Author: Kisha

Disclaimer: Xena, Gabrielle, and Eve do not belong to me. They belong to Universal/Renaissance Pictures and others.

This is my first fanfic, so please be kind. The story sort of came out of nowhere. It’s a little bit silly, but well, it is my first effort, hopefully, I will improve with time.

Please send feedback to [email protected]

"Are you sure she’s ready for this Gabrielle?" Xena asked doubtfully, eyeing the bard suspiciously. "After all, I didn’t start to learn how to write until I was nine, and Eve has not even passed her third summer."

"Come on Xena, the faster she starts, the faster she’ll learn. I really wanted to get her a book for the Winter Solstice. Besides I was already writing when I was her age, I think." Gabrielle added. It wasn’t exactly a lie; she just couldn’t remember when she started school. But she was eager to teach Eve how to read and write, and if she has to lie a little, so be it. "I promise I’ll do all the work. We won’t bother you for anything."

"Uh-huh, when have I heard that before?" Xena turned to look at her daughter who was at that moment sitting on the floor banging the chair with a wooden sword. "Are you sure you can handle this? Eve can be a real handful you know."

"Of course I can handle Eve. It’s not like I’ve never taken care of her before. Oh go on, go sharpen your sword or something. Leave Eve and I alone for a while." Gabrielle said, practically pushing Xena out the door.

"Alright Gabrielle, but remember you asked to do this." Xena warned and walked outside.

Gabrielle turned and muttered as she walks towards Eve, "the nerve of her, as if a little angel like you would give me any problems." She smiled and picked up Eve. "Come on Evie, you and Auntie Gabby are going to have some fun today, and we’ll show your mommy what a smart little girl you are."

Gabrielle took the wooden sword out of Eve’s hand and placed it on a corner table. She then put Eve on a chair and set out the quill and parchment, "see Eve, just watch Auntie Gabby." She started to write a few simple letters and then handed the quill over to Eve, "now honey, you try."

Eve looked at Gabrielle and gurgled. Instead of writing on the parchment, she took the feathered pen and threw it across the room. She watched gleefully as the quill hit the wall and dropped to the ground. She turned to look at Gabrielle and clapped her hands in childish wonder. "Auntie Gabby, flying pen doesn’t fly."

Gabrielle was shocked, "Eve, we don’t do that. It’s not a flying pen. It is for writing. Now go over there and pick it up." She reprimanded the child gently.

Eve gave Gabrielle a smile of total mischief and got off the chair. She walked over to where the quill has landed, but instead of picking it up, she kicked it further into the corner. "Useless flying feather pen, die!" She grabbed the wooden sword off the table and whacked the quill with it as if she was trying to chop it up into pieces.

"You stopped that right now young lady." Gabrielle walked over and removed the toy sword form Eve, and then she picked up the child and set her back down on the chair. She went over to the corner and picked up the quill herself and sighed. This is not so easy after all.

"Okay Eve, let’s try this again." Once again she took the pen and dipped it in the inkbottle. She wrote a letter on the parchment and once again handed the quill over to Eve. "Do not, and I repeat do not throw the quill again."

Eve gave Gabrielle an impish grin, but instead of dipping the pen in the inkbottle, she picked up the bottle and looked at it curiously for a moment, then before Gabrielle could stop her, she hurled the bottle across the room.

Gabrielle watched in horror as the ink splashed everywhere, making a mess of the wall and floorboards. She hurried over and picked up a rag to clean up the mess. "What’s gotten into you?"

Eve looked at Gabrielle and pouted, "Eve don’t wanna write, Auntie Gabby."

Gabrielle stopped what she was doing and turned to the child, "but Eve, it’s important to learn how to read and write. How are you going to read the book that I’m going to get you or write a letter to your grandma if you don’t learn? When you grow up…" at that point, little Eve interrupted, "I don’t need to know, I’m gonna grow up to be a warlord." She announced importantly.

"What?" Gabrielle almost had a heart attack.

"I’m gonna be a warlord. I don’t need to learn all this sissy stuff." She said and flicked the parchment off the table.

Gabrielle looked at her in total bewilderment. "Sissy? Where did I go wrong with you?" She questioned out loud, "how could a child of mine not want to write?"

"Umm Gabby, she’s not exactly your child, remember?" Xena stood at the doorway, eyeing the mess in amusement.

"Oh yeah, right, sometimes I forget." Gabrielle smiled ruefully. "It’s just that, well, I do think of her as my own daughter."

"I know, but she does have more of her birth mother in her, doesn’t she?" Xena watched her daughter proudly.

"Mommy!" Eve squealed in delight as she spotted her mother. She jumped off the chair and threw herself at her mother.

Xena caught hold of the little girl and said, "Now Eve, that wasn’t nice." She spread her arm indicating the mess around them.

"But Mommy, writing is boring. Eve wanna throw chakram." Eve snuggled up to her mother and gave her an angelic smile.

"Yeah well, chakram can kill. Writing, well, writing can give you a future." She looked at Gabrielle and added, "a peaceful one."

"But Mommy, Eve don’t wanna to be a wimp, Eve wanna be a warrior just like Mommy."

"Writing doesn’t turn you into a wimp." Gabrielle began indignantly.

"Eve, remember what Mommy said about not calling Auntie Gabby a wimp?"

"Writing is wimpy stuff." Eve muttered.

"Eve, you apologize to your Auntie Gabby right now." Xena said in anger.

"I’m sorry Auntie Gabby, but I just wanted to like my Mommy." Eve said, giving both women a big smile.

"Oh Eve, you are my little angel." Xena hugged her daughter tightly and turned to walked out of the house. "Know what, let Mommy show you how the chakram really works…"

Gabrielle watched in wonder as mother and daughter disappeared out of the room. "Oh well, I guess I’ll have to cross the book off her solstice list." She shrugged.

The End