Special Thanks: To Mary for her editing, support and great advice. To Stoley for being one of the best web masters and friends around. To Leigh for a great idea regarding Aphrodite.
Comments gladly accepted at Cruise1313@aol.com.
Part XXII
"Honey, what's wrong?" Blaise worriedly asked, turning towards her anxious lover and placing a comforting hand on her arm.
"I'm scared." She replied softly and turned away from Blaise, embarrassed by her feelings.
Blaise felt a catch in her heart from Ephiny's admission. She inhaled and exhaled before moving closer to her wife. She placed her hands on Ephiny's shoulders and kissed the top of her head. "Why baby?" She asked.
Ephiny nervously rubbed her hands together and dropped them defeatedly and turned to face Blaise. "What if they disapprove of who I've become? Who I've married?" She anxiously wondered looking into a sea of comfort.
"Oh, baby. They will be very proud of you I'm sure of it." Blaise reassuringly answered and drew Ephiny within her comforting arms for a warm embrace.
"How can you be so sure?" Ephiny fretted and hated feeling so insecure.
"They are your parents Eph and they love you unconditionally. I'm sure that they will be very proud and happy with the way your life has turned out." Blaise smiled warmly and kissed her worried lover.
Ephiny smiled and knew her lover was right. "I'm nervous and just being silly. You're right." Ephiny agreed and smiled, looking up at her tall mate. "Let's go see them. Thanks for being so sweet." Ephiny smiled and kissed Blaise, grateful for her support.
"That's my job baby. Being sweet to you and to our beautiful children." Blaise grinned cockily and picked up the twins. "Ready?" She confirmed with a sexy smile as Ephiny cozied up to her family.
"As ready as I'm ever going to be." She smiled and put her arm around Blaise's waist as the group disappeared.
Xena feverishly pounded on the front door and shouted Blaise and Ephiny's name repeatedly. 'What in Tartarus could they be doing? No, I don't want to know the answer to that question.' She chuckled with her last statement and headed around to the back of the expansive house. She looked down at the lake and saw no one present then approached the back door. She knocked on the door and waited. 'She probably can't hear me knocking because the house is so freaking big! She becomes a God and now a hut is not good enough for her. She has to have a castle!' She thought perturbed by the silence and began to knock once again when the door opened. "Finally! Where's Blaise?" Xena asked as Sadie opened the door.
"And good morning to you Xena!" The older woman sarcastically greeted, put off by the gruff greeting.
Xena sheepishly grinned and felt guilty for the way she spoke. "I'm really sorry. I was just agitated with that sister of mine not answering the door. I need to speak with her."
"I'm sorry but her, Ephiny and the children went to Mt. Olympus." Sadie informed the aggravated Warrior Princess.
"Oh, that's right! I totally forgot. Okay, well could you tell her I need to speak with her when she returns? Thanks and sorry for the gruff greeting." Xena sheepishly grinned and turned to walk away.
"I sure will." Sadie answered and watched Xena disappear from sight before closing the door. 'It's a good thing Blaise got all the manners in the family!' She inwardly commented and headed back to her work.
"There they are Blaise." Ephiny nervously stated when they appeared and saw them speaking with Zeus and Artemis.
"Well, let's go introduce them to your family." Blaise suggested and kissed Ephiny. "Everything's going to be fine honey." She smiled reassuringly and both walked towards her parents.
"Mother." Ephiny hesitantly responded and felt a catch in her heart when her mother turned to her.
"Ephiny? My darling daughter?" She tearfully questioned and rushed to Ephiny, quickly engulfing her in a hug.
"Mother, I've missed you so much." Ephiny softly replied, with tears filling her hazel eyes and tightened the hug.
"We've missed you darling." Her father spoke and hugged them both.
"Wow, look at you." Her mother smiled and looked her daughter over. "What kind of an outfit is this that you wear?" Her mother inquired curiously.
"I'm an Amazon Regent mother. I've been one for quite some time now." Ephiny proudly informed her parents who looked stunned. She didn't like the looks on their faces towards her being an Amazon. She wasn't pleased with how the reunion was going at such an early point and wished that she hadn't of agreed to it.
"An Amazon huh?" Her father asked condescendingly.
Blaise watched the interaction and didn't have a good feeling about what was transpiring. She looked at Jordyn when she called out, "My mommy," and pointed at Ephiny.
"Yes, baby. That's your mommy." Blaise reassured and smiled at her daughter who began to pout and cry.
"Oh, baby. Don't cry." Ephiny comfortingly replied and headed toward her daughter. "Come here honey." She took her from Blaise and held her tight. "Come meet your grandma and grandpa." Ephiny smiled and brushed the blonde curly lock of hair off of Jordyn's face as she approached her parents. "This is my daughter Jordyn." Ephiny proudly presented her daughter to her parents.
"Oh, Ephiny she's absolutely beautiful." Her mother gushed and smiled happily as she reached for Jordyn who shied away and buried her head in Ephiny's chest.
Ephiny chuckled and smiled as she turned to her mother. "I guess my normally rambunctious daughter is playing shy today."
"It's okay, you were the same way at her age." Her mother proudly informed her with a warm smile, lightly stroking Jordyn's arm. Ephiny felt a catch in her heart when her mother told her that and wished she could remember that time.
"She is such a doll Ephiny and she looks so much like you." Her father proudly observed and smiled adoringly, looking at Jordyn.
"Yes, she is and so is her brother." Ephiny added and looked over her shoulder to Blaise who approached with Chayce, "I'm sorry honey." Ephiny apologized and held Blaise's hand. "This is the love of my life, my soul mate, my partner Blaise. Blaise this is my mother and father." Ephiny proudly conducted the introductions.
"Hello, it's a pleasure to meet you." Blaise cordially smiled and shook Ephiny's father's hand then nodded to her mother in acknowledgement of the greeting.
They looked at Blaise very confused and there was an awkward silence that swept over the group. "This is our son Chayce." Blaise presented, when she realized no one else was going to speak. She handed Chayce to Ephiny's mother who quickly took the boy from her. She knew what was going on. She had received that cold stare many times from her own father and realized that they didn't approve of her. "Aah, Eph I need to talk with grandfather. I'll be right back." Blaise informed her and quickly walked away. She didn't want to ruin Ephiny's reunion with her parents and feared she might be indifferent to her parents if she stayed. She turned the corner and stopped to hear the exchange. From the looks of Ephiny's parent's faces she knew things weren't going well. She paused and listened to the conversation.
"Okay." Ephiny answered, confused by her lover's demeanor. She watched as she walked away and disappeared from sight. She turned to look at her parents who had concerned looks on their faces. "What's going on?" Ephiny questioned.
"Zeus is her grandfather? Whose her father?" Ephiny's father suspiciously inquired.
"Yes, that's right and her father is Ares, the former God of War. Blaise has since taken his place, why?" Ephiny defensively asked, confused by their line of questions and noted the disgusted look upon her father's face.
"Well, honey. It's aah, just that it's all very confusing to us." Her mother hesitated with what she was saying and looked at Chayce hoping to change the subject.
"What's so confusing? She is my partner, the God of War and the mother of my children." Ephiny reiterated adamantly and looked between her parents who said nothing. "Is it that you don't approve of her as being a woman or for being the God of War?" Ephiny asked, her tone edgy with agitation.
"Honey, calm down. We are a bit confused by the whole situation." Her mother muttered trying to calm the tense situation.
"I'll ask you again to explain why it's so confusing Mother?" Ephiny defensively asked, looking between her parents waiting for their answer.
"Well, you're both women and aah, well…" Her mother hedged searching for the right words.
"Well, what? Is it that you both don't approve of us being together?" Ephiny asked, her anger and hurt mounting.
"Yes, that's what your mother is trying to say." Her father interjected and stepped closer to his wife. "We don't approve of such a union." Her father exclaimed adamantly.
Ephiny fought back the tears that tried to escape and her hurt turned to anger. She took Chayce from her mother and placed him on her hip as she struggled to hold both of the children at once. "Blaise!" Ephiny shouted and turned around to see Blaise enter the room. "Take us home." Ephiny curtly demanded and handed Chayce to Blaise.
"Are you sure?" Blaise asked, hoping Ephiny would change her mind and try to work the problem out with her parents.
"I'm positive. They don't approve of our union and I don't approve of their attitude towards it. Mother, Father I can't say it was a pleasure seeing you." Ephiny sarcastically stated and glared over her shoulder at Blaise who touched her.
"Ephiny…" Her mother attempted to stop them, but her voice trailed off as they disappeared.
The family appeared in their home and Sadie quickly approached. "Well, how was the union? Everything you hoped for?" She enthusiastically asked and took Jordyn from Ephiny as Blaise attempted to make eye contact with the older woman to let her know all was not well.
"No, it was the biggest mistake of my life and I knew this would happen. I shouldn't have gone." Ephiny angrily answered and hastily headed out the door.
"I'm sorry…" Sadie replied as her voice tapered off and watched as Ephiny quickly disappeared.
"Don't be. She's just very upset. You had no idea the meeting would go this poorly. Can you take the twins and feed them. I'm sure they're probably hungry." Blaise cordially apologized and asked as she placed Chayce in his highchair.
"Sure." Sadie agreed and carried Jordyn to hers.
"Thanks." Blaise answered and headed out the door to find her despondent wife.
"Blaise! Just the God of War I was looking for." Xena snickered at her comment as she approached.
"Not now Xena." Blaise coldly replied and attempted to walk off.
"Wait a minute little sis. What's going on?" Xena asked, holding her sister by the hand to stop her.
"I need to get to Ephiny can this wait?" Blaise asked in a serious tone.
"Is everything alright?" Xena worriedly inquired.
"No the meeting with Ephiny's parents didn't go very well. Look, I've got to catch up to her I'll see you later." Blaise hurriedly answered and patted Xena on the shoulder before heading off.
"Yeah, sure…" Xena answered, her voice trailing off as she watched her sister head towards the lake. She had a feeling that if Ephiny's meeting didn't go well neither would Gabrielle's. 'This is not going to be very pleasant.' She thought heading back to their hut trying to figure out how she was going to be there for Gabrielle when her parents disappointed her. She knew that Gabrielle's parents already had a problem with hostility and tension with her and if it didn't go well with Ephiny's parents who seemed to be more caring than Gabrielle's she was destined for heartbreak with her parents.
"Xena! Mom is going to transport us to my parents house." Gabrielle enthusiastically told the Warrior Princess when she entered the hut.
"Hi Aphrodite!" Xena slyly grinned and acknowledged the Goddess of Love who sat playing with Jade.
"Hey, warrior babe!" Aphrodite retorted with a proud grin.
"Can I speak with you for a minute Gabrielle? Alone?" Xena reiterated and cordially smiled towards Aphrodite.
"Aah, sure." Gabrielle stammered curious to find out what had Xena in such a serious mood. She approached Xena who held the door open for her and the pair stepped out of the hut. "What's going on?" Gabrielle asked, looking up at the tall woman.
"Are you positive you want to see your mortal parents?" Xena asked, placing her hands on her hips.
"Wait! What's going on here Xena? You were the one who basically talked me into speaking with my parents. What has changed that for you?" Gabrielle asked confused by her comment.
Xena looked around and sighed. She was unable to look her Amazon Queen in the eye as she tried to come up with a reason to keep Gabrielle from seeing her parents and eventual heartbreak. She was convinced Gabrielle's parents would be far worse than Ephiny's. "Well, aah…" Xena stammered, trying to come up with a reason.
"Spill it Xena." Gabrielle demanded.
"Okay, well at first I thought it would be a good idea for you to talk with your parents and have a resolution, but…" Xena began to explain, knowing she needed to be truthful with Gabrielle about her reasons, as she would find out sooner or later.
"But?" Gabrielle asked and leaned down to gaze into the blue eyes that looked down. The one's that tried very hard to avoid her stare.
"But what if your parents aren't pleased with you being there searching for answers?" Xena relented and asked, finally looking up at Gabrielle.
Gabrielle searched the blue eyes she loved and knew something else was hidden when it dawned on her about Ephiny. "Something happened with Ephiny and her parents right?" Gabrielle asked, her heartbeat quickened as she worried about Ephiny and hoped she was okay.
"Yes, they didn't take it well at all and Ephiny is very upset." Xena answered. "I don't want the same thing to happen to you Gabrielle." Xena softly admitted.
"Aah, you are so sweet." Gabrielle smiled and placed the palm of her hand on Xena's cheek. "Thank you for being so concerned about me it means a lot and you're right, maybe I don't need to see my parents." She agreed and took her hand from Xena's face. She placed her hands in Xena's and stared up at her. "I think I pretty much have an idea as to why they didn't tell me and you know what, I'm fine with that. I thought I needed answers, but I don't. They've been indifferent to me all my life and I know why. It's because I was not of their flesh and blood and I understand that, but I'm not going to concern myself with it anymore. I'm going to accept it and move on to my new life. They will always hold a special place in my heart because they were there for me and I will be there for them. So, I don't need to know anymore from them in regards to my parentage." Gabrielle admitted and smiled warmly.
"You're sure you're okay with that?" Xena confirmed and searched her emerald greens for the truth, which she found with Gabrielle's comment.
"Absolutely." Gabrielle smiled and leaned up to Xena. "Thank you for caring about me." She whispered and kissed her warrior soundly.
"Any time." Xena softly chuckled and reciprocated the kiss.
Gabrielle broke the kiss and smiled, as did Xena. "You know I love you like my favorite backpack right?" She chuckled with the teasing comment.
"Oh, yeah just like I love you like my favorite saddlebags." Xena laughed and wiggled her eyes. Gabrielle tickled Xena's ribs and they shared a laugh.
Gabrielle's demeanor turned serious and she looked at Xena suggesting, "I should go and see how Ephiny is doing."
"Well, Blaise is with her, but I'm sure she could use some sisterly advice. They are down by the lake." Xena grinned and winked.
"Take care of our daughter and don't let mom spoil her too much. I'll be back in a few." Gabrielle smiled and headed off. Gabrielle laughed when she heard Xena scold Aphrodite when she entered the hut by telling her to get the frilly, pink boa off of her daughter. 'She is bound and determined to make Jade into a tomboy!' She thought with a chuckle and headed down towards the lake to find her sister.
"Eph, honey I'm so sorry." Blaise softly commented and lovingly placed her hands on Ephiny's shoulders as she stood behind her wife.
"Don't be Blaise. It's not your fault." Ephiny answered and stared out over the water trying to maintain her resolve.
"Well, I feel like it is babe. I'm the one that set everything up and I hoped that you would have a wonderful reunion with your parents. I'm sorry." Blaise softly replied and wrapped her arms around Ephiny's waist, drawing her closer.
"I know honey and I appreciate it." Ephiny answered and placed her hands on Blaises that held her. "You couldn't have known that they would react this way. I was very surprised that they did react that way. Maybe I didn't give them enough of a chance to explain, but I could see the disapproval in their eyes. It told me everything I need to know about them. They always seemed so wonderful to me, but I guess that was me just being a silly little girl." Ephiny admitted sadly.
"Nah, you weren't being silly honey. All kids idolize their parents. I did and look at the father I had. We grow up and have different ideas as to how we want our lives to be and our parents have different dreams for us. A lot of times they don't match and we have to come to a compromise."
"That's true, but they were so hostile towards, me our children and you. I just didn't like that Blaise. Those aren't the parents I remember." Ephiny explained.
"Maybe they were and you just didn't see it baby. Maybe you only saw what you wanted to see, an ideal family. That's what I did with my father until I finally saw through all of his lies."
"Well, it's over and done with Blaise. I found out what I wanted from my parents and even though it wasn't what I expected to hear from them at least it was the truth. Now that I think about it, I didn't even get to ask them why they didn't tell me about my parentage." Ephiny chuckled sardonically and shrugged her shoulders. "On the flip side, they will remember me as their perfect little girl, not a disappointment to them."
"Honey, you are not a disappointment at all and just think, you have two new parents who see you for who your are and not who they think you should be." Blaise explained and kissed Ephiny's cheek.
"That's right Ephiny." Hades interjected as he appeared. Blaise moved her hands from around Ephiny and looked at her uncle. "I'm sorry to intrude, but I saw how sad you were and I wanted to let you know that I'm not disappointed at all to have you as my daughter."
Ephiny faintly smiled and commented, "But you hardly know me."
Hades smiled and moved closer to her. "Well, I've watched and admired you for quite some time now." Hades admitted.
"Really? Why?" Ephiny asked, confused that he would feel that way about her.
"Well, I always thought it was because you loved Blaise and made her happy," he explained and looked at his niece, then looked back to his daughter continuing, "but now I know that I was drawn to you because of your connection, as my daughter." He admitted, smiling proudly. "I couldn't have asked for two children any better than you and Gabrielle."
Ephiny blushed and looked at Blaise then back to her newly found father. "Thank you, that means a lot to me." She smiled and placed her hands on Blaises that rested on her shoulders. His reaction to her was a welcomed relief from the harsh one she received from her mortal parents.
"And me too." Gabrielle added as she approached and stood next to Ephiny. "Are you alright?" She asked looking at Ephiny, concerned for her sister.
"I am now. Thanks." She smiled and leaned against Gabrielle who had wrapped her arm around her waist.
"That's what family is for right?" Gabrielle smiled and looked at the group.
"Yes and I look forward to getting to know my new family more." Ephiny admitted smiling.
"That's great news." Hades added and grinned. "Would you mind if I spent some time with my daughters and grandchildren today?" He asked, hoping the women would be receptive.
"As long as you don't mind a bunch of screaming kids." Blaise retorted and the group laughed.
"I don't mind." He answered and smiled warmly.
"Well, let's have a family get together then." Gabrielle eagerly suggested and walked off with her arm still draped around her sister leading the group back to her hut. "Hey, do you two mind if we hang out at your house seeing as how it's so large and can accommodate all of us?" Gabrielle asked with a snicker.
"What can I say? I have a wife that loves a large home!" Ephiny answered in defense of her large home.
"Well, what's wrong with that? Huh?" Blaise defensively and sarcastically asked. "Especially if I fill it with wonderful worldly possessions and plenty of my love?" Blaise asked as the group all laughed.
"Nothing honey, I love it! Especially that hot tub and indoor toilet." Ephiny snickered.
"I would love that too. I'm going to have to talk to that wife of mine about getting a larger place to live." Gabrielle added with a laugh as they approached the hut.
"So, uncle are you sure you want to hang out with this crazy group of women?" Blaise inquired looking at Hades.
"Hey, I love all kinds of women!" He commented with a snicker.
"I wonder if he would say the same thing about Minya if he met her?" Gabrielle whispered to Ephiny and both chuckled. "Well, be right back." Gabrielle threw over her shoulder as they approached the hut.
"Well, are you going to speak with your mortal parents?" Ephiny asked as her and Gabrielle stopped just outside the door.
"No, I decided that I already had my answer and saw no point in bringing it up. They will still be in my heart and I'll be appreciative of them raising me, but I have always had a distant relationship with them and now I know why. I'm fine with that and I want to move on to get to know my new parents and my destiny with them." Gabrielle honestly answered and smiled as she opened the door.
"Me too." Ephiny agreed and followed her into the hut. She felt relieved about the whole situation and felt that she could move on despite her parents' biting words. She wanted to put that portion of her life behind her, quickly and to move on to the next phase of her life, getting to know her new parents.
"Let's go! The party's at Ephiny and Blaise's!" Gabrielle enthusiastically announced upon entering the hut.
"Party? What party?" Xena asked confused and looked at her soul mate.
"A family reunion party that's what!" Gabrielle informed her with a giggle.
"Do I have to go?" Xena whined, unenthused about going and looked up at Gabrielle from the chair she was sitting in.
"Yes, you do." Gabrielle adamantly confirmed.
"Oh, come on. It will be fun!" Aphrodite giddily coaxed.
"Gabrielle." Xena growled and sneered, she was in no mood to be as cheery as Aphrodite.
"You're going. Get up." Gabrielle ordered and grabbed her by the ear helping her up. "You can talk with Hades about the damned in Tartarus, that should be fun for you." Gabrielle chuckled and relinquished her hold on Xena's ear once she stood up.
"Okay, but you owe me big time." Xena replied and reiterated in Gabrielle's ear.
"You won't be sorry with your reward my dear." Gabrielle seductively answered and smiled wickedly.
"Okay, let's party then!" Xena announced with a chuckle as the group headed out the door laughing.
Blaise stood away from the group with her arms folded across her chest with one hand supporting her chin intently watching the family. She gave a quick glance to the side when Xena stood next to her and returned her stare to the group. "Are you thinking the same thing I am?" She questioned and waited for her sister's answer rubbing her chin suspiciously.
"That Ephiny and Gabrielle were very quick to discard their mortal parents for their godly one's?" Xena asked and looked at her sister who met her gaze.
"Yep, that's what I was thinking." Blaise admitted with a sly grin.
"I know that I told Gabrielle I was worried that she would get the same reaction from her parents and that maybe it wasn't such a good idea for her to see them, but…"
"You think she should still do it to have closure right?" Blaise asked, looking at her sister.
"Ooh, this is scary." Xena laughed, joined by Blaise.
"Yeah, well I'm still not convinced that Eph is completely over what happened with her parents. She has a knack for hiding her feelings especially when it comes to her emotions so I'm having a hard time getting a good reading on her. Who knows, maybe I'm full of Centaur dung and she's perfectly over the situation and truly wants to move on." Blaise chuckled, hoping that was the case.
"I hope that's truly what both of them want. It may be easier for Gabrielle with the whole situation as she never really had a great relationship with her parents, but I just hope I did the right thing by suggesting she avoid talking to them about it." Xena admitted and rubbed her hands together.
"Don't second guess yourself Xena. You know your instincts are always right on the money and I think you were right with what you did. I regret setting up the meeting with Eph and her parents. The look of rejection in Ephiny's eyes from what her parents said was more than I could bear and I don't ever want to see it again." Blaise informed her in a serious tone, looking from her sister to her wife who laughed from the conversation the group was having. Both women stood silent, just watching the interaction until Blaise looked at Xena. "Is that all that's bothering you?" She asked with an arched brow.
"Yeah, why?" Xena questioned hesitantly and shrugged her shoulders, looking away from her sister. She felt Blaise staring at her and knew she wouldn't accept that lame answer. "Well, okay, I'm bored." Xena sheepishly admitted with a quick glance Blaise's way.
"Come on, let's go take a look at the horses and get away from this hen party." Blaise suggested with a laugh as the pair turned toward the door.
"Should we invite Hades? I wonder if he's enjoying the hen party?" Xena asked as they turned back to look at him.
"Nah, he's the rooster in the hen house and it looks like he's loving it." Blaise laughed, as did Xena when they exited the house.
"I wonder what would happen to Hades' reputation if we let it slip out that he was having a great time at a hen party?" Xena asked with a sly grin walking beside her sister towards the stables.
"Ooh, I don't think I want to know that one!" Blaise chuckled as they stopped at the fence where the horses were corralled. Blaise whistled and Taz quickly trotted over. She smiled and rubbed his face. "Hey, boy." She greeted and smiled as his baby followed him. "Well, I think we have a case of like father like son." Blaise pointed out with a laugh and pat the smaller horse as Xena did the same with Argo who had come over.
"He's gorgeous, but then again how can he not be with a mama like Argo. Isn't that right girl?" Xena smiled and rubbed Argo under the chin that neighed. Argo leaned down and nudged her baby who trotted off.
"I think I should point out that the baby looks an awfully lot like his daddy." Blaise grinned proudly.
"Yeah, but he'll have his mama's smarts!" Xena argued and shook her head. "You know I can't believe that I'm actually sitting here arguing with you over the horses. This is not how's it's suppose to be…" Xena's voice trailed off and she crawled through the fence to check Argo over.
"What's the last part of that suppose to mean Xena?" Blaise asked and moved towards her sister. Xena checked Argo's hooves and looked back at her sister. "The party wasn't the only thing boring you huh?" Blaise inquired accusingly.
"Nope, it wasn't." Xena reluctantly and sheepishly admitted. "I know I should be thankful for my life the way it is Blaise, but I have to be challenged more than I am now. I really don't want to spend the majority of my day training Amazons."
"Well, if you're that bored why don't you go out hunting and kill something? Or get to know your daughter more?" Blaise suggested wondering where her sister was going with her train of thought.
"Yeah, I know I should be happy with having an opportunity to get to know my daughter and spend time with her unlike what I was able to do with Solan, but I need to do something more stimulating than hanging around the Amazon village all day. Besides, Gabrielle will have Jade the majority of the time when she resumes her duties full time anyway."
"Xena, you and Gabrielle finally have a chance of living a peaceful life together, don't blow that opportunity." Blaise advised her sister who stood eye to eye with Xena.
"Yes, I know and that's what I want but I'm not talking about being away from the both of them constantly. I just need a change of pace, something like what you do." Xena answered and looked back to Argo.
Blaise grinned and had a feeling she knew what her sister was getting at. "Would you be interested in helping me out on a limited basis?" Blaise offered and saw a smirk appear on Xena's face.
"What do you have in mind for me?" Xena asked, intrigued by the offer. She moved in front of Blaise waiting for her answer.
"Well, I've been having some problems with some unruly warlords that I'm sure you would be just the right person to make them see it our way. I want them out of this territory before they become a bigger problem than they already are and I don't have the time to do it myself, plus Joxer has been getting nowhere with them."
"That doesn't surprise me." Xena chuckled, as did Blaise. "I'm on it tomorrow. I'll consult with Joxer on what he's gotten accomplished or not with them and take it from there. I'm sure I can persuade them to do as they are told." Xena maliciously smiled and patted her sister on the shoulder, eager to get started on her new journey.
"Let's hope you are as successful at persuading Gabrielle of the same thing when you tell her you'll be out on the road again, but this time helping me out!" Blaise commented with a nervous chuckle, knowing she didn't want to be around their hut when Xena told Gabrielle the news.
"Yes, that might be a bit more difficult." Xena agreed with a snicker and looked towards the house wondering how she was going to tell Gabrielle she was going back out on the road, alone.
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November 2001
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