Family Traits

By: Althea/Xenon

Xena and Gabrielle were headed toward Amphipolis. They had received a message from Cyrene, requesting a visit, stating she had a special surprise to share with them. They had arrived there a little after dark. As Xena was getting Argo stabled, she couldn't help the feeling that someone was watching them.

Unknown to them, azure blue eyes were watching from underneath the hay in the loft above. Curious eyes tracked their every move, trying to unsuccessfully smother giggles.

Too tired to investigate further, Xena and Gabrielle went up to Xena's old room for the night. Xena didn't even notice when, about a candlemark later, the door slowly creaked open a crack, anxious eyes searching the room. Seeing the pair were asleep, the little girl quickly, without making a sound, went over to the other side of the room and retrieved her blanket and favorite toy. As quietly as she came, she shut the door and went into another room.

All throughout the following day, Xena could not shake the feeling someone was following them. Everywhere they turned, Xena could feel a presence. Only once did she see the retreating form of, what looked to be, a child. Due to the quick glance, Xena did not get a good look.

Gabrielle could feel the tension radiating off of Xena. Gabrielle was worried. Xena had been like this since they had gotten up this morning. What could be wrong? This is Xena's hometown after all! Several times Gabrielle unsuccessfully would try to distract Xena, knowing shopping wasn't Xena's thing, but hoping to get her mind off what ever it was that was bothering her.

**********************

Meanwhile, a very excited two-year-old continued her venture, every once in a while running back to the inn to tell her papa what had happened. And with Toris's encouraging smirk, she bolted out the door in search of the pair.

Watching his daughter leave, Toris turned and looked at Cyrene. "Runs in the family doesn't it!" Toris grinned. "She looks and acts so much like Xe, when we were younger." He said while pointing at the stuffed dragon that Terri lovingly dragged everywhere she went. Cyrene smiled at her son. "I think you're right!" With that they both started laughing.

**********************

Xena decided to do a little hide and seek of her own. Quietly she crept up behind this little stranger. "Gotcha!", Xena shouted. "Who are you?" She demanded of the toddler. Terri, not knowing what she did wrong, burst into tears and ran away from the pair.

"Xena!" Gabrielle scolded.

"What??" Xena looked at her with her eyebrow raised.

"That poor little girl! You scared her half to death!"

Gabrielle placed her hands on her hips. "You should be ashamed of yourself."

All throughout the rest of the day, Xena did indeed feel guilty. After all it was just a child. Why was she so jumpy over a child? She wondered to herself. What made the feeling worse was that Xena no longer felt the child's presence. Xena had hoped that she would return so she could apologize.

**********************

When Toris came into the back room that afternoon, he found his daughter curled up in the corner, clutching her blanket. "What's the matter sweetie?" He asked while wiping the remains of tears off her face. Terri gave their surroundings one last wild look before burying her face into Toris's shirt. He kept holding his daughter, soothing her the best he could. Finally, the sobs and hiccups began to lessen, as did the tears.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Toris asked gently. "It may help you feel better."

"I..*hic* was *hic* following dem..... grab.. *hic* an.. yelled...." Terri began brokenly.

Rubbing his daughter's back, Toris quietly whispered, "She scared you, huh!". The toddler nodded and stuck her thumb in her mouth. "You know what?" Terri's eyes never left his face, waited anxiously for him to continue. "I think you scared her too!" Then he mumbled under his breath. "Even if she'll never admit it."

**********************

When Xena and Gabrielle entered the Inn that evening, Toris and Cyrene greeted them with open arms. That was when Xena noticed something unusual. Lying in the corner of the eating area was the stuffed dragon, her most prized childhood toy, that she had kept hidden away in her room. What was that doing out here? And why does it look as if someone drooled on it? She wondered.

As they sat down for dinner, Toris could tell that he'd have to let the cat out of the bag. Noting the confusion on his sister's face, Toris forced himself to suppress a grin.

"So! What's the surprise?", Xena drawled out.

Toris smirked. "From what I can see, you already know what it is!"

Xena quirked an eyebrow at her brother.

With one quick glance at Cyrene, Toris rose and went into the back room. A short while later, he emerged holding a giggling toddler.

"Who is this?" Xena asked her brother, recognizing the youngster from earlier.

"This is the surprise," he replied.

Xena's eyebrow shot up, waiting for Toris to continue.

"This is Terri! From what I've heard, she's been following you two all day!" The little girl turned her head and smiled shyly at their guests.

Toris leaned close and whispered something into her ear. He then placed her down on the floor.

When the toddler raised her eyes to her guests, Xena was shocked into silence. This little girl had black ebony hair and eyes like her own. The toddler cautiously went over to Xena and motioned for her to listen closely. Xena leaned over and the little girl whispered in her ear. As quickly as she came, she ran back to Toris and hid behind his leg, shyly peeking around at them.

A shocked expression flashed across Xena's face, quickly replaced with a grin. Gabrielle eyed her friend curiously. "What did she say Xena?", she asked. Before replying, Xena looked up and flashed a smile at her older brother. "She called me Aunty Xe!"

********************

Toris knelt down and picked up Terri. Before answering their numerous questions, Toris asked for Cyrene to take Terri into the kitchen because he didn't want his daughter to hear what he was about to say. True, she was only two, but Toris thought it was for the best. When Cyrene returned and settled herself down into her chair again, Toris stood up and began to explain the whole story. Xena was amazed about how much she'd missed in the last two years. Toris had been secretly seeing an Amazon. Since they both knew their policies on men, they didn't tell anyone. Her name was Lysia. She'd died tragically in battle last winter. That's when Toris discovered her final gift to him, his daughter.

After finishing Toris, trying to make light of the mood, jokingly added "So...does this mean you'll come home more often sis?" Thinking this was her first visit since her return three years ago. Cyrene caught eyes with Xena, as they both remembered the time with The Furies. Thank the gods Toris knew nothing of the sort.

All the while, Xena was forcing down memories of Solan and their recent bout with the Amazons, a fresh wave of guilt and remorse flowing through her thoughts. Cyrene didn't even know she had a grandson, which made the knot in her stomach tighten. Sensing her friend's discomfort, Gabrielle reached under the table and squeezed Xena's hand. This brought a grin to her face, and she squeezed Gabrielle's hand strongly in return.

********************

When all had been said and done after Cyrene retrieved her granddaughter from the kitchen, they returned to the table. Terri, having insisted she sit on her Aunt's knee, smiled happily. Xena couldn't help but grin. Occasionally Terri would reach out with her little hand and snatch a morsel off Xena's plate, shyly looking back to see if she'd seen. Xena couldn't help it. With a sly grin at her brother, the next time she did that, Xena grabbed her around the waist and tickled her, sending her niece into a fit of giggles, causing a little milk to come out her nose. At this sight, the whole table burst out laughing.

After dinner, Xena insisted that she take Terri into the sitting area to keep her out of their way. Gabrielle smirked figuring out that Xena just didn't want to help with the clean up.

When most of the chores were taken care of, the three of them couldn't help noticing how quiet it was. There was no laughter; only the slight popping of the fireplace could be heard. They all went to go and take a look. Sure enough, there they were. Xena and Terri were curled up on the floor by the fire. Terri was contently sitting in Xena's lap. If you listened carefully, you could hear the soft lullaby Xena was singing. As not to startle her, Cyrene cleared her throat, and the three of them went to sit down next to the pair. The toddler's eyes were beginning to droop. Toris took Terri up to her room. Xena stood up and walked over to the window. Sensing Xena's change in mood, Gabrielle put a comforting arm around her friend.

"I...I'm ok, Gabrielle." Xena tried to explain before Gabrielle cut her off.

"It's hard, I know!" As Gabrielle looked up at that stotic face, she could swear she saw a tear silently run down Xena's cheek. Gabrielle decided not to mention it and just stood there in silent support.

A short while later, Toris came downstairs. Sensing Toris's arrival, Xena quickly got her emotions back into check, taking several deep breaths, as to not alarm her brother. As she turned to greet Toris, she plastered on, what she hoped would be a believable smile. "She insists she won't go to sleep unless Aunty Xe tucks her in!" Toris smirked at his sister. "Stubbornness does run in the family!" Toris grinned. Xena chuckled. She turned from the window and headed for the stairs but not before playfully slapping Toris in the shoulder on the way by.

A few candlemarks later, Xena and Gabrielle had just settled in for the night and were almost asleep. When Xena heard the door creak open, as tiny feet scuffled across the floor. Terri stood patiently next to Xena's head, clutching her blanket and the stuffed dragon. A smile slowly spread over Xena's face. She opened her eyes to see sleepy blue ones looking back. Terri looked at her with pleading eyes. Seeing the puppy dog look on that cute little face, Xena couldn't help herself.

Hearing Gabrielle's snoring, Xena smirked and held the blanket open. Terri immediately crawled in next to Xena. Xena sighed and kissed her on the head. Terri looked up at her and whispered. "Sowwy I scare Aunty Xe!" Then Terri lowered her head, closed her eyes and fell asleep, her little arms wrapped around Xena's neck. As Terri closed her eyes Xena whispered, "Good night little one." With a sigh she pulled the blanket back over the both of them.

Gabrielle peered out of sleep-filled eyes. It was early, much earlier than she usually awoke. She took a deep breath, stretching her tired muscles. Lazily, Gabrielle sat up and battled the cobwebs in her brain. She looked over at Xena, still deep in slumber. A tiny head nestled against the warrior.

"Oh, this is just too cute", the bard murmured.

"Don't say another word, Gabrielle," said Xena, clearly but quietly. It was her most threatening voice, yet it only made the bard's grin grow larger. Xena opened her eyes and glared at her friend in mock annoyance.

"What could I do?" Xena said while gesturing to the choke hold Terri had on her. Xena gently pried Terri's fingers from around her neck and began to rise. Gabrielle just stood there grinning, as she watched Xena lovingly cover the child and quietly retrieve her leathers and armor. After they were both ready, they quietly shut the door and proceeded to the kitchen.

All through breakfast, Xena continually scowled at Gabrielle's smug expression. Cyrene, not knowing what it was all about, just smirked and pretended to find making nutbread amusing.

When the nutbread was cool, Cyrene went over and placed it on the table. She took a seat next to Xena. "Did you sleep well, little one?" Xena turned and looked at her mother. "Yes, mother. We both slept just fine," all the while glaring at Gabrielle over Cyrene's head.

All of a sudden, Toris burst into the room. "Terri's not in her room! Has anyone seen her?" Toris asked, near panic. Gabrielle grinned and poked Xena in the ribs. After glaring at Gabrielle, Xena went over to Toris and smiled. "Don't worry about it, Tor. Terri's fine. She's in my bed still asleep."

"Why papa loud?" A sleepy little voice came from the doorway. They all turned to see Terri rubbing her eyes and clutching her blanket.

Toris went over and picked her up. "Sorry sweetie, did we wake you up?" Terri reached up and gave Toris a sloppy kiss on the cheek. "You hungry? Why don't we put you in your chair and ask Grandma for some breakfast." Toris asked while tossling Terri's hair.

"Gamma!!" Terri squealed and turned to Xena, raising her arms.

Toris chuckled. "I have some competition now do I sis?" Xena grinned, reached for Terri and placed her in her seat.

After breakfast, Xena took Terri into her room. Before she could escape, Xena caught the rebellious toddler with a practiced hand and quickly dressed her, despite the intense struggling of her victim. Terri, sensing that the end was inevitable, finally gave up and let Xena finish.

"Can I go now?" Terri whined. Gabrielle hid a grin, as she watched from the doorway.

"One last thing." She took out a comb. "We need to do something about that hair of yours. It's turning into a bird's nest!"

Before Terri could bolt, Xena had caught her, and soon, she was braiding the beautiful ebony locks into some semblance of order. Terri sat through the whole ordeal patiently, although she couldn't help wiggling some and making horrible faces. As soon as Xena was finished, Terri took off.

*************************

Xena went in the stable to saddle Argo while Gabrielle gathered their things and was saying her good-byes to Cyrene, Toris and little Terri.

A short while later, Xena strode into the courtyard, with Argo in tow. Terri looked up at Toris. Looking down at his daughter's sad expression, Toris knelt down. "What's the matter, sweetie?" Terri just stared at him. Without saying a word, Terri dashed across the yard grabbing Xena's leg, holding on so tightly it threatened to cut off the circulation.

Xena reached down and pried Terri off her leg. "C'mere, kid," she said, lifting her into her arms. Terri immediately threw her arms around Xena's neck and continued to sob. Xena's name peppered throughout in plaintive wails.

Xena sighed, stroking the child's hair. Terri's sniffles had disappeared, and she clung comfortably to Xena. Her small arms held onto the warrior's neck, her head buried happily in Xena's chest. Every few seconds Terri would look up and stare at Xena's face, as if to reassure herself that the woman still existed.

************************

Patiently, Gabrielle walked over and launched into one of her more exciting stories. As she had hoped, Terri became so intrigued by the tale that the girl forgot about their situation. However, all too soon, Gabrielle reached the end of the story, and Terri began to fidget again.

She turned in Xena's arms and watched Argo with wonder. Argo trotted forward and licked the outstretched hand. When Argo neighed, Terri pulled her hand back and sank into Xena's arms.

"It's ok, Terri! Argo's just saying hello!" Xena grinned at her niece. "Do you want to pet her?" When Terri slowly nodded, Xena took her hand in hers and ran it across Argo's mane.

"Soft!" Terri whispered. When Terri found a particularly itchy spot on her mane, Argo leaned into the little hand.

"You like that! Don't cha' girl!" Xena patted Argo's flanks. When the horse nodded, Terri giggled.

Without warning, Xena hoisted Terri into the saddle. Terri stared at her with wide eyes. "Do you want to go for a ride?" Terri nodded her head vigorously. Xena hoisted herself up behind Terri and with a nod to Gabrielle they were off.

*******************

"Wheeeeeee!" Terri shouted, bouncing in the saddle as she and Xena galloped over the green fields. "This fun!!" Terri breathed in excitement as Xena slowed down the horse. The warrior gave the little girl a soft smile.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," she said.

"Do 'gin!" Terri's eyes sparkled with joy as she threw her arms around her Aunt's neck.

"Terri, that's what I have to talk about," Xena said somberly. "Gabrielle and I...." Xena stumbled over her words as she tried to explain why they were leaving. "

"Why? Gabby promise you stay! Terri looked at Xena with tears in her eyes.

"I know that, little one, but you see ...I..." Xena tried to get out, tears lacing her own eyes.

"Why you have to go?" Terri asked. "I no want you leave."

"I know, but I can't stay. I have a friend that needs my help." Xena turned Argo back towards home.

"I miss you!" Terri sounded sad.

"So will I," Xena said trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to fall. "Gabrielle and I will be leaving in the morning ..."

"You an' Gabby come visit?" Big blue eyes turned to look at her pleadingly.

"Soon! You'll see," Xena smiled at Terri.

Terri gave the surprised warrior another hug and a quick kiss.

*******************

That night Xena awoke with a start. She'd been having a nightmare about Terri being torn away from her life just as Solan was. She slapped her hand over her mouth to stifle a scream, as to not awaken Gabrielle. Still shaking, Xena got up from the bed and decided to get some air.

She didn't get far. Before Xena knew it, she found herself at the stables. Argo always was easier to talk to.

"Hey, girl!" Xena brushed Argo's mane, letting her thoughts wander. Could it be possible, could she really open her heart again? Xena mentally slapped herself. How could she possibly begin to love this child. Terri would only get hurt. A silent tear rolled down Xena's face. "...Just like Solan." She couldn't let her mind hope. Not again. But, a small part of her wanted to be there for Terri. Love her. A second chance if you will. To put right the wrongs that happened with Solan.

As Xena laid down on the hay, before entering Morpheus's realm, she prayed to anyone who was listening for an answer.

*******************

Terri was tossing and turning in her little bed, seeing images in her dreams she could not place. A voice pleaded to Terri, begging her to do what it asked. As soon as she awoke, very much afraid, Terri made a run for Xena's room seeking comfort.

*******************

The sun was just peeking through the window when Toris could feel someone shaking him. He opened his eyes to see Terri's staring back, fear written across that little face. "Xe gone! Xe gone!" She said repeatedly, continuing to shake her papa.

"Wa...What's the matter?" Toris sat up in bed only to have Terri try to pull him out. "OK...OK!! I'm up! I'm up!"

Terri dragged a groggy Toris into Xena's room. Gabrielle was still asleep, but as his daughter had said, Xena was no where to be found. From the rumpled mess of the sheets and the soaked pillow, Toris could clearly see what had happened.

He looked at his daughter and held out his hand. "Come on. I think I have a pretty good idea where she's hiding."

*******************

Toris led Terri into the barn and pointed to Argo's stall. Terri glanced up at her papa for only a second before quickly going to take a look. Sure enough, when Toris reached the edge of the divider, there they were. Terri had curled up next to Xena and was curiously wiping at the drying tears that ran down Xena's cheeks.

Terri looked back at her papa for reassurance. Toris smiled and nodded his head. A smile spread across Terri's face. Terri quickly turned back to Xena and cuddled back into her original position. Toris smiled at the sight of his sister and Terri lying there together. He decided to let them have some time alone and quietly slipped out.

When Terri felt Xena's arms tighten around her, she looked up into her Aunt's eyes. When Xena smiled, Terri sat up and wrapped her arms around Xena's neck.

What Terri said next came as quite a shock. "He say Xe need hug!"

"Who sweetie?" Xena looked at Terri with an eyebrow raised.

"I had dream. He say go to Xe! Say he name Solan!" Terri wrinkled her nose at the foreign name. "Who dat?" She asked curiously.

Xena choked on a lump in her throat. Her silence was broken when Terri reached up and wiped at her face. "Why Aunty Xe cry? Xe hurt?" Her eyes watched Xena carefully.

Xena let out a chuckle. "No, sweetie!" She leaned over and kissed the top of Terri's head. "I'm all right! I just....I just" Xena took a deep breath. "Solan was very special to me. I miss him very much."

Terri took on a sad expression. "He went 'way?" Terri was silent for a moment and then in a bare whisper, "Like momma?"

It was so unexpected, Xena had to stop for a long moment, just to come up with some kind of response. It touched her, knocking something open that went very deep, bridging the huge gap she'd always felt between herself and anyone who tried to get close to her. "I… um.. I really.." She hesitated.

Xena pulled Terri close, the tears beginning to flow again. "Just like momma!" Xena sniffled. She tilted Terri's face up until it met her own. Gently wiping Terri's tears, "I'll promise you something." Her voice slightly quivering. "I promise you .... I'll ... always be here. Anytime you need me, OK?

Terri, hiccuping and crying, flew at Xena. " Love Aunty Xe!"

The two of them stayed contently in each other's arms for several candlemarks, neither wanting to let go.

********************

Xena and Gabrielle left the next day, promising Terri they would return.

Cyrene stood next to Toris, Terri in his arms, waving good-bye. Toris looked down at Terri. "They'll be back!" Terri looked into her papa's eyes unsure.

"Yes, they gave you their word." Terri turned to watch the pair as they walked away. A smile began to spread across her face. Terri continued to stare, crying and waving to her Aunt and Gabrielle.

The End