Finishing up by soaping her hair, she ducked under the water to rinse off, then rising and relaxed against the back of the tub, allowing her eyes to close as she relished the feeling of being clean, free and home .. even if only for a short while.

Unconsciously, her hand drifted up to her throat to finger the hated collar. She almost desperately hoped that she and Hercules would be able to work out some way of removing the detested reminder of her enemy's power over her, - I'd suffer anything to be rid of it, - she told herself, then grinned wryly, - Short of cutting my head off, that is! -

She lost track of just how long she'd been soaking, but the water was beginning to cool noticeably when she heard the door creak open and sensed her mother's quiet entry with the linen. Breathing in the familiar scent of lilac and lily's that always seemed to cling to Cyrene, she allowed a wry quirk of her lips as she heard the other woman pad softly across to a table where she laid down her burden and turned to regard her daughter.

"You're going to prune if you stay in there much longer,"

Xena chuckled as she straightened up without thinking, but a soft gasp reminded her of the white lattice of fine scars that decorated her back and she cursed herself for revealing them to her mother, "Don't worry," she tried to reassure, "They've healed .. I'm fine."

Cyrene wasn't ready to accept her daughter's assurances and she moved to the edge of the tub, firmly pushing Xena forward from where she had leaned back against the wood in an attempt to remove the injuries from the other woman's sight. "Mother, I'm fine," protested the warrior, feeling like a child as her arguments were ignored in an almost perfunctory way. - Dammit! - she grimaced as she felt Cyrene's hands easing gently over the remarkably smooth skin. - I didn't want her to know about those. -

Releasing a wretched sigh, the older woman asked quietly, "How many?"

"I'm sorry," asked her daughter, confusion evident in her voice.

"How many times did they use a whip on you and how many lashes did you take to end up with these markings, Xena?" her mother asked sadly. "You see, I know how well and quickly you heal, my daughter. For your body to be showing this kind of damage you must have taken some wicked punishments."

The Warrior Princess detected the quiver in her parent's voice as she spoke and again cursed herself for failing to think! "Mother .. really .. it's over. Both Gabrielle and I survived. Please don't worry over it."

"They did this to Gabrielle as well?" Cyrene's voice began to harden into anger. She was fully aware that her daughter was able to absorb incredible amounts of pain and still act almost normally .. the bard however did not have the warrior's formidable fortitude.

"No!" Xena told her firmly, realising that her mother's protective streak was rearing it's head. - Damn! If she gets angry she's capable of marching on Rome herself! - A wry smile flickered across her face before she admitted, - Hades ... what am I thinking? I'd pay good dinars to see Mother take a broom to Caesar's backside! -

"Well just what did happen to Gabrielle, young lady?" demanded Cyrene, standing with her hands on her hips in a fashion that was very familiar to the warrior who had seen that stance on many occasions when she'd been scolded.

"Mother ..." began Xena. She swallowed a couple of times before she tried again, this was not a subject she really wanted to discuss, "She took a few stripes with a belt .. because of me."

Realising that Xena was exuding anguish "I'm sure that in that situation it could have been worse," Cyrene tried to soothe, knowing that she had just inadvertently raked over her offspring's insecurities.

"Yes it could," agreed the warrior coldly, "But the fact remains that if it wasn't for me she'd never have been in the position to get them. Guess I can add some more to the blood on these!" she said holding up her long fingered, calloused hands and looked at them with loathing.

"Xena! You stop that!" ordered the older woman in frustration, remembering all too well her unpredictable child's mood swings. She placed her own hands into her daughter's much larger ones and said, once she was sure that she had her attention, "Gabrielle is a grown woman. She's capable and well able to make her own decisions. From her story, you deliberately left her with the Amazons to protect her and she chose .. CHOSE, Xena, to come after you in the hope of warning you about Caesar's trap." She could see that the warrior had forced her closed mask onto her features and felt vexation rise in her.

- How can I reach her .. make her understand that she can't take the blame for everything? - she worried.

Before either woman could say anything more, Gabrielle came into the room, "Umm .. Xena," she said in something of an excited tone. "Salmoneus has just turned up and he wants to see you and Hercules and me."

"Salmoneus?" growled Xena, "What, from the depths of Tartarus, brought him here?"

"Salmoneus?" questioned Cyrene.

"A friend ... of sorts," explained the bard.

"Just don't buy anything from him," warned the dark warrior as she rose from the now tepid water that cascaded off of her long, toned body, catching the towel thrown by Gabrielle who had crossed to the table.

"Why would I buy something from him?" asked her mother getting confused.

The bard chuckled, "Salmoneus is a salesman .. it's just that his goods aren't always ... um ... reliable."

Xena stepped gracefully from the tub and wrapped the linen sheet around her body as she crossed to collect another with which to towel her damp locks, she suppressed a snigger at her friend's description of the salesman's products, "Mother, he once sold Talgamite weapons and belt buckles to a warlord .. who then lost a battle because it started raining leaving his soldiers with ruined weapons and trousers around their ankles .. Talmadeus was not a happy man!"

"I'll say," snorted Gabrielle, "We had to pull Salmoneus' butt out of the fire when Talmadeus wanted to spit-roast him!" Her chuckles faded as she remembered more details of that particular adventure. "That was the first time I thought I'd lost you, Xena," she said quietly.

The warrior gave her a meaningful look and said with quiet reassurance, "Don't go there, Gabrielle. The past is past .. we're both here and safe."

"Quite right," agreed Cyrene pointedly, while privately determined to get the full details of that particular story out of the bard before she left. Giving Xena a level look she added, "The past is just that .. past! And you can't live second guessing what happened there. Leave the past to the past and aim to move forward."

That little speech had the honey blonde wondering just what conversation the warrior and her mother had been having before she came into the room. - There has to be a way to get that out of Cyrene before we leave, - she considered, knowing full well that she had more chance of getting blood out of a stone than information on this out of Xena. "How long are you going to be," she asked the warrior failing to curb her natural impatience.

"Just let me get some clothes on, Gabrielle and I'll be right with you," came the assurance.

"Okay .. I'll tell them you're coming," answered the younger woman and headed back to the bar of the inn where their friends were gathered.

When the bard left, Cyrene turned to her daughter and cupped the younger woman's strong face in her lined and work scarred hands, "Little one," she said gently, "Please learn to forgive yourself ... you have grown so much away from that dark, evil person that you once were. You have much to offer a world that needs all the heroes it can get. Don't allow your guilt and remorse to overwhelm you. You are no longer the Destroyer of Nations. If you were you wouldn't have that collection of friends you have gathered .. you wouldn't have the friendship, companionship and love of that remarkable young woman that just left here ..." she drew a deep breath before adding, "... and you wouldn't be welcome here. In the last few years I've come to realise and rejoice that I still have a daughter .. a strong, capable and difficult woman that I can be proud of. Don't let your brooding chase her away ... please?"

Xena looked hesitantly down into the greyish blue eyes of her mother and felt at a loss to know what to say to her. Forgiving herself was not an option that she was comfortable with .. she had so much in her past to atone for it would be a long time before she considered easing up on herself. But the brooding over it, maybe that was something she could try to change.

"Mother .. I ..," she struggled, knowing sensitive words and talks had never been her forte, "I'll try," she conceded finally.

"That's all I can ask, little one," replied Cyrene, relief evident in her voice. Her hands slipped down to the silver collar and tears prickled as she stared at the Latin inscription 'RES FAMILIARES HABET GAIUS JULIUS CAESAR'

"Don't worry at it, Mother. Hercules and I will find a way to get them off," she gave a lopsided grin. "I have no intention of parading round Greece as a walking advertisement for him!"

"Oh Xena," the older woman shook her head and tried to smile.

"Hey .. c'mon! Let me get dressed, or Gabrielle will be back in here scolding me," the warrior told her, throwing the linen towel aside and shrugging into a fresh shift that her mother had provided.

"Your leathers needed cleaning, so I brought you in some trousers and a tunic of your brother's."

"What?" questioned the warrior with mock incredulity, "Are you trying to shock the good people of Amphipolis into insensibility?" she grinned. Than added in a gentle tone, "Thank you Mother."

"Anytime, little one," came the response, "And nothing you could do would shock Amphipolis any more!" was added with an impish smile.

Left speechless, Xena watched indignantly as Cyrene exited the room. Chuckling to herself, Xena quickly climbed into her borrowed clothes and pulled on her boots, stamping down into them to settle them on her feet before heading after her mother.

"I'm telling you, Hercules, she might be your sister but she's really vindictive," moaned Salmoneus miserably as he massaged his sore feet. "It was just by luck that that farmer came along and was willing to give me a ride."

The demi-god waved a hand in front of his nose trying to fan the stench away and get some fresher air, "I guess that farmer wouldn't have been transporting pigs, would he?"

"Hey! Give it time. You'll get used to the smell ... I did," he barked mirthlessly.

"Did you have to play with them, buddy?" asked Iolaus with a chuckle.

"Ha, ha!" responded the salesman humourlessly. "You try walking twenty miles under a godly compulsion to hurry and see if you don't leap at the chance to ride in a pig cart!" he snapped.

"Do you want to tell me just what's brought you here?" questioned Hercules.

Salmoneus shook his head vehemently, "Not until Xena and Gabrielle are here. I only want to go through this once .. then I want to relax in a bath and get rid of the smell of porkers! How do I ever get dragged into these things?" he almost wailed. "Not only do I get to walk my feet off and end up smelling like a pig, but there's a very real chance that Ares might just want to make a barbeque out of me!"

"What has Ares got to do with this?" demanded the demi-god now intent on getting an answer.

"He's indirectly the reason why I'm here," informed the bearded man unhappily. "He made Aphrodite promise not to interfere with you guys .. some sort of marker he called in on her. So her way around it was to drag me into the line of fire ... do you know she ruined my pitch at Pagasae! I was all set to make a fortune selling ..." he looked around the company and cleared his throat, "Well never mind that .. but she destroyed my whole sales pitch, my credibility and my livelihood! She even made all of my hair fall out!" he told them, then saw their pointed looks at his very evidently in place hair and explained, "I refused to help until she at least restored that."

Gabrielle returned at that moment, "She's dressing, she won't be long." Hercules nodded and grinned as the bard waved her hand in front of her face and added, "I've also put some fresh water on to heat .. I'm sure we'd all appreciate it if Salmoneus took a bath as soon as possible."

There was a chorus of chuckles that increased as the salesman threw a glare around the room, "Laugh it up!" he growled. "Try and do some friends a favour and look what happens!"

"That's the way it works Salmoneus," laughed Iolaus, "You wind up in the sh ..." he blushed as Cyrene entered the tap room and choked off the word in mid pronunciation.

The innkeeper laughed at the pretty colour that the blonde sidekick achieved and told him, "You'll have to come up with something more inventive than that to embarrass me, young man, but I wouldn't advise practising here." She stopped dead in her tracks and sniffed ostentatiously. "What is that dreadful smell?"

There was another round of chuckling as Salmoneus looked at the handsomely mature woman who had just entered and rather shamefacedly admitted, "That would be me, ma'am."

"And you would be Salmoneus? Is that correct?" Cyrene deduced.

"That's right, miss .. um .. madam .. er ma'am," the salesman tried to get a handle on who he was addressing, "Er .. are you the owner of this fine establishment?" he took a wild guess.

"Why yes I am," agreed the matronly woman affably.

"Ah a business woman," he said smoothly and was launching into a sales pitch with practised ease, "Have you ever thought of modernising your fine inn .. importing a floor show, dancing girls, bards, comedians ..." he was so engrossed in his growing ideas that he failed to notice the entrance of the dark warrior.

"Salmoneus! Leave my Mother alone .. she's quite happy with her inn the way it is."

The bearded salesman did a double take between the two very different women. "Your mother? This is YOUR mother?" he asked incredulously.

"Yup!" acknowledged Xena, "Why?"

Salmoneus swallowed and blurted out, "But she's so .. um I mean she's not .. ah, that is," he realised he was digging himself into a hole, "Er is the bath house free? Hmm?"

"Is that smell you?" the warrior asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Long story," he excused, "I'll tell you all about it after I have a bath. But first I have a delivery to make, courtesy of Aphrodite." He reached down by his feet and hauled up a heavy sack which he swung onto the bar with an audible 'THUMP'.

"What's in there?" asked Gabrielle.

Hercules opened the sack, reached in and pulled out a weighty looking hammer and an extremely sharp and effective looking bolster, "Looks like Hephestus has loaned us the tools to remove those collars that are gracing yours and Xena's necks," smiled the demi-god.

"The stable has an anvil," suggested Toris, "That would probably be the best surface to work on."

"Mother, could you keep everyone here?" requested the Warrior Princess. "I think Gabrielle and I would prefer it if we could have some privacy when Hercules tries to take these off again."

"Of course," the innkeeper readily agreed, "I'm sure they'd like to try some of our ale ... you won't find a better brew between here and Athens," she confided happily to the group. "Besides, I'm sure Toris and maybe Iolaus and Autolycus would love to help Salmoneus with his bath water," she remarked with an insistent smirk.

Hercules was led over to the stables by the taller of his two companions. There was a nervous tension running between them as they tried to reign in their hope that they might finally be free of Caesar's touch. The walked in silence across the courtyard, each wrapped in their own thoughts. When they reached the sturdily constructed wooden building, Xena hauled open one of the wide doors and ushered the other two into the large, well maintained stable.

"It's bigger than I thought," the demi-god said .. just for something to break the silence between them.

"Cyrene has a good business here. A lot of travelling merchants stay at her inn and so she needs plenty of space for their animals," Gabrielle answered him, while she nervously fingered the hated collar.

"I can't see an anvil anywhere," the hero noted as he looked around the tidy stalls, taking in the five well groomed horses as well as a contented looking donkey that was munching on a net of hay. A glance upward revealed a well provisioned hayloft but still no smithing tools.

"Through here," the warrior said as she led them towards a door pretty much concealed by the shadows at the end of the building.

The warrior moved to the plank doorway and pushed it open to reveal a neat, but serviceable smithy that had a small forge fire, anvil and a collection of tools that would allow someone with the skill to ply the blacksmith trade.

"Nice," remarked Hercules .. it was not often that such equipment could be found in the stable of a simple town Inn.

"Thanks," murmured Xena, then showed her nervousness by adding, "Toris, Lyceus and I set this up before ...."

Gabrielle reached out as her friend's words died away, and laid a comforting hand on the taller woman's back, "Before Cortese." she finished for the warrior.

"Yeah," agreed Xena tonelessly.

"Well it looks well used," commented the demi-god, trying to change the subject away from the painful memories that were assaulting the woman he loved.

"Mother has Otis, the town blacksmith, come over when something needs to be seen to, and old Rasmus comes in to tend to the grooming. But he's getting old and could use some help .. so I'm hoping that Mother will take in Fersan as an apprentice, and maybe Mattin to help in the kitchens too."

"Sounds like a good idea," agreed Hercules. "It's a big place for your Mother to manage .. I know she has Toris, but good help is always an asset to a business and those boys look able."

Silence descended on the trio once again. They were all reluctant to face another failure to remove the hated collars, and were all aware that if Hephestus' tools, coupled with Hercules' strength didn't achieve the results they hoped for, then they had nothing else that would.

Finally, the big man spoke, "You ready to give this a try?" he asked, looking from one woman to the other.

"Guess we're ready as we're ever gonna be," conceded Gabrielle nervously, "I mean .. what have we got to lose? If this doesn't work, we're just in the same position as we are in now," she gabbled on.

"Gabrielle ..." Xena tried to get a word in edgeways.

"I mean .. I'm sure that we can make them appear like jewellery, somehow."

"Gabrielle ..." the warrior tried again.

"It's not as if they are your normal type of slave collars .. they're much more dainty and the metal is really rather pretty."

"Gabrielle, do you ...."

If it wasn't for that inscription then it wouldn't be quite so bad."

"Do you ..."

"Maybe we can get someone to find a way to destroy the wording?" the bard rambled on.

Throwing her hands up in defeat, Xena knelt next to the anvil and swept her long raven hair out of the way, allowing Hercules to position the metal in the best position for him to hit the joint. Gabrielle had her back to them, talking aimlessly on about possible ways of disguising the metal.

"You ready?" asked the demi-god softly.

"Do it!" hissed the warrior decisively.

Hercules positioned the bolster into place and hefted the hammer in his hand. Narrowing his eyes onto the head of the bolster, he focused his strength and aim and struck down hard and fast, a metallic 'CLACK' singing out through the small forge room.

The bard whirled around and saw Xena kneeling by the anvil and Hercules beginning to straighten up, "Did it work?" she demanded. "Xena?" she questioned as the warrior remained unmoving. "Hercules ...?" she tried, taking a step forward.

Slowly the warrior straightened and put her hands to the metal around her throat .. felt the warmth of it, heated as it was by her body. Taking a firm grasp at each side of the collar Xena exerted her strength and wrenched the metal open, and away from her neck, leaving a red ring where it had chafed.

Breathing hard, the Warrior Princess stared at the hated object in her hand before flinging it into a scrap metal bin beside the forge, "Thank you Hercules," she said simply as she rose gracefully to her feet and motioned Gabrielle to take her place.

Grinning delightedly, the bard swiftly knelt beside the anvil flipping her golden hair aside so that the demi-god could position the collar and bolster. Again he swung the godly tool and brought it down with a thundering 'CLANG' splitting the sky metal slug that had been used to secure the joint. Xena stepped behind her partner and reached down to wrench the metal apart and toss it into the bin with the other one, glad that they were both finally free.

Gabrielle clambered to her feet and twisted around to give the warrior a bone crushing hug. She felt lighter than air and hadn't realised just how much that small piece of metal had weighed her down mentally.

"Hey!" Xena growled, although when the bard looked up she could see a lopsided grin on the warrior's face, "I might need my ribs later .. so if you're through with them ...?"

The honey blonde squeezed tightly once more before releasing her friend, "Sorry," she said with a smile. "It just feels so good to be rid of that thing."

"I know what you mean my bard," agreed the warrior, gently patting the smaller woman on her back. She turned to the son of Zeus who stood watching them with a fond look, "Thank you Hercules ... that .. getting rid of those means a lot .. to us both."

"No problem," he smiled. "You can call on me anytime you need someone to swing a hammer .. or a fist .. for you." Gabrielle threw herself at the gentle hero and hugged him tight to show her appreciation, "See what you mean about the ribs," he smirked.

"Yeah .. she doesn't know her own strength," teased Xena, ruffling her friend's hair. When Gabrielle released the demi-god, the warrior stepped forward herself and gave the son of Zeus a hug of her own before lifting her head and accepting a soft, but passion filled kiss from the man. When they finally broke the tender moment, she said, "Guess we should go and let everyone know that it worked, huh?"

"Sure thing," agreed the demi-god, with a tinge of regret in his tone. He knew that there would be no repeat of their afternoon of passion on Wave Dancer ... not for the foreseeable future at least. Xena had made that clear to him at the time.

Together, the trio headed back to the inn and the friends and family that eagerly awaited them.

Hate filled blue eyes watched as the two heroes and the bard left the stable. As soon as they were safely back in the inn, the figure detached itself from where it was hiding and, using the shadows slipped into the building and found it's way to the forge room.

Some quiet searching and rummaging eventually uncovered what the figure was looking for and a hand snaked out to secure the two discarded collars. Allowing itself a twisted, malicious smile, the figure tucked it's find into a belt pouch and slipped away from the building and Amphipolis with silent stealth.