Chapter Two
"He's going to be fine now." Xena said giving Cassius to a woman. She had fell in love with him, and had agreed to adopt him. Cassius was all better and attached to her and Xena. Cassius started crying.
"Oh don't cry I'll come visit." Xena said. Cassius' continued his crying as she said her goodbye's and took him to her home.
"Xena, did Marcus go sleep like George?" Charity asked. Marcus had died the night before. He was so weak that he didn't get better.
"Yes, I'm sorry Charity." Xena said picking her up and taking her downstairs. They were preparing his body as she spoke.
"Why?" Charity asked.
"Marcus and George were very sick. So sick that their body's couldn't take it and sent them to the most beautiful place you can imagine." said Xena.
"Where?" Charity asked.
"The elysian fields." Xena said.
"Oh, can we go?" Charity asked.
"Yes, but not for a very very long time." Xena said. Charity nodded.
"Charity can I hold you?" Gabrielle asked as they reached the table she sat at. Charity shook her head and turned away from you."Why does she hate me?"
"She doesn't hate you." Xena said sitting down.
"Yes, she does." Gabrielle said."She's let Cyrene, Solan, and Lila hold her even if she doesn't speak to them. But not me."
"Well maybe its the way you talk about her as if she weren't right in front of you." Xena said.
"She's three." Gabrielle said.
"She's a human being with feelings." Xena said.
"What's on the agenda for today than?" Gabrielle asked.
"Marcus funeral, check on the orphans, see about the repairs, um...I believe mother's sceduled us to help make them more clothes, and I think the last thing is help those who cannot help themselves. I mean besides the orphans."
"You love to give." Gabrielle said.
"What do you mean?" Xena asked.
"You have this soft spot for old people and children especially." Gabrielle said.
"Your point." Xena said.
"Your nicer than you care to let on or that I even realized." Gabrielle said.
"This is true." Xena said gently bouncing Charity. She squealed with delight. Solan came down.
"Is Cassius gone?" Solan asked.
"Yes, didn't you say goodbye?" Xena asked. Solan shook his head.
"No, I missed him." Solan said."It doesn't matter. He hogged you even though you weren't his mother. At least Charity doesn't hog you." They laughed.
"I'm serious, I'll actually miss her when she goes back to the orphanage."
"Charity no go Xena." Charity said."You Charity's mommy now." Xena kept bouncing her not really surpised Charity had said that. She'd over heard Marcus tell Charity that if she wasn't going to get sick and take a long nap like George than she had to make her, her mother. He told Charity to tell her that she was her mommy.
"No, I'm not." Xena said.
"Yes, you are." Charity said. She was firm and would not say different."Solan brother like Marcus now."
"Nope that's my mommy." Solan said.
"Where my mommy?" Charity asked. They were all silent except Solan who answered.
"She's in the same place as Marcus." Solan said. Charity started crying. Xena comforted her. "Sorry."
"Charity its ok. Your mommy's in a better place." Xena said. Charity continued to cry. She stopped crying enough for Xena to get her to eat breakfast. Solan ate breakfast too still feeling a bit sorry. After that Charity stayed by Xena's side at all times.
"Oh my god my baby!" Some one screamed running towards the fire pyre. Xena had been about to light it, but stopped. The woman screamed when she searched the dead face more. It was all that was visible.
"Who are you?" Xena asked.
"His mother." She said. They had to go forth with the funeral, but they helped her back to the tavern once it was over. His ages were being collected by people trained for that job.
"Your his mother." Xena said.
"Yes, Marcus, Charity, and George got seperated from me and my husband in a fight with bandits on our way up north." She cried. I was taken to Athens to be sold as a slave. I escaped before they could sell me. I've been looking for them ever since. Please tell me is George and Charity ok?"
"George is dead too. He died a while ago. I should tell you that the first orphanage they went too didn't treat them right. And they found their way here. I suppose they came north hoping to run into you and their father." Xena said. She looked at the woman. Charity definately took after her. She was Charity's mother to her dismay.
"And Charity, she must be dead by now. She was only a baby when it happened." She said crying.
"Actually this is Charity." Xena said pointing to Charity playing with her old stuffed animals.
"Charity?" She asked."Are you sure?"
"Yes." Xena said. The woman was so happy and went over to Charity. She hugged her. Charity screamed and ran behind Xena once she got free.
"Charity." The woman said.
"She doesn't know you." Solan said. He knew Charity didn't know this woman, and he knew she wanted Xena. Xena was the first woman to show her kindness in a long time. Xena treated her as if she were her daughter. She tucked her in and kissed her goodnight. She made sure she ate and kept her healthy. Well nursed her back to health. And she played with her. Everything he had missed out on most of his life with her. He had to admit he was a bit jealous, but glad at least Charity could get to know a mother's love.
"Charity." She said again."Its me mommy."
"No mommy." Charity said." Xena mommy."
"No, Xena is not your mommy. Why would you want a murderer as your mother?"
"Xena is not a murder." Gabrielle said defending her immediately. "Xena is the single most sweetest person I have ever met next to her own mother and my sister."
"Yea." Lila and Cyrene said. Solan agreed.
"No, Xena is a murder. She destroyed my whole village when I was a bit younger." She said.
"And she tried her hardest to nurse you son back to health, and essentially saved your daughter's life." Cyrene said."I think you can forgive her."
"Your Xena." She said looking at her. Xena nodded.
"Well I hate you, but thank you for saving my daughter." She said."I should like to take her tonight. I don't think I can part from her ever again." She picked up Charity, who screamed immediately reaching out for Xena.
"Wait!" Xena exclaimed before she could go. The woman turned around.
"What?" She asked.
"Um...it might be best if you let her realize it first before you go snatching her from the only place she feels safe." Xena said."She'll never forgive you, and you don't want that." The woman knew she was right and thought about just taking Charity anyway. But she didn't like screaming to much. In fact she hated it.
"Alright." She said. She put Charity down. Charity ran to Xena again.
"Well I think we could all do with some dinner." Cyrene said.
"I'm not hungry." Xena said."Just tired." She turned and went upstairs. Charity hurried after her not wanting to be without Xena. Not when that woman was around to try and take her away. Xena almost wished Charity's real mother was dead. She'd bonded with her over the weeks. She loved her like her own. She had been all prepared to adopt Charity and was going to talk to Solan tonight about it. She would be his sister after all. She didn't think she could bare to leave her in the orphanage in good condition or bad. Definately not in bad conditions.
"Xena tell bad lady you my mommy." Charity said.
"I can't." Xena said."She really is your mommy."
"No, you mommy Xena. " Charity said laying beside her.
"No." Xena said turning to look at her."Your mommy is not with Marcus and George after all. She's downstairs and she's been looking for you, for a long time."
"I no want her. I want you." Charity said.
"I know, but you belong with your mommy." Xena said.
"Charity what's wrong?" Felicity her mother asked. Charity ran pass her from the tavern, crying. Felicity was hurt that Charity wasn't familiar with her enough to at least come to her when she was hurt.
"Xena, I hurt my hand." Charity cried as she entered the kitchen through the back door with a dead chicken in her hands. She set it down and wiped her hands. Charity had a little cut on her hand that could do with a small banaged to protect it from infection.
"Let me see." Xena said without thinking to tell her to ask Felicity to look at it."We're going to have to give you a banage."
"It'll hurt." Charity said as she took her over to a bag. .
"No, it won't it'll make your hand better. I just have to put something on it first." Xena said. Charity stood there and cried a little more, when she put the poison on her hand. It was only poisonous if you drunk it, but good to stop infections. She banaged it."There all better."
"Kiss it." Charity said as Xena wiped her tears.
"No, I think you should let your mommy do it." Xena said remembering Felicity who had taken to helping her mother and getting advise from her.
"No, you mommy, you do it." Charity said. She could see Felicity was hurt. It'd been a week and Charity still hadn't given into the fact Felicity was her mother. Xena herself still couldn't believe it a little. But Marcus or George weren't here to claim different, and this woman was definately family of Charity. It broke Xena's heart to have to tell her she couldn't be her mommy, when she really wanted to be. Even if she had told Charity different before Felicity came along she knew in her heart she wouldn't have been able to leave Charity at the orphanage to grow up there and wait for somebody else to adopt her. When she herself could.
"No." Xena said. Charity wouldn't believe her." 'Olan you kiss it." Charity ran over to him, when he came into the kitchen. Xena loved the way she sometimes mispronounced his name.
"Ok." Solan said. He secretly hated Felicity. He'd read his mother's diary. He really shouldn't have done it, but it was just sitting on her desk for anyone to see. But than again he'd picked the lock to get in her room. She'd probably kill him if she knew. But Solan had learned that his mother really loved Charity as much as she loved him, which was more than she could ever put in words as she put it. He thought it was weird the way she called her diary Amelia. He'd have to go back to the beginning to figure out why. But even more secretly he told Charity not to believe Felicity ever, because Xena wanted to be her mommy even if she said different. He hated to admit it, but he loved Charity too. Who couldn't love Charity.
" 'Olan kiss it." Charity said bringing him back to the present. He kissed her bandaged hand.
"Charity now that your hand is bandaged would you like to go for a walk with me?" Felicity asked.
"No!" Charity said. She went over to Xena and lifted her arms. Xena picked her up and set her on the counter. She let her pull out the chicken feathers. She thought it was fun. Solan helped her.
"Oh Xena come here!" Cyrene called from outside.
"Watch her." Xena said to Solan automatically. Solan nodded automatically. Xena went outside and took the basket from her mother as they helped. Mrs. Wauric to her home.
"I'll have Xena bring you some wood later." Cyrene said."This wood should last you until tomorrow morning."
"Ok thank you Cyrene you've just been to kind to me today." She said.
"No, its our pleasure." Xena said. After a while they left.
"So, what do you think of Felicity?" Cyrene asked.
"I hate her, because I lost my heart to that little girl." Xena said."You can only loose your heart to so many people, and I'm already up to two. Solan and Charity."
"Of course who couldn't love that little girl. Even Gabrielle has a soft spot for her and she hasn't spent one on one time with Charity like the rest of us have." Cyrene said.
"Yea, but why do I get the feeling that we'd have a easier time telling Charity Gabrielle was her mommy than we do now.
"Because your who she wants, and having Gabrielle as a mother would be like having you as a mother." Cryene said."But to let you know I've been giving her bad advise. I don't want her to win Charity over. So you can play the whole good girl lot in from of her. But in private you tellh er want she's like."
"Isn't it wrong?" Xena asked."I mean she lost them in the confusion of the battle when they ran for their lives. George and Marcus are dead now. They probably thought she was dead."
"If it was wrong you wouldn't love her so." Cyrene said.
"I think I would." Xena said."I can't talk Charity away from Felicity anymore than I have, and keep a clear conciousness no more than you could have just given Torres, Lyceus, and I to an orphanage for no reason at all."
"Two different events, but I guess your right. But I could have if I thought it was for the best just like you did for Solan."
"Yea, but I regrett it everyday." Xena said."I should have just given it up, but I couldn't."
"Xena never regrett what you must do to protect your children." Cyrene said."Is that clear?" Xena stared into her mother's eyes and knew she was dead serious. They dared her to challenge her words. Xena didn't.
"Yes ma'am." Xena said.
"But Charity needs to be with the person that will love and take care of her." Cyrene said.
"Well that just simplifies the conflict now doesn't it." Xena said sarcastically.
"No." Cyrene said paying no attention to her sarcastism."Well yes actually. See when I look at you I can tell you love Charity and she loves you. Even Solan loves her and vice-versa. We all love her, but Felicity. When she knows we're watching her she shows love, but it doesn't feel real. Than when I look at her when she doesn't know it I don't particularly see love."
"Maybe she's the type of person who has to get to know the person. Child or not before she can love them or even just like them in the case of a person." Xena said.
"No, a mother loves immediately. It takes a cold hearted bitch not to love her own child." Cyrene said."Maybe she loved the others especially Marcus. But Charity. Her love for her is questionable."
"Why don't we just give a truth serum and find out." Xena said sarcastically. She could tell her mother really didn't trust Felicity, but distrust needed only go so far and her mother was pass the line. Which was why she had been sarcastic.
"You know that's not a bad idea." Cyrene said. Xena laughed a little shook her head at her mothers seriousness.