at him, twirling the staff in her hand. He ran at her again and she blocked his attack easily then swiped the staff under his feet and he fell on his back, gawking at the sky above.
Xena walked forward and stared down at him, seeing his eyes slowly filling with tears. "Warriors don't cry," she winked and extended her hand to help him up. He stopped then grabbed her hand. "Are you alright?" she asked as she kept in mind he was just a child and very young as well. He nodded and wiped his eyes then she threw his staff to him. He ran back to go stand by his sister.
Layla smiled, stepping forward, "I want to try!" she came forward and Xena smirked at her, ready for her attack. The girl circled around Xena slowly then swung the staff, hitting Xena in her shins and hard too. The empress cringed and then stared down at Layla's devious smile. The girl ran through in between her legs then stabbed her in the back with the blunt end of the staff.
Xena grunted and rubbed her back, turning around to see Layla with a smug look on her face. She smiled and came forward thrusting the staff at Layla but she blocked it easily, without any effort at all. Surprised that her granddaughter was so skilled in this art, she let her guard down and Layla ran forward and wacked Xena right in her midsection. Xena winced, wrapping her arm around her as the throbbing pain continued.
Layla smiled and slammed the staff on the ground, "how did I do?!"
Xena breathed heavily and smiled weakly at the girl, "very...good," she croaked.
Gabrielle leaned on the column outside and saw that a little girl had beat Xena, which was impressive. "Where did you learn those moves?" she chuckled and Layla smiled at her. She saw Xena was still in pain, though she tried to hide it. "You let your own granddaughter best you, Xena!" she couldn't get over the look on her face.
Xena rolled her eyes, "I was distracted," she ran her fingers through her dark hair and Gabrielle nodded with a smug look on her face.
"Number one lesson, guys!" she said and the two ran up to her, "never let yourself become distracted in the middle of a fight or you'll end up...like that," she pointed to Xena and the two children giggled. Xena sighed and twirled the staff in her wrist, ignoring Gabrielle, feeling a bit embarrassed at herself.
"Gabrielle's right, you can't get distracted or you'll end up dead," Xena said and the two stopped giggling, seeing how serious she was. "Alright I think that's enough for today," she walked over and grabbed the two staffs from the children.
Luca frowned, "we can do it again tomorrow?" he hoped and Layla nodded, agreeing with her brother.
Xena smiled, "sure," the two children ran inside the palace and she winced. Gabrielle took the three staffs and leaned them up against the wall. "That girl is better than Eve when she was her age..." she rubbed her stomach and Gabrielle chuckled.
"You'll probably have a bruise," she linked arms with Xena and both walked inside together.
Luca and Layla ran up once they saw their mother walking straight towards them. "Mommy, guess what!" Layla said and Eve smiled down at them both.
"What?" she asked, seeing the excited faces.
"I hit teta with my staff three times!" she said excitedly and Eve's eyes widened.
"You did what?" she looked behind them and saw her mother walking in with Gabrielle.
Xena saw the worried look on her daughter's face, "we were just practicing some fighting techniques..." she stared at Layla as she beamed. Eve relaxed once she heard that, placing her hand over her chest, exhaling heavily.
Layla put her hands on her small hips, "but I got you really good!" she said.
Xena nodded, "yes you certainly did..." she sighed and Gabrielle chuckled.
Eve shook her head and knelt down in front of her children, "why don't you two go to your room and get ready for your bath?" she said and both of them sighed, not wishing to take a bath right now, though they obeyed her and kissed her cheeks then ran off to their room together. Eve stood up and folded her arms at her mother, "are you okay?" she asked.
"I'm fine," Xena said waving her hand, dismissing the entire thing. "Stop worrying about me, Eve," she smiled and Eve kept staring at her. "Did you write the letter to Samuel?"
Eve looked to Gabrielle with a shy smile, "yes I did. I sent it off awhile ago. He should receive it in a few weeks."
"Good," she bobbed her head and pat her daughter's shoulder, "I'm going to my room. Don't bother me," she walked off wincing at the pain still present. Gabrielle chuckled and Xena called out, "Gabrielle!"
"Coming!" the blonde ran after Xena and Eve sighed heavily as she saw the two talking with one another, or rather arguing playfully.
A couple of hours passed and Xena had washed her hair, spending a long time in the baths. She looked at herself in the mirror and saw a huge purple bruise on her abdomen and shook her head. Gabrielle took the towel off her hair and saw the bruise on Xena's stomach.
"Whoa!" she came up and looked closer at it. Xena frowned and Gabrielle touched it, causing Xena to tense up.
"Don't touch it!" she slapped her hand away and wrapped the robe around her body, tying the sash around her waist. She then sat on her bed and began combing her long hair.
Gabrielle chuckled, "you're such a baby sometimes," she rubbed her wet locks and Xena sat sulking. "How does it feel to be beaten by a girl who is twice as small as you?" she said and the empress glared up at her, combing her hair harder.
"I told you, I was distracted..." she hated to admit.
Gabrielle sat beside her and snatched the comb from her hands. She began combing through Xena's wet hair, "you're just out of practice that's all," she smirked, enjoying this moment. She hardly ever saw Xena beaten and especially by a little girl! It was great. She would remember this moment forever.
"Maybe it's a good thing that I am out of practice," she chuckled under her breath.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Gabrielle asked, stopping combing her hair.
Xena turned to her, "I don't have to fight anyone anymore, Gabrielle. I rather have my ass handed to me by my own granddaughter than a Roman any day," she teased and the blonde smiled, then kissed her cheek softly.
"She was pretty good!" Gabrielle admitted and Xena nodded, still a bit embarrassed. "She will be a great warrior one day."
"I don't think Eve would want her to be a warrior, Gabrielle," she mused.
Gabrielle shrugged, "she's Eve's daughter, I don't think she would be able to control her when she comes of age."
Xena nodded, "yes...Eve was the same way. I would like to be around to see that happen!" she joked and Gabrielle agreed with her. "Although Luca...I imagine he will be quite a handful by the time he is a teenager."
"He definitely has a wild spirit. Hopefully he grows out of that phase before he is a teenager," she smiled and kept combing Xena's hair.
"He reminds me of myself. I always bossed my brothers around and they hated me for it. even when I was sixteen, I fought Toris for a bag of...apples," she sighed, thinking of those simpler times.
Gabrielle laughed out loud, "you fought your brother for a bag of apples?!"
Xena smirked, "it wasn't about the apples. I just wanted to fight. Spoiler, I won," she chuckled softly.
"Of course you did," Gabrielle finished combing her hair and laid down on the bed, staring at the ceiling. "Do you miss them?" she asked as Xena still had her back to her.
The empress turned around with sorrowful eyes, "yes I do. I wish they could be here with me sometimes to see how much I have changed..."
Gabrielle crawled over on the bed and wrapped her arm around Xena. "I think they are watching you all the time," she smiled softly and Xena turned her with tear filled eyes. "They would be very proud of you," she winked and the empress smiled weakly, lowering her gaze.
"I still wish I could see them one last time," she sighed and Gabrielle rubbed her chin, thinking of an idea she would have to save for later.
Susa, Persia
Hatima received a letter from Rome and knew it was from Xena, obviously. She walked into her son's bedroom and saw he was at his desk writing and signing important documents. He returned from Scythia a few weeks ago and Nimrood agreed to his truce and promised not to attack the borders anymore. She knew that took a deep blow to her son's ego, but she knew that Eve's decision to do this was for the best. Eve knew more about war than Samuel did because of Xena.
Samuel finished signing the last document and his councilmen left the room carrying the large stack of parchment. He smiled softly at his mother. "More documents?" he sighed, feeling exhausted.
She grinned, "a letter from Rome," she handed it to him and he grabbed it instantly, now not feeling so drained anymore. He smiled, seeing that the letter was written by Eve. He recognized her handwriting anywhere as he had seen her write many letters over the years for him.
He stood up, frowning as he continued to read over the letter. Hatima raised an eyebrow and immediately thought something bad happened. He plopped back down in his chair and ran his fingers through his wavy hair, exhaling deeply. His mother leaned down and he stared up at her with wide eyes. "Eve is pregnant," he said softly.
"What?!" Hatima grabbed the letter and read it for herself. A smile graced her lips, "Samuel, this is great news!" she peered down at her son and saw he wasn't too thrilled. "What's the matter? Aren't you happy?"
He nodded, "I am happy!" he stood up and began pacing around his room. His mother then sat down in his chair and kept staring at him, nervously pacing. "I just wish she was here with me...and the children too," he groaned, feeling frustrated. He slammed his fist against the wall, "but Xena wants her to stay there for awhile. She always does this!"
Hatima sighed and walked over to her son, placing a hand on his shoulder, "Samuel, Xena is Eve's mother and she only wants to protect her."
"But Eve is married to me! She belongs here, not in...Rome!" he scoffed, folding his arms.
The queen frowned, "stop acting like this, Samuel. Now that the war is at a hiatus, I think you should go to Rome and see Eve and your children." She said and he breathed more normally now, relaxing as his gripped his shoulder firmly.
He turned around, looking in his mother's big green eyes. "What will I say to them? They don't even know me."
Hatima smiled, "I'm sure they will love you. You will have to meet them eventually."
He instantly felt a knot in his stomach and became extremely nervous. He had not seen his children since they were babies and they were five years old now. They probably looked like Eve, he imagined. Eve said that Luca had black wavy hair and Layla had red brown long hair. Both had green eyes and he smiled, thinking about meeting them, though he was afraid that they wouldn't like him.
"Alright, I will leave tomorrow," he kissed his mother's cheeks, "thank you."
"shall I write a letter to Eve about your arrival?" she asked as he grabbed his cloak, getting ready to leave.
He smiled, "yes! I have some things to take care of before I leave," he left his room as the guards opened the doors. He marched out of his room to inform his general that he would be leaving for awhile.
Palmyra, Assyria
Allat walked into his bedroom and saw Solan sleeping in the bed comfortably. He had half the sheets covering his bare body and his mouth wide open. He smirked and opened the curtains, letting all the sunlight in. Solan stirred awake and groaned, covering his eyes. "What the hell?" he mumbled and rolled over on his side.
"Too much wine for you?" the king chuckled and Solan grumbled, covering himself with the blankets. Allat climbed onto the bed and tapped the blonde prince's shoulder. "I have a letter from your little sister."
Solan turned over with a big smile on his face, "really?" he grabbed the letter from Allat's hand and ripped open the seal. He read over the short message and sighed heavily. "That Persian keeps getting my sister pregnant."
Allat's eyes widened, snatching the letter so he could read it for himself. "I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner!" he laughed and Solan hit his arm. "Ouch, jeez."
"That's my sister you're talking about," he frowned and Allat smirked. He sat up and leaned on the pillows with his arms behind him. "Remind me to kill Samuel later," he smiled and Allat rolled his eyes.
Allat stood up and threw Solan's clothes at him, "we should go to Rome see her!" he said and Solan thought about it for moment. "I'm sure she misses you a lot."
Solan lifted his brows and smiled, "well, I'm the best brother ever," he said arrogantly. He saw the Assyrian with a doubtful look on his face. "Okay fine, we will go to Rome," he rolled his eyes. "I wonder how my mother is doing with those two monsters."
Allat shook his head, "I feel bad for her. If they're anything like Eve when she was a kid, I could only imagine how those two turned out."
"Well, they're definitely not little angels that's for sure." Solan got out of bed and began dressing himself, yawning, still quite tired from last night. "Eve was a devil child –spoiled little brat," he shook his head remembering those days when Eve was a child. She was quite a handful. "I was always the one stuck babysitting her while my mother went off and did her politicking and crap."
Allat chuckled, "and look at her now!"
"Yeah, now she's a big spoiled brat," Solan laughed and hooked arms with Allat, walking out of the bedroom. "We should bring gifts for Luca and Layla! I'm sure my mother and my sister have spoiled them, but...what kid doesn't like gifts?" he smirked.
A few weeks passed and Eve had received the letter from Hatima, saying that Samuel would be coming to Rome. She was sure he would arrive at any time today, as some of her mother's men told her that they saw a large Persian entourage enter Rome a few hours ago.
Eve made sure to dress Luca and Layla in their best clothes. Both wore black and gold accented outfits. Layla wore a long dress, matching Eve's and Luca wore a black tunic with gold pants. She bent down and fixed Layla's sash around her small waist and fixed Luca's hair.
Luca frowned, "mommy, stop it," he slapped his mother's hand away from his hair. "I look fine!" he pouted.
She grinned, "I know you do," she moved to Layla and ran her fingers through her daughter's wavy hair.
Layla stared into her mother's eyes, "do you think he will like us?" she asked softly.
Eve frowned and brushed her hand along Layla's cheek. "Of course he will, don't worry," she kissed her forehead then grabbed both of their hands, walking towards the entrance together.
Xena and Gabrielle waited by the entrance watching them walk down the hallway. "They clean up nicely," Gabrielle whispered.
"I'll give them an hour before they ruin those outfits," Xena smiled and Gabrielle shook her head.
Samuel rode up to the Roman fortress on a big black stallion with a caravan following behind him and his ten royal guardsmen trailing beside him. He smiled seeing Eve waiting for him and the two children glued to her legs.
He halted his horse and jumped off, eager to get to Eve. He felt like he hadn't seen her in forever, even though it had only been barely two months since she left Persia. He walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her small frame and kissed her lips generously.
Luca and Layla looked up at their parents with wide eyes. Luca clutched onto his mother's dress and Eve pulled away from Samuel.
"How are you?" he asked, brushing a tendril behind her ear.
"I'm fine," she said and looked down at the two scared children, holding onto her dress. "I have two very special people that want to meet you," she smiled and knelt down in between the two children. She pushed them forward gently and their eyes were wide, staring up at Samuel.
He smiled down at them and thought that Luca definitely looked a lot like Eve, though Layla's hair reminded him of Eve's and she had his own mother's face. Both had green eyes, matching his and Hatima's. he knelt down and stared at their big eyes. "Hello," he said and both children remained quiet, frozen. Layla grabbed Luca's hand and they came closer together. He looked up to Eve, feeling a bit intimidated by his own children and their lack of her response. She smiled at him and urged him to keep talking to them.
"I'm sorry I haven't been able to see you both," he said and they kept staring at him blankly. "Your mother tells me stories about you two when she comes back to Persia!"
Luca finally smiled a little, though Layla remained skeptical. Samuel reached forward and touched Layla's dress. "That's a pretty dress you have there. Where did you get it?"
Layla smiled as her cheeks blushed, "Gabby got it for me."
He smiled at her, "ah Gabrielle, of course," he nodded. "You know...in Persia I can give you a thousand dresses, even better than this one," he winked and she finally smiled largely.
Luca stepped forward and touched his father's black robes, "when can we go to Persia?"
Samuel looked to Eve and she folded her arms. "Well, I will have to talk to your mother first, but I think you will really like it there." He poked Luca's nose and the child blushed.
"Are there cookies in Persia?" Luca slyly asked.
Eve frowned, "Luca!" she snapped and the boy's eyes grew in fear and Samuel chuckled at him. Obviously cookies were a big problem here.
"There's not a lot of cookies in Persia, I'm afraid," he saw disappointment on his son's face. "But we do have this dessert called helva," he said and Luca's eyes lit up. Eve buried her face in her hands and Samuel saw she disapproved and he smirked. "It's a block of sugar filled with nuts and honey. I think you would like it very much."
Luca's mouth gaped and turned to look up at his mother, "mommy, do they have hel...hel," he frowned, "what is it called?" he whispered to his father.
"Helva," Samuel said, enjoying his son's excitement, though Eve wasn't too thrilled about it.
The boy nodded, "right, helva. Do they have that here?" he asked with a big cheesy grin.
"Gods, I hope not..." Eve muttered. "Luca, what did we talk about?" she folded her arms.
Luca sighed dramatically, "no sweets for a whole month, I know, I know," he frowned.
Samuel smiled and turned to Layla as she was being very quiet. "You don't like sweets very much do you?" he asked and she shook her head, a bit shy to look at him. "What do you like?" he grabbed her hand and she smiled softly.
"I like horses," she said and he nodded, seeing the excitement slowly overcome her. "Gabby lets me ride her horse sometimes. It's really big and white too!"
"Oh really?" he said and she bobbed her head. "Well, I can get you all the horses you want. In every color, too!" he said and the girl's eyes widened. He then grabbed her hand and kissed it gently. She smiled brightly then Luca grabbed his hand.
"Me and Layla can show you our room!" he began pulling his father up the steps and Layla held his hand, walking up the stairs with them.
Eve sighed and walked up the stairs and saw her mother and Gabrielle standing by the entrance, watching the entire time. Xena smirked, "I think they like him."
"I hope so," Eve said and ran her fingers through her hair.
"I knew Luca couldn't resist asking about cookies," Gabrielle chuckled.
Eve frowned, not quite happy that her son was so hooked on sweets. She looked at both women, "who's idea was it to give him cookies in the first place?"
Gabrielle's eyes slowly went to Xena and Eve folded her arms, glaring at her mother. Xena looked at both of them and smiled nervously. "What?" she said and Eve kept staring at her waiting for an explanation. "Like I could say no to that boy, give me a break."
"Mother!" Eve rubbed her forehead.
Xena wrapped her arm around Eve and made her walk with her down the hallway. "They're just cookies, Eve. Don't get so upset about it," she nervously tried to defend herself.
Gabrielle gasped, "Xena are you serious?!" she ran up to them and began walking backwards in front of them. "You yelled at me for giving Eve a piece of cake when she was six years old!"
"Oh yes, I remember that," Eve smiled and then cringed, thinking of her mother's horrifying face at the time when she was caught with a large piece of cake.
Xena snarled at Gabrielle, "that was different. She already had eaten the entire cake...without me knowing about it!" she said and then Gabrielle was about to protest, then realized that Eve was definitely a troublemaker back then and had forgotten what a handful she used to be. "And then she threw it up later...in my room."
Eve sighed, rolling her eyes, "can we not talk about that right now?"
"Oh no I think we should talk about it since Gabrielle likes to bring these things up," Xena challenged Gabrielle and the blonde smiled, nodding her head.
"Alright, alright," Gabrielle hooked arms with Xena, "you also yelled at me for giving Eve watermelon on her birthday."
Xena smiled, "yes and then she also threw up but on me that time."
"Well, I didn't expect her to eat the entire bowl..." Gabrielle scoffed.
Eve was starting to feel sick the more those two spoke about these incidents. "Can we please stop talking about this?" she begged.
Xena looked to Gabrielle, "or how about that time you gave wine to her when she was sixteen?" Gabrielle then lowered her eyes now feeling embarrassed.
"I didn't know she was going to drink the entire bottle!"
Eve cringed and felt her stomach already churning at the thought of those memories rushing through her mind. "I would really appreciate it...if you stop talking," she said firmly. Gabrielle bit her bottom lip and Xena almost forgot and pat her daughter's hand.
"We're sorry, Eve," Xena said and kissed her daughter's cheek. "You should go rest for awhile."
Eve nodded, "I think I might just do that..." she walked off by herself with her arms folded, trying not to think about anything else but the bed.
"Gosh, Gabrielle, way to go," Xena teased and walked off without her. Gabrielle's jaw dropped.
"Whoa, wait a minute!" she ran up to her, "this is my fault now? You're the one that gave cookies to Luca and now he's obsessed with them!"
Xena sighed, "let it go Gabrielle."
"No!" Gabrielle began mocking Xena, "don't give Eve cake, she'll get sick," she began and Xena sighed heavily, "don't give Eve watermelon, she'll get sick," she folded her arms defiantly.
Xena chuckled, "it seems you have a knack for making my daughter sick, Gabrielle. Exhibit A," she jested and Gabrielle gasped loudly.
"It's not my fault that she's pregnant," Gabrielle said.
"No that would be Samuel's department," Xena answered slyly and Gabrielle rolled her eyes.
"I don't remember you being sick at all when you carried Eve," she thought about all the times and couldn't think of one time either. "But you ate a lot," she chuckled and Xena shot her a glare. "It took you forever to get your figure back!" she now started laughing and Xena frowned, not really liking how Gabrielle kept on and on, teasing her.
"Yes, I remember..." Xena mumbled. Gabrielle's laughter died down as she saw the disapproving look on her face.
She cleared her throat, "but you still looked beautiful of course," she added trying to save herself. Xena hummed to herself quietly, ignoring Gabrielle. She then started chuckling again, "but your hips were huge for like...a year!"
"Gabrielle!" Xena yelled finally and the blonde shut her mouth.
"Doesn't seem to affect Eve much," Gabrielle continued teasing her. "She was still really thin even when she was pregnant with the twins!"
"Are you finished?" Xena stopped and glared at the short blonde.
Gabrielle gave her a cheesy smile, "yes."
"Thank the gods for that," Xena sighed and kept walking along with Gabrielle trailing beside her.
They walked together in silence and Gabrielle was itching to tease her some more. "Remember when you –"
"Do you really want to go down this road, Gabrielle?" Xena glared at her.
"You know what, never mind," Gabrielle chuckled nervously.
Samuel sat on the floor of his children's bedroom as they were showing him all of their toys. He had been in there for a couple of hours now and didn't mind even though they kept talking a lot. He simply smiled the entire time, enjoying their company.
"And mommy gave us this last year," Luca walked up with a box and Samuel looked at it. Luca opened it and it was a chess set.
"Wow, a chess set. You know your mother and I used to play all the time," he smiled and Luca's eyes widened.
Layla crawled over on the floor and sat close to him, snuggling against his robes. "Can you teach us how to play?" she looked up at him.
Samuel nodded, "sure I can teach you, but first I need to check on your mother," he said and they both looked disappointed. "But I promise I will teach you both how to play. It requires a lot of patience!"
"I have patience," Luca said and his sister made a disgusted face at him.
"No you don't, Luca!" she said and folded her arms. Samuel raised an eyebrow at them both.
"Yes I do, Layla!"
Samuel frowned at them both arguing with each other. "Okay! That's enough!" he said firmly and immediately both of them stopped bickering. "No more fighting, alright? A prince and princess of Persia do not act like that." Luca lowered his eyes as did Layla, feeling ashamed of themselves. He picked up Layla and set her on the bed then picked up Luca setting him down next to his sister. "I'm going check on your mother and I don't want to hear any more arguing, okay?" both children nodded. "I'll be back later," he smiled and kissed both of their foreheads before leaving.
Finally reaching Eve's room he sighed and took off his turban, throwing it on the chair. He looked at the bed and saw Eve sleeping, still wearing her dress she wore earlier. He smiled and gently sat down on the bed beside her, watching her chest slowly rise and fall as she slept peacefully.
Eve stirred in her sleep and sighed heavily. He brushed his hand over her hair and laid down beside her, just staring. He glanced down at her slightly swollen abdomen and smiled, resting his hand over the baby inside her. Eve's eyes fluttered open as soon as she felt his touch. "What are you doing?" she smiled.
"Nothing," he winked and she yawned, scooting closer to him. "How are you feeling?"
She closed her eyes and wrapped her arm over his body, "tired," she muttered sleepily. "How are the children?"
Samuel sighed and leaned back on the headboard of the bed, "they showed me all their toys and games. They even gave me a tour of their room," he chuckled and she smiled softly, inching closer to his body. "Xena spoils them too much."
"I know," Eve whispered, "just let her," she smiled and opened her eyes, staring up at him.
He raised an eyebrow, "you are allowing her to do this?" he was skeptical.
"Samuel, she has been taking care of them for four years. Just let her do what she wants," she said, nestling against his chest. "Your mother did the same when they were babies. What's the difference?"
"Um, the difference was at the time, they couldn't say no and demand more things. Now those two think they can get whatever they want," he sighed, feeling a headache coming along.
She sat up and stared into his green eyes, "Samuel, just forget about it. They are well behaved...most of the time," she grinned.
He sighed deeply, "well hopefully when the baby arrives, they will behave better."
Eve nodded, "I think they will. They seemed very excited about it," she smiled and he looked at her with disbelief. A few moments of silence passed between them and she became nervous. "And you? Are you happy?"
His eyes widened and wrapped his arm around her, "of course! What makes you think otherwise?"
She shrugged her shoulders, "you are very occupied in Persia. I just thought..."
He grabbed her hands, staring in her blue eyes, "you don't have anything to worry about. I may be busy but I will always make time for you and the children," he winked and kissed her forehead. She relaxed a bit, knowing that he was happy about this and not upset like she thought he would be. He sighed and leaned his head on the pillows, "Luca is going to be a problem, though."
She agreed, "he likes to make his own rules."
He smirked, "remind you of anyone?" he teased and she hit his arm. He winced and thought he deserved that.
The following day Solan and Allat walked through the entrance of the Roman palace. Solan had a bottle of wine in his hands, ready to share with everyone. They walked through the grand hallway and found everyone sitting in the atrium.
"So, is this where the party is at?" he announced.
Xena lifted her head and smiled seeing him, "Solan!" she got up off the floor as she was playing a game with Layla. She embraced him warmly and he chuckled softly.
"Nice to see you too, mother," he choked as he could barely breathe. She pulled away and looked at his face, examining his body. "No scars, no cuts, I'm good, okay?" he teased and she rolled her eyes.
Gabrielle came running up to him and hugged him as well, almost knocking him over. He pat her back and then she pulled away and hit his arm. "Where have you been?!"
He winced, rubbing his arm, "jeez, Gabrielle! I've been a bit busy..." he admitted softly and she folded her arms, glaring at him.
Eve stood up and waited patiently behind Gabrielle. Solan smiled at her then came for her, picking her up in the air easily. She gasped, "Solan!" he spun her around and hugged her tightly.
"You were always light as a feather," he smiled and kissed her forehead. "So, a baby?" he raised his eyebrow and she nodded. "Well congratulations to you, little sister," he pinched her cheek and she frowned, slapping his hand away from her face.
"Would you stop that?" she rubbed her cheek and he smirked, looking behind his sister he saw Luca and Layla, staring at their mother, very confused.
He stepped in front of his sister and knelt down in front of the children, "wow, you squirts are so big now!" he smiled and both children looked at him with wide eyes. "You don't remember me, but I used to watch you guys when you were babies," he smiled. "Your mother is my little sister."
Layla gasped, "mommy, you have a brother too?!" she couldn't believe it. Eve chuckled softly and Solan brought out two gifts for them.
"I brought you two some presents," he said and both of them ran forward, taking the presents in their hands.
"As if those two need any more presents," Samuel muttered and Solan stood up, staring at the Persian king.
"Ah, Samuel," the blonde smiled and Samuel grinned nervously. Solan wrapped his arm around the king, bringing him close to him. "You got my little sister pregnant, again..." he said and Samuel's eyes widened in fear.
Eve rolled her eyes, "Solan knock it off," she grabbed her brother's hand pulling him away from Samuel. The Persian silently thanked her, always a bit afraid of Solan's protective nature over Eve.
"You and I will talk later," Solan said to Samuel with a smile and the king remained silent.
Layla opened her gift and pulled out a golden quill. Her eyes widened, amazed at the pretty quill. "Wow, is this real gold?"
Solan smiled, "yes it is! My mother gave it to me a long time ago."
Xena smiled and came closer to watch them both open their presents. "I didn't know you kept that," she whispered to her son.
He scoffed, "of course I did! I got it for my fifteenth birthday in this very palace. I'll never forget it," he grinned, winking at his mother.
Layla got up and ran to Gabrielle, "will you teach me how to use it, Gabby?" she pleaded.
"Yes I will, of course," Gabrielle kissed her forehead.
Luca opened his gift and pulled out a Greek dagger. "Awesome!" he smiled and Eve's eyes widened, instantly looking to her mother.
Xena squeezed her son's shoulder, "Solan..." she grimaced.
"Relax, the blade is dull. It can't even cut parchment," he chuckled and Xena squeezed his shoulder more. "Ouch!" he cringed and stepped away from her, now afraid of what she might do to him.
Eve stepped forward and knelt down in front of her son, "now Luca, you know that is a real weapon and you have to be careful with it."
The boy nodded, "yes mommy, I will be really careful!" he smiled. She sighed as she saw he was already playing with it like a toy.
Samuel walked up to her and frowned, "your brother is out of his damn mind!" he whispered in her ear.
Eve smirked, "don't worry, my mother will teach him that it is not a toy."
His eyes grew, already angry, "you're going to let him use it?!" he frowned and she glared at him.
Gabrielle observed the two wild children very pleased and fascinated with their gifts. Solan was showing Luca how to use the weapon, though he calmly explained to him that it could hurt someone. Xena stood beside her with a smile on her face, enjoying the scene. She tugged on her arm, "Xena, I have something for you," she whispered.
Xena frowned, "what is it?" Gabrielle smiled and grabbed her arm pulling her away from the family gathering.
They came to the bedroom and Gabrielle shut the door. Xena frowned, looking around, quite confused as to why she was in their room. "What is going on, Gabrielle?" she folded her arms.
Aphrodite appeared and Xena rolled her eyes. "Why so glum?" she teased. "Look, warrior babe, I am only doing this because Gabrielle asked me to."
Xena snapped her head towards Gabrielle. "What did you do?!"
The goddess grabbed Xena's hands pulling her close and Xena cringed, "relax! Hades owes me a favor and Gabrielle asked me to do something nice for you since you...well, you kind of need some excitement in your life!"
Xena raised an eyebrow, "my life is already exciting, Aphrodite." She replied with a flat tone.
"You are making this so difficult!" the blonde goddess rolled her eyes, sighing heavily. "Just close your eyes."
Xena glared at her then looked to Gabrielle, "what is the meaning of this?"
Gabrielle chuckled, "just trust her, okay?" she smiled, waiting for Xena to comply, after all, she had begged Aphrodite enough for this.
Xena sighed and closed her eyes, "now what?" she asked and Aphrodite smiled, winking at Gabrielle.
A few moments later Xena was getting tired of having her eyes closed and she had no idea what was going. "Hello?" she said, getting annoyed.
"Xena?" a familiar voice came around and Xena opened her eyes, turning around to see her younger brother, Lyceus standing behind her. Her eyes wandered around and they were no longer in her bedroom, no they were somewhere else. She looked at all the trees and the peaceful sky above them. Lyceus walked over to her and smiled, seeing her after such a long time. "Xena..." he waved his hand in front of her face.
She smiled at her younger brother and touched his face then pulled her hand away, not really sure if this was real not. He laughed at her, "what's the matter with you?!" he came and hugged her and her eyes widened, feeling his touch after a long time, she smiled warmly. "You are old," he mused and she kept smiling, lowering her gaze.
He touched her long hair and she lifted her eyes, staring at his blue eyes, "and you still look the same," she ran her fingers through his blonde hair that reminded her so much of Solan. "Lyceus..." she began sadly and touched his face, "I'm so sorry about what happened to you..." her eyes filled with tears.
Her little brother shrugged his shoulder, "it wasn't your fault," he grinned and he wiped her eyes. "Hey, you never cry!" he chuckled and she smiled. "Did you finally become the greatest warlord in all of Greece?" he asked.
Xena sighed, "not exactly..." she laughed curtly, "I became empress instead."
Lyceus' eyes grew, "wow! An empress!" he grabbed her hand, pulling her along, "we must tell Toris!" he grinned and Xena feared seeing her elder brother.
They walked into a home and Xena saw her brother with his wife that had died long ago. "Toris, guess who is here?!" Lyceus yelled out and their brother lifted his eyes and saw his little sister, standing in the doorway.
He set down some fruit and walked over, brushing passed his wife. Xena stared at him, a bit afraid of his reaction. Toris touched Xena's face and he looked at her body, she still looked the same to him. "Xena?" he said quietly, not believing it. His fingers slipped through her long hair and she stayed still. He suddenly embraced her tightly and she relaxed a little bit.
Lyceus smiled, eating an apple, staring at the two. "This is nice," he nodded.
Toris pulled away and smiled at her, "what are you doing here? You aren't dead are you?"
Xena smiled, shaking her head. "No, I'm not. Not yet anyway," she joked. "Toris..." she began slowly, "I'm...I'm really sorry –"
"Xena, it wasn't your fault. It was Phraates and Marc Antony," he said.
"Let me finish," she said and he shut his mouth real quick. "I should have helped you when I had the chance, but I didn't and I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?" she asked, hoping that he would.
Toris' eyes widened, not expecting an apology. "Wow," he said and she waited. "You are not the woman I remember," he smiled and she grinned weakly. "I forgave you a long time ago, Xena."
"Really?" her eyes lit up and he nodded. That made her feel a lot better knowing that her brother did not hate her forever, like she thought he would.
"How is your son?" he asked and she was shocked to hear him ask that.
"you remember?" she smiled and he scoffed.
Lyceus jumped off the stool and ran towards his siblings. "Xena, you had a baby?" he asked and she nodded, chuckling at his face. "Wow! I have missed so much!" he smiled.
Xena's smile disappeared, remembering the death of her brother. It would never leave her mind. He had been here for so long, of course he missed a lot. He remained the same age when he died. He was only a teenager, probably fourteen or so, and she was so much older than him now.
Toris smiled, ruffling his brother's hair. He grabbed Xena's hand, "you really are old you know," he chuckled and Xena smiled.
"I'm not that old, Toris," she teased and he nodded, leading her to a mirror. She stared at her reflection and realized time had passed by so quickly in her life, though she looked pretty much the same, minus a few wrinkles around her eyes.
"Perhaps, Lyceus will you remember better like this..." he waved his hand over the mirror and Xena's eyes widened staring at herself. She was a lot younger in appearance and touched her face. She was a teenager, only seventeen and her hair quite long like it used to be. She had almost forgotten what her young face had looked like.
Lyceus tapped her shoulder and she turned around. "Yeah, I remember you like that!" he said and she smiled widely at him. "Will you be staying with us?"
She shook her head, "no, I can't stay," she said and saw the disappointed look on his face. She grabbed his hands in her own, "but I will see you soon!" she smiled and that seemed to lighten his mood.
"Promise?" he lifted his eyebrows and she nodded.
"You will be happy here," she said and he kept grinning at her. She turned to her older brother, "I'm sorry I can't stay," she admitted sadly.
Toris smirked, "you are an empress of Greece! I'm sure you are very busy," he winked and she chuckled softly to herself. "But we do miss you."
"I miss you too," she smiled and hugged him warmly, though she didn't really want to let go.
Back in the bedroom Xena opened her eyes and saw Gabrielle sitting on the bed patiently. She turned around and felt like she was still with her brothers. "Gabrielle..."
"Did you have fun on your trip to the Elysian Fields?" the blonde smirked, seeing the happy look on her face.
"I saw both of them –both of my brothers," she smiled and clamped her hands together, finally being able to see their faces after so long. "Thank you Gabrielle," she said, not sure if a thank you was good enough.
Gabrielle stood up and grabbed her hands, "you're welcome," she kissed her hands and Xena lowered her eyes. "So how is Lyceus?"
"He looks just like Solan!" the empress marveled. Gabrielle nodded and she sat and listened to Xena tell her experience of seeing her brothers for the first time in decades. She had never seen Xena so chatty in her entire life and for once, she wasn't the one talking.
