Disclaimer: The characters of Xena, Gabrielle, and Cyrene are the property of MCA/Universal and Renaissance Pictures. This is just a work of fan fiction and not intended to infringe on the copyright of " Xena: Warrior Princess".

The characters Little Xena and Little Gabrielle were used with permission of Lúcia da Ascenção deNóbrega lunobrega@sol.com.br <mailto:lunobrega@sol.com.br>. If you have not seen her drawings or cartoon connection on The Australian Little Xena Information Page <http://xenite.simplenet.com/index.html>, I recommend it!

The story is mine. January 14, 2001

Violence: None

Subtext: Sorry not in this one. This story is for my niece and is suitable for all ages.

Authors notes: I just wanted to say thank you to Lúcia for providing me with a wonderful image that I can share with a very special Little Gabrielle, my Niece Nicole! I also wanted to thank Sonja Kümer for the question: "But how do the little girls met?" Well Sonja, here is your answer!

I’d love to hearing from you. Please feel free to send me your comments good or bad. ricesue@mediaone.net

A Little Xena and Little Gabrielle story

By Susan A. Rice

Xena and Gabrielle had just arrived at Cyrene’s Inn after a long stay with the Amazons. Cyrene knew her girls were tired and from the looks of them, they had been in a scuffle on the way to Amphipolis. "Funny," thought Cyrene, "Some things never change. I can remember a time, long ago, when they came in all muddy and bruised but smiling just like they are now. I’m so glad my girls found each other again."

The Inn was crowed for the noon meal but everyone was watching the reunion taking place at the door.

"Well, don’t you two look a sight?"

"Hello to you too, Mother," said Xena.

"Hi Cyrene," said Gabrielle.

Xena went over to her mother and picked her up in a bear hug.

"Missed you too, daughter. Now put me down," laughed Cyrene. "I’m so happy you stopped by. Are you going to be here long?"

"Well, we were talking about staying here the winter if that was OK with you, Cyrene. I think we could both use a break from the road and we know that you could use the extra help around the Inn too," answered Gabrielle.

"You, young lady, have been told since I can’t remember to call me Mom, how hard did they hit you in the head today that you can’t remember that simple request?" asked Cyrene.

The Bard bowed her head and laughed. "Okay, Mom."

"So, are you up for some storytelling after the evening meal, Cutie?" asked Cyrene.

Now there was a noticeable quiet in the Inn. All eyes were on Gabrielle as they awaited her answer.

"Well, I was sort of tired, but I’m sure that with a little nap and your good cooking, I could be persuaded to tell a story or two tonight."

One child was so excited that she yelled, "Can you tell us the first time you and Xena met?"

Gabrielle turned around and tried to find the child who made the request. She spotted a young girl of about 8 with long dark hair hopping up and down in her excitement. She walked over to the little girl and noticed her hazel green eyes sparkled.

"I think I can do that. I don’t remember meeting you the last time we were here. What’s your name?" asked Gabrielle.

"My name is Nicole. I came to visit my aunt. She said that you would be here when I next came to visit and you are!" piped Nicole.

"Well Nicole, I’ll expect you and your aunt to be here in the front tonight to listen to my story called "Sins of the Past", OK?"

"Is that the one with the Cyclops and the bad man Draco?" asked Nicole.

"Yes it is. That is when Xena and I first met."

"Nah huh. Aunt Susan said you were smaller than that when you first met. She said you were smaller than me. There was also something about Draco, but there was no Cyclops in the story. Something about a lamb."

Gabrielle sat back on her heals looking into the young smiling face. "She did huh? Well, I really don’t remember."

"Sure you do, Gabrielle. Mother used to tell the story all the time. You know, the one when I brought home my little friend for dinner one night. Come on, try to remember."

Gabrielle looked up at Xena and was trying her best to remember the story. She looked at Cyrene and then back at Xena. Suddenly, a brilliant smile crossed her face. "Wait a minute, are you talking about when I was 3 or 4 winters old? That was you?"

Xena smiled knowing that this was going to be an interesting evening of reliving childhood moments.

Cyrene laughed, "It sure was, Cutie. You were so adorable then. That’s why I started calling you Cutie. All that time had passed, but my littlest bard finally came back into my daughter’s life several years ago."

Gabrielle was blushing as she turned back to Nicole. "All right, little one. Tonight will be a story about how Little Gabrielle met Little Xena, OK?"

For answer, Nicole threw her arms around Gabrielle’s neck and said, "Thank you!" She then released the startled Bard and ran for the door of the Inn. She stopped at the door and turned around. She said, "See you tonight. I need to take a nap if I’m going to stay up late listening to stories. Bye." And out the door she went.

**********

Xena and Gabrielle were unpacking their saddlebags when Gabrielle stated, "This is going to be an interesting experience. I barely remember what happened. I always thought it was a dream. You were so much like my friend from my dream and yet so different when we met. But even then, I knew you would always be my friend."

"Well, you were a bit younger than I was but I remember it pretty well. I also remember when your family moved back to Potedia." Xena shuddered, "It was not a pretty sight. That was one of the reasons I never went to Potedia during my past. I never wanted to hurt you or your family."

Gabrielle smiled, kissed her Xena on the cheek, and said, "You always were looking out for me. Thank you."

"So, what do you want to do for the next couple of candle marks?" asked Xena.

Gabrielle had her head bent down and started to shift from foot to foot, "Um, honestly?"

"Hmmm?"

"Well, I’m kind of hungry and I could really use a glass of cider," said Gabrielle.

"Uh huh, anything else?" asked Xena with a knowing smile.

"Ah," said the Bard.

"Come on, I know you can smell it from here. I’m sure she made it just for you."

**********

"To this day, I still can’t believe she can eat that much," thought Xena. "I wonder if she is going to mention that in the story. Look at this, it’s a wonder I can keep her fed on the road with that monster she calls a stomach. Three bowls of stew, one loaf of nut bread, and she is working on the fourth bowl now." Xena bent down to look under the table and came back up shaking her head. "Nope, that’s not it."

The blonde looked at her dark haired friend and asked, "What’s not it?"

"I was checking to see if Mother got a new dog or something," said Xena.

"Why would you…" Gabrielle’s voice trailed off as her brows came together. "Xena! I can’t help it if I’m hungry. Walking all over Greece is a lot of work!"

"I know Gabrielle, I know."

Just then Cyrene walked over to the table. "Had enough, Cutie, or are you looking for another bowl of stew?"

Gabrielle blushed, "I’m fine Cyrene. Give me a couple of minutes to let this settle and then I’ll start telling stories."

"Take your time. Your littlest fan and her family are not here yet," said Cyrene just before heading off to the kitchen.

"You know I have told stories for years now but I suddenly feel very nervous."

"You’ll be fine Gabrielle, just tell that little girl the story. I know you’ll do a great job, and I’m sure that she’ll love to hear the story from her favorite bard."

Just then, the door to the Inn opened and in walked Nicole and two adults. Gabrielle watched them take seats near the makeshift stage. One of them appeared to be her height while the other was a bit shorter. Both had dark hair but where one had brown eyes, the other had blue eyes. They seemed familiar to her, but she just could not place where she’d seen them before. As she watched them, she noticed Nicole could not sit still in her chair. The smaller of the two women motioned her over to sit on her lap, where she finally settled down.

Gabrielle stood up and said, "Well, I guess it’s time."

As she headed for the stage she waved to Nicole.

"I was asked to tell a story about the first time Xena and I met. Now many of you may think that the first time was in a story call "Sins of the Past", but today I was reminded of another time when I was much smaller. So today, I want to tell you the story of how Little Gabrielle met Little Xena. It all started…"

*********

"No, mine! Give Lambie back," cried the three-year old child. She was trying to catch up to the boy who ran away with her favorite toy, but try as she might, she could not catch the older child.

The little girl finally tired and sat down. Her big green eyes filled with tears and she started to cry. Not only did she lose her favorite toy, she realized that she did not know where she was or how to find her way back to her mother. So upset, she finally curled up under a tree and cried herself to sleep.

A little while later, another child, with black hair and blue eyes walked up through the trees whistling as she went. She spotted the little blonde head sticking out from between the roots of a tree. Slowly she walked over to the sleeping child and she could see that she had been crying. Worried that the little girl was hurt, she walked over to her and gently shook her shoulders.

The little girl didn’t immediately awaken; instead she swatted at the hand shaking her and rolled over into a tighter ball.

The older girl shook the child again and said, "Hey, wake up."

The little blonde opened one very bloodshot eye, stuck her thumb into her mouth, and started to rub her eyes with her free hand.

The older girl looked at her and asked, "Whatcha doin’ out here all by yourself?"

The little blonde mumbled, "He took my Lambie and ran away and now my Lambie is lost and so am I."

The older child smiled and said, "Well, I’m not lost, want to come home with me?"

The little blonde pulled her thumb out of her mouth and said, "Will you help me find my Lambie and my Mommy?"

"Sure. Come on let’s go and talk to Mother. She runs the Inn in town. Oh, and my name is Xena," said Little Xena. Holding out her hand to the little girl she said, "Here, let me help you up."

The blonde took Little Xena’s hand and stood up.

Little Xena asked, "What’s your name?"

The little girl replied, "Gabrielle."

Little Xena said, "Well, Gabrielle, do you have any other names? Do people call you Gabby or Brie or Ri or Elle?"

Little Gabrielle looked at Little Xena and said, "Depends. Mommy calls me Brie sometimes but most times she calls be Gabrielle and Gabby. Daddy calls me Kitten."

"What do you want me to call you?" asks Little Xena as they start to walk back to the inn.

"I like the name Gabrielle, but you can call me Gabby if you want," said Little Gabrielle.

"OK, Gabby, we’ll be home soon and then we'll see what we can do about finding your Mommy. My Mother will have an answer, I’m sure of it."

Little Gabrielle was running to keep up with her new friend. Suddenly, they were no longer in the woods but at the back of the inn.

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

The girls entered the inn and were immediately spotted by Little Xena’s Mother, Cyrene. She walked over to the girls and smiled.

"Well, who do we have here?" she asked.

Little Xena said, "Mother, this is my new best friend Gabby. She is lost and looking for her mother and lamb."

Cyrene bent down to look at this little one hiding behind her young daughter. She held out her hand and said, "Come on out, little one. I won’t hurt you."

Little Gabrielle bowed her head and edged around Little Xena. She looked up into Cyrene’s face. A shy smile appeared on the youngster’s face.

"Oh my, you are a cutie. What’s you mother’s name?" asked Cyrene.

Little Gabrielle chirped, "Mommy."

Cyrene chuckled, "Well, yes, that is one of her names now isn’t it?" Cyrene thought for a moment and said, "Ah, you must be Hecuba’s little girl. They just moved into town and were searching for a little girl. I’ll just bet you are the little girl they’re looking for."

Little Gabrielle just looked at Cyrene.

Suddenly a rumbling sound could be heard coming from Little Gabrielle. "Uh oh… The monster is awake," said the petite blonde.

Cyrene raised one delicate eyebrow and continued to look at Little Gabrielle.

The growling sound came again from Little Gabrielle.

Little Gabrielle looked down at her tummy and said, "Shhh. It’s not nice to growl at the nice lady."

The stomach monster continued to growl and make the most interesting noises.

Cyrene chuckled and asked, "When was the last time you ate, little one?"

Little Gabrielle tilted her head in thought. She smiled up at Cyrene and said, "This morning, when the rooster woke up and said hi to the sun."

Cyrene looked out the window and noticed that it was almost sundown. "Well, come along children. It is time for supper."

The girls accompanied Cyrene into the kitchen all the while hearing the displeasure of the stomach monster. After having seated both girls at the table, with Little Gabrielle sitting on a big pot so she could reach the top of the table, Cyrene presented them both with bowls of stew and warm bread.

Cyrene turned to check on several of the items on the stove and roasting over the fire. She turned around to look back at the girls and saw her daughter staring wide-eyed at the little blonde. She watched her daughter look under the table and then continue to stare at her new friend.

She then looked at the petite child who was eating her dinner. Cyrene blinked in surprise. The bowl in front of blonde was empty, wiped clean in fact. Cyrene walked over to the girls and asked, "Would you like some more, Cutie?"

Little Gabrielle smiled, "Yes, please."

Cyrene took her bowl and dished up another helping and placed it before the child. This time she decided not to turn her back on the child.

Little Gabrielle patted her stomach and said, "See, the nice lady just gave you some more, so now say thank you and then be quiet."

The stomach monster answered with a roar and then quieted down.

Little Gabrielle dug into this bowl and finished it off just as Little Xena was finishing her first bowl of stew. The younger girl smiled at the older girl and said, "Wow, your Mommy makes good stew. Thank you for bringing me here."

Little Xena smiled and said, "You’re welcome, but are you sure that monster is finished?"

Patting her tummy once again, Little Gabrielle asked, "You done?"

The only sound heard was a content rumble coming from Little Gabrielle’s middle.

"What do you call that thing?" asked Little Xena as she pointed to the younger child’s tummy.

"Oh, that’s just the Stomach Monster. But don’t worry, it just likes to make a lot of noise, it never hurts anyone."

Little Gabrielle yawned and stuck her thumb in her mouth. Little Xena couldn’t help it; she had to yawn too.

Cyrene, seeing the tired duo trying to keep their eyes open, decided it was time to tuck them in for the night. She scooped up the girls, one in each arm, and headed up the back stairs of the Inn. She settled both girls on Little Xena’s bed and then left the room for a moment.

She returned shortly with a young man carrying another bed into the room. The girls looked at Cyrene and then at the bed.

"I have a funny feeling that I’m going to need to keep an extra bed in here from now on," was all Cyrene said as she directed the young man to put the bed near the other one.

"Now Jonis, would you please run over to let Hecuba know her daughter is here and will be staying for the night. Tell her everything is fine and to just get settled in. Once that is done, she and her husband should come on by for dinner tomorrow night."

"Yes, Ma’am."

"Thank you, Jonis. You’re such a dear."

Jonis blushed and left the room.

"Now then, I think we can just stick you in one of my daughter’s night shirts and tuck you in to sleep."

Little Gabrielle’s eyes opened wide and she started to cry. Cyrene, not knowing what was wrong, cradled the child. While rocking her she heard her daughter saying, "It’s okay, Gabby. Please don’t cry."

Slowly the crying stopped but the tears continued trailing down the cherub face. Between sniffles she said, "How can I sleep without Lambie?"

Cyrene looked at her daughter for an explanation.

"Lambie is her toy lamb that one of the boys in the village took from her today. That was how she got lost to start with. She was looking for her lost lamb."

"So that was what that scamp Draco was talking about," said Cyrene still rocking a very tired Little Gabrielle.

Little Xena said, "Draco has the lamb? Mom, he’s twice the size of Gabby. Why’d he do it?"

Looking into her daughter’s eyes, Cyrene saw the determination and the anger brewing. She knew that her daughter was going to help set things right, it was just a matter of time. The question was how do you explain something like this to a seven year old.

"Sometimes Xena, people that are bigger than others just are not nice about it and pick on smaller people. It’s not right and it’s not nice, but it does sometimes happen."

Little Xena looked at her mother and said, "Well, tomorrow it stops."

Cyrene smiled at her daughter and then gathered her in for a hug as well. After being released from her hug, Little Xena got off the bed and went to the chest at the foot of the bed. She started to rummage through it.

While Little Xena was busy, Cyrene helped Little Gabrielle to change for bed. Picking up the little girl, she tucked her into bed and kissed her on the forehead. "Try to sleep, little one, and may you dream of health, happiness, and all those other good things."

"I’ll try, but without Lambie, it’ll be really hard," said Little Gabrielle.

Walking over to her friend, Little Xena presented her with an old stuffed horse. "Here, Gabby, you can sleep with Lightening until we get Lambie back, OK?"

Cyrene watched as her daughter tucked Lightening under the covers.

"Now, Lightening, you take real good care of Gabrielle and soon you’ll get to meet her friend Lambie."

Soon, both girls were tucked in bed and almost asleep.

Little Gabrielle’s voice piped, "Thank you, Little Xena."

"Welcome, Little Gabrielle."

Then Morpheus took both girls to the land of dreams.

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

Then next morning, Little Xena was up before the sun and planning her rescue of Lambie. She watched her young friend sleeping and smiled at the way she was holding Lightening. The horse was nose to nose with her new best friend but she could still see the tracks of the tears that Little Gabrielle had cried during the night.

She tried not to make too much noise as she rummaged in her trunk. She needed some stuff and she figured that Little Gabrielle was going to need some stuff too. She pulled out the old broom handle that she had saved from going into the fireplace a few season back.

"This is just the right thing for Little Gabrielle to use."

She started spinning the little staff around practicing some moves. She finished by flipping into the air and yelling, "Chi yah!"

She turned around to the sound of clapping.

"Do it again! Do it again!" yelled the clapping blonde.

Little Xena blushed and walked toward her young friend. "Here, you are gonna need this when we go to rescue Lambie."

Little Gabrielle looked at the broom handle and said, "Do I need to clean up after the mess?"

Laughing, Little Xena said, "No, it’s a staff. This is so they can’t get close to you when we get the lamb back."

The little blond looked at the staff and then at Little Xena and asked, "Am I a warrior now?"

"No, you’re my friend. I’m the warrior," answered Little Xena.

"OK, then what am I?" asked Little Gabrielle.

"I don’t know. What do you want to be?" asked Little Xena.

Little Gabrielle frowned in heavy thought. Try as she might, she just didn’t know what she could be. She told Little Xena this and asked Little Xena what she could choose from.

"Well, is there something you’re good at, Gabby?"

"I like story time, and Mommy said I like to talk, and I’m good at eating all my vegetables. Does that help?"

Little Xena smiled at her friend, "Do you like to tell stories, Little Gabrielle?"

"Yes."

"Then you can be the Bard and I’ll be the Warrior, deal?" asked Little Xena.

"A bard? Does a bard fight too?" asked Gabby.

"Sometimes. The Bard is the Warrior’s best friend and they help each other."

Little Gabrielle looked at Little Xena and said, "Well, since you are my newest best friend and you are the Warrior, I guess that means I’m the Bard."

Little Xena said, "It sure does, Gabby! I’ll teach you how to use your staff if you want, okay?"

"Okay! When do we start, Little Xena?"

It was at that moment the Stomach Monster decided to make itself heard.

Little Xena chuckled, "After we get that thing to quiet down. Come on, let’s get dressed and go eat."

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

Both girls finished breakfast and headed out of the Inn. Little Xena took the lead and approached Little Draco’s home. Neither girl saw the boy in the yard.

Little Xena walked up to the door and knocked. Little Draco’s mother answered it.

"Well hello there, Little Xena," said the woman. "How are you today and who is your little friend?"

"Fine, Ma’am. This is Little Gabrielle, my new best friend," answered Little Xena. "Is Draco home?"

"He should be in the barn doing his chores this morning, so he won’t be able to come out and play with you right now."

"That’s okay, we didn’t come to play. We just want to talk to him."

"Yah, and get Lambie back," chirped Little Gabrielle.

"Lambie?" asked Draco’s mother. She smiled, "Okay girls, you can go into the barn, but don’t be long. He really needs to finish his chores."

Little Xena and Little Gabrielle walked over to the barn door.

Turning to her small friend Little Xena said, "You guard the door, Gabby, and don’t let him escape. You have to be quiet. I’ll go in there and rescue your lamb, okay?"

Little Gabrielle nodded.

Opening the door, the girls entered the barn. They could hear several boys talking and the "Baaah, Baaah" of a lamb.

Tugging on Little Xena’s leathers, Little Gabrielle got her friend’s attention. Little Xena moved her head closer to the little girls lips.

"They’re pulling Lambie’s tail," whispered Little Gabrielle.

Little Xena looked at her friend and saw tears running down her cheeks. She hugged her friend and whispered, "I’ll save her. You just be ready?"

Xena could see the boys from her hiding place. Little Draco put the lamb down on the bale of hay next to him. Yelling her warrior’s cry, Little Xena jumped into action.

The boys all looked at her as she landed in the middle of their numbers. She walked right up to one of the boys and said, "Draco, that is not your lamb."

"It is so," said Little Draco. "I got it yesterday."

"You mean you took it away from a little girl yesterday. It’s her lamb. You need to give it back."

"I don’t think so, Xena. The lamb is mine now."

Little Xena flipped up onto the bale of hay and grabbed Lambie. She jumped off the other side and started heading for the barn doors. Two of the boys were in her way, and the scuffle was on. Little Xena jumped and dodged and did the warrior thing while protecting Lambie.

Suddenly, while defending herself against the biggest boy in the group, Little Draco came up behind her and stole the lamb out of her arms. He headed for the barn doors.

Little Gabrielle saw Lambie in the boy’s arms and planted herself in front of the exit.

The boy stopped short at the sight before him. There, standing in front of the doors, was one very upset little blonde with a big stick. Little Draco laughed at the small child as he jogged for the doors.

Picking up her staff, Little Gabrielle swung it at his feet, tripping the older boy.

Little Xena came running just in time to the boy go down. Lambie flew into the air and out the barn doors.

Little Gabrielle dropped her staff and ran to her little lamb and hugged it close, not realizing that Little Draco had risen and was walking up behind her.

"YIYIYIYIYIYIYIYIYAH!" yelled Little Xena as she jumped over Little Draco.

All the boys were now exiting the barn looking at the scene.

"It’s her lamb," growled Little Xena.

Having heard the noise, Little Draco’s mother came to the door. "Draco!"

"Yes, Mother," answered Little Draco.

"Have you finished your chores?"

"No, Ma’am," replied the boy, "but…"

"Don’t ‘but’ me, get in there and finish your chores. The rest of you run along now, Draco is going to be busy for a while mucking out all of the stalls in the barn."

Little Draco groaned, "But, Mom!"

"Get to it!"

Little Draco stormed back into the barn and watched from the shadows. His friends left and his mother entered the house. Little Gabrielle and Little Xena were still in the yard. He watched the little girl as she held the lamb close to her. He knew they had to pass by the barn to leave the yard and waited for his chance.

"Thank you, Little Xena, for getting Lambie back," said the smaller child.

"Well, Gabby, looked like you did a good job of getting your own lamb back. Come on, let’s head back to the Inn. Mother said she was going to make nut bread today."

Little Gabrielle’s eyes lit up. "Really?" she asked. "That is my all time favorite."

The girls started to pass the barn door when Little Draco reached out and grabbed Little Gabrielle.

"Now I have the lamb and your little friend, Little Xena," said Little Draco.

He walked backwards into the barn with Little Xena following. She could see that he was in for a fall and was just biding her time. Then it happened. He stepped on Little Gabrielle’s staff and started to fall, taking the little blonde with him.

Little Gabrielle dropped her lamb and landed heavily on top of Little Draco. She quickly rolled off of him and scrambled toward her fallen lamb. Draco grabbed her by the ankle and was about to pull her away when Little Xena landed on him.

Little Xena sat there looking down at him and said, "I don’t think you get it. It’s her lamb. Just look at them."

Little Draco looked at the little girl cuddling the lamb. He saw tears in her eyes as she checked over toy, making sure it was not hurt. He turned back to Little Xena and nodded.

"Okay, it’s her toy," replied the boy. "I just wanted to play with it."

Little Gabrielle looked up from her lamb and said, "If you had asked, I would have shared her with you. We could both play with my Lambie."

Getting off of Little Draco, Little Xena walked over to her friend to get a good look at the lamb. It was a wooden toy shaped like a sheep, finely carved to show how woolly the little lamb was. There was a little string for the tail, which Little Gabrielle was pulling to make the lamb "Baaah".

Little Draco came over and sat down on the floor with the girls. "May I say goodbye to your lamb and just pull its tail one more time?"

Looking at the older boy, Little Gabrielle held out her lamb. "You can pull her tail more than once if you want."

Little Draco smiled and pulled its tail three times making it go, "Baaah, baaah, baaah!" He then handed the child her toy. "Thank you."

Little Gabrielle smiled and said, "You’re welcome."

The girls left the barn and headed back to the Inn. When they arrived, they were covered in dirt and hay. Cyrene took one look at the pair of them and marched them right off for a bath.

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

"… Later that evening, Little Gabrielle’s mother and father came to the Inn and had dinner with Cyrene. And that is the story of how Little Xena met Little Gabrielle," smiled the bard.

Nicole jumped off of the lap she had been sitting on during the story and started to clap. She looked to the women who were with her and they each handed her a dinar. Nicole went up to the stage and put her dinars in the dish on the stage. She looked up at Gabrielle and said, "Thank you!"

Gabrielle smiled at the little girl and said, "You’re welcome. So, tell me, who are your friends?"

"That’s Aunt Susan and Lúcia. Want to meet them?" asked Nicole.

"Sure," replied the Warrior Bard.

Nicole took Gabrielle’s hand and walked back to the table. "Aunt Susan, Lu, this is Gabrielle."

Both Susan and Lu shook hands with the bard.

"You two seem kind of familiar to me, but I’m sorry, I can’t seem to place where I know you from," said the blonde.

Xena walked up besides her best friend and smiled. "So, Nicole, did you have a good time tonight?"

"Yes thank you. Aunt Susan told me that story once. Gabrielle tells it much better," replied Nicole.

Lu looked at her friend and laughed.

"Well, I think she tells the story better because she was there," said Xena.

"Thank you for telling her the story, Gabrielle," said Susan, "I really appreciate it. Now however, it is time for a certain little girl to go to bed."

"Aaawww."

"Come on now, say goodnight."

"Okay, goodnight Gabrielle and Xena. Thank you for the story."

Nicole hugged and kissed each of them on the cheek. She then turned back to her aunt and Lu. Her aunt scooped her up and held her close as they said their own good nights.

After they had left, Gabrielle and Xena sat down to relax for a little while. "That was interesting. But I really do think I’ve seen them before. I really feel like I know them somehow."

Xena looked at her best friend. "I’m sure that it will come to us. I feel like I’ve known them all my life, yet don’t remember meeting either of them until just this evening."

Cyrene placed two mugs of cider on the table.

"Mother, do you know who they are?" asked Xena.

"Yes I do. They have been around for a long time and I’m sure if you spoke to them they could tell you some great stories about some of the things that have gone on here throughout the years."

"Funny," commented Gabrielle, "They don’t look that old."

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

Outside the Inn, the two friends stopped to look in the window.

"They haven’t change much in all these years have they?" asked the shorter of the two.

"No, they’re still our little girls," replied the taller.

Chuckling, the smaller said, "We should come back tomorrow night and treat them to a night of stories, minha amiga"

"Yes, my friend, I think you are right but have you learned to catch that Chakram yet?"

Looking up at her friend she said, "No, why?"

"Because the first couple of times you use the word cute to describe Xena, you are going get a chance to see it fly," laughed the taller friend.

"Hmmm, good point. I forgot about that but I’m sure she’s grown out of that."

Raising an eyebrow, the taller one asked, "Are you willing to take that chance?"

"Hehehe, I’ll make sure Nicole’s with me!"

Both friends laughed as the proceeded home for the night.

*********

Back in the Inn, the friends talked into the night, shared a few more stories with Cyrene’s patrons never suspecting what was in store for them tomorrow night.

The End.

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