Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter thirteen of "Running Around." Belach returns after several chapters of being absent. I wanted to bring him back as he is an important character in this crossover. Stay tuned for chapter fourteen.

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Chapter 13: Shadows of Conflict and Care

The inn hummed with the voices of the wounded in the midafternoon. A young Passilian man limped across the main room while balancing on a staff. His upper left thigh was bandaged. He emitted a loud groan as he approached a chair. He seated himself and leaned the staff against the side. He rubbed the back of his neck with both hands. He moved his head from side to side to stretch it.

Belach sat on a stool next to a table. One-year-old Ollie was in his lap. He was smaller than most babies his age. His skin was rather pale. His head contained no hair whatsoever. His eyes were blue. He reached for a bowl that contained a simple mash, its steam curling faintly upward. He babbled while opening and closing his hands.

Belach dipped a spoon into the mash with care. He brought it to Ollie's mouth, and the baby's eyes lit up with delight. Ollie accepted it eagerly, his tiny lips working around the food with a soft smack. His mouth popped open again almost instantly. Belach chuckled, his hand going to the baby's forehead to rub it gently.

"You're a hungry little fellow, aren't you?" Belach asked. "Yes, you are."

Belach scooped another small portion, guiding it carefully to Ollie's waiting mouth. The baby took it with the same eagerness, his fingers curling and uncurling as if to grasp the spoon himself. Belach watched him with a quiet fondness. Ollie's tiny chest heaved with a contented sigh. Belach adjusted his hold, keeping the infant secure against him.

"You're good with kids," a male voice said.

Belach to see Chase standing a short distance away. He could see man's stance was rigid, his expression a mask that gave little away. Belach offered a small smile, though it was cautious.

"I've been told that before," Belach said. He returned his attention to Ollie, who had begun sucking on his own fingers between bites. "I guess I'm just naturally drawn to them."

Chase stepped forward, his boots scuffing lightly against the floor. His movements were slow and deliberate. It was as if testing the space between them. He came to Belach's side, stopping close enough to peer down at the baby. Ollie glanced at him briefly before settling back into a drowsy contentment.

"Xena mentioned you were once a slave," Chase said in a calm way.

"She was a good friend to me when I was a boy," Belach admitted, turning to Ollie. "My parents, Borias and Natassa, trusted her to take care of me when they were busy. "He sighed in a heavy way. "My father was the leader of a ruthless army when Xena came into our lives. I didn't like how he fought, but he was always caring toward his family and friends."

"And your mother?" Chase wondered.

"She was killed while I was kidnapped and sold into slavery. I had many masters after that, some kind, some cruel. My final master was as mean as a poisonous snake," Belach said, hissing in anger. "I escaped from him and stayed with Felix, who taught me to fight." He looked up at Chase. "I started searching for Xena because I wanted to help her turn from her dark path. I'd heard all about her evil exploits, especially those alongside my father, and that she'd given birth to my brother, Solan, and gave him away to Ben, who later died and trusted her to raise his adopted son."

"I'm sorry for your life of slavery," Chase whispered in much sympathy.

"I hated it, but I learned to deal with it," Belach said, shrugging He spooned another bit of mash for Ollie, who had begun to fuss slightly. The baby settled as the food reached his mouth. "We must take life as it comes."

Chase nodded in agreement. He looked around the room twice before settling back on Belach and Ollie.

"I feel bad about hurting you," Chase whispered in a gentle way.

Belach's eyes flashed with a sudden spark of anger. He narrowed them at the general who swallowed hard.

"You didn't seem to feel that way when I heard you and your men laughing after you stabbed me while I was trying to flee," Belach hissed. "I was just a man passing through. I wanted no part of this war."

"I feel bad now," Chase said with a painful wince. "My men can be overzealous in their desire for freedom, but I believe the Passilians need to be destroyed. They've made life hell for my people." He emitted a fierce growl. "My parents were thrown to wolves when they were captured while I escaped. They were elderly. They didn't deserve that."

Belach narrowed his eyes at him. "Xena told me that three young women witnessed your men stab Ollie's mother, Lila, to death and laughed while they did it. The women found him hidden and brought him to the inn." He gestured faintly toward the baby in his lap, whose eyes had begun to droop with sleep. "How could you deprive him of his mother?"

Chase felt his eyes widen in shock. "That can't be."

Belach's gaze was unrelenting. It held Chase's own with an intensity that pinned him in place.

"I never held any animosity toward Xena, despite she did a bit of evil," Belach commented firmly. "I knew she was a good woman deep down. She was trapped in a cycle of violence and hatred. She needed a spark to break free, and Gabrielle was that spark."

"You despise me for this," Chase said.

"I don't despise you, but you need to think of the children. They shouldn't know bloodshed," Belach said, looking down at Ollie. His fingers brushed lightly over the baby's head. "It is not fair to them."

Chase nodded slowly, his gaze dropping to Ollie's peaceful form. "War affects everyone, especially young parents."

Belach pressed his lips together. "It's not just the fighters who bear the scars. It's the ones left behind, the ones who lose everything before they even know what they've lost. Ollie's mother died for nothing but hate. Now, he's here with no one but us to care for him. That's what war does. It steals futures and leaves wounds that don't heal."

Chase felt his jaw clench as he balled his hands into fists at his sides. He inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly.

"I didn't want this. The Passilians took my family, my home. I can't forgive that," Chase said.

"I know that pain, Chase," Belach said, looking at him. He blinked three times before sighing heavily. "I've lived it. But killing more won't bring them back. It just makes more like Ollie, more like me. We have to find a way to stop it, or it'll never end."

Chase stood there. The weight of Belach's words pressed down on him. The fire popped in the hearth. This sent a shower of sparks upward, and Ollie stirred faintly in his sleep.

"I don't know how to stop it. The hate's too deep," Chase said with a shake of his head.

Belach laid his hand on Ollie's back, feeling the rise and fall of his breaths. He gave it a gentle pat before rubbing it the same way.

"Maybe it starts with us. With choosing something better, even when it's hard," Belach suggested.

"Maybe," Chas responded and cleared his throat. He stepped back, his posture heavy with unresolved tension. "I should go. There's work to do."

Belach watched Chase leave. He turned his attention back to the sleeping baby. He rubbed his back very gently.

00000

Xena and Gabrielle knelt beside a cot in another part of the room. They were tending to a young Kiforthian woman, who lay pale and trembling. Her left leg bore a deep stab wound. Her right shoulder oozed blood from another gash. Xena focused on the woman's shoulder. Gabrielle worked on the leg. The healers whispered inaudible words.

The woman's breath hitched with each movement. Her face was etched with pain, but her eyes followed their hands with a quiet trust. Xena grabbed a needle and thread. She poked it through the bottom of the shoulder wound. She pulled it all the way through and began to stitching it. Gabrielle mimicked her best friend in all ways. The woman winced, but she managed a weak smile.

"You both have such healer's touches," the woman said.

"You'll have to blame Xena for that. She taught me everything I know," Gabrielle said playfully.

Xena chuckled warmly. "Gabrielle's naturally gifted at healing. She's no less skilled than I am."

Xena finished stitching and dragged her dagger from her boot. She cut the thread carefully. Gabrielle shook her head, her smile widening as she finished her own stitching. She did a cut of the thread with her own dagger she grabbed from a holster.

"I'm no more gifted than you are, Xena," Gabrielle commented. "No way."

Xena and Gabrielle laid their daggers on nearby tables. They moved in unison, reaching for strips of bandages. Xena wrapped the shoulder while Gabrielle secured the leg. They tied the bandages once they were finished. The woman sighed, her body relaxing slightly as the pain eased.

"Thank you both," the woman murmured. "Thank you."

Gabrielle picked up a staff from beside the cot, its wood worn smooth from use. She handed it to the woman, who gripped it tightly.

"Use this to help you walk," Gabrielle said in a soft way.

The woman planted the staff into the floor, the tip sinking slightly into the packed earth. She pushed herself up, her movements being slow and cautious. She kept the weight off her injured leg. Her steps were uneven as she hobbled away. The staff tapped a steady rhythm against the ground, but she moved with determination.

"You did a nice job," a male voice said.

Xena and Gabrielle rose to their feet as Luis walked up to them. His expression carried a grudging appreciation, though his stance remained stiff. Xena narrowed her eyes at him.

"It's about time you complimented us on our techniques," Xena said with dry humor.

"I'm trying to be nice," Luis insisted while raising his hands.

Gabrielle scoffed irritatingly. "You've been nothing but ugly to us since we got here."

"Believe me. I am doing my best not to be that way," Luis responded coolly.

"You could've done that a bit sooner," Xena responded and clenched her teeth.

Luis shrugged. "Perhaps."

Xena ran her tongue all over the inside of her mouth. She felt her heart skip two beats. She crossed her arms, her breathing becoming rather heavy.

"Solan told me you made a comment about how he shouldn't be here behind his back yesterday," Xena said, bitterness showing in her voice.

"He shouldn't be here at all. He's just a kid," Luis said, his weight shifting from one foot to the next.

"Mention that to little Ollie, who had no choice because his mother was killed," Gabrielle retorted.

"By Kiforthians, of course!" Luis pointed out fiercely.

"Your people have caused just as much carnage as Chase's people have. Neither side is innocent in all of this," Xena responded firmly and stood tall as if she were commanding the space.

"You're right, though I think my people are more innocent than Chase's," Luis said and cleared his throat.

"Both sides are equally at fault. No one must forget that," Xena said, uncrossing her arms and pointing a finger at him. "You got that?"

Xena gestured across the room to a Passilian man, who had just been carried in, a gash on his head bleeding freely. It was staining the cot beneath him.

"Go tend to him," Xena commanded. "He could use your help."

Luis nodded in agreement and walked toward the man, who looked up with a painful groan. Xena and Gabrielle looked at each other, their breathing soft and steady.

"War is hell," Gabrielle murmured, her voice showing much sadness.

"It is, but we have to keep going," Xena agreed hopefully. She touched her stomach and felt the baby move. "It's all we can do."

"It shouldn't be too much longer before the baby comes," Gabrielle commented, a chuckle leaving her mouth.

"Three weeks," Xena replied and formed a big smile on her face. "I can't wait."

Gabrielle frowned a bit. "It's a shame Kyle isn't here to meet his child.

"It sucks that he was killed by a wild boar, but life goes on," Xena said sadly. "There is no point in hanging on to the past.

Gabrielle nodded in agreement. Xena ran her hands all over her stomach while emitting a contented sigh.

"Cyrene will have two grandchildren now. She'll spoil this one rotten," Gabrielle pointed out with a smirk.

"Toris will spoil it too," Xena added. "Lyceus will never get the chance to be an uncle due to that ambush by Cortese and his men that killed him."

Xena sighed heavily. She could never forget Lyceus's screams as he was being beaten badly by Cortese's men. She wished she could have done more to save him. She was grateful that Cyrene never blamed her for it since the ambush was sudden. She looked at Gabrielle, who touched her shoulder.

"He's at peace now, and he's proud of you for turning away from your dark path," Gabrielle said.

"Yes, he is," Xena agreed. "We should get back to work."

"That guy could use some help," Gabrielle said while gesturing toward a young Passilian man, who was sitting on a cot with a gash on the upper part of his right arm. "Don't you think?"

"Yes, he could," Xena agreed. "Come on."

Xena and Gabrielle gathered their medical supplies. They headed over to the man and seated themselves in chairs next to him. They proceeded to treat his wound.