Xena sighed and leaned back on the bench, composing her thoughts as the meal they had ordered was delivered. It was easy to forget that the chattery bard had a shrewd intelligence and a strong sense of insight into her thoughts and feelings and, no matter how she tried to hide things, the bard would often manage to ferret them out. Just as she had on this occasion.

In a way she knew that Gabrielle was right about the outstanding bounties on her head, but in the last three moons they had been hit four times by mercenaries out for the two hundred and fifty thousand dinar prize that he'd offered for her. It was a flattering sum, an amount far in excess of that she had asked for his ransom all those years before, and one sure to tempt even those wary of her reputation.

What was more worrying was that she was certain that Caesar also had designs of Gabrielle. Her conversation, during her private meeting with Pompey, had set alarm bells ringing in her mind at the time and they were once again clanging furiously as she remembered:

- He's sent Brutus out to find your friend, Gabrielle. -

- You mean Crassus. -

- No. It's your friend he wants. He seems to think that she has some sort of power over you. He wants that power. -

She knew it to be the truth and if Caesar was really aware of it then Gabrielle would be in real danger. Perhaps if they talked the whole thing over she could get the bard to go and visit with the Amazons for a while. No one would find it easy to get to the Amazon Queen whilst she was surrounded by all of her people. It was a good idea. The problem would be in getting Gabrielle to agree to it. Her brow twitched a frown as a half memory struck her, - We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, - she told herself, knowing that the Amazons would likely be hostile towards her. The bard looked at her to see how she would respond to what she had said, "Eat your lunch before it gets cold," Xena told her and began to munch on the roast lamb and vegetables on her plate.

Gabrielle looked as if she might say something before thinking better of it and started digging into her own meal, suddenly realizing just how hungry she was. She was delighted to find that the food was as good as the cooking aromas had promised and she even had a second helping before leaning back with a contented smile and declaring, "Gods! it makes a change to get a good meal that I didn't have to cook myself."

"Hey!" protested Xena in mild good humour, "Don't I always get you the best ingredients available?"

"Yeah," agreed the bard patting her pleasantly full stomach happily, "But it's still nice not to have to cook once in a while."

Xena looked at her mischievously, "Wanna swap jobs for a while," she suggested, "Y'know. You hunt, me cook?"

"Ahh, no thanks, Xena," Gabrielle told her hurriedly, "Slow poisoning is not my preferred method of death." she shuddered as she thought about her friend's last attempt to cook dinner.

"Well," drawled Xena in the tone that Gabrielle just knew held a joke that was going to be at her expense, "I don't suppose it would come to that ... we'd most likely starve before that happened .. what with you doing the hunting."

"Funny!" retorted the bard in a tone laden heavily with sarcasm, "really funny". She looked thoughtful for a moment though and then asked, "Do you want to stock up with dried goods before we leave here? Anyway, where are we heading for?"

- Well, - thought Xena, - we're both in a good mood, so now might be the best time to broach this subject. - She looked seriously at the bard before saying, "I wanted to talk to you about that," she began, realizing that Gabrielle was making a mental shopping list of the things that she would like to add to their stocks. "You know, we're not too far from the Amazons, and it might be a good time for you to go for a visit."

Gabrielle totally missed the edge that had crept into the warrior's voice, as well as the emphasis that she had placed on the singular 'You.' She grinned at the thought and enthused, "Yeah! We could go visit with Ephiny for a while. it might be fun for us to get some relaxation in. It's been a while and we have a few fences to mend there as well ...."

She broke off as she saw the look on Xena's face and replayed in her mind exactly what the warrior had said before growling very slowly, "Now wait a minute, Xena," the voice low and urgent, "I go where you go. We're a team, right?"

"Listen, Gabrielle ..." the warrior tried to reason.

"No, Xena!" Gabrielle reiterated in a quiet but thoroughly immovable tone.

Xena carried on anyway, "... I need you to be somewhere safe for a while. At least until I can make some of the more stupid members of the bounty hunting profession realize that chasing after me isn't such a good idea."

"No, Xena. I go with you." the bard repeated with a stubborn determination that could have given stubborn resistance lessons to a mountain.

"Gabrielle ..." tried the warrior again, but the set of the bards jaw and the look in her eye halted her. "Alright, Gabrielle," she gave in for the moment, "But we will talk of this again." she promised.

"The answer will still be no, Xena," her friend assured her, "You're not getting rid of me that easily."

"I'm not trying to get rid of you," protested the warrior heatedly, "I'm just trying to keep your stubborn neck out of trouble. I don't wanna have to face losing you." that last came out almost as a whisper. It was difficult for the Warrior Princess to admit to any feelings, let alone the deep affection that she had for her friend.

Gabrielle looked at the warrior's earnest expression and tried to decide the best way to respond, "Hey," she began, "I'm not that little girl anymore," she said lightly, "I can take care of my end of business. We'll do fine ... just like we always do." She laid her hand on the warriors arm.

"Yeah," returned Xena, obviously unconvinced, "Well, we'll see."

They finished off their drinks and paid for the meal, complimenting the tavern keeper on his cook. Gabrielle asked him about the best place for them to pick up the supplies they wanted and armed with the relevant information, they headed for the street.

The hot afternoon air hit them hard as they left the relative coolness of the tavern. What people there were on the street moved sluggishly as if the heat of the day had sapped their strength. Most of the people who had been milling around before the pair had their lunch had disappeared and there was a quiet air of tenseness that seemed to thicken in the atmosphere as the warrior and bard stepped into the road.

Senses tingling with the need for caution, Xena pulled to an abrupt halt, grabbing Gabrielle's arm to prevent her from moving forward. Something was definitely not as it should be. Even on a hot day there should be more people out on the street, and those that were there seemed suddenly anxious to be elsewhere.

"Wha...!" gasped the bard as her friends strong fingers dug heavily into her arm.

"Get your staff ready," hissed the warrior quietly, "There's something wrong here. Stay close." she told Gabrielle as she pulled her sword from the scabbard that hung from her back. As Xena walked forward, her movements smoothed out into a lithe, graceful glide, much like a hunting panther. Her whole posture and body language portrayed menace and a readiness for sudden, deadly action.

Shaking her head, the bard took a firmer, fighting, grip on her staff and followed behind her friend, muttering to herself, "I wish I knew how she did that," as she slowly became aware of the abnormalities that had triggered Xena's alarm systems.

The street was now empty of everyone except the two women and their horse. The still air was laden with a tension that could be tasted. Xena, followed by Gabrielle, moved into the centre on the street, giving themselves as much room as possible for the fight that they knew was coming.

Minute sounds from side streets told the Xena that there were warriors waiting in ambush. The harsh scrape of leather and metal armour on brick walls, the softer scuff of boots in the dirt as men moved into their given positions. The Warrior Princess knew that they were surrounded, it was just a question of how many they faced and who was leading them.

The familiar desire for battle, confrontation and danger began to boil in Xena's veins. A burning light blazed in her eyes stoked by the anticipation of conflict. It made her feel whole and alive, and it shone forth like a warning beacon to those who were foolish enough to stand against her. She lived for this. Once, the rest of her life had merely been the way to mark time between the fights she gloried in. Now, the danger was the zest of life that made the rest of her time precious to live.

As if recognizing that they had failed to surprise their intended victims, and almost reluctant to face the fabled fighting prowess of the mighty Warrior Princess, the warriors, who had sought to ambush the two women, began to emerge from their points of cover to surround their intended prey.

Xena stood perfectly motionless. Her stance was confident and all but arrogant in her knowledge that she could best these men. Those approaching her did so with trepidation. Her very icy calmness ate away at their own confidence in their ability to beat her.

As she stood, seemingly nonchalant, Xena was counting the numbers against her and Gabrielle. As far as she could tell, there were about forty warriors in the party. They had faced worse odds and won and the Warrior Princess relished such encounters, enjoying the chance to test her abilities to their limits.

Gabrielle moved warily behind her, watching her partners back. Her whole attitude to such confrontations was totally different from Xena's. She fought as means of self preservation. It was not something she enjoyed, but something she endured. It was the price of being the friend of the Warrior Princess, and she paid it, though with none of the relish savoured by her friend.

Xena bounced on the balls of her feet with the eagerness engendered by expectation. Her eyes watched the approach of three men from behind the ring of warriors, although her finely tuned senses were ready to react to any hostile movement from those around her. - The warriors, - she noted, - look tense and nervous. Not the best way for troops to enter a battle, - she mentally grinned.

The obvious leader of the group was a rather small, lithe man, who looked both capable and confident in his own abilities. He had dark brown hair and a well trimmed beard that gave him an almost debonair look in comparison to his men. "Hello Mavrikios," Xena greeted, an icy edge to her chilly tone. She had recognised the man instantly. He had at one time been a junior lieutenant in her army, but had branched out on his own and had been, she knew, making something of a name for himself as a reliable man for a job, "You're a long way from home," she said conversationally, although her tone did not rise above freezing.

"Xena," smiled the smaller man, looking almost happy to be in the presence of his former commander. He showed no obvious signs of tenseness, his muscularly compact frame seemed to be relaxed and at ease, a sign of quiet confidence. "You're looking good," he ventured a compliment.

Xena raised an imperious eyebrow at him, waiting to hear what he had to say, all the while taking close note of the subtle shifts and movements of the men around her and Gabrielle, and checking to make sure that the bard was staying close to her. She hadn't failed to note that the men trailing their leader were each carrying heavy sets of manacles. She almost smiled at Mavrikios's over-confidence.

Knowing that his warriors were in position, Mavrikios felt no urgent need to hurry matters. If he could achieve his ends without having to battle the Warrior Princess, then so much the better. - Talk, - he decided, - costs nothing. - His head tilted slightly to one side as he said, "We could do this the easy way," his deep, gravelly voice seemed as if it should belong to a much larger man, "You could lay down your weapons and save us all the time and trouble of a fight."

Xena's voice almost purred with silky menace, "And why should I want to do that, Mavrikios?"

"Because it might make the trip we're going to take a little better if my men, and you two ladies are not so damaged as to make it uncomfortable." he replied suavely.

"And where would this trip be to?" Xena asked deceptively lightly, although she already knew what his answer would be.

"Rome," grinned Mavrikios.

"Sorry. I've been there. Can't say I liked it too much. Too big and ... dirty!" returned the Warrior Princess.

"Well," said Mavrikios, with tinges of regret in his voice,"That's a real shame. You see Caesar is really keen on you having another look at some parts of the city that are rarely seen. I hear he wants to give you a tour of the dungeons and torture chambers. In fact he's so keen that you drop in for another visit, that he's willing to pay whoever escorts you to him a 'kings', or should I say, Warrior Princess', ransom in dinars. He'll even pay a big bonus if we can get you both there to him alive." He smiled, showing perfect white teeth, but maintained the hardness in his eyes and voice, "I don't know what you did to annoy the Man, but he is mighty anxious to see you again."

"Life is one long disappointment," Xena told him bluntly, her tone loaded with pure menace and her eyes looked cold enough to burn. "You run along back to 'the Man', puppy, and tell him that Xena's got better things to do with her time."

Mavrikios' smile barely wavered at her insult and his voice dripped with insincerity as he said, "Sorry you feel that way, Xena, but this invitation is not one you can refuse. If anyone is going to collect that bounty, it's going to be me." He'd been darting looks to gauge his men's preparedness and, satisfied that they were ready as they'd ever be, he shouted, "GET THEM!"

A surge of men leapt towards the pair of women, confident that their far superior numbers would be enough to subdue them, even if one was the redoubtable Warrior Princess. Xena met the onrush with a high snapping kick to the head of the first man to reach her that saw him collapse bonelessly to the ground. She spun in a smooth, fluid, motion that put her into place to smash a left fist into a bearded face and the pommel of her sword into the temple of a third. not waiting around for the next wave, or for any of the three she had downed to recover, she back flipped away from the situation, just as four more attackers attempted to converge upon her. A kick into the back of the legs of an incidental soldier, left her with a clear path to Mavrikios who smiled confidently and raised his sword to engage the Warrior Princess.

Gabrielle soon found herself in the thick of the fighting. Mavrikios's men swarmed around her like bees around a honeypot. However, the bard was no easy conquest for anyone. Her time travelling with the Warrior Princess had given her the chance to refine her staff fighting techniques and she employed them to good effect. The first man to reach her got a full blooded jab to the stomach that doubled him over for the roundhouse swing that cracked sharply across his jaw, sending him spinning away from the fight. Showing good reflexes, she quickly adjusted to face her second opponent. With the staff held around it's centre point, Gabrielle swung both ends in lightning fast moves that hit the warrior across the knees and arms, before she adjusted her grip to jab him in the stomach and leave him writhing on the ground, fighting for breath.

With no time for thought, the bard slid back to the central grip and tried the same series of manoeuvres on her next assailant. He, however, was ready for her. As she struck out with the staff, her opponent got a good grasp of it and tried to pull it from her. Thinking quickly, Gabrielle, twisted around under the staff, so that she was back to back with the warrior. She was ready for him when he used his superior strength and weight to pull her over his back so that she faced him once more, but as his hands slipped on the staff, she used timing and strength to smash it up into his face, and then, once free of his restraint, she pummelled him until he dropped to the ground.

She swung around in time to intercept a fourth man who was trying to sneak up behind her. He pulled to a halt, intent on keeping out of range of the staff that seemed to be everywhere. On a sudden inspiration, the bard dropped to her knees, taking a grip on the staff at the very end of the shaft, and swung it hard to crack into the man's ankles, bringing him down with a satisfying thud so that she could crack him across the temple to remove his interest in the proceedings.

Swords clashed as Xena and Mavrikios met. Sparks slid down the weapons as they locked together in a deadly embrace. Xena's senses warned her as a warrior attempted to sneak in on her blind side to help his leader, and she kicked back hard, connecting with the man's left knee and recognized the stark 'crack' as the bone shattered beneath the force of the blow. The Warrior Princess gathered her far from inconsiderable strength and threw Mavrikios back so that she could grab an incoming arm wielding a heavy club. She stopped the blow in mid strike and barely gave the warrior a glance as she spun under his arm and flipped him some distance away from her. She returned to her confrontation with Mavrikios and said with a barely disguised sneer, "Ya gotta try harder than that. If these goons are the best you've got, Gabrielle can take them on her own." She punctuated her sentence with a double handed swing of her sword that Mavrikios barely managed to turn aside.

"Think so?" he retorted, the smile that had been on his face had been replaced by a snarl, "Well the dance isn't over yet." he feinted with a thrust to her chest, turning it at the last moment to a slash at her legs which Xena parried with contemptuous ease.

The smoldering rage that was never far from the surface in the Warrior Princess, flared joyously in her eyes as she allowed the reigns to be loosed on the dark side of her complex nature, allowing her to revel in the arts of battle that were so much a part of what she was. Screaming out her ululating war cry, she leapt high into the air, did a forward roll at the apex of her ascent and landed safely behind Mavrikios taking out a soldier with a swift slash across the belly and a second one with her elbow as she drove it into his windpipe, "Gotta tell you, Mavrikios, the bands beginning to wind down."

The warlord, turned swiftly raising his sword once again to face his foe, "My piper's still playing the tune, Xena," he told her with an arrogant confidence that seemed more than a little misplaced with so many of his men down and injured. He continued, "But you're gonna get to pay him!" as he launched into another series of slashing attacks.

The bard was beginning to feel picked on. Normally, all the bad guys congregated around Xena eager to earn the kudos for bringing the Warrior Princess down. For some reason, however, there seemed far too many who wanted to test her fighting skills. Not that she could blame them exactly. She personally felt that anyone would have to be mad to voluntarily go up against her best friend in a fair fight.

She planted her staff into the ground and used it as a fulcrum to push off and deliver a double heeled kick into her nearest assailant's chest. She landed the manoeuvre cleanly, spun her staff and looked for the next problem waiting to confront her. Two warriors moved before her menacing her with swords. As she swung the staff to confront one the other tried to slip around her guard until she swung the staff in turn to menace him. Deciding that attack was going to be her best way out of the situation, she concentrated on moving forward in a fighting stance only to suddenly find herself hampered by a net that had been cast from behind in a sneaky move to disable her. Before she had time to extract herself from the confinement, something heavy slammed into her skull causing instant darkness to descend.

Mavrikios and Xena exchanged a rapid series of sharp blows while his soldiers milled around the pair of them creating a screen of bodies to confine the fight. Xena had to be constantly aware of her position in relation to those men as Mavrikios pressed his attacks to push the Warrior Princess back into range of the waiting warriors.

Using the momentum from the warlord's shove, Xena back flipped over the encircling men and flashed a wicked grin at him saying, "Not good enough, Mavrikios." She emphasised her contempt by delivering a hard kick to the backside of one of the soldiers propelling him into the arms of his leader. Then punched another man in the face, grabbed his arm and spun to send him hurtling into a group of his fellows, used a stamping kick to the stomach to fold up another and a sword cut to the ribs to disable the next.

Seeing his men dropping like so many flies, and having seen his contingency force dragging Gabrielle off the street, Mavrikios decided that his best option was to order a retreat, "Pull back!" he yelled. - With the bard in hand, Xena will come to me! - He told himself as he waved his forces off.

Xena flourished her sword in a complex display of weapon mastery before sheathing it and aiming a half playful kick at a retreating backside. She grinned to herself, confident there was no one to see her unusual display of delight at the fight. "Good workout," she muttered as she turned to check on her friend ... and bit back a curse as she saw no sign of Gabrielle in the road other than her staff which lay in the dust. "GABRIELLE!!" she yelled, knowing that she wouldn't get an answer. "Damn!" she swore, all signs of good humour gone.

She quickly scanned the area for tracks and read the signs all too clearly of what had happened. They'd taken her down the alleyway between the tavern and a house. Throwing caution to the winds as the need to get her friend back over-rode all other thought, Xena moved quickly hoping to catch the abductors before they managed to regroup with the main body of troops. Her haste, however, led her straight into the trap that had been set for just such an eventuality; an arrow slammed into her left shoulder.

Relegating the pain, from the wound, to be dealt with at another time, and not waiting around for any other surprises, Xena backed out of the tight confines of the alleyway with far more caution than she entered it. Collecting the bards staff from the road, she whistled for Argo who came readily to her mistresses call. She swung herself into the saddle and headed out of Menassos as fast as she was able. She'd get Gabrielle back, but she couldn't do that if she got herself killed or captured through carelessness.

The Warrior princess burst through a cordon of Mavrikios's surprised pickets and galloped down the road as fast as the horse could carry her. She had to find a place where she would be safe to deal with her wound and get herself away from the hunters that she expected to follow hard on her trail.

Gritting her teeth against the pain she was trying not to feel, Xena growled, "Hang on Gabrielle. I'll come and get you."