Chapter Four
"I love you," Hercules sighed as he kissed Xena.
"I love you too." After a few minutes Hercules pulled away and lay on his side of the bed.
"Hercules?"
"Yes?" He answered as if nothing was wrong.
"Why are you being mean to me, did I do something I'm obviously not aware of?" Hercules chuckled a little.
"No, not at all."
"Than why did you start a fire you seem to have no intention of putting out?" Xena asked turning onto her side to watch him. Hercules looked at her innocently.
"I have no idea what you're talking about, honey." Xena's eyes narrowed for a second as she watched him.
"Hmmm I guess you don't," Xena told him getting up. Hercules watched her as she gathered her things for a shower. Xena went into the bathroom and he heard the shower running and he went downstairs to sneak a piece of chocolate cake like Xena suspected he would. Hercules had merely wanted to distract her or at least force her to take a cold shower. On the contrary she was taking a hot shower, he was going to put out the fire.
Meanwhile Hercules returned in time for the water to shut off, he quickly changed his undershirt and boxers which he had dropped his cake on after jumping when he thought the dog was Xena. He was on his knees in the bed fluffing the pillows and didn't hear her exit. Xena ran her hands gently over his shoulders.
"I don't remember telling you to sneak into the cake downstairs," She whispered into his ear as she hugged him around the neck. Hercules took the bait as she pressed up against him. He flipped her over his shoulder and she landed onto bed on her back as he got off so she wouldn't hit her head on his knees. He sucked in a breath seeing the sexy black lingerie she had picked out.
"I think I like vanilla better anyway," Hercules told her as he bent down kissing her neck before swinging onto the bed so he was straddling her. He buried his face in her chest.
"Why did we stop doing this?" Xena asked.
"Who knows," Hercules told her. Naturally they both paused to remember, and they remembered they had stopped having sex, because you can only have sex so much as the centuries passed before doing the same thing became boring. They had naturally found other pass times to occupy themselves until such times as the fun returned without thinking. "You know they've got all sorts of interesting toys now." Xena chuckled.
"Yes, I suppose they do, but right now I'm more interested in the toy neither of us has to buy." Hercules grinned.
"At least now we know it was never a matter of the other not making our blood boil."
"Oh you never stopped doing that believe me." She rolled him over so that she was on top and ripped his shirt off. "Oh and by the way don't rip my panties off this is my favorite."
"Mine too." Xena resumed her own torture to him. Xena was giving him special attention when Michelle cried out for them.
"I think you were too loud," Xena whispered as she got off the bed chuckling and put on her robe. Hercules looked sad for the interruption, but chuckled too.
"This isn't over," He breathed as he hurried into the bathroom for a cold shower. Xena went into Michelle's room and Michelle convinced her to sleep in her room because she afraid the ghost would come back and start moaning again. Xena had to leave out for a moment to get her laughter out before settling with Michelle again.
"No, we have to go to church, how would that look if we didn't go?" Xena asked. Hercules had her pinned between his body and the door. She was trying hard to resist him only because Michelle was awake and she need not walk in on them on their first time in awhile.
"What do you care, you don't even like church its just for show," Hercules muttered. Xena moaned.
"No, no we can't do this right now, oh not right there."
"Yes," Hercules told her. He lifted her up in his strong arms and her legs easily fit around his waist without a second thought. Xena was losing the battle when the doorbell rang and Michelle opened the door before running upstairs to get them.
"Mommy, Daddy open the door, Mr. and Mrs. Kent are here." Hercules dropped Xena in surprise. His boss wasn't suppose to be anywhere near his home.
"Ow," Xena whispered, out loud she said, "Honey go offer them a drink and invite them to sit down we'll be down in a minute." Michelle ran downstairs apologizing for her lack of manners. "Really did you have to drop me? I mean really I was in no state of mine to catch myself." She fixed her skirt and slipped on her heels before going to the mirror grateful he hadn't gotten around to fouling up her hair yet, but she could wait until he did. She put on her jacket and grabbed her purse before going downstairs and greeting Mr. and Mrs. Kent and their son Percy.
"Good morning Mr. and Mrs. Kent, Percy, I'm sorry to keep you waiting we were just getting ready for church."
"Good morning to you Mrs. Hayes, is Thomas here?"
"Yes, he's just upstairs, I hope my daughter has been hospitable to you."
"Very," Mrs. Kent told her. "You've trained her very well, I know how those colored folks can act."
"My daughter is white, Mrs. Kent, and I in no way trained her." Mrs. Kent cleared her throat.
"So is that chanel your wearing, that's quite expensive."
"Yes, it is," Mr. Kent said as Hercules came downstairs with Xena's pearls.
"Mr. and Mrs. Kent, Percy nice to meet you, what brings you here this fine Sunday morning?"
"I wanted to talk to you about some mergers, I thought you could take the car with Percy and I while my wife could drive with yours."
"Yes of course," Hercules agreed.
"Are those my pearls darling?" Xena asked.
"Yes, sorry dear." Xena turned around and lifted up her chestnut brown hair. He put on her necklace.
"Your pearls are beautiful," Mrs. Kent told her.
"Thank you, Thomas got them for me, for our fifteen year anniversary. They were all picked straight from live oysters in the sea, they're perfect."
"Don why don't you get me pearls?" Mrs. Kent asked. "You should be more romantic like Mr. Hayes."
"Please call me Thomas."
"Call me Margie." He nodded.
"Ugh Hayes see what you've started."
"Sorry sir." Mr. Kent waved his hand.
"Where are you getting the money for chanel and pearls?"
"Don't forget the new cars father," Percy told him. Michelle rolled her eyes.
"Michelle do you have your swim things." She nodded.
"Its in the trunk, mommy."
"Good, why don't you go get in." Michelle knew it wasn't a suggestion and went to the front door.
"Sir, what do you mean?" Hercules asked.
"I've noticed that you have a lot of expensive things, that you shouldn't be able to afford if I can't afford. And you told me your wife is a teacher."
"Oh," Hercules chuckled. "Sorry sir if I seem rude, its just that we can afford some nice things because of our inheritances. Consider yourself lucky your wife is not an expensive woman." Mr. Kent chuckled as well while Percy frowned, he hated Michelle not only was she colored, but also she was richer than he was.
"Shall we get to church before we're late?"
"Oh yes of course," Mr. Kent nodded to Xena. Hercules opened the door for them and they all left. Mr. Kent and Hercules left in his Aston Martin. Xena got in the Bentley.
"Michelle did you feed Gabby?" Xena asked. Michelle had named the dog after Gabrielle.
"Yes, mommy."
"Did you leave her fresh water?"
"Yes mommy." Xena closed her car door. Mrs. Kent stood outside her door as Percy got in.
"Percy, don't you think it would be nice if you opened the car door for your mother?" Xena asked him. He glared at Xena and she glared back at him. He got back out and opened the car door for his mother and shut it.
"Well that was different he never opens the door for me."
"Maybe he's growing up," Xena told her as she put on her seatbelt. Mrs. Kent put on hers as well like Michelle.
"Percy put your seatbelt on," Mrs. Kent told him. Xena was about to start the car when she stopped and shifted in her seat to look at Percy.
"What?" Percy asked crossing his arms.
"Put your seatbelt on your not that damn special." Percy looked at her in disbelief, but he put his seatbelt on. Mrs. Kent looked surprised he put his seatbelt on, but remained silent as Xena started the car and drove off. Percy made her so angry, he just had to be aggravating about everything even something as small as putting on a seatbelt.
"Something wrong?" Xena asked sipping her tea in the restaurant. Percy was off at his little league practice and Michelle at the pool. And because Mr. Kent and Hercules had gone to talk business at the country club, Mrs. Kent decided that her and Xena should get to know each other better. Xena didn't particularly like Mrs. Kent and she didn't think anything would make her like Mrs. Kent. She only remembered anything about her for the rare occasions they crossed paths and she was afraid they would cross more.
"No, not exactly, I'm not sure."
"It helps to say it out loud," Xena told her
"Yes, of course, well its Percy."
"What about him?" Xena asked as if she had no idea he had an obedience problem where his mother was concerned and his father to some degree.
"Well its just that today is the first day he's ever behaved in church properly, opened the door for me when his father wasn't around, put his seatbelt on, and even told me goodbye ever."
"Oh really?" Xena asked knowing where the conversation was headed.
"How did you do it?" Mrs. Kent asked. "He's a terror and today he was my son." She sipped her tea as if she was sorry she had said her child was a monster.
"Don't feel bad he earned the title himself." She nodded. "From what I've observed you're a complete pushover to him. You have to give him boundaries and consequences and if he doesn't listen, you must stick to it no matter what. I challenged his authority today and I didn't give in to him because he glared at me." Mrs. Kent listened to what Xena had done to make Percy yield, and some rules she had set up for Michelle to follow.
"As for getting his clothes dirty, there's not much you can do, he's a child. Children like to get dirty. However if you don't want his Sunday clothes or other items of that nature dirty than get him some jeans and things like that to play in that he can wear outside of school not during. Those will be his play clothes. He may take to that better than you're thinking, because these clothes are specifically play in, so if he wants to jump in mud in them he can and so on. No limits and if he wrecks them you won't get mad because you bought them to keep his other clothes in good condition longer."
"Do you put Michelle in jeans?"
"Yes, yes I do with perfectly good shirts I can mend easily. I mostly get her overalls though they work better for little girls." After they had tea Mrs. Kent wanted to show Xena her wardrobe as if Xena cared.
"You have some out of date clothes, is this dress from the forties?"
"No, thirties or twenties I forget, it was my sister's before me."
"Ugh, this should not have survived the last two decades. It was never in style trust me."
"Not surprising I looked God awful in the thing, I guess its just sentimental." Xena nodded. They managed to clear out half her closet.
"Now I'm out half of my clothes," Mrs. Kent commented as they boxed it to give to charity.
"We should go shopping after we go through my closet I have tons of things to give away." Xena wasn't particularly thinking about the needy what were they going to do with chanel they needed more practical clothing. In any case she needed an excuse to go shopping for herself. They went back to Xena's home and went through her closet before they went to a charity that would put their clothing to good use.
"Well I don't know about you, but I think we now have a reason to go shopping."
"Oh I couldn't shop without asking Don."
"If he loves you, he'll want to see you happy and shopping makes you..."
"Happy?"
"Yes that's right, you have a lot to learn." Xena took her shopping and she was practically her style twin when the men returned for dinner.
"Please tell me you let her raid your closet," Mr. Kent said to Xena. Xena chuckled and shook her head.
"Oh no, we went shopping."
"Honey, your closet was full last time I checked," Hercules told her knowing their bedroom was full of clothes.
"Mommy did you get me anything?" Michelle asked.
"Of course sweetheart, the bags are in your room." She looked at Hercules. "We did some cleaning today, and well I just had all this extra room and Margie had tons of extra room. It just made sense to fill it back up."
"Margie did it, did it really make sense to fill it back up or even get rid of perfectly good clothes."
"They were out of style Don, now don't get..." Xena cleared her throat. "I mean now let's sit down to dinner. Percy come sit down, you can try on your new play clothes later."
"Play clothes?" Percy and Don asked.
"Yes, I'm tired of you messing up your good clothes, so those jeans and t-shirts are to be warn only for play, you're not to wear them to school or church or anything like that."
"So I can do anything in them, play baseball..."
"Yes," Mrs. Kent interrupted. Percy was thrilled as he sat down. Michelle sat down next to her mother allowing the men to sit on both ends of the table.
"So did you guys settle the business?" Xena asked as Mr. Kent was about start in on his wife.
"Yes, we did, Thomas, I think your wife is bad for my wife, and it says a lot about the control you don't have over your wife."
"Sir, my wife is a free spirit and I like her that way its why I've never made any attempts I'm pretty sure would fail to tame her. Besides she makes and spends her own money, only when she shops over a period of days does that actually start to even be part of my paycheck."
"Maybe I should get a job than," Mrs. Kent commented.
"Seems to me you shouldn't be able to afford your wife."
"True, but she always gets me something, by the way what did you get?" Xena shrugged.
"I grabbed something somewhere I wasn't paying much attention."
"Must be good than."
"Did you happen to get me anything since you were out spending my money?"
"Yes, I did get you something with our money, dear," Mrs. Kent told him as they passed around the dishes before saying Grace. When they were eating Mr. Kent finally replied.
"Well what was it?"
"Oh a glove, so you can play catch in the yard with Percy now." He groaned.
"I told you I don't have time for that."
"You should make time even that nigger has her father swimming laps with her." Everyone fell silent, the only sound was forks hitting their plates. Michelle stared at him in disbelief, no one had ever called her that.
"Not you idiot," Percy said looking at her. "I meant that nigger who's always hanging around the colored entrance until they're allowed in."
"Percy, we don't allow or like that word used in our household, would you refrain from using it?" Xena asked him sweetly, but her eyes dared him to defy her. He gulped.
"Yes ma'ma."
"I don't know why you're so upset Joyce its perfectly all right to call them what they are," Mr. Kent told her. Xena looked at him in total disbelief not because he believed it was all right to call a person such a derogatory term, she was use to that, but at the fact he thought she didn't have a reason to be upset. Even Mrs. Kent was looking at him confused. She had got the message after her first comment towards Michelle, she realized immediately it wasn't appreciated or tolerated.
"Don!" She exclaimed quietly. He looked at her and she stared back at him.
"Oh sorry Joyce, Thomas I wasn't thinking."
"Yes, I'm sure," Xena told him.
"We're so moving soon," Hercules told her in Ancient Greek.
"Yeah, I'm looking for a new profession anyway," She replied in Ancient Greek.
"What's that language?" Mr. Kent asked.
"Greek," Hercules told him.
"Is this Greek food?" Percy asked with his mouth full. Xena nodded.
"Percy honey don't talk with your mouth full," Mrs. Kent told him.
"What are we eating?" Percy asked ignoring her.
"Ask me when your mouth isn't full." Percy swallowed.
"What are we eating?"
"Spinach rice which is your side dish, and Artichoke moussaka, which is a meat dish you can use beef or pork, I chose beef."
"Its good." He looked at his mother. "Why can't you cook like this, all we have is roasted chicken." Mrs. Kent looked absolutely hurt.
"Percy, apologize to your mother." When Percy disobeyed his father things turned into an argument Xena was sure he won most of the time. However he was in front of them and pulled Percy out by his ear with Mrs. Kent making their apologies.
"I thought they would never leave," Hercules groaned when he heard their car pull off.
"I know, I thought for sure he'd pitch a fit over the food no matter what, but insulting his mother was good too. And that was if Mr. Kent didn't throw a fit about her shopping."
"I can't believe you took her shopping."
"I had too for two reasons, you know the first. Besides it was an emergency, you should have seen what I dug out of her closet, it was horrendous." Hercules looked at her and she stared back at him all seriousness. He tried to stare her down before he finally made a parting comment and turned to Michelle.
"I bet, Michelle how was your day?"
"Good, I'm starting to become friends with the girls on my team again."
"That's good."
"Do we have to move?" Michelle asked. They were surprised she had understood them, they didn't speak it to her often.
"Honey as time goes by we're starting to feel like its necessary, but it'll be in another year at the end of my contract with the High School."
"But this is our home."
"I know that honey, but sometimes homes change, just like Xena and Gabrielle's home changed often."
"Yeah even Iolaus and Hercules home changed," Xena added.
"No, They all traveled but Xena called Amphipolis home, Hercules had Cornith with his mother and brother. Iolaus had a home in Thebes or even Cornith. Gabrielle had Poteidaia. If we move this won't be home."
"Well our home will move with us, maybe not the structure, but home is where your heart is, that is one of the most important messages of the stories. Remember with Xena and Gabrielle where ever the other was that was their home." Michelle was too upset to finish dinner.
"I'll clear up, why don't you go comfort our Olympic swimmer." Xena nodded and kissed him before going upstairs after Michelle.
"Its okay to be sad about leaving," Xena told her bending down near her head and caressing her face. Michelle just lay on her bed watching her.
"Will Ronald be able to find us?"
"Yes, don't worry we'll make sure Ronald knows exactly where we live."
"Where will we move?" Michelle asked.
"We haven't made that decision yet, but you're welcome to put in suggestions." Gabby walked into the room and pressed her wet nose against Michelle's leg.
"Mommy can Gabby sleep in my bed tonight?" Xena thought about it.
"Just this once, now why don't you get a bath and change while I take Gabby out for her walk." Michelle nodded and hopped out of bed. "Hey where's my kiss?" Michelle giggled and came back to give her a kiss. "All right come on Gabby let's go for you nightly walk." Xena changed first into jeans before running with Gabby and letting her stop to use the little warrior's room.