�Wake up, Joxer � they�re here!�

�They�re here?� he echoed sleepily, and then suddenly made the connection. �Oh � they�re here! They�re here, Hercules!�

The Demigod and Sorrow looked to each other in relief, and the goddess moved to get down from the table.

�No, you wait here,� advised Hercules. �I�ll bring him to you!�

Sorrow nodded impatiently, �Okay . . .but hurry!�

Gabrielle ran out ahead of the two men to greet her friends, and was gratified to see Autolycus holding Argo�s lead while Xena dismounted. Iolaus was already on the ground, busily untying a fighting staff from his saddle.

�Xena!� cried the bard. �You finally made it!�

�In time, I hope?� the Warrior Princess asked anxiously.

�Plenty of time!� Joxer assured as he clasped arms with Autolycus in welcome.

Iolaus turned and faced Hercules without an ounce of surprise, apology, or even humility. �Well, you wanted me here, so here I am,� he threw out his arms in surrender. �Let me have it!�

Hercules grinned at the hunter�s defensive stance, and laughed, �It�s good to see you, too, Iolaus, but I�m not the person who had you brought here.�

�Huh? What do you mean, you didn�t have me brought here?�

�You�re not here because of me,� the demigod insisted.

Iolaus� brow furrowed in consternation, �Then, who - ?�

�There�s someone in the cave who�s been waiting a long time to see you.�

Iolaus looked around suspiciously, observing the expectant faces of his friends, and asked cautiously, �Am I in some sort of trouble?�

�Depends on your point of view,� Autolycus offered cryptically, and Joxer choked back a snicker.

�Who is it?� Iolaus demanded, giving Hercules a hard look as he clutched the quarterstaff even more tightly.

Hercules smiled and swept his arm toward the cave�s entrance, �Why don�t you go see for yourself? I promise, it won�t bite.�

�Unless you want it to,� Auto chimed in again, and Joxer fell over laughing as Gabrielle elbowed him in the ribs.

For some reason, Iolaus didn�t know what to do or say or ask � they were all acting so funny, he wasn�t sure whether he should trust any of them or not. As a quick means of getting to the root of it all, he looked directly to Joxer, who was the worst actor in the entire world.

Joxer had the happiest smile on his face as he stood protectively behind Gabrielle, and the wannabe-warrior waved urgently at the cave and insisted, �Go on! Get in there!�

Taking the ingenuous man�s word for it, the Golden Hunter took a deep breath and entered the cave alone.

The rest notably waited outside while he made his way through the short passage, and he didn�t think to wonder why they didn�t follow. He had no hope left for himself, and no desire to see anyone, so he told himself it was merely trivial curiosity that made him pass through the entrance into the larger cave within. He emerged into the main cave and first saw the fire circle Joxer had built, noting that they�d obviously been there for a few days by the look of their camp, but before he could look around further, a very female voice accosted him from out of nowhere.

�Where have you been?� asked the disembodied voice.

�Huh? Me? Uh, well, I�ve. . . I�ve been in Corinth . . .� he stammered, nearly tripping over Gabrielle�s cooking pots. �Who are you? Why won�t you let me see you?�

�That�s a rather intricate weapon you�re holding,� the voice continued, ignoring his queries and focusing on his possession instead.

�This? It . . . belongs to someone . . . someone important . . .�

�And this . . . someone important . . . would you part with that keepsake if it meant that you might see that person again?�

Iolaus� reply came very small and pitiful, �I�d give anything to see her again . . .�

Then, with no surprises or fanfares in the least, Sorrow slowly materialized before him, her face filled with the overwrought emotion she felt emanating from him, and indeed from herself as well, and instantly Iolaus fell to his knees in disbelief.

�Sorrow!� he gasped, his arms raised up in supplication to his goddess. �He � he said you were � but I didn�t believe him . . . and now here you are! Sorrow, is it really you?�

�Yes, Iolaus, I am free at last,� Sorrow smiled upon him as she took his beleaguered and bewildered face into her hands, proving the reality of her presence to him by her very touch. She saw instantly that his face was pale and haggard, and that the joy she had once felt in him had obviously been vacant from his blue eyes for far too long. But the caress of her hands and the salty scent of her pearlescent skin went straight to his senses while the echo of her words went straight to his heart, and suddenly he felt the ice around him beginning to melt.

�Sorrow! � he cried out in a deep sob, grasping her about her rounded waist as he began to weep uncontrollably. Sorrow wept, too, as she ran her fingers through the glorious, golden curls she had missed for so long, her lips planting comforting kisses on his head as she crowned him with a coronet of pearl tears.

�I � I never believed . . .,� he gasped uneasily, his breath coming to him raggedly. �Please, forgive me!�

�Shhh, Iolaus � there�s nothing to forgive,� Sorrow admonished gently. �It�s over now, Iolaus. We�re together at last, and there is nothing anyone can do to change it. We�re together and we�re about to become a family.�

�Family? � Iolaus echoed, more in frightened revelation than in understanding of what she was telling him. He lifted himself to his feet in a hurry, �Sorrow, he�s looking for you!�

�I know, but he can�t find me, and even if he did, it won�t matter.�

�It won�t? Why not?�

�Because,� Sorrow began with a cryptic smile, �I had strange cravings all through my pregnancy.�

�Most women do,� he dismissed instantly.

�I�m not a human woman,� she trumped him succinctly.

Iolaus blinked at her a few times in ignorance, then disbelief, and at long last, realization, as the truth finally became apparent to him. He then passed his hand gently over her swollen midsection in awe.

�I . . . I can�t believe it,� he gasped, his voice reflecting so much pent-up emotion. �All those nights that I dreamed of you � dreamed you were having our baby � then had to wake up to the reality that I would never have that with you . . . that I might not ever see you again . . .�

�It�s over, Iolaus!� Sorrow cried. �It�s over and I�m here, and I�m having your baby! And, we have forever to spend making up for lost time!� A moment later, her labor caught up with her again, and she doubled over, gasping, �Ow!�

�What is it!?� Iolaus begged anxiously, unsure of what was happening to her.

�Your child, Iolaus . . . it is anxious to meet you, I think,� she replied in panting tones, striving to breathe through the pain.

�You�re in labor!? � Iolaus questioned in sudden panic. Sorrow nodded, and without a second thought to the matter, Iolaus cried out loudly, �XENA!! We need your help! �

Outside the cave, another reunion of sorts was also convening as their friends welcomed Xena and Autolycus back with great warmth and goodwill, but the Warrior Princess was in a bit of a quandary.

Before her stood both Autolycus and Hercules, and beyond them was the mouth of a cave that was going to amplify her feelings of love for either one, or even possibly both of them! She�d had no warning that the muscle-bound demigod was going to be present, and already she could tell that Autolycus was measuring up Hercules for some sort of presumably ill-fated confrontation. On her other side, she saw Gabrielle holding Joxer�s hand and it looked as though she were inspecting it � however, both of them appeared to be blushing!

~ Boy, this just had to be the right cave, didn�t it? ~ Xena thought acridly, rolling her eyes in exasperation. She could only hope that her job was done, and that she and Gabrielle could now resume their vacation trip to Egypt.

She was pretty sure that wasn�t going to happen.

Sudden movement out of the corner of her eye alerted her too late, and she turned to see the Son of Zeus approaching the King of Thieves unknowingly, extending his hand in friendship, but Xena intercepted him just in time. Hercules started to open his arms to embrace her in welcome but the Warrior Princess wisely reached out and grasped his arm in a warrior�s handshake instead and said, �Good to see you, Herc!�

�Good to see you, too, Xena,� Hercules greeted her questioningly, but immediately understood when she indicated toward the master thief with her eyes and a subtle lean of her head, then toward the cave. He nodded almost imperceptively, letting her know he understood: Autolycus had been to the cave, and was now obsessing over none other than Xena herself! A blush and a look of pure chagrin on her face were almost enough to set him to laughing.

However, before he could begin, Autolycus decided that the demigod had held onto Xena�s arm for long enough, and he insinuated himself between them on the pretext of shaking hands as well.

�So, how�s it going, Herc? Hope we didn�t keep you waiting too long, ha ha!� Autolycus forced a chuckle, and Hercules had to squash another urge to laugh.

�Um, no worries, Autolycus. How was your trip?�

�Not too bad�I�m a bit road-weary, though. You know, horses and me! Ha ha!� Auto laughed again, glad to see Xena moving away from Hercules and toward the Bard and the wannabe-warrior.

Xena approached the pair in time to hear Gabrielle saying quite worriedly, �I mean it, Joxer, I want you to take it easy ��

�What happened to Joxer?� Xena asked, and was rewarded with a look of complete contrition as Gabrielle dropped his hand guiltily.

�Oh, um, he hurt his�hand�earlier,� Gabrielle started to reply, but Joxer interjected skeptically.

�Everyone�s saying that Sorrow broke my hand this morning, but I don�t remember it,� he said, holding up his hand for the Warrior Princess to inspect.

�She did what!? � Xena cried, her love for her friends and her paranoia of the gods over-toning her reaction as she looked to Gabrielle accusingly.

�Whoa, Xena!� Hercules jumped in quickly. �Let me explain � Sorrow is having a human child, and so she�s been having all the symptoms of a human birth. She had a bad contraction this morning and just happened to be holding onto Joxer when it hit her, and she accidentally crushed his hand. But she�s an empath, so she was able to heal his injuries immediately by taking them on herself. When you see her, you will see that her hand is still swollen, as his once was.�

Xena blinked at the demigod in a fit of unwilling disbelief, unsure how to react to this tale. Obviously no one else had been hurt, but the very fact that the unknown goddess had even accidentally pulverized Joxer�s hand was enough to confirm her doubts about Sorrow. However, learning that the goddess had apparently assumed his injuries in her healing of him forced her to have to reconsider her trust of this goddess yet again.

�Is this true, Gabrielle?� she finally asked her best friend, seeking reinforcement and reassurance that they weren�t all making a huge mistake.

�Yes, Xena � I was there when it happened,� the bard confirmed, still lingering close to the formerly-wounded warrior �She really didn�t mean to do it, and she did heal him afterwards, Xena � I saw her do it.�

�She isn�t out to hurt anyone, Xena,� Autolycus added, looking the most sincere she�d ever seen him look.

The Warrior Princess opened her mouth to speak, but was belayed by a shout from inside the cave.

�XENA!! We need your help! �

Hearing the alarm in Iolaus� voice caused her to look to the cave in deep consternation. She would go, of course, but before she went, she stated sternly, �Well, I guess I�d better go find out if you�re right.�

Iolaus was in a near panic by the time Xena joined him. �Xena, can you help her?� he begged, feeling the anxiety of a new father who doesn�t know what to do.

The Warrior Princess stared hard at the unusual goddess, taken aback by her appearance. Immediately, she guessed that Sorrow must take after her father, Poseidon, for she surely didn�t resemble Lachesis beyond certain features. Xena had never seen a goddess with her exquisite attributes before, and in reality, she reminded the warrior somewhat of Krishna, the blue-skinned deity they had encountered in India.

And, like Krishna, Sorrow appeared most harmless as she clung to Iolaus as he supported her through her contraction. But Xena had never seen a goddess in real pain before, the evidence of which was exhibited all over Sorrow�s face and body.

�Of course I can help her � I have many skills,� finally came her pat answer as she began disarming. She ditched her sword, armour and gauntlets at Gabrielle�s bedroll, and approached Sorrow slowly. �Do you trust me, Goddess?�

�The question is,� Sorrow panted, almost defensively, �do you trust me? �

The goddess� emerald eyes, looking out at Xena from within a sea of flushed pink skin, bore deep into Xena�s psyche, reminding the Warrior Princess of all the times Sorrow had borne her sorrows, as well as the sorrows Xena herself had wrought with her own destructions.

Xena did not flinch at the forced memories and replied stolidly, �My friends trust you, and I trust my friends.�

Sorrow nodded, and panted weakly, �Good enough for me.� She then collapsed into Iolaus� arms in exhaustion, the contraction easing at long last.

�Herc?� Iolaus begged to his friend, and the demigod responded by taking Sorrow up into his arms and carrying her back to the table. Xena followed silently, noting that Gabrielle had already prepared the area for the birth, and had all the utensils she might need lain out on a stone nearby.

�Good work, Gabrielle,� she praised her friend, dipping her hands into the pot of water that the Bard brought to her, along with a chunk of soap. She washed her hands thoroughly and accepted the cloth Gabrielle offered. She approached the goddess slowly as she carefully dried her fingers.

Iolaus was by Sorrow�s side, still weeping somewhat as he stroked her ocean-blue hair, and Sorrow gripped his hand in hers desperately, unwilling to let it go. He was whispering words of love and encouragement to her, and to her surprise, it made Xena smile. In that one moment, she became fully certain that she�d made the right decision to bring him here. Whatever this goddess might be about, Xena was sure that Iolaus adored her, and that Sorrow loved Iolaus in return, and the very least she could do for both of them was to see that their child was born safely.

�Sorrow, I need to check to see how far along you are,� Xena spoke reluctantly, sorry to break up their quiet moment of bonding.

Hearing Xena�s intentions, Hercules approached her, �Xena, I was . . . advised . . . to let you know that because of Sorrow�s child being human, that she�s going to be subject to all the effects of human childbirth, and will need just as much care and attention as a human woman would to see to it that the child is born safely.�

Xena nodded and smiled reassuringly, �You can count on me, Hercules.�

The demigod smiled back with a certain gleam in his eye before he turned to Autolycus and Joxer, �Come on guys, let�s go outside and give them their privacy.�

�Um, good idea,� agreed the King of Thieves, feeling a bit nervous about the whole thing. However, not to let the Son of Zeus get one up on him, he called to the Warrior Princess, �Xena, if you need me, you know where to find me!�

Xena nodded again and smiled a bit more slyly.

Seeing the good result his friend had gotten, Joxer wisely turned to Gabrielle. �Same here, Gabrielle � call me if you need me, okay?� he said firmly, and was rewarded with a smile of his own. Joxer nodded and blushed as well, and was sort of stuck where he was for the moment until Autolycus grabbed him by the tunic, �Come on, Jox � they�ve got work to do in here!�

Hercules herded the two men out, leaving Xena to do her examination of the goddess properly. It took her only a few minutes to assess the situation. �Okay, you�re close, Sorrow, but you�re not quite ready to give birth just yet, so what I need you to do right now is to avoid pushing until I tell you to. Until then, any time you have a contraction, I will need you to breathe through it like this . . .� Xena demonstrated the breathing technique she had always used when giving birth, and Sorrow nodded before mimicking it perfectly. �Good,� Xena approved.

�Is there anything I can be doing?� Iolaus begged, anxious to feel more involved with the birth of his own child.

�Exactly what you�re doing now � just stay with Sorrow and talk to her, and help her focus on her breathing when she�s having a contraction. And when the baby�s born, I�ll let you cut the umbilical cord!�

Iolaus paled at the suggestion, but he nodded in obedience just the same. Gabrielle shot a laughing look to her friend, and Xena winked back as she chuckled to herself.

As the afternoon wore to a close and the baby seemed no closer to being born, Gabrielle and Joxer moved the camp to just outside the entrance of the cave, and the pair began cooking supper for the gathering of heroes. Xena was resting against a log during a break in Sorrow�s contractions, meditating over the coming birth.

Meanwhile, Hercules and Autolycus hovered nearby, both finding themselves rather drawn to the Warrior Princess, though Hercules was drawn to her more through his own natural desire for Xena rather than through the enhancement Autolycus obviously felt. Being a demigod made him impervious to the whims of Aphrodite�s ancient cave, but his own whims still being what they were, he found much that still pleased his eye when he observed the magnificent warrioress, now stripped of her leather armour.

�Supper will be ready in about half an hour, if you want to go check on Sorrow,� Gabrielle advised, and Xena nodded in return, rising to go back into the cave and see to both Sorrow and Iolaus. As she walked past the campfire, she couldn�t help but notice the appreciative gaze she was getting from Hercules, so she quickened her steps, for the blush that came to her cheeks was a major betrayal of her emotions. She could not let either Hercules, or Autolycus, see that she was flattered, or else all Tartarus would surely break loose, and so she hurriedly ducked into the cave as quickly as possible.

But Autolycus had indeed noticed the appraising stares of the demigod, as well as Xena�s reaction to them, and he didn�t like it one bit. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more he started to seethe, but he kept a check on his budding jealousy by deciding that he�d best not go flying off the handle just yet.

~ Better test the waters before making a fool of yourself, Auto, especially with a strong guy like Hercules ~ he thought somewhat wisely.

�Say, that Xena is one heckuva girl, isn�t she?� he asked, his voice deliberately luring Hercules into a false confidence.

�Sure,� Hercules agreed, shrugging slightly. �She�s a beautiful woman, and a great warrior.�

�Oh yeah, she sure can handle herself in a fight, you can definitely say that for her, you betcha,� the thief gushed.

�Yes, you can,� Hercules fought to keep a grin from spreading across his face. He�d known the master thief long enough to know there was something on his mind, and he was pretty sure that something had dark hair and sapphire eyes.

�Yeah, I�d sure hate to get my butt kicked by her again, eh?�

�No, no, I�d not want to do that again, either,� Hercules nodded, struggling to hold his laughter.

�I�ll bet she�s a great lover, too, eh, Herc?� Autolycus pressed, already beginning to lose the delicate hold he had on his feelings.

Hercules looked at the thief, recognizing the tinge of jealousy in his voice, and he replied almost sternly, �I�m sorry, Autolycus, but I don�t �kiss and tell�.�

�Oh, come on, Hercules!� Autolycus finally exploded, unable to stand it a moment longer. �I want to know right now � what is your relationship with Xena, and what are your intentions toward her?�

Hercules almost laughed aloud at the outrageous display being made by the King of Thieves, but he did not want to crush the one thing that had obviously inspired Autolycus toward doing good � his hidden passion for the Warrior Princess. Instead, he said, �Not that it�s any of your business, but we are just good friends now, and I have no intentions toward her beyond being a good friend to her. Does that make you happy, Autolycus?�

Autolycus was struck dumb for a moment, for he had anticipated a declaration of love from the son of Zeus, and had fully expected to have to part company with Hercules from that moment forever as rivals for the heart of the raven-haired, blue-eyed warrioress. Finally, he found his tongue and claimed in his usual smug manner, �Well, yes, that does make me happy.�

�Now, do you mind if I ask you what your intentions are for Xena?� Hercules quickly turned the tables on the master thief, a sly smile hinting at the corners of his mouth.

Ever in control, Autolycus swiped his mustache as he answered suavely, �Well, not that it�s any of your business, but one day I hope to form an alliance with Xena - �

�What sort of alliance?� Herc teased seriously, enjoying the show.

�Well, you know,� Auto gestured importantly, �the usual sort of alliance.�

�No, I don�t know - do you mean you want to join forces with her, or marry her?�

Autolycus gaped at the grinning demigod, appalled on all accounts, and he started to protest, �W-why, I � I - ,�

�Never mind � I think you just answered my question!� Hercules laughed at his stammering friend, and then added seriously, �I certainly wish you luck, Autolycus � believe me, she�s worth the effort.�

Auto�s stutter cleared up at the utterance of Hercules� blessing, and he proclaimed with forced confidence, �Why, uh, thank you, Hercules. That�s mighty big of you.� He then leaned toward the demigod confidentially and asked, �Do you really think she�d give me a chance?�

�I don�t know, Autolycus,� Hercules answered truthfully. �But, you�ve been very good to her in the past, and you�ve risked your life and freedom many times to help her; I know she�s certainly grateful to you for that.�

�Oh,� Autolycus groaned in disappointment. From what the large hero had just said, Xena might just as likely give Joxer the time of day as himself. It was not an encouraging thought.

�But,� Hercules added with a sly grin, �I know for a fact that she has a soft spot for �bad boys�, and I don�t think she could possibly do worse than you!�

�Why, thank you, Herc � ,� Auto started to answer, but wised up quickly as the meaning sank in. �Heyyy, what�s that supposed to mean?� he retorted.

Hercules laughed heartily and clapped the thief on the shoulder soundly, �Not a thing, my friend, not a thing! Actually, I think it�s wonderful that you�ve fallen for Xena, and I hope she returns the feeling.�

�Yes, well, I suppose we�ll just have to see about that,� Auto replied uncertainly. He knew he ought to feel more relieved that the big guy was no longer a threat, but his own neuroses prohibited him from relaxing whenever Xena came into question. He also could not quite believe that this discussion was ending so amicably and in his favor, and above all, without bloodshed � his in particular � and he said, �I�m glad we had this little talk!�

�So am I, Autolycus,� Hercules laughed again. �So am I.�

On to Chapter Thirty~Three

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