Despite the bard's assurances, Ari had a hard time understanding her actions. Every crime she had committed should have brought the older woman's wrath down on her, in yet, to Ari's amazement, she had yet to see her second mother's anger. In fact, aside for the shorter woman's single outburst when she learned that Ari had listened to her thoughts, Gabrielle did not turn on her, and this puzzled the dark child.

Although she had never been concerned about her transgressions while with Alti, Ari was now aware of her crimes. The shame of her actions against innocent villagers and her subsequent order to murder all bards was hard for Ari to accept. If anyone had accused her of this a few weeks ago, she would have denied it. But now that the vivid memories were returning to her like slow trickling droplets of water, Ari could not deny being the cause of so much pain to so many innocents. Understanding this, she found it hard to believe that Gabrielle could truly forgive all the bloodshed on her hands, because for Ari, she could not truly forgive herself for it.

As if her brooding thoughts were somehow sensed, she felt a slight touch cross over her forehead. Ari opened her eyes and gazed up into the soft smile that looked down at her. When the travois stopped, the bard knelt beside her.

At her words, Ari nodded as the feelings of filth returned to her. Although she never truly felt clean, she had never felt as dirty as she did now, she thought as memories of the attack of the two brother's returned to her. The feel of their hands holding her, forcing her to stillness as they … no, she would not allow herself to delve too deeply into these memories because each time she did, she was taken back to the images of her childhood. Remembering their touch was as hard as remembering all that Alti had done to her, and in turn, reminded her of what she had done to the innocent people who had crossed her path. Whatever had happened to her at the brother's hands, she deserved, Ari silently reasoned.

When she felt the cessation of movement by the travois, Ari opened her eyes and watched as her two mothers easily unlaced the bindings that held her in place. As the cover was removed, Gabrielle reached below her and helped her to rise from her prone position. At the sudden feeling of freedom, Ari slowly stretched her legs and winced, keenly aware of the pain between them.

"It's all right, honey, you're just bruised. It will stop hurting soon," Xena assured as she helped her lover to support and lift Ari from the travois.

With a shiver, Gabrielle closed her eyes against the memories of all the bards who had perished because of this girl before her. Many of them she had met through her journeys with Xena. And although there were rumors that story tellers were imprisoned, after Alti's army had been defeated, and no bards were found among the surviving prisoners, they began to doubt that the stories were anything more than false legends fabricated to bolster up the Destroyer's image. Now that she knew the truth, she felt a part of her soul recoil at the thought. Yet each time that Gabrielle felt herself growing angry, she'd gaze down at the girl and watch her peacefully sleeping features. Whenever she saw Ari's closed eyes, her easy breaths, she found it hard to believe that the girl had acted on her own desires. It was easier to believe that Alti was the driving influence behind the girl's actions.

Each time she glanced at Ari, she wondered if she should discuss the matter with the girl. But every time she saw Ari's staring gaze, the sadness within her eyes, Xena thought better of talking with her daughter. Instead the warrior turned inward as she tried to think through this new dilemma.

Ari was not ready to be a mother, this much Xena knew. Between captivity in the hands of Alti, and her time of murderous rampage as the Destroyer, and yes, even the most recent rape, Xena knew that there would simply be too many things which Ari would have to deal with. Adding the notion of a pregnancy would be too much, the warrior reasoned.

Of course, Xena tried to convince herself, the laws of probability could be in their favor, and a child might not even result from this rape. But if probability was not in their favor, could she and her lover help Ari to raise a baby, while also helping her to assimilate into a normal life? Each time she glanced back down at the girl, Xena saw the dark shadows under Ari's eyes, the sadness and pain that were etched in her features was clearly visible.

"Ari, you're clean now," she heard the bard's voice and felt the soft hand covering her own. As if the filth was deep within her pores, Ari continued to scrub with the pumice stone long after the bard was finished helping her to bathe. With a grimace, she stared at her own flesh and saw the imaginary signs of filth covering her skin. Angered that she could not seem to cleanse herself of it completely, the dark girl frowned as an involuntary sigh escaped her.

The dark child's gaze was hooded. For a moment she thought she had done something wrong. With brows furrowed, she stared at her reddening flesh. At her mother's question, Ari thought through her responses before answering softly.

"D-Dirty … I-I a-am so … d-dirty," Ari whispered as she lowered her head in shame and tried, once again, to wipe the dark film from her forearm. Nothing could have helped her to see herself as anything less.

"Oh, no, Ari. No, sweetheart," Gabrielle's voice was so soft and tender as she stopped Ari's movements, then cupped Ari's cheeks and forced her to look up. "Listen to me. You are not dirty, do you hear me? You've cleaned off all the grime from our travel, remember, I helped you bathe it all away," the bard insisted. "Honey, you are washed clean and fresh now, do you understand?"

Ari gulped as she fought back tears. She saw the conviction within her mother's green eyes, yet found it hard to accept her words. Unable to respond, she simply closed her eyes and lowered her head in shame.

"Oh honey, how can I convince you?" Gabrielle whispered as she pulled her into a close embrace. For a moment, Ari felt the bard's naked flesh close to hers. The coolness of the water around them kept her anchored within herself. Each time she thought too deeply, or allowed the vivid memories of her past to return, she seemed to feel herself separating, moving outside of herself, but she fought these feelings and attempted to remain grounded.

"Listen to me, we've been in this water so long that your hands are getting all wrinkled; look," the bard spoke softly as she took Ari's hands in hers and opened them up. Glancing down, the girl noticed her white fingers ridged and furrowed from being too long in water, her forearms pink from constant rubbing. Blinking at the appearance of her arms, Ari gulped nervously as she turned away. She began to fear that her earlier madness was returning, but was unable to voice her fears. As if understanding it, the bard reach out and lightly brushed tender fingers over Ari's damp hair.

Once covered by a clean shirt, the bard felt her tall daughter wrap an arm over her shoulder and, using her as support, they slowly walked back to camp. Only when the girl was settled on her bedroll, did the bard return to wash her daughter's filthy clothing. On her way back, she noticed Xena searching through the tall brush. At her curious expression, Xena smiled as she held up a handful of green indented leaves and yellow flowers.

"Artemisia!" the warrior exclaimed as she returned her attention to the white tops of the cluster of bushes.

As her parents moved around the camp, she remained silently staring at the campfire. From somewhere in the back of her mind, she heard the slight flutters of whispers coming from both her mother's, yet turned her attention away in an attempt to avoid overhearing their thoughts. Ari sat with her shirt pulled over her knees to keep the cool night breeze at bay. With legs drawn close to her body, she rested her chin on her knees as she gazed into the mixture of orange, red and yellow colors of the warm fire. While a part of her thoughts marveled at the perfect intricacies of each flame, another part pondered these strange, new emotions that surrounded her.

Ari thought over her question then answered softy, "No."

At her response, the bard frowned, "I know honey, but you've got to eat, even if it's only a little bit."

"Here, Ari, eat a little bit … for me ?" Gabrielle softly pleaded as she handed a piece of meat to the girl.

In silence Ari lightly nibbled on the bird, the taste, although wonderful, did not cause the numbness of her soul to go away. Whatever hunger she might have felt before her time in darkness, did not return. But rather than think of this, she ate in silence as the soft drone of her mother's voices registered in the back of her mind.

"Ummm, tea! Xena, what do we owe this small treat to?" Gabrielle asked as she leaned forward and inhaled the steam that rose from the bubbling pot.

"Ah, not for you, my little bard!" the warrior princess teased as she took a mug and dipped it into the boiling liquid. "This is for Ari, it will help her," the warrior stated as she leaned over and placed the cup beside Ari.

Ari smelled the sweet scent of the tea wafting past her nostrils. Licking the juices of the meat from her fingers, she set her food down, then took the steaming mug between her palms. Closing her eyes, she inhaled deeply of the herbal concoction, then opened her eyes and began to blow on it to cool it down. Once it was cool enough to drink, she tested the liquid against her lips. At the sweetness, she closed her eyes and drank the soothing tea, feeling it cross her palate and rest easily at the back of her throat. When the initial sweetness dissipated, a tangy sourness reached her taste buds. At the diverse flavors, she smiled slightly as she drank deeply from the cup.

"That's a girl!" She heard Xena encourage, then, when the cup was empty, the older warrior refilled it with more tea. "Here you go, drink it up."

When she finished with the second, she meekly smiled as she held the empty cup to her mother. Pleased by this simple show of appreciation, Xena took the mug and filled it only half way. "Okay, but this is it. No more for you after that."

"What do you say, Ari?" the bard caused Ari to pause before gulping down the tea. At her obvious confusion, the bard repeated, "You say, 'thank you,'" as she gazed at Ari her eyes conveying a silent message. Remembering all of the times that the bard had tried to teach her the right words to say, the girl nodded understanding.

"T-Thank you," her voice cracked from disuse as she lowered her eyes and drank of the soothing liquid.

"You're welcome," she heard Xena say with a soft chuckle in her voice.

"Just some Artemisia and Tansy," the warrior explained as she gently laid her daughter's head on the pillow. When she lifted an eyelid, she smiled slightly when she saw that Ari's pupil was nearly dilated from the effects of the tea.

"I've never heard of those before, what are they used for?" her lover asked as they tucked their daughter under the blankets. Holding up her finger to her lip, Xena motioned for the bard to follow her a short distance from camp. With the girl still in view, she looked down at the bard.

"Separately, they only offer vitamins, together they act as a, um, purifier," she explained softly, hoping that the girl was passed out enough to not overhear their conversation.

"A purifier? Like a laxative? Xena, I don't understand, why does she need a…." Gabrielle's brows creased into a frown.

"A feminine purifier, Gabrielle," the warrior explained, then continued, "I couldn't take the chance that Ari would become pregnant. She's too young, and … too, well, immature to be able to handle it. This was the only option I could think of to make certain that an accident didn't happen."

Gabrielle's lips formed a silent O as understanding settled in, and her gaze suddenly turned to their sleeping daughter. Her brows remained creased in a frown as she slowly shook her head negatively. With suddenly narrowed eyes, she looked up at Xena.

"Xena, you made that decision all on your own? Why?" the blonde asked tightly.

"What?" Xena felt her defenses rising and strove to speak gently. "Gabrielle, what was I suppose to do, wait to find out if she had gotten pregnant from her rapist? By then, it would have been too late to do anything about it!"

"That's not what I mean, Xena," Gabrielle's voice was laced with anger even though she kept her tone soft. "This was not your decision alone. Not talking it over with me is one thing, but this concerns Ari. Don't you think you should have talked with her about it? Don't you think maybe she might want to know all of the facts and then make a decision on her own?" Despite herself, the bard's voice grew slightly in volume.

Xena felt her brow arching at the question, her confusion growing by the minute. Within her mind, she had foreseen a problem and acted to resolve it before anyone was hurt. At her lover's question, she found herself running over other possibilities.

"Gabrielle, there was no time. In order for it to work, the herbs have to be ingested within a 24 hour time span from when the … incident takes place. The time was getting too close for talk and I had to act quickly!" Her expression grew tight. "Besides, do you think that Ari would have understood it if I had talked with her about it first? Honey, look at her; think about it! Ari doesn't know anything about our world. For all I know, she doesn't even understand why she bleeds every month, let alone what could happen if a man spilled his seed into her," Xena was trying hard to convince her lover, but felt herself wavering as she saw a silent resolve in the bard's eyes.

The smaller woman shook her head as she crossed her arms defiantly in front of her. "Xena, someday this is going to come back to haunt you, and you're going to have a lot of explaining to do! I just hope, for your sake, that Ari is better able to understand it then, than I am right now," the blonde hissed as she turned her back to the warrior and went to kneel beside their unconscious daughter.

"Ari?" she heard Gabrielle's voice laced with concern as she pushed back Ari's sweat drenched hair.

"Calm down, you're all right," Ari heard Xena say as she lightly rubbed her shoulders.

Before she could contemplate the new sensations, she felt her stomach lurch, the evening meal of duck suddenly coming back to her. As a sickening sensation crossed through her, she felt the dinner threaten to climb up from her stomach. With a gagging sound, she fought to keep her food down as she wrapped arms around her roiling stomach. When this failed, she bolted from between her mothers and ran into the forest, stopping at the first tree in her path.

Once she fell to her knees, she leaned forward and allowed her vomit to spill on the earth. Just when she thought it might be over, she felt her stomach cramping as she spasmed and released more of her evenings dinner. From behind her, she felt Xena's firm hand messaging her back as she spoke soft words of encouragement. At the feel of a cool cloth against her forehead, she closed her eyes as Gabrielle softly spoke to her. Before she could regain control, Ari felt the cramps radiating downward from her stomach. At this new sensation, she closed her eyes and groaned as she pressed her palms into her pelvis, hoping to alleviate the sudden cramps. Before it could stop, she involuntarily leaned forward as she continued to vomit until all she could do was dry heave.

When Ari felt wetness between her legs, she groaned as she closed her eyes, ashamed that she had urinated on herself in front of her parents. With an embarrassed expression, she lifted her shirt and wiped at the wetness, then looked down between her legs. At the sight of the blood, she felt a heat crossing her cheeks as she glanced back up at Gabrielle.

Before the bard could speak, Ari bolted from her spot, moving further into the forest until she was secluded between a shrub and a tree. In a crouching position, the girl leaned against the tree, sweat pouring down her forehead as the cramps surged through her again. With a groan of pain, she closed her eyes and grimaced as she involuntarily pushed down, the feel of gushing blood registering in the back of her mind.

"Ari honey, you're okay," she heard Xena say as the older woman made her way to her.

"Ari…." Gabrielle began to speak, but at their nearness, Ari pulled away.

"Its okay, honey, you'll be fine, don't be afraid," she heard Xena say as the older woman held her in a tight embrace. When the spasm ended, she felt another gush of wetness between her legs, but didn't have to look to know that more blood had spilled from her.

"N-No … shouldn't t-touch me … I-I'm not clean," she gasped weakly as she tried to pull away from Xena. Ignoring her actions, the warrior only held her close as she gently rocked her in her arms.

Ari felt the heat crossing her temples, the cramps never once subsiding. She held onto her mother tightly as the pain registered in her mind. Still in a crouching position, the girl grimaced each time another wave of cramps hit, then sighed when she felt her body releasing her moon time.

'It has never been this way in the past,' Ari thought silently. Never had her moon time been this painful, yet she had to admit to herself that she was not exactly certain what form this curse would take each month. With beads of sweat soaking her nightshirt, Ari closed her eyes to the pain until finally, she passed out and was released into a dream, a memory from long ago…

The first time it had happened was unexpected for Ari. She had been out of the cave for nearly two moons when, to her surprise, she awoke to find herself soaking in her own blood. Afraid that she was dying, she cried out as she tried to stop the flow of blood. When Alti had awakened next to her, she glanced down at the girl, then cursed in a rage.

That night, and every time that the moon rose full, Ari spent huddled in the cold corner of the room. Although Alti had explained it, Ari noticed that it did not happen the way that the sorceress stated that it would. True, it would happen with almost every change of the moon, but sometimes it didn't happen at the same time and there were times when it lasted less than a day, and other times when she thought she would bleed to death. The one thing that did remain consistent was Alti's insistence that Ari not touch her at those times. Afraid that Ari's soiled condition would ruin her magic, the sorceress insisted that she stay away. Only after she stopped bleeding, did Alti order the girl to completely bathe and purify herself with scents and oils to rid her of the unclean blood in order that the older woman could once more take pleasure with her…

Ari found herself climbing from her dreams of her past. When she opened her eyes, she saw her mothers looking down at her with concern. No longer huddled in the forest, she found herself under her bedroll, her soiled nightshirt gone, and the familiar feeling of rags between her legs. Gabrielle lightly touched Ari's sweaty forehead with a cool towel, as Xena smiled down at her. In her dazed state, Ari felt the cramps, no longer as severe, yet still striking with regularity. Remembering that she was bleeding from her moon time, she tried to push away the bard's hand, to keep her mother from touching her and becoming contaminated by her filth. As if ignoring her concerns, the bard simply smiled as she gently took Ari's hands and covered them with the blanket.

"It's alright, honey, just close your eyes and sleep. You'll be fine," she heard Gabrielle's words.

"Xena, is … is this normal?" Fear etched the bard's voice as she ran a cool cloth over Ari's sweaty forehead.

Xena swallowed. "I've never seen anything like it," the warrior's usually controlled voice momentarily wavered. For the first time, she began to understand how little she knew of her daughter's physical health. Although she knew that Ari was deeply disturbed after her years with Alti, Xena was unaware of the changes her daughter's body might have undergone while she was held in Alti's prison.

At this thought, Xena became concerned for her daughter. 'The artemisia was only meant for women. Everyone, from healers to mid-wives, know that such a strong and powerful herb is never to be given to young girls who had just started the menses recently,' the warrior mentally chided herself as she wondered when Ari might have started her cycle. 'Within the past year, by the reaction she's having to the herb,' she thought. With a shake of her head, Xena closed her eyes tightly against the dread that was building within her. For the first time in a long time, she felt cold fear in the pit of her stomach as she wondered if she would be responsible for causing damage to Ari's body – or worse.

With each cry of pain from her child, the strong warrior felt her heart aching. Her silent tears broke free as she held her daughter close. Only when Ari mercifully fell into a fitful sleep was Xena able to lay the girl down, cover her tenderly, and sit vigil by her side. Unconscious, yet whimpering in pain, Ari remained still as they cleaned her and placed the rags to catch the blood. Just when Xena began to fear that all hope was lost, the cramps subsided. Too weak to move, Ari wept softly in her sleep while the bard wiped a cool cloth over the girls forehead.

When she returned to camp, cleaned and dressed, no one said anything to her. Assuming that they were equally embarrassed at witnessing her disgusting display of the night before, Ari simply lowered her eyes and prepared to gather her things together. As a wave of dizziness swept over her, she sat down immediately and closed her eyes. With head cradled in her hands, she kept her eyes closed tightly as she tried to keep her nausea at bay.

"Just rest, Ari, we'll take care of it," she felt Gabrielle's light touch on her shoulder. Surprised at being touched, Ari glanced up in time to see the bard and warrior moving silently through the camp. Once her own bags were packed, the bard quickly gathered Ari's items together, then fastened them to Than's back.

Ari took advantage of the solitude to watch her mother's interactions. She noticed stiffness from the bard and the silence of Xena. Whenever they moved close, or accidentally bumped, there seemed to be uneasiness in the warrior, and a quiet anger from the bard that she had never seen before. At this change in development, Ari raised a silent brow as she tried to understand what was causing her parent's reactions.

"Are you about ready to go, honey?" the blonde asked as she moved to help Ari to her feet. Waving away her contact, Ari rose, but was grateful to have Gabrielle near as the dizziness returned. Leaning against the bard for support, she allowed herself to be led toward the travois. The anger that Gabrielle showed toward Xena was gone when she helped Ari move. Curious by this, Ari glanced from the bard, to Xena. When no answers became clear, she kept her silence as she felt the bard cover her, then tie the straps that supported her in the travois.

Once they got going, she could feel the uneasy tension around them. Although no one spoke, the dark child was certain that something was amiss between the warrior and bard, yet was unable to comprehend the cause. Rather than dwell on it, she closed her eyes against the early morning sun and allowed her thoughts to wander until the peaceful dreams of sleep consumed her…

From somewhere in the distance, she thought she heard a woman's voice calling her name. The long forgotten memory from before Alti's time returned to her in a dream. Turning in a circle, she glanced up in time to see a woman with hair of gold kneeling down with arms outstretched. Ari did not know why, but she was suddenly filled with a warm happiness. Before the dream could take hold, she felt her senses pulling her, the jarring sensation stopping all images that played through her mind….

Ari's eyes' snapped open as she tried to understand what had yanked her from the pleasant dream. She felt the steady motions of the travois. High above, she saw the white clouds moving slowly in the clear blue sky. When she felt the uneasy sensations, she closed her eyes and inhaled sharply. The muted sounds of mental whispers raged past her, then grew silent.

As if sensing the same thing, Xena suddenly stopped in her tracks. Although Ari could not see her warrior mother, she saw Gabrielle's attentive gaze looking to where the warrior was situated. When the whispers in her mind grew soft, Ari remained silent as the warrior princess moved back to where they were.

"Gabrielle, take Ari into the brush, stay low," the dark woman commanded as she quickly released Ari from the confines of the travois.

"Why, Xena?" Gabrielle asked even as she helped Ari to her feet.

"Xena, as soon as Ari is settled, I'll be back," tension laced the bard's words as she moved to her daughter.

"Gabrielle, no. I need you to stay with Ari. I don't know who is coming down the road, but they outnumber us," the warrior replied with determination. "Gabrielle… if something should happen, I need you to stay hiding until the trouble passes. I need to know that you'll be there for Ari – for both of our daughters."

The bard hesitated for only a moment as she glanced down at the road. Whatever was heading their way soon approached as the birds in the nearby trees flew from their perches. When she looked up, the bard's green eyes seemed to convey her love. As if accepting Xena's request, the blonde only nodded, then turned to help Ari from the road.

As the sounds of the distant hoof beats grew near, Xena sat astride her horse, and watched as her lover and daughter disappeared into the dense forest with the large black steed and travois in tow. After a moment, their forms disappeared behind the tall foliage of the forest. Once assured that her family was safely hidden, she turned and faced the road as she kept her stance casual and calm.

The sounds of thundering hooves grew closer as a dust storm billowed from the distance. When she saw the group rounding the bend, the older warrior mentally steeled herself for whatever might be approaching. Like a thunderstorm, the group of riders covered the entire road, their horses hooves pounding into the dirt caused a mini dust cloud to occur. Only when they were close, did the group begin to slow down.

Xena remained silent as she watched the men slow down to a stop. Dressed in traveling gear, wearing swords, the men were covered with cloth across their noses and mouths to keep the dust at bay. The leader of the group pulled forward, then stopped and glanced back at the riders. With a raised hand, he gave a single order, then turned to face the waiting warrior.

"Xena?" A familiar voice reached her just as the leader removed his face covering. With a broad smile, the young man moved his horse closer to hers. "Xena, thank the gods you're all right!"

"Thank the gods, Xena! I was so worried!" he exclaimed as he easily lifted the older warrior and swung her around joyfully, "I've never been so worried in my life, are you alright? Is everything okay?" he asked as she lightly pushed away from him, the smile breaking out on her face.

"Gabrielle?" he suddenly asked, realizing that the small blonde was not around.

"She's okay, Virgil, she's fine," Xena explained as she turned to the forest. Before the warrior could call out to her lover, the blonde made her way from her hiding place, an equally big smile crossing her features.

"Virgil!" Gabrielle exclaimed as she ran and gave him a hug. His arms wrapped around her protectively as he lightly lifted her for a moment then returned her to the earth.

"You both don't know how I've been going out of my mind!" he glanced at both of them as he shook his head in relief, "I've been so worried that something terrible happened! The message I got from Eve was that you were in trouble. She said something about your daughter and that you needed help, but she didn't really explain it," his voice was filled with excitement as he reached into his pocket and removed the small parchment that had been delivered to his mother, Meg.

Xena opened the tiny scroll and read the words, her brow arched upward before glancing down at Gabrielle, who was reading it beside her.

        Virgil,
Mother's in trouble. They urgently need your help with my sister on the road to Amphipolis.
                        Eve

Gabrielle read the note out loud, then nodded understanding, her smile slightly wavering as she sighed. With a shake of her head, she rolled the message back up then handed it back the Virgil.

"I'm going to have to talk with Eve about being a bit more explicit when she sends out messages," Xena smiled.

"Well, you can see where I thought something terrible had happened. I wasn't sure if you needed help fighting off the Destroyer!" he said as he turned to all of his friends. "My buddies here, as soon as they heard that you two were in trouble, volunteered to join me," he explained when he saw Gabrielle's attention drawn to them.

With a smile and a nod, they glanced up at his friends. One by one, the men removed their face scarves, then nodded a greeting to Xena and Gabrielle. At the look of surprise from the two women, he shrugged his shoulders and offered a weak smile.

One by one, the young men moved forward to introduce themselves. Taurie, Anago, Khristos, Iapeto, Markus, Klonis, Megarreu and more, their names flew by so quickly that the bard soon gave up trying to remember them all. 'They're all so young,' the bard silently thought as she smiled at the young … well, if she was truthful with herself, she'd have to admit that she was not certain how to view them. Were they men? Or were they boys? Although they were similar in build to Virgil, and they carried weapons, their appearances seemed too young to be warriors. If she had been asked, she would not have been certain if these boys even knew how to use the swords that they carried.

Once introductions were made, she suddenly remembered their daughter still hiding in the underbrush. Filled with curiosity, Virgil glanced from Xena, then to Gabrielle as a questioning brow rose. His fear now gone, he longed to know what had occurred to cause Eve's cryptic message.

"Gabrielle, Xena … what's it about?" Before she answered, the blonde moved toward the edge of the road and peered into the shadows where she had been hiding with her daughter.

As he moved beside his two friends, he listened to their coaxing words as he peered into the shadows. With each sound of their voices, his eyes strained to catch sight of the ominous woman who had brought terror to so many souls. At the slight sound of rustling, he focused on a single patch of darkness, his eyes straining to see the hidden figure of the Destroyer. By the diffused light, he caught a glimpse of flesh, then it disappeared back into the shadows.

"Ari, honey, it's ok, he's a friend," Gabrielle moved slowly toward the edge of the forest. "Baby, it's alright, don't be afraid."

"Sweetheart, it's safe now, you can come out," Xena added, a softness filling her voice that took Virgil by surprise.

Before he teasingly commented on Xena's change, a figure caught his attention. Leaning forward, he peered into the shadows and watched as an outline moved forward, the diffused sunlight shinned on the vague features. For a moment, Virgil wasn't certain if he had seen correctly, but as he gazed into the shadows, he saw the distinct outline of two eyes peering back at him. When the figure moved forward, the first thing the young man noticed was her sick, gaunt face. As if just recovering from a long illness, the young face was pale, dark shadows were below her blue eyes.

With coaxing from Gabrielle, the slender figure moved cautiously from the darkness. Like a trapped animal, her gaze quickly moved from the bard, to the gathered men. Surprised by how small and delicate she look, Virgil looked at Xena, as slack jawed, he tried to imagine this young woman as the Destroyer.

"Virgil, this is our daughter," Xena smiled softy at him, aware of his surprised expression.

With a shake of her head, she tried to pull away from their rampant emotions. At their closeness, she smelled the aromatic scent of their pungent odor and was reminded of the times when Alti had brought men back to their cave. The strong odor of man was something that was permanently etched within her consciousness. When the sorceress was finished with the men, Ari experienced their strong odor first hand. Each time they forced themselves upon her, the dark child's mind was embedded with the familiar male scent. With a shake of her head, Ari tried to forget those memories from long ago. But with the group of men so close, she found it hard to push the memories aside.

From next to her, she felt Gabrielle's reassuring touch as they remained hidden in the underbrush of the forest. When she saw the young man reveal himself, she was taken aback by how young he looked, then was equally surprised at the greeting her mother received from him.

Unable to hear their words, she simply watched the exchange. When she glanced at the rest of the riders, she noticed their youthful appearances. Their body language and mannerism showed that most, if not all, had never used their weapons in combat. Before her mind could understand the situation, she saw her blonde mother turning from the man and moving toward Ari's hiding place. Suddenly afraid, she pulled further back into the shadows. She tried in vain to disappear, but at her mother's words, she moved slowly forward to reveal herself. At the quick movement of the man, she instinctively pulled away, disappearing back into the shadows as her heart raced out of control.

"Ari, honey, it's ok, he's a friend," she heard Gabrielle's assuring words as she watched the men carefully, the hand on the dagger held ready to strike out should the need arise. "Baby, it's alright, don't be afraid," Gabrielle called once more as she moved toward Ari's hiding place.

"Sweetheart, it's safe now, you can come out," she heard Xena's soft assurance.

When the dark child saw her mother's hand reach out, she cautiously moved forward, her eyes never wavered from the stranger. Blinking back the bright sunlight, she lowered her head as she took her mother's hand, encouraged by her presence until the man made another sudden move. Filled with fear once again, she retreated, back into the dark shadows.

"Ari?" she kept her voice soft. At an approaching noise nearby, she looked up, frowned at Xena and waved her away. Assured that they were alone, she turned her attention to the girl.

"Ari, honey. It's alright, you're safe now," she assured as she slowly reached out and touched the girls hands. As if her touched burned, Ari suddenly pulled away, the look of terror covered her features like a mask.

"P-Please…" Ari's voice was such a soft whisper that Gabrielle was forced to lean forward to hear.

"What honey, what's wrong?" Gabrielle asked as she lightly brushed the back of her hand over Ari's tear stained cheek.

"P-Please … m-mamma … d-don't make me … I- I… c-can't … not again, please," Ari begged softly before turning her face away, her body pulled inward as if she hoped to disappear.

The bard was at a loss. She glanced back out at the road, saw Xena speaking softly to Virgil by himself. The rest of the young men stayed in a group and gave the two friends the privacy to speak, yet occasionally they glanced toward the forest where she was huddled with Ari. When she looked back down at the girl, she saw her shoulders shaking uncontrollably with her sobs.

"Oh, Ari!" Gabrielle's voice was barely a whisper as she pulled her daughter into an embrace. In soft, soothing tones, she whispered words of comfort as she held her daughter close. She hoped to reassure Ari that she was safe, that whatever nightmare vision that may have pulled her under was just that, a nightmare which was not real. After what felt like an eternity, she felt Ari's tears slowly subsiding.

"M-Mamma…?" Ari seemed perplexed as she pulled slightly away and glanced up at Gabrielle.

"Yes Ari, its me, you're alright, you're safe," she reassured as she took the edge of Ari's tunic and wiped her tears away.

"G-Gabrielle … mamma?" Ari's confusion reigned as she softly spoke Gabrielle's name.

"You're okay now, yes?" she asked the girl as she smiled down at her.

For a moment, Ari seemed confused as she glanced around her. She looked up at the canopy of branches that hung low from the trees. As her body softly shook from the last remnants of tears, she tried to pull away from the bard.

"Ari, honey, you're fine now. Just relax," she soothed, and was pleased when Ari leaned into her embrace, a soft sigh escaping her.

Gabrielle held her daughter close, almost afraid to let her go for fear that the nightmare would return. As her fingers gently brushed through Ari's hair, she held her in a warm embrace. When she remembered the expression of terror in Ari's eyes, Gabrielle lightly kissed the crown of her head, then softly asked the questions that were plaguing her.

"I-I … t-they…." Ari shook her head as if frustrated by her stammering.

"It's all right honey, just relax," she heard the bard speak softly as her tender touch continued.

"T-They are t-too loud, their whispers are deafening," Ari tapped her head in hopes that her mother understood. For a moment, the dark child wondered if she should explain their smells, how their strong odor was enough to make her feel as if she was back in the cave. But remembering how Gabrielle reacted whenever she spoke so openly, Ari decided it best not to mention this at all. Instead, she only shook her head as she closed her eyes and leaned into the bard's embrace.

As if suddenly remembering that she was on her moon time, Ari quickly pulled away, a look of fear and sadness crossing her face. At her actions, the bard looked stunned as she reached out for the girl. In hopes of saving her mother from being tainted, Ari moved further away.

"Ari?" the bard's voice was soft and filled with confusion.

"Y-You … c-can't…" Ari shook her head as she withdrew from the blonde's reaching hand. "I-I don't want to soil you anymore, please, mamma, d-don't touch me."

"Ari, what do you mean? Honey, you can't soil me, what are you talking about?" Gabrielle seemed to pull away slightly, but remained in her place.

"M-My … moon t-time … I still bleed," Ari's voice was barely a whisper.

For a moment, Gabrielle remained silent, then slowly leaned toward her. "Ari, is that what you think? Do you feel that because it's your moon time that you're dirty and can't be touch?"

The dark child seemed reluctant to believe her. As if still afraid of tainting her, Ari tried to pull away, but Gabrielle would not loosen her hold. Instead, she sighed in sadness as she kept the girl in a tight embrace.

"Ari, the moon time is nothing that is bad, and you certainly cannot taint anyone. Why, did you know that there are many who believe just the opposite?" she asked and was rewarded with a glance from her child.

"T-There are?" Ari's asked softly.

"Yes, there are. Why, the Egyptians believe in the moon goddess Hathor, who's job it is to regulate the tides of the river in order to avoid famine in their lands," she said and was rewarded with Ari's blue eyes gazing up at her inquisitively.

"Listen, remind me later to tell you the story of the greatest gift that was given to all women by the goddesses Hécate and Artemisa, alright?" she said as she pulled away from the girl and began to stand in the thicket of underbrush. "But for now, I think we should get going. I'll ask Virgil and his friends to ride ahead, and then do you think you'll be able to come out?"

When the bard had finally come out from the brush, he glanced behind her and was surprised that the girl was not following. With a deep-set frown, Gabrielle moved directly to him, then smiled up at him.

"Virgil, I need you to ask your friends if they can start down the road, and we'll follow behind at a distance," the bard smiled slightly.

Confused, he stared at her for minute. He wondered if the bard was in on the same joke that was being played on them. First, I'm called to help Xena and Gabrielle, and now Gabrielle is asking me to have my friends ride back without even the pleasure of the Warriors company.

"But…?" he began to ask, but stopped when the bard raised her hand and stepped forward.

"I can't explain it all now, but if she's going to join us, your friends really need to be a distance ahead of us. Please Virgil, just tell them … tell them that she's very shy," the bard reiterated.

With a shake of his head, Virgil turned away and walked to his friends. In a hushed tone he spoke to the group as he mounted his horse, then reined in the mare and began to follow the men back up the trail they had just come down. As an after thought, he turned around in time to notice the bard helping the young woman from the forest, as the largest steed he had ever seen trailed behind them pulling a travois. The stallion was coal black and covered with corded muscle that bunched and writhed under his satin skin as he moved. He stood at least twenty-five hands high and from his bearing was obviously a great war-horse of some kind. 'By the gods', the young poet thought enviously, 'how marvelous he would be to ride! Such a great beast should not be used like a common plow horse!' Meanwhile, as if weak from an illness, the slender, dark haired woman leaned heavily against Gabrielle. When the two were out in the open, Gabrielle and Xena helped the girl into the travois.

"Hey, she was suppose to tell us about when she went into the underworld and stole Hades helmet of invisibility!" Anago spoke up.

"How about their battle in Higuchi?" Klonis asked, the slight peach fuzz on his chin that he proudly called a beard moved as he smiled at the bard. At his suggestion, a few others nodded in agreement.

"Nah, I wanna hear about the time that she and the battling bard brought peace between the horde and villagers," Megareu countered.

"Gabrielle, why don't you tell us about your adventures with the nomads of the desert?" Iapeto asked as he gazed at the bard with admiration in his eyes.

Ari sat in the shadows, far enough away that their constant whispers were not deafening, yet close enough to be able to hear what they said. At the sound of the man's voice, Ari rolled her eyes as she turned her gaze away from the scene. She shook her head in disbelief at the way the men were acting around her mothers.

Ever since they had found a place to camp for the night, the group of young men had seen to everything. As if her mother's were precious items, they made certain that neither the bard, nor warrior princess exerted themselves in any way. In less time than it usually took them to set up, the men had wood collected and a fire built, while another group was out hunting for food. When the hunting group returned with the few carcasses of squirrel and rabbit meat, they began to prepare it over the fire. Only in this task did they allow her mother to intervene, thankfully, before the meat started to char on the open fire.

As Ari picked at the last few morsels on her plate, she listened attentively to the conversations. What she soon learned was that to outsiders, it would appear as if the men had broken up into two camps; those who worshipped the battling bard, and those who admired the warrior princess. By all accounts, it could appear as if Gabrielle had far more admires than Xena. But to Ari, she wondered if this was simply an illusion.

She found herself examining the men closely and soon realized that those who worshipped Xena were, in their own way, attempting to emulate the warrior princesses calm, stoic, silent nature. By being more reserved than the animated men of the group, it could seem as if the bard was far more popular. But as her train of thoughts followed this line of thinking, another young man spoke up.

"Hey! I want to hear about your recent battle against the evil sorceress, Alti, and that monster, the Destroyer!" His words suddenly brought silence to the group. Confused by the sudden silence, he looked around at his friends. "What?"

"Shut up, Markus," Ari heard the one called Virgil whisper as he swatted the man on the leg.

"What did I say?" he asked again, then grew silent as a few of the men nodded to where Ari was hiding in the shadows.

As a silence fell over the camp, Ari found herself pulling further away. Their whispered words and speculation only muted their whispering thoughts. When a shiver crossed her spine, she pulled the covers of her bedroll closer as she leaned back into the crevice of the tree. Wearing only her nightshirt, she made certain to keep herself covered from the light night breeze. As if shielded from their hatred and curiosity, she kept hidden inside of the tree as she cautiously glanced back at them, but quickly lowered her eyes when she felt their embarrassed silence.

In slow, calculated steps, he moved cautiously toward the girl in the shadows. When he was close, he knelt down and smiled at her. As if surprised by his presence, she blinked as she pulled away from him.

"It's alright, you don't have to be afraid," he pitched his voice softer. Using a technique of his mothers, he smiled as he looked away from her. When he saw her empty plate, he pointed to it. "Would you like some more? There's plenty left over if you're still hungry," he asked with a smile.

For a moment, the young woman seemed confused. Then, when she saw her empty plate, she shook her head negatively. In hopes of putting her at ease, he looked away from her, then casually reached into his pocket.

"I found this when we were out hunting dinner," he said as he removed a single, purple plum. "I thought you might like it, do you like plums?" he asked. Knowing that he was telling a lie, he handed it to her. Although he had found the ripe fruit while foraging for food, he had intended to give it to Gabrielle. But at the moment, it seemed like a better idea to offer it to this young woman.

"Ari," he whispered softly as he smiled and held the plum out, "it's alright. I'm a friend of your mothers, I won't hurt you."

As he watched her in the diffused light, he found it hard to believe that this woman was the cause of so much destruction. If anyone had told him before hand that she was once known as the Destroyer, he would have laughed them out of Amphipolis. Not in his wildest dreams could he ever imagine this thin, pale, sickly woman as being 'the terror from the darkness', as she had once been described. Like a frightened colt, the dark figure moved her hand toward the offered fruit, her eyes never wavering from him. In a slow move, he opened his palm and held the plum to her. Cautiously, her fingers clasped around the fruit. Before he had a chance to see the movement, it retreated back into the folds of her bedroll, with the plum, all the while her eyes never leaving him.

Virgil leaned back and smiled as he closed his empty palm. When it seemed like she would not move he leaned forward and took her empty plate. At his move, she seemed to stiffen as she stared at him from the shadows.

As the noise droned in the back of her mind, she set the fruit aside, which caused her bedroll to fall away, exposing her upper legs. Ari's eyes remained on the offering as her thoughts continued to plague her. Ari did not understand why a stranger would give her something and not expect something in return. In the past, when she was given favors from warlords, they always expected her to raise them in status.

At this thought, she scratched her head as she stared at the fruit. Everything around her grew suddenly still as the voices became muffled. The dark child found her rampant thoughts pulling her deeper and deeper into darkness. At one point, she felt outside of herself, the gentle cadence of her own heartbeat like a dim and distant drum. With a deep sigh, she tried to pull herself together, to fight off the feeling that she was detaching from herself, separating, and moving to a place that she did not want to go. As the numbness consumed her, she idly touched the hilt of the nearby dagger.

For a moment, she froze as her mind raced over a multitude of solutions. She should call to Gabrielle. The bard would know how to push these feelings aside, yet even as she thought this, her mind dismissed the notion. When she glanced at the bard, she noticed her animated features and expressive gestures as she spoke. All eyes were on her as she skillfully related a tale of a past adventure.

Seeing her mother like this, Ari released a soft sigh as she leaned back against the tree. 'I must think of a way to stop this,' her mind whispered ever so softly as she pulled the blade from the protective scabbard. Void of feelings, she turned the hilt this way and that, watching as the shadows danced off the razor sharp edge. While one part of her mind wondered why her mother Xena had not reclaimed the knife, another part was grateful that the warrior had forgotten it.

Ari could not have explained her thoughts, nor why her body acted of it's own accord. All she knew for certain was that her hand was moving in slow motion as it lowered the blade to an exposed thigh. She stood outside of herself as she watched the blade make contact with her skin and the steel blue coldness of the knife cut a shallow, even line into her flesh. At the stinging sensation, the dark child felt herself pulled back into her body, the sensations of pain overwhelming her need to separate, to hide from the overwhelming confusion of her thoughts. Ari closed her eyes against the pain, then sighed with relief when she realized that she was no longer outside of herself – that she was able to feel again, even if the only sensation she felt was pain.

No longer detached, Ari stared down at her thigh. She watched, as the blood seemed to bubble, then ooze from the thin line. At the sight of the scarlet threads seeping down her leg, she panicked for a moment as she worried about them being noticed. Ari took her bedroll and held it against the oozing spot, then nodded in satisfaction knowing that the blood would be easily soaked into her bedroll. As she watched the red liquid flowing, she smiled as the sharp stinging sensation kept her grounded within her body.

Finally she yawned and stretched widely, then stood up with a weary smile. "No, really, I'm very tired, and I know we have to get up early to get back on the road," she fended them off as she began to walk away. "We'll continue another time. G'night."

"Goodnight! Goodnight, Gabrielle," they chorused as she smiled and waved. For a moment there was silence, then a young man's voice spoke up as the bard made her way toward her bedroll. "How about you Xena, surely you've got some tales to tell?"

With only a shake of her head, she heard Xena's voice, softly telling a tale that took place before they had even met. When she glanced down at the girl who was laying in her own bedroll next to hers and Xena's, she smiled as she crawled under cloth and quickly removed her clothing. As she rolled over to gaze at her dozing daughter, she was surprised to see Ari's eyes open and watching her.

"You're not asleep yet, honey?" the bard asked as she lightly reached out and touched her daughter's soft cheek. Ari only shook her head negatively as she sighed and rolled over, moving her bedding closer to the bard.

There was silence for a moment and the bard yawned, then Ari spoke. "M-Mother … w-why did he give this to me?" Her words softly stuttered as she held out a plum to Gabrielle.

The bard sighed as she took the fruit in hand, then placed it on the ground by their heads. 'Motherhood', she thought wryly. 'Does it ever end … and do I really want it to?' In a tender manner, she reached out and ran her fingers through her child's hair. After a moment of thought, she whispered softly.

"Virgil was being nice. I think he's trying to be your friend," she explained, then watched the girl's eyes carefully.

"B-But … he doesn't even know me," Ari's voice was so soft that no one but the bard would have heard her.

With a contented sigh, she closed her eyes as she snuggled into the bard's embrace, their bedrolls separating their lower bodies. As the slender fingers slowly stroked through her hair, she felt herself drifting into dreams. When a thought crossed the back of her mind, she readjusted herself on her mother's shoulder before asking her question.

"Mother?"

"Yes Ari?" The bard's voice was so soft that Ari had to strain to hear her.

"Why are you mad at mother?" her sleepy voice asked. For a moment, the bard's hand grew still. Then, before Ari could comment on the stillness, Gabrielle's fingers resumed the gentle stroking through her shoulder length black hair.

"It's a matter between your mother and I," was all the bard would say.

"I-Is it my fault?" The girl was almost afraid of a response.

Without hesitation, the bard hugged the girl tightly, then softly kissed the crown of her head. "No Ari. It's not your fault. It's simply a … disagreement between your mother and I. It doesn't mean we've stopped loving each other, it only means that when we have time, and less of an audience, she and I will have to work through it."

For a moment, the warrior princess glanced down at the two sleeping figures. Ari was deep asleep, curled under her bedroll. In the diffused light, Xena noticed the girl's slender hands slightly twitching in her sleep. Like Ari, Gabrielle lay deep asleep, her arm resting protectively over the young woman's bedroll.

As the older warrior began to remove her armor and clothing, she thought about Gabrielle's bond with Ari. When she had first met the dark girl, she never thought that her lover would ever bond so closely with her. She knew that Gabrielle's heart would naturally feel for all that Ari had experienced, but she never realized that Gabrielle's love would make her so fiercely protective of the child.

With this in mind, she crawled under the cover of their shared bedroll. As she turned on her side, she gazed at her bard and examined her sleeping features. No matter how many years they traveled together, never a day went by that Xena was not awe struck by Gabrielle's love. Even when she did things that the bard did not approve of, she was always assured of Gabrielle's love.

At her deep sigh, the bard's eye lids suddenly fluttered until her eyes opened slowly. Gabrielle's first instinct was to check on Ari, then, assured that the girl slept, she rolled over and looked solemnly into Xena's eyes. For a moment, the warrior found it hard to return her lover's gaze. With a weak smile and a shrug of her shoulders, Xena shook her head as she rolled onto her back and stared up the branches of the tree tops.

"Xena, I know why you did it … why you tried to spare her, but this was not your decision to make," the bard whispered as she laid her head on the warrior's shoulder.

Gabrielle remained silent in her arms. At Xena's unspoken thoughts, the blonde wrapped an arm over the warrior's naked torso. "Xena, you won't lose Ari, you can't lose her. She's your daughter. She's our daughter and she may not understand or know what to call it, but she does love you. Nothing can ever take that away," the bard's voice was assured. "We're just going to have to work hard, that's all. This is damaging, and it may not be easy, Xena. But it's not the end of her love for you, you've got to believe me on this. I think I know Ari enough to be able to say this," her touch grew strong as she glanced up at Xena.

For a moment the warrior princess thought over her lovers words. She tried to believe what the blonde was saying. Yet even as her doubts grew, her confidence in her lover was stronger. With a slight smile, she nodded acceptance as she rolled to her side and pulled her lover into her arms.

"As soon as we're home in Amphipolis, I'll have a talk with Ari," she promised as she gazed into green eyes. The smaller woman's eyes crinkled at her vow and a smile crossed her face. Without any words, Gabrielle leaned forward until their lips met. At the touch of her sweet, soft lips, the warrior's mouth opened to accept her lover's probing tongue. When they pulled apart, she couldn't help but sigh contentedly.

"You know, Gabrielle, it hurts when you're disappointed with me," she whispered as they snuggled down into their bedroll, their heads nestled closed together on a shared pillow.

"It hurts to be disappointed, Xena." Gabrielle replied with a sleepy voice. "Just promise me that in the future, you'll discuss things with me before you go off like an arrow shot from a bow and do something that you might regret."

Ari could not understand why he felt the need to travel with them. She knew that he could have easily returned with his friends back to Amphipolis, but for one reason or another, he decided to send a message to his mother that he would be home shortly with Xena, Gabrielle and their two daughters. Confused by his actions, Ari could only ponder his motives.

No longer bleeding, and with her strength slowly returning, she walked along side Thanatos and the big stallion seemed happy she was there and no longer in the travois. With head bent, she listened to Gabrielle as her mind wandered over a multitude of topics. Far in the distance, she saw the outline of her warrior mother and Virgil riding ahead.

"I know Lila will certainly be happy to meet you," Gabrielle smiled as she kept her pace even with Ari. Just then, Ari glanced up in time to see the man turning, once again, in his seat, his gaze falling on them.

"M-Mother, why does he k-keep doing that?" she asked with a frown.

Gabrielle looked up and saw him turn away sheepishly. With a shake of her head, she smiled before inhaling deeply. Her gaze turned to the distant treetops.

"It's nothing honey, pay him no attention," she said.

"It's…" Ari tried to think of the correct word to use. When one didn't come to mind, she only shook her head as she looked down at their dirt path. "I w-wish he wouldn't do that!"

"I know its annoying, honey. Just try to ignore him," Gabrielle offered as she continued down the road.

"B-But I-I don't understand why he insisted on traveling with us to P-Potidaea. W-What does he think, t-that we can't travel without a man?" Her words spat out more harshly than she intended and she growled, "Any one of us could kick his silly ass!"

Gabrielle softly giggled as she reached out and took Ari's arm in hers. "Virgil's a bit tougher than he looks, but I know it's all annoying! You're just going to have to get used to that reaction from some people and try to put up with it." She grinned. "You know, his father was the same way, and I've got to admit, I didn't like it any better either!"

"H-His father?" Ari found her interest peak as she continued a steady pace down the road.

"Yes, Joxer, his father. Boy, now you want to know what annoyance is, it was Joxer!" The bard laughed softly as she leaned slightly into Ari. Her gaze lowered to the road as her eyes took on a faraway look. "First Joxer was in love with Xena, and then he fell for me, and then it would go back and forth between us. Finally, he met Meg, Virgil's mother, thank the gods and his interest was curbed!" she laughed.

"So th-this sort of runs in his family?" she asked as she looked up, grimaced, and turned away when she saw him glancing back at them. "I-Isn't there some sort of ... herb that will c-cure him of it?"

At her question, Gabrielle stopped in her tracks and looked up at her. For a moment, Ari thought she had said something wrong, but when the bard broke out into a big smile, then began to laugh, the dark child relaxed as she tried to understand her mother's amusement. As if sensing her confusion, the healer shook her head as she covered her mouth in an attempt to stifle her hysterical laughter.

"Oh honey! If it was only that easy!" the blonde chuckled as she wiped the tears from her eyes. When a semblance of control returned, she smiled up at Ari. Her hand reached up and lightly touched the girl's cheek. "Ari, sweetheart, you're just going to have to get use to the idea that you are a beautiful woman! Yes, you are," the bard reiterated as Ari felt astonishment fill her.

"Honey, you are Xena's daughter, did you think you would be anything less than beautiful? Of course any normal, red-blooded man or woman for that matter, would take note of this fact. This is simply something that you'll have to learn to live with," Gabrielle sagely stated as she resumed walking down that road.

"B-But…" Ari began to protest.

"Honey, he's a good man, and he means well. And trust me when I say, he's not nearly as annoying as his father was," the bard's brow shot up as she whispered the last part like a conspirator. As an after thought, Gabrielle said, "And if it helps any, I'm sure once he gets home, he will lose interest in you and turn to the other women in his village. Just… be nice to him, I'm sure his attention will be pulled in another direction soon."

After a moment of thought, Ari frowned as she turned her gaze downward. With only a shrug of her shoulders, she continued to follow her mother down the road. Taking her actions as compliance, the bard wrapped an arm around the young girl's waist and hugged her close.

"That's my girl!" Gabrielle exclaimed as a big smile crossed her features, "Now, where was I? Oh yes … your Aunt Lila will be so happy to meet you…" the blonde's words continued as they moved at a steady pace down the road.

As the bard continued to talk, Ari sank deeper into herself hearing nothing of what she was saying. Only two words spoken by her mother continued to drum over and over in her mind. 'Be nice. Be nice. Be nice.' Although a part of her recoiled, another part did not want to disappoint her new family, and especially not Gabrielle. Yet the thought of being nice to anyone was something that she hoped she would never have to do again. As she tried to fight down her own revulsion, she found her thoughts returning to a time from long ago, a time which always remained etched within her memories…

"Ari, be nice to my friend," were the words Alti had said the first time she brought a man to the cave. Not knowing what she meant, yet filled with fear, the small child stood back and watched as the big man moved toward her, the leer on his bearded face never wavering.

"Ari look!" her mother's voice broke through her painful memories.

Glancing upward, she saw the home nestled at the end of the road. The sounds of chickens clucking near the barn reached her hearing. At the entrance of the barn, a familiar figure stood up from her chores, then a smile broke free.

"Mothers!" Eve cried out as she dropped the bucket that held seeds. At the sight of Eve, Xena was already dismounting and moving toward her youngest. The prophet's words became muffled in the warrior's embrace.

"Oh, thank you, sweet Eli! Thank you for returning my family!" she exclaimed as she ran to Gabrielle and pulled the smaller woman into a tight embrace.

Ari stood back and watched, not certain of what she should do, or expect from her prophet sister. Although her last memories of Eve were like a fog-induced dream, she could not help but remember the snatches of images from her time of illness. As if sensing her thoughts, Eve pulled away and looked cautiously at Ari.

"Ari, I'm so glad to see you, I was so worried," Eve's words were slow and controlled as if she were talking to a child.

"Eve…" Gabrielle began to say, but was stopped by the sounds of another woman's voice.

"Gabrielle!" the older woman shouted as she ran from the house, the apron around her waist covered with a white powder. "Oh, by the gods, I'm glad you're all safe!" She and the bard flew into a tearful, laughing embrace as a smiling Xena watched. She saw Ari staring and winked.

"Ari, would you like to come into the house," Eve took a hold of Ari's arm and still speaking slowly, began to guide her gently away. With a frown of annoyance, Ari pulled her arm away and scowled at her sister.

"I-I'm capable of w-walking," she muttered as she took Than's reins and began to guide him toward the stable.

"Eve, that's what I was trying to say, Ari is fine now. She's come out of her silence," the bard explained, then turned to her sister. "Lila, let me introduce you to Ari, our eldest daughter."

"She doesn't talk very much, does she?" Ari thought she heard Gabrielle's sister say as she followed behind Virgil.

"She's getting over an illness, and she's also a bit shy around people," Gabrielle offered as she began to follow Lila into the house.

"Mother?" Eve began to ask, but was silenced by Xena's look.

"We'll talk about it later, ok honey?" Ari heard her warrior mother say.

Virgil took his horse to a far stall, then began to unfasten the saddle. He moved around the barn as if he was familiar with the entire place. At her confusion, he smiled and pointed to an empty stall next to where Xena was leading Argo.

"M-Mother, I can do t-that," Ari offered as she moved to her mother's side. Xena cast her a concerned look, then, with a slight smile, she sighed.

"Are you sure?"

"Y-Yes, I can." Ari repeated. At the warrior princesses' smile, the dark child lowered her gaze as a heat crossed her cheeks. When she felt her mother's palm against her cheek, she unconsciously gulped, then looked into her mother's blue eyes.

"If you need some help, don't be afraid to ask, alright?" Xena's voice was soft as she smiled, then turned, and left the horses in Ari's care.

Once she had removed her outer tunic, Ari found herself moving methodically through the chore of bedding down the horses. Like a form of meditation, she brushed Than down to a fine a sheen, his hair glistened from her ministrations. As if appreciating her attention, he bumped his nose into her side, then returned to eating the fresh hay that Virgil had laid out. In an attempt to keep her distance, she cast occasional glances toward the man, before returning her attention to the task at hand. When she was finished with Than, she moved to her mother's horse. Occasionally, she felt Virgil's eyes watching her, but she ignored him as she removed Argo's saddle, and blanket, and began to brush the honey colored hair.

As he finished up with his horse, he moved to Gabrielle's brown mare that seemed at home in the stable. When Ari didn't stop him, he patted the horses rump, then began to give the beast's coat a vigorous brushing. At one point, he turned to pick up the jar of liniment oil and bumped his hand against Ari's.

"Oh … um, sorry," he offered as he pulled his hand away from the jar, nodding for her to take it. He then watched as she applied the oil to Argo's legs. Her nimble hands moved instinctively, long slender fingers stroking ever so gently along the horses flank and legs. When she looked up at him, he instantly closed his mouth as he averted his eyes. He tried to look casually in her direction and noticed that her glance had not wavered. A slight smile curled her lips upward.

At her open smile, he couldn't help but feel more at ease. In a relaxed manner, he leaned against the stall and watched her work. He covertly gazed at the outline of her small, round, firm breasts that were visible beneath her cotton undershirt. When he had first seen Ari, the only impression he had of her was that of an injured bird. Pale, gaunt and with haunted eyes, she didn't seem anything like the infamous Destroyer. Now that a few days had passed and she had rested and eaten, her entire appearance seemed to change, and Virgil could tell that it was for the better.

"You're not at all like your sister, are you?" his voice sounded loud in the near silent barn. In answer to his question, Ari simply smiled as she turned her attention to Argo's hoofs, yet she cast occasional glances up at him through hooded eyes.

In a casual manner, he moved a bit closer to her. His hand reached out and lightly patted Argo's rump as he watched her lowering the last hoof. When she stood up straight, she smiled as she glanced up at him. As if he were nothing more than a fly to brush aside, the dark woman pushed her way past him and moved to the bucket of water in the corner.

Virgil felt mesmerized by Ari. He had to admit to himself that she had intrigued him ever since he learned that she had once been the Destroyer. Her shy bearings and body mannerisms, even her beauty belayed all of the stories that he had heard about the woman who laid the land to ruin.

As he watched her move, he couldn't help but think of a cat. Each step she took seemed smooth, and calculated, like a feline hunting its prey. When she dipped her hands into the clean bucket of water, it felt as if his heart was beating loud enough for the world to hear. With each droplet of water that fell on her bare arms, he felt his throat getting dryer. Nervously, he licked his dry lips as he gazed down her back. Her hips, although slender, had a smooth roundness that seemed to accentuate the shapeliness of her body. Ordinarily, such treasures were hidden under the tunic she wore, but now, with just her undershirt on, Virgil was able to gaze fully at her through the fabric. The one important part of her that he could not see through her pants, he would simply have to leave to his imagination, he reasoned as he absently gulped. When she stood and turned to him, she tilted her head as a smile crossed her lips.

"No … you aren't at all like Eve, are you?" He heard his question like a whisper as she sauntered slowly toward him. Her hips moved seductively with each step that she took. Her blue eyes stayed fixed on his as she walked directly in front of him. Before he knew what was happening, he felt his back pressed against the stall, and realized that she had backed him against the wall.

"Ari?" he felt his mind spinning out of control as he felt her closeness, smelled the sweet scent of her body. "Wha?" but he never got to finish his question because she had covered his mouth with her freshly washed finger.

Something told him that he should leave, that he should push his way past the woman and join Xena and Gabrielle in Lila's home. But he felt frozen in place. Her closeness brought to his senses every aspect of her being. He saw the way her blue eyes glistened from the diffused sunlight in the barn. Her dark, shiny black hair fell in straight strands near her shoulder. The musky aroma of her sweat seemed to spur on needs that he had thus far managed to keep at bay. As if sensing his thoughts, Ari's gentle smile broke from the confines of her full, luscious lips.

Before he realized what was happening, he felt her hand snaking down his shirt. With deft ease, her fingers pushed their way down the front of his pants until she clasped the object of their search. At her instant touch, he gulped as he closed his eyes against the exquisite sensations.

"Oh … Ari … w-we … shouldn't," he said as he tried to push her hands away.

"Shush," was all she cooed as she covered his lips with her own while her fingers encircled his shaft and easily ran it's length, causing him to get instantly hard. With each stroke, he thought he would lose his mind. If he had any will power left, it quickly disappeared when she fell to her knees before him.

"Ari?" He felt his voice come out as a raspy sound. With only a smile she tugged at his pants until she freed his aching penis. "N-No…" he stammered, yet felt his hips instinctively move forward when her lips encircled the head of his engorged member, then slowly take him into her wet mouth.

"Ohhh, gods," he muttered as he threw his head back, "Ohhh, yes … A-Ari … yes," he gasped as he felt her alternating between circling him with her tongue, and taking him deeply in her mouth. "Ohhh … not at all like your s-sister!" he moaned as he watched her intently, his hips gently moving to a cadence as he watched himself slipping in and out past her lips.

Just as it had begun in silence, it ended. Without saying a word, Xena's daughter turned from him and walked away. In a casual move, she retrieved her tunic from the barn floor, slipped it on and then moved to the door. Once she reached the closed door, she stopped for a moment, her head bent as if in thought, then she glanced back at him, a smile of satisfaction crossing her features before she turned and left him alone in the barn.

"I'm sorry, he's teething right now," Sara, Gabrielle's niece, apologized as she picked up the babe and carried him to the front porch.

Since arriving in Potidaea, Ari was able to sit back and watch the interaction of her family. She noticed the way that Xena maintained a relaxed manner around Gabrielle's sister, Lila, and her niece Sara. With Sara's husband, Xena managed to interact as any new acquaintance would, with polite interest; although unlike the bard, Xena had only a mild interest in Sara's baby. Ari saw Virgil slip into the room and sit down near the fireplace. He glanced her way and his cheeks acquired twin red spots. Unconcerned, she looked back at the table trying to follow the confusing conversation that had started between her new aunt, niece, mothers and was it, nephew or uncle?

"We sent word to you when Sara had Selani, and again later when she and Adriano were handfasted," Lila said as she smiled at her daughters disappearing form.

"I think the messages must have by passed us while we were on the road," Gabrielle sighed with a sad smile. "But that shouldn't happen once we're settled in Amphipolis."

"So you and Xena are going to settle down, Gabrielle?" Lila asked as she turned from her sister, to the warrior princess. Xena only smiled as she turned to the blonde.

"Yeah, we've talked about it. With two daughters now, we don't think the life of mercenaries is the safest way to live. It's not something we want to put the girls through," the bard added as she reached over and lightly touched Ari's hand, a smile of love crossed her features.

"Good, I'm glad to hear that! I'm just sorry we weren't able to reach you before. I think you both would have enjoyed the handfasting. You should have been here, it was a grand event," Lila added as she rose and began to clean up the empty dinner plates from the table.

"Everyone for two towns over showed up! Many said they were here to wish us well, but I personally think they just wanted a reason to hit the flasks!" the tall, slender man named Adriano stated with a slight chuckle.

"And like you didn't do your share?" Lila playfully slapped him on the shoulder with her apron.

"Hey, Mama, watch it or Xena will come to my defense!" He raised his hands in surrender as he playfully moved away from the smaller woman, then ducked behind the warrior princess.

"Nah, I think I'd have more fun watching this match!" the warrior winked at her sister in law, then smiled at Ari as she leaned aside. "He's all yours, Lila! Want me to hold him?" The grinning warrior pretended to reach for the man.

Lila grinned and flexed imaginary muscles. "That's all right, Xena! I don't need any help to handle the likes of him!"

"Get him, Lil!" Gabrielle giggled from her seat at the table. Her sister made a mock lunge for him and Adriano pretended great fright.

"Whoops! That does it! I can't win when even Xena's against me! Help! Saraaaa!" He turned and fled for the front porch leaving the field to the laughing women.

Ari remained silent as she watched the interaction unfold. With Eve's help, Lila took the dirty dinner items to the kitchen, then returned to the dining room with a warm pot of tea. Once the cups were filled, she returned to her seat at the table while Eve stayed in the kitchen washing the plates.

"He seems like a good man," Gabrielle said as she glanced in the direction of where Adriano had disappeared with Sara and the baby.

"He is, Gabrielle. Not many men would have been so willing to take another man's son as his own, and he is very good to Sara … good to us both," the older woman smiled as she drank slowly from her cup.

"He seems like a gentle man. I'm glad to see that things have worked out for Sara; I was worried about her after that business with Gurkhan..." Gabrielle grimaced, then smiled again, "but Sara has recovered wonderfully. I'm so happy for her. In fact for both of you!" The bard reached to her sister and took the wrinkled hands in hers.

"Thanks, Gabrielle." There was a trace of moisture in Lila's old eyes, but she smiled back at her sister and squeezed her hands.

For a moment, Ari glanced at their two pairs of hands. She noticed how smooth the bard's hands were compared to the older woman's. Yet Ari knew from personal experience that the healer bards palms and fingers were covered with well-earned calluses. Her years of carrying a weapon had hardened her grip. Despite this, her gentle touch was always near to offer love and encouragement. When the dark child looked at Lila's hands, she couldn't help but see the difference. As if weather beaten by time, the older woman's hands were covered with age spots and wrinkles and she found herself wondering how much older Lila was than Gabrielle. She looked and acted at least fifty, and the blonde seemed to be at least thirty years younger than her sister. That was a long time and Ari found it hard to contemplate why the bard's parents had waited so long to have her after her sister.

As the sounds of the crying baby filtered into her senses, Ari found herself thinking about Alti. Although she had always considered the sorceress old, she now had to admit that the woman had not appeared as old as she could have been. 'Then again, no one believes that I'm older than Eve,' she silently mused as she glanced at the others around the table.

She watched while Lila gazed at her sister's back and touched the tattoo with something like awe. "Gabrielle, I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing this Dragon thing on your back and calves. Did … did it hurt when you got them?"

"Like the dickens," smiled the bard, "but Xena was there keeping me company, so it wasn't too bad." She winked at the warrior, who smiled back. Then the bard looked soberly at her sister before continuing. "On the other hand, if Akemi hadn't put it on me, I probably wouldn't be here now … or Xena either."

"Akee-mee?" Lila said the word as if tasting it. "Who was he?"

"She," the bard corrected gently with a side-glance at Xena. The warrior was suddenly looking grim and the bard shook her head slightly as an unseen communication seemed to pass between the two lovers. Then she raised her hand as her sister opened her mouth to speak. "It's a long story, Lil', and I'd rather not get into it right now, but I'll tell ya all about it later, I promise."

"Hmm. After a statement like that, you'd better, sis!" Lila frowned, then shrugged and turned to Ari, her words breaking through the dark child's musings. "Ari, I hope you don't mind sharing a room with your sister." Before Ari could reply, Lila turned to her sister, "Remember how we use stay up giggling the night away?"

"Oh, do I ever! And father would have to come in and quiet us down!" the bard joined in her sisters giggling and Ari felt confusion. Gabrielle must have been just a baby when Lila was thirty. How could they have stayed up giggling together? Before she could contemplate any of this, her attention was called by Xena's voice.

"It's only for a few nights," Xena said. "I'm sure they can manage," she added confidently, as she cast Ari a warning glance.

At her mother's strict look, Ari bowed her head once in understanding. She knew that whatever antics she might have contemplated in the past, her mother would not stand for them now, and especially not here in Lila's home. With this clearly understood, the girl sighed as she rose from the table.

"Tired, honey?" Gabrielle smiled at her.

"Y-Yes, if I could…?" She looked at Xena for permission. At the older woman's nod, she gave a slight smile to their host, then moved to the room that she had been shown earlier. Throughout the entire exchange, she made certain to avoid eye contact with Virgil.

Ari sighed heavily as a strangled gasp escaped her control. Before she could feel the tears build up, the dark child felt the all too familiar sensations of floating outside of herself. For a moment, Ari wondered about the sensations of numbness that seemed to consume her. But before she could dwell on it for too long, she tried to fight her way back. Tried in vain to move back into the shell of her body that sat silently on the edge of the bed. Like a voyeur watching from the outside, she saw her own hand reaching down to her bags in order to remove the dagger. Nodding understanding, Ari closed her eyes as she awaited the feelings that would grip her and yank her back to reality.

As she sat, the voices around her began to fade in the back of her mind as the hair on the back of her neck suddenly stood up. At this new sensation, she lowered her gaze and concentrated on everything around her. Sara and Adriano sat on the floor playing with little Selani. Eve and Virgil were talking in low, muted tones, and Gabrielle and her sister were as animated as ever. With a slight frown, she rose from her seat and moved down the hallway toward the bedrooms.

The tall warrior stood silently outside of the room that Ari and Eve would share. She waited a moment and listened for any sounds within. As her instincts took control, she turned the handle on the door, then opened it to the small room. By the single candle light in the room, Xena took in the entire scene. She saw her daughter sitting on the edge of the bed in just her undershirt and cotton shorts. With head bowed, the girl was staring intently at the bloody mess of her upper thigh as she held the dagger precariously over the already cut flesh. Xena's eyes grew wide as she stifled a gasp of horror at what she saw.

"Ari, what are you doing!" The tall warrior felt her fears rising as she ran to her daughter, knelt in front of her and took the dagger from the girls hand.

For a moment, the dark child seemed confused, then, when she glanced up at Xena, she grimaced as she returned her attention to her thigh. As if in an attempt to cover it up, the girl put her hands over the blood then shook her head. Reaching into her daughter's bag, the warrior princess fumbled in the clothes until she found a second white undershirt. In an attempt to staunch the flow, she covered the blood, as she gazed up at her daughter.

"Xena, what's…?" Gabrielle words stopped in mid-sentence as she gaped at the sight in the room. Behind the bard, the others in the house began to gather, the obvious urgency seeming to spread to everyone.

"Gabrielle, go get the medical satchel, and please, close the door behind you," the warrior princess instructed in what she hoped was a firm, yet calm voice. At her instructions, Gabrielle nodded as she turned and left the room, closing the door to the curious onlookers.

"Ari, why in the world did you do this?" she asked as she gazed into her daughter's vacant eyes. "Honey … sweetheart, look at me," she beckoned the girl. Ari looked at her, the creases around her eyes grew deeper as her mouth opened to speak, but then closed as she shook her head negatively.

"Honey, why would you do this? Please help me to understand," Xena begged just as Gabrielle entered the room with the satchel in hand.

"Ari, what happened," she asked as she knelt beside Xena. "Was this an accident?" At her words, Xena lifted the bloody dagger as she glanced into her lover's green eyes. For a moment, the bard didn't understand, then as realization occurred, she gasped in horror.

Once again, she had messed things up. She tried to stay focused and to stay within her body, but the solution that she had come up with was upsetting to her mothers. As they moved quickly to stop the flow of blood, she remained silent, her brows creased into a frown.

"Ari, I just don't understand," Gabrielle shook her head as she took the boiling pot of water from Eve, and moved back to the bed.

"Mother, what's going on? Is she…?" She heard her sister's unspoken question.

"That's fine, Eve, thank you," Xena's curt reply took Eve by surprise. Her expression went blank for a moment, and then as if knowing that they would not give her any answers tonight, the prophet silently spun on her heel and quickly retreated from the room not quite banging the door.

Gabrielle looked after her for a moment, then pointedly back at Xena. Her lover paid no attention as she worked with various herbs from the satchel. Rolling her eyes, the bard silently shook her head as she sat the steaming kettle down next to the bed and knelt beside it.

"Ari, I don't know what to do…" the older warrior let her words lapse in exasperation as she was mixing a healing poultice in her palm.

"Honey, surely you know why you did this? Can't you tell us?" Gabrielle shared her lover's frustration as she gently took a warm cloth and cleaned the blood from Ari's thigh. When their inquires brought nothing but silence, the two women grew quiet as they moved as one. The dark child began to nervously bite her lower lip as she silently watched Gabrielle lift the cotton shorts from her other leg.

"Xena, look," the bard whispered as she gazed at the previous marks that were already healing.

"Oh, Ari!" Xena exclaimed then silently shook her head as she lightly touched the redness around the wounds. She bit her lip. "Gabrielle, it looks like there's already infection in it … I'm going to have to open them, and apply the poultice to the area."

Ari remained silent through the whole exchange. She found herself shifting between the sensations of the pain in her legs, and the sadness she felt from both of her mother's disappointments in her. Once her right thigh was covered with the poultice and bandaged, Xena moved to her other thigh and began to work on the infected flesh. For a moment, the warrior glanced up at Ari as if to speak, then she took the blade and reopened the scabbed over lines. At the stinging sensations of her flesh tearing, Ari grimaced, yet kept her silence as she watched the warrior working the infection from the cuts, then laying the poultice over the opening. When both thighs were wrapped in clean bandages, the older women sighed as they looked at each other and a silent communication seemed to pass between them.

Finally turning to Ari, Gabrielle spoke. "Honey, I'm going to want to know why you did this to yourself. Do you understand?" Her voice was soft and patient as she helped Ari slide under the covers. While she tucked the blanket under her arms, Xena was moving through the room, looking intently at everything. When the dark child watched her mother's actions, she noticed the warrior searching for, and taking any item in the room that was sharp. Frowning, Ari gazed up in the bard's eyes.

"Do you understand, Ari?" the blonde gently asked. Ari visibly sighed as she lowered her gaze. "I know honey, we don't have to talk about it now. But I want you to think about it, so that you can explain it to your mother and I."

"A-All right," was all Ari could say as the bard smiled down at her, then leaned down and softly kissed her temple.

"Get some sleep, honey," the bard smiled sympathetically before rising from the bed. At the door, Xena handed her lover a bundle of items, then moved to sit on the bed beside Ari.

Ari thought her birth mother was going to say something to her. Perhaps a comment about being disappointed in her. But to Ari's surprise, Xena released a tired sigh as she glanced away from Ari. When it seemed that no words were needed, she smiled down at the girl, lightly ran her palm over the dark child's cheek, then rose to leave. As an afterthought, the older woman reached over and took the lighted candle from the nightstand beside Ari. Only when she reached the door did she turn to her daughter.

"Good night, Ari," the warrior princess said tiredly before she turned and left the room, closing the door behind her.

As quietly as she was able, Eve moved around the dark room, removing her clothing and putting it neatly away beside the bed. When she looked at the sleeping figure of her sister, a sigh escaped her control. Ari was back with them, and she was no longer held captive in the world of silence. Although her speech was slower, and at times she stumbled over her words, her sister was able to communicate, and by all appearances, she comprehended everything around her. Despite this, Eve knew that her sister was not completely well. Careful not to bump her sister, she crawled under the covers and lay back on her pillow. Next to her, Ari slept peacefully, unaware of Eve's presence.

'Why did she hurt herself like that?' Eve silently wondered as she stared up at the shadowy dark ceiling. Like her mothers, she could not fathom why Ari would purposely inflict wounds on herself. With a silent shake of her head, she rolled over and watched her sisters sleeping face. 'With the help of Eli, you'll find your way,' Eve thought as she reached out and lightly touched her older sister.

"Don't you worry, Ari, I'll be here for you, and so will moms. We'll all be here to help you through this … a-and … I'll pray to Eli for you, I promise," Eve's voice was merely a whisper of air coming out of her mouth, but the dark form beside her stirred and she held her breath. Ari squirmed for only a moment, then grew still as her breaths came out in deep, even exhalations.

He did not understand Ari at all. One minute she was down on her knees giving him some of the most exquisite pleasure he had ever had, and then she completely ignored him. Although he wondered about this, he found that there was no one he could talk to. If he knew Sara's husband better, he might be able to talk to him. But after only meeting him today, Virgil was reluctant to approach the man. 'And forget about talking to Xena,' he thought sullenly. No, he knew that above all else, the warrior could never know what happened because in all honesty, he wasn't altogether certain that she would not kill him.

In the darkened hallway, she glanced at each door. Ever since Eve arrived, they had given her the baby's room that held the crib and had moved the baby in with his parents. This meant that behind the farthest door was Sara, her husband and baby. In the room next to them was Lila, and across from Lila was the extra room that they saved for special guests, which now housed her mothers.

Ari tilted her head and listened for any sounds from the rooms. Once assured that all were asleep, she made her way with stealth toward the living room. At the threshold of the room, she froze as her eyes grew accustomed to the shadows that the fireplace gave off. When she saw the figure sleeping on the floor in his bedroll, she moved and stood silently above him. For a moment she watched him sleeping.

'For as deep as he sleeps, it's impossible that he is a warrior,' she thought silently and with some scorn as she tilted her head and examined him a bit longer. 'Mother said to be nice … be nice, but…' As she shook her head at the conflicting emotions, the sensations of standing outside of her body continuing to creep slowly into her senses. 'Maybe … just maybe…' her mind stated as resolve filled her.

In a purposeful manner, she pulled her undershirt off and discarded it on the floor, then reached for the string of her underpants and began to open the fastening, then slid it gently down, careful to avoid pulling the bandages around her thighs. Once naked, she knelt down and lifted his bedroll, then crawled in beside his warm body. At her touch, Virgil instantly woke up, a look of panic filling his eyes.

"Oh, gods, Ari, no! We can't," he whispered even as her hands were roaming over his chest, her legs rubbing against his.

"Shush," she whispered in return as her fingers sought him out.

"No! Your mother … Xena will ki…" she placed her finger over his lips to silence him.

"I-I….d-don't feel anything," she whispered as the numbness and separation threatened to take control. At his uncomprehending expression, she sighed, then shook her head, "P-Please … h-help me to f-feel … t-to feel s-something, anything!"

His resolve crumbled from the combination of her pleading words and touches. When he groaned and threw his head back, she turned her attention to pleasing him. Her mouth moved feverishly over his lips and down his neck. Each time he tried to touch her, or return the kiss, she pulled away long enough to stop his actions. When all he could do was stroke her back, she returned her attention to his body. After the days bath, his strong, musky male scent was not as pungent to her senses. As she inhaled his aroma, she made her way down his chest; her tongue licked a thin trail around his nipples before her mouth suckled each one, wringing subdued gasps and moans from him.

As she made her way lower, she felt the telltale signs of his excitement. With a pleased smile, she closed her eyes and began to move instinctively. Since the time when she was little, she learned how to please men. After the initial encounter, she realized that there wasn't any way for her to escape what Alti had planned for her, so rather than fight, she complied and learned all that the sorceress had to teach her. As her lips encircled Virgil's hardness, she closed her eyes as she remembered the first time she had performed this act on a man…

Her hands were small and moved clumsily over the man. Her mouth, too tiny to take him in, could only cover the top, her tongue was left to do the rest. Remembering back to that time, she inwardly chuckled at the memory of the first time a man spilled his liquid from her touch. Shocked by his action, she had accidentally bitten down, which brought a loud scream from the man, and raucous laughter from Alti. Although she had never done that again, it was the only time that she could remember when she and Alti were able to laugh together. In time, as she grew, and learned different ways, and when she grew up more, she was able to take any of the men deep within her skillful mouth…

When she pulled her attention back to the task at hand, she pulled away long enough to straddle his form. As the creeping numbness threatened to consume her, she reached down and positioned him, then lowered herself onto him. At the instant sensations of fullness, she closed her eyes and tried to search for the elusive feelings that she sought. Like a repeating dream that vexed her every thought, the separation of her mind slowly disappeared with each movement of her hips. Ari kept her eyes closed as she concentrated on every nuance that she was feeling. Below her, she felt him pushing upward into her as his hushed voice sounded out a trail of whispered words.

Ari growled at the interruption to her concentration that his comments were making. Sitting still on top of him, she glanced around for anything that would shut Virgil up, then took the first thing she saw and shoved it in his mouth. With only a groan, he reached up to her, his hands tried to fondle and touch her breasts, but she pulled away and held his hands at bay as she returned to her rhythmic movements.

For what felt like an eternity in time, she moved in this way. Ari's body sought the feelings that reassured her that she was alive, that she was here, sane and safe. The girl longed to be assured that her soul, her mind would not disassociate from her body again. As she felt him deep within her, she smiled as she felt herself rising closer toward her climax. Just when she felt it nearer, a searing pain shot from her thighs to her brain. Opening her eyes, she glanced down in time to see him pulling his hands away from her bandaged thighs as a hiss of pain escaped her control. At the added sensation, a low gurgling moan escaped her control as she felt herself plummeting into an orgasm.

If he had released himself, she did not take note. Instead, she concentrated on her own sensations and rode him over and over. A few times, she felt him grow soft within her, but she did not heed his reaction. Instead, she doubled up her movements, clenching and unclenching until he grew hard again. Each time she felt on the brink, she would take his hands and force him to clasp onto her thighs, the exquisite sensations of pain and pleasure holding her fears at bay. Only when he was drenched in sweat, and would not grow stiff again did she finally stop her movements.

With a sigh of contentment, she laid over him and allowed her breathing to return to normal. Ari ignored his movements as he removed one of his dirty socks from his mouth. Equally out of breath, he wrapped an arm over her shoulder as he fought for air.

"Gods, Ari … w-where did that come from?" Virgil asked with a groan. "Woman … you've worn me out…" his voice trailed off weakly and she didn't answer for the question didn't seem to require one.

When he grew still, she looked down at him with a curious expression. His eyes were closed and his mouth was open as a deep rattling sound escaped his lips. Rising from his sleeping body, she pulled her undershorts back on, then pulled her cotton shirt over her head. She noticed that the bandages were spotted with blood and realized that her actions had reopened the wounds on her thighs. Ignoring this slight discomfort, she looked down at Virgil's peaceful features. Ari took only a moment to watch him sleeping before she shook her head and turned to make her way back to her sister's room.

'Typical,' Ari silently mused as she moved through the darkness and into the room where her sister slept. Ever since she had learned to take a man like this, she had never known one who could match her stamina. As this thought crossed her mind, she crawled under the covers and snuggled into the pillows. The sensations of detachment no longer near, she closed her eyes as memories from the past came flooding into her dreams…

Ari didn't know how young she was when she first sat astride a man. With Alti's tutelage, she had learned to not be afraid. Even though the men towered over her, she was able to manipulate them until they begged for her release.

"Ari," a gentle sound called her from sleep. The slight touch against her arm brought her eyes slowly open. With a slight yawn, she rolled over and laid on her back as her eyes became adjusted to the bright sunlight in the room.

"Hey, sleepyhead, aren't you hungry?" Gabrielle asked as she lightly touched Ari's cheek. At the mention of food, the child's stomach suddenly growled. "I thought so," the bard chuckled as she rose from the bed. "Come on honey, your aunt has something special planned for today, and it's already lunch time. The whole house has been awake for hours! Well, except for you and Virgil. I don't know what's up with him, but as soon as he ate breakfast, he went out under a tree and fell asleep," her mother shook her head as her eyes seemed deep in thought. Ari only shrugged her shoulders as she glanced down at the bandages on her thighs.

"Oh, we cleaned and changed them this morning. Boy, Ari, I never realized how much thrashing you must do in your sleep," the bard commented, then winked at her. "Which tells me how soundly your sister must sleep too, because she said she never noticed you kicking around at all. I'm beginning to think Eve must have some of my blood in her, though how, I couldn't tell ya!" She grinned, rumpling Ari's hair. "Come on and get up. Get dressed, we're all going to be sharing lunch outside today. Sort of like a picnic."

"Ari, good morning!" Lila smiled as she greeted the dark child. "Everyone, this is Gabrielle and Xena's oldest, Ari."

The bard sat in a chair nearby as she spoke to a group of women. Her face smiled as she waved Ari over. The tall girl could do little but move to her mother's side, her eyes quickly scanning the women before she averted her gaze. Suddenly she felt as if her world was growing small again. As if she was back in the cave, she felt the oppressive weight of the people keenly as she did her best to mute their rambling whispers within her head.

Although Ari felt herself cowering internally, on the outside she maintained a neutral manner and greeted the people. She knew that she would never remember names, so she didn't even try to begin. Instead, she tried to be what she felt Gabrielle and Xena would want her to be. At times when she was unsure of herself, she'd retreat away from the crowd and watch them from afar.

"Is it a bit overwhelming?" Gabrielle's voice broke through her thoughts later in the day. Ari had been sitting alone under a tree watching the people move around in their complicated dance of talk, interaction and social pairings. Their laughter and merriment was foreign to the dark child and all she could do was puzzle over their actions.

"A-A … bit," the young woman managed to say as she pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. Although the food was delicious, and she liked the idea of it being available in abundance, she wasn't certain if having so many people around at once was too high of a price to pay.

As if understanding the dark child's thoughts, the bard reached over and lightly embraced the girl. The smaller woman's arm hung loosely over Ari's shoulder as she settled back against the tree that Ari leaned against. With an almost contented sigh, her mother nodded.

"I know, it's a bit too much for me too, but, your aunt Lila wanted to have something special for us. We haven't been back this way for a long time and it's sort of her way of welcoming us home. You understand, don't you?" she asked as she gazed at Ari.

Only half listening, Ari could only nod as she watched the people moving about. While some were still eating, other's were playing various games in the open space. The large number of adults seemed outnumbered by the children who were running around in what appeared to Ari to be senseless games of hiding, falling down or wrestling one another ineffectually. The mock combats seemed to have no rhyme or reason; no one was killed or even wounded substantially. Ari couldn't fathom the purpose of them and it irritated her.

"I notice that Virgil's not watching you all the time like he used to. Is everything all right between you two?" Gabrielle asked.

"Y-Yes … I-I am being nice to him," Ari offered without hesitation.

Gabrielle seemed pleased. "Good … good, I'm glad to hear that. I'm sure that must be why he's backing off so much. He was just curious and now that you two are being nice to each other, his curiosity isn't in control," the bard nodded sagely as if to herself. Ari only listened, then nodded as if in agreement when it seemed that her mother was finished.

"Well, I'd better go and help your mom. Looks like she's trying to clear a space so that I can tell some stories," the healer bard smiled before rising and moving toward the warrior princess.

The girl watched her mother helping Xena move a table aside, then begin to arrange some chairs and blankets on the grass. When Ari saw Lila struggling with an armload of dirty plates, she arose and moved to her aunt. With a meek smile, she offered to take the dirty load in to be washed.

"Thank you, Ari, you are so sweet," Lila's words brought a blush to the dark child as she turned and made her way into the house, then to the back kitchen.

"Oh, great, more to wash!" Eve exclaimed with a chuckle, then turned to some of the younger women who gathered with her in the kitchen and smile. "Isn't that just our lot in life, girls? Always dishes to be washed!"

Ari only shrugged as she retreated from the room of giggling women. With head bent she began to make her way from the house, but stopped when she heard a slight noise. When it sounded from the hallway, she tilted her head in hopes of hearing it clearer. As she made her way toward the back of the home, she wondered what might be happening to cause the child to scream so loudly.

At the entrance to Sara and Adriano's room, Ari hesitated for only a moment. Then she cautiously pushed on the partly open door and peered into the shadow filled room. In the corner of the room sat the crib that had been removed from the room she shared with Eve. Inside of the crib stood the wailing figure of Selani. His toothless mouth was wide as he released howls and shrieks. With his eyes tightly closed the largest tears that Ari had ever seen made their way down his rosy red cheeks.

As she looked curiously at the boy, she wondered what might have happened to have caused such a fearsome reaction. When Ari gazed down at the ground, she saw his rag toy sitting on the floor, his little hands reaching out to it as his fingers curled. Moving into the room, Ari glanced cautiously at the child as she picked up the toy and handed it to him. As quickly as it had begun, the babe's tears dried up as a big smile crossed his face and he hugged the toy close. Speaking in a language that she did not understand, the boy looked up at her as he pulled the rag doll closer into an embrace.

Ari found the little creature curious. She moved closer to the crib and gazed in at him. Her brow arched upward when she realized that he took pure joy in the simple toy. As her mind was contemplating this, she tilted her head as she examined him closely.

'So little,' she thought silently as she gazed at his clear complexion. His little fingers continued to play with the doll as his tiny lips formed a babble of uncomprehending words. When she reached carefully into the crib, he looked up at her and smiled as she slowly petted his head. When he didn't scream, or worse, make the smell in his diaper that she had been unfortunate enough to witness first hand, she stepped closer to him. As if he were Than or Argo, she petted his hair, marveling at its softness.

'So soft … so … little,' her mind echoed as she gazed at Selani. "So innocent," she whispered out loud. At her own words, she drew back sharply and stared at the dark brown eyes that smiled back at her.

'So innocent and … and pure,' she repeated silently to herself. 'Was there ever a day when I was like him?' she wondered as she moved slowly back to stand beside his crib. 'Look at him; so little … and innocent and pure … so little … so trusting … so pure … so innocent…' the words played over in her mind like a litany.

Just as her mind marveled at her discovery, a dark thought entered her consciousness. For a moment, she blinked as she tried to understand where the thought was coming from, then it reared it's ugly head with full force. She felt a silent rage building up within her

'I'll never know what it's like,' she thought to herself, 'I'll never know what it feels like to be this … pure … this innocent and … and … trusting.'

With a deep gulp, Ari blinked as she stared at the smiling face suddenly realizing something. 'He trusts everyone. Everyone!' She felt a vein of jealousy creep through her soul.

At this thought, she scowled as anger pierced through her. The pain and rage began to build deep inside and all she could think to do was to take this child, to teach him what it was like to lose one's innocence, to show him what pain meant – to do to him what had been done to her. She wanted to use his trusting nature and rip the pure innocence that he still held within him. With this single thought, she frowned deeply as she moved toward him, her hands reached out to take the child, to touch him as she had been touched, to seek revenge against this innocent for all that she had lost. To teach him as Alti had taught her, that he had no control over his own life…

Concerned about Ari's sudden departure from the house, he followed her into the barn. When he entered the dark stable, he moved to a lantern and lighted it, then held it up as he searched the shadows. From the farthest corner, he heard the sound of Ari's soft weeping as he moved cautiously toward her.

"Ari?" he called out as he peered around the corner and saw her huddled against the wall. When the light fell on her, she seemed to moan as she tried to pull further into the wall.

"Hey, are you alright?" His voice was soft as he hung the lantern onto a nearby hook. "Do you need your mothers?" he asked low as he crawled cautiously to her side.

Before he could make the decision to go and get Xena or Gabrielle, Ari looked up at him, the tears flowing slowly down her face and her blue eyes seemed to beseech him. Seeing her so helpless, he sighed as he reached for her and pulled her into his arms. As if she were one of his younger siblings who had just woken from a nightmare, he rocked her gently in his arms as he cooed soft words to her.

"Hey, it can't be all that bad. Come on, Ari, what happened? Why are you crying?"

For a moment, he thought she was going to continue to remain silent, as she usually did around him. But instead, she seemed to hold to him tightly as her body shook with tears. "I-I…" She stammered as she tried to get her words out.

"Shhh. It's ok … it's alright. Just calm down and tell me," he said kindly.

"I-I … a-am … evil," her whispered words came out like a hiss.

"Oh, no, Ari, you aren't. I promise, you aren't evil!" Virgil tried to assure her.

"What Ari … what did you almost do? Who did you almost hurt?" The young warrior asked in puzzlement as he tried to wipe away her tears with his fingertips.

"Ari?"

"I-I … c-can't feel," the dark hair woman whispered.

"What do you mean, you can't feel?" Virgil's jaw grew slack as he tried to understand this strange woman. Ari only shook her head as she looked at him with imploring eyes.

"I-I'm not here … I'm over t-there," she pointed to the shadows of the barn. Involuntarily, Virgil looked where she pointed. He saw nothing. With a puzzled frown, the young man turned away from the darkness and looked into Ari's blue eyes.

"Wh-What do you mean?" He felt as if his mind was racing like a chariot out of control as he tried to understand her words.

In desperation the dark child watched as if from afar as her hands grabbed Virgil by his shirt and pushed him to the ground. The look of surprise on his face remained for only a moment as she quickly grasped at his pants, her hand reaching in and stroking him, before her mouth lowered in the quest to bring him to life. At the stirring of his member, she smiled up at him alluringly.

Ari never knew what this spot was called, she only knew that since the first day her sorcerer mother had taken her, the dark child felt overwhelming sensations of ecstasy whenever this area inside of her was touched. As her hips moved instinctively over Virgil, her mind remembered back to that first time when Alti's fingers were inside her. Before the dark child even realized what was happening, Alti's slender fingers bent without notice and massaged somewhere in the front of the little girl, the pleasure quickly replaced the pain, until the child was only able to cry out from the exquisite pleasure of her captor's touch.

With eyes partly closed, Ari watched Virgil as her breath came out slow and controlled. She knew that for each movement of her rocking hips, every time she clenched her inner walls, he felt explosive new sensations. But rather than ride him for his pleasure, she strove only to gain her own. If in the process, he got his along with her, it really didn't matter to Ari. All she cared about was the sensations that his fullness brought to her. Leaning forward on his body, she heard him gasp and moan. Lifting partly from him, she felt the intense feel of him parting her neither lips, then she dropped on him, the tip of him seeming to rub every part of her inner walls. Every nuance of sensations began to register in the back of her mind. When she closed her eyes and threw her head back, she began to concentrate on the wonderful feeling of him moving deep inside of her.

"Oh, yessss … Ari … t-tell me … p-please," she heard him moan as he stripped his shirt off from his sweaty torso, then reached up trying to touch her. Ignoring his words, she took a hold of his wrists and held his hands at bay as she gently swayed over him. "Ari… please …tell me. Tell me it's the same for y…" her hand reached down and covered his mouth.

"Shush," she hissed at him. When he continued to speak and moan below her hand, she glared at him as she pushed his head back onto the straw covered ground. "Shut up, just shut up!" she growled and was rewarded with his sudden silence.

When he grew quiet, she smiled as she released her grip of his mouth. Ari closed her eyes and basked in the sensations as she felt herself slowly returning to her body. With a pleased moan, she threw her head back as every fiber of her being felt alive. Below her, she felt him thrusting upward, his breathing growing husky and ragged as his pleasure mounted. Without any concern for his needs, she continued with her movements until she felt the intense bliss pull her over the threshold. Ari felt the shudder race through her as a slight gasp escaped her control as she released herself on him. Only when the sensations subsided did she realize that he had spilled himself into her at the same time.

"Ohhh, godddsssss…" He gasped, fighting for air. "Ari … p-please?"

Still astride him, she glanced down at him and contemplated taking his shirt and shoving it in his mouth to silence him. Just as she began to reach for the cloth, he shook his head as he lightly grasped her hand. His eyes begged her before he spoke softly.

"Ari … be nice, please? Let's do something different, alright … please?" Virgil's pleading registered in her mind.

'Be nice' she remembered Gabrielle saying.

"Ari, 'be nice' to my friend," Alti's raspy voice had ordered.

"I'm glad you had a good time, mother," Xena heard Eve telling the bard and smiled.

When she glanced around the room, the tall warrior turned to her youngest. "Where's Ari?"

Both Eve and Gabrielle looked around the room, "She was in here earlier, but that was some time ago, mother. Did she go to sleep already?"

"I'll go check," the bard spoke up as she went down the hall.

Just as it had happened the night before, the warrior princess suddenly felt the hairs standing up on the back of her neck. Alert to everything around her, the leather clad warrior moved to the porch. Her eyes scanned the property as she searched for her daughter.

"Xena, she's not in there!" Panic laced Gabrielle's voice as she moved beside her tall lover.

"What's wrong? Ari isn't in bed?" Lila asked innocently as she pushed a wayward strand of hair from her eyes. At her sisters negative shake of her head, the older woman sighed as she followed Xena's gaze. "I'm sure she's all right. Maybe it was too much for her, the poor girl. I should have thought about how shy she was before inviting the whole village over…" Lila's chattering words registered as a foreign language in Xena's mind as her gaze fell on the barn.

The first thing that caught Xena's attention was the door that was slightly ajar. As her mind conjured up all of the sharp objects that were in the barn, panic set in as she moved in quick loping strides. Afraid of what she would find, she flung open the door and ran inside.

In the few seconds that it took her to cross the path, Xena was mentally prepared to find Ari in a bloody mess. She thought that the girl would be huddled in a corner with one of the sharp tools, slicing her flesh as she had done previously for what reason that Xena could not even fathom. Perhaps she would be dead or dying from blood loss. She bludgeoned herself with thoughts of horrid scenarios that were all her fault for not keeping a better eye on her daughter. What she found instead, she had not anticipated in any of the thoughts that had flashed through her frantic mind.

Xena felt her mind fill with rage as she stood over Virgil's half naked form. In that split second in time, the warrior princess noticed every nuance of the scene that unfolded. She saw the beads of sweat dripping down Virgil's back. His larger frame covered Ari's naked body as he was thrusting into her, the muscles in his back straining with each movement of his hips as ragged breaths escaped his control. The girl's legs were wrapped loosely around his hips, a slight trickle of blood soaked up the bandage on her thigh while her arms were wrapped around his neck. When Ari noticed her, she remained silent and unmoving, her eyes holding a vacant stare as her hips moved rhythmically upward to greet his thrusts.

"VIRGIL!!!" The warrior felt the scream from deep in her gut as she grabbed the man with a strength just short of superhuman and ripped him off of her daughter, flinging him to the floor. Surprised and stunned, the young man stared up at her from the ground and his eyes grew large as he hastily moved to pull his britches up over his hard and dripping member.

"Xena, I-I c-can explain!" He held his hands out as if to ward her off. Ignoring his choked plea, she yanked him up and shoved him half running out of the barn, following right on his heels. He turned to her, almost babbling, his expression full of fear. "P-Please, let me explain…"

"You can explain it after a mouthful of these!" Xena roared as her fist slammed into his face, the blood instantly spurting from his nose as he fell backward, his hand covering his face.

"Xena, what in Tartarus is wrong? Are you out of your mind? This is Virgil!" the bard screamed as she began to take a defensive stance with her partner.

Having not seen the spectacle in the barn, she didn't understand Xena's wrath. A part of her wondered if her tall lover had finally lost her mind, and was repaying the son for the annoyance of the father. Just as surprised by Xena's outburst as the bard, was her family who gathered open mouthed in the near darkness to watch the scene unfold.

"Gabrielle, get out of my way so that I can beat this little shit to a bloody pulp!" The warrior princess snarled as she spat over her lover's head at the fallen man.

"Xena, STOP IT!" the bard screamed as she reached out and pushed her lover back. "This is Virgil, our friend! We've saved each others lives before, remember?"

"Gabrielle, he was…" Xena stopped in mid sentence, her words suddenly flustered, "He … He was in there with … on top of … why I oughta…!" Xena tried to dodge around the small obstacle that kept pushing her back, but she didn't follow through on her threat against Virgil because Ari had approached from behind.

In the instant it took for her mother to hit Virgil, the dark child was up and searching for her clothes. By the time the light from the sunset filtered in from the open barn door, she was pulling her pants up and over her bandaged thighs, and pulling her boots on as she tugged her shirt over her head. At the sight of her two mother's facing each other in anger, an instant panic set in as the real threat of them coming to blows became clear.

"V-Virgil?" The bard seemed confused as she turned to Virgil, the tone of her voice asked for confirmation.

"Listen, it-it's not like you think, honest!" The young man held his hands in front of him as if to ward off their anger. "S-She loves me, she … she came to me!"

At this statement, the bard and the warrior looked at one another, seemingly stunned. Then, slowly, moving as one, both women turned to her with wide eyes. Their silence felt deafening as they waited for Ari to say something. Confused by everything that had unfolded, she looked from Virgil, to Xena, and then to Gabrielle but said nothing.

Gabrielle's mouth moved, but no sound came out. Then she wet her lips, cleared her throat and tried again. "Ari … is … is this true?"

"Did you go to … to him?" Xena grimaced at the thought.

"I-I…" Ari felt herself falling into a deep pit that she had no way of getting out of. With a shake of her head, she looked at Virgil. His imploring eyes remained on her.

"Ari … tell them! Please!" he begged.

"Is he telling the truth? Did you go to him?" Xena rapped out. She suddenly seemed to swell in size and her back grew stiff as she stared down at Ari.

"Yes," the dark child answered firmly.

"Ari, why?" The pain in the warrior's voice seemed to drown her anger toward Virgil.

"B-Because…" The girl gulped as she looked away from her mother's penetrating blue eyes, "M-Mother told me to."

"Wha…?" Both Xena and Gabrielle exclaimed. Then, understanding Ari's words, Xena turned on her smaller lover.

"Y-You told Ari to-to … with … Virgil?" The disbelief filled her voice as an expression of disgust crossed her features.

"HOLY ZEUS! NO, Xena, I never … I never told her … Ari, why do you say this?" Gabrielle at first tried to face her lover then turned on the girl.

When they both faced her, Ari felt her heart racing out of control, her fears began to reign as their disappointment began to register. Sickly, she knew that she had, once again, made a terrible mistake. She lowered her eyes and wondered if this was the transgression that would cause the women to turn on her and beat her for her misdeeds. Up until this time, she had not felt their true wrath and she idly wondered if it would hurt as badly as Alti's had. Ari glanced up at them hesitantly, then looked away from their intense eyes. At this moment in time, she would have considered it a blessing if the earth had opened up and swallowed her. But as fate would have it, she was forced to remain standing in front of her two mother's until she was able to sort through what error she had made.

"M-Mother … s-she said … she asked me to … t-to be nice to him," she finally stammered.

"Ari, I said be nice to him, not fuc…" The bard's words trailed off as her face flushed and turned away for a moment. "I don't know how you could have thought that I meant for you to do … that, with him!" The blonde turned on her again as she shook her head negatively.

"Ari, why would you think that your mother asked you to do that by being nice to him?" Xena's voice had returned to normal. She stepped toward her daughter and forced the girl to look up at her. "Honey, why would you think that being nice is the same as…"

"B-Because … Alti, she always t-told me to b-be nice to the men she brought back to the cave … and … and … I did!" Ari felt tears welling up as the anger from her mothers seeped into her soul.

"Oh, oh, by the gods, honey," she felt her warrior mother pull her into her strong arms, her shoulder pillowed Ari's face as silent tears fell down her strong, tanned cheeks. "Poor baby…. my poor little girl," Xena whispered.

"Sweetheart, that's not at all what I meant," the bard joined them and wrapped her arms around Ari, her voice whispered close to her ears. "Honey, I'm so sorry, I didn't know… Being nice is not at all the same as being sexual with anyone. Sweetheart, Ari, trust me, this is not what I meant when I asked you to be nice to Virgil," Gabrielle assured as she turned the girl in her arms and cupped her face.

"Oh, Ari, can you ever forgive me? I had no idea that this is what you thought I meant, honest," the bard reiterated.

"And you!" Xena turned again on Virgil, who had by now cupped his bleeding nose as he tilted his head back and stood nearby. "You had no right to take her like that!" The warrior's trembling finger was pointing threateningly in his face.

"Sh-She came to me! She loves me! Ari, tell her! Tell them that you love me!" he pleaded with her.

Ari could only stare at him. His words made no sense to her. As she gazed into his moist eyes, she wished that she understood what he was asking of her, but she did not and this only made it all the more confusing for her.

"No … Xena, sh-she came to me. Honest! I-I wouldn't have done … uh, anything if she hadn't. She loves me, I know she does … why else would she have…" His words choked off when he looked into the warrior's glaring eyes.

"BECAUSE … she's sick! Dammit, Virgil. Haven't you figured that out?" She felt her teeth grind down as she fought to control her anger. "Why do you think she doesn't talk around you? Haven't you noticed her speech, how she stutters over her words? Can't you even see how confused she is? By the gods, Virgil, she may seem old enough on the outside, but in here," the warrior pointed at her own head, "she isn't!"

He stood silently watching Ari and Gabrielle going into the house. When he seemed unwilling to accept her words, Xena shook her head in frustration, "Virgil, did you ever hear her say that she was in love with you?" At his silence, she gave a toothy smile that was half anger and half annoyance. "I didn't think so. She never said it, because she doesn't feel it! By Zeus, I don't even know if Ari knows the meaning of love!"

"It … It can't be," he whispered as he bowed his head.

"Believe it, Virgil," she muttered. Then she leaned toward him, her voice barely a whisper. "You listen good, we are leaving first thing in the morning, and I don't want you to travel with us. If you know what's good for you, you'll ride tonight because if I see you tomorrow…" She shook her head. "You should never have taken advantage of her, Virgil."

His face was a study in pain. "B-But I didn't…"

Xena's voice was harsh as she cut him off. "I can't talk to you about this anymore, Virgil! Especially not now! Just … just go!" She threw up her hands and without waiting for a reply, turned and moved briskly toward the house. In the gathering dusk, Eve frankly stared while Gabrielle's family looked away discretely.

The young man stared open mouthed after her. "P-Please, Xena … I-I l-love h…" he whispered brokenly towards her retreating back. After a long moment, he turned and walked head down, back towards the barn.

Xena released a sigh as she stopped pacing and pulled up a chair in front of Ari. The bard noticed her lover's body language. Although still angry, the tall woman was doing her best to hold her emotions at bay. At last, the warrior released a sigh, looked up at Ari and smiled.

"Honey, I'm not angry with you … we're not angry with you," the warrior added as she glanced at Gabrielle.

"That's right, we aren't mad at you." Gabrielle supported her lover's words.

"It's just that … well, you have to be careful, honey. You can't go and do … that with a man, without thinking things through. Ya see, there are um, consequences; things that can happen to you that neither your mother or I want you to have to go through." Xena explained, then quickly added, "There are diseases to consider … and … there is pregnancy as well. Ari, I just don't feel you're ready for any of this. By the gods, honey, you're much too young to have to worry about taking care of a baby."

The minute Xena spoke the words; a look of confusion masked the girl's face. Seeing that expression, the warrior frowned as a sigh escaped her. With an almost pleading expression, Xena asked Ari, "Honey, do you know how babies come about?"

Gabrielle felt a heat cross her cheeks as she caught her lover's glance. They remained silent as Ari's brow's furrowed upward, her gaze fell to her hands. As a tinge of red crossed her cheeks, their daughter looked up with a frown on her face.

"D-Do you mean … l-like … Selani?" the girl asked meekly, her speech slow and controlled.

"Yes, exactly! Do you know how Selani was conceived?" Gabrielle spoke softly as she took the girls hand in hers. After a moment of thought, Ari looked from her, then turned to Xena.

"I-I overheard t-that S-Sara was … s-she went t-to M-Madador in a place called N-North Africa and
g-got him there," Ari answered as she looked at them both, hoping that she had answered their question correctly. In that instant, Xena released a string of low expletives against Alti.

Gabrielle sighed as she remembered how Ari felt about her moon time. When she combined the two together, Gabrielle suddenly realized the scope of the girl's naiveté. As she at last understood this, Gabrielle felt the tears in her eyes as she shook her head.

As she sat before Xena and Gabrielle, their words registering in her troubled thoughts. She had only done what she thought she was told to do while at the same time making certain that she did not lose herself once more. Although she understood her own reasoning, explaining it to her mother's was hard to do.

In silence, she sat before the two women. She watched their expressions intently. When she saw redness come over Xena's face, she arched a brow as she wondered what had caused her mother to flush. Before Ari could begin to contemplate it, her warrior mother stood up abruptly and began to pace the length of the room.

"You see … Ari, it's like this," Xena began as she paced a moment, then returned to sitting in front of her daughter. The warrior smiled as she tried to keep her voice soft. "Ari, when a man and woman get together…"

"They usually love each other first, Ari," Gabrielle interrupted.

"Yes … yes, of course, thank you honey. Your mother is absolutely right, Ari, there is normally love involved. Now, when a man and a woman who are in love decide to…"

Again Gabrielle interrupted. "But love doesn't only mean that you can only fall in love with a man. Honey, your mother and I love each other deeply too, however, we don't have to worry about a child being conceived from our love," the bard added with a smile as she gazed at Xena, and cast the warrior a wink.

"Of course, that's right," Xena agreed with an almost bashful grin as she turned away from the bard. "So, if you were to find out later, say … twenty or thirty years from now, that you…"

"Xena!" Gabrielle's voice grew sharp as she cast her lover a glare.

"Alright … say … ten … no? Okay … five or … okay, maybe less than five years from now…" Xena kept lowering the age as she saw the disapproval from the bard. "Okay, honey, if later on sometime, when you're old enough to understand what love is, and it happens to be with a woman, OR a man, because either gender is fine, honey, then that is when you, umm, you, uh, share yourself in that way, see?" Ari watched with interest as her mother turned a deep shade of red. The color started at the top of Xena's hairline and moved down her face, to her ears and all the way down her neck.

"Ahem. But, if you should decide that it's a man who you want to be with, when you become um, sexual with him … as you were doing w-with … Virgil," Xena gritted her teeth, then smiled sickly as her fingers bunched into a fist before she continued in a calmer voice that only thinly masked her anger. "Then the possibility exists that a child can be conceived, you see?" The whiteness of her teeth offset the blush over her face.

Ari's brows furrowed in confusion as she tried to understand her mother's words. Before she even said anything, Xena sighed, as she seemed to steel herself for more.

"Honey, when a man becomes … ummmm … well, as he's excited and he … you know, when he releases his, um … oboy…" Xena sighed as she shook her head, then turned a pleading look to the bard. "Gabrielle, you know, you can feel free to jump in at any time!"

"Sweetheart, it has to do with your moon time. Remember I told you how special it is, that it's not a curse?" Gabrielle smiled as she leaned forward, her voice was soft and melodic as she jumped into the explanation. "Honey, your monthly blood cycle means that you are given the gift of bearing children. When you have … umm … you know, sex, with a man, then the … umm…" Gabrielle stammered as she lowered her eyes. Her lighter complexion turned an even deeper shade of red than Xena's had.

"Ari honey, when the man releases his seed, it is planted in the woman," Xena jumped back in, apparently ready to fill in the rest of the story. "So when his, uh, seed is planted, then the woman's body conceives a child, and her monthly cycle ends for nine months while the child grows inside of her! Yes, I know honey, it's a bit disturbing when you think about it like this," the warrior princess chuckled when she saw Ari's face screw up in disgust. "But trust me, honey, it's the most beautiful thing when it happens.

"So, you see, Ari? Your moon time has a lot to do with whether you can conceive a child or not, which is why it's a gift," Gabrielle added with an understanding smile at her soul mate.

Xena cleared her throat. "Yes, honey, and that's why you have to be careful. If you … ummm, share yourself in that way, then your chances are greater that you may conceive a child, and if you're not careful, you could catch a nasty disease that might prevent you from ever having children at all, or worse…." The warrior's voice was filled with more confidence as her voice deepened to convey the seriousness of the worst things that could happen, beyond diseases.

"But, Xena, remember Dahak?" the bard interrupted, then turned to Ari. "Sweetheart, I had a child once, a little girl named Hope. I conceived her in Britannia while Xena was fighting Khrafstar. You see, honey, the evil god Dahak had me trapped in a fiery flame, and as I was unconscious, he …the god I mean, planted his seed in me without us having a physical relationship!" Her mother explained, but before Ari could even begin assimilating this strange information, Gabrielle became animated. She snapped her fingers and looked at Xena sharply, "And Xena, we can't forget about Eve!"

"Oh, yes! Eve," the warrior nodded vigorously. "You see honey, your mother and I were dead, and while in the after life…" For Ari, Xena's words were beginning to sound like the babble of geese honking in a cold stream. The girl had difficulty keeping up with her mother's words and at times, found herself completely lost. Just when she thought she understood their explanations, they said something that made her realize that she didn't really understand them at all. "…and you see, when Callisto…"

"This was good Callisto, honey, not the evil one of my tales," Gabrielle interrupted her lover.

"Yes, good Callisto! When she touched me, and when your mother and I woke up from the dead, I soon realized that I was carrying Eve … and boy, was that ever a surprise for me!" Xena chuckled.

"For you? What about for me?" Gabrielle frowned and shook her head. "Can you imagine how I felt? Xena, we were lovers, why didn't you tell me you had been with someone?"

"But, honey, I didn't know," the warrior threw her arms up in surrender.

"Oh, I know, Xena, I'm just saying that's how I felt at the time, that's all. 'Why didn't you tell me?' is what I was thinking when you told me!" The bard said, as if that explained everything. Ari stared at her as her mother leaned back on the sofa with a soft smile. "But we survived, didn't we?"

"Yes, and we had a beautiful little girl together…although I'd have to say, I'm not sure I'd want you and your 'sailors hands' around me as a midwife again!" The taller woman slightly chuckled.

Finally, Xena cleared her throat and seemed to shake herself loose from Gabrielle's shining eyes and they both looked back to their daughter. "So, Ari honey, do you understand now why it's important not to be so casual?" She asked when she saw her daughter's frown.

Ari looked up at her mother as she began to nod "yes", then quickly changed her nod to one that was negative as her brows creased. Xena looked helplessly at her lover, then closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose as a sigh leaked out of her. The bard leaned back as her brows creased in thought.

There was silence for a moment, then the warrior took her daughter's hands in hers, gazing into her eyes. "Ari, honey. Why don't you just think about what we said tonight, and tomorrow, if you have questions, your mother and I will do our best to answer them," she suggested.

"That's a good idea, Xena. Sweetheart, just think about what we talked about, and remember that your mother and I are always here for you, alright?" the bard agreed.

"Yes, very well," the bard agreed as she leaned back on the sofa, her eyes remained glued to Xena's figure. When the warrior looked up, she saw the silent question on Gabrielle's face.

With a shake of her head, Xena moved from the chair and sat on the sofa with her lover. As her eyes gazed into the fireplace, she watched the dying embers slowly crackle. Her lover's arm wrapped around her before the blonde placed her head on Xena's shoulder.

"Do you think that this is going to be the hardest thing we have to do?" Xena asked carefully after a time.

Her bard seemed to quietly contemplate the question. When the dark warrior felt her lover's fingers begin to play with her hair, Xena glanced down at Gabrielle. In an absent manner, the blonde sighed as her idle hand rested lightly on Xena's arm.

"You know, Xena, I would like to believe that it is but … something tells me that it's only just begun," Gabrielle whispered softly.

"Any regrets?" Xena kept her gaze on the bard.

At her question, Gabrielle lifted her head and looked into Xena's eyes.

"Never a regret, Xena. I never regret anything about our life together," the smaller woman stated with confidence.

Xena couldn't help but smile as she lowered herself for a kiss. As their lips met, she felt the petite body moving against her. Despite all that had happened that night, the anger and need to inflict bodily damage on Virgil, the warrior found that her desires were firmly in place. As an afterthought, she pulled reluctantly away from her soul mate.

"Gabrielle, did you think that maybe we had trouble explaining because it's … been awhile?" She tried to don her most innocent expression. At the bard's smile, she leaned forward and whispered close to the blonde's ear, "What do you say, Gabrielle. Wanna make love on your parent's bed?" she asked with a mischievous grin, knowing that they were staying in the room that Gabrielle's parents had once occupied.

"Oh, you are so evil, Warrior Princess," Gabrielle huskily replied as Xena stood up, then reached below her lover and easily lifted her into her arms.

"Damn, Gabrielle … are you putting on weight?" Xena teased, knowing that her lover had filled out with more muscles since the last time she had carried her like this.

"Are you going to complain, or ravish me?"

Without further ado, Xena quickly moved through the darkened hallway. Her lover's arms wrapped around her shoulder as the bard's tongue was doing magic against her ear. As the sensations spurred her needs, the warrior pushed all troubling thoughts away.

As the night air surrounded her, she tried to work through her mothers words, yet was unable to understand precisely what it was that they were trying to tell her. Although she was fairly certain that what she had done with Virgil was very wrong, she didn't fully understand why they thought it was wrong except that they were worried that she might get pregnant. Truth be told, as frightening as that had sounded, Ari knew she didn't want to have any part of it!

"Ari, it's cold! Close the window and come to bed," Eve's sleepy voice commanded.

Eve rolled over and yawned, then grumbled slightly before opening her eyes. "What's the matter, Ari, can't sleep?"

Ari only shrugged as she maintained her silence.

"Ari, I'm sure it will blow over. Did you get into a lot of trouble?" Eve asked as she rested a hand on Ari's arm. When Ari stiffened, the young woman sighed next to her. "Yeah, I was listening at the door. I heard pretty much all of it."

For a moment, Ari wasn't certain how to answer. "T-They are d-disappointed."

Her sister remained silent, then, in an unusual gesture, she reached out and pulled Ari close to her. When Ari's head was pillowed on her shoulder, the prophet sighed as her fingers stroked through her sister's dark hair. After a moment like this, Ari glanced at her sister through the diffused light from the waning moon.

"E-Eve?"

"Yes?" Her sister's hand never stopped stroking Ari's hair.

"I-I … didn't understand what they were t-trying to tell me."

Eve seemed to contemplate her words, then shifted in the bed slightly. "Ari, I think the most important thing to remember is that you should wait until you love the person that you share yourself with … the rest of it, well, I don't know how much of that matters."

"B-But…?"

"Ari, one rule of thumb that I follow is that when it comes to our mothers, nothing is ordinary. I can't look at either mom and assume that everyone is like them, I mean, think about it, how many people do you know have actually gone through what they have? How many have lived and died and come back again?" she shook her head, then grew still as if in deep thought.

"Come to think of it … I don't know of anyone who's ever lived most of their life in a magical cave either," Eve softly chuckled. "I guess that would mean that I'm the normal, ordinary, boring one of the family, huh?" She grinned ruefully.

"T-That's good?" Ari asked.

"Damned if I know, but I don't think it matters either way," Eve said as Ari felt her eyelids closing. As she felt herself slowly drifting, she asked one more question that had been plaguing her mind.

"Eve, w-what is it like?" her voice was barely a whisper.

"Do you mean, love?"

"Ahuh," was Ari's soft reply.

He stood there with his thoughts going round and round. He did not know how he could have been so wrong. Deep down inside, he wanted to believe that he was right, that she loved him and wanted him. But even as this thought entered his mind, he had to concede that he was wrong. A part of him had known it all the time, but he didn't want to believe it. Virgil had seen how sick she looked. He had known that she had difficulties around people, yet he wanted to believe that she was with him of her own free will.

"What an idiot I am," he whispered softly as he turned away from the home of his friends and walked dejectedly down the dirt road in the silvery light of the crescent moon.

"Father, I sure could use you now," he whispered softly as he stopped one last time and looked back at the darkened home. With a shake of his head, he mounted his horse and sat for a moment. Not even the pain of his throbbing nose hurt as bad as the pain in his heart.

Even if his father was still alive, Virgil doubted that he would be able to help him. 'After all, dad, how could you understand this? It's not like you were ever in love with someone you could never have,' he thought to himself before he reined his horse around towards Amphipolis. With only a sad sigh, he turned his attention to the dark road as he tried to wipe the memory of Ari from his battered thoughts.

To Read Non-Fan Fiction by L. Crystal Michallet- Romero go to: www.Charani.org

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