By Briar
Disclaimer: I own no rights whatsoever to any characters from Xena:Warrior Princess, I am only borrowing them for the length of this story. This story is for the amusement and entertainment of my friends in the Ares and Xena Shippers club. I promise to return the characters intact when I am finished with them. I am making no money from this story.
Note: I would like to thank Tali for inspiring Double Trouble. Her e-mail about twin brothers, and how irritating they could be, got me thinking. What if Eve were twins. Since that was not a reasonable option, I decided to introduce another toddler into the story. The rest is history.
It had now been several weeks since Xena and Gabrielle had arrived at Cyrene's with the two toddlers. They had originally found Jeb at the site of a massacre. They had searched for days to find any living relatives, with no luck. They had, however, found a merchant who had told them that the men of the party had commented on being the last of their line. Nobody had chanced to think that maybe the women still had family. Xena had left word at all the places they had searched to send any info to Amphipolis, at Cyrene's tavern.
A man in dusty clothes, riding a tired horse, arrived at the front of the tavern. He enquired of a passerby if this was Cyrene's tavern. He was assured that it was, and slowly dismounted and hitched his horse to the rail. He took off his hat and entered the front door. Seeing a stranger in the room, Cyrene went over to greet him. "Welcome, how may I help you?" she enquired. "I'm looking for a Xena, who found a little boy named Jeb." Her heart sank, but she informed him that she would get Xena. Stepping out into the kitchen, she waved Xena over, and whispered. "Someone is looking for Jeb." Xena was startled and dismayed. "He's in the tavern. "Cyrene continued. Xena walked slowly into the front room, and looked around. She spotted him immediately. He was still standing just inside the front door. "I'm Xena, and I understand you're looking for Jeb?" "I certainly am, my wife's sister was the woman who was holding him. I was bringing some more things she had requested, when I heard the news. At first I heard that everybody had been killed, and I was heartsick. How would I ever tell my wife? She and her sister were very close. Then I met a merchant who informed me that there had been a small blond child who survived. Since my sister in law was the only blond in the party, I was sure that it was her son."
At that moment Gabrielle entered the room. Cyrene had just informed her of the situation. "Gabrielle....?" the man asked. "Yes?" she replied. "How do you know my name, I don't know you." "You're right." he said, "But I know you. You're my wife's cousin. Her name is Janisse, and she's your cousin on your mother's side. I saw you in town one day, and Janisse told me about you. You were busy at the time, so we didn't disturb you." Gabrielle got excited, she hadn't seen Janisse in such a long time. Janisse and her sister Marda lived several towns away, and were rarely involved in family matters. She had heard that both were married, and that Janisse had several children, she had also heard that Marda had a son. "Do you mean that Jeb is Marda's son? she asked incredulously. "Yes, he is, and I'm so thankful that someone has been taking care of him! You and Janisse are the only family he has left." he replied. "I have several children of my own, I don't feel that I would be able to take care of another child properly. Could you keep him?" "I'd be happy to, I never saw the body, and might not have recognized her if I did. I haven't seen Marda since we were both children. Oh, I'm so glad to know who he is." She exchanged looks with Xena, and then with Cyrene, who had entered the room right behind her. All three faces were smiling with relief.
They had come to love the boy as if he were their own, and now they found out that he truly was their own. Jeb had found a permanent family, and they were thrilled. Cyrene quickly stepped out of the room, and soon entered with the child in question. "Unca Lem, unca Lem." the child shouted with glee. The man swept him up in his arms, and gave him a big hug. Jeb promptly tried to fill him in on everything that had happened in the last few weeks. He told him his mama was lost, but he had found two more mamas. He told him about the chickens, and the pigs, and everything else he could think of. Of course, a lot of it was unintelligible. He didn't have a very large vocabulary yet, but he got most of his points across. Lem looked down at him with a grin. "You haven't changed a bit, Jeb." he said gently. "You're still the same chatterbox you always were. I'm so glad." Xena told him about the period when Jeb wouldn't talk to anyone but Eve, and that slowly Eve had managed to convince him that he was safe. From that time on, he started to talk, and now he wouldn't shut up. She glanced at Gabrielle, and commented. "I should have recognized the family resemblance right away. They're both blonds, they have similar features, and they both love to talk." Gabby looked offended for a moment, then grinned. "Yeah, I guess you should have at that. We've often commented that he looked a lot like me, in fact that he could have been my son, the resemblance was so great.
After a few more candlemarks, Cyrene offered to put him up for the night. It was getting late. He was invited back into the kitchen for supper with the family. Cyrene had called in some help for the evening, so they had plenty of time to talk. Their conversation went on long into the night, with time out to put the two little ones to bed. After they were safely asleep, the conversation continued, with Xena describing the scene of carnage. Lem was grateful that Xena and Gabrielle had come along in time to save his nephew. He was also more grateful than he could say, that the boy had found a family that loved him and cared for him. Xena described how she had lifted the boy while his eyes were closed in fright, and held his face in her neck while she carried him to safety. The cloak had saved him from not only death, but also the scenes of death. Eventually they went to bed.
As Xena was laying on the bed, her thoughts turned to more pleasant things. As Aphrodite would say, she and Ares were becoming an item. She wasn't quite sure exactly what an *item* was, but she had a pretty good idea. At least once or twice a week, he stopped by to visit. Mostly they just conversed, but sometimes they let their fingers do the walking, and their bodies do the talking. He would whisk them off to somewhere private for either form of conversation. They didn't want any evesdroppers, or interruptions. One night, Ares had been kissing her passionately, when suddenly he raised his head, as though he were listening. "Oh oh!" he exclaimed. "Your mother just peeked into your room and found you missing. She's gone looking. I'll take care of that." With a snap of his fingers, she was clothed in her shift, leathers, and a soft pair of house shoes. A wave of his hand placed her on the bench outside the back door. When her mother opened the door, she was sitting there with one knee clasped in both hands, staring out toward the woods.
Cyrene gave a deep sigh of relief. For a few moments there she had been worried. Where was she, why would she just get up and leave, was there something going on that she should know about? The sight of Xena sitting there on the bench, relieved all those fears. Xena had done this since she was a child. She would become restless, and have to get up, do something. Often it had been to sit on this bench, listen to the night sounds, and feel the wind on her face. It always seemed to calm her. She sat beside her, and asked. "Couldn't sleep?" Her only reply was a shake of the head. They sat there in companionable silence for a few more moments, then Xena got up, stretched and said. "I think I'll go up to bed now. Good night mother." "Good night." Cyrene returned, then entered the house behind her. They walked up the steps together, and each nodded to the other as they entered their own room. Xena stayed there for the rest of the night, and her mother, peeking in very early the next morning, found her curled up hugging her pillow.
Their next interlude had gone much more pleasantly. He had taken her to a sunlit beach on an uninhabited island. There they had played in the water like a pair of children. Only leaving the water when their exertions caused them to become aroused. They spent the next period of time with other pastimes, of a more intimate nature, and fell asleep in the shade of a pair of palm trees. Ares had a good sense of time, and could awake at any time he chose. When it was nearly dawn in Amphipolis, he gently kissed her awake, and transported them to her room. He kissed her again, passionately, as a promise of things to come. Then he took one last look at her, smiled affectionately, and walked off into the aether.
The terrible twosome were doing better, no more than three or four catastrophes per day. A craftsman in the town had developed what he called a tallchair. It had arms and a belt with buckle, attached in back, that could hold the most active child securely in place. It could be pushed right up to the table, and made for a few less messes. Two of these tallchairs had been donated to Cyrene. Both children enjoyed their food, and usually managed to get quite a bit of it all over themselves. Both ate with their hands, but Eve was experimenting with a spoon. She had found that mashed potatoes could be flung with amazing accuracy when loaded on a spoon, held firmly with one hand, and pulled back with the other. When released, the food would fly. She had made several direct hits on Jeb, before the spoon was taken away from her. "We don't play with our food." Xena stated firmly. It took a while to get him cleaned up, although he didn't seem to mind the mess. He took one finger, scraped some of the potato off his face, and put it in his mouth. Xena gave an exasperated sigh, and continued washing.
Gabrielle had been teaching Eve her Alpha, Beta, Gamma's (The first three letters in the Greek Alphabet.), and she was doing quite well. She had already mastered Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta, and Eta, and could write them with chalk on a slate. Jeb had been observing these things very carefull. Gabrielle put the slate and chalk away on a shelf, and they left the little room they were using for school. It had a table, a couple of benches, and a wall full of shelves. Gabrielle had been using it to store scrolls for the last year or two. It had originally been used for a storeroom, but Cyrene had added a large wing at the back of the tavern, and moved the contents to that area. There was much more storage space in the new wing, and it was more convenient to the kitchen.
They had been busy at other things, when someone noticed that Jeb was missing. He had been playing quietly in a corner of the room for quite a while, and no-one had noticed him slip away. They made a quick search, and found him in the school room. He had climbed up on a bench, and gotten the chalk from the shelf. He had then begun practicing his alphabet on the one blank wall. He had Alpha through Delta correct, but had then added Eta, and reversed Epsilon and Zeta after that. It was remarkable for a child so young to even begin to know his alphabet. At this rate he would be writing an opus by the age of ten. It seemed that Jeb not only had Gabrielle's love of chatter, he also had her love of writing. At least he had used a medium that was easily cleaned up. Every one chuckled before Gabrielle took a bucket of hot soapy water, and cleaned the wall with a rag.
Things had been going well between Xena and Ares. They had been carrying on a relationship right under Gabby's nose, and she hadn't caught on. Aphrodite, on the other hand, was in her element. "What's up, bro? Your little warrior babe been keeping you up?" This was said right after he gave a huge yawn. He grinned, but made no reply. She continued on. "You can spill it to me, I won't spread it around." *Not much!* she thought. He continued in silence, with a smirk on his face. She finally gave up, but determined to keep an eye on him for a while. They discussed other matters, such as the latest of Zeus' conquests, and the argument between Artemis and Apollo. Nothing had come of it, but tempers had flared for a while. Finally she left, and Ares gave a deep sigh. "Whew... that was getting too close for comfort." he murmured to himself. One of his priests had entered the room just as he made the comment. "You spoke my lord?" "It's nothing, just making a mental note." he replied. Then they got down to temple business.
The next time he called upon Xena they made another trip to that sunny tropical island they had visited before. He waved a hand, and a coconut appeared in each of his hands. The husks had been removed along with the tops. They were full of a whitish liquid, and made a pleasant drink on a hot day. He offered one to Xena who had never seen such a thing before. She wished she could take some back home with her, but she would have a difficult time trying to explain them. What could she say...Ares just popped in and gave them to me? That would only raise more questions. 'Why would Ares do that?' 'Is he in the habit of just popping in on you?' 'Just how often does he do that?' 'What else does he do?' To name a few. Both her mother and Gabrielle would become very suspicious. She much preferred things the way they were. She had the best of worlds, (well, almost) she had her family and friends, and she had Ares. What more could she want?
After the drink, and a swim, they retired to his quarters. He indicated that she should take a seat on one of the divans, then waved a hand to cause a meal to appear. He sat beside her, and they snacked for a while. They discussed the latest episodes of the terrible two, and Ares laughed uprourously at the pictures so clearly described. He could just see it. He was taking a real liking to Jeb. Of course he loved Eve, but he decided that he had room enough in his heart for another little one. He'd have to keep an eye on this one too! Double trouble, but it was an enjoyable experience. Xena's stories had been keeping him entertained for a while now. It was nice to think of something other than War and Duty for a change.
The conversation continued for a while longer, then Ares slipped an arm around Xena, and bent to kiss her. She welcomed the kiss enthusiastically, and one thing leading to another, they were soon in bed. His carresses were causing her to become somewhat heated. In fact, extremely heated. She decided to turn the tables on him, he was already aroused, but she was sure she could think of something that would exacerbate the situation. She was successful, extremely successful. He was soon completely out of control. This was a situation to her liking. He was normally in control at all times, except for his temper. That was one of his weak points. She was going to have to do something about that. Just what, she didn't know, but something was sure to come to mind sooner or later.
They were resting in each other's arms when there was a sudden shower of pink sparkles beside the bed. "Aha! I thought so." Aphrodite exclaimed with a wide smirk. "This is my department, and I'm never wrong about something like this." she remarked with a giggle. "Hey, studmuffin, I just caught you in the act, so don't try to deny it. The warrior babe has captured your heart." She giggled again, and waited for a reply. Ares gave her a disgusted look, and asked "Can't I get any privacy? I don't get any respect from my own sister!" "Oh, I respect you, studmuffin, you're a great God of War, and from what some of your priestesses tell me you're great in other departments as well." He groaned, it was just like his sister to go asking questions where she wasn't wanted. Discussing it in front of Xena, was strictly improper. She just might foul up everything he had gained over the last few months. Xena spoke up with a grin. "I'm already aware of those facts. I will happily vouch for his expertise in both departments." She glanced back at Ares, with raised eyebrow. "Isn't that so *studmuffin*?" she queried. He groaned again, just what he needed. They were ganging up on him.
This had gone on for quite a while longer, until Xena realized that it was getting late. "I'd better be getting home....please?" she looked at Ares, and he complied. With a wave of his hand, she was in her night dress and home in bed. She lay there for a while remembering the look on his face when she had gone along with Aphrodite's teasing. It had been priceless. He had been both embarrased and irritated. He did control his temper, though, she'd give him credit for that. Maybe this was what he needed. It was something to consider.
After the several escapades of the terrible twosome, the villagers of Amphipolis had gotten together and built a plank fence around the whole of Cyrene's back yard. This fence had a gate. The catch was on the outside, where only an adult could reach it. Hopefully this would help curb two inquisitive youngsters from escaping to cause more trouble. Each time the gate was opened, however, Eve watched very carefully. One day, while she was out with her mother, she looked the catch over in detail. She didn't try anything quite yet, but she had an idea. It would wait for a better opportunity.
Xena and Gabrielle had their hands full with those two. Every so often, Cyrene would get a smirk on her face, and remember when. They say, that eventually everyone will get their just deserts, and that seemed to be the case in Xena's situation. Xena had been a problem child, and her brother Lyceus was just as bad. She wasn't really bad...she was just full of mischief. One or the other would start something, the other would egg them on, and soon there would be problems. They would back each other up, no matter what. If some larger child started a fight with one of them, the other would get involved. Toris had been a quiet, obedient child, and she had really been unprepared for the other two. After the death of her husband, they had become somewhat obstreperous, and she had often regretted the necessity. If they had had a strong father figure, they might have been different. Oh, well, no use crying over spilled milk. Lyceus was dead, and Xena had turned out just fine! It was about this time that the children started talking about a new friend. At first everyone assumed that they were talking about Talitha, but that didn't turn out to be the case. The toddlers told their mothers that their friend was invisible to anyone else but them. Since an invisible friend was a common occurance with small children, no-one took it seriously. This went on for some time, and when they enquired what the name of the friend was, the children said it was a secret.
One day they came in the house with a tiny stone horse. It was of black onyx, and quite small. The workmanship was exceptional. "Our friend gave it to us." they chortled. "Isn't it sumpin? (something, in case you don't speak toddler.)" The fact that the toy was of black stone, had made Xena very suspicious. She didn't have the opportunity to do anything about it right at the moment, but she would definitely keep it in mind. Cyrene and Gabrielle had similar suspicions. Why on earth the God of war would lower himself to play with a pair of children was a very good question. Maybe he was entering into a second childhood. Yeah...right.
At the moment, the god in question had more serious matters on his mind. His latest warlord was a complete idiot. So what else was new? The last few had not had the brains in Xena's little finger. Oh, for the good old days. She had conquered every city she went up against. She had won one war after another. She had outplotted the most famous generals, and made them look like fools. He knew she wouldn't be back, at least not as a warlord, and he had come to respect that decision. As long as she continued to need and want him, he could live with her choice. Speaking of needing and wanting....he hadn't been to see her in several days now. He would have to rectify that oversight.
But first, back to business, the warlord. He discovered that there was a good man acting as lieutenant to the warlord. His name was Teris, and that name rang a bell. Wasn't that the name of the man who had aided Xena not too long ago? He had a good head on his shoulders. He was young, but time would soon change that. Ares decided that he could put up with the idiot for a while longer, but he was going to start giving Teris more responsibility. If he could handle it, he stood to make an excellent warlord. His men respected him, he had a good camaraderie with his men, and they would do anything for him. He was definitely a candidate.
Xena was starting to get twitchy. It had been several days since his last visit, and she wanted to get something straightened out. Was he the invisible friend, and if so, what was he up to? She had finally settled down in the bed, when that tingle started. She waited for him to appear, and then immediately started asking questions. "Is that any way to greet a guest?" he replied with a hurt expression on his face. The hurt expression didn't extend to the eyes, so she didn't feel sorry for him in the least. The eyes were twinkling with humor. "Okay, now, one at a time." he continued. She began with the stone horse, and he readily agreed that he was the *friend* who had given it to the children. "I need to get to know Jeb, so that I will be able to keep an eye on him. Eve is easy, she's a part of you, Jeb is much more difficult. And it doesn't have anything to do with the fact that he's related to the irritating blond. He's young, his thoughts generally unformed and I need to be able to identify him." She softly let out a breath she hadn't even been aware that she was holding. "Oh...that's different. That's perfectly all right then." She was so relieved to know that he didn't have any ulterior motives...at least she didn't think so. With Ares, there were sometimes motives within motives, and she would just have to trust him.
He transferred them to a local grove, where they sat on a log and discussed his problems with the warlord. He told her that he was going to start preparing Teris for more important things. She was glad to hear it, she had grown fond of the young man, and he really was a capable leader of men. Ares would have to wait for a while though, Teris was much too young to be in charge. Of course with Ares, time was not important. He could wait as long as necessary for whatever he set his heart on. He, after all, had all the time in the world,
She slipped one arm around his waist, and leaned her head on his shoulder. He wrapped both arms around her. She tipped back her head and he kissed her gently, then pulled her close as she laid her head back against him. They remained that way for a few moments, finally she looked up at him with raised eyebrows and a question in her eyes. He knew that look, and swiftly moved them to his bed. Their clothes were left on the divan. Clothes were not necessary for what he had in mind. A priestess was passing in the hallway. She heard the unmistakable sounds emanating from the closed doorway and smiled. Someone had gotten lucky.