Disclaimers: The characters of Xena: Warrior Princess and all other associated with the television series of the same name are owned by MCA/ Universal Pictures. This is a work of fan fiction and no copyright infringement is intended.

Subtext: I guess with my writing so far we'll just quit calling it subtext and call it maintext. Yes they are in love with each other.

Sex: Nothing graphic

Violence: None

Language: Mild

Other: Part Thirty-two in the series "Raising Melosa". Most of the Melosa stories have a gap of about six months between them, but this one takes up right after "The Soul of the Bard."

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By T. Novan

As the sun began to rise, waking up next to the lake on a bedroll with my naked wife draped all over my own naked body wasn’t exactly something that I expected. Not that I was complaining I wasn’t. It was a perfectly wonderful way to start my day. If things had gone as I thought then it was going to be a great day anyhow.

This was my wife, the woman I had been married to for almost ten seasons. Her body thrown over mine to the point where if I tried to move it would garner me grumpy protests. This was a glorious feeling. I barely remembered everything that happened last night, but I didn’t care. I had my Gabrielle back. It had been a long time since she had slept like this, like her old self. I took a deep breath and ran my hands over her back to try and wake her. "Ri?"

"Ummm…" She snuggled closer.

"Good morning my love." I kissed her forehead.

"It certainly is Warrior." She sighed as she kissed my neck. "Xe I remember everything, everything." She lifted her head and stared at me for a long moment then she proceeded to kiss me.

Oh what a kiss. That was all it took. By mid morning we found ourselves suitably satisfied for the moment and we dressed and headed back to the house. Stopping long enough to exchange soft kisses and tender touches.

"It was hard on you…" She said softly as we walked arm and arm back to the house.

"Yes. Of course it was Ri, but you were alive and with us and that’s all that mattered to me. I didn’t care if you ever got them back."

" I know. You always love me don’t you? No matter what happens."

"No matter what happens as long as we are together. So my sweet what’s your first order of business?"

"Oh I already took care of my first order of business." She grinned at me. "Now I want to see the kids."

"They’re over at Solan and Alana’s. Man talk about a house full. Eight people in that house at the same time really fills it up. I think I’m going to see if he wants to add a room. He was looking perfectly perplexed when I left. He doesn’t have a clue what to do with five kids. He can barely handle little Ri. He’s lucky to have Alana and Mother there with him." I chuckled at my son’s inexperience at parenthood.

"Well I can say this now and mean it…I seem to remember a time when you weren’t so sure either…"

"Whaaat?"

"Oh shall I refresh your memory…"

"No my dear I remember everything very plainly thank you very much."

"Three days. It took you three days before you held her for the first time." She nudged me playfully.

"I know. I know."

"Big tough warrior, befuddled by little tiny baby…"

"Hey anything that’s smaller than and weighs less than my sword…"

She stopped and grabbed me and kissed me again. When she was finished thoroughly checking every tooth on my head she pulled back and caressed my face. "I love you."

"I love you too. My you are in a good mood this morning."

"And why shouldn’t I be? I woke up in your arms, remembering everything and then we made love. Now I get to see the kids. My life has finally come back together. I didn’t realize how much I missed until I didn’t have it anymore. I can’t explain how wonderful this all is. It’s kind of like being reborn."

"Well I’m glad you’re pleased." I grinned at her.

"You have no idea Warrior. You have no idea."

As we climbed the steps to the house I tossed the blankets into a corner they would need to be shaken out and washed, but that could wait until later. We entered the house, I was amazed to find that everything had been put back into its proper place. The only thing that remained were two tapestries. One a soft green with gold threads that told basically my life story and another of blue with gold threads that told Gabrielle’s. They were long and narrow until they came to the part where we met then they came together and formed one. It hung majestically to the right of the fireplace. I noticed a note pinned to it and took it down as Ri ran her hand over the material.

"It’s a gift from Hades and Artemis. The note says, ‘So you may always remember’."

"Xena it’s beautiful."

"Ri it tells…everything…should we leave it up? I mean the kids…I don’t know if…"

"Xe," She took my hands in her and kissed them. "If there is one thing I’ve learned through all of this it’s that we wouldn’t be where we are today if it weren’t for the things that happened to us and the choices that we made. We have our family because this is who we are." She said as she placed my hand on the tapestry with her hand covering it. "We have nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing to regret."

"You are a truly amazing woman." I said with all sincerity as I leaned in and kissed her.

"Yeah well I had to be to put up with you all these seasons." She teased me after the kiss.

"Oh is that so…" I began advancing on her. "Put up with me huh…" If my bard wanted to play I could play.

She grinned and began backing away from me. "Yeah put up with you. All your growling and grousing around…bleeding all over everything…paying more attention to your horse than to me…"

"My horse doesn’t talk as much as you do." I continued walking toward her.

"Yeah, but your horse doesn’t cook for you." She was headed for the front door. " And very rarely did your horse ever keep you warm on a cold winter night…"

She turned and broke for the front door. She made it out and the chase was on. I followed her and saw her break to the right at the bottom of the steps I went to the side of the porch and vaulted over the rail expecting to cut her off. When my feet hit the ground I heard her laugh behind me and I turned around.

"What’s the matter Warrior getting old?"

"Old! I show you old bard!" I got a good sprint and executed a very nice jump and a flip that put me down right in front of her as she skidded to a halt. "Did you just call me old?" I asked as I put my hands on my hips.

"No I asked if you were getting old. There’s a big difference." She said as she looked for an escape.

"The implication was there…" I grabbed her around the waist and hoisted her into my arms. Then as she wrapped her arms around my neck I kissed her. "Now madam I’m sure if you’re interested you could trade me in. Find yourself some young warrior who can keep up with you. Some young warrior who could just wear you out at every turn."

"Nah I think I’ll keep you. I’ve got you broken in. I don’t want to have to go through all that again. You warrior types are hard to train."

"Boy you just don’t know when to quit do you?"

"Well if you didn’t keep setting yourself up like that. You make it so easy…"

"No my dear being easy would be your specialty." I began laughing as she struggled to get out of my arms, putting forth all the mock indignation she could muster through her own laughter.

"Well I never…" She said as she continued to try and get a way

"Oh yes you have. Everything at least once. I remember your motto when you were younger…wasn’t it something to the effect of "I’m tri-sexual…" She clamped her hand over my mouth.

"I never said that about me. I told people that about you." She giggled and nuzzled my neck. I headed back to the house. "Hey where are we going?"

"We’re going to go try a few things."

By late afternoon we were on our way to Solan’s. Gabrielle settled in behind me in the saddle resting her head on my back. This was something I had become accustomed to many years ago while we were on the road. I didn’t realized how much I missed it until this moment. "What’s the matter bard this old warrior wear you out?"

"Oh yeah…just like always." She purred. I felt her arms tighten around me. "And I wouldn’t trade you for all the dinars in Greece."

"Glad to hear it." I rubbed her arm and nudge the horse again to pick up the pace a bit.

The ride to Solan’s was a short one. I helped her down and before my feet hit the ground there were children coming from all directions. I watched as Mel and Kai ran to Ri and practically knocked her off her feet hugging her. She took them both in her arms and knelt down kissing them and giving them firm, long hugs. Kessa and Rosa came through the front door with Solan hot on their heels trying to catch them. I scooped Kessa up as Rosa ran to Ri. That was the weight that toppled them over.

They were laughing, they were crying but they were all happy. Kessa squirmed trying to get out of my arms to be with her Momma.

"Hey remember me?" I said as I playfully poked her in the ribs. She turned and looked at me, drawing her little brows together in disgust. Her little green eyes sparkled in the sunlight "Give me a kiss and I’ll put you down." She grinned at me and hugged me around the neck and gave me a kiss. She tasted faintly of raspberries. My mother must have been baking again.

"Love you Momma." Kessa said to me as she hugged me again.

"I love you too, now go see your other Momma." I put her down and she joined her brother and sisters in their assault on their Momma. Gods how they needed this woman in their lives. Me, they could probably learn to do without, but never Ri. She would always be their guiding light. Just like she had been mine. I joined Solan on the porch as we watched her with the kids.

"She’s okay?" He asked quietly.

"She’s better than okay. She hasn’t been this happy in seasons."

"It worked then?"

"Yeah it sure did." Suddenly I felt a tug on my trousers leg. I looked down to find my granddaughter.

"Up!" She demanded as she held out her arms to me.

"Yes ma’am." I chuckled as I reached over for her.

"Nanna…" She wrapped her arms around my neck and gave me a really long, intense little hug.

"What’s with her?"

"I swear Mom I don’t know she has been crying for you for three days. We’ve all been half out of our minds. Nothing we could do would calm her down. She even cried for you in her sleep."

"That’s odd." I turned my attention back to Little Ri who was still firmly attached to my neck and I could feel her shivering a little. I could tell she was crying quietly. "Hey little one I’m here now it’s okay. I’ve got you." I whispered to her and stroked her back. She pulled back and looked at me she had tears in her little eyes and running down her little cheeks. She put her hands on my face and just stared at me. I kissed her hands and tried not the break whatever spell she seemed to be under.

"Nanna sick…" She said softly.

"Not anymore little one. I’m okay. See. I’m fine." I didn’t know how she knew I had been sick and I most certainly didn’t know how to convince her I was fine now.

"She’s been saying that for three days too. She’s bound and determined that you’ve been sick."

"I was. I was horribly sick with a fever for two days, but how did she know that?"

His eyes widened as he shook his head and reached for Little Ri. She shook her head and reattached her self to me. "No!" She said as her arms tightened around my neck. She wasn’t about to be separated from me.

"Leave her. She’s fine." I hugged her and stepped off the porch to join the rest of my family in the yard. I sat down with the baby and soon I also found myself covered in kids.

Mel was the first. She just came up and leaned on my back and kissed me on the cheek. "Hey pal. How ya’ doing?" She asked with a grin.

"Not bad and you?"

"Eh…same old…same old…you know." She said so very seriously. I couldn’t help but laugh.

"Yeah life’s rough that way…"

"Sure is. You know what I need?"

"What? Do tell."

"I need a good sparring match. You up to it?" She nudged me.

"What taking you on? Runt I’m ready for you anytime. We’ll do it later okay?"

"Okay." She draped herself over my back as we watched Ri. "It’s great to have her back."

"It sure is."

"I missed her." She whispered in my ear.

"So did I."

"I know." She kissed me on the cheek again and leaned in real close to my ear. "The light is back in your eyes too."

The Raising Melosa Series Continues with Judgement Day

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