*This is the, "Oh for heavens sake! Haven't you learned by now NOT to read this stuff at work," warning!*

Disclaimers: NO. NO. NO. Can't. Don't. Haven't. Won't. Am. Am not. Am so. Am not. Am too! Not! So! Nu hu. Yessir. No way. Yes way! You can't either! Can too! Then I'm tellin'! Sissy! No Sir! Yep, Big ol sissy tattle tale! Now I am so Tellin'! Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! BRAT!

Sex Disclaimers: Welcome to my world. Sick, depraved and full of sex. OK It's only my writing life that is…..wait a minute. I have a girlfriend now. Yes, it is my life after all! Ain't it grand! I am going to put her pic up so you all can see the 5'10" dark haired beauty I found at the gym! Hoo ya! Anyway, yes there will be lots more sex, but we're almost finished with that part of our story. Sorry. Hey, we have to move onto the 'story' part! (I have been told that this is a sex story with a plot wrapped around it. Wait till you read this. Story? What story?) If you are offended by "Wonderwand"™ type of sex, stay away from this installment. IF this (this lesbian this is what this is) is illegal where you live I am surprised you even have computers there. Seems to me you should be doing the clay and stylus thing, but I digress. If this is illegal where you live stop where you are and turn back. "Captain! There be lesbians ahead." "Go to warp six and stay on their ion trail." "Aye! Warp six." "Engage!"

if it's not your cup 'o tea…..skip it!

Language: Yes, they swear and so do I on occasion. I am better than I used to be, but I slip. Imagine that.

Spoilers: This is where we start to run into season five. However this story line is so far off the well beaten Xena path that it's not really Xena anymore. It's more like Xena and Gabrielle meet the Time Bandits and Austin Powers (Yeeeah Baby!). IF you don't want to know….go away.

Wife Swapping: Again I say, "Oh for heaven's sake!" If it is bad for your health, I recommend plenty of fluids, lots of rest, a balanced diet and regular exercise. There you go.

Have a great read!

©10-23-00 KG

Candace tried to hide a smirk as Taylor pulled the curtain apart and entered their hut. She didn't succeed.

"What?" Taylor gave her intended a firm look daring the small blonde to try and tease her.

Candace almost leapt from the chair she had been reclining in. Her hands grasped Taylor's forearms in marked enthusiasm. "TELL ME!"

"Tell you what?" She knew very well what but wanted to draw her lover's curiosity out.

"GaaaaawD Tell me everything!" She pulled her firefighter across the room to the bed. She spun the large woman around and pushed her down.

Taylor sat back hard on the soft mattress. She couldn't help but laugh. "Does the word 'spank' mean anything to you?" She surrendered as Candace pushed her by the shoulders to her back. Taylor smiled at the royal as she gave into her.

"Ooooooh! Yyyyyess!" The blonde knelt over her lover. Vicarious tingles shot through her body! She leaned over the tall woman, laying a soft whisper at her ear. "Tell me more."

"Nope. That's all you get." Taylor teased Candace with hidden information. She tried her best to sit up with a Regent on her chest. She didn’t get far.

The co-Regent pinched the strong warrior on her side. Taylor jumped. "OW! That's not fair!"

"You tell me or else." She pulled her hand back into the claw position.

"Well since you said 'or else'" Taylor gave her intended a sly look. "How do you know she did anything?" Taylor knew Candace had some idea of what she had gone through due to the connection they shared. All the blonde did was raise one brow over an incredibly green eye. Taylor sighed. She would never learn. "Let's put it this way, she would win the calf roping contest with time to spare. She had me tied up so fast I had no time to react."

Candace's excited voice sang with pleasure. "She tied YOU up?" Wow! Way to go Gab. Then what?"

"Then she blind folded me. I couldn't see but oh could I feel! Hoo ya!"

"She was running her body up and down along my skin." Taylor knew what Candace wanted to hear. Her voice lowered to little more than a whisper. "Her nipples were so hard. They were like bullets carving a trail up my thighs. And her pussy was so wet."

"Her What?" Candace wanted to be disgusted but the vulgarity of the word excited her.

"You heard me. She was so wet it dripped in my mouth when she knelt over my face." Taylor pushed her hips against Candace's leg.

"Oh My Goodness. What next."

"She bent her knees to where her hair tickled my lips. I put my tongue out to taste that sweet wetness, but she pulled it away. Taylor thought back to the moments.

"Taylor! What next?" Candace was losing her cool. The story was killing her and Taylor was obviously lost in thought.

Taylor shook her head to clear the images from her mind. Gabrielle had been right about one thing. She would never be the same. A smile gently crossed her lips. She kissed the nose of her anxious lover. "Relax, Cand. I'll get to it."

"She really made you call her 'your Majesty'?" This was getting better by the minute.

"The whole time. She was insistent. If I forgot I was quickly reminded of the proper address of my captor." Blue eyes twinkled in memory.

Candace knew that look. Her body automatically moved closer to her lover. "Did she make you bend over?" Whispering seduction was dripping from her voice. She wanted to have this warrior up one side and down the other.

"Not exactly." Taylor tipped her head.

A simmering growl floated from Candace's lips. "Reaaallly. Then what exactly?"

"After she was done torturing my front with the clips, feathers, fingernails, teeth, lips and whatever she could find, she uh…she turned me over." Taylor's teeth clenched as the muscles of her buttocks tightened of their own accord.

Candace felt the reaction of her lover's body. "I take it that it was an interesting experience."

The firefighter blew a heavy breath through her pursed lips. "Interesting. You could say that."

"I just did. Now tell me why you tremble at the mention of it." She was grinning so hard it was hurting her face.

"I'm not absolutely sure how she did this, but my guess is that she crossed the thongs and 'persuaded' me to turn over." A slight cold sweat broke out on Taylor's forehead. Fear mixed with desire was an odd emotion.

"You didn't know what she was doing?" Candace was trying to fathom Taylor not knowing what was happening to her at any given moment. The firefighter turned warrior was always one to be in total control of her surroundings. With her profession it was an absolute necessity. The thought of her wife to be in that situation was beginning to cause a deep itch to invade her belly.

"It was hard to tell. I was too busy just experiencing everything." She closed her eyes again and recalled the excitement.

"You have not earned forgiveness." Gabrielle, true to her role, snarled through her teeth. Seeming anger seething at the very surface.

"Not only have you not earned forgiveness, I don't think you want forgiveness, Taylor. As a matter of fact I think you want quite the opposite." The bard stood from the bed, planning her next strategy. She grinned again and walked to the cabinet.

Taylor pulled the toy out of the pouch. There was a scroll with it that she tossed aside. If Candace wanted to play the story voyeur, she was more than happy to oblige. She was still reeling from the things that Gabrielle had done to her. Thinking about them while telling her lover of the tale was achieving a goal she was sure Candace had set for them both. Taylor was as wet as her lover. She had listen attentively to Xena's warning about the 'Magical Phallus' that Aphrodite had given to each of the couples. She thought she was prepared for the sensation the Warrior Princess had forewarned her of. She placed the instrument next to her skin. As it attached itself to her she realized there were no words of warning that could ever have prepared her for this. Her knees buckled under her and she came close to losing her footing. Every hint of breeze in the air wafted across her

"Good God!" Taylor got her legs beneath her as she struggled to the bed.

Candace had never been with, or even close to a man or a toy of any sort. This was a new experience for her. She reached out to Taylor in rapt amazement. Her hand touched the soft warmth that was now her lover. Her delicate touch sent powerful messages through Taylor. The mighty firefighter shuddered in her hand. An interesting grin snuck across the singer's face. The phallus wasn't as threatening as some she had seen pictures of. Nor was it as large as all the others she had ever seen in her travels. She had a feeling it was made just for her. She felt a slight trepidation, but the thrills of a new experience ran through her.

Taylor got control over the rush of feeling that sped through her as the small blonde stroked her so slowly with a very deliberate action. She watched the small hand as it ran the length of her erection. The sensation was unbelievable.

"Keep talking, Tay. What did she do next?" Green eyes flamed crystal clear with desire.

"Ahhhhhh. Mmmm. I'll tell you, but first get on your knees." Taylor's hips pushed and flexed with each soft stroke of her lover's hand.

"Oh my!" Candace grinned with pleasure. She loosed the appendage in her hand to oblige her partner. Her strong legs carried her back further on the bed. She turned over and around, presenting her most private region to her lover. She felt vulnerable and wanton all at once.

Taylor knelt behind her, running the head of the phallus along the soaking lips of her intended's sex. The moaning emanating from her lover's throat was enough to encourage her to move ahead. Slowly and very gently she pushed the head into the warm canal. The slick wetness engulfed the very tip of her. The sensation ran to her toes. Once she was fully in she would never last. Candace pushed back but she withdrew. Taylor was determined to make this last until the very end of her story.

"I see the war, Taylor. You want me to stop. You want the humiliation to end so that you can be comfortable with your life again. So you can pretend to all the world that you are in charge of every situation." Gabrielle swung the tails in a gentle swinging arch, tapping the back of Taylor's thighs. "Your mind wants the confusion to end so you can put to rest any notion that you may enjoy being punished for sins you may or may not have committed. But it's your body, Taylor. Your body betrays you. And you hate it for that betrayal. Don't you." She swung the tails again a little harder.

Candace cried out in eager desire as Taylor full entered her. The touch within her depths promised to send her over the edge very quickly. She backed her body into the strong firefighter behind her.

Taylor could no longer with hold her need. She recalled vividly in her mind the intense thrusts Gabrielle had gifted her with. She wanted to allow her lover to feel her own being buried deep within. She wanted to plunge so far inside as to touch her very soul. She blindly quickened her pace and sweat began to pour freely down her face.

The friction Candace felt inside her womb increased the power of her desire. She met each thrust with savage abandon. The connection between them was like nothing she had ever dreamt in even her most idyllic thoughts. Her heart and soul were being poured out through their connection into her soulmate. She could feel Taylor's very essence being poured into her as well. There was no other way to describe what she was feeling other than to say they were becoming one in body, soul and spirit. The four of them were, in an abstract fashion one, but in a supernatural sense only. In stark contrast to that, she could feel everything Taylor felt. Their breathing, their heartbeats, their movements were as one. Candace had no need to hear the descriptive words of Taylor's experience. She felt all the pent up energy that had flowed through Taylor's body. She tasted the wild honey mixed with the firefighter's essence on her lips. She knew the thoughts that had passed through Taylor's mind from the very moment her journey had begun. She felt the trembling fire rush through her lover's limbs as Taylor reached the peak of her release.

In Taylor's mind and in reality she was climaxing with a force that would forever brand herself and the smaller woman in her grasp. As they both partook of her lasting memories, a wave of love and desire so intense over took them. She gave into the wave and released all that she had to give. The souls of two women destined to love, live and survive as one became a raging fire of what would forever remain a glowing ember within them.

Taylor thrust slowly into her one last time causing a ripple to rush through them both. Candace shuddered in the final throws of her climax. A glowing warmth settled on her heart as she gathered her breath. Something about her had changed, but she couldn't put her finger on what it might be. She had been through so very many changes in the past few weeks that she wasn't at all surprised. She had just shared all that Taylor was and vise-versa. What they had shared in those few precious moments was a glorious reminder of who and what they were to one another. The connection with the rest of the group, no matter how powerful, paled in comparison. The small blonde laid her head against Taylor's strong shoulder. She breathed out the deep contentment she felt within the marrow of her soul. She was happy. The grin on her face told the strong firefighter the emotions that ran through her.

Taylor put her arm around her lover. "What are you grinning about?" As if she really needed to ask.

"Wow." Candace's voice was wispy in its quality. She was in her own little world to be sure.

"Wow? That's it? Wow?" Taylor understood in a total way the lack of words to describe what they had just experienced.

"Wowee?" The small blonde turned in Taylor's arms to face her. The sweet smile she passed to Taylor conveyed the love she had for the great warrior.

"That's better. I knew you could express yourself if you really tried." Taylor bent to kiss the button nose.

Green eyes stared into nowhere. "Taylor, that was unreal. I mean totally unreal."

The firefighter shrugged. "Isn't everything we have been through here?"

"Well yeah, but THAT! Hoo Yah!" Candace giggled.

"Giggles again? You do know that only girls giggle." She knew she was in for a great many repercussions.

Candace raised one eyebrow of intolerance. There were no words she needed to say. Her eyes said everything.

Taylor knew she had gone further over the line than she had intended from one sharp gaze from an emerald evil eye. "Sorry."

"You better be." Candace elbowed her lover gently in the ribs. The two lovers were silent for long moments as they enjoyed the warmth of each other. Candace finally broke the silence. "Tay, why do you figure that happened?"

Being the totally clueless warrior that she was answered the only way she knew how, "Why what happened?"

"Are all warriors dense, or is it just the tall ones with blue eyes?"

"Nah, we're all that way." She and Candace laughed together gently.

The blonde snuggled closer to the strong woman at her side. "Really, babe."

Taylor pulled Candace closer, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. "I don't know. Maybe the….you know…that thing had something to do with it."

"Don't you know?"

"Well, no."

"Jan didn't tell you?" Candace frowned.

"She just gave it to me. Xena told me how to use it. She didn't mention any mind altering qualities." Taylor's broad shoulders gave a shrug.

"Huh. Well, it was awesome whatever it was." Candace opened her mouth in a wide, heartfelt yawn.

"It was indeed my love. It was indeed." Taylor yawned deeply in response to her lover's then turned silent.

Steady breathing told Candace that her partner had fallen into a deep and restful sleep. She smiled to herself. Taylor had been through a great deal that day. They had both changed in ways that were still unknown. She closed her eyes to a dreamless and peaceful sleep.

=/~~~~~~~~~~>

"I wonder what's keepin' 'em."

"It's not foah us to know deah. I am suah they had a……late night."

"Late night. HA!" The other Amazons in the dining hall turned in the doctor's direction.

"Jan, will you please keep youah voice down. It was a long journey heah from the battle field and I am positive you can keep that in mahnd." Melinda gave Jan a squint that almost hurt the archeologist.

"Belle. Please. They were screaming like fuckin' banshees. I don't think the lateness of the hour is what wore them out." Jan huffed and sipped on her tea.

"Wore who out, Jan?"

Taylor's strong voice spoke volumes behind Janice Covington's head. The look on Melinda's face verified that she had been caught again. "Well, will you look at what the cat dragged in. How's it hangin' sleeping beauty?"

"I don't know what your lazy self was doing this morning Janice, but Taylor and I were on dawn patrol." The deep tone of Xena's voice was unmistakable.

The doctor's face turned a light shade of red. "Oh."

"How does crow taste for breakfast, sweetheaht?" Melinda laughed.

"Whatever."

"Nice comeback." Taylor sat beside them.

"Where are the gir…" Jan caught Mel's eyes and re-thought her statement. "Candace and Gabrielle?"

"They will be along shortly. Ephiny wanted to meet with them for whatever reason this morning. All that 'royal' stuff." Taylor flitted her hands in the air in a way that received an odd look from Xena. Warrior's never flitted.

Terran and Spencer strode into the dining hall hand in hand, much to the chagrin of several Amazons. The handsome men ignored the stares and comments as they made their way to the table. Xena stood to address a few choice words to the women, but was stopped by a soft touch from Terran. He shook his head gently. "Let it go, Xena. They don't understand, nor are the apt to in the future. Great words are wasted on deaf ears."

The tall warrior looked into Terran's gentle green eyes. The eyes so very familiar to her. The conviction eased in her chest. "If you say so." Her stern gaze still perused the room. Silence and down cast eyes followed in her wake.

Spencer grinned at the command the warrior held over the group. They should know better than to get on her bad side. "Nice job, Grandma."

The deafening silence that fell over their small group was thick. Melinda's eyes grew wide as she turned her gaze to Xena. She expected a reaction of some sort. Who in their right mind would ever think to call a young vibrant Warrior Princess 'grandma'?

Xena's eyes became mere slits on her face. "What did you call me?"

Spencer was a large man, but he was no match for the warrior. "Uh…Grandma?"

She shook her head in mock confusion. "Is that a question or an answer?"

The man who was once Time wasn't sure how to respond. "Both?"

Xena frowned in thought. She wasn't sure how she felt about this. Technically she was his Grandmother several times removed. Xena approached the tall buff man. A finger poked him gently in the chest. "Don't you EVER call me that again!"

Spencer's hands went up in defense. "OK! OK! Sorry!"

"Good. You can call me…..Nana." The grin on her face was priceless. She had gotten them good.

Spencer grinned at her again. "As you wish, Nana."

"Who would have ever guessed?" Jan was quiet in her comment.

"Well, looky theah. Candace is simply glowin' this mornin'. She must be eatin' right." You could hear the smile on the lips of the southern professor. She was practically gushing. Jan frowned at her lover. Then turned her gaze toward the doorway of the hall. She shook her head. Much to her chagrin, she had to agree the was a certain glow about the Regent.

The group turned to see the two blondes approaching the table. Terran gasped as his eyes caught that of the signer. Spencer frowned at the sound until he saw the look on his lover's face was one of shear joy. Terran's green eyes filled with tears as he pulled Spencer closer.

"Oh! How wonderful." Terran released Spencer and grabbed Candace by the arms as soon as she reached the table. "How very wonderful!"

The co-regent smiled absently at him as the rest of the table was as confused as she. "It's nice to see you, too." She tried to extricate herself from his grip. Instead she was engulfed in an almost crushing embrace.

"I am so happy for you." Terran pushed the delicate woman out to arms length.

"Ter, am I missing something?" Candace was very confused at the normally timid man's behavior.

"Don't you know?" As usual he thought everyone should know everything he knew.

Candace frowned.

"Well, Ah'll be. He's right." Melinda crossed her arms in satisfaction.

"Right. He's right about what, Belle?" Jan was frustrated when Mel shushed her.

"Someone want to tell me what's going on?" Candace wasn't sure she liked this.

"Why, you're pregnant." Terran shrugged.

Xena spewed her tea across the table soaking Janice in her spray. If the doctor had not been in such a state of utter surprised herself she would have retaliated in some way. Instead she stared at Candace then at Taylor and back again.

Taylor sat down hard instead of falling. Her head dropped into her hand. How could such a thing have happened? "You're pregnant? How can you be pregnant? How did you……WHO did you….?" The firefighter wasn't sure which questions to ask first.

The co-Regent reassured her lover. "I'm not pregnant. It's impossible." Candace knew enough about the birds and the bees to know she was in no way pregnant.

Jan burst out in a laugh that again caught the attention of the hall.

Xena shook her head and peeked over at Taylor. "Junior, did you guys use the… uh gift that Aphrodite gave us?"

Taylor blushed. "Yeah."

"Did ya read the scroll that came with it?" Jan was in hog heaven.

The sarcasm in Taylor's voice was palpable. "I was a little busy at the time, Jan."

"Hoooo man! I am lovin' this!" Jan whooped again.

"By the Gods, Junior. You're gonna be a daddy." Xena grinned.

"WAIT!" Candace was almost in a panic. "Let me sit." Melinda elbowed Jan and the doctor stood without question. One always gave a seat to a mother to be.

Candace eased her body very slowly to the bench. "Will someone please explain this to me?"

Gabrielle spoke up. "Candace, have you and Taylor recently discussed having children?"

Candace thought back to the conversation that she and her intended had shared just the evening before. "Yes."

"And you both desire them?" Gabrielle looked at Taylor.

The firefighter nodded.

"Ah. That explains it." Gabrielle smiled gently.

"It explains what?" Taylor's mind was trying to put together a puzzle with many missing pieces.

Gabrielle nodded to one of the guards. The guard rapidly made her way to the table. The former queen whispered to the guard who took off in a hurried run.

"She'll be right back." Gabrielle stated calmly.

"Back with what?" Candace furrowed her brows.

"Youah explanation." Mel raised an eyebrow and gave a tilted nod.

"Why can't you tell us?" Taylor was still in a complete state of shock. Xena placed a solid hand on her shoulder. Taylor looked into understanding eyes that matched her own. She felt a slight calm come over her.

"I have a feeling Aphrodite has a much better way of elucidating it." Terran was quite proud of himself.

"Elucidate? Who uses that?" Spencer looked at his lover with a

With a quick shrug he explained himself. "I've been working on my vocabulary."

"Ah." Spencer nodded his approval.

"Ya'll realize this will call for a celebration." Melinda loved to plan a party.

"I am NOT pregnant!" Candace pounded her fist on the table. Silence ensued. Tears welled in her eyes as she looked at Taylor.

The tall firefighter stood bravely to her feet. She straightened her vest with determination. Her long legs carried her quickly to Candace's side. Melinda vacated her seat for her. She placed a soft hand on Candace's shoulder. "Would it be so bad?"

Candace looked at her soulmate for a long moment. Taylor was serious. "You mean it would be okay with you?"

"It would be an honor to have children with you, your Highness." A loving smile crossed Taylor's lips.

"But, I'm not pregnant." Candace whispered her insistent statement.

Taylor's soft words brought a grin to everyone's face. "I mean, if you were."

"That's good to know." Candace turned her head as a very out-of-breath guard hurried to the table with a bow. She handed a small velvet pouch to Gabrielle and excused herself after she was dismissed.

Gabrielle handed the pouch to Taylor. "Here. Read the scroll."

Taylor accepted the pouch as she looked around at the others. She set the strings to the side as she pulled the cloth aside to open the satchel. She took a deep breath and pulled the sheepskin out. Her eyes grew wide as she read the first line. She dropped her hand with the scroll still in it. Her eyes glazed over as her face was void of intelligence.

"Tay! Give me that!" Candace swiped it from her grasp. She began to read it out loud.

"Ohmygod." Candace had the same reaction as Taylor. If she had been standing, it would have been a good reason to sit.

"But, HOW did this happen?" Taylor believed now, but she didn't understand.

"Keep reading." Jan took the letter from Candace, who surrendered it freely, and handed the Scroll back to Taylor.

Taylor accepted it with as much grace as she had remaining. Her voice cracked as she read.

"She knew all along." Gabrielle smiled at the thought of her mothers and their gift. Terran smiled back at her as their eyes met.

Taylor continued:

"Read the directions. That's a good one!" Jan guffawed.

"Jaaaan." Mel's tone was threatening.

Taylor began to grin broadly. They were going to have a baby. Her arm draped around her beloved fiancée. Her lips pressed softly against her temple. With a sweet whisper she reassured the soon to be mother of her child. "I love you, Miss Candace. This is the most wonderful thing that could ever have happened to us."

"What will we tell your mother?" Candace giggled. It would seem that it was customary for future mothers to do that.

The group around the table began to grin uncontrollably from the joy that was filling their hearts. What began with a snicker soon graduated into full-blown belly laughs. The merry making gave way to tears as well. This was wonderful news.

Gabrielle was the first to speak an actual sentence. "Taylor, you know this means you have to marry her."

"I'm already marrying her." The inflection in her voice was resolute.

The former queen and current Regent knew the complete content of Amazon law. "For your daughter to be born an Amazon royal, the mother must be joined by the rising of the next full moon."

"When is that?" Spencer hadn't been out of the confines of Ares' jail long enough to see a full moon.

Xena knew the answer. "Day after tomorrow."

Taylor choked again. "What?'

"The full moon rises every morning at my house." Janice snickered at her own joke. Xena, Taylor and Spencer weren't far behind. Two sets of green eyes had one brow raised.

Mel could hardly believe she was going to wed this person. "Mah Deah Gahd, Jan. Will you eveah grow up?"

"I hope not. I may grow old, but I refuse to grow up." She gave her head one firm shake.

"She should have appeared in Never Never Land instead of Amazon Land." Gabrielle recalled one of her favorite fairy tales from the future.

"Where?" Xena had never heard of the place. She had traveled the known world many times over and the name didn't ring a bell.

Taylor tried to explain the Land of Never Never to a Warrior Princess. "It's not a real place, Xe. It's an old children's story about a boy named Peter Pan who lives in a land where the Lost Boys reside. They never grow up there. If you want to find it you have to fly second star to the right and straight on 'til morning. I vote we send Jan." The firefighter turned a open palm to Jan.

"I second." Candace finally found her voice.

Gabrielle took over the proceedings with great enthusiasm. "Motion carried. Off you go, Jan. Straight on 'til morning and all that." She flicked her hands in a shooing motion.

"Straight is not a place I plan to go in this lifetime or any other for that matter, so ya'll can bite me." The doctor grabbed a short bench and carried it to the table. She sat in a feigned huff. Mel ran a protective hand over her blonde hair. They shared a quick smile.

"Back to the matter at hand, Ladies. I think we have a wedding to plan. And in a hurry." Spencer was excited by the thought. He had never planned so much as a simple dinner party and here was the chance to plan a wedding. This was heaven and he knew it!

"Leave it to the gay boys to want to plan a wedding." Xena smirked as she spoke under her breath.

"They do it the best, Xe. Might as well let them do what their best at." Jan shrugged and Xena shrugged back in agreement.

"I think I need a drink." All voices stopped to look back at the pregnant co-Regent. Five sets of eyes turned in her direction. She suddenly realized she had spoken aloud. Her eyes returned the gazes that met her. "Well, think about it. I'm pregnant. I wasn't planning it. Now I have to get married and I wasn't planning on that either. At least not tomorrow. I'm a little stressed."

Taylor looked deeply hurt by her intended's reaction. "Don't you want to marry me?"

Candace put her hand to Taylor's cheek. "You know I do. It's just all so sudden. I have to get used to the thought of having a wife and a child all at the same time. A wife is a good thing right?"

"Uh huh."

"And we both agree children are a good thing, right?"

"Uh huh."

"So this will be doubly good, right?" She whispered the last part with a pleading in her soft eyes.

"Uh huh." Taylor touched her forehead to Candace's. The smile was a threat to the noon day sun.

"Junior, remind me to tell you how articulate I think you are." Xena laughed at her.

Taylor looked over at the Warrior Princess. "Uh huh."

"Nice come back."

"Uh huh."

Terran gasped again and the entire table tensed. The total assemblage of the hall was silent as well. Xena frowned as the silence turned suffocating. She looked up and noted that all eyes had turned to the entrance. She slowly forced her eyes to follow the group. What she saw gladdened and saddened her at the same time.

A shining aura surrounded the two beautiful women who stood before them. The taller had flowing hair of raven black. Her ice blue eyes shone with a fire of pure confidence. She was in total control of herself and her emotions.

The shorter had long golden hair that glimmered as polished brass. The green of her eyes was as calming as the still ocean water of a paradise bay. She was as confident as the other, but it was the overwhelming power of her kindness that permeated her very being. Terra and Skye had indeed grown up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Continued...