"It feels so good to finally be back in Greece," Gabrielle told her best friend happily.

"You said it," Xena agreed with equal contentment.

For awhile it had seemed as if it would never happen again in this lifetime. If it weren't for an honest-to-Gods miracle, their lifeless bodies would still be nailed to a pair of Roman crosses as a gruesome example to anyone foolish enough to contemplate challenging the might of Julius Caesar and Rome. Even now the brutal memories of their execution haunted the dark corners of their minds, in spite of their miraculous resurrection.

At least we took that bastard Caesar with us. I hope he likes his new empire in the fires of Tartarus, Xena thought to herself with grim satisfaction. She no longer celebrated the painful deaths of her enemies for vengeance's sake, but she had no qualms about enjoying the fruits of justice when it came from the death of someone as deserving as him.

Xena herself had arranged for Caesar's demise to take place at the very moment of his seeming victory over the world, and there'd been no miracle to snatch him from the jaws of death and eternal damnation- Eli's power had been reserved for Xena and Gabrielle alone. Eli had no idea why this was so, but none of them were going to look that gift horse in the mouth at this point. Whatever the reason, some mysterious Divine Presence had channeled new life into the two women, rescuing them from an eternity in Hell. Xena had scant respect for the Olympian Gods, but the unknown Deity that had chosen to save them had her thanks. Still, the debt made her nervous. She didn't mind owing her life to Eli, but his God was a different story. She could only hope that when He decided to call in that favor she would be able to afford His price.

Fortunately, Eli's share of the gift had come without any strings attached. He'd already proven himself a true friend on more than one occasion. She knew that Gabrielle found him particularly compelling with his message of love and peace, and the two women both wished that he had returned to Greece with them. But he'd chosen to remain at his old friend Kaleb's home to study the ancient scriptures stored there, so they'd had to part ways. Only their friends Joxer and Amarice had accompanied them through the mountains into Greece, and even they had left the women when they reached the Kingdom of Illyria.

That meant that for once they had no one to please except themselves. Xena and Gabrielle had decided to visit their respective families, since their loved ones might well have heard the story of their crucifixion, but perhaps not about their miraculous resurrection. Gabrielle had insisted that they deliver that happy news to their families in person so that there wouldn't be any doubt.

That made things a little more difficult for Xena, however, since she had another even more shocking piece of news to share, and it was all the more stunning because the Warrior Princess had absolutely no idea how it had come about. The thought of telling her mother that she was pregnant would make even the Destroyer of Nations shudder, but to admit that she didn't know who the father was would be more than she could handle. It was sad to hope that her mother was so busy planning on how best to spoil her future grandchild that Cyrene would let that little detail slip, but Xena was too wise to count on that. Maybe she'd tell her mother while still in Argo's saddle, and if her mother got too annoying, she could ride away. If Gabrielle hadn't insisted that they see their families, Xena most definitely would have chickened out and sent a letter with no return address, and then just to say that she was still in the land of the living, no mention of her present delicate condition. It wasn't the sort of secret that Xena could keep for long, but she would have taken every moment of peace she could have gotten.

"Just think, in a week we'll be in Potidaea," Gabrielle said a bit dreamily as Xena brooded on the upcoming struggle of keeping her mother from driving her insane.

The bard had been eager to leave the pastoral life of her little village to follow Xena, but she still loved her family dearly. She didn't regret her decision to leave home, but it meant that she never got to see enough of them due to her footloose travels over the world, and even when she did make it home her visits were often marred by conflicts all too common in Greece as well as the rest of the world. Having to keep bandits from raiding the local villages who hadn't gotten the news that the Warrior Princess and her sidekick were on vacation was a pain.

Of course, Xena often welcomed that sort of diversion, especially when Gabrielle's parents started hinting that maybe being with Xena had been a bad idea. It was inevitable that they would see things that way, but it didn't mean that Xena had to like it. And that made her almost as uncomfortable with the idea of seeing Gabrielle's parents as her own mother. "I'm sure your father won't be glad to see me. He still blames me for luring you away from home, you know, and he's not shy about saying so."

Gabrielle grimaced ruefully at her partner's complaint. "That's an understatement. Still, even my father has to admit that we've helped a lot of people over the last few years, including the people of Potidaea, more than once. You're a hero just like Hercules and Jason, and the world needs people like you to protect them."

"And people like you," Xena emphasized to her partner warmly. Too many people underestimated her friend, including herself. They didn't realize how important Gabrielle was to Xena and her quest for atonement, but Xena knew not to take her for granted. She knew that she'd never have had the resolve to accomplish her so-called "heroic deeds" if it weren't for Gabrielle's unconditional love and trust. That made her the real hero in Xena's eyes. Her goodness was the never-ending source for Xena's strength to face evil, whether from outside her or from within, and with her soul mate by her side she felt as if she could accomplish anything, regardless of the personal cost.

Except facing the disapproval of Gabrielle's father Herodotus, that is. Give her a marauding cyclops any day! "Maybe I should just drop you off at Potidaea and go on to Amphipolis alone. You can meet me there when you're ready," Xena told her friend hopefully.

"Are you sure you'd rather deal with your mother than my father? I mean, he may have a grudge against you but he's not going to freak out when word gets out that you're pregnant?"

"Not unless I tell him you're the father," Xena said with a smirk.

Gabrielle giggled at the thought and then continued. "Think about it. The last time we were there Cyrene must have paraded every eligible bachelor in town past you hoping that you'd pick a winner and settle down. Now you're going to tell her she's about to become a grandmother to a child with no father!"

"You have a point," Xena observed darkly. Then she sighed. "I guess I'll have to do it sometime. At least if I do it now I'll still be able to outrun her. And I also won't have to deal with you laughing at me behind my back while I tell her."

"Xena, would I do that?" Gabrielle asked, her eyes wide with patented innocence that was anything but. It certainly didn't fool Xena.

"In a heartbeat," she growled, trying to remain stern but failing miserably when she saw the light of laughter in her friend's eyes. The bard's warm gaze melted the last of her irritation, and the day became brighter because of it.

"What would I do without you?" Xena questioned her in a gentler, almost wondering voice.

"You'll never have to find out," her friend promised her. She and Xena had spent their lives, deaths, and resurrection side by side, and after that nothing in the universe could threaten the bond that they shared. Even death lost it's sting when they faced it together.

They shared a silent moment of appreciation and rode on in silence. They were only a few hours of daylight left and they wanted to travel as many miles as possible before they stopped for the night.

They were following the coastal road down the length of Illyria. By midmorning of the next day they'd reach a fork in the road, one branch heading east towards Macedonia and the other continuing due south to Epirus. Potidaea was located on a slender finger of land jutting out into the Thracian Sea, so they'd swing east onto the Edessan Highway at the fork. Xena's hometown of Amphipolis was a few day's ride farther northeast, just beyond the border of Macedonia in Thrace, so Xena would accompany Gabrielle most of the way before they split for their respective hometowns.

They could have gone overland more directly through the northern mountains of Illyria to save some time, but Xena knew that the detour down the coastal road was safer. She'd had enough trouble for awhile, and wasn't looking for a fight. After a week with her mother she'd be more than ready to bust some heads. Besides, she was in no hurry to get there, so why not play it safe? Illyria was full of bandits and pirates, but the main coastal road was regularly patrolled by the militia of the settlements dotting it's length in order to protect the vital trade route. Add in the fact that the two women possessed little in the way of visible wealth to tempt a thief, as well as the fact that they were obviously well able to defend themselves, and it seemed unlikely that they would run into any real trouble. Only an extremely stupid or desperate thief would choose to tangle with them for so little possible gain, and they'd get their posteriors kicked up beneath their teeth if they tried up.

Up to that point they'd enjoyed an uncharacteristically quiet journey. At first there had been few other travelers sharing their road but as they got closer to the border with the Kingdom of Epirus traffic had become heavier. Once they reached the border itself there was a large crowd of people, all being questioned by Epirote soldiers. Xena and Gabrielle winced at the inevitable delay but joined the throng waiting to be questioned.

"What do you think this is about?" Gabrielle asked her friend. Most countries contented themselves with exacting a toll for passage into their lands and allowed those who paid them to enter unhindered. The only exception came when a country was at war, but that seemed unlikely, since they hadn't heard any rumors on that subject as they'd traveled.

"I don't know," Xena told her partner, "but I think we're about to find out."

Her observation was prompted by a the sight of a squadron of soldiers striding purposefully in their direction. That earned the two women glares from the other people who'd been waiting in line for their turn to be cleared for passage into the Kingdom. But Xena could have told them that the soldiers would always be more concerned about a warrior entering the country if it was indeed at war than they would a farmer or tradesman.

"State your names and business in Epirus," they were ordered by the squad's sergeant.

"My name is Xena, and this is my friend Gabrielle. We're on our way to Macedonia to see our families and had planned to take the Edessan Highway to get there," she explained to him.

"Xena, the Warrior Princess?" he asked, but he didn't seem surprised. Someone obviously had recognized her and told the soldiers who they had before them.

"Yeah, that's right," Xena said easily. She didn't have any enemies in this part of Greece, as far as she knew.

"My commander will want to speak with you personally," the squad's leader told her politely but firmly. "Please come with me."

"All right, we'll come. But tell me, who's your commander, and why would he want to talk to me?" Xena asked as she followed him. She might not have any enemies, but there were still those who were wary of the Warrior Princess. The Gods knew there were plenty of people with a grudge against her out there. If this man's commanding officer was one of them she could be walking into a trap.

"General Leonidas is in charge here, but I'm afraid he'll have to explain his reasons for needing to speak to you himself," he told her apologetically.

"Leonidas?" Xena repeated with surprise. "The same Leonidas that led Thebes' reserves to pull off that reverse against the Phocians in the Sacred War?"

"That's him, all right," he affirmed proudly. Serving under a General of Leonidas' distinction was an honor, as a warrior like Xena obviously appreciated.

"Xena, do you know this guy?" Gabrielle asked, not that it would surprise her. The Warrior Princess was a regular Who's Who of fighting men worthy of note, as well as some who weren't so worthy.

"He's an old friend and comrade," Xena told the younger woman. "In fact, he was my chief Lieutenant back in the early days when I was still focused on protecting Amphipolis from her enemies. Leonidas was recuperating from a fairly nasty wound at Abdera when I captured Caesar and tried to hold him for ransom. Maybe if I'd had him there to watch my back Caesar wouldn't have gotten the chance to betray me."

"Sounds like a good man."

"One of the best," Xena agreed with a faraway look in her eyes. Then she snapped herself out of it and returned her attention to the sergeant. "Let's go."

The sergeant nodded and motioned his squad to fall in as an honor guard. They arrived at the Epirote garrison's stronghold a short time later. The two women passed their horses' bridles to a pair of grooms standing by and followed the sergeant inside. He brought them to a large, open room that served as the garrison's mess hall and left them there while he went to go get his commander.