Gabrielle approached the campsite slowly, holding as much wood as she could. Xena and Cyrene were quiet now. Gabrielle waited apprehensively humming inside her head. She didn't want to wander too far and couldn't really carry back anymore firewood but she also didn't want to interrupt Xena and her mother. What they were facing was something Gabrielle couldn't even conceive. Deciding to give them more time, she cleared her throat as she entered the clearing.
"That waterfall seems really inspirational. I'm gonna hike up that way until the sun starts to set to get some more writing in." With an accusing look at Xena she threw in, "I'm barely caught up on my scrolls still," and then headed off with her bag.
Cyrene raised an eyebrow at her daughter pulling away. "Well what have you two been up to that she is so behind?"
Xena stammer for a moment finally muttering something about having a lot of adventures.
"Daughter please, it's obvious. You know that she's in love with you right?" Xena stammered again. "Well you ditch her to come find me but she knew exactly where you were headed. And in the tavern, Xena I didn't even have to look at you. The love and affection in her voice when she told you she was heading to Andreas, the gentle caress, she's in love."
Xena thought back if the day had been that obvious. It started out that way before she had lost her mind. The flirtatious fight about the foot race, unable to keep her eyes or hands off Gabrielle finding herself gently stroking the bard anytime she spoke. She had almost lost the race because she was caught up in Gabrielle running, all her muscles ripping as she tried her best to beat Xena. But her mother hadn't seen any of that. She had only seen her interact with Gabrielle when she was mad.
"So am I mother." There was no point in denying it. If her mother could accept her after all of the horrible things that she had done then she would accept her for being with someone who loved her and she loved in return.
Cyrene just smiled. "I always wanted another daughter. Two boys, two girls evens everything up." She threw her arms around Xena. "I'm glad that you finally seem happy. Maybe now you can come home, with Gabrielle of course."
"It's a wonderful offer mom it really is but I'm not done atoning for the things I've done, the people I've hurt. I have to keep working towards the greater good, there is nothing more important in my life than that." Except Gabrielle sprung to her mind but Xena set it aside. Even if Gabrielle wanted to go home Xena would have to keep going and doing good.
"I understand but I hope you can stay a few days at least. With the inn being closed the past few days I could use a little help getting everything back up and running."
"Of course, we actually aren't on a schedule for once. It has been kind of nice just going where Argo takes us but can you do something for me?"
"Sure anything."
"Can you bake some nut bread for Gabrielle?"
"Without the henbane this time!" Xena spun around to see Gabrielle coming up into the clearing. "I am not doing drugs in front of you ever again."
"You gave her drugs?" Cyrene looked aghast at the two as they burst into laughter. Xena threw her arm around Gabrielle.
"How else can I talk her into all the crazy things I get her to do." She arched her eyebrow and Gabrielle looked up at her with an amused grin and a twinkle in her eye.
"No, no Cyrene it goes back to when Xena and I came across a young boy whose father was going to sacrifice him to a god." She began on the story of Ikus and his father Anteus. Xena reclined back to listen, drawn into the story as though she herself hadn't been there. By the time Gabrielle was done the sun had almost set and her stomach had begun to rumble.
"Well I don't know about you two but I'm famished."
"Oh, I should have packed us something to eat."
"No mom, in your defence you didn't know that you where coming home with us. It's too late to catch something but I'm sure we have plenty in the saddle bag."
Gabrielle routed around the saddle bags. "Sure there's plenty we still have a whole loaf of bread, six apples and oh boy some olives. When did you put these in here?"
Xena broke into a big smile, "I just wanted to do something to surprise you."
Gabrielle went over to kiss her but saw Cyrene out of the corner of her eye. "It's ok Gabrielle, she knows." Xena leaned in and gave Gabrielle a quick kiss before grabbing an extra blanket to put the food on.
"Is this all you girls usually eat?" Cyrene looked concerned.
"No, no most of the time we share a rabbit or we have a couple of fish, we just ran out of daylight today." Xena hated lying to her mother but this was enough food to see her and Gabrielle through the week if she had supplemented it with hunting.
"Well regardless, when we get back to the tavern tomorrow I'm fattening you both up and giving you enough food for a year." Xena began to interject but Cyrene cut her off. "I know it'll go bad before a year but you'll just have to finish it all before it does go bad."
Xena rolled her eyes but smiled at her mother before dividing up the food between them. They ate in silence all exhausted. It had been a long day for everyone, two long days for Xena and Gabrielle. Before long Cyrene turned in followed by Gabrielle who was sharing a bedroll with since her mother had taken hers. After a few minutes and making sure Gabrielle was asleep Xena got up and slowly walked a short distance into the woods. Once she was out of earshot of their camp she called out.
"Ares you sick bastard I know you're there. Get out here." The god appeared in a flash of blue light. His leather vest was more open than usual, his hand never left his sword. Even his hair looked more tussled than usual and there was an almost nervous look in his eye which he was obviously compensating for in attitude.
"What'd you want Xena? I've been kind of busy you know."
"So busy you've had time to watch us since we left the temple of the Furies?"
His words seemed to stumble from his mouth. "It's a god thing Xena you wouldn't understand. We can be doing something else while keeping an eye on our favourite mortals."
"Oh I'm still one of your favourites am I. Thought I'd be on the outs after today." He just smirked at her. "Anyway I know you're not my father. And I know it was you who was jealous and that's why you sent the Furies after me."
"Care to elaborate because you lost me?"
"You saw Gabrielle and I finally get together. Don't lie I could sense you just before we fell asleep, you're lucky it wasn't before that. You saw us and were jealous so you called the Furies in hoping that Gabrielle would leave me after I killed my mother, or that I'd actually be crazy enough to run off with you."
He stood for a moment just shaking his head. "You know even if you were right I would never admit it so why bother?"
She got up close into his face. "So that you know no matter what tricks you pull, no matter what happens between Gabrielle and I, even if I'm a raving lunatic I will never be with you. Now poof back to Olympus so daddy can ground you."
"You realise your mind is one of your most attractive qualities, not the most attractive," he pauses his eyes floating over her for a moment, "but it's up there."
With a pop he was gone again and Xena made her way back to camp feeling a little better. She laid down close to Gabrielle who immediately laid her head on Xena's chest and draped her arm across her stomach. Relaxing into the bard she fell asleep to Gabrielle and Cyrene's snores.
Three days later.
Xena rubbed the sleep from her eyes carefully so as not to disturb the bard who was still fast asleep. With a sigh of regret she wiggle out carefully from under the covers and quietly put on her leathers, making her way out the door clutching her boots in her hand. She paused at the bottom of the stairs to put them on before going to the kitchen at the inn in Amphipolis.
"Smells good mom, what's cooking?" Spying something covered by a cloth on the table. She went to investigate but Cyrene slapped her hand away.
"That is Gabrielle's nut bread and you are not to touch it." She pushed Xena back a little to emphasise the point. "I don't think you feed that girl enough, she need all she can get."
"Thanks mom."
"That's not what I meant, besides if you eat Gabrielle's nut bread you won't have any room left for your honey cakes." Xena's eyes grew wide with excitement. "See, sometimes mother knows best. Now can you grab me a couple of buckets of water and bring in some extra firewoord."
Xena nodded and quickly brought in the water and then stacked enough wood inside for her mother to be able to tend all the fires for a few days. A little pang of guilt hit her. Her mother wasn't young, she wasn't old but she was getting on in the years and she was doing it all herself. Cyrene was a strong woman. She had raised Xena, Toris and Lyceus on her own while managing the inn but now even the children weren't there to help with the small chores. She began to cut more wood to stack outside. She didn't realise how long she had been at it until Gabrielle appeared in the doorway holding a plate with half a chicken and some barley on it standing in the doorway. Pausing to wipe away the sweat she looked up and saw the sun was almost at the halfway point in the sky.
"Thought you might like some lunch since we're heading out as soon as I wake up."
"Well with you Gabrielle you may have just woken up." She ignored the bard sticking her tongue out at her and drew some water from a nearby bucket. "I wanted to make sure that mom had enough to get through a couple of days," she paused looking around her, "or weeks. I know it's tough for her on her own, I kinda feel bad for leaving."
"She understands Xena and when you are here you do help. She says Toris swings by on occasion and gives her a hand too. He even hired a couple of people from the village to get during the busy season. Have something to eat you look exhausted."
They ate in silence Xena picking at the leg and thigh while Gabrielle ate the breast and wing.
"Don't tell your mother we shared that. I told her I had already eaten. I swear she is trying to make me too fat to follow you around anymore."
They both laughed, laying back in the grass enjoying the gentle breeze. "She thinks I'm starving you to death you know."
"Is that why she insists I take third helpings! Xena you have to stop her. My stomach can't fit all this I'm going to explode."
"Girls, did you have enough to eat?" Cyrene was standing in the doorway.
"No mom, I think Gabrielle is still a little hungry."
"Well come in then and grab another plate honey."
Gabrielle shot Xena a death glare. She just smirked. Gabrielle followed Cyrene into the house pleading that she was full while Xena headed to the stables. Argo seemed restless in her stall. Xena tried not to keep her cooped up for too long but she knew that was going to be leaving today and didn't want to spend even more time trying to find the mare. She brushed her down and then put on her tack. While picking out her hooves she noticed that her shoes were getting really worn. They were thinner than they had been since she'd first had Argo shod.
"You ready to move out and try to find some new shoes there girl." Argo neighed appreciatively while Xena scratched between her eyes. "You're going to be good right girl. If not I'll put Gabrielle on you and she's had three days of my mother's cooking. Could break your legs."
"I heard that!" Gabrielle stood just outside the barn glaring at Xena. "If we stayed the full week like your mother wanted I wouldn't even be able to get up on Argo. I don't know if she'll be able to carry you with all the supplies Cyrene is giving us."
Argo neighed nervously pawing the ground. "She's joking Argo, she knows if it was too much I'd make her carry the extra weight."
Gabrielle turned to walk off in a huff but Xena quickly caught up to her tackling the bard to the ground, wrapping her hands up in her hair and pulling her close against her. Gabrielle's anger turned to pure joy as Xena's mouth covered hers kissing her passionately. So much so that neither heard Cyrene approach until she cleared her throat.
"You too do have a room for that you know. You don't have roll around in the fields."
"Eh we're used to it," Gabrielle laughed bringing a look of horror to Xena's eye. It was one thing for her mother to know her and Gabrielle had sex, it was quite another to given even that not too revealing detail.
"Oh relax Xena," Cyrene said seeing her face, "I do know something about the matter myself. In fact I believe Toris came from..."
"Enough, enough. Hearing about my conception was enough for an eternity thank you."
"You're not usually so shy Xena. Why just the other day you were asking people how old they were when they lost their virginity."
"That was different. One I was crazy, two I wasn't talking to my mother!"
They both just laughed at her. She stood up and offered a hand down to Gabrielle who took it, still giggling a little bit. She whispered under her breath, "you're lucky you're cute," before turning her attention to loading up Argo's saddle bags. Gabrielle wasn't kidding, Cyrene had given them enough food for at least a month. She heard some jingling of coins in the bottom of one of the bags too. She turned to look at Cyrene who shrugged and shook her head. "Thank you," Xena mouthed and Cyrene just shrugged again.
"Well I can see you girls are getting ready to head out." She drew Xena into an embrace. "You know that you're welcome here anytime." She turned to Gabrielle and hugged her the same as Xena. "You too Gabrielle, if you ever find yourself in the area and need a few days of rest away from my relentless daughter you're always welcome here."
"You do know your daughter." They laughed again. Xena mounted up Argo and smiled down. "Thanks again mom. I promise to stop by the next time I'm in Thrace. Gabrielle, do you want a ride?"
The bard extended her hand up gratefully. She wasn't joking when she said she was so full she could barely move. She had been dreading leaving afraid that she wouldn't make it very far.
"Bye mom, thanks for the supplies. If you need anything just send for me. Someone can always find me." And with that they were off. They rode in silence most of the day. It was good to be back on the road, feeling like everything was back to normal. Xena relaxed into the rhythm of Argos brisk walk and the feeling of Gabrielle's arms around her. Hands that she was now noticing were not just moving with the bouncing of the horse but in an exploratory way. One up beneath her breast plate massaging over the leather, the other finding its way through the pleats in her skirt.
"Gabrielle." Her voice was deep and husky. She had meant to tell the bard off but it had come off as much more tantalising than warning. "Gabrielle stop."
"I can't keep my hands off you Xena. I feel like I'm making up for lost time."
Though the idea sounded great to Xena they really needed to get moving. They had started later in the afternoon and she wanted to at least make it to the next town before nightfall. One more night in an inn. It was supposed to be a surprise but...
"Gabrielle, if you stop now I'll get us a room at an inn tonight. One with a double bed." Xena's bed at Cyrene's was still her childhood bed and hadn't been big enough to lay out comfortably. Gabrielle's hand stopped for a moment as if considering and then withdrew with a sigh.
"Fine but we're going straight to bed. WithOUT supper."
"Deal."
Before long they reached Xanthi just down the river from Amphipolis. They went to the inn but it was full. As consolation the innkeeper offered them space in the stables if they wanted it. It wasn't a double bed but when the two closed the doors and saw the expansive floor covered with hay that was all theirs they didn't waste anytime. Almost before she knew what was happening Xena grabbed Gabrielle and pulled her down into the pile of hay, with a scream as Gabrielle bit down on her neck.