Disclaimer: In chapter 1.

Author's Notes: Happy 19th Anniversary Xena: Warrior Princess! Two updates in the one weekend! Now to do read the new LFW chapter from hunnyfresh. Thank you to everyone reading, reviewing, favouriting and following "Hero".

Also: If you want a Xena or a SwanQueen magnet go to Shipper Haven on Facebook and follow the link to their eBay page. Mine are on my fridge already. They have quite a good selection.

The women set off into the woods north of town and let Joxer ride off into a plot hole. They walked for over half a day as they followed Leah's directions to the Mystic Vortex. Priestess Leah said it was an area of unexplained occurrences; people would disappear and reappear days, months, years later, sometimes younger and sometimes older; wild beats would prowl the night; Gods were known to appear; and so on. If anywhere would give Emma and Regina answers this would be the place.

They reached a perfect circular clearing at mid-afternoon. The leafless trees that lined the clearing stood tall and still, unmoved by the gentle breeze. The clearing itself was just bare dirt, dark and moist.

Regina stopped at the edge. Emma stopped to her right, slightly behind, and watching the woman. Regina tentatively held out her left hand towards the clearing. She shuddered, "There is power here."

"Good or bad?" Emma whispered.

"Power is neither. It is the wielder who decides its purpose.'

"Right…" Emma frowned. "So who's holding the bat?"

Regina rolled her eyes. "No one, Miss Swan. There is just power."

Gabrielle, to Regina's left, said quickly. "Leah said that many terrible and great things have happened here."

"This is the reason that most of the deities have representation in the town," Xena added.

"And why Leah came here to do Good," Gabrielle agreed.

"That has no bearing on our goal here," Regina stated. "There must be something here…" She put one foot onto the raw earth, and then another. Nothing happened. She walked further in, Emma right beside her, Xena and Gabrielle close behind.

As Regina arrived at the centre several things happened at one; there was a loud clap of thunder in the sparsely clouded sky; the clearing filled with mist; and a creepy laughter echoed in their minds. Emma immediately stepped forward and pulled Regina behind her.

The laugh grew louder and higher in pitch, and then suddenly the mist was gone. "Well, aren't you two just the cutest bundle of love," Aphrodite giggled.

Regina's face when red in both embarrassment and anger, and she was grateful that Emma couldn't see.

"We're not," Emma stammered, "It's not…"

Aphrodite waved her hand dismissively, "Whatever you say babe." She walked around the two mothers. "Xena! Gabs! What's cooking good looking?"

Xena smirked, "Oh, the usual, saving damsels and thwarting diabolical plans. Steal anything shiny recently?"

"You think you're funny," Aphrodite deadpanned, and glared a little a Gabrielle who giggled.

Emma cleared her throat, "Ah, Aphrodite, is there a portal here of some kind, to another land?"

The blonde in pink spun around. "A portal? Heavens, no. Why would there be a portal here?"

"So there isn't one?" Gabrielle asked to clarify. You could never tell with the Gods…

"Nope," Aphrodite twirled some hair around her finger. "We immortals like to hang here sometimes, it's a great place to party, but that's all."

"There is power here though, what is the source?"

"Honeybuns, when you get a bunch of Gods all in one place and have a wild party, there's bound to be some residual mojo floating around." Aphrodite grinned and nodded her head in memory. "Last night was totally rad."

"Is there, or is there not a portal in existence that we can use?" Regina almost growled.

"Hmm," Aphrodite pursed her lips and tapped her chin with her finger. "Nope. Nothing like that here. We don't need to go to other lands."

"But we do." Regina's right hand filled with fire. She made a move to step around Emma but was blocked by the Sheriff's arm. "Who can create one? Can you?"

"Ease up there hot stuff," Aphrodite purred, "It's not that simple. Only an act of True Love can create something that powerful, and until you two stop denying…" She raised her hand and caught the fireball before it reached her face.

"Regina!" Emma turned and grabbed both of Regina's arms before the brunette could throw another. "Attacking Aphrodite won't help us."

"She knows a way to get back to Henry," Regina argued, her eyes swirled with purple.

"And she will tell us if you stand down," Emma shot a look over her shoulder, "Right Aph?"

The immortal blonde raised an eyebrow questionably. "I think you two need to take a little vacation in lesbian land."

Xena held back a bark of laughter.

After a quick glare in Xena's direction, Aphrodite shrugged, "You might want to try one of the other Gods. I hear daddy is feeling generous with mortals again." A cloud of pink smoke enveloped Aphrodite and when it cleared she was gone.

Emma had to forcibly keep Regina's arms by her side. "Calm down. She's gone."

"I will end her!"

"Regina, beating up on Aphrodite is not going to get us back to Henry. You need to calm down." Emma quickly let go of her arms and wrapped her own around the older woman firmly. "Please calm down. We'll find another way back to Henry, I promise," she finished in a whisper.

Regina struggled for a few moments before her body gave in, and finally relaxed into the embrace. She didn't return it, but she allowed it to happen for a whole 12 seconds. "Let go." She said without a trace of anger.

Emma reluctantly obeyed, but stayed close.

The disappointment of not finding a way home was not quite hidden behind the Mayoral façade. Regina cleared her throat loudly and took a step back, out of sharing space with Emma. "Well," she began, glad her voice didn't break. "I guess we should leave." She straightened her clothes out of habit. "I need a bit of fresh air."

The others watch her go, and Xena and Gabrielle shared a look of concern. When Emma didn't move Gabrielle gestured to Xena to do something.

Xena spread her hands. What do you want me to do?

Gabrielle tilted her head towards the direction that Regina had gone. Say something.

Xena frowned. No.

Gabrielle folded her arms. Xena…

Xena sighed. Fine… "Emma go after her."

Gabrielle's eyes widened at Xena. That's your idea of tact? She stepped towards Emma. "What Xena means," she shot her friend a look, "is that you're both affected by this, and you and Regina should discuss what you want to do next."

Emma shook her head slightly to clear the daze. "Uh, right," she nodded, "Yeah."

Emma followed the path Regina had taken. She had no idea what to say when she found the woman. I'm sorry Aph is a ditz, but all the Gods in Xenaverse a kinda dicks? Emma frowned. Nah. She stepped over a protruding root, proud that she'd seen it at all and managed to not fall on her face. She looked up to see a tree instead, and pulled up just before she hit it with her nose.

"Henry used to do that."

Emma jumped and spun to her left. "What?"

"Henry," Regina gestured towards the tree, "would get so excited about going for a walk when he was a toddler, and he would focus so hard on the ground that he wouldn't see what was in front on him."

"Oh," Emma smiled. "That would have been pretty cute to watch."

Regina nodded sadly, "It was." Regina gave a small tight smile and then turned and walked away. Her pace was slow and Emma took it as her cue to follow. They walked in silence for a few minutes, broken only by bird calls and rustling leaves as they made their way along a forgotten trail. A few times Emma even held away branches for Regina. Apart from a small protest the first time, Regina found herself smiling with each kind gesture.

After a while they came through a thicker patch of foliage, and then into a small tended clearing. In the centre of the clearing was a pair of apple trees. Regina's eyes lit up immediately, and she took deliberate steps until she stood beneath the canopy of both trees and put a hand on each trunk. She closed her eyes and breathed in the aroma with a deep inhale.

Emma stood back and watched. She was half surprised that Regina would allow her to see her like this, and half in awe at how beautiful she looked in the moment. A vision of dark angry eyes next to another apple tree entered her mind and guilt flooded her. "I'm so sorry," she said with conviction, "I'm sorry I hurt your apple tree. I didn't know…" she paused to decide her words carefully, "I didn't know it meant so much to you."

Regina kept her eyes closed and shook her head. "I shouldn't have provoked you. We were both in the wrong."

"But I'm still sorry," the blonde insisted.

"Thank you Emma," Regina turned to face her. She studied pale features for a few seconds before speaking. "I am sorry too, for being uncooperative… and for trying to curse you."

Emma shrugged a shoulder, "Like you said, we were both in the wrong."

Regina nodded gently, "We were."

"But we're not now." Emma explained, "Now we're working together, on the same side."

"Please don't say we're a team," Regina pleaded, "because next you'll want to make up a team name."

Emma laughed, "Hey, that's not a bad idea!"

"No."

"Oh, come on Regina, it'd be funny."

"No," Regina stated more firmly. He breath caught in her throat when Emma stretched up, taunt muscles of her lower stomach shown as she plucked two red apple from a branch.

Emma held an apple in each hand and she regained her footing. She tossed one to Regina, who fumbled but still managed to catch it, and then took a bite of the apple the one she had kept. "Not bad," she said around juicy chunks, "But not as good as your precious fruit."

Regina continued to stare, her mouth gone dry.

Emma nodded back toward the path. "We should be getting back. Team SwanMayor has to find a way home." Emma frowned in thought. She shook her head slightly. "Team MadameSwan? Team RoyalSheriff?" She stepped out of the clearing and held a branch aside for Regina. "Team SwanQueen?"

Regina resisted, just, to swooning at Emma's grin. She finally managed to roll her eyes, and ordered her feet to work. After a few seconds of more emphatic demanding they obeyed, and she followed Emma back along the ragged path. This is what I get for asking how to get the saviour to taste my forbidden fruit – torture. This is torture. Regina's apple was held limply in her hand that swayed absently by her side. Her eyes devoured the view of Emma from behind. Sweet, sweet torture.