Aw, I really liked this. Xena is just so awesome! I wish I could fight like her! Haha. Well done with this piece :)

aww, I love it. Great story XD

I liked this line...

"It had burned a bit, as if to remind her of her lie, but Xena walked on, head high, because Gabrielle did not need to know." - very nice way to say how Xena was feeling at this moment.

Over all a nice visual piece. I really liked some of the moments where Xena was watching Gabrielle. Watching her sleep, watching her touch her belly, subtle, but it speaks leaps and bounds about the interactions of the characters. And then you have the teasing bits with Ares too... loved his interactions, and how Xena was both drawn and repulsed by him at the same time... perfectly in character for them both.

Oh, wow, so good to see you writing again! I hope you'll post this in Shipper Talk. As always, you capture X/A beautifully, and the Xena/Gabrielle interaction is great too. Lovely description here: "She watched his eyes darken and focus on her mouth, and she threw herself backward, one knee coming up to smack into his forearm while the other foot kicked the sword away so that it arced like a silvery fish before disappearing into the gloom of the night." And I loove the bit with the magnolias.