Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter two of "Running Around." This chapter has the groups crossing paths. There is a little Eric/Snow White as well. I decided to have Xena pregnant and her raising Solan because I felt she should have been able to raise him and care for a baby. I will not reveal what her child will be. You will have to find out for yourselves. Stay tuned for chapter three.

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Chapter 2: Some Relaxing/Crossing Paths

Kiki, Lina, and Moses were eating leaves from a bush close to the stream twenty minutes later. Eric, Snow White, and William sat on a nearby log. She bit into a half-eaten apple. She chewed at a slow yet steady pace. She swallowed with a loud gulp. William took a bite out of a nearly-fully-eaten pear. He chewed quickly before swallowing and smacking his lips. He tossed it over his head. It landed not far away.

"That was a good pear," William said while rubbing his hands together.

"This is a good apple," Snow White said and took a big bite out of the apple. She chewed and swallowed fast. "When the horses decided they wanted to eat leaves, that made William and me hungry."

"Aye," Eric agreed. "You two have eaten so many apples and pears that I thought you would have become one or the other by now." He snickered under his breath. "You both would look good as either."

"Very funny, Eric," William retorted with a roll of his eyes.

"Hey, it is better to have a sense of humor than to be dead serious all the time," Eric pointed out truthfully. "You taught me that."

William furrowed his brow. "Yes, but you do not make very good jokes."

"At least I try," Eric said, giving a shrug.

"Trying your best is all that counts in most cases," Snow White said, taking another big bite out of her apple.

Eric pulled her hair behind her neck. "Right, darling."

Eric leaned in to kiss his wife's neck, but she shoved the apple in his mouth. He pulled away, blinking three times. William started laughing in which the huntsman glared at him.

"That is what I call a mouthful of apple," William joked and continued to laugh.

"For sure," Snow White said.

Eric pulled the apple out of his mouth after taking the last bite of it. "Ha, ha, ha. That was so funny that I forgot to laugh."

Eric chewed at a steady pace before swallowing and letting out a quiet gulp. He smirked before tossing the apple behind him. He crossed his arms, an eyebrow raising.

"Now, you can say I finished your apple," Eric said smugly.

"Don't get smug, Eric. It will come back and bite you on the ass when you least expect it," William warned sternly.

"Hmph. I ain't afraid," Eric responded while shaking his head.

"You should be," William commented with a snicker.

"You should be too, especially since your arrogance has bitten you on the ass more than once," Snow White pointed out matter-of-factly.

Eric snickered under his breath. William shot him a glare, which caused him to grow quiet. Eric felt something pull on his hair. He looked up to see Kiki nibbling on it. He pulled it out of her mouth. He shook his finger at her disapprovingly as she whickered.

"You know the rules, Kiki. No nibbling on my hair," Eric scolded with a somewhat loud snort.

"I guess Kiki wanted to eat your hair," Snow White joked and emitted a snicker.

"I agree," William said, nodding fast.

"Sure, she did," Eric grumbled sarcastically. "Sure, she did."

Just then, Snow White and William felt something pull on their hair. They glanced up, seeing Lina and Moses nibble on it. They pulled it out of their mouths. They gave them shaking fingers of disapproval. Eric tried to stifle a laugh, but he couldn't.

"You should not have done that, Lina!" Snow White scolded.

"Neither should have you, Moses!" William added and snorted to himself.

"I guess your horses wanted to eat your hair too!" Eric blurted out and formed a big smirk on his face.

"Go ahead," William said, standing up and patting Moses on his neck. "Laugh your ass off, Eric."

"At least the horses are done eating," Eric said while rising to his feet to pet Kiki in between the eyes. "We can get going again."

"If we keep going, we will be close to Mela by sunset," Snow White added as she got up and grabbed Lina's reins. "After a good night's rest, we should be there by late morning."

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" William shouted eagerly.

The trio were about to mount their horses when snapping twigs came out of nowhere. Kiki whinnied alarmingly, as did Lina and Moses. They swiveled their ears, followed by their tails. They snorted before adjusting the metal bits in their mouths.

"What in the hell was that?" William wondered.

"I don't know," Eric answered and cleared his throat. Kiki tried to pull away from him, but he tightened his grip on the reins. "Whatever it was, it's got Kiki worked up."

"I can say the same for Lina," Snow White agreed as Lina raised her head and whinnied fearfully.

"Don't forget Moses," William added while patting Moses's neck as he bobbed his head. "We better check it out."

"Let's get our weapons out just in case," Snow White suggested.

"Let's stay close together," Eric commented and swallowed hard. He and the others moved their hands away from the horses. "We don't know what could be stalking us."

Snow White and William unsheathed their swords from their scabbards on their sides. Eric grabbed his axe from its holster. They started walking slowly. They scanned their surroundings, but they did not see anything.

00000

Eric, Snow White, and William were still walking around three minutes later. They scanned their surroundings once more, but they still did not see anything. Their hearts began to beat a little faster. Their breathing got somewhat heavier. They swallowed hard before clearing their throats. Distant explosions sounded, as did howling.

"Do you get the feeling we are being watched, Eric?" Snow White wondered.

"I have no idea," Eric admitted.

William blew hard. "Don't talk. Stay focused."

More snapping twigs caused the trio to come to a halt. They spun around and held up their weapons, but they did not see anything. They exhaled in a sharp way before shaking their heads in disbelief.

"It must have been an animal," Eric suggested.

"Most likely," Snow White agreed. "Come on."

Eric, Snow White, and William turned around, only to encounter Xena and Gabrielle, who had their weapons out. All five of them jumped back as they yelled in fright. Snow White and William pointed their swords at them, as did Eric with his axe. Xena aimed her sword at them. So did Gabrielle with her sais.

"You really should watch it when people are holding weapons, ladies!" William scolded angrily.

"I could say the same thing about you, young man," Xena retorted with a scoff.

"What is a pregnant woman like you doing in a warzone?" Eric asked seriously as he glanced at her baby bump. "You really shouldn't be here. It's dangerous for your baby."

"That's none of your business," Gabrielle huffed. "My friend can take care of herself just fine. Besides, we have been in warzones before."

"Who are you two?" Snow White asked.

"I'm Xena," Xena introduced.

"What?" Eric asked while raising his eyebrows.

"That means—" Snow White said, glancing toward the bard.

"Yes," Gabrielle answered in eagerness. "I'm Gabrielle."

Eric, Snow White, and William felt their jaws drop to the ground. They opened and closed their mouths, but they could not get any words to form. Xena and Gabrielle tried to hold back chuckles, but they couldn't.

"We can't believe it is you. All of Tabor knows of the warrior princess and her battling bard sidekick," Snow White said in amazement.

"You three are from Tabor?" Gabrielle wondered.

"Yes. I am Snow White. These two are Eric and William," Snow White answered, gesturing to her husband and friend.

Xena and Gabrielle gasped in much surprise. They wondered if Snow White was telling the truth. They took a closer look at her and realized she was. They breathed deeply before swallowing hard.

"I never thought we would encounter the queen, her husband, and their friend of that kingdom, Xena," Gabrielle said, glancing at her best friend.

"I didn't either," Xena commented.

Gabrielle bit her lip. "Is it okay for Solan to come out?"

Xena turned away. "It is. Solan, come on out! You don't worry about any danger. We just ran into Snow White, Eric, and William of Tabor."

Eric, Snow White, and William turned to see Solan pulling Argo and Amber behind him. The boy let out a shocked gasp as he came to his mother's side. He released his hold on the reins. Snow White, William, and Xena sheathed their swords. Eric slipped his axe into its holster. Gabrielle mimicked him with her sais.

"This is Solan," Xena said, patting her son's shoulder. "Solan, this is Eric, Snow White, and William."

"Hello, Solan. It's nice to meet you, your mother, and your friend," Eric greeted warmly.

"I can't believe it. I never thought I would meet you three!" Solan exclaimed while putting his hand behind his head.

"We never thought we would meet you three either. The rumors are true. You are almost as tall your mother," Snow White commented.

"What brings you three to the middle of this warzone?" Solan wondered curiously.

"We were on our way to Mela to see how it has been doing since we brought supplies to the villagers. It is not in the midst of a drought anymore, but we wanted to go visit, anyway. I suggested we take a shortcut. Eric and Snow White agreed. We ended up here," William explained in some embarrassment.

"We were heading there too. The locals told us this was the shortest way to the village. We had no idea it would bring us here either," Gabrielle added.

"Since you are worried about my baby being harmed, you don't have to be," Xena said, touching her stomach. "I am very capable of fighting, despite my condition. Besides, I have backup just in case."

"We don't doubt you can handle yourself, Xena, but this is still a very dangerous place for you, your baby, and your son to be," Eric pointed out honestly.

"Don't worry about me. I can take care of myself. I've been able to catch my own food since I was seven years old. Ben taught me that," Solan responded annoyingly.

"Calm down, Solan. We are not doubting your ability to take care of yourself. We are just concerned about your safety and that of your unborn brother or sister," Snow White said gently.

"Well, this area isn't exactly a place a queen like you should be," Solan murmured.

"I know, but I have my husband and my friend as my protectors," Snow White said and cleared her throat.

"All right, that is enough," Xena said, waving her hands in the air. "Since we are all on the way to Mela, why don't we go there together?"

"I like that idea, Xena," Eric agreed with a smile.

"Me too," William said, nodding.

"Me three," Snow White said, a laugh coming from her.

"Don't forget us," Solan and Gabrielle blurted out. "We want to come too."

"Okay," Xena said, waving her hand toward herself. "Come on."

Xena and Gabrielle went over to Argo and Amber to grab their reins. They and Solan went with the trio to Kiki, Lina, and Moses. Eric, Snow White, and Williams grabbed the reins. Everyone began pulling his or her horses in a northeasterly direction. The group crossed the stream. Solan came up alongside his mother.

"I find it amazing we met up with these people, Mom," Solan said excitedly.

"I do too, Solan," Xena agreed with a smile. "It's not every day we encounter people from any kingdom."

Gabrielle chuckled. "Especially from one like Tabor."

"It's nice a queen like Snow White can make her own choices," Xena said, glancing at Snow White.

"Why should she be told where to go and how to dress? If she wants to be a warrior, then let her. There is no harm in it," Gabrielle added.

"You are damn right about that, Gabrielle," Snow White said in determination. "I will fight to protect my kingdom. So will Eric and William."

"Oh, yes," Eric said, kissing his wife's temple.

"That's right," William commented with a sharp nod.

"Tabor is lucky to have you three," Solan whispered in much warmth.

William blew in a soft way. "I know. Anyway, let's pray we make it out of this warzone alive."

The horses whinnied as their owners tightened their grip on the reins. They swiveled their ears, followed by their tails.