A Mother's Love by Cheeya.

Bard's Note : This is part 11 of the 'A Life Worth Living' series. It would be easier for you to understand what's going on if you read the other parts, or a least the last three! You can find them at www.geocitites.com/cheeya_2000

Comment/constructive criticism to [email protected]

"We've been following these men for hours, Xena and they don’t seem to be headed in any particular hurry. Why would they take Gabby? She's just a baby."

"She's my daughter," Xena replied in a low voice. "She's a target for anyone who wants revenge against me. I should have thought about that, Gabrielle but I wanted a child so badly…"

The bard reached over and took her lifebond's hand, kissing her knuckles gently.

"This is not your fault, Honey," she said softly.

"I wasn't there, Gabrielle. I wasn't there when you and our daughter needed me." Gabrielle squeezed her hand.

"She's fine. I'd know if she were hurt and so would you," she said firmly. "Xena, we're going to find her."

"That woman back down the road said that the men were wearing a crest. She described it to me and I recognised it. It's Draco, Gabrielle."

The bard shook her head in confusion.

"I knew Draco was a ruthless warlord but I didn’t think that even he would stoop so low as to kidnap a baby."

The warrior frowned.

"It's not normally his style but he won’t kill my daughter because, despite all we've been through with him, he stills knows that I can kick his butt up and down the street. It could be related to Bliss' spell. Maybe he's trying to get back at you for turning him down? What the hell. I don’t care what his reasons are. I just know that he's going to be very sorry he ever laid eyes on her," she growled.

"She must be so scared and hungry," Gabrielle whispered as the tears came again.

Xena wanted to comfort her but she couldn’t. Her face was hard and she was feeling the call of the darkness that normally lay dormant within her. The lion was starting to stretch and soon it would pounce… right on Draco and his bunch of filthy thugs. One thing though was keeping the light within her burning, her love for her lifebond and her love for her daughter. She thought back to that night many years ago when she and Gabrielle had been talking at their campfire. Gabrielle had made her promise that if something happened to someone she loved, especially the bard herself, she wouldn’t become a monster. Xena had promised and meant it, but now she was wondering if she had been mistaken. Gabrielle had been convinced that the only way to stop the circle of violence was through love but Xena had seen and done too much to believe that totally. She knew that she would do anything necessary to get her daughter back and that included becoming the monster Gabrielle had been so scared of.

"Xena, I know what you're thinking," said the bard, breaking the silence between them.

"No, you don’t, Gabrielle," the warrior replied. "And I hope you never have to know what's going through my mind right at this moment."

"I agree with you, Honey. I'll do whatever is necessary to get her back too. If that means killing every last man in Draco's camp, I'll do it. You're not going to have to face this alone, Xena. I promise you that."

"I know that, Gabrielle," was all Xena said as she relaxed her white-knuckled grip on her reins.

Xena bent down and examined the tracks on the road carefully. She lightly scratched her chest as her vibrant blue eyes searched the surrounding area. Gabrielle stayed silent as Xena processed the information her warrior's instincts told her and then she mounted Argo again in a graceful motion.

"They're not far," she growled and nudged the war-horse into a canter. Gabrielle followed close behind and soon they came across the camp they were looking for. They hitched their horses to a tree and made their way silently through the woods to the edge of the camp. Xena counted the guards and shook her head.

"Draco's not here," she whispered to her lifebond.

"I know," Gabrielle replied. "There would be more guards, right? He's taken a number of men with him."

"That's right," Xena replied with a frown, "But why would he leave when he knows I'm coming after Gabby?"

Xena just couldn’t see the logic behind it but then she heard a baby crying and sprang up. Gabrielle grabbed her and pulled her back.

"Not yet," she hissed. "As long as we can hear her, we know she's ok."

The warrior stared accusingly at her partner.

"What are you talking about? We can’t just leave her here!"

"For all we know, it could be a trap. Xena, use your head!" Gabrielle replied angrily. They squared up to each other, neither willing to back down.

"You want to just sit here while they could be doing anything to her?" said Xena.

"No I don’t! But I don’t want to lose either of you. Xena, you can’t just go rushing in there with your sword drawn. There are too many of them!"

"Gabrielle's right," said a deep, masculine voice behind them and warrior and bard spun.

"Ares! I should have known. What are you doing here?" the bard spat in disdain.

"Ha! You weren't saying that when you were begging me to…"

His voice was choked off by the Warrior Princess' hand around his throat.

"I wouldn’t finish that sentence if I were you," she growled. "That's my wife you're talking about."

"Oh get a clue, Xena! She doesn’t love you! She told me when she was lying in my bed, in my arms!"

Xena's eyes narrowed in fury and she lifted Ares off his feet with one hand. Adrenaline coursed through her body and the lion began to roar inside her.

"Gabrielle has never done anything to make me doubt that she loves me. You, on the other hand, after telling me you love me, have done nothing but hurt me. So don’t you dare say that to me, you bastard!"

She dropped him and stepped back, drawing her sword and pinning him against a tree, the tip against his throat.

"Xena, once again, I have to mention that you can't kill a god so you might as well just listen to what I have to say about your daughter."

"I'm not listening to anything you have to say!" Xena said hoarsely but Gabrielle stepped up to her and patted her gently on the stomach.

"Xena, put the sword down," she said softly. "Let's listen to what he has to say."

The warrior shot her soulmate a disbelieving look.

"Gabrielle, he's a liar. You're not going to seriously listen to him."

Her eyes were flashing with anger and Gabrielle had a flashback to that moment when Xena had changed when they had faced the Horde years previously. She suddenly realised that she was losing Xena to the darkness again.

"Xena, listen to me. This is not the person you are. Don’t do this."

Ares grinned and nodded.

"She's magnificent when she's like this, isn’t she?"

"SHUT UP, ARES!" the two women cried together and he shrugged his shoulders and assumed a bored look.

"When you two are finished having your little heart to heart, maybe you'll listen to what I have to say about your daughter."

Xena glared at him but eventually lowered her sword and stepped back.

"Say what you have to say," she said.

"Thank you! Your child is half god and Draco knows it. He wants to raise her and have her on his side."

"Half God? She’s not a demi-god, Ares. She mortal!" Xena cried as she took a menacing step toward him again. Gabrielle grabbed her and held her back.

"Ares, what are you talking about?" she demanded.

"Aphrodite had to use her powers to create this child," Ares replied. "She got you pregnant, Gabrielle. Of course the child is a demi-god."

He crossed his arms over his chest and assumed a smug look.

"The baby is my niece. Heh!"

Gabrielle looked at Xena in disbelief but she knew by the thunderous look on the warrior’s face that she actually believed Ares.

"I don't believe this," she whispered and turned her back on both Ares and her partner. She needed to think but the sound of her baby crying upset her badly.

"Xena, let’s go get her. I don't care if it’s a trap. Let’s go." She drew her sais and squared up to Ares. "Stay out of my way," she snarled and walked toward the camp with Xena right behind her. The two warriors entered the camp in plain view of every soldier there.

"It’s Xena!" one of them cried and there was a scramble to retrieve weapons and helmets. Xena’s face was hard and full of hate and her lip curled in anger as the first man charged her. She ducked, spun, slashed him from behind and kept walking without even missing a beat. Nothing was going to stop her from getting to her child. Gabrielle was right beside her and took a soldier down with a spinning heel kick and a blow to the head. He dropped and she kicked him in the face before continuing on. Every soldier that attacked them received similar treatment but the two women stopped as they heard horses approaching. Xena slid her sword back into its sheath and unhooked her chakram.

"Goodie," she said. "Draco’s home."

A feral grin rose to her face as her body picked up a familiar sound and she caught an arrow just before it plunged into her chest. She looked at it and then tossed it aside casually, locking her eyes with the man who had shot it. He knew at that moment that he had made a terrible mistake and the last thing he saw was Xena’s chakram heading straight for his throat. The weapon returned to her outstretched hand and she hooked it back at her side. Gabrielle stood beside her, her knees slightly bent in a defensive crouch and her weapons raised.

"Hello Draco," Xena drawled as the warlord climbed down from his horse.

"Xena, it’s been a long time," he replied, adjusting his sword belt.

"Yes, it has," she replied. "But not long enough as far as I’m concerned."

Draco glanced at Gabrielle and smiled tenderly at her.

"Hi Gabrielle. Looking as beautiful as ever," he said.

"Go to Tartarus, you bastard," she spat back at him. "Why did you take my baby?"

He took a step forward her and Xena raised her finger at him.

"Ah, ah, ah, don't come any closer."

Draco ignored her and kept his attention focussed on the love of his life.

"Gabrielle, My Love, we can raise the baby together. All I want is to have you. The baby will have amazing powers that we can use to control all around us. We will be invincible! We can take what we want, when we want and not have to worry about anyone trying to stop us."

The bard frowned and lowered her voice to it’s deepest register.

"Been there, done that, not interested," she growled and Xena chuckled despite her rage. Gabrielle placed a gentle hand on her back and rubbed it lightly. Draco shrugged his shoulders and looked at one of his men.

"Fine, kill the kid!" he yelled and the soldier ran toward a nearby tent.

Xena and Gabrielle both bolted after him and the warrior tackled him as soon as she got close enough. They collapsed to the ground in a tangle of limbs while Gabrielle continued on to the tent but as she glanced back she saw Xena take a blow to the side of the head. The warrior collapsed and lay on the ground, dazedly shaking her head.

"Xena!" Gabrielle cried and started back to her but the soldier jumped up and ran to the tent. Xena got to her feet groggily and saw Gabrielle follow the soldier into the tent. She staggered as fast as she could to her family but the sight that greeted her ripped her heart open. The soldier was lying on the ground with Gabrielle’s sai protruding from his chest. His lifeless eyes were cold and staring at nothing. Gabrielle was also lying on the ground, her baby cradled protectively in her arms but she was unconscious and Xena could see a dagger lodged in her shoulder. The baby was screaming and Xena lifted her up gently and hugged her tightly before checking her tiny body for injuries. She breathed a sigh of relief to find that the baby was fine and laid her back down in the makeshift crib beside her before kneeling down beside her soulmate. Blood was pooling on the floor beside the bard’s injured shoulder and Xena lifted her up gently. She could hear approaching boot steps and knew that she didn’t have much time. Her soulmate was losing a lot of blood so she ripped a nearby blanket into strips and tightly bandaged the wound before lifting the bard onto the bed. She kissed her on the forehead and smiled.

"I’ll be right back, Gabrielle. I have some scum to clean up."

The Warrior Princess stepped out of the tent and walked slowly toward Draco and his men. Her face was a mask of hate and she could hear the bloodlust roaring in her ears as she drew her sword and spun it slowly in her hand. The darkness rose inside her, tingeing her vision with blood red and sharpening it to absolute clarity. She could hear the frantic heartbeats of the soldiers around her and she knew they were terrified of her… And so they should be, she thought. I’m going to kill every last one of them.

"Line up, Boys," she cried. "There’s going to be a long queue for Charon’s boat today."

A cold smile rose to her face and she growled deep in her throat as the lion flexed its claws but suddenly, a voice spoke in her head.

‘I want you to promise me that if anything happens to me, you won’t become a monster. The only way to stop the circle of hatred is through love… and forgiveness.’

"Gabrielle?" Xena whispered and then shook her head, quickly. "No!" she cried and the soldiers all looked at her as if she was crazy.

‘Don’t go changing, Gabrielle, I like you just the way you are. Get some sleep.’

Xena shook her head again as her senses slowly returned. The lion roared and then lay back down and her shoulders slumped. She lowered her sword and stared at Draco.

"I made a promise a long time ago that I’m going to keep, Draco. You and I both know that I could kill every last man here but I’m willing to give you a second chance and let you go. It’s up to you. You know that I’ll kill in self-defence so if you leave here now, you’ll leave with your lives."

She saw the soldiers nervously shifting and a murmur moved through the ranks. They all knew the Warrior Princess’ reputation and some of them had faced her before. None of them wanted to face her again. They started to back away but Draco yelled at them.

"Come back here, you cowards! She’s one woman! We can take her!"

They shook their heads and turned tail, running as fast as they could away from the ice-cold eyes of the Warrior Princess. Finally, Draco was left alone and he squared up to Xena with his sword drawn.

"You’ve humiliated me for the last time, Xena!" he yelled in fury and lunged at her. She blocked the blow with her gauntlet and kicked him in the stomach. He staggered back a few paces and then lunged again but Xena was no longer there. She flipped over his head and landed behind him and when he turned, she hit the pressure points on his neck.

"You know the drill, Draco. Blood to the brain, thirty seconds, you die. Make your choice!"

The warlord dropped to his knees and clutched at his throat, struggling to breathe.

"I’ll… leave," he gasped and Xena grinned.

"Maybe I’ll just let you die," she said in a low voice, tapping her dagger against her shoulder. "You ordered the death of my child."

"But you said…"

"I lied!"

She crossed her arms over her breastplate and waited, counting slowly to thirty. Draco’s face turned purple and he was on the verge of passing out when Xena suddenly jabbed his neck again and released the pressure point. He collapsed on the ground and sucked in lungfuls of air. She punched him out and walked back toward the tent to find Gabrielle standing at the entrance. She was holding herself up by the frame but she was smiling.

"You didn’t kill him," she said.

Xena shook her head and looked down.

"I nearly did," she said," but I thought of a promise I made to you a long time ago and I couldn’t do it. When I put the pinch on him, I wasn’t going to really let him die. I just wanted him to feel the fear I felt when he took my child."

Gabrielle stepped out and hugged her lifebond tightly.

"I love you, Xena," she whispered "and I’m sorry for yelling at you earlier."

"You made me see sense, Gabrielle. I would have barged in there and killed every last man but, thanks to you, I didn’t."

She felt the bard’s knees buckle and lifted her up into her arms.

"Easy," she whispered and carried her back into the tent. "Let’s take a look at this wound. Gabrielle? What happened in here?"

The bard smiled weakly and shifted to get comfortable on the small bed.

"I saw that soldier raise his dagger to kill Gabby, so I jumped in front of him. He stabbed me through the shoulder but I managed to get him with my sai. I picked Gabby up and then I must have passed out because the next thing I knew, I woke up and went to the door of the tent and saw you standing over Draco. Xena, what happened to you?"

"I was ready to kill them all but your voice got through to me. Once again, you’ve saved me."

There was silence between them for a few seconds and then Gabrielle chuckled.

"At least I didn’t have to hit you with a pitch fork this time."

Xena laughed.

"Thank the gods for that. You swing a pretty mean pitch fork, you know!"

"Yeah. Xena, what do we do now?"

The tall warrior shrugged and flicked her hair back.

"Dunno. Wanna go see Mom? She’s probably chewing at the bit waiting to see Gabby."

"Yeah, we should go back to Damarius."

Xena lifted her daughter from her crib and cradled her gently.

"Mom, is going to love her. I’m just sorry she never got to meet Solan. She would have loved him too."

Gabrielle sat up and took the baby’s hand. Gabby gripped her finger and gurgled happily.

"Yeah, she would."

Three days late, Gabrielle was recovered enough to travel so they headed back to Damarius. The weather was warm and a gentle breeze tousled their hair as they rode. As usual, Gabrielle was chatting while Xena's blue eyes darted back and forward watching for danger.

"Xena, I think we should go back to Amphipolis and help you Mom rebuild the inn."

Xena glanced at her and then returned to her observation.

"You know, I've been thinking about that too. I've also been thinking about building a place for us to live."

"Live? As in settle down?"

Xena smiled at her and nodded.

"What do you think? We have Gabby to think about now. It's not safe on the road."

Gabrielle thought carefully before she answered.

"Xena, could you be happy living in one place? The last thing I want is for you to be unhappy."

The warrior blew out a long breath.

"I've also been thinking about that. Gabrielle, I'm thirty three years old and I've never had a place that I could call my own… in fact, before now, I've never even wanted one but things are different now. We're a family now and I want to make sure that you and Gabby have everything you need. It will take years to rebuild Amphipolis and I've also been thinking about training a militia to make sure this destruction doesn’t happen again."

Gabrielle nodded thoughtfully.

"You've given this a lot of thought, haven’t you?"

"Yeah, I have. Gabrielle, could you be happy living in one place?"

The bard grinned.

"I could live anywhere, once you're there," she replied and Xena chuckled.

"Don’t go getting all sentimental on me," she said.

"Oh, I won’t. Let's talk to your Mom and see what she thinks about rebuilding the Amphipolis Inn."

The next day, they arrived in Damarius and Xena handed the baby to Gabrielle while she went to stable their horses. The bard waited until Xena came back and then they both entered the inn where Cyrene was staying. She was in her room and when she opened the door, a smile of pure happiness rose to her face.

"Xena! Gabrielle! Come in, come in! You've come back!"

Gabrielle lifted Gabby out of her pouch and smiled.

"Grandma, meet Gabby," she said and handed the baby to the older woman. Cyrene cooed over her as tears ran down her cheeks.

"She's so beautiful. I can't believe it. Thank you, Gabrielle."

"She's part of Xena too," the bard replied, gazing lovingly at her partner.

"I can see that. She looks like you both but I don’t understand… who's the father?"

Xena led her mother to the small table in the corner and sat her down.

"There is no father, Mom. I know it's difficult to understand but Aphrodite helped us. She got Gabrielle pregnant but she made the baby a part of us both."

Xena knew by the look on her mother's face that she was shocked… stunned actually.

"So she's a demi-god?" Cyrene asked and Xena frowned.

"How come everyone thought of that except us," she said in a low voice. Gabrielle moved to stand beside her and stroked her hair soothingly.

"Forget about that, Honey. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

Xena leaned forward in her chair and propped her elbows on her thighs. She leaned her chin on her hands and sighed wearily.

"Why are things never easy?" she asked no one in particular.

"Because you're the Warrior Princess and I'm the Warrior Bard of Potedaea. How normal is that, huh?" Gabrielle replied with a grin.

"I guess you're right. Well, as you said before, Love, life isn’t worth living if it doesn’t throw some challenges at ya!"

"You got that right. Now, you talk to your Mom about Amphipolis while I take care of this little monster."

She lifted the baby into the air and swung her around, causing her to giggle. Cyrene saw the pride and love in her daughter's piercing blue eyes as she watched her partner and daughter. She put a hand on her thigh and Xena looked sharply at her.

"You're a lucky woman, Little One," the older woman said.

"Don’t I know it, Mom," Xena replied with a tender smile.

She spent the following hour going over her plans with her mother while Gabrielle fed and bathed their daughter.

"So how long will it take to rebuild, do you think?" Cyrene asked.

"I'm not sure. I was thinking about that but I really don't know. It depends on how much help we get. I can draw up the plans and do most of the work myself but I'm gonna need help with lifting beams and stuff, but listen, we'll worry about that when the time comes."

Cyrene nodded slowly.

"What about your own house?"

Xena grinned.

"That's all in my head. I know what we're going to do about that. I was thinking about a cottage with a big porch and a swing and some gardens and…"

She trailed off in embarrassment as Gabrielle and Cyrene laughed at the far away look in her eyes.

"I can see you've planned this carefully," Gabrielle deadpanned and received 'the look' from her soulmate, which just sent her into a fit of laughter. Xena rolled her eyes and got up.

"I'm going to get something to drink," she growled and stalked out of the room.

"Uh oh," Gabrielle said. "I'd better go after her."

Cyrene took the baby ad Gabrielle ran after her partner.

"Xena! Xena, wait!"

She caught her at the bottom of the stairs and took her hand.

"I'm sorry, Honey. I shouldn’t have teased you like that. It's just… I'm not used to seeing you with that sweet look on your face. I really am sorry." She felt really bad when she saw the hurt look on her soulmate's face. "I didn’t mean to hurt you," she said softly.

Xena wrapped her arms around her and drew her close.

"I just want to make sure everything is right for us," she whispered against the bard's hair.

"I know you do, Honey and I love you for it. I can’t wait for us to have our own home."

"Me neither. It’s going to be great!"

Gabrielle knew she was forgiven and joined her lifebond for a drink. Cyrene came down a few minutes later and started showing her granddaughter off to the women in the tavern. Soon there was a large group standing around her and she was in her element.

"Xena, you know, we could slip away and no one would notice we were gone," said Gabrielle, trailing her fingernails along her soulmate's thigh. "It’s been a while, you know."

"Yeah, it has." The warrior looked around carefully and then stood up. "Come on," she said and led Gabrielle upstairs by the hand. Once in Cyrene's room, Gabrielle leaned up to kiss her soulmate deeply and passionately but she broke off suddenly.

"You're too tall," she whispered. "Come down here to me."

She was surprised when Xena dropped to one knee. She placed feather light kisses on the bard's bare stomach and smiled as the muscles moved lightly under her tanned skin.

"This better?" she asked.

"Oh, I could definitely get used to this," Gabrielle replied, running her fingers through the warrior's soft, dark hair. Xena wrapped her arms around the bard's hips and stood up, lifting her off the ground.

"Hold on," she said and carried Gabrielle to the bed, where she lay her down gently.

"Xena?"

"Yeah?"

"When we get our own place, can we have a giant size bed?"

"You can count on it," Xena replied with a smile and started to remove her lover's clothes. Soon, they were both naked and their bodies entwined as one, along with their souls. As they lay together in the aftermath of their pleasure, the door burst open and Xena quickly whipped a blanket over their damp bodies.

"Yes?" she asked her mother with a raised eyebrow, as she stood at the door with her mouth open. A slow grin spread over her face.

"I was wondering where you two got to. Sorry I interrupted."

"You didn’t," Xena replied casually. "We were finished."

Gabrielle blushed and elbowed her gently in the ribs.

"XENA!"

"What! Well, we were!"

Cyrene laughed and shook her head.

"Your daughter needs to be changed. Where are her things?"

Gabrielle sat up and pulled the blanket around her. She got up, leaving her partner totally naked and walked to their things. Xena stretched, as immodest as ever and then got up and padded to her clothes. Cyrene's breath caught in her throat and she walked to her daughter.

"Oh Xena. By the gods," she whispered as she traced the latticework of scars on her back with her fingertips.

"That was a long time ago," Xena replied softly and took her mother's hand in her own. "Mom, don’t look at them, ok?"

"Xena, I have to," Cyrene replied as she slowly walked around her daughter. Her eyes followed the pattern of scars on her body, including the one on her muscular stomach where she had taken an arrow shortly after she met Gabrielle. Cyrene touched it and Xena shook her head,

"Arrow," she stated.

"What about this one?" her mother asked touching the one between her shoulder blades.

"Pitch fork," Gabrielle said softly and gazed out the window. Xena walked to her and turned her around.

"Hey, you had to do it, Gabrielle. Don't beat yourself up over it. It was a long time ago."

Cyrene's eyes went wide.

"Gabrielle did that to you?" she asked incredulously.

"Yeah, I did. Xena wasn't herself so I had to hit her," the bard replied.

Xena shook her head.

"That's not quite how it happened. Ares tricked me into thinking that some villagers had killed my father. I was going to kill them all but Gabrielle stood up to me and hit me with a pitch fork. She saved a lot of people that day, including me."

"Xena, when I look at you now, I can’t believe that happened. You're a different woman totally now."

"Not so different, Gabrielle. You saw what happened in Draco's camp," Xena replied, looking down.

"That was because of a mother's love, Xena. I felt it too. I killed to save Gabby's life."

A tear rolled down her cheek and Xena hugged her. Cyrene picked up the baby's things and slipped out of the room, leaving them alone.

"I'm sorry, Gabrielle," Xena whispered. "I know the killing hasn’t become any easier for you."

"No, it hasn't, but I would do it all over again."

"I know," the warrior replied.

They dressed and went down for dinner where they continued their discussion about the rebuilding of the Amphipolis Inn. They decided to return to the village the next day and begin immediately. Next morning, Cyrene packed up her meagre belongings and rode double with Gabrielle.

"Are you ok, Sweetheart," she asked. She had noticed that Gabrielle was unusually quiet and the bard sighed heavily.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just thinking. I have a lot to think about."

"You're not regretting anything, are you?" Cyrene asked softly.

"Gods no! Cyrene, marrying Xena and having Gabby are the best things that have ever happened to me but I have other things on my mind. My family for example. My father and mother won’t recognise my marriage to Xena. I don’t think they ever want to see me again and that hurts, you know?"

"Yeah, I know, Honey. Maybe you should try again. Go talk to them, maybe without Xena."

"That's a good idea, Gabrielle," said Xena from up ahead. Her sharp hearing had picked up everything that Gabrielle had said and it almost broke her heart. "Why don’t you bring Gabby with you. She's their granddaughter too."

"Maybe I will," the bard replied thoughtfully. Maybe Gabby was the key to the whole thing. How could they meet her and then not want to be part of her life? After what they had been through with Hope, they would cherish their granddaughter. She knew it.

Gabrielle made up her mind. She was going to see her parents. She was pretty sure that she could change her mother's mind and then, it was all up to whether her mother could change her father's mind. After all, she thought, a mother's love is the strongest power in the world. And Gabrielle was counting on that.

The End

To be continued in part 12 'Family Matters'