Fate

Disclaimer: I don’t own any of the characters! I made one up, but the others belong to the creators of Xena, and Renaissance, and USA Studios.

Subtext: No!

Violence: Yep. Not as much as in an episode though.

Language: I don’t think so.

Rating: At least PG 13





The light shone brightly into the clearing in the woods. The warrior princess lay against the tree as she rested from the day before. Gabrielle had taken Eve for a walk. Eve was now in her toddler years. She was about three winters old and she was a fast one at that. She could get away with anything. She could get by with anything when she was around her mommy and her Aunt Gabrielle.

Xena smiled down at her new baby. He had the darkest hair and the bluest eyes. He was a tiny, chubby little guy.

"You’re another miracle baby." Xena said as she sighed. "I love you baby boy." Xena held her son to her.

Gabrielle walked with Eve holding her hand.

"Aunt Gabrielle?" Eve asked. Gabrielle smiled down at the little girl.

"Yes Eve?" she asked.

"Does mama still love me even though she’s got baby brother now?" Eve asked.

"Of course she does Eve." Gabrielle said as she knelt down so she was face to face with the little girl.

"What’s my brother’s name?" Eve asked curiously.

"Xena hasn’t picked one out yet." Gabrielle said. "She didn’t even pick out your name."

"Who picked my name out?" Eve asked. She was a very talkative girl for being three years old.

"Your brother Solan." Gabrielle said.

"I wish I could meet him." Eve said. "I want to meet my brother."

"He was a great kid." Gabrielle said. "I’m sure in the Elysian Fields, he’s happy and he’ll always be."

"I wish I could meet my brother." Eve said. Gabrielle smiled and picked the little girl up.

"Come on little one. It’s time to go see Xena and your brother." Gabrielle said. Eve smiled and nodded.

A very impatient war god paced around in one of his temples. He was contemplating on whether or not to visit Xena. He knew his child was due to be born at any minute. He didn’t know for sure if he or she was here yet, but he knew that he was or was about to be a father. It was nothing new to him seeing as he had fathered many children, but this was different. He was actually a father with a woman that he loved. A woman that he cared about. He was nervous and didn’t want to face Xena. He knew it was selfish and that she needed him at this point in her life, but he was afraid to get too close. He knew she could take the child away from him at any second and he’d never see it again.

Xena hummed as her little son fell asleep in her arms. Gabrielle walked up to the large tree with Eve in her arms.

"Hey." Xena said.

"Mommy!" Eve exclaimed. She ran up to Xena as Gabrielle put her down. The little girl with dark brown hair peered down at her baby brother.

"You’re a very pretty baby.," she said seriously. Xena and Gabrielle laughed at her seriousness. Gabrielle helped Xena stand, and Eve walked between them as they traveled into town. Argo was already in a stable for the day.

"We need to find an inn for the night and some clothes for the baby." Xena said.

"Yeah, and you need to find a name for him." Gabrielle said.

"I don’t want to name him, Gabrielle." Xena said. Gabrielle looked at Xena oddly.

"What?" she asked.

"I want Solan to name him. He named Eve, and I want him to name this child. He’s their big brother.

"Xena, how is Solan going to name him? He’s in the Elysian Fields." Gabrielle pointed out.

"Yes." Xena said. "But, I want to go to him and let him meet his brother."

"Of course." Gabrielle said. She smiled and they walked in silence up to the next village.

Ares decided that he’d pay a visit to his warrior princess. He thought it would be a good time. He looked at his reflection in a mirror and he got ready to go out to meet with her.

"Mommy?" Eve asked. Xena looked at her daughter as they went into the town and looked for a village to stay in for the night.

"Yes sweetheart?" Xena asked.

"Can I meet my brother?" Eve asked out. Xena looked at her little girl. She glanced at Gabrielle.

"Well, sweetie. I want you to meet your brother. Very much. But, remember I told you that the gods are very angry with me for something’s and I don’t want you to get hurt." Xena said, not wanting to bring up the issue of the Twilight.

"I know mommy, but will they hurt baby brother?" Eve asked.

"No. I promise. They won’t hurt any of us." Xena said.

"Hey, I’m going to take Eve to an inn so I can get us all a room. Want me to take the baby?" Gabrielle asked.

"Yeah. Thanks. He just ate about an hour ago, so he should be okay until I get to the inn. I need to get him some clothes." Xena said. She grinned and kissed her new baby boy. She handed him off to Gabrielle and she turned and walked into the town bazaar.

Xena had not been rummaging through clothes for a minute when Ares appeared in front of the table she was searching on.

"Ares." Xena said smiling.

"Xena. Hey, how are you?" Ares asked.

"I’m good." Xena said. "You?"

"Just peachy. And the baby?" Ares asked.

"Born." Xena stated. Ares looked at her seriously.

"You had the baby?" he asked.

"Yes. I gave birth to our son yesterday." Xena said smiling. "He’s with Gabrielle if you want to see him."

"I’ll wait on you. Wow. This is so great." Ares said grinning. He hugged Xena. Xena smiled.

"So, you wanna help me pick out some clothes for our son?" Xena asked.

"Sure." Ares said. He pointed to a leather outfit laying neatly in a stack.

"No." Xena said shaking her head. "Something soft and not black."

"Okay." Ares said. They looked through some things while Gabrielle was back at an inn trying to get a room.

Gabrielle held Eve’s hand and carried Xena’s bundled up son in her arms.

"Eve, could you open that door for me please?" Gabrielle asked.

"Okay Gabby." Eve said. She reached up and turned the knob to the door and they were let in the room. Eve saw a big bed and claimed it as her own. She ran over to it and started jumping on it. Gabrielle lay the baby down on another bed and went over and caught Eve in mid jump.

"Eve. What would your mommy say?" Gabrielle asked. Eve pouted for a second and found something else to do that would keep her busy for awhile.

Xena and Ares were arguing over what their son would wear when they finally decided on a dark blue outfit. It was somewhat like Eve’s outfit as a baby. Instead of a dress it was a little pair of pants and a long shirt. It even had a little blue hat with it and little blue booties.

"So, you ready to see our son?" Xena asked as she bundled up the outfit in her arms.

"Yeah." Ares said as he handed Xena a cloth diaper. They walked together through the town to see their son.

Gabrielle had pulled two chairs together, and the blanketed baby boy was laying in them like a bed. Eve was asleep in bed, and Gabrielle had some candles burning because it was getting because of a storm brewing.

Gabrielle heard voices coming closer to the door. She recognized that laugh. It was Xena. She heard that deep, sexy voice of Ares’ and she almost felt herself go weak. She got herself together and picked up the sleeping boy out of the chairs. He started to squirm.

The door opened and in walked Xena and then Ares. They looked at Gabrielle. Gabrielle smiled and handed the boy to Xena. She went over to the "bed" she had made for him, and picked up an extra blanket for him.

"Ares. This is our son." Xena said. Ares peered down at his pride and joy. His own son. His beautiful son.

"He’s wonderful." Ares said. Xena smiled and held her son to her bosom as he nursed. "He’s the most incredible being I’ve ever seen. Besides you."

"When he’s done eating, we can dress him and spend some time with him. I’m taking him down to the Elysian Fields so Solan can name him." Xena said.

"Okay. I’ll go with you." Ares declared. Xena nodded as her son finished suckling. She carried him over to the bed with Eve laying asleep. She softly lay the baby down on the bed an unwrapped him from the blankets. He had on a cloth diaper that she quickly changed. She put the little hat on him first and then the long shirt and then the pants. His feet looked cold so she put his little booties on him. Amazingly he slept through all of this. Eve however started to wake. She saw Ares.

"Ares!" she exclaimed and jumped out of bed and bounded over to him. Ares picked the little girl up.

"Hi Evie. How are you?" he asked.

"I’m good. I got a new brother!" she exclaimed.

"Yeah. I know." Ares said as Xena laughed.

"Eve, let’s let Ares hold the baby. Ares is his daddy." Gabrielle said taking Eve out of Ares’ arms. Xena handed her son over to him.

"What do you think?" Xena asked him as he stared at his son.

"He’s incredible." Ares said. Xena grinned. "I know. Look at his blue eyes and his dark black hair. He’s gonna be a handsome man."

"I think we should get him a name soon." Ares said looking at Xena into those eyes that were identical to his son’s.

"In the morning we’ll go down into the Elysian Fields. I can zap us there, but we have to leave the old fashioned way. I don’t have any powers in my brother’s kingdom." Ares explained.

"Yeah. You told me that before." Xena said she smiled slightly as Eve started to pout. She noticed her daughter’s behavior. "What’s wrong Eve?"

"Ares is baby brother’s daddy. Who is my daddy?" Eve asked with those piercing blue eyes. Xena knew this day would come. She just wasn’t expecting it so soon.

"I think it’s time we all had a talk." Xena said. She sat down on the bed with the baby. Ares sat beside her and Gabrielle sat on her other side, with Eve in her lap. "Okay Eve. You see, a long time ago, I wasn’t a very good person. There was a girl that I hurt very much. She didn’t like me for what I did. I was a very bad person. This girl grew up and she became a young woman who was capable of a lot of things. But what she wanted most was to avenge my really bad deed. So, she came after me. She tried to hurt me. She tried to hurt Aunt Gabrielle and Uncle Joxer. Even Uncle Ares." Gabrielle and Ares sat quietly as the warrior princess explained the story. Xena handed the baby over to Ares as she talked. "So, for years, this woman came after me and there were times where we thought she was dead, but she wasn’t. She was sent to a place called hell at one point. Well, Aunt Gabrielle and I were sent to Heaven but this woman came up and took Gabrielle and then there was a big war. I went down to save Gabrielle and ended up saving this woman’s soul. I took her place as a demon. In the end, Gabrielle and I were brought back with the help of this woman. She was so happy that she didn’t have her evil side anymore. She had decided that it was time to make up for her past. She came over to me and lightly touched the blanket that was covering Gabrielle and me. Months later, I realized that I was carrying you. This woman, named Callisto, had given me you as a something she could give back to me. I had given her her soul back, so she gave me you."

Eve looked on in amazement. She couldn’t believe her life was so complicated.

"So, I’m this Callisto lady?" Eve asked.

"Not exactly." Gabrielle said. "She’s just your soul. It doesn’t affect you, it’s just who you are. You are a sweet, loving, gently little girl." Eve giggled and Gabrielle hugged her. Xena kissed her little girl’s cheek.

In the morning, two hours of sleep, Xena woke and got her son ready for the trip down to the Elysian Fields.

Ares had been asleep beside the baby’s crib. He was holding Eve in his arms, but now Eve was laying in bed and Ares was standing outside of the room on the balcony.

Xena walked outside after she put the baby in his crib. She put her arms around Ares’ waist and kissed the back of his neck. Ares smiled. He rubbed Xena’s arms.

"I love you Ares." She whispered, surprising herself. Ares was surprised but didn’t act like it. He turned to face Xena and took her face in his hands, kissing her.

"I love you Xena." He said. The lovers kissed and held each other for awhile. A few minutes later, Gabrielle woke and walked out onto the balcony, clearing her throat. Xena and Ares looked into the room where Gabrielle started pointing. They all laughed. Eve was sitting up in bed, staring at them. Eve giggled and smiled. She waved to Xena. Xena waved back.

Xena looked at Ares and Gabrielle.

"It’s time to go." She said. Gabrielle nodded and walked into the room. Xena followed her with Ares walking behind.

It took about a half-hour to get Eve ready to go. She kept running around the room, playing a game that got annoying very fast. Ares finally caught her and picked her up. He handed her to Xena and they finished dressing her. Ares picked up his son and carried him out the door. Xena waved to Eve and Gabrielle.

"We’ll be back soon." Xena said to Eve. Eve waved.

"Be careful Xena." Gabrielle said. Xena nodded and smiled. In an instant, Ares zapped himself and Xena and their son into the Elysian Fields. The bright sunlight and the sweet smell of grass hit them.

They looked out of place. Everyone in the Elysian Fields wore white, but they were wearing black. And the bundled up baby boy was dressed in blue and wrapped in a dark blue blanket. Xena searched through the hundreds of people who were walking around with smiles on their faces. Their eternal happiness still and forever going strong.

"Mother!" Xena heard that sweet, soft voice. She and Ares turned. Xena faced her son. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him.

"Solan." She whispered.

"I knew you’d be home soon." He said. Xena looked at her son after she hugged him.

"Sweetheart, I can’t stay." She said. "I can’t. I have to go on another journey, but I’ll be home soon. I promise." Xena said fighting off tears. Solan looked at Ares.

"I remember you." He said. He saw visions go through his head. Walking with his pregnant mother through Tartarus. This man stopping him. Ares. "You’re Ares."

"How do you remember that?" Xena asked as Ares nodded.

"I don’t know. It just came back to me." Solan said as another vision came to him. He remembered telling his mother to name the baby Eve. "How’s my sister?"

"Eve’s great." Xena said. "You have a brother now too." Ares walked closer with his son in his arms. Solan smiled.

"Can I hold him?" he asked.

"Yeah." Ares said. He handed the baby over to Solan.

"We want you to name him." Xena said. Solan looked at them in surprise.

"I’m not supposed to remember dying am I?" he asked.

"Sweetheart. You remember?" Xena asked.

"Yeah. Maybe it was from all of that time standing there looking at my life as I had left it." Solan said. Xena hugged him softly as the baby cooed.

Solan sat down on a log with his brother as Xena and Ares watched on.

"How’s Gabrielle?" Solan asked.

"She’s good. She’s taking care of Eve right now." Xena said.

"Good." Solan said. He smiled.

"You have a name for him?" Xena asked.

"Zander." Solan said.

"That’s perfect." Xena said smiling. Ares nodded in approval. Solan smiled as he held his little brother. Xena felt it was time to go as she sensed Hades’ presence. She took her baby son into her arms and then hugged Solan. "I love you son."

"I love you mother." Solan said.

"I’ll be back soon. I promise." Xena said.

"Just be happy mother." Solan said. He shook Ares’ hand and Xena, Ares, and Zander left the underworld.

Gabrielle sat by the cave entrance now and held Eve in her arms. Eve was asleep and Gabrielle was awaiting Xena and Ares to return. A few seconds passed and she saw Xena emerge from the cave with the baby boy in her arms, and Ares followed them out.

"Hey." Gabrielle said smiling. Xena grinned. "What’s his name?"

"Zander." Xena said.

"That’s a beautiful name." Gabrielle said. "How’s Solan?"

"He’s good. He looks so beautiful." Xena announced.

"I bet he does." Gabrielle said.

"Hey, we need to head for Amphipolis. My mother will want to meet her grand son." Xena said. Ares sighed. "Ares, I know you and my mother don’t get along. Why don’t you go away for a couple of days and drop in every once in awhile to see the baby."

"All right." Ares said. He kissed Xena and he left after saying goodbye to a sleepy but now awake Eve and his son.

"Let’s go." Xena said. She held her baby boy and Gabrielle carried Eve. They walked off to get Argo who was now somewhere nearby grazing.

After a week, Xena and Gabrielle reached Amphipolis to find Cyrene outside sweeping the old wooden porch.

"Mom." Xena said. Cyrene looked up. Her eyes widened, and she smiled hugging her daughter and Gabrielle. Cyrene took Eve in her arms and Gabrielle and Xena tied up the horses. Baby Zander cooed as Xena moved around. He was in the little sling that Eve had been in as a baby.

"Mom, this is your grandson Zander." Xena said.

"He’s beautiful." Cyrene said grinning.

"Thank you." Xena said grinning. Xena took Eve as Cyrene took Zander into her arms.

"Oh, somebody is here to see you guys." Cyrene said.

"Oh?" Gabrielle asked. Just then, Joxer walked out of the tavern. Gabrielle smiled and hugged him. Then Xena hugged him as well.

"Xena, you had the baby. Congratulations." Joxer said as he grinned at the little boy in Cyrene’s arms.

"Thank you Joxer." Xena said. She smiled and they all went inside to talk.

It was mid-afternoon the next day when Joxer was playing hide and seek with Eve. Eve was cranky, so Xena suggested Joxer play with her. Joxer happily obliged. Xena smiled as she sat on the porch of her mother’s tavern. She was nursing her newborn son. Gabrielle was sitting beside Xena, writing in a scroll. Cyrene was inside, cleaning up and serving lunch to some guests in the tavern.

"Mommy, mommy!" Eve exclaimed when Joxer picked her up and twirled her around. "Look at me! Look at me!" She giggled as Joxer laughed. Gabrielle looked at them. She decided that there was something about Joxer that she found oddly attracting. She smiled faintly and went back to her scroll. Xena looked at her little girl.

"You are beautiful sweetie." Xena said to Eve. Eve giggled again and continued to play with Joxer. "She’s going to break hearts one day."

"Yeah." Gabrielle said laughing. "Let’s hope her suitors aren’t intimidated by the warrior princess." Xena looked at her oddly.

"Yeah. But, I will let them know right from the start that if they hurt my daughter, I’ll kick their asses all the way to Thebes." Xena declared. She grinned. Gabrielle laughed. Baby Zander got a little fussy, so Xena pulled her armor back on and then burped him. "There, there Zander." Xena said. Zander fell asleep on Xena’s shoulder.

"Xena, do you think he has powers?" Gabrielle asked, out of the blue.

"I don’t know." Xena said. "I don’t think he does." She frowned and looked down at her son, and immediately smiled again. She started to hum the Anthem of Amphipolis.

Ares was enjoying the quiet on Olympus. None of the gods were arguing at the second, and there wasn’t a baby crying all the time. Ares missed his son though. He missed Zander and he missed Eve, and most of all, he missed Xena.

Athena appeared in the room and stood before her brother. Ares looked at her and sighed.

"Hello sis." He said.

"Brother. You are not going to actually spend the rest of Xena’s life with her are you?" Athena asked.

"Yeah, I am." Ares said. "I hope."

"You know about Eve. You know she means your death." Athena said.

"I know, but I love that little girl as if she were my own daughter. She will not die just because we are supposed to live forever." Ares announced.

"She killed my love, Ares. She killed her! I loved her, and Xena took her from me. This was three years ago." Athena said.

"Hey, I know what you are talking about okay. I’m not exactly looking forward to the Twilight either. That’s if there is even a Twilight. Now, I want you to know that if I’m going to die, I’m going to die with Xena by my side. I want to be with my family when I die. My family is Xena. My family is Eve and Zander and Gabrielle. My family is you and the other gods and goddesses and Hercules. But, I’d rather spend my life down on earth with my mortal family. It’s better than being here with a family who is out for the blood of a young girl. It’s sickening." Ares said as he stormed out of Mount Olympus.

It was night now in Amphipolis and Xena was asleep in her old room. Eve was asleep beside her mother and Zander was asleep in a little crib by Xena’s bed.

The horses were in their stalls and Cyrene had gone to bed. Gabrielle sat at a table talking to Joxer. She was starting to fall for him. She was starting to fall in love with him. She didn’t know why.

"So, Gabby, I was talking with Meg earlier this week. She is working at an inn nearby. She doesn’t have anyone working for her. She’s doing really well now."

"Yeah?" Gabrielle asked as a pang of jealousy ran through her.

"Yeah. She wants me to come and work with her." Joxer said.

"Oh." Gabrielle said a little disappointedly. Joxer searched her eyes with his own.

"Is something the matter Gabrielle?" he asked. Gabrielle couldn’t meet his eyes.

"No. Everything’s fine." Gabrielle said quickly. Joxer put a hand on Gabrielle’s. She stood quickly from the table. "I’m going to bed."

"Okay. Good-night." Joxer said. Gabrielle started for the stairs and she stopped, turning around.

"Joxer." She said as she walked back over to him.

"Hmm?" Joxer asked. He wasn’t being goofy. He was being serious. Gabrielle was happy about that.

"I just want to tell you something." Gabrielle said. Joxer opened his mouth to speak, but Gabrielle stopped him. "Look, I just want you to know that I love you."

"I love you too Gabrielle." Joxer said as he sighed.

"No. I mean I love you. The way you love me." Gabrielle declared. Joxer’s eyes went wide for a second and then they were glossy. Before he could say anything, Gabrielle had him in a kiss, and she didn’t let him pull away. He didn’t want to pull away anyway. She led him up to her room and they spent the night together and woke up together the next morning.

After a week of visiting with Cyrene, Xena and Gabrielle headed out with Joxer, Eve, and Zander. Xena rode on Argo with Zander in the sling, and Eve sitting on her lap. Gabrielle rode her horse, Amber, and Joxer walked along side them.

"Haven’t seen Ares in awhile." Xena said furrowing her brow. "I wonder what he’s up to?" Gabrielle looked at Xena and shrugged.

A bright light flashed before their eyes, and Athena appeared. She was alone this time and she was armed. Xena pulled Eve protectively close, and checked to see if Zander was okay. She drew her sword.

"Xena, I’m not here to fight." Athena said. Xena didn’t move from her spot on Argo.

"Why are you here?" Xena asked.

"You know why I’m here. I’m making you this offer for the final time. Give Eve to me." Athena said as she neared Argo.

"You stay away." Xena warned. "If you touch my daughter, I’ll find some way to kill you."

"Oh Xena…" Athena said laughing. "This is getting so old. Now, you give me your daughter, or I’ll hunt her and your baby son for the rest of their miserable lives."

"Joxer." Xena said. Joxer looked up at the warrior princess. "Take Eve. Go!" She handed Eve to him and he hurried off with her. Xena knew Athena wouldn’t go after them yet.

"Xena, you’re only hurting yourself and the world. If your daughter lives…" Athena started.

"Shut up." Xena said. She dismounted Argo and then Gabrielle dismounted Argo. Zander was sleeping peacefully on Xena’s back, but she knew he’d wake soon enough.

"Xena." Said a voice from behind. Gabrielle and Xena glanced back and Ares was standing there.

"Ares." Athena said. "I’m warning you."

"Give Zander to me." Ares said. "I’ll protect him." Xena nodded and gave her son to his father. Ares disappeared. It was just Athena, Gabrielle, and Xena.

Ares took Zander to a secret place that no other god had ever been too. He took him to the farthest star away in the galaxy. He protected his most likely half-mortal son from the heat. Zander looked at his father with a soft glance.

"Son, one day, I’ll bring you up here with your own children. I promise I’ll always protect you my son." Ares said as he kissed his son’s head.

The stalemate took a sudden turn when Xena back-flipped behind Gabrielle, pulling down a large tree branch. She lit it on a nearby campfire and held it in front of Athena.

"Now goddess, you tell me, do gods burn? If they do, does it scar?" Xena asked. She threw the burning branch at Athena’s feet, and she mounted her horse as Gabrielle mounted her own. They made a clean get away.

Xena and Gabrielle found Joxer up the road about a mile. Eve was crying in his arms. She was scared. Xena took her little girl in her arms and held her up on the horse.

"Shh…It’s okay baby." Xena soothed. "It’s okay."

That night, as Gabrielle and Joxer slept and Eve slept beside them, Xena sat up waiting for Ares to return with their son. He finally did, and Xena took her son into her arms and fed him. Ares sat beside Xena until she was finished feeding the baby and the baby was sound asleep. Xena wrapped the baby boy up in a blanket and lay him down next to her bedroll.

Ares stared at Xena. Her face was tear streaked now that he noticed.

"Xena." He said quietly.

"They’re always going to come for her. She has to be protected. Protected better than I can protect her." Xena said.

"Xena, what are you saying?" Ares asked.

"I’m saying that Eve has to live with the Amazons." Xena declared.

The next morning, Xena saddled up Argo and fed Zander. Ares had gone off to work on a war. Gabrielle and Joxer sat on Gabrielle’s horse. They looked at Xena who was now holding Eve and Zander in her arms. Zander in the sling.

"Xena, where are we going?" Joxer asked.

"We’re gonna visit the Amazons. I’ll drop you off to wait for us when we get near their land." Xena said. She moved Argo into a trot, and the group left for the Northern Amazon Lands.

It was cold, and Eve sat in front of Xena on the horse, wrapped in a blanket. Zander was covered from head to toe as well. They would be to the Amazon land in a few days.

It was lunchtime when the group decided to rest. Everybody ate, and they took turns bathing in a hot spring. A few hours later, they were back on the road again, and heading onto dangerous territory. There was a steep cliff leading down to a sandy beach. Xena knew Poseidon was near because she could see the gold glow of his crown under the water.

Ares appeared beside Xena’s horse.

"Xena, Poseidon is going to attack." He said. "Give me the children." Xena handed Eve down to Ares just as Poseidon rose from the sea.

"AHHHH!" he growled as Argo tried to back up. She bucked as Xena flew off, hitting her head on a rock. Amber bucked as well, throwing Gabrielle near Xena. Joxer fell off and hurried over to help just as Poseidon cast a wave down on him, knocking him unconscious.

"Poseidon!" Ares exclaimed. He saw his warrior princess laying on her stomach. His son was on her back in his sling. He was not moving. Gabrielle lay unmoving. Ares declared that they were dead. They were dead in his mind. Anger and pain blinded him for their deaths. Ares cast up a bolt of electricity, causing Poseidon to boil and die.

Ares knelt before Xena and Gabrielle and his son. Eve was crying in his arms.

"Mommy!" she exclaimed. Ares soothed her.

"Shh…." He said. "It’s okay." He said. "Come on." He zapped away for a split second and then returned to the site without Eve in his arms. A bright light flashed, and Ares was in an ice cave. Gabrielle lay in an ice coffin; the blood trickling from a cut above her ear was freezing. Xena lay in an ice coffin with Zander in her arms. The baby nestled closely to her as if he were sleeping in her arms on a cold night. Ares leaned down and kissed his son’s forehead and Xena’s lips before he closed the ice coffin with the ice lid. In a nearby slab of ice, he stuck her sword into it and put the chakram around it. He closed Gabrielle’s coffin, and then he whispered. "I love you Xena. I love you." He said a silent prayer for Xena, Zander, and Gabrielle, and then sealed the ice cave, leaving and returning to Eve.

Solan remembered everything from his death to now. He wasn’t supposed to remember, but he did. He could feel something not right. He wondered what was wrong. He snuck over to the entrance to Tartarus and looked in. He saw the window he had to look out of when he was to spend eternity watching his life the way he left it. He saw Xena, Gabrielle, and his brother sealed in an ice cave. They weren’t in the Elysian Fields, so where were they? Were they even dead?

10 years later . . .

"Father." Eve said from her hiding place. She had been living in a sacred, hidden cave for the past 10 years with Ares checking in on her all of the time. She had survived, and was so beautiful. She looked so much like her mother.

"What is it Eve?" the god of war asked his warrior princess’ daughter.

"Is it time to put flower on mother’s grave?" she asked.

"Yeah." Ares said quietly. They had made it a tradition every year on the anniversary of the death of Xena, Gabrielle, and Zander, to put flowers on their graves. Eve had lived in the cave for almost all of her life and the only time she left was to go to the ice cave on top of the mountain just long enough to be zapped there, place the flowers, and be zapped back.

Sure, there were many attempts on Eve’s life, but while in the cave, she was protected. She knew what her mother looked like. She knew what her brother and her Aunt Gabrielle looked like. She remembered them. She had a great memory, as did her mother.

"I remember when mother told me about how I was conceived. How Callisto gave me to my mother and reincarnated her soul as mine." Eve said.

"You have such a memory. Your mother did too." Ares said. He zapped himself and Eve into the ice cave. The untouched flowers from last year and the years before where still in color because they’d been preserved by the cold. They placed the new batch on each coffin. Eve brushed away some chips of ice off of the ice coffin, and she stared down at her mother. She saw her baby brother again. Gods, he was so small. She looked over at Gabrielle. She could see that blood above her ear that she remembered. She remembered when Gabrielle got that cut.

It was about mid-day now, and Eve sat by the fire in the cave she’d lived in for so long. She was very bored. Her mind went through a lot everyday. Ares would bring news for her about the happenings of the world. He had the burden of bringing word of her grandmother Cyrene’s death.

Eve sighed. She poked a stick in the fire and watched it burn. She wished that she could talk to her mother; hear her mother’s beautiful singing voice; see her mother’s beautiful baby blue eyes. She felt a wave of grief pass over her. This 13-year-old girl had been through a lot. She missed her Uncle Joxer too. He lived miles away with his friend Meg. Eve had seen her once when Xena visited her. She looked just like Xena.

An avalanche took place, causing a rockslide. For the first time in 10 years, a rock smashed through the ice cave ceiling, bringing bright sunlight into the eternal darkness. Slowly, but surely, the snow began to melt, bringing pools of water on the ice cave floor.

Xena felt cold all around. She felt as if she had been asleep for awhile. She figured the baby would be hungry or cold or need a diaper change. She tried to move, but realized she was incased in something. It was ice. She opened her eyes to see ice. She felt her baby boy in her arms, and she saw he was blue. He wasn’t moving. As a matter of fact, she was blue as well.

"Gab…Ga.." Xena stuttered. She punched with all the strength she had in her at the time. She finally hit through the ice and sat up. Her little boy in her arms started to move. She held him to her. She looked at Gabrielle’s lifeless body in a coffin beside hers. Xena was having trouble thinking. All she could think of was getting Gabrielle out of that ice. She reached for her sword and realized she didn’t have her weapons. She saw them sticking in an ice block nearby. She pulled out the sword and put the chakram on her beltloop. She went to work at hacking pieces out of Gabrielle’s ice coffin. Soon enough, Xena was sitting Gabrielle up. The blonde bard opened her eyes.

"Xena?" she squeaked. Xena saw the frozen cut above Gabrielle’s ear. She squinted.

"Eve." Xena said realizing her daughter wasn’t there. She grabbed her chakram and found her whip that was still by her side. She threw her Chakram up to the hole in the ceiling of the cavern. She threw the whip up and finally, she got herself, her son, and Gabrielle to safety.

Ares sat on his throne on Olympus. He sat remembering his beautiful son and his beautiful warrior princess. If only he had told her he loved her once more before she died. If only… All of these thoughts ran through his mind. He was so upset. He hated himself almost daily for not working to save them.

Xena and Gabrielle were becoming aware of their surroundings now. They realized a little time had passed by, but they hadn’t aged. They knew it was because they’d been frozen in ice. They came across an inn that struck their fancy. Above the door was a replica of Xena’s chakram and replicas of Gabrielle’s sais. Xena and Gabrielle glanced at each other. Maybe Eve was here.

Xena walked up to the porch with Gabrielle following behind her. They walked in the doors and saw that the inn was a tribute to them.

"Xena." Gabrielle whispered. A few men looked up at the name, hoping to see the legendary warrior princess. They wouldn’t have believed it was her anyway.

"Xena?" asked a familiar voice from behind. Xena and Gabrielle turned around and saw Joxer. It was the same Joxer, but with a couple of tiny gray streaks in his hair. He was carrying a tray with a sandwich.

"Hey!" a man exclaimed. "Where’s my Bard Burger?" Joxer sighed and sat it down on the man’s table and quickly directed his attention back to his best friends.

"It’s really you." Joxer said.

"Yeah." Xena said. Joxer hugged them both and kissed baby Zander’s forehead.

"Hey? What’s going on?" asked another familiar voice. Meg walked out of the kitchen. She looked the same as the last time Xena had seen her. She had black hair, but now there were a few gray hairs showing. And it was apparent that Meg was pregnant.

"Meg." Xena said. Meg squinted to see her and Gabrielle.

"Hey, it really is you!" Meg exclaimed. She hugged the bard and the warrior princess.

"Meg. It’s good to see you. You too Joxer." Gabrielle said. Her mind went back to the task at hand. "How long have we been gone?"

"10 years." Joxer said as he sat down at a table. "10 long years."

"Oh gods. Where’s Eve?" Gabrielle asked.

"Where’s my little girl?" Xena asked.

"I don’t know. Last I saw her was when you gave her to Ares. I don’t remember much after that because Poseidon hit me with that big wave." Joxer said.

"Ares." Xena whispered. "I need to find him."

"Hey, you’re gonna need a horse. I have one for you. I never let anyone ride her. After old Argo died, I couldn’t bare to give this horse up. Her daughter. Follow me." Joxer said. He and Meg walked outside and Gabrielle and Xena followed. Zander was squirming in the sling.

A few minutes passed, and Joxer brought out a young golden white horse.

"Joxer, she’s beautiful." Xena said as her eyes lit up.

"Her name is Argo II." Joxer said. Meg smiled.

"We took real good care of Argo." Meg said. "Didn’t we Jox?"

"Yeah." Joxer said. "She died five years ago. Argo II is five years old."

"She’s perfect." Xena said.

"Gabrielle, I kept your horse. She died too, but she had a daughter as well. She’s a beautiful black stallion. The father was a beauty." Meg said.

"Thank you Meg." Gabrielle said smiling. They all talked awhile, and Xena sat out on Argo II and Gabrielle on her black stallion named Midnight. They rode while Xena nursed her son.

A few hours later, Xena and Gabrielle were in Ares’ temple. They were ready to see him and find out where Eve was.

"Ares!" Xena called. Gabrielle stood in the back of the temple to give them some privacy when the war god showed up.

On Olympus, Ares sensed he was being summoned. He zapped himself to the place of destination.

"Ares!" Xena called once again. Ares appeared before his warrior princess. His jaw gaped in amazement when he saw her.

"Xena." He said. He hugged her close, but softly as not to crush the baby. "Oh I thought you were dead. I buried you three. You were dead." Xena hugged Ares back.

"We weren’t dead. We were lucky." Xena said. Ares kissed Xena tenderly and he held his son in his arms. "Ares, where’s my daughter? Where’s Eve?"

"Eve." Ares said. "She’s staying in a protected cave. Come with me." He took Xena’s hand and had Gabrielle join them. He zapped all of them to the cave. Xena saw her daughter.

"Father?" Eve asked as she saw the group.

"Eve, this is your mother." Ares said.

"I know." Eve said in shock. "And Aunt Gabrielle, and my brother Zander."

"Eve…" Xena said. Eve’s eyes filled with tears as she ran to hug her mother and her Aunt Gabrielle.

"I missed you mom." Eve said. "You too Aunt Gabrielle."

"I’m so sorry sweetheart." Xena said.

"It’s okay mom. I remember Poseidon. I remember everything." Eve said.

"I love you sweetheart." Xena said.

"I love you mom. We thought you were dead. All of those years. We though you and Gabrielle and Zander had died." Eve said.

"We’re here now." Gabrielle said. Ares remembered something he had to tell Xena. He gently took Xena by the arm and led her over to a corner on the other side of the cave.

"Ares? What is it?" Xena asked.

"It’s about Cyrene." Ares said. "She died a few years ago. Your brother Toris was there. He took good care of her." He looked deep into Xena’s tear-filled eyes.

"My mother is dead?" she asked.

"I’m sorry. She is." Ares said. Xena broke down into tears again and Ares held her to his chest. Xena started to pull away and put her guard up. "Xena. Let it go. You don’t have to be a tough warrior princess all the time." With that, Xena clutched to Ares, crying with their son between them in his sling.

"I love you Ares." Xena whispered between her sobs. Ares was surprised because he had never heard his warrior princess say that before. He didn’t act on it, afraid to scare her away.

"I love you Xena." Ares replied.

"Gabrielle watched this exchange, as she sat with Eve.

"Mother loves him." Eve said. Gabrielle looked at Eve in surprise.

"How do you know that?" Gabrielle asked. Eve didn’t look at her. She kept looking at Ares and Xena.

"I picked up quite a few skills from my mother, and I learned some others. I have very good ears. I can hear things far away. I can read lips." Eve said.

"Wow." Gabrielle said. Eve smiled and continued looking at her mother and Ares who she called her father.

"Gabrielle, if the gods find out that I’m alive, I’ll be killed." Eve said.

"We won’t let that happen. I promise." Gabrielle said.

"Neither will I. Most people wouldn’t believe it. Most people wouldn’t know that I can fight. I’m only 13 but I have a skill for fighting." Eve declared.

"Who taught you?" Gabrielle asked.

"Ares." Eve said.

Ares and Xena pulled away from each other and stared into each other’s eyes. They were about to kiss, but they realized that Gabrielle and Eve were there and that Zander was in his sling right between them.

An hour later, Xena, Gabrielle, Eve, Zander, and Ares were back out on the road. The gods didn’t know where Eve was. They knew she wasn’t dead. But, they had about given up on finding her. The gods were losing hope.

Xena and Gabrielle had begun to tell Eve about taking her to the Amazons. If things got rough, Eve said she wouldn’t mind living with them. She told Xena and Gabrielle that she would understand.

Gabrielle rode her horse thinking of Joxer. He was married to Meg now and they had started a family. At least that’s what she thought. Gabrielle was in pain. She felt terrible. She had missed out on Joxer’s life. She knew that if things hadn’t gone wrong that day that she "died" she’d be married to Joxer by now.

Xena and Gabrielle tied the horses up inside Joxer and Meg’s barn. Eve hopped off of the horse and they all went into the inn. Zander was asleep so when they got in the door, Xena lay him down in a little crib. Ares had disappeared to go play out a war. Nobody but Meg and Joxer were in the house. Xena needed to talk to Meg, Eve was playing with her baby brother, and that left Joxer and Gabrielle together.

"Joxer, how are you?" Gabrielle asked.

"I’m okay. I’m great now that you’re back." Joxer said. "I didn’t forget that night, Gabrielle."

"Neither did I. I’m glad we had that night together. No regrets?" Gabrielle asked.

"No regrets." Joxer agreed. "I’m glad you and Xena are okay. I think it’s time for me to move on and get out of here. Meg doesn’t need me here anymore. She’s got some new workers coming in. She can take care of the baby by herself.

"Joxer! You can’t leave Meg! She’s your wife." Gabrielle whispered in exclamation.

"Meg’s not my wife, Gabrielle." Joxer declared.

Xena and Meg were sitting in silence in the kitchen. Xena looked at Meg’s rounded belly.

"I guess you could have kids afterall." Xena said smiling.

"Yeah." Meg said with a crooked smile. "How ‘bout that huh?"

"You and Joxer must be happy." Xena said. "You’ve finally married and started a family.

"What?" Meg asked.

"I thought that…" Xena started.

"Joxer and I aren’t together. I asked him to move in here 10 years ago to help out. I married a man a few years after Joxer moved in to help. You know Joxer is a chef. Well, my husband died three months ago, and he left me with a child on the way. Joxer is in love with Gabrielle." Meg explained.

"Oh. Gabrielle will be happy. I know she loves him too. I could tell right before the whole ice cave thing." Xena said.

Joxer and Gabrielle talked for awhile and Joxer explained everything. They ended the conversation with a kiss.

Eve sat over holding Zander. She could hear the whole conversation. She smiled and went back to playing with the brother. Zander grinned up at his sister just as he had 10 years before.

"You know what kid. You should be 10 years old now." Eve said. "Looks like I’m gonna have quite a while until I can teach you to fight."

"Oh no." Xena said. She had heard what Eve just said. Eve laughed.

"Oops." She said. Xena laughed too. "This little man isn’t gonna be a warrior unless he wants to be." She picked up Zander and rocked him to sleep.

A season (three months) had passed. Gabrielle was feeling bouts of sickness. She didn’t know why. She did miss Joxer. She had only been intimate with him once. That was before the ice cave incident. She knew she was sick because she missed Joxer.

Xena and Gabrielle and Eve were in Potedia now. Ares had just been by to leave a gift for Xena. A single red rose, and then he was gone again. Gabrielle had just visited with her mother and father and sister. Her sister was married and they hand a daughter named Sarah. A very lively girl.

"Xena, I don’t feel well." Gabrielle said. She got off of her horse and she walked through town. Xena watched her, not knowing where she was going. Eve stood beside Xena holding Zander.

"Mother, I’m starving, let’s eat." Eve said.

"Yeah. Okay." Xena said as they walked to a quiet tavern to eat.

An hour later Gabrielle walked into the tavern with a funny look on her face.

"Hey." Xena said. She looked at her best friend.

"I’m pregnant." Gabrielle said. Xena’s eyes and Eve’s eyes went wide.