"I think Eph could do with some air, too," she told Gabrielle when the bard told her she was going to accompany her for a while.

"I'm not sure, Xena," the younger woman shook her head. "She doesn't seem to want company at the moment."

The warrior frowned, "Well, it's time she pulled herself together. Five days is way too long to brood about something like this. It's happened; she's pregnant. It's time she accepted it and got on with her life."

"How do you plan on getting her out of that bed, O still recovering warrior patient?" asked the bard, raising a questioning eyebrow.

In all truth, Xena had been intending to haul the Regent from her pit of sorrow if she hadn't agreed to come under her own steam, but she could tell from the look in her friend's eye that that was not going to be an option. "Og and Mog," she said indicating her silent shadows, "can bring her along if she's reluctant. You've got them trained well at that kind of thing." She couldn't resist the snide comment.

"Wulf and Ossie are only following orders," she told the warrior calmly. "If someone, not a million miles away, knew how to follow healers orders, then they wouldn't have to be here, would they?"

Xena snorted contemptuously. They'd had this argument at least five times every day since the four Amazons had become part of her recovery programme, as conceived by the bard. "Whatever their names," she said stubbornly, "they can help us get Ephiny sorted out, can't they? Or would you rather have your Regent eating herself up over something she had no control over?"

"What do you mean?" she asked the raven-haired woman quietly.

"Well, you suspected the gods might have been involved. Think about it, Gabrielle. Who turned up at Graccus'?"

"Artemis and Aphro .... dite!" she replied, beginning to see what Xena was saying.

"What god but Artemis is going to interfere with an Amazon? She'd never allow the other gods to play with her chosen people ... but what if she called in a favour, say for arguments sake, from Aphrodite because she wanted to produce an Amazon with a particular pedigree ... one that could be groomed for an important position in the Nation .... maybe even become Queen one day ...?" the warrior prompted.

"Then Aphrodite might just throw a little lust spell my way and cause that revolting union with Caesar!" snarled Ephiny, sitting up on her bed, her eyes blazing! "How could they!? What right do they think they have!?"

The warrior and bard crossed to their friend's side. "You know the gods, Eph," Xena told her quietly, "they don't need any right other than their own desires."

"What can I do, Xena?" asked the Regent, her eyes pleading.

"Nothing, Eph," the tall woman told her as she crouched down beside her and held the brown eyes with her cold blue ones that seemed to warm with the concern she felt for the Amazon. "Have the child .... then decide what to do about it. If you want me to take it to be reared away from the Nation, send for me and I'll arrange that for you."

The Regent looked long into the depthless blue eyes of the Warrior Princess for long moments before bobbing her head in acceptance of the proposal, "You know, I was certain that Aphrodite must have done this to me .... but I couldn't figure out why she'd risk Artemis' ire. It never occurred to me that my patron goddess would be behind the whole thing," she shook her head in disbelief.

Xena put a comforting arm around the Amazon's shoulder. "The gods will use any of us that suit their purposes," she said softly. "Never put your trust in any god."

"Cynic," answered Ephiny with a weak smile, "But I'm beginning to think you're right."

The warrior gave her a rare dazzling smile, "Gabrielle and I are going up on deck for some air ... how about joining us? You could do with getting out of here."

The Regent looked about to balk at the idea, not sure if she was ready to face anyone else yet, but Gabrielle laid her hand on her arm and said, "C'mon Eph. A bit of air will do you good and we can have a quiet talk about ... things."

Finally Ephiny nodded her agreement, and climbed off the bed to follow her friends, who were in turn followed by Xena's 'attendants'. "Um .... why are Raedwulf and Ossian following us?" she asked, slightly confused.

"Because Lesich and Ushanta are off duty," answered Xena with biting sarcasm.

Gabrielle slapped the warrior's arm, "Stop that, Xena - you know it's for your own good."

"What is?" demanded Ephiny, still puzzled.

When she realised that the Warrior Princess wasn't going to say anything more, the bard replied, "They're along to make sure that Xena doesn't overtax her strength by doing something that she's not really ready for yet ... like, say, jumping out of the crowsnest," she frowned at her champion, having found out some candlemarks after the said event just what the warrior had done.

"Right," drawled the Regent, not totally sure of what was going on, but ready to just accept things as they were.

Up on deck it was another glorious day as summer swiftly ran into the beginning's of autumn, although those on board 'Wave Dancer' were mostly unaware of the changes taking place on land. Their trip from Rome had almost seemed to be blessed by the gods, but Xena figured that could only have been because Poseidon hadn't realised she was on board. - If he'd known, he'd have done something to either try and sink us or let the Romans catch us, - she reasoned pessimistically. She was well aware what the God of the Sea felt about her.

Once on deck, the three friends settled down up on the quarterdeck where they could assure themselves of a fair amount of privacy, especially as Wulf and Ossie posted themselves a short distance away to ensure that no one encroached upon their space. Xena listened, occasionally making the odd comment as Gabrielle and Ephiny discussed the ramifications involved with the Regent having a child .... especially if it should turn out (as was almost certain) to be a girl.

"Eph, if you decide that you want to keep it and it is female, I could designate her as my legitimate heir to secure the succession," suggested the bard.

The Regent shook her head, "You're still young, Gabrielle. If you have a daughter, she should be your heir."

The young queen frowned, looking for a compromise, "How about if we designate your child heir apparent until such time I have a child of my own?"

Xena was getting bored. She wasn't really interested in the dynamics of Amazon domestic policies and, not being an Amazon, she didn't feel she had any right to contribute to this section of the discussion, so she stretched and stood and told the other two, "I think I'll take a stroll around the deck,"

"Okay, Xena," responded Ephiny.

"Just a walk," reminded Gabrielle.

"Yeah, I know," muttered the Warrior Princess. She walked away, picking up her shadows as she moved. Frowning, she turned back to the Royal Amazon pair, "If you want to keep these two here to make sure you discussion remains private, I'm sure I'll be able to find my way around the deck without them"

The bard smiled radiantly. "That is so thoughtful of you, Xena," she answered.

"Well, I try to be," answered the warrior, hoping that Gabrielle was going to let her escape her attendants.

"I know you do," agreed the honey blonde maintaining her smile. "I also know that as soon as you are out of their sight, you'll be doing drills and straining yourself when you still aren't fully recovered. So, I'm sorry, Xena, but you're stuck with them."

Glaring at the infuriating bard, the Warrior Princess turned on her heel and marched off, only to hear her friend's voice call after her, "A slow walk Xena ... nothing strenuous."

Muttering under her breath about stubborn bards and what should happen to them, Xena slowed her steps to avoid the indignity of being physically slowed down by Wulf and Ossie. She blew out a frustrated breath, knowing that although she could almost certainly knock the two Amazons from one end of the ship to the other, she was realistic enough to recognise that it would probably put her flat on her back again for days.

That was another frustrating part of this. She needed to start toning her body back up to it's normal peak of fitness, and gentle strolls around the deck just weren't going to do it. She needed to push herself and somehow, some way, she intended to start that process immediately ... or at least as soon as she could ditch 'Og and Mog', as she called them.

She worked her way up towards the prow of the ship looking for inspiration, for not only did she need a distraction for the pair with her, she also needed to slip away unseen by the rest of the Amazons on deck, who would undoubtedly snitch on her! - There must be something, short of setting fire to the ship, that will draw eyes away from me, - she ruminated as she moved over to the rail, rather than climb up to the small foredeck.

A smile creased her face as she unexpectedly found what she needed as she looked out to sea. A cry from a lookout drew attention as it announced, "Whales off the larboard bow!"

- Perfect! - she thought as Amazons rushed from all over the ship to get a look at the massive leviathans of the sea. Even Wulf and Ossie pushed close to the rail to watch them, as none of the Amazons had ever seen the creatures before, merely having heard stories of them.

In the resulting crush, Xena was able to ease her way back as bodies pressed forward to take her place and get a better look. With nearly all attention fastened on the water, she took her chance and slipped through the hatchway that led down to the holds and storage compartments.

It was dark down there, but she found, by touch, where a striker, flint and candle had been left in a niche at the base of the ladder, and struck a light that allowed her to navigate her way to her intended destination ... the ship's sail locker where the spare sails were kept. There would be plenty of room there to do some careful exercises.

When she reached the door she was looking for, she lifted the latch and let herself into the confines of the compartment. Finding a safe place for the candle, Xena took a deep breath before starting with a few limbering up exercises, such as easing forward and touching her toes, swinging at the waist, and performing some gentle turns to loosen her spine up.

She hadn't got very far when she became aware of soft falling footsteps in the corridor outside. Freezing, she turned to face the door as the latch was raised. - Ares’ balls! - she cursed, hardly able to believe that someone had spotted her departure from the crowd! - I swear, Gabrielle .... - she began to think, but stopped when the candle light illuminated an unexpected visitor.

"Can I come in?" he asked softly. "I'd like to talk to you while we're alone if I can."

Xena ran her fingers through her dishevelled, raven mane, allowing a welcoming smile to replace the scowl that had been fixed on her features a moment before, "Uh, sure ... of course you can .... Hercules."

He entered the compartment that suddenly seemed to be made smaller by the sheer bulk of his body. He carefully shut the door behind him before turning to her with an almost shy smile on his face. "You know, it's been impossible to get you alone since we got out of Rome. The infirmary was like a zoo, and anytime you came up on deck you always had .... " he made a gesture with his hand to indicate the presence of her Amazon shadows.

The scowl returned to her face. "Gabrielle's idea for protecting me from myself," she grumbled. "She doesn't seem to understand that I need to exercise to regain my strength.

"I saw you give them the slip," he grinned. "Pretty clever way of doing it."

"Yeah ... well, I needed some time to myself," she answered.

"You want me to go?" he asked, almost nervously.

"No!" she said, quickly ... - Too quickly, - she realised as she saw his smile strengthen. She drew a breath and repeated more calmly, "No, please stay .... I haven't had the chance to thank you yet for helping to get me out of Rome."

He took a step closer to her, aware of the chemistry that always seemed to bubble between them. He swallowed, his throat suddenly dry as she tilted her head, focusing the full force of her matchless eyes upon him. He watched them change from a deep azure to almost violet as she gazed up into his own. "I would storm the gates of Tartarus if you called for my help," he said huskily.

It wasn't bravado; she knew him well enough to know that he wouldn't have said it if he didn't mean it. The knowledge sent a feeling of warmth deep into her core and she struggled for words to answer him with, knowing what he was trying to tell her. "I ... I, could never ask you to do that, Hercules," she said softly, gently cupping his cheek in her strong hand as she caressed his skin with her thumb. "I deserve whatever comes to me ... even Caesar's treatment ... even should I spend eternity in Tartarus ... I will have earned every moment of it."

"Xena," he tried to protest, but she slipped two fingers over his lips to silence his words.

"Shhhh!" she told him, "I'm right. We both know it. I told you long ago that I had so much blood on my hands, they'd never be clean."

"I don't care," he declared vehemently. "You've changed .... you're not the mon- .... person you once were."

She smiled sadly at him, "You can say it, Hercules. I know I was a monster - a heartless beast." She took his hand and gently kissed his knuckles. "But, you laid the beast to rest ... gave me a chance to do some good in atonement for all the evil that blackens my soul. I love you for it," she told him, holding his hand against the soft flesh of her cheek, "and the love I bear for you will forever mean that we can only remain friends ... close friends, because I'll send myself to rot in Tartarus before I allow you to sully your good name by linking it to mine."

"Xena," he choked, the pain of her declaration tearing at his great heart, "I love you. I want to live my life with you ... have children with you, grow old with you. You stir me in a way that no woman ever has." He saw her about to protest, "I don't care about my name, my reputation ... or yours. Let the world think what it likes. You and I can be happy together." He pulled her into a loving embrace and crushed her lips with his own, deepening the kiss as she melted beneath him.

She felt protected within his arms, and could lose herself within his strength as she had been able to with no other man. Her desire for him was as strong as his was for her, and it would be so easy for her to capitulate ... to agree to his proposal, to become his wife. - But I can't! - her conscience whispered softly. - It wouldn't be fair to him. -

Breaking the kiss, she planted both hands in the centre of his chest and eased herself back slightly. "There would come a time, Hercules, when you would resent me and my evil reputation. If it should tarnish your image and destroy your ability to help the people who truly need you, it would fester in your soul .... and I never want that to happen."

"It wouldn't," he told her, "It couldn't," he swore. "No matter what happens, my love for you would remain strong."

She chuckled sadly, "I would never doubt that, but it doesn't mean that you couldn't grow to resent me." She sighed a breath of loss and regret, "I think the time when perhaps we may have been able to be together was lost in the past. We have both moved on since then. We both have lives that are not really forged for a happy, settled family life. Maybe ... one day, if we're lucky, we can find the right person who will help us to create such a life. But you and I are perhaps too alike for such dreams."

"I love you," he said almost desperately. "Please don't turn me away."

She looked up into his pleading eyes, "As a friend and lover, I never shall .... but please don't ask me to risk your destruction. If I joined with you and you suffered for it, I could never live with myself." She lifted her hands and clutched at his tawney hair, pulling his lips down to hers, feasting upon them as he gently lowered her onto the pile of canvass sail. "I can love you, Hercules," she whispered as he blazed a trail of kisses across her throat, his hands gently divesting her of her clothing. "I can love you," she repeated, "but I can never be with you."

She groaned with longing as his caress awoke her hunger for him and she helped him out of his clothes until they both lay naked with a raging passion that demanded to be filled.

Outside the sail locker, Autolycus leaned his head against the wooden door as a silent tear carved a trail down his cheek. He had seen Xena escape from her Amazon shadows and had watched as Hercules followed after her. A dull pain had stabbed his heart as his imagination had played images of what they were doing through his mind, and he had resolved to find out if they were just flights of fancy or the truth.

He'd stood outside the door and listened, hearing some of the conversation, then the unmistakable sound of human passion as his 'friends' consummated their desire for each other with ardour and rapturous stamina.

He shook his head and wondered why he should care ... but he did. More than care. He, who had never loved anyone or anything other than his own inflated ego, was helplessly in love with the Warrior Princess, who saw him as nothing other than a friend .... if he was lucky.

- Well Autolycus. I never thought you would plumb the depths of self-pity over the capricious nature of a woman's heart. Get over it. There are plenty of fish in the sea ... so to speak, - he told himself callously. Yet a little voice in the back of his head retorted, - But there's only one Xena! - and it was a voice that refused to be silenced.

His head snapped up as he heard voices and saw a light moving towards him. He recognised an Amazon search party, and knew immediately what - or more precisely, who - they were looking for. Dashing his eyes dry, he moved quickly to intercept them. "She's not down here, she must be somewhere else," he told them confidently as he got them turned around away from the sail locker.

"Thanks, Autolycus," said one of the warriors. "If we don't find her soon, the Queen's going to be making us eat our feathers ... especially Wulf and Ossian, for letting her slip off like that," she chuckled.

"Yeah," agreed the thief, throwing a look back over his shoulder at the soft gleam of candlelight that was barely visible under the door. "I know what you mean." He followed them back out of the hold, trying to hold his wounded heart together.