Drinking Away Your Difficulty

I'm going to be a farther, how is that even possible? As much as I try to wrap my head around that concept I can't. Okay so it was godly magic in a sense but I thought it was only male gods that had the ability to do crazy things like this. I mean when Dionysus was born his mother Semele died in child birth and he was born premature Zeus came down and wrapped the flesh of his thigh around the child carrying him till full term giving birth to him a second time. Hera also gave birth to Ares with out Zeus's help she eat a magical herb and that's how he came about maybe that's why he's such a bastard and has daddy issues. Oh wait I'm condemning the very bastard who caused all of this, he merged myself and Xena in to the same body, which is one of the strangest sensations I've ever felt, even in the darkness it was strangely warm and comforting and it made it easier to cope. When he un-merged us though something happened which wasn't meant to happen, we could break the gender rule. Only for a night mind you but one night was enough to throw my world and my lovers completely on its head. She got the symptoms like sickness eating weird things and her insides playing up. She went to the healer who she told me she tried to strangle when he told her that she was carrying a child. I thought she had cheated and had gone out of the way to shatter my heart in to a million pieces.

We had an awful row one of the worst we've ever had in a long time I said some thing I shouldn't like that the child must be Ares's and that she had cheated on me. I was so blinded by rage and jealousy I wasn't thinking straight and I know my comment hurt her deeply I saw it in her eyes and she said she wanted to leave, as it turns out Aphrodite was the one who appeared part way through our argument and explained it all by then though we both had to walk away and cool off after being told the truth. I feel stupid now I should have been more understanding, my own daughter Hope wasn't conceived in a general manner I guess I was afraid and allowed that fear to control my actions. So now here I sit drinking myself in to oblivion in a tavern trying to wrap my head around the fact that I'm the farther and my whole life is about to change drastically not knowing how in Tartarus to act or what to do next, it feels like I'm in a limbo of my own emotions. I feel bad I'm getting more and more drunk and I am not sure how long I've been here. Gabrielle eyed the glass bottle which was filled with something called tequila honestly it didn't taste that nice but the slices of lemon helped slightly.

"You know that's the face of a woman who's troubled, would you like to share it might help?"

Gabrielle looked up meeting the elderly bar tenders gaze as she took a long gulp from the bottle feeling the burning in her throat. "No offence but I really don't want to talk about it." The bar tender raised a woolly eyebrow. "Oh come now, it can't be that bad." Gabrielle smirked. "Oh no it's much worse." She paused knowing the alcohol was making her tongue looser. "My girlfriend is pregnant." The bar tender felt a smile form. "Well that's good isn't it I mean was it planned did a friend help?" Gabrielle shook her head. "No, no friend helped…" The bar tender felt his smile fade. "I'm so sorry I have friends who've been cheated on its heartbreaking." Gabrielle laughed realizing instantly that her laugher sounded hysterical she stopped it going quite as she leaned forward speaking softly. "No you don't understand I'm the farther." The bar keeper looked at her for a long moment. "Wait so you got your girlfriend pregnant?" Gabrielle nodded not missing a beat as she spoke in an even tone. "Yes." The bar tender reached for her bottle. "You know I think its time to cut you off, you've clearly had enough." Gabrielle yanked the bottle away and out of his grasp. "You don't say when I've had enough, I say when I've had enough!"

The bar keeper gave her a cold look. "Give me the bottle." Gabrielle pulled the bottle closer to her chest. "No I paid for it." The bar tender eyed her as he folded his arms. "You know I've been bar tending for years and I've heard so many odd stories but you get the prize for most ludicrous." Gabrielle eyed the bottle in her hand. "Great well then I want my prize to be the bottle." The bar tender shook his head realizing that there was no way he was going to get her to part with her bottle. He sat down in front of her maybe if she wouldn't part with it he could amuse himself over this drunken woman and play along in her drunken delusion. "So what did you do, did you steal one of Aphrodite's phallus toys from her temple? Or maybe you had your lover eat that special herb which Hera used to sire her bastard child Ares?" Gabrielle laughed but it was a cold laugh. "You know what Ares did have something to do with it but you wouldn't believe that ether." The bar keeper felt a fake smile form. "Try me." Gabrielle took another long gulp before speaking. "Well Ares has a lot to do with it that bastard merged my self and lover together as one person and when we got separated we could break some godly gender procreation rule. So I had no idea about this and lets just say me and my lover had a really, really good time and now I'm a farther." The bar tender smirked. "I don't say this very often but you're a real delusional drunk and you tell great stories you should be a bard." Gabrielle felt a sneer form. "I am a bard and I don't do fiction I tell the truth."

He laughed grabbing her bottle more firmly this time. "Well I think today your truth is way off." He felt the sudden agonizing pain as a large hand grabbed the bottle forced out of his hand. He looked up meeting the ice cold blue gaze of a tall dark haired woman he pulled his hand back rubbing it painfully. "That hurt!" Xena slammed the bottle back down in front of Gabrielle as she eyed the old man. "It's considered very rude to steal someone's drink when they have paid for it, do you steal all of your patron's drinks or is this a first for you?" The bar tender eyed the blonde haired woman who looked shocked. "I was cutting her off because she's clearly drunk! Telling a ludicrous story that she's a farther to her girlfriend's child." Xena eyed him for a long moment. "It's not some ludicrous story I'm the girlfriend!" She watched as he stood still in shock she slowly sat herself in the chair opposite her lover who suddenly looked very unsure of herself and took another long drink emptying the bottle in one go. If she hadn't been drunk before she would be now she turned to the bar tender. "Why don't you make yourself useful and get me some milk." She watched as he blinked still finding difficulty in recomposing himself. "What's the matter am I underage or something?" She eyed him as he sped in to action filling a tankard which he put down in front of her before disappearing from site the confusion still in his eyes. She turned to Gabrielle who looked completely out her element and very drunk the younger woman's words came out in a slurred rush. "I thought you'd left town you said you were going to leave." Xena took her wooden tankard taking a slow drink. "I was angry Gabrielle and I didn't mean it."

Gabrielle shook her head trying to clear the haze which was now hanging over her mind. "If you meant it….I wouldn't blame you." She put a hand through her short hair in frustration. "I acted like such a jealous idiot." Xena looked at her for a long moment. "You were afraid, I can understand that, becoming a parent is freighting we both been here before we know what its like." Gabrielle eyed her empty bottle wishing that she could just refill it and really drown out her sorrows. "I was never a good parent…my daughter turned in to a murder who murdered your son." Xena put a hand on the other woman's. "That's in the past, but I have a feeling that this child will be special I mean he or she was made by both of us and I think you'll be a great parent regardless of what you think off yourself Gabrielle." Gabrielle put a hand on her face. "I still can't wrap my head around this I'm the farther of your child….I mean its not even possible." Xena felt a smile form as she finished her wooden tankard. "Well it has happened and you are the farther and I'm happy about it and I think that's all that really matters." She moved her hand putting it around the younger woman's waist. "Come on lets go back to our room." Gabrielle nodded struggling to get up only for the taller woman to help her as she walked towards their room with very unsteady feet due to the drink which was both sloshing in her stomach and making her feel very light headed.

She spoke despite that every word was hard to get out and a part of her wanted to pass out. "You think I be a good farther." Xena felt a smile form as she turned to her. "I couldn't think of anyone better to be the farther to our child." She eyed the other woman who had closed her eyes the drink finally kicking in fully somehow she felt glad that she'd gotten here when she did. Overly drunk people normally ended up spending a night in a cell. Ether way her lover was going to have an awful hangover tomorrow she didn't drink that much and tonight she had just gotten completely off her face. She pushed the door open with her foot as she pulled the younger woman through and carefully put her down on the bed which was in the nick off time as it was clear Gabrielle had now fully passed out and her feet really weren't working. She moved back to the door closing it and locking it before moving back to the bed, she eased up her hand running it through the younger woman's short hair which was a ruffled mess. They would still need to chat but she had a feeling it would be easier tomorrow. Plus they had their some months to get used to this issue it would be a while before their child was born and she was sure that things would sort themselves out, they always did.

Silvermoonlight

This is a concept based on the child in season 5 being brought about due to the merging in the episode Succession I've always thought that, that would be a better story line and would have played to the strengths of the subtext fans and the none subtext fans who could have also seen Ares as the creator but not the farther.