Note: If you have any idea on what to title this chapter please let me know soon.

Chapter Four

"I can't believe Eve and Melody can't tell the difference," Gabrielle commented to Xena, Meg, Diana, and Leah.

"Yeah I know, I thought she had figure it out by now," Meg commented.

"I'm more surprised than anyone, I thought Drake would have figured out the one sure way to tell us apart by now."

"Good thing we covered up the moles and the birthmarks just in case."

"Don't sleep my husband," They said at the same time. Everyone laughed.

"Hercules and Ares look like they want to kill Drake."

"Well I can't blame them," Gabrielle commented. "He's done the impossible."

"Tasted forbidden fruit so to speak, its envy and jealousy really. Don't take it personally Leah, its just hard realizing your not going to get something, right Gabby?"

"Yeah," Gabrielle said regretfully. "You could indulge me you know."

"Yeah, and you could indulge Clara, but you don't." Gabrielle groaned. "Now seriously come on let's make it easy for him to get this I'm actually tired of this game now."

"Yeah, and I'm kind of ready to sleep with Philemon without looking out for Drake, I didn't think they'd all be this stupid." Meg nodded.

"Well I may as well break first." Leah left. When they sat her again she looked a little happier and she was dressed modestly which was more her style. Than Meg was the complete opposite she didn't mind having people grab her butt in public so took to wearing short skirts and revealing tops that Joxer loved. However Gabrielle and Xena noticed she had toned it down a lot because she was a mother and she did look like Xena.

"So you're my wife," Drake said to Diana. Xena rolled her eyes.

"I'm terribly annoyed with you right now," Xena told him. Drake tried to hide his shocked but Xena saw.

"Don't be I was only testing you," Drake lied as Diana rolled her eyes and scolded Philemon.

"You're so full of it right now," Xena told him. "You had absolutely no idea who I was. I'd think after three years of marriage you'd know me by now, we're four very different people. You should know me the best no matter how good they can imitate me. God you wouldn't even know it if Diana was the one standing next to you on our wedding day."

"I'm sorry."

"No, sorry isn't going to cut it, this was suppose to be funny, but now its just fucking sad!" Drake looked more and miserable knowing he had screwed up big time. "When I come back from visiting the orphanages we are going to have a long talk you're not going to like at all."

"Oh shit, oh shit," Drake muttered before going to talk to his cousin Emily, but she was busy doing something as the fight between his mother and Gabrielle started again. He groaned and hid from them knowing they were going to try and suck him into the argument. He didn't have to worry about the girls because they were visiting the orphanages with Xena.

"Think Drake, think Drake what can you do to sooth the savage beast?" He was silent as Llyr walked in. "Hey Llyr." Llyr nodded to him and climbed into his bed. "I know!" He hurried out leaving the door open so Llyr wouldn't feel trapped or Xena would be mad at him for that.

"Will you help me?" Drake asked Cyrene.

"Yeah, I will."

"Oh thank you, you're so awesome right now." Cyrene smiled.

"I know dear." Cyrene watched him run off.

"What's he got planned?" Xena asked entering the kitchen dressed in tunic and trousers as were Eve and Melody.

"It's a surprise dear, he's trying to make up for not picking you." Xena grunted.

"Unexpected reward, I was just giving him grief I knew I did too good a job of hiding myself." Cyrene laughed.

"We give Daddy grief," Eve told her as Cyrene kissed her and Melody before slipping them treats.

"I saw that mother, you never slipped me any treats before dinner."

"That's because you're my daughter, I had to raise you, they're my grandchildren I get to indulge in everything with them."

"Oh ha ha now your daughter is grown up and she wants a treat." Cyrene laughed and gave Xena a cookie.

"So where are my three favorite girls off too?"

"Hide and seek they were very well behaved to this afternoon while I did my job even when I had to take extra time to assemble the army to be ready, I'm sure General Ving is going to attack just don't know when." Cyrene nodded.

"Oh I can't wait for the peace to come back." Xena nodded.

"I'm worried about him attacking while we're in Sultry though."

"No, no Xena your wedding is coming up leave the protecting to your Generals its why they made the decision to stay behind."

"I'll try, but can we have another cookie before we go?" Cyrene frowned.

"You're going to ruin your teeth."

"What does it matter this is a time of indulgence remember?"

"Indugence," Melody said. Eve nodded her head vigorously. She was about to throw a tantrum because they weren't playing yet and than changed her mind when Xena mentioned another cookie. She didn't realize that Xena had seen her onset of a tantrum.

"All right, here you go girls." She kissed them all before they left with their warm cinnamon cookies in head.

"You two had better stay ultra adorable if we're going to keep getting extra cookies from Nana," Xena told them making them smile. They played hide and seek in the woods.

"Melody!" Xena called. Eve's arm was hurting and she was ready for dinner. Melody however did not want to go back yet and deliberately hid from her mother. Xena quickly realized Melody wasn't playing, but she also knew she hadn't been hurt or kidnapped. "Melody come here its time to go back to the castle."

"No!" Melody yelled. "I stay!"

"You can't stay its time for dinner and its getting dark, now come here young lady," Xena told her in a no nonsense tone that Melody ignored. "Melody you have until the count of three to get your little behind out here right now!"

"No!" No seemed to be Melody's favorite word when she chose to let her voice be heard. It was No, mommy, or Daddy and she just learned her version of indulgence. Eve did not move at all she knew that tone Xena was taking with Melody she had experienced once before and her bottom was not grateful for her disobedience and Melody's would not be either.

"I'm counting to three, little girl. One…two…" She paused to see if Melody would come out, she didn't, but she did hear her move and headed towards her hiding place. "Three you're in trouble now." The sun shined one last time before it went over the horizon, and Xena became angry as Melody had run off to another hiding place before she could grab her. She created a fireball in her hand as Eve hurried to her. She didn't like being alone in the dark and to make manners worse they were out in the woods.

"Melody come here right now or I am going to leave you out here in the woods alone." Melody didn't come out. "Fine we're gone." She turned and grabbed Eve's good arm. Eve was hoping she didn't come out because than she could have her Daddy back and most importantly her mommy back to herself. "Come on Eve." The light extinguished itself and Xena hadn't gone more than a few feet when Melody began to howl with fright and call for her. Xena let her cry for a little bit before a fireball materialized and Melody came over crying.

"Mommy," Melody cried.

"Don't you dare mommy me little girl you're in a world of trouble for doing that." She picked up Melody and that just made Melody cry even more because she wasn't showing her any comfort at all. Eve took her mother's hand. Xena easily lifted Eve into the saddle as Melody was put in a sling on her back as she cried. She galloped towards the city and Argo spread her wings and flew to the palace. Xena could already smell her mother's cooking as it spread throughout the palace alerting everyone that it was time to eat.

"Melody wipe your face and wash your face," Xena told her as she gave Eve some medicine to lessen the pain in her arm before helping her dress and brush her beautiful red hair. "Wipe your face and hands." Eve took the cloth from Xena and wiped her face and hands. Xena turned to Melody annoyed she hadn't wiped the smudges of dirt from her face or even her hands. In fact she had sat down and began pounding the floor. Eve moved away from both Xena and Melody knowing Melody was going to get a spanking.

"Melody…." Drake walked in.

"What's wrong with Melody?" Drake asked. "She's been crying since you guys came back."

"I know."

"What happen?"

"She decided that she didn't want to come home and hid from me after I repeatedly told her to come out of hiding. So I made her think I left her she's been crying ever since and now she's throwing a tantrum and refusing to wash her face and hands."

"She just needs comfort."

"No, she needs discipline. I imagine she's upset I haven't comforted her."

"Well what do you suggest we can't let her cry."

"She needs a spanking and that's what she's going to get instead of a time out if she doesn't stop acting like a brat." Xena directed her words to Melody more than Drake. Eve hit Drake's leg to get his attention. He picked her up.

"Well at least one of you is being good," Drake commented as Xena picked up Melody who kicked and hit at her.

"Why don't you take Eve to dinner we'll be right there."

"Oh I planned a quiet family dinner for us."

"All right we'll be joining you in a few minutes." Drake took Eve to his private dining room. Xena sat down on the bed and put a thrashing Melody over her knee and spanked her. Melody being so young it only took four well place swats to warm her bottom.

"Mommy," Melody cried.

"You don't hit or kick me Melody. You also need to learn that when I tell you to do something you do it and tantrums are not tolerated around here. If you ever try to hurt me again, throw a tantrum, or refuse to listen to me or your daddy I will not hesitate to spank you again that I promise you little girl." She stood up and got Melody to wash her hands and face while she got her dress and stuff.

"Now let's tackle that messy hair of yours," Xena said as she finished getting the dirt off her face, she'd missed. "Yep you look just like your daddy, you're ready for dinner." Melody smiled a little, but not really. She followed Xena out of the nursery and to Xena's room where she sat on the bed watching Xena get dressed quickly in a light dress that did not require her ladies in waiting who she had sent out to dinner before they headed to Drake's private dining room.

"Oh there's my other two beautiful girls." Drake stood up and kissed Melody before placing her in her seat across from Eve who sitting next to Llyr who was eating raw meat. He turned to Xena and kissed her before whispering in her ear. "Don't be mad I let them start, I actually planned a romantic dinner, but I didn't want them to be ignored." Xena smiled and nodded. He led her to her seat and pulled it out. The table was round so there wasn't a lot of space between any one person and anyone else sitting at the table. Xena fed Melody her beef stew. Drake gave all his attention to Eve. Llyr crawled into her lap and let her rub his head. He still wasn't interested in verbalizing with his voice.

"I think we're ready for bed already." They took the children to the nursery. Eve and Llyr wouldn't go to sleep without a story. When Xena reentered the dining room the tablecloth was white and rose petals were spread over the table. For dinner they were having quail with rose petal sauce one of her favorite dishes.

"Wow," Xena breathed as Drake lit the candles with a breath extinguishing all the others.

"And its all for you," Drake told her. He kissed her hungrily letting his hands roam her body, but she stopped them feeling involuntarily shy.

"Hmm…you're not off the hook." He grinned and delivered one last kiss to her swollen lips and shrugged.

"Yes, well I was naughty you could always spank me." Xena noted the mischief in his eyes as he bent over to give her a clear shot.

"Hmm…tempting, but I was already saving that for the second day of our honeymoon." Drake looked surprised, as he stood up straight.

"Oh you planned our honeymoon?" Xena nodded as he pulled out her chair and she sat down gracefully. Drake sat down across from her as she began to cut a peace of meat off her perfectly cooked quail.

"Oh yes two weeks of…" Fiona burst into the room. She sighed.

"Come on set the table for me," Fiona ordered.

"Fiona we're in the middle of…"

"Drake sweetheart, I'm glad we could have dinner tonight." Fiona than proceeded to launch into a story about her day and all that while he continually tried to interrupt until she pulled the authority mother figure card on him. Xena tried as well, but Drake begged her silently not to start an argument.

"If I didn't love you," Xena muttered before she left out.

"Take her, her dinner," Drake told a servant. She nodded and did so. When he did finally get to her room and knock on the door she was lying on some pillows reading in front of the fire. Leah, Diana, and Meg were around her snacking on cakes. Gabrielle had been convinced into going out with Clara for the night. Her other ladies were taking the night off.

"Come in," Xena told him knowing it was him.

"You want us to go?" Meg asked.

"If you want too."

"Its better these things are discussed in private." Xena nodded as they stood up with their own scrolls full of information about the New World they lived in. They nodded to Drake before leaving. He shut the door and walked over tentatively. Xena continued to read her book

"Did you eat your dinner?" Drake asked.

"Yes," Xena answered without looking at him or pausing in her reading.

"May I join you down there?"

"I guess if you want unless you'd rather your mother took my place because than I'll just go read in the library." Drake sat down.

"Oh come on don't be like that, you know I wanted dinner to be just the two of us once the children were in bed." Xena closed her book.

"You know Drake your mother intrudes a lot and there's only so much I can take. I love you, but she's driving a wedge between us."

"No, no you can't think like that because than she will, she'll win." Xena rolled her eyes.

"Don't make this about your mother winning, this is not about that I never had a problem arguing with her keeps me sharp. What I have a problem with is when she intrudes on the time we make to be together as a couple. And the fact that you don't stand up for us."

"I try, but you know how it is when she pulls the mom card."

"Yes, I do, but I also stand up to my mother when it really matters because I am an adult. When it comes to us as a family you can not let her walk all over you because at this point in your life that's what she's doing." Drake sighed.

"You're right, I do need to grow a back bone where my mother is concerned. I will start telling my mother no." Xena nodded. They sat in silence and Drake ate a cake getting jelly on the side of his mouth. "So are we good?" Xena looked at him noting his blue hair.

"Yeah we're good," Xena said wiping the jelly off with her thumb and licking it before kissing him softly. He pulled her into his arms. "Come on let's get in bed we've got a very busy day tomorrow." He nodded and they went to bed.