Disclaimer: I own nothing you recognize. Just playing with the characters for a while.

A/N: This goes with my as yet unfinished story Love Story and follows Iolaus and Melina through a rough day in their marriage. Takes place during the episode Pride comes Before a Brawl. I used some of the lines and situations from it. They belong to Ren Pictures and the writers. I always liked that episode, but thought Iolaus should have known the girl he rescued a bit better than just some random damsel in distress. Please Read and Review! Enjoy!

Hercules had made it to the river, talked the ferryman into loaning him a boat and was well on his way to Thrace when he began to wonder about Iolaus and Mellie. He was a little worried that they would run into some problem but he was confident that they could handle it. He just wished he knew what had them both in such a temper in the first place.

A bird flying low caught his attention. It looked almost as if it was headed straight for him. He watched in amazement as the bird landed perfectly in front of him, then began to smile as it transformed into a girl.

"Nemesis. I can't believe it.

"Hello, Hercules," she smiled. "I thought there wasn't anything you couldn't do."

"How long has it been?" Hercules asked.

"About ten years," Nemesis smiled, wrapping him in a hug.

"I thought I'd never see you again and then you drop out of the clear blue sky."

"I surprise a lot of people that way," she said.

"How about a kiss for old times sake?" He joked, surprised when she obliged.

Melina sat in the dark cave, thinking about the events of the day. Actually the last few weeks. She didn't know why she was suddenly filled with such discord. It wasn't the first time in their marriage that Iolaus had been gone. He'd gone to battles for Corinth so often in the beginning that she actually came to dread the sight of Jason tripping up the path. He'd even been with Hercules and Jason when she'd gone into labor with the twins, returning home just in time to be told by the midwife that he could either have his wife or his children, but that she just didn't see how both would survive.

Due to Hera's meddling, Melina had already been in labor for days at the point and was so exhausted she couldn't even sit up to push. Melina still wasn't sure how they'd all survived that. If she thought much about that day, she could still hear the desperation in the nineteen year old's voice as he knelt by their bed and prayed for the Gods to somehow spare her.

At first she thought she was hallucinating. She was a midwife, she knew men weren't allowed in birthing rooms. In all the times she'd worked with Golinthia, she'd never seen her allow a man inside. Even when they knew the mother or the babe or both weren't long for the Elysian fields. Then she began to worry that she was dead already and him too. He had gone to war after all. That had panicked Melina causing her to gather all her strength and reach toward him.

At that she'd heard Golinthia laugh, "Well, Girl, it seems you do have some spunk left in you yet. Let's get these babies into this world."

Three days later she woke up to see Iolaus still sitting by the bed, this time with a blanket swaddled package in his arms.

"Are we dead?" she managed to croak out.

He smiled. "Not at all. This little fellow and I were just wondering when Mommy was going to wake up."

She struggled to sit up. "What about..."

"Alchmene is feeding her," he replied, laying the baby in the cradle and helping her sit up. He pulled her to him and hugged her. "I thought I'd lost you. I didn't know how I'd make it without you. Thank you for coming back to us. Now, do you want to meet your children?"

Melina smiled, despite their situation. That was the man she'd fallen in love with. One who'd taken on Golinthia to be by her side when he thought she was dying. One who could fight like Tarturus, then cradle his babies to his chest.

She leaned down and kissed his lips. She was worried about his head, but the satyrs had taken her medicine bag along with his sword and Aelus' bow and quiver.

She leaned back against a rock and tried to get comfortable. It didn't look like they were going anywhere anytime soon. Years ago, she would have never gotten caught in such a trap. She had trained at Cheiron's academy the same as Hercules and Iolaus had. True, she'd been sent there to learn medicine, not combat, but Cheiron had believed that a healer who couldn't fight and a soldier who couldn't heal had one thing in common: they were both dead. So, much to Amphitryon's displeasure, she'd learned to fight, to track, and definitely how to spot traps.

That Melina would have never walked into such a trap. Of course, that Melina wouldn't even recognize who she is today. The woman who hadn't picked up her sword in a year. If it wasn't for Aelus, her armor would have rusted years ago.

She could hear the satyrs above her, talking about their plans for her. She felt for the knife in her boot, thankful that at least that habit had stayed with her through the years. She could still throw it with fairly decent accuracy too.

"Is this all they had?" One questioned in a rough voice.

"Yeah," another replied.

"Then they won't miss their lives," the first growled. "Give them the usual treatment, then dump them on the road to Thrace."

"But the woman, she's a healer," the second argued. "We could keep her around. Might be useful."

"NO. You hear the men, a woman in camp would be nothing but trouble, healer or not," the leader snapped. "Do what you want with her, then kill her. You have your orders."

"Men," Melina thought. They weren't Satyrs. They were mortal men. Satyrs would have no use for a healer. Mortal medicines did nothing for them. A glimmer of hope rose in her chest.

"Iolaus," she whispered. She kissed him again. "Wake up. Please wake up."

He stirred slightly, then opened his eyes before groaning in pain.

"Yeah, sorry," she whispered. "That's a pretty nasty bump. They took my bag so I couldn't do anything for it."

"I've survived worse," he said, sitting up. "So have you. What have you been doing?"

"Besides trying not to be scared?" She smiled, grimly. "They've been having some lovely conversations about their plans for us. Especially me."

"Over my dead body," he replied.

"True," she agreed. "They'll probably kill us both. They're men, by the way. Not satyrs."

"How do you know?" Iolaus asked in surprised.

"They're interested in my medicine. Satyrs wouldn't need them," she replied.

"We may just have a chance then," he said. "You know I'll never let anyone hurt you." He pulled her close.

"I know," she said.

A rope dropped into the pit. "Come here, girl, let's see how that pretty mouth tastes before you die."

Iolaus hid them in a dark corner. "Take off your dress," he whispered.

"Shouldn't that wait until after you rescue us," she joked.

"Just do it."

The man mistook Iolaus for her, grabbing her skirt. "Come here, Woman."

"Sure thing, Handsome." Iolaus sat up and punched him, knocking him out. He looked back at Mellie.

She shrugged, then smiled. "Come on, let's get out here. Turns out this is the way to Thrace. I heard them talking about it."

"Can I have my dress back now?" Mellie teased, once they were out. "It's not really your color."