Special Agent Quentin Sullivan, Hoodoo Priestess Réjeanne Boudreau, Special Agent Chris Townshend and Enyo are my OC’s. Xena, Gabrielle, Joxer & Argo are copyrighted by Renaissance Pictures and MCA/Universal. No infringement is intended and no profit will be made. Ms Americana/Brenda Wade, Flag Girl/Dana King and Hexanna are the creation of Mr. X.

Comments? Feedback? Drop me a line at comix.fana@gmail.com

"Well played Alpheus…you had that one last curse in your pocket, just in case you were found out and defeated…I was just the lucky recipient." The hooded figure sitting alone at one of the local Inn and Tavern’s tables thought, raising his horn goblet to his lips.

He took a long, sorrowful sip, feeling the alcohol warming up his esophagus and stomach. Separated from friends and loved ones through temporal exile, but gifted with great knowledge thanks to a powerful counter-spell from two equally powerful friends; he sought the answer to the riddle that would bring him back to his life, his timeline and loved ones.

"Only you can break this curse, but we can give you the tools to survive. You shall know Greek, Latin, Aramaic and Gaulish. Miss Réjeanne will give you her knowledge of healing and protection spells. Be well and return to us soon! " His friend Hexanna had telepathically told him, through the counter-spell.

He had de facto become the village’s medicine man, their Druid. But his stay had lasted much longer than he would have liked and still he had no clue of the answer to the riddle that would send him home.

"’Come the season of love, hear the siren’s chant. In the path of the cuckoo, see your urges betray, in the path of the phoenix, you may find your way’…What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He wondered, for the nth time.

That riddle rang through his head in the nagging voice of Frederic George, a.k.a. Warlock, a.k.a. Alpheus. Sighing, he reached through the collar of his tunic with his left hand and grabbed the Tibetan Amulet given to him by his true love, and felt his throat tightening. At this particular moment, he felt especially lonely and isolated.

He gulped the remainder of his horn goblet and put it down on the table. He let go of his amulet and raised his hand.

"Electra, a refill please?" He said, addressing the Innkeeper’s daughter.

Behind the primitive counter, Electra nodded. She mumbled a few words to her father, who pointed hurriedly to the large cauldron in the kitchen. She nodded again, smiling. A few moments later, she returned to the Druid’s table, with a terracotta vessel in one hand and a bowl with a wooden spoon sticking out of it in the other.

"There you go Druid, father insists that I serve you this bowl of mutton stew. That honey mead will burn a hole in your gut if you’re not careful." Electra said, putting the bowl in front of him on the table.

"You’re a muse Electra, and your father is a savior." He said, knowing that it was useless for him to reach for the coin purse on his belt.

"And you, are a holy man. You saved my mother’s life! She is in the kitchen cooking for this Inn as if she had never caught the plague in the first place! Your money is no good in our establishment!" She said, pouring mead from the vessel into his horn goblet, her ample cleavage becoming exposed from her toga as she bent over.

"I bet you could feed a whole army with those!" A drunken patron slurred, staring at her breasts.

The Druid turned his head, casting an angry stare at the drunken patron. He was one of five Spartan mercenaries who were getting drunk and rowdy on wine and mead.

"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Spiros, the Innkeeper, shouted angrily.

"I said that your daughter’s milky breasts could feed the entire Spartan army, old man! In fact I’d pay her a few gold pieces if she dropped the toga right now!" The patron said, with a smug yellowish grin, the men sitting at his table laughing.

"You Spartan swines, I’ll smash your heads in!" Spiros said, pulling a large club from behind the counter.

"Father, no!" Electra pleaded.

"What goes on here?" Roula, Spiros’ wife said; coming out of the kitchen with a worried frown.

The Spartans reached for their swords, rising from their chairs. In a swift move, the Druid also stood up, pulling his hood back; putting himself between Electra and the drunken Spartans. A hush came over the entire Inn and Tavern, as everyone who knew him feared his powers. With all eyes glued on him, the Druid walked closer to the Spartan’s table. Gape-mouthed, they sat back down, oddly fascinated.

"And here I thought Spartans had honor. I guess I was wrong. You are rude, boorish, and have no honor." The Druid said, staring them down.

The Spartan who had made the comments, a discharged soldier named Alexis, tried to say something but just sat there, staring, feeling unusually intimidated.

"What, not one word? You sounded so brave and smart towards Electra and Spiros but you can’t find any smart remarks for me? I don’t expect maggots like you to apologize, but if you want to see naked girls so badly; there is a brothel in the next village east of here, at half a day’s travel by horseback. If you leave right now, you should make it there by sundown. This would be your cue to leave now." The Druid said, pointing at the door with his left hand’s thumb.

"You…you talk tough Gaul, but there are five of us against you, what if we decided to rush you and the Innkeeper, beat you down and rape the women? We’re mercenaries, the rest of those drunks couldn’t kill a fly!" Alexis said, his four friends nodding silently.

"Ah, I see…you assume that I am a Gaul because I am a Druid…showing your ignorance. Truth is I don’t need Spiros’ help to wipe the floor with you and your friends. If you were from around these parts, you would have left already, because you would know what I’m capable of. They say I am a holy man; but this holy man has a nasty temper." The Druid said, glaring at them.

No one noticed the front door opening.

"And while he may not need any help, I am gladly offering my assistance." The newly arrived female voice interjected.

All eyes turned to the open door.

"No way!" he thought, gape mouthed, as the woman who stood there bore an uncanny resemblance to the woman he loved.

"Xena! Caesar has put a bounty on your head!" Alexis said, standing up and reaching again for his sword, but knocked back into his seat by the Druid’s massive fist.

"Yes, he has. And even his elite mercenaries were left bandaging their wounds and burying their dead. The choice for you is simple: face our wrath, or take the Druid’s advice and visit the brothel in the neighboring village. You will find that second choice a lot more pleasant." Xena said, one hand on her chakram, while scratching her head with the other hand with an annoyed look on her face.

She discretely tossed aside the cause of her itch, in a dismissive motion. She was now flanked by a short, attractive and very athletic reddish blonde and by an awkward-looking skinny young man, dressed in a makeshift armor.

"In other words Spartan; OUT WITH YOU! Kid, keep the door open for me will you?" The Druid said, grabbing Alexis by the hair with one hand and by the tunic with the other; and lifting him off his chair, screaming in pain.

"Strong!" Xena thought, with an appreciative smirk, absent-mindedly scratching her head again.

"Hey, I’m no kid!" the young man protested.

"Just do it Joxer!" the reddish blonde said, rolling her eyes.

Joxer complied, opening the door wide. With seemingly little effort, the Druid tossed Alexis outside, his body hitting the muddy ground with a dull thud.

"Very strong…and defending the Innkeeper and his daughter…I like him!" Xena thought, once again making the gesture of tossing the cause of her itch aside.

The Druid turned to face the remaining four Spartans.

"WELL?" the Druid growled.

They stumbled out of their chairs and ran out, leaving their smart-mouthed friend Alexis face-down in the mud. The Druid turned to Electra, who looked at him with a mixed expression of admiration and thanks.

"Electra, stew and mead for my new friends if you please, I’m sure they are tired and hungry!" The Druid said, smiling.

They followed the Druid to his table and sat down.

"You are a very brave man Druid, I am impressed!" Xena said, smiling, resisting the urge to scratch her head again.

"That is high praise indeed coming from you, Warrior Princess, I am humbled. Spiros and family are probably my only real friends in this village. No one disrespects Electra or her parents in front of me and gets away with it." He said.

Electra brought three more bowls of stew with spoons to the table, and in a second trip, brought three horn goblets with a vessel full of honey mead.

"How much do we owe you?" The reddish blonde asked.

"As the Druid’s guest, your money is no good here. Enjoy!" Electra said, smiling.

"Thank you Druid!" the reddish blonde said with a smile, taking a spoonful of stew.

"My pleasure little one, it isn’t often I have company for supper! Not that I can blame people for not being too keen on joining me: eating with this beard is a messy experience…the closest barber is a few days travel away. Most razors are imported from Egypt and hard to come by." He said, smiling.

"Then we may come to an agreement of sorts. But first, introductions, you already know my name, I am Xena. My young friend here is Gabrielle, bard and warrior in the making. Our accident prone friend sitting next to her is Joxer." Xena said, this time scratching her head, unable to resist the itch.

As if on cue, Joxer put his spoon down.

"Jox-er the migh-ty…" he sang.

"Oh shut up and eat!" Gabrielle barked at him.

The Druid chuckled, getting the impression this was not the first time they argued over Joxer’s singing.

"And what is your name? Calling you Druid sounds a bit too formal." Xena said, using every bit of self-restraint to stop scratching, discreetly tossing away what she had scratched off her scalp under the table.

The Druid sighed.

"My full name might be a bit difficult for you to pronounce…but you may call me Sully." He said, the sound of his old nickname sending shivers down his spine.

"Sully…from the Latin sollemnis, the solemn one, I like it!" Gabrielle said.

"Close enough…" he thought, taking a spoonful of stew.

"What about Joxer, it means the brave one, it…" Joxer chimed in.

"No it doesn’t…" Gabrielle said, rolling her eyes.

"Give it a rest and eat Joxer. We have business to conduct here." Xena said, with a warning stare.

Joxer looked down at his bowl and ate quietly.

"Gabrielle and I have developed health issues that my own healing techniques were unable to cure. Gabrielle has a nasty case of foot rot and I…while I deny having head lice, I do have something that makes my scalp itch to the point that I draw blood – not one word Gabrielle!" Xena said, scratching with one hand and bringing her spoon to her mouth with the other.

"The rumors of a all-healing Druid reached us, so we came to find you." Gabrielle said, repressing an urge to laugh.

Sully nodded thoughtfully.

"I can help. I live in a grotto near the hills…nothing luxurious, but you will be safe there while I treat you, and so will your horses. A long soak in the nearby hot springs will be a good start. I am not trying to see you naked, I promise. You will be given privacy as you bathe. It’s just that a clean body is easier to heal." He said.

Xena nodded as she swallowed a spoonful of stew, once again hiding her scratching hand underneath the table.

"I do not mind having a healer see me naked. Other spying eyes on the other hand…" She said, clenching her free hand into a fist, trying not to scratch.

"The hot springs are concealed in a small gorge near the grotto. I have cast a spell on the gorge and on the grotto, that will keep the most relentless bounty hunter quite docile. Spiros, if any mercenaries come looking for Xena and her friends, tell them, they are my guests and under my protection. They can come, I’ll be waiting." He said.

"As you wish Druid." Spiros said.

"I can be of help with your barber dilemma Sully. I’ve gathered several grooming tools during my travels – pumice stones of various sizes and shapes from my sojourn in Rome, bronze scissors, razor and nail cutters from my sojourn in Egypt. Once we’re healed, I will personally shave your beard off, cut your hair and pumice your calluses if you so wish Sully." Xena said, smiling.

"Xena…that would be…that sounds…" Sully said, his thoughts straying back to Brenda.

He looked into Xena’s pretty blue eyes, getting lost in the moment.

"She is Brenda’s spitting image…I bet you anything that someway, somehow, Brenda is one of Xena’s descendants…" he thought.

"Sully, what’s wrong?" Xena asked.

"I…it’s nothing…it’s a long story and you probably wouldn’t believe me." He said.

"We have seen and heard many strange things Sully, why don’t you tell us on our way to your grotto?" Gabrielle asked.

"Very well…as soon as we’re done eating I’ll tell you. Let’s just say a certain river god named Alpheus is responsible for my predicament." Sully said.

"Alpheus was sent to Tartarus by Hades, after what he did to Artemis…what else has he done?" Xena asked.

Later, as they rode towards the hills.

"I didn’t realize Alpheus had such an evil streak within him." Gabrielle said, frowning as they rode their horses to Sully’s grotto.

"And you say that Xena and Gabrielle look like Brenda and Dana from your time? Amazing! Does anyone look like me?" Joxer asked.

"Joxer…" Xena said, rolling her eyes, holding Argo’s reins with one hand and scratching her head with the other.

Sully chuckled.

"No Xena, it’s a fair question. You vaguely resemble my colleague and best friend…his name is Chris. Like you, he can be accident-prone and silly at times, but he is loyal, dependable and extremely smart, brilliant even." Sully said, smiling.

Joxer smiled, the comparison struck him as the highest of compliments.

"Careful with the compliments Sully, Joxer’s head is big enough as it is!" Gabrielle said, snickering.

"Now you listen to me Miss foot rot! Keep making fun of me and you might find yourself across my knee for a spanking!" Joxer said, miffed.

"You just try and I’ll ram this staff down your throat!" Gabrielle snapped back.

Sully laughed heartily. It had been much too long since he had had a good belly laugh.

"Alright you two, cut it out! You say Alpheus gave you a riddle to solve?" Xena said, also chuckling.

Sully nodded.

"It’s much too cryptic for me: ’Come the season of love, hear the siren’s chant. In the path of the cuckoo, see your urges betray, in the path of the phoenix, you may find your way’…" Sully said, pensively.

"Well, we’re much too far from the coast for the sirens to come into play…" Gabrielle said.

"Gotta wonder what Alpheus meant by season of love…" Joxer said.

"That part of it I’ve already figured out: in my timeline, Spring is referred to as the season of love." Sully said.

"And Spring started a few weeks ago, so your time's running out…the phoenix is the bird reborn from its ashes. The cuckoo is another bird, but I’m not of sure what the path of cuckoo actually means; and how does it all fit together?" Xena said.

"Exactly, how does it all fit together? And if the path of the cuckoo means what I think it means…then there’s no hope of me ever returning. You see, in timeline, the cuckoo is commonly known as the cheating bird…and when someone, man or woman is cheated on by his or her loved one, it is said that they are cuckold…and there’s no way I’ll ever cheat on Brenda; no way." Sully said, feeling his throat tightening.

"I’m sure there’s more to it then that Sully, don’t despair!" Gabrielle said, looking at Sully with sympathy.

Sully nodded and smiled.

"Besides, I can’t leave yet: I haven’t healed you girls! We’re nearing the hills. The town’s blacksmith and carpenter built me a small stable for my horse. It’s large enough to accommodate all four horses comfortably." He said.

"You are one powerful man Sully, not just as a Druid, but you sure know the right people to get things done!" Joxer said.

"The villagers are simple folk with very little wealth. In exchange of my services, I get food, clothing and whatever other items I may need. In this case, I needed an even tempered horse and a stable to give it shelter…so the local horse breeder, blacksmith and carpenter were only willing to oblige." Sully said, with a shrug.

"And you say you’ve cast a protection spell on your…well…domain?" Xena asked, clenching Argo’s reins to resist the urge to scratch some more.

Sully chuckled again, as his ‘domain’ was hardly elaborate or luxurious.

"A very humble domain at that, but yes, the grotto, the stable and the gorge concealing the hot spring are under a powerful protection spell. We shall be left in peace, you have my solemn word on that!" Sully said, smiling at his own pun.

Xena and Gabrielle snickered while Joxer looked at them with a puzzled look on his face, wondering what was so funny.

"The village’s Cobbler also owes me a few favors…based on the condition of your boots, I’d say you’re overdue for new ones, and if Gabrielle’s feet are ever to heal, new boots are imperative. Before you take a soak in the Hot Spring, hand me your boots. Joxer and I will go shopping while the waters begin the healing process." Sully said, giving Gabrielle’s booted feet an appraising look.

"I got your back Sully, it’ll be an honor to be your wing man…" Joxer said, in a bragging tone.

"Joxer…" Gabrielle said, rolling her eyes.

But Joxer was in too excited a mood to pay her any attention.

"…I promise no one will get the drop on you, I…what in the name of Atlas is that?" Joxer said, staring at a tall contraption with a spinning paddled wheel at the top.

"I have seen similar contraptions while travelling in the mountains of the Far East…monks prayed to them…" Xena said, glancing at the structure with a curious frown.

"Most people in my timeline call this a windmill. You see, it was mostly used by farmers to mill grain, but it could also be adapted to pump water from a well…this one does the latter. To be fair, those were mostly used by the generation of my great-great Grandparents, but some of the older farms still use them" Sully said.

"And more advanced windmills can be used as turbines to generate electricity…but that would be too hard to explain…" He thought, privately.

"Oh, I get it! And that wooden canal extending from it acts like a small aqueduct that brings drinkable water to your grotto! The waters from the Hot Springs are likely too salty to drink, am I right?" Gabrielle said, smiling.

"You are quite right little one! You are very much like Dana from my time! The water goes to a stone basin near the stable. Plenty of drinking water for the horses and us." Sully said, feeling a hint of nostalgia at the thought.

"The aqueduct is still at a fair distance from your grotto, what if bandits or mercenaries try to tear it down to cut off your water supply?" Xena asked.

Sully looked at her, repressing a grin. She was trying so hard not to scratch that she was trembling. The proud, determined look on her face reminded him once again of Brenda.

"It’s not her Sully old boy, don’t let your hormones get the better of you…but all the same, good God she’s so hot…so much like Brenda…" he thought.

He sighed and nodded, pointing at the windmill.

"Xena, throw your chakram at the windmill. Go ahead, throw it as hard as you can." Sully said with a smug smirk, the same smirk that had annoyed Brenda so many times.

Xena returned his smirk, reaching for her chakram.

"Careful what you wish for Sully!" She said, grinning.

Xena let out her war cry and threw the chakram with all her might, aiming at the large paddled wheel. The expression on their faces turned to shock as they observed a large vulture appearing out of thin air, snatching the chakram in mid-trajectory.

"Whoa Victor, bring it to me!" Sully ordered, letting go of his horse’s reins.

He extended his right arm and tapped his right shoulder with his left hand.

The vulture obediently landed on Sully’s right shoulder, handing him Xena’s chakram into his left hand. As soon as Sully held the chakram in his hand, the vulture disappeared.

"My friends, behold my protection spell. Anyone, who enters my domain as a friend, shall be greeted as a friend. The poor bastard who enters it as an enemy, will have to deal with vultures, snakes, locusts…and worst of all, with me." Sully said, moving his horse closer to Xena’s.

"They said you were powerful, but I had no idea…" Xena said, overwhelmed.

Sully smiled sympathetically, handing her back her chakram.

"That power will keep you safe as I heal you. You came to me as friends and shall be treated accordingly." Sully said.

Xena smiled, hooking her chakram back to her belt.

"Then I speak for the three of us when I say that we’re glad you’re on our side." Xena said.

"No kidding…" Gabrielle said, still shaken by the vulture’s appearing and disappearing act.

"I am on your side Brenda…my apologies, I mean Xena! Make no mistake about it, we’re on the same side." Sully said, blushing at his lapsus.

"No apologies necessary Sully, in fact I accept the compliment, your Brenda sounds like a formidable woman!" Xena said, scratching her head, no longer able to resist.

"Yes, formidable indeed, just as you are Xena." Sully said.

"You flatter me Sully, though I admit I’ve done plenty of things in the past I’m not exactly proud of." She said.

"But Heracles saved you, or so I’ve heard." Sully said.

"Hera…oh, Hercules! Because of the Roman Empire’s influence, he hasn’t been called Heracles for many seasons!" Gabrielle said, smiling.

Xena smiled.

"Indeed, he saved me from a life of cruelty and evil…and I admit I still carry a small crush on him…but his heart belongs to his late wife Megara. Hera’s hatred of Hercules knows no bounds, resorting to murdering his wife simply to hurt him." Xena said.

Sully opened his mouth, wanting to tell her that the Olympian gods and Titans hailed from the Vega system and lived as gods amongst humans, but shut his mouth instead, electing to keep quiet.

"Up ahead, I see the hills, and your stable Sully!" Joxer said, excitedly.

"If I’m not being too nosy, what’s your last memory before Alpheus’ curse sent you here?" Gabrielle asked.

Sully sighed and shrugged.

"Oh why not? After all, we’re all adults here aren’t we?" Sully said.

"Well, most of us are!" Gabrielle said, giving Joxer a teasing look.

"Now you listen to me…" Joxer began, defensively.

"Enough you two! Go ahead Sully!" Xena said, chuckling.

"It gets a bit, well…explicit, but here goes…" He said.

A worn out FBI agent in dire need of rest, a worried She-Legionnaire fussing over him like a mother hen, and a quiet luxury cottage near a frozen lake. It was the perfect setting for a speedy recovery. Agreed, under normal circumstances, a forced leave of absence would have annoyed Special Agent Quentin Sullivan to no end, but the circumstances were hardly normal; as a matter of fact, they had been rather enjoyable.

Enjoyable was indeed the word, as their stay at the cottage had been quite pleasant. Lounging by the fireplace while sipping a cup of hot cocoa, enjoying a glass of wine while soaking in the hot tub, snuggling in bed under a warm duvet comforter…

And of course, the love making. Being able to make sweet, passionate love on the spur of the moment, whether it was in bed, on the bear rug in front of the fireplace or on the large velvet couch facing the large plasma TV set; sex was the best therapy of all. After all, professor Whirter had said that coitus was not counter-indicated, only marathon-orgies were to be avoided.

"One on one love-making doesn’t qualify as a marathon orgy, and there’s no way in hell I can resist making love to Brenda." Sullivan reasoned, as he awoke that particular morning.

It had been snowing non-stop since Christmas Eve, so it had come as no surprise that the bedroom felt unusually cold, making him hesitate to get out of bed to go to the bathroom.

"Blizzard must have knocked the power off…sure enough, just when I need to piss…" He thought, feeling annoyed.

He rolled to his right side to look at Brenda and saw she was still asleep. He smiled and spooned with her, enjoying her body heat. She moaned softly and woke up.

"Mmmh…‘morning Quentin…feeling frisky are we?" She asked, with a mischievous smirk.

"You know you always make me feel frisky…but I think the blizzard knocked the power out, the bedroom feels awfully cold. I was trying to share body heat until I’ve mustered enough courage to get up, slip into that wool bathrobe you got me and get the backup generator started…then, I have a serious urge to pee!" He said.

Brenda chuckled charmingly, reaching for her night table where she picked up a small remote control. She pressed a button and the low purring sound of the generator could now be heard against the sound of the blowing wind from outside.

"You mean that generator?" She said, with a teasing smirk, returning the remote to the night table.

She rolled to her left to face him. They hugged and kissed as warm air made its way into the bedroom through the vents.

"Now here’s what I propose Agent Sullivan, once the air is warm enough, you are to go to the bathroom, do your business, wash up, return here ASAP and fuck my brains out!" Brenda said, with a wicked grin.

"Whoa, Brenda! I didn’t realize cold weather made you horny!" He said, smiling.

"Not quite…you make me horny, and electrical heating can only do so much to warm me up. Your love making though…that makes me real hot! So hurry up to the bathroom!" Brenda said, her husky voice sending shivers down his spine.

Quentin reluctantly pulled himself out of her warm embrace and got out of bed.

"I can also put a few logs in the slow combustion wood stove, the generator’s fuel won’t last forever." He said, slipping into the comfy wool bathrobe.

"Not a bad idea, but not really necessary; the generator can provide us power for 14 days consecutive, and I doubt power will be out that long! Don’t make me wait Quentin!" She said, with a seductive wink, pulling the comforter down to flash him her massive breasts.

She laughed heartily as he raced to the bathroom with an excited look on his face. Her She-Legion communicator chimed. She moaned and picked it up from her night table’s drawer.

"Americana here, what’s up?" She said, in a whiny voice.

"Sorry to bother you Brenda, Hexanna here." Hexanna’s familiar voice replied.

"No worries, if you’re calling me during my leave of absence to take care of Quentin, something serious must be up." Brenda replied, sitting up.

"It may be nothing, but Miss Réjeanne and I just came across something disturbing while going through Warlock’s documents from his Frederic George office in Brazil…a very old curse was found, written on a piece of parchment. That curse was meant to strike at the heart of whoever caused his demise. We’ve been checking up on every member of the team that went to Brazil, and everyone is fine so far…" Hexanna said.

"And you’re making sure we haven’t been affected?" Brenda asked.

"That, and unless I’m mistaken, our friend Sully was the mastermind of that venture?" Hexanna asked.

"Technically yes, but it was Townshend and Flag Girl who located Artemis; and it was Artemis who delivered the fatal blow." Brenda said.

"We’ll keep a close eye on Townshend and Flag Girl, Artemis is an Olympian and is immune by default. If anything happens to you or Sully, contact me ASAP." Hexanna said.

Brenda inhaled deeply, concentrating.

"You know something Hexxie…as Quentin would so aptly put it, raping and humiliating She-Legionnaires was too much fun for Warlock-Alpheus, so I think the She-Legionnaires are quite safe, we were his favorite toys…if anything, he would seek revenge against the ones who broke up his little fuck-fest." Brenda said.

"Namely, Sully and Townshend." Hexanna said.

"Bingo... I’ll keep a close eye on Quentin. Have Flag Girl keep Chris under close observation..." Brenda said.

"Logical, Sully’s rubbing off on you! Take care Brenda, buzz us if anything goes awry." Hexanna replied.

"Why thank you! Until then, mum’s the word, Quentin’s recovery could do without any undue stress. Ciao for now." Brenda replied, smiling.

She returned her communicator to the drawer.

"What’s all that talk about stress?" Quentin asked, as he returned to the bedroom.

"Just me thinking aloud…drop that robe and bring your cock over here, I’ll show you what kind of stress I’m talking about!" Brenda said, pulling the comforter off her naked body.

"Well I tell you what, that’s the type of stress I’ll gladly put up with!" He said, gape-mouthed, untying the knot from his bathrobe’s belt.

He let it slide to the floor and climbed in bed with Brenda.

"Lemme have those big bazookas of yours..." he said, fondling her massive, firm, G-cup tits.

He trapped her right breast's nipple between his lips, sucking and biting it a bit too hard, while his left hand sought the opening of her wet, hot pussy.

"Whoa there, easy cowboy! You’re still on sick leave and I’m in charge of your recovery! Lie down on your back Mister, and enjoy!" Brenda said, her right nipple feeling a bit sore, still worried by her previous conversation with Hexanna.

"Whatever Warlock might have in store…I won’t risk you having a heart attack trying to pleasure me!" Brenda thought, as Quentin obediently complied.

"Yes Ma'am! But if you recall, Prof. Whirter did say that coitus isn't…gasp!" Quentin began, interrupted by Brenda’s wanting mouth engulfing his cock.

"That’s it baby, just lay back and enjoy…don’t strain, not until we’re sure Warlock’s curse is just a hoax meant to spook us…" Brenda thought, bobbing her head up and down on Quentin’s hard shaft.

"Oh yeah baby…whatever you do, don’t stop!" He begged, breathing faster.

Brenda gladly complied, first focusing on the head of his cock, then deep-throating him, licking his hard shaft up and down, licking his balls and then repeating the treatment, alternating speed and intensity; making him groan increasingly louder.

"I…moan…I want your pussy…gasp…gimme your pussy baby!" He begged, in a hoarse voice.

"Wanna eat me?" She asked in a lustful, husky voice.

"Oh yeah baby! OH YEAH!" He grunted.

Brenda knelt up and positioned herself on top of Quentin, assuming position sixty-nine. He wrapped his muscular arms around her waist and buried his face in her crotch, making her gasp loudly as he tasted the sweet flesh of her hot, wet pussy. The contact of Quentin's mouth against her labia triggered Brenda's overly passionate side. Gone from her mind was the treat of Warlock's curse, she wanted Quentin badly.

They went at each other's privates with passion, sucking, licking and gently biting each other. Quentin inserted a probing right hand index finger in Brenda’s dripping pussy as his tongue greedily lapped her clit.

"Oh yeah, right there! Right there!" Brenda begged, in a high-pitched squeaky voice, absent-mindedly jerking him off.

Quentin now inserted his middle and index finger into her moist core, his tongue licking her clit at double-speed.

"Oh Quentin! Quentin...QUENTIIIIINNNN!" Brenda shrieked, her right hand clamping firmly on Quentin's cock as a powerful orgasm washed over her.

Her body collapsed limply on top of his, basking in the afterglow of her orgasm, panting; her right hand now gently stroking his cock. She propped herself up on her left elbow and with a grin, kissed the head on Quentin's cock. She slid off his body and laid on her back next to him.

"Time for round two baby, I want little Sully right here..." Brenda said, pointing at her pussy.

She sensually spread her labia open, giving Quentin a mischievous wink.

"Fuck me hard Quentin, and shoot your load over my tits!" She said, the lustful expression on her face nearly making him cum prematurely.

"God baby you're so hot..." Quentin said, positioning himself between her legs.

He slowly inserted his cock into her tight pussy, savoring every sensuous second.

"Nnnngh yeah...that patented teasingly slow penetration of yours...I love it!" Brenda grunted, shaking in anticipation of the upcoming fast, hard thrusts.

He leaned forward, brining his mouth to her gargantuan chest. She pushed her massive tits together, allowing him to alternate sucking her left and right nipples as he rocked his pelvis increasingly harder and faster; soon pistoning into her like an out of control locomotive.

"Yeah...yeah...YEAH...do it Quentin, do it! FUCK ME HARD BABY I LOVE IT!" Brenda shouted, feeling another orgasm building up within her; wrapping her long muscular legs around his waist.

"Oh God Brenda..." He moaned loudly, ready to blow his load.

"Yes baby..." She replied, her breathing fast and shallow.

"I'm so close Brenda, I can't hold back much longer..." He said, in a shaky voice.

She looked at him with a mischievous smile, rubbing her pussy with her right hand as he still pistoned into her.

"Do it! I'm about to cum too Quentin! I feel so good! Cock and fingers at the same time! Cuh...cuh...CUMMIIIING! CREAM MY TITS QUENTIN! I WANT YOUR CUM ON MY TITS!" Her voice going from a sultry whisper to a whiny scream of pleasure.

"OH YEAH BRENDA, I'M GONNA CUM! I'M GONNA CUM!" Quentin grunted, pulling out of her tight pussy to release Old Faithful's offering...and the world went black.

Soaking in the salty waters of the hot springs, Xena and Gabrielle tried to relax.

"How are your feet Gabrielle?" Xena asked.

"They burn and itch a little, but my entire body feels so good soaking in these hot springs that the itch and burn feels tolerable." Gabrielle said, eyes closed.

"Same with me...it stung like Hades when I dunked my head the first few times, but the sting and itch are numbing down...since Sully said this is only meant to clean our bodies so we're easier to heal, I'm curious to find out what he has in store for us." Xena said.

"Whatever it is he has in store for us, I'm fully enjoying the relaxation...I didn't realize how weary my body felt." Gabrielle said, with an appreciative sigh.

"Agreed...though I must admit I can't stop thinking of poor Sully's last moments with his Brenda...can you imagine, making passionate love only to be magically taken away just at the moment of...of..." Xena said, at a loss for words.

"Satisfaction?" Gabrielle offered.

"Yeah...satisfaction. Alpheus is a true bastard, he fully deserves his stay in Tartarus." Xena said, with a frown.

"Chances are that the curse was activated when his friends Hexanna and Ray-J'ahn opened up the scroll, not realizing what kind of fury they'd unleashed." Gabrielle said.

"In a way, I'm glad the curse brought him to our time, to us...the itch would have driven me insane, and only Zeus knows what would have happened to your feet. We needed him." Xena said.

"And he us...I can't shake the feeling that we play a key role in solving the riddle that will bring him back home." Gabrielle said.

"A shame...I really like him..." Xena thought privately, closing her eyes.

Meanwhile, as Sully and Joxer entered the village.

"You've been awfully quiet Joxer, what's on your mind?" Sully asked, as they made their way to the Cobbler's shop.

"It's just...those sexual acts you described...they sounded so wild...so extreme..." Joxer said, his voice trailing off.

"I'm surprised Joxer, I would have thought that many of our sexual acts would be pretty tame compared to what happens in the fabled Greek and Roman orgies of your time." Sully said, smirking.

"Oh of course, the orgies! I've been to many of them...I must have been so drunk I'd forgotten all about the wild extreme sex..." Joxer said, boasting.

Sully looked at him, eyebrows arched.

"Oh...okay, so I haven't exactly been...I mean I haven't...that is I'm kinda...shy and awkward around cute girls..." Joxer said, blushing.

They halted near the Cobbler's shop.

"There's no shame in that Joxer. I was 21 the first time I made love...and oddly enough, it was with Brenda, while we were still students." Sully said, as they dismounted.

"I have such a crush on Gabrielle...but I'm nothing more than a useless buffoon in her eyes." Joxer said, repressing a sob.

"Ah Joxer, you wouldn't be the first one to have a crush on a pretty girl who completely ignored him or worse, treated him like a fool!" Sully said, grabbing his horse's reins.

"What, you too?" Joxer asked, frowning, also grabbing his horse's reins.

"Oh yes, shy and awkward around cute girls, in fact, Brenda and I didn't really click at first!" Sully said, smiling at the memory.

"So what changed?" Joxer asked.

"We discovered we had similar interests: athletics, combat sports, and oddly enough, literature and theatre. We became sparring partners, study partners, rehearsed plays together...one thing led to another and we fell in love." Sully said, with a dreamy look on his face.

"I've known Gabrielle for so long already, what am I doing wrong?" Joxer asked.

"Well, I haven't known the three of you for very long, so I can't really comment on what you've been doing wrong, but...word of advice, stop trying so hard to impress her and try be a good listener instead. In fact, if you have dreams of ever becoming a great warrior, you also need to pay special attention to what Xena has to say, and learn from her." Sully said.

"Sound advice." Joxer said, nodding.

"And like my old Mama used to tell me: 'young man, if you don't want to be treated like a buffoon, stop acting like one'!" Sully said, shrugging.

"Ouch...but the sad part is that I know you're right. Your Mother was a wise woman." Joxer said.

"Indeed she was. Though personally...I'd say that the best thing for you right now would be to find yourself another girl and get laid..." Sully said, as they tied their horses' reins to a post.

"Sully! That coming from the man who said he would never cheat on his true love!" Joxer exclaimed, embarrassed.

Sully chuckled, grabbing the bag containing Xena and Gabrielle's old boots, that was hooked onto his saddle. He turned around to face Joxer who recoiled, wondering if he hadn't said too much. To his surprise, Sully looked at him with a smile.

"Ah but you see, Brenda and I are lovers. Gabrielle and you are friends, no more, no less." Sully said.

"But I love her!" Joxer protested.

"Does she feel the same way? Didn't you just tell me that you're nothing more than a useless buffoon in her eyes ?" Sully asked, calmly.

Joxer sighed.

"Yes...but having sex with another woman sounds so wrong..." He said.

"It would relieve some of that sexual tension you've built over the years, help you relax, and...the moment you stop paying her any attention and she finds out that another woman has pleasured you...it might just make her jealous and start paying you attention as a possible lover rather than as the 'bratty little brother'. " Sully said, grinning.

"Gabrielle, jealous? I'd like that!" Joxer said, smirking as he followed Sully inside the Cobbler's shop.

"Druid! To what do I owe the honor of your visit?" Andreas the shop owner said, greeting them.

"Friends of mine need new boots Andreas, made with that special leather you have, treated in linseed oil. They must be comfortable and waterproof. Here are the old boots so you can get the right sizes." Sully said, opening the bag.

Andreas gave the two pairs of boots an appraising look and nodded.

"I can have them ready in a few hours. They will be comfortable and no water will penetrate them, you have my word. What of those old boots?" he said, looking at Sully and Joxer.

"Burn them. They are too decayed to be salvageable." Sully replied.

"Very well, come back in few hours, the boots will be ready. And no worries about money, the entire village owes you too much already." Andreas said, smiling.

"Thank you Andreas, see you later. Come Joxer, there is another errand I need to run." Sully said.

They left the Cobbler's shop.

"We can leave the horses here, the Phoenician merchant's shop is a few doors down. There are a few articles he may have in store that I need." Sully said, as he walked down the small street with Joxer in tow.

They opened the beaded curtain and entered the Phoenician's shop, the smell of rare incense and spices filling their nostrils.

"Ah, the town's Druid and the Warrior Princess' lackey! How may I be of service?" Hiram, the Phoenician merchant, asked with a yellow-toothed grin.

Before Joxer could protest, Sully put a hand on his shoulder, shaking his head no.

"Let it go Joxer, he's the only one who might have what I need to heal Gabrielle and make Xena's treatment easier." Sully said.

Joxer nodded silently as Hiram chuckled.

"Pay me no mind young man, I enjoy a good joke, and the Druid and I have great pleasure bartering...his potions for my humble wares! What do you have for me Druid, and what do you need?" Hiram asked.

"I've made enhancements to the virility potion you're so fond of, Hiram. One sip of this, and your entire harem will be satisfied ten times over. This whole gourd will last you until harvest season." Sully said, showing him the gourd attached to his belt, with a smirk on his lips.

Hiram threw his head back and laughed heartily.

"You know me well Druid! Satisfying my entire harem ten times over until harvest season? That'll cost me, but will be well worth it! What do you need?" He asked, smiling.

"For starters, a small pouch of dried Thracian Gara Rufa fish eggs. Also, that large copper bucket hanging on the pillar back there would come in quite handy." Sully said.

"Is that all? I feel like I'm underpaying you!" Hiram said, pulling a small hemp fibre pouch filled with dried Thracian Gara Rufa fish eggs from a shelf.

A noise coming from outside caught Joxer's attention, like a muffled girl's scream. Curious, he stepped out of the shop, wondering what that noise might be. Still in the shop, Sully noticed a large, ornate copper basin with a half circle notch cut in its side, large enough to accommodate a human neck; its edges polished smooth and padded with a thick piece of leather.

"A Roman barber's basin...that would be perfect to wash Xena's hair..." He thought, pointing at it.

"Let me get this straight Hiram, every time I've come shopping here you've never had scissors or razors, but you do have a Roman barber's basin?" Sully said, grinning.

"The supplies are what they are Druid; that basin only came in a few days ago. So the fish eggs, bucket and basin for the potion, do we have a deal?" Hiram asked.

"Deal!" Sully said, handing him the gourd.

"As usual, it has been a pleasure doing business with you my friend!" Hiram said, smiling.

Sully nodded and attached the pouch of dried fish eggs to his belt. He picked up the bucket and basin and turned to leave.

"Joxer? Where on earth did he go?" Sully mumbled as he stepped outside.

"LEAVE HER ALONE!" Joxer's voice screamed, from one of the back alley's.

"JOXER?" Sully shouted, dropping his items near the horses.

"SULLY! OW! OVER HERE IN THE...OW! BACK ALLEY!" Joxer screamed back.

Sully ran towards the back alley. Feeling a mixture of shock and fury, he witnessed Joxer trying his best to take down the much larger Spartan mercenary Alexis with a chin lock. Alexis carried Joxer piggyback, with an annoyed look on his bloodied, swollen face; trying to get rid of him by backing up several times into the adjoining house's wall. Alexis was naked.

On the muddy ground laid Electra, the Innkeeper's daughter, her toga raised up to her waist; her ample bosom and hairy pussy exposed to the light as Alexis' mercenary friends - also buck naked - were holding her down by the arms and legs, her mouth gagged with a piece of cloth torn from her toga. They stared at Alexis with amusement as he tried to get rid of the pipsqueak riding his back, not daring to let go of Electra who was quite vigorous and squirmed like a snake.

"I WARNED YOU SPARTANS! NOW FEEL MY WRATH!" Sully shouted, running towards Alexis and greeting him with a stiff kick in the crotch.

Alexis collapsed with a loud "UUUURRRGGGH!", Joxer's feet touching the ground and letting go of his hold.

Filled with uncommon courage now that Sully was by his side, Joxer turned to face the remaining Spartans.

"Who's next you filthy pigs? You failed to heed the Druid's warning, now it's on!" Joxer said; in a voice that sounded too calm and calculated to be his own.

Sully clapped Joxer on the shoulder and smiled. He had a good heart and meant well. And with the right motivation, he had the heart of a lion. And that, was where the Spartans committed a critical mistake, as they all let go of Electra at the same time, focusing their attention on the Druid and Joxer.

Livid, Electra punched the Spartan who had been holding her left arm down with her right first, square in the nose; smashing it into a bloody pulp.

"AH! You whore!" He cursed, holding his face.

She then kicked the mercenary who had been holding her right leg down in the groin, as he tried to stand up. He collapsed in a heap on the muddy ground, holding his balls; screams of pain stuck in his throat. She then pulled the gag out of her mouth.

"Not so tough now that the odds are even, are you, you cowards!" She shouted, angrily.

The Spartan who had been holding Electra's left leg charged Joxer, thinking that it would be an easy fight. To his surprise - and even to Joxer's - he failed, as Joxer side-stepped him and tripped him. The Spartan fell face-first to the muddy ground. Encouraged by his impromptu success, Joxer followed up by knocking the Spartan out cold by striking him at the back of the head with the butt end of his sword's handle.

Electra seized a sword from one of the Spartans' discarded armors and following Joxer's lead, knocked out the Spartan whose nose she had previously bloodied with a similar blow to the head.

Smiling, she looked at Joxer and winked at him, then realized that her toga had slid down to her ankles, leaving Joxer staring at her naked body gape-mouthed. Giggling, she bent down, breasts dangling heavily and slipped her toga back on.

The remaining Spartan mercenary had taken a few swings at Sully who blocked, parried and ducked. Finally, Sully knocked him out with a stiff karate chop to the temple. Sully spat disdainfully at his fallen opponent, and turned his attention to their leader Alexis who still laid on the ground, whimpering and shaking.

"You..." Sully hissed.

In another dazzling display of physical strength, Sully grabbed Alexis by the throat, lifting him up to his feet; squeezing his wind pipe.

"Don't...don't kill me..." Alexis begged in a breathless voice, his bruised face turning purple.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't, you filthy hyena! You ignored my warning and molested Electra five against one!" Sully said; stone faced.

"I'll give you one Druid, you're a holy man. His blood on your hands would stain your legacy." Electra said.

"She's right Sully. If neither she or I could bring ourselves to kill them, neither should you; you're a healer, not a killer. As disdainful as they may be, they're not worth it." Joxer said.

Sully inhaled deeply, trying to keep his temper in check.

"Your jury has spoken Spartans. Pick up your rags and go; never to be seen again. Your weapons are mine to keep as trophies. If our paths ever cross again, I will kill you where you stand." Sully growled, releasing Alexis who fell flat on his ass, and then laid on his side in fetal position, holding his throat with one hand and his balls with the other.

Sully, Joxer and Electra collected the Spartans' swords and daggers and then made their way back to the Cobbler's shop to collect Xena and Gabrielle's boots.

"That is a lot of stuff you need to bring back to your grotto Druid, let me borrow my father's cart, I can help you carry everything back to your home...and besides, I have a hunch I'm going to need another one of your birth control potions..." Electra said, staring at the swords, daggers, bucket and basin piled up on the ground.

"Good idea Electra, Joxer, why don't you accompany Electra while I collect Xena and Gabrielle's boots?" Sully said.

Joxer swallowed nervously, the memory of Electra's naked body fighting off the Spartans etched in his mind.

"Oh yes Joxer, please!" Electra said, wrapping her arms around him and planting a kiss on his lips.

"Wow...thanks...sure I'll go with you Electra!" Joxer said, smiling like a love-struck teen.

"No thank you! You came to my rescue! My hero!" Electra said, kissing him again, this time parting his lips with her tongue, sensuously slithering it against his.

"Well Sully did help..." Joxer said, catching his breath after that last passionate kiss.

"Had you not gone after her while I was bartering with Hiram, I never would have been able to help. You are the hero Joxer! Now you kids go get that cart, I'd like to make it back to the grotto before nightfall!" Sully said, smiling.

Electra grabbed Joxer by the arm and they proceeded to her father's stable. Sully chuckled and re-entered the Cobbler's shop.

Wrapped in large Phoenician cotton towels and sitting on bales of hay they had retrieved from Sully's stable; Xena and Gabrielle air dried themselves in the warm sun.

"Zeus must be smiling upon us, the weather is absolutely delicious!" Gabrielle said, with an angelic smile on her face.

"You said it...I haven't felt this care-free in a long time, Sully's protection spell certainly lifts quite a burden off our shoulders! Speaking of Sully, how much longer will the boys be? My scalp is starting to itch again!" Xena said, enjoying the feel of the breeze caressing her face.

The sound of a cowbell was heard, slowly drawing closer.

"I think you have your answer Xena, look!" Gabrielle said, pointing in the direction of the wooden aqueduct.

Xena looked and smiled, as the silhouette of Sully riding his horse was becoming clearer. Next to him was a cart pulled by oxen, driven by a young woman. As they drew nearer, Xena recognised her as Electra, the Innkeeper's daughter. Sitting next to her was Joxer, his horse following the cart, its reins tied to the back of the cart.

"Looks like Sully did more then get us new boots: he needed a cart to bring everything back to us!" Xena said, smiling.

A few moments later, they had arrived.

"Hello again lovely ladies! You've already met Electra!" Sully said, dismounting his horse.

"Indeed we have, nice to see you again Electra!" Xena said, smiling.

"Nice to see you again too...though I wish the circumstances were happier." Electra said.

"Why, what happened?" Gabrielle asked, genuinely concerned.

"The drunken Spartan mercenaries, they decided to ignore Sully's warning." Joxer said.

"They caught me as I was taking some time off to go to the market place...forced themselves upon me...but fortunately, Joxer and the Druid were also doing some shopping, and Joxer came to my rescue!" Electra said, casting Joxer an enamoured look.

"Joxer?" Xena and Gabrielle said in unison, staring gape-mouthed at Electra in disbelief.

"Don't look so shocked, he had a great teacher in you Xena. And with the proper motivation, this young man has the heart of a lion!" Sully said, smiling.

"You...you're much too kind!" Joxer said, blushing.

"Well I'll be...well done Joxer, I'm proud of you!" Xena said, smiling.

"Yeah...proud..." Gabrielle said, at a loss for words.

"Why am I feeling this way? Good for Joxer, he's showing some confidence, some back bone...sweet Aphrodite, am I feeling jealous? Over Joxer?" Gabrielle thought, privately.

"It's a good thing you took out those bales of hay, they'll come in handy. I'll go grab a birth control potion for you Electra. Joxer, could you unload the bucket and basin from the cart and bring them close to the stone basin near the end of the aqueduct?" Sully said, heading towards the grotto's entrance.

"I'll help!" Electra said, happily.

Joxer got out of the cart and helped Electra to the ground in a gentlemanly fashion. Smiling, they walked to the back of the cart.

"Easy Gabrielle, you'll chip a tooth if you keep clenching your jaws so hard!" Xena said in a low voice, smirking.

"I...I don't know what you're talking about." Gabrielle said, not meaning to sound defensive but still coming across as such.

"So you're saying that Electra acting all amorous towards Joxer isn't bothering you?" Xena asked, teasingly.

"No...well maybe a little...shut up!" Gabrielle said, blushing.

Joxer carried the Roman barber's basin and Electra, the large copper bucket to the stone basin at the end of the wooden aqueduct. Sully came out of the grotto carrying three gourds. He walked towards Xena and Gabrielle, and put the gourds on the ground.

"Let's have a look at your feet young lady..." He said, putting on knee down.

"Are you sure you want to...touch them?" Gabrielle said, feeling self-conscious.

"I am a Druid little one. Besides, your feet are clean...and I must compliment you on keeping your toenails short and tidy...not very common in this day and age." Sully said, with a wink.

"Thanks Sully...like Xena said when we met you, she has gathered several grooming tools through her travels...pumice, a razor, scissors and nail cutters. She was kind enough to share with me." Gabrielle said, with a relieved smile.

Sully gently grabbed her right foot and examined it carefully.

"And now if I may indulge in a bit of modern medicine talk...you have what is commonly known in my timeline as a fungal infection. Walking in muddy, dirty water and sweating in those old boots of yours is the cause." Sully said.

"Thus the need for new boots, and a pair for Xena to prevent her from catching the same...fun-gal in-fect-ion..." Gabrielle said, smiling.

"Indeed Gabrielle. The new boots are still in the cart, I just need to make sure that you're fully healed before you wear them. The good news is it's easy enough to fix." Sully said, grabbing two of the gourds on the ground.

He removed the cork from the first one, smelled it, shook his head and re-corked it. He grabbed the next gourd, removed the cork, smelled it, smiled and nodded. He handed that gourd to Gabrielle.

"This potion will help your body fight the infection from the inside. The taste might be a bit strong, it has ginger root and garlic, but I promise you, you will heal faster." Sully said.

"Alright, I trust you..." Gabrielle said, raising the gourd to her lips.

She pinched her nose with her right hand's thumb and index finger and gulped the contents of the small gourd.

"Ugh! Strong indeed! Why must medicine always taste this awful?" Gabrielle said, with a comical grimace.

Xena chuckled, readjusting the large towel around her body.

"Good girl, that was phase one. Joxer, Electra, could you fill the large bucket with water and bring it over here please?" Sully called.

"Coming!" Joxer replied.

"Good...how squeamish are you Gabrielle?" Sully asked, untying the small pouch from his belt.

"Well...it depends on what, why do you ask?" Gabrielle said, giving Sully a concerned look.

"The second phase of your treatment is a tried and proven method used by Thracians. There is a breed of small Thracian fish that feed off soft, dead skin. The saliva from their mouths promotes healthy skin growth. The treatment is painless, but it may tickle, and feeling fish nipping at your feet may feel a bit awkward. But I promise, your feet will be like new." Sully said, as Joxer brought the large copper bucket to them, followed by Electra.

"I had a Thracian fish soak in the past Gabrielle, it actually feels rather nice!" Xena said, seeing the disgusted expression on Gabrielle's face.

"Alright then...I'm ready to try anything that will get rid of the foot rot...fungal infection! Let's do this!" Gabrielle said, forcing a smile.

"Brave girl! Over here Joxer, put that bucket near Gabrielle's feet..." Sully said, pointing a the ground near her feet.

Joxer put the bucket down, and gave Sully a curious frown. Sully opened the small pouch and emptied it in the bucket of water. He inhaled, waving his right hand in a circular motion over the bucket, reciting an incantation.

"Croissance...guérison...croissance...guérison..." He mumbled.

The eggs magically hatched and the bucket was filled with hungry Thracian Gara Rufa fish. Gabrielle swallowed nervously and slowly put her feet in the bucket.

"Oooooh that water's cold! Uh...uh...oh Hera it does tickle!" Gabrielle said, in a shaky voice.

"Relax and let the fish do the work! For you Electra..." Sully said, handing her the first gourd he had already opened and smelled.

"Thanks Druid, that's one worry off my mind..." Electra said, removing the cork and drinking the gourd's content.

"This will prevent you from carrying that Spartan pig's baby, and kill any disease he may have given you." Sully said.

Xena gave Sully an admiring look.

"And what about me mister Druid? The hot springs numbed the itch but it's returning full force!" She said.

"This third gourd is for you, it has great anti-parasitic properties. That is to say, it will sour the blood that the lice feed upon and stop the itching while we get rid of them." Sully said, handing Xena the third gourd.

"We don't know for a fact that I do have lice...but I want the itch to stop, so bottoms up!" She said, bringing the gourd to her lips.

She swallowed it in one long sip, slightly wincing at the bitter sweet taste.

"And for your phase two...let's add another bale of hay, put it end to end with the one you're sitting on so you may lie on your back..." Sully said, pensively.

"I'll go get one!" Joxer offered.

"I'll help you!" Electra added, grinning.

"Okay, but no funny stuff, at least not until I've started Xena's treatment!" Sully said, with a wink.

"Spoil sport!" Electra said, as she and Joxer walked towards Sully's stable.

"Alright...I need to get something else from the grotto and then to bring that barber's basin over here...I'll be right back." Sully said.

Xena looked at Gabrielle, who was staring intensely at Joxer and Electra as they walked towards the stable, and snickered.

"Take it easy Gabrielle, they're just fetching another bale of hay!" Xena said.

"Does she have to stick to him like a leach...shut up!" Gabrielle said, now also snickering.

Sully soon returned holding a clay pot in on hand and a small ivory instrument in the other.

"This is my own version of Egyptian natron swabu...it is made of pressed olive oil, clay powder, lavender extract and other medicinal plants. In my timeline, we would call this a therapeutic shampoo...then I'll go through the process of removing lice eggs and the remaining stubborn ones using this - a small comb I obtained from my Phoenician friend Hiram; his fourth wife makes them." Sully said, holding the clay pot and ivory comb for Xena to see.

"I'll ignore the fact that you keep calling it lice...Ivory comb huh? I hadn't figured you for the vain type Sully!" Xena said, teasingly.

"That comb was a gift from a satisfied woman, thanks to one of the virility potions I gave her husband...at any rate, your scalp will be thoroughly clean and itch-free once I'm done, you have my word." Sully said, with a wink, placing the clay pot and ivory comb on the ground, near Xena's feet.

"After what I've witnessed so far since we've met you, I believe it!" Xena said, feeling the effects of the potion, the itch was indeed receding.

"Here's the other bale of hay!" Joxer announced, carrying it with Electra's help.

As Sully had requested, they set it down end to end to the one Xena was sitting on.

"You need me to lie down?" Xena asked.

"Not quite yet Xena. Joxer, I'll need your help filling the barber's basin and bringing it here..." Sully said, patting the end of the second bale of hay.

"Lead the way!" Joxer said, smiling.

As they walked away, Gabrielle stared down at her bucket, fascinated by the Thracian fish tickling her feet, and wanting to avoid looking at Electra.

"So Electra, how are you feeling? That assault by the Spartans must have left you shaken." Xena asked, feeling genuine empathy for her.

Gabrielle looked up, ashamed of the jealousy she felt. The Spartans had attempted to gang rape Electra, who had done nothing to deserve it. For once, Joxer had shown some back bone and had acted heroically; so of course Electra would be smitten with him after what she'd been through.

Electra sighed.

"It was hardly the first time that a drunken patron tries to have his way with me, only this time the odds were stacked up against me. Don't get me wrong, I held my own, but I am sure thankful that Joxer showed up when he did. Then the Druid came to help and the odds were even. I kicked my share of drunken Spartan ass!" Electra said, with a hint of pride.

Xena and Gabrielle smiled.

"You have the heart of a warrior Electra, wouldn't you agree Xena?" Gabrielle said.

"Oh yes Gabrielle, I definitely do!" Xena replied.

As the girls were bonding, Joxer helped Sully fill up the Roman barber's basin with water.

"Say Sully...I don't mean to pry, but, what did Electra mean when she said that she would need another one of your birth control potions?" Joxer asked.

"Some time ago, she fooled around with the blacksmith's son at a Dionysian initiation ritual...one of the orgies we spoke of earlier, and had to call upon my services. Their parents became involved and voiced their disapproval...so that relationship ended." Sully said.

"I'd hate to cause her any more grief, no matter how attracted I am to her." Joxer said.

"You have a good heart Joxer. You're both adults, the effects of the potion will last for a full three days and she genuinely is attracted to you..." Sully said, with a wink.

"So should I make a move?" Joxer asked, as he helped Sully pick up the Roman barber's basin.

"I'd follow her lead if I were you. Let her set the pace and be honest with her. Don't pretend to be the greatest lover since Eros and let her guide you. You might be awkward at first, but I'm sure you'll be a quick learner." Sully said, as they carried the basin back to the bales of hay where Xena, Gabrielle and Electra chatted.

"Okay Joxer, right here at this end of the bale, the neck notch facing Xena..."Sully said as they carefully put the basin down, without spilling any water.

"I'm impressed, Roman Governors get their hair washed and cut using basins such as this one!" Xena said, smiling.

"Perfect for a Warrior Princess, wouldn't you agree? Hold onto your towel as you lie down, I wouldn't want your breasts to be exposed. I'll hold your hair up so it goes into the basin." Sully said, sensually picking up Xena's thick mane of hair, exposing the nape of her neck.

"Like I said, I don't mind you seeing me naked, you are a healer." Xena said.

"Joxer, Gabrielle and I are still around though!" Electra said, giggling.

"Point taken Electra..." Xena said, holding onto the top of her towel.

Xena laid back with a subtle smile on her lips; the nape of her neck cradled by the leather padding covering the basin's neck notch. The cold water touched the back of her scalp, sending shivers down her spine.

"Ooh Gabrielle's right, that water is cold, a far cry from the hot springs! Not that I mind, it really soothes my itchy scalp!" Xena said, her subtle smile turning into a grin.

Sully cupped his hands, dipped them in the basin and thoroughly wet her hair. He then reached for the clay pot and scooped out some of his home made medicated shampoo. He massaged it into Xena's hair, who moaned her approval. He worked it into a lather, gently scratching Xena's scalp.

"Oooohhh...Sully, you could do this to me for hours..." Xena said, her skin covering with goose bumps.

"Focus Sully focus...she's Xena not Brenda...she might be Brenda's ancestor, but she's not Brenda..." Sully thought, enthralled by Xena; so strong, so beautiful, so much like Brenda.

She gently bit her lower lip as her scalp began to tingle. Sully winked at her and wiped suds from her forehead with his fingertips. He then turned his attention to Gabrielle.

"How are your feet feeling Gabrielle?" He asked.

"Unusually well, those Thracian fish and that potion are really doing the trick!" Gabrielle said smiling.

"Good! And now Xena, time to rinse..." Sully said, cupping his hands and one again dipping them in the water.

After rinsing the suds from her hair, Sully quickly ran his fingers through Xena's wet hair, to make sure that any trace of home made shampoo and salt from the hot springs were washed out from her scalp.

"Alright Xena, sit up, this is the part where I go over your scalp with the comb and remove any remnants of the head lice." Sully said, smiling.

"Sully, I would like to argue with you some more and say it's not lice; but this treatment feels so nice I don't care if it is head lice plaguing my scalp!" Xena said, sitting up.

He gently wrung the excess water from her long hair as she sat up, taking care not to pull it. She closed her eyes and started to breathe deeply and slowly as Sully began the fine-tooth combing of her wet hair, revelling in the sensations that Sully's ivory comb was giving her as he parted her hair, seeking lice eggs or stray lice.

Every once in a while, she could feel his fingers touching her scalp as he plucked out lice eggs or stray lice, dropping them in the barber's basin to drown. She would then moan appreciatively as he repeated the treatment in the adjoining section of her scalp; moving slowly and thoroughly.

"Please take your time...that feels so good..." Xena said, in a moaning voice.

Gabrielle chuckled, Electra smiled and Joxer repressed an urge to giggle, his lips pressed in a tight smile. Xena opened her eyes and frowned.

"Is something funny?" She asked, feigning anger but also repressing an urge to giggle.

"Not so much funny as cute, it's not often that the Warrior Princess' softer side surfaces!" Gabrielle said, grinning.

"Oh...bite your tongue!" Xena said, unable to repress a smile, closing her eyes again.

"Come on people, don't annoy my patient! It is very important that she remains still, which is hard for her to do if she's being teased!" Sully said, smirking.

"I'll go curry the horses and feed them. In fact, I'm pretty sure Electra's oxen could use some food and water." Joxer offered.

"Good idea, there are bags of grain in the stable and plenty of hay. I filled the trough with water early this morning before heading to the Tavern." Sully said, addressing Joxer as he now parted Xena's hair near the middle.

"Oh Joxer, on your way back, could you bring me the saddlebags from Argo? I may need my grooming supplies once Sully's done. I owe him a shave and a haircut...and maybe pumice his feet..." Xena said, mumbling the last part of her sentence.

Xena could not deny the attraction she felt for the long-haired, bearded Druid. Most Druids were old men with bad teeth who reeked of stale urine and sweat. Sully was young, handsome, smelled clean and took care of his body. Under his protection, she felt safe for the very first time of her life. That Damoclean sword no longer dangled above her head, and she liked it.

"I'll help Joxer, taking care of the horses and oxen with take less time that way." Electra said.

Xena opened her eyes and cast Gabrielle a furtive glance. Rather than looking jealous, Gabrielle smiled back at Joxer and Electra as they turned to go to the stable.

"You know, my personal grooming can wait until tomorrow...unless you're in a hurry to hit the road..." Sully said, dropping another lice egg in the barber's basin.

"No Sully, no hurry at all. In fact, Gabrielle and I are willing to help you resolve Alpheus' riddle. I also have a boar's hair brush in my grooming supplies, once my hair is dry I'll give it a good brushing to de-tangle it." Xena said.

"Please let me examine that brush first? It might carry the exact same parasites that are causing your scalp to itch." Sully said.

"Good idea Sully...and thanks for not calling it lice!" Xena said, smiling.

"Oh Sully, the fish have all disappeared!" Gabrielle said, surprised.

"That means that the treatment is done, your feet are fully healed. Pick up your clothes and get dressed in the grotto. I'm almost finished with Xena's treatment...make sure your feet are dry and I'll give you your new boots." Sully said, parting Xena's hair again.

"Alright Sully, what about this bucket?" Gabrielle asked, as she took her feet out of the copper bucket.

"Don't worry about it, I'll dispose of the used treatment water!" Sully said, as Gabrielle stood up and then bent over to pick up her clothes from the ground.

As Gabrielle walked away to the grotto's entrance, Xena tentatively leaned back, until her shoulders touched Sully's chest.

"Don't move Xena...I realize you're enjoying the treatment and wouldn't mind if it lasted longer, but..." Sully said, feeling his cock getting hard.

"That's not why I'm leaning against you...after long periods of riding my back often gets tired and sore. Gabrielle and I often give each other back rubs, and the hot springs felt great; but I wouldn't mind it if stronger hands massaged me." Xena said, straightening up, a mischievous smirk on her lips.

"And if I get sexual pleasure out of that massage I won't complain!" She thought.

"So you needed more than a lice treatment from the Druid eh? Very well...I'm almost finished with your scalp. Mind you, we'll have to go somewhere more private...I can't exactly give you a thorough massage with this towel around your body." Sully said.

"Good God I'll probably cream my tunic massaging her...I just hope I can keep things professional..." Sully thought, hands slightly shaking.

Before Xena could protest that "it's not lice", Electra walked up to them, carrying Xena's saddle bags.

"Here Xena, Joxer's almost done...would it be okay if I borrowed him for the next few hours? I promised him we'd watch the sunset from the hills..." Electra said, putting the saddle bags at Xena's feet.

Xena chuckled charmingly.

"You don't need my permission Electra, both Joxer and you are adults; enjoy." Xena said.

"Don't venture too far from the west peak though, the terrain can be treacherous on your way back once the sun is down. And unless I'm mistaken, that southern wind is bringing storm clouds our way, so it's going to be pitch dark after sunset." Sully said, almost done with delicing Xena's scalp.

"We'll be careful, I promise...but do you think Gabrielle would mind? In fact, she's welcome to join us..." Electra said, her voice trailing off.

"She's in the grotto getting dressed, why don't you go ask her? But wouldn't rather be alone with Joxer?" Xena asked.

Electra smiled, blushing slightly.

"Every time I come to visit Druid, I get a taste of Arcadia...perfect harmony between mankind and nature...it would feel wrong to spoil it with feelings of anger or jealousy...I've noticed the dirty looks Gabrielle was giving me as I flirted with Joxer...I'd hate to come between them, so she's welcome to join us." Electra said.

"Gabrielle's reactions actually surprised me to be honest with you...but I agree with you, Arcadia describes Sully's domain rather well Electra, in fact I keep expecting to see Pan skipping by us playing his flutes! That protection spell is something else Sully!" Xena said, smiling.

"Why don't you bring her new boots to her then? I'm done caring for the horses and oxen, I figured you'd be needing the boots Sully." Joxer said, carrying the Cobbler's bag from the stable.

"Xena's new boots are the black ones and Gabrielle's are the beige ones." Sully said, finishing Xena's lice removal with a scalp massage that had her moaning her approval again.

"Hmm...Electra, could you hand me my boar's hair brush from the left saddle bag?" Xena asked.

Smiling, Electra bent over, exposing her ample cleavage to Joxer, who swallowed nervously. She opened the saddle bag and rummaged through it, finally finding the brush, wrapped in a piece of buck leather.

"Not so fast, let me inspect that brush first. You wouldn't want a repeat of that nagging itch now would you?" Sully said, snatching the brush from Electra's hand.

Xena pursed her lips in an amused smirk.

"You're the Druid Sully, go ahead!" She said.

"I'll bring Gabrielle her new boots..." Electra said, ginning.

"Xena's almost throwing herself at the Druid...he's resisting her advances, but unless I'm mistaken, she'll be giving him a special treatment before long!" Electra thought, discretely snickering as she approached the entrance of the grotto.

Sitting on a grassy patch of land facing west, Electra, Gabrielle and Joxer sat, admiring the scenery.

"I swear that on a clear night, if you look straight up as the sun almost disappears below the horizon, you can see the stars and setting sun at the same time...as if the gods were looking down upon us. It just reinforces that feeling of Arcadia I get when I visit the Druid." Electra said, her face lit with an expression of child-like wonder.

"Too bad the skies are covering up, I can actually see heat lightning coming from the south!" Gabrielle said, feeling a mixture of wonder and dread at the incoming storm.

"We still have time to see the sky turn orange...the clouds will take a gorgeous reddish colour, it'll be worth the wait! Then we'll return to the Druid's stable, I promise!' Electra said, discretely leaning on Joxer.

Joxer cleared his throat nervously.

"So...Sully tells me you're a Dionysus initiate?" Joxer said, trying to break the awkwardness and unwittingly creating more.

Electra straightened up, eyebrows arched.

"Joxer, don't you think that's a bit personal?" Gabrielle said, rolling her eyes.

"I didn't mean anything by it, I was just..." Joxer stammered, blushing.

Electra laughed heartily.

"You...you're so adorable when you're stumbling all over yourself! No harm done Gabrielle, I appreciate the direct approach! It is true, I was in fact invited to a Dionysian initiation ritual a few seasons back. The wine was sweet, plentiful and intoxicating. Too intoxicating as it turns out..." Electra said, smiling.

"I have a feeling I know where this is going...as a bard I've heard stories about those initiations!" Gabrielle said, fascinated.

"You have no idea...the music was enchanting, the dancing priestesses were attractive and seductive...next thing I knew, we were all naked. I blacked out, and then woke up with a naked priestess between my legs, her face in my crotch and her tongue licking my sensitive spot...and with the blacksmith's son's appendage in my mouth." Electra said, putting her left hand on Joxer's lap.

Joxer swallowed nervously as her hand ventured to his inner thighs.

"Great Hera...what did you do?" Gabrielle said, feeling strangely aroused by Electra's tale.

"My mind wanted them to stop, wanted to get away...but my body enjoyed it too much, wanted more...then, as if she had read my mind, the priestess stopped what she was doing and straddled my face while the blacksmith's son inserted his fleshy appendage in me...the sensation went from pain to pleasure and I couldn't stop myself, I wanted him to ram into me as fast and hard as he could, while the taste of sweat and honey dust filled my mouth as I licked the priestess' wet slit and drank her love juice..." Electra said, her mouth feeling dry, her hand probing for Joxer's cock.

Feeling a hint of jealousy, Gabrielle put a hand on Electra's shoulder, pulling her back.

"Electra..."Gabrielle said, as Electra turned her head to look at her.

Their lips connected. Gabrielle tried to pull back, but too aroused from Electra's tale of the Dionysian orgy, kissed her back, tongues sensually caressing each other. Joxer gasped as Electra's left hand never left his crotch, finding his erect cock and giving it a firm but gentle squeeze.

Electra and Gabrielle broke their lip lock, panting.

"I wasn't sure if you'd be open to a bit of shared love with Joxer and me..." Electra said.

"Sometimes, when men aren't around, Xena and I, well..." Gabrielle said, her voice trailing off.

"No men? Way to make me feel confident..." Joxer said, hurt.

"Don't be mad Joxer...you have to understand how you came across: clumsy, boastful, getting in the way when trying to help...we liked you for sure, and I confess having a soft spot for you when you weren't being so aggravating..." Gabrielle said, gentling fondling Electra's fleshy breasts.

Electra grabbed Gabrielle's wrist with her right hand.

"What about now? I happen to be very attracted to Joxer. In this moment of Arcadia, I won't have you hurt his feelings." Electra said.

Joxer gave Electra a loving smile as she freed his boner from the britches underneath his makeshift armor with her left hand.

"Relax Electra, my soft spot for him is growing stronger; in fact, I'm happy to find out he's shown progress in Sully's company. And I admit I was feeling a bit jealous seeing you fussing over him. I wasn't sure what to expect when you invited me to watch the sunset...but I'm very happy you did!" Gabrielle said, with a lustful look on her face.

Electra smiled, pulling the strap of her toga down, exposing her ample bosom. She gently tapped on Joxer's helmet with her fingertips. Joxer nodded and removed his helmet. She then put her left hand on the nape of Joxer's neck and her right hand on the nape of Gabrielle's neck. She gently guided their faces to her breasts, gasping at the feel of Joxer's mouth on her left nipple and of Gabrielle's on her right.

"To Arcadia, Aphrodite and her son Eros my friends...gasp...to ooohhh...pluh...pluh...pleasure and...ahh...love..." Electra said, her dedication interrupted with moans and gasps of pleasure.

As Electra, Joxer and Gabrielle made their way to the hills' west peak, Sully led Xena to the corner of the grotto where he slept. It was lit with several oil lamps and smelled of incense. Xena placed her armor, new boots and saddle bags onto a large wooden bench near the grotto's entrance.

"Over there Xena, lie down on your stomach and make yourself comfortable. I have a jar of olive oil mixed with essence of ginger somewhere on those shelves in the far left corner...it should relax your weary muscles quite well." Sully said, pointing at the thick, large, rectangular mat on the stony floor.

"That...what is it?" Xena said, undoing the knot that held the large cotton towel around her body, letting it slide to the grotto's floor.

Sully chuckled as he rummaged through his shelves, looking for the elusive jar.

"In a few centuries from now, craftsmen from an island in the far east will create a sleeping mattress such as this one and call it a futon. I emptied out an old straw-filled mat and stuffed it with a few bales of raw cotton." Sully said, locating the jar.

He walked towards her, trying his best not to stare at her naked body as she looked at the futon in genuine amazement.

"It 's so thick...and looks so soft..." She said, picking up her towel from the grotto's floor and laying it flat on the futon to prevent massage oil stains.

While she wasn't as tall as Brenda and while her breasts were several cup sizes smaller, she still bore an uncanny resemblance to Brenda Wade. Her body, like Brenda's, was fit, athletic, muscular and shapely. Even her facial expressions and reactions were similar. Only in Xena's case, her skin went from pasty white to deep tan brown in some spots, to sunburned and freckled in others. She tied up her hair in a loose bun and laid down on her stomach, accidentally flexing her glutes to test Sully's reactions.

"It is quite comfortable...you have a very uneven tan by the way." Sully said, placing the jar on the grotto's floor, next to the futon.

"I have what?" She said, confused.

Sully chuckled.

"Just a joke...women from my era have an unhealthy obsession with tanning their bodies as much as they can. Now I'm not getting fresh with you, this tunic will get in the way of my massaging." Sully said, slipping out of his tunic, letting it drop to the stony floor.

Xena raised her head and looked over her shoulder, giving him an appraising glance.

"You have quite a physique there Sully...if it's second to anyone's it's to Hercules' himself, and not by much! I'm a bit disappointed though, I'm the only one naked here...I thought Druids were nude underneath their tunics?" Xena said, smiling.

"I am honored and humbled, though I'm sure Hercules has me beat physically." Sully said, kneeling next to her.

"Perhaps, but not by much, trust me, I happen to know him!" Xena said, closing her eyes, anticipating the touch of Sully's hands.

"Then I accept the compliment! As far as those britches go, I bought them a few days after getting here...my first barter with Hiram. You see, men of my timeline usually prefer wearing some underwear...and as you can tell, I'm no conventional Druid." Sully said, warming up some oil between his hands.

"Though those britches won't do much to hide the boner I know she's gonna give me..." Sully thought, nervously.

"That amulet around your neck though...I have one very similar to it in my saddle bags...do you mind if I have a closer look at it...later...mmhh, your hands are so warm and smooth..." Xena said, as Sully applied olive oil to her shoulders and upper back.

"Definitely Xena, but for now, breathe deeply and slowly." Sully said, warming up more oil between his hands.

"I like the smell from that olive oil, that ginger feels warm and smells nice!" Xena said, smiling.

Sully applied oil to the nape of her neck, the back of her arms and the small of her back.

"Don't be afraid to go lower Sully...my whole body needs the massage!" Xena said, longing for a more intimate touch.

"We're only getting started Xena...I hope you'll forgive my physical reactions...you are very attractive and remind me so much of my Brenda that...well..." Sully said, a wet spot in the crotch of his britches dotting his throbbing boner.

"No apologies needed, my feelings would have been hurt if you didn't get aroused!" Xena said, smirking.

He warmed more oil between his hands and inhaled deeply, giving Xena's shapely ass a lustful look. She hummed a low, pleasured moan as Sully covered her ass, hamstrings, calves and feet with massage oil, not neglecting her inner thighs.

"Yeah...like that...get right in there...don't be afraid to rub hard and squeeze firmly; I can take it Sully." Xena said, feeling her pussy getting wet.

"Be careful what you ask for..." Sully thought, using every bit of self-restraint not to drop his britches and take Xena right then and there as she lay on her stomach.

"And now that you're all oiled up...time to knead those warrior muscles." He said, rubbing his hands rapidly together to warm them up.

"Let me have it!" Xena said, in a husky voice that nearly made him cream his britches.

He straddled her rump, focusing his gaze on her upper body. He began applying moderate pressure on Xena's shoulder blades and then proceeded with kneading Xena's shoulders and triceps.

"Hmm...nice...I feel something else pressed against my butt crack...I think I am arousing the brave Druid! " Xena said, rotating her hips to get a better feel, smiling mischievously.

"Xena...please don't tease me like this...I find it hard enough to control my urges and keep my oath as a healer. You're gorgeous, and I don't want to do anything inappropriate!" Sully said.

"You're no fun! Okay, I'll behave...my descendant is very fortunate to have such a faithful lover. How long has it been if I'm not being indiscreet?" Xena asked, smiling but feeling a bit disappointed.

Sully sighed.

"Let me see...the curse struck just as I was about to..."Sully said, his voice trailing off.

"Reach satisfaction?" Xena offered.

"That's a very elegant way of phrasing it!" Sully said, chuckling.

He applied a bit of extra pressure on her trapezius, making her grunt.

"So I blacked out, and then woke up near these caves bare-ass naked, except for this amulet around my neck. I still can't figure out why it made the trip with me when nothing else did." Sully said, now focused on her back, kneading increasingly harder and rubbing it from the small of her back to her shoulder blades and back down.

"Hmm nice...if it was made by the same jeweller that made mine, your amulet may have made the trip with you because it actually belongs in this era?" Xena offered, enjoying every second of Sully's touch.

"I never even thought of that! Anyway, before I came to, my friends Hexanna and Réjeanne appeared to me in a dream. They gifted me with their knowledge of magic and with the knowledge of languages...Greek, Latin, Aramaic, Gaul...so I went on my way, looking for the nearest village and noticed the farmers reaping their crops. That became my point of reference to measure time." Sully said, sliding his body lower so he could massage her buttocks.

"Oohh, Sully! I didn't realize my butt cheeks were this sore...too much horseback riding! So you were walking around naked and the farmers said nothing?" Xena said, her pussy so wet that it was dripping.

"They either didn't see me or didn't care...for all they knew I was returning from an orgy, too hung over to realize I was naked. A pair of thieves did notice me though...tried to steal my amulet, which they lived to regret: that's how I found my tunic, sandals and a small purse full of coins coming from various countries: Rome, Greece, Thrace, Phoenicia...I normally wouldn't have resorted to theft..." Sully said, kneading Xena's buttocks.

"Mmmhh you're giving me shivers...but they attacked you first, you defended yourself. You taught them what it feels like to be robbed. Fair's fair." Xena said, once again biting her lower lip.

"Makes me wonder why Electra and her family insist on calling me a holy man...anyway, to answer your original question, I've seen three harvests." Sully said, spreading Xena's buttocks to give her anus and pussy a furtive glance and pushing them back together, making Xena gasp.

"Oh! That felt good, do it again! So you've been here this long?" Xena said, anticipation brewing an involuntary orgasm within her core.

Unable to repress a mischievous smirk, Sully repeated the treatment, slowly and teasingly, enjoying watching Xena squirm out of repressed pleasure.

"Yeah, it's been that long...how's this Xena? Is it pleasurable?" Sully said, caught up in the moment, horny as hell.

"Oh yes, very much so...my front part's getting jealous! But if I may...if you've been gone this long, don't you think that perhaps Brenda has moved on, found herself a new lover?" Xena said, in a hoarse voice.

Sully interrupted the massage and cleared his throat.

"Oh my, have I crossed the line?" Xena asked, worried.

"Nah, don't worry about it..." Sully said, as he moved a bit lower and began kneading Xena's hamstrings.

"Ooh, that tickles!" Xena quipped, struggling to keep her legs relaxed, her entire body tensing up.

"Sorry Xena, let me modify my touch...does it feel better with more palm and less fingertip?" Sully asked, grinning.

Xena exhaled and her entire body relaxed.

"Yes, much better!" Xena said, in a soft voice.

"And as much as it saddens me to say it, yes I have thought about it. That she might be sharing her body with another man...or woman. But once the riddle is solved, I'll be returned to my timeline at the very instant the curse kicked in. In other words, what ever happened during those three years - harvests - will never have happened." Sully said, the front part of his britches soaked with precum, his cock throbbing.

He slid back and knelt in front of Xena's feet, now massaging her calves and feet.

"Hmmh...interesting..." Xena said.

"Yes? Turn around on your back Xena, if your front was getting jealous, time to take care of it!" Sully said, smiling, trying to ignore the uncomfortable wetness in his crotch.

Xena snickered, and rolled on her back, smiling. She observed Sully as he warmed up more oil in his hands. The sight of the wet spot in his crotch made her arousal too much to bear. She wanted him, badly. She sat up, and grabbed him by the neck with authority. She forcefully kissed him, making him spill the massage oil on his chest. Her tongue parted his lips, seeking his with an excited moan. He gently tried to push her off, secretly wanting her to keep going.

"Xena..." He tried to protest, panting.

"Whatever happens now will never have happened once the riddle is solved. I promise that Gabrielle and I will help you solve the riddle...but for now, I want you, you want me...let's help each other..." Xena said, her husky voice very reminiscent of Brenda's.

She tugged at the knot that held his britches up and untied it. They slid down to his knees, exposing his wet boner. He was trembling. She grabbed his right wrist and pulled his hand to her pussy.

"Massage me there, and I'll massage you there..." She said, grabbing his cock with a firm but gentle grip.

Eyes bulging, Sully observed a few moments as if in a trance, as she manoeuvred his right hand to rub her pussy while she jerked him off with her other hand. Her bun came undone, allowing her hair to cascade down to her back and shoulders.

"Xena..." He said again, this time in a lustful voice.

"Sully..." She replied in a husky voice.

They resumed tongue kissing, eyes closed. Xena laid down on her back, dragging Sully to the futon with her. He began rubbing her pussy without her guidance, tentatively probing her wet vulva with his middle finger making her grunt her approval loudly, breaking their lip lock.

"YEAH! LIKE THAT!" Xena shouted, squeezing Sully's cock a bit harder.

He curled his finger, locating Xena's G spot within her hot, wet pussy. Gently but firmly, he pressed his thumb on her clitoris, rubbing it as he massaged her G spot.

"Oh...oh...OH! Sully what are you d...d...don't stooooop!" Xena shouted, on the cusp of her first G spot orgasm.

Breathing hard, she spat in her right hand to make it wet and slippery. She grabbed Sully's cock again, jerking him off at double-speed.

"Oh yeah Xena I'm gonna cum...I'M GONNA CUM!" Sully grunted, Old Faithful exploding in Xena's hand and all over her flat stomach.

"Yes Sully YES! DO IT! I...I...AYYYYEEEEE!" Xena screamed, in prey of a long, satisfying G spot orgasm.

They laid on the futon side by side, staring at the grotto's ceiling, panting.

"Wow..." She said, smiling.

"Ditto here..." Sully said.

"I'm assuming that when you said you were going to come, you meant that you were reaching satisfaction?" She asked with a curious frown.

"Indeed...a colloquialism from my timeline. I guess it's code talk for 'I'm coming to the conclusion of this love-making session'..." Sully said.

"I like it! But I need to clean up, no offence..." Xena said, sweaty, covered in massage oil and sticky with Sully's cum.

"None taken. I think the rain has started...care to tidy up in the rain?" Sully said, grinning.

Xena smiled.

"Why not? Like Electra said, this is very much like Arcadia...I'm pretty sure that she's having a fine time with Joxer and Gabrielle!" Xena said, sitting up.

They walked naked towards the entrance of the grotto.

Now stark naked, Electra, Gabrielle and Joxer fully enjoyed their taste of Arcadia under a warm pre-dusk sun shower. Electra was lying on her back, with Joxer slowly penetrating her as per her instructions. Gabrielle sat on her face, fondling her own breasts, enjoying every sensation that Electra's tongue brought to her clit and labia.

"So good...moan..." Gabrielle moaned, subtly rotating her pelvis to modify the angle at which Electra's tongue caressed her pussy.

"Yes...ahh...I prayed so long for...uuhhh...a moment like this one...thuh...thuh...thank you Aphrodite, thank you Electra!" Joxer said, his voice a low, breathy drone.

Electra playfully gripped his cock by tightening her vaginal muscles, acknowledging his thanks. Gabrielle leaned forward, casting Joxer a lustful look.

"Joxer...kiss me.." Gabrielle begged, breathing hard.

Joxer smiled. After all of these years, Gabrielle finally wanted him, no accidents from Cupid's son involved.

"With pleasure!" He said, his voice sounding unusually warm and sweet.

He leaned forward and their lips connected, first gently, then with more vigor. Gabrielle tentatively inserted her tongue in his mouth, seeking his. Nervously, he pressed his tongue against hers, but then relaxed as Gabrielle put her hands on his shoulders for balance.

"Follow her lead Sully said...that applies to Gabrielle too..." Joxer thought, now tongue-kissing like a champion.

They interrupted their kiss and smiled at each other, still moaning with pleasure. Gabrielle looked up to the sky and closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of the raindrops touching her skin, enhancing the pleasure she felt.

"Hmm...Arcadia indeed...moan...the g...gods themselves are blessing our love-making with that sweet rain...and holding the storm back!" Gabrielle said, once again fondling her breasts, gently pinching her nipples.

Electra gave Gabrielle's buttocks a firm squeeze and inserted her tongue in her wet slit.

"OH GAIA...Electra that feels so GOOD!" Gabrielle yelped, nearing orgasm.

Electra giggled charmingly, tasting Gabrielle's love juices. She dug her heels in Joxer's buttocks, pulling him in, indicating that she wanted him to fuck her harder and faster.

"I'm about to climax Joxer, go wild! " Electra said, interrupting her lip service.

"Oh Electra...Gab...ri...elle...I...I..." Joxer stammered; following the rhythm that Electra dictated, ready to explode.

Gabrielle threw her arms around Joxer's neck, bringing her face closer to his until their foreheads were touching, staring deeply into his eyes as Electra resumed tongue fucking her and he pumped hard and fast into Electra's pussy.

"Do it...gasp....let it go Joxer...we're all about to...to...CLIMAAAAAAXXX!" Gabrielle shouted, her voice echoing in the hills, answered by a rumble of thunder.

"HUHHH...MIGHTY APHRODITE YESSSS!" Joxer grunted, as he blew his load inside Electra's tight, moist core.

Electra's legs tightened around Joxer's waist like a python, wanting to feel his hard cock deep within her for a few moments longer as she too, reached orgasm.

"MMMMMMMMHHHHH!" Electra moaned loudly, her voice muffled as she pressed her lips harder against Gabrielle's fragrant, wet pussy.

Her body went limp, basking in the afterglow of her orgasm. She gently tapped on Gabrielle's buttocks, letting her know she wanted to sit up. Gabrielle moved, sitting next to Electra as Joxer slid out of her. They sat, looking at each other and chuckled, shivering as the rain increased in intensity.

"The storm's moving in closer...I got carried away and forgot about the Druid's warning. Fortunately, we didn't venture too far past the west peak. We may get soaked, but we'll be able to make it back to the Druid's grotto safely." Electra said, picking up her toga and sandals.

"Regardless, let's not waste any time, we missed the sky turning orange while we were making love and the rain clouds are growing thicker...good thing those new boots are water proof!" Gabrielle said, reaching for her top, skirt and boots.

They got dressed in a hurry, Electra finishing first. She helped Joxer with his armor, as he fumbled with his chest plate. Giggling, Gabrielle helped her.

"And men say we take too long getting dressed!" Gabrielle said, teasingly.

Electra laughed good-heartedly and looked at Joxer, who smiled sheepishly.

"Yeah...I admit the armor's a bit much!" Joxer said.

Gabrielle smiled.

"Why Electra, your influence is incredible, I teased Joxer and he didn't react defensively!" She said.

"Must be...Arcadia!" Joxer said, smiling.

"Quickly now, before we completely lose light, follow me!" Electra said, smiling.

Naked and care-free, a Warrior Princess and a Druid showered in the rain, laughing as the evening grew darker. A pink flash of lightning lit up the sky. Moments later, a rumble of thunder echoed through the hills.

"Weather's gotten awfully humid thanks to the brewing storm...lightning's pink and the weather conditions are about to get a lot worse...protection spell or not, I hope Electra, Gabrielle and Joxer get back soon..." Sully thought, privately.

"It's a good thing your spell protects us from the sky fire!" Xena said, repressing a shiver.

"The sky fire as you call it has struck far enough from us. Spell or not, we were in no danger." Sully said, glad nonetheless that the spell learned from Miss Réjeanne was indeed protecting them.

"Well I feel amazing Sully! But you know, we never discussed sleeping arrangements..." Xena said, her voice trailing off.

Sully nodded, looking pensive. He shrugged.

"To be honest with you, neither did I...it wouldn't be safe for Electra to go home this late, in this weather. It's a large futon, I guess you girls can sleep in the grotto; Joxer and I can keep the horses and oxen company and sleep in the stable." Sully said.

"I don't know about Electra, but Gabrielle and I can rough it out in the stable, so can Joxer. Though it's sweet of you to be so considerate towards us!" She said, rubbing extra rainwater on her flat stomach, making sure that Sully's sticky cum was completely washed off.

"What kind of a host would I be if I left my guests sleep in the stable? Come Xena, let's dry off and get dressed." Sully said, gesturing with his right hand towards the grotto's entrance.

They walked back in the grotto, missing the arrival of Joxer, Electra and Gabrielle, who were laughing as they ran; taking cover in the stable.

"Let me get a few more dry towels from you." Sully said, walking towards the large chest next to the futon.

"I'm assuming some of the villagers' wives do your laundry?" Xena said, with a teasing wink.

"As a matter of fact, Electra handles that. She helps her parents at the Tavern but has a lot of spare time. Don't get the wrong idea, she's like a little sister to me; I wouldn't dare touch her sexually. But she's a frequent visitor, brings me food that her mother prepared for me..." Sully said, opening up the chest.

"That is when you're not busy getting drunk at the Tavern..." Xena said, smirking.

Sully chuckled.

"Fortunately, my over indulging isn't that frequent! And she brings my dirty laundry to the village for washing. I have a sneaky suspicion that her mother helps her with the more heavily soiled pieces..." He said, picking up two dry towels.

"Your keep your body so clean, how soiled can that laundry be?" Xena asked, as Sully handed her a towel.

"It is precisely because I keep my body clean that my towels, rags and britches need frequent washing; even this tunic needs cleaning periodically..." Sully said, gracing Xena with an enamoured look as she sensually towel dried her breasts and stomach; enjoying the effect it had on him.

"So there are days where you walk around naked when your tunic gets washed?" Xena said, with a mischievous smirk.

"Dressed in nothing more than spare britches and sandals..." Sully replied, eyes glued to Xena's naked body.

He looked up, forcing his gaze away from her shapely body and into her lovely eyes. They looked at each other, somehow feeling awkward, wanting to say something more but failing to find the right words.

"You know, there's no reason for us to..." they both blurted out at the same time.

They laughed.

"You go first Sully!" Xena said, smiling, now drying her hair.

"Pretty girls first!" Sully replied with a grin, towelling his muscular shoulders.

"Well, I mean, we're both adults..." Xena said.

"And we both acknowledge that we're attracted to each other..." Sully said.

"And seeing that anything that happens until we solve the riddle will have never happened..." Xena continued.

"There is no reason for us not to share my futon...I mean you are Brenda's ancestor after all..." Sully added.

"And I have a feeling that Gabrielle, Joxer and Electra will appreciate some privacy in the stable..." Xena said.

"So..." Sully said, dropping his towel to the ground.

"So..." Xena said, with a seductive smile.

Sully moved in closer, taking her towel away. He put his arms around her and they kissed , long and tenderly. Moments later, they broke their lip lock; looking into each other's eyes, smiling.

"Sleep now then?" Sully said.

"Lead the way holy man!" Xena said.

Smiling, Sully swept Xena off her feet, carrying her to the futon. He knelt, gently putting her down on the futon. She giggled charmingly, unaccustomed to such attentions. He winked at her, then took a gander at the floor. He picked up the towels, folded them and put them on top of the chest. He then picked up his tunic and britches, shook the dust from them and placed them next to Xena's items on the wooden bench.

He then toed off his sandals and blew out the oil lamps one by one. Xena gasped as the grotto had suddenly turned pitch black.

"I usually get a bit of moonlight from the grotto's entrance, but the storm has pretty much cut-off all light." Sully said, feeling his way back to the futon.

Another flash of lightning lit up the outdoor sky, providing the grotto with a second or so of pinkish light.

"Who needs moonlight when we have storm light?" Xena said, chuckling as Sully laid down beside her.

Drawn together, they snuggled up and fell asleep.

"Sully? Sully are you awake? I'm worried, Xena never came to sleep in the stable, do you know where she is?" Gabrielle's voice reverberated from the grotto's entrance.

Sully moaned grumpily as he woke up. He had hardly slept, tossing and turning most of the night, wracked with guilt.

"This is fucked up...I'm actually considering staying..." He thought, opening his eyes.

"It's official, I'm definitely not a morning person..." Sully mumbled aloud.

Xena sighed, also wishing that she could sleep in a bit longer, but giggled softly at Sully's reaction.

"I'm in here Gabrielle, why would you worry when we're in Arcadia?" Xena said, her voice hoarse.

"Oh...I...sorry...I hope I wasn't interrupting anything..." Gabrielle blurted out, embarrassed.

"I told you!" Electra's voice was heard saying, in a softer voice.

"The only thing you're interrupting is my sleep little girl...Electra, I hear your voice, do you remember how to fix that Thracian kahve like your mother taught you?" Sully asked.

"I certainly do...is it safe for me to come in and get the necessary cooking pots and ingredients?" Electra asked.

"Give us a few moments to get dressed!" Xena said, smiling.

Sully sighed.

"Kahve...good old coffee...I desperately need some! Mind you, a few more hours of sleep would have been nice..." he mumbled.

"Don't be so grumpy, Gabrielle meant well. I wouldn't mind some breakfast myself." Xena said, sitting up.

Sully sighed again and nodded.

"Of course you're right...but first...lumière!" Sully said, clapping his hands.

Xena gasped as the oil lamps lit up on their own.

"Your powers amaze me!" Xena said, smiling.

She gave Sully a peck on the lips and stood up. She walked towards the wooden bench and tossed Sully's sandals, tunic and britches at him.

"Hey!" Sully exclaimed, his britches hitting him in the face as Xena laughed.

Sully laughed along as they got dressed.

"It's safe to come in now!" Sully said loudly.

Electra entered the grotto, a subtle smirk on her lips.

"Gabrielle, Joxer and I will have breakfast ready in a few moments. Kahve, hot flat bread with olive oil and hard boiled quail eggs!" Electra said with a wink, as she rummaged for the necessary items.

"You found quail eggs?" Sully asked, curious.

"A small flock must have sought refuge here from the jackals. Your protection spell is helping them, so they help you back! I believe you like honey in your kahve?" Electra said, looking for the pot of honey.

"Indeed I do Electra, there's a pot of raw honey on the top shelf next to the kahve beans." Sully replied.

"Found it! Give us a few moments, breakfast will be ready soon!" Electra said, exiting the grotto carrying a small cauldron with a bag of coffee beans stuffed inside in one hand, and a large copper cooking pot in the other in which she had placed the pot of honey.

"And after breakfast, I'll cut your hair and shave your beard." Xena said, putting a hand on Sully's shoulder, smiling.

"I can't wait, on hot days the beard drives me crazy! And feeling the breeze on the nape of my neck once again would be nice too!" Sully said, returning Xena's smile.

She grabbed her saddlebags and they followed Electra out of the grotto. Sully drew in a sharp breath. There was something he needed to get off his chest, now was as good a time as any to tell her.

"You know...all things being equal, maybe it wouldn't be so bad if we did not solve the riddle." Sully blurted out, casting Xena a furtive glance.

"Do tell Mister Druid?" Xena replied, feeling a sense of cautious optimism.

She liked Sully, a lot.

"If by some miracle he was to stay..." Xena thought, trying to keep her enthusiasm under control.

"I've been up all night mulling this over...now that we've met, I think I could be happy here with you, that is if you were ever tired of life on the road with the perpetual fighting." Sully said, looking coy.

"Sully...I...what you just said...I...you...make me so happy!" Xena stammered, blushing.

Electra looked over her shoulder with a smirk as Xena threw her arms around the Druid, hugging him tightly.

"That would unfortunately be rather inadvisable." A new female voice interjected.

"ENYO!" Xena shouted, letting go of Sully and reaching for her chakram.

"Relax Xena, the fact that she isn't restrained by pythons means that she comes in peace. To what do we owe the honor of your visit Enyo?" Sully said, grabbing Xena's forearm with a firm but gentle grip.

Enyo appeared to them in the same form as she did during the rescue of Omega Woman - only under the sunlight, her skin had a dark copper shade. Her body was muscular and shapely, her hair was chestnut brown and hung down to her waist. Like she did back then, she wore a loose loincloth and was bare-chested, with breasts of medium size covered with scars gathered through the many wars she had instigated and fought.

"No business suit this time Enyo? Oh that's right that hasn't happened yet..." Sully said, smirking.

"Our kind is impervious to the curses of our brethren Quentin Sullivan. We are also capable of what you would call time travel. It is imperative that you solve Alpheus' riddle." Enyo said, impassible.

Sully sighed.

"I was afraid this was too good to be true...care to elucidate us over breakfast Enyo?" Sully said.

They sat around a few bales of hay used as a makeshift table and ate quietly, looking morose. Sully took a sip of hot kahve and grimaced a bit at the hot, bittersweet liquid.

"Not Starbucks, but it'll have to do..." He thought, with a subtle smirk.

"All right Enyo, the suspense is killing us; why would not solving the riddle and remaining here with Xena and her friends be so inadvisable?" Sully asked, looking at her.

In spite of the sharp canines and scars, Enyo was quite attractive.

"No wonder Old Nick loves her so much!" Sully thought, privately.

"In order to keep things clear and simple, do you recall the motion picture 'It's a Wonderful Life?'" Enyo asked.

"Mo-tion pic-ture?" Joxer said, puzzled.

Electra and Gabrielle shrugged as if to say 'search me', while Xena's eyes were fixed on Sully.

"It's a Christmas tradition...though I didn't realize a former goddess of war could be a movie buff!" Sully said, smirking.

"Master Lucifer and I do have our moments...after all, we are working towards our salvation...but you are familiar with the premise. As with the main protagonist of that picture, your absence has had its repercussions." Enyo said, an expression of genuine concern on her face.

"The She-Legion has reverted to their smug, complacent, careless ways..." Sully said, with a sigh.

"Indeed, which led to a crime wave never seen before in Delta City. She-Legionnaires have been beaten, raped and humiliated in ways that make even me cringe...then, out of grief, Ms Americana - your Brenda Wade - resigned from the She-Legion and picked up your old vice of inhibriation. The Wade Corporate empire soon crumbled." Enyo said.

"Damn..." Sully mumbled, looking down at the makeshift table.

In a way very similar to Ms Americana's, Xena reached for Sully's right hand and gave it a comforting squeeze.

"Then I can't be selfish Sully, there's too much is at stake, you must go back...we must solve that riddle..." Xena blurted out, putting up a strong façade.

"Cheer up Warrior Princess, I have information that can explain many things. There is more to the resemblance that yourself, Gabrielle and Joxer bear to Brenda, Dana and Christopher. Or to the resemblance Electra bears to Hexanna." Enyo said.

Sully looked at Electra gape-mouthed.

"Son of a...I never even noticed! Agreed, paler skinned, hair a bit curlier...but she does look like Hexanna." Sully said, stunned.

"And that information is?" Xena asked.

"The Eternal One in His infinite wisdom often decides to offer worthy souls a chance at redemption. Humans cannot grasp the entire picture quite well...Hindus call it reincarnation, which is rejected by Judeo Christian faiths...but how could they know what the Eternal One sees fit to do? In this particular case, Xena was given such a chance thanks to Hercules, who made her change her ways. However, killing is still a sin...thus Xena and her followers were granted a second chance to atone their sins as Brenda Wade, Dana King and Christopher Townshend." Enyo said.

"So they're not descendants, they are actually the same people..." Sully said, smiling, happily giving Xena's hand a squeeze.

"Same soul, but different body, if very similar; yes." Enyo said.

"What about me Enyo? What is my link to this Hexanna?" Electra asked.

"In a not so distant future you will become one of Aphrodite's favorite pupils Electra...a bit of Ambrosia, a bit of Nectar...that will be the beginning of a long, eventful adventure that will you bring you back to your friends. Many memories will be repressed, but you will find each other in that future life. I have said my piece. Be well my friends, and return soon." Enyo said, before disappearing in a flash of light.

Sully turned to Xena, frowning.

"We need to get our heads together and make sure we have the solution...since Brenda and you are essentially the same person, would making love to you still be considered cheating?" Sully said, pensive.

"Indeed we must...but first, shave and haircut, now. I want to see you the same way my future self does!" Xena said, with a grin.

"All right...Gabrielle and Electra, please help Joxer fill up the barber's basin. I'll go take a dip in the hot springs, whiskers shave off easier once they've been softened up in hot water." Sully said, smiling.

"Getting right to it Sully...so we work together again in that next life?" Joxer asked.

"More than that Joxer, we also become good friends." Sully replied, smiling sympathetically.

Joxer smiled and nodded. He picked up the barber's basin and scampered towards the large stone basin at the end of the aqueduct, with Gabrielle and Electra in tow.

"I'll get my barbering tools ready and meet you at the hot springs...with some pumice!" Xena said in a low, sensuous voice, winking at him.

Sully smiled and took a few steps away from the bales of hay, but turned around and surprised Xena with a kiss on the lips.

"Feeling frisky Mister Druid?" Xena asked, with a mischievous smirk.

Sully laughed good-heartedly, that reply came straight from Brenda's vocabulary.

"What's so funny?" She asked, with a curious frown.

"Ah, Xena my dear, nothing's funny at all! I'm just happy, excited and yes, frisky! You can't imagine how frisky I feel!" Sully said, with a bright smile.

Xena grinned and gently grabbed Sully's beard at the chin, bringing his face closer to hers. She returned his kiss.

"All right holy man to the hot springs with you! I'll join you in a bit!" She said, still chuckling.

"I can't wait!" Sully said, breathless.

Aphrodite Smiling

Sully walked towards the hot springs, heart beating loud and fast. He looked up to the sky, smiling.

"I know I haven't been the most religious man in creation, and I know this timeline is currently several years before Your birth...but thank you regardless sweet Jesus; and do say a good word to your Holy Father on Enyo's behalf...she may have sinned, but she has helped me now for the second time...bless her dear Lord; bless her." Sully prayed in a quiet voice.

He made it to the hot springs and stripped naked. He carefully slid into the hot springs, taking care of not hitting the rocky bottom too hard. He moaned, inhaling the salty vapors as the hot water relaxed his muscles. He took a deep breath and dunked his head under water letting out a loud grunt as he re emerged.

"That salted water is a good cleanser, but man does my face ever burn...chafing from sweating and the damned beard, can't wait to have Xena shave it off! I'll get to try out that cane sugar alcohol and lemon lotion I concocted a while back!" He thought, smirking.

All of a sudden, everything became quite clear.

"Eureka! And I had to say that while immersed in water..." Sully mumbled.

"What did you just figure out Sully?" Xena asked, kneeling next to the hot springs.

He looked at her, jubilant.

"It took a few seasons for us to meet, but I should have seen the signs as soon as you requested my services! The riddle says: Come the season of love - it is Spring. Hear the siren’s chant - did you not save Ulysses from the Sirens with your chant?" Sully said.

Xena looked at him gape-mouthed. How could she have forgotten?

"Indeed I did! I'd forgotten all about it, so much travelling and fighting...go on!" She said, smiling.

"In the path of the cuckoo, see your urges betray- I'm sure that would have posed a dilemma to any other mortal, but Alpheus didn't realize that making love to you isn't betraying Brenda after all, even if physically you're a different person." Sully continued.

"Had you fallen for Electra or another woman, it would have been a betrayal, but you are a faithful man! Heck, I had a hard time seducing you!" Xena said.

"You weren't easy to resist, believe me! But making love to Electra wouldn't have solved the riddle or broken the curse: her chant didn't defeat the sirens." Sully said.

"So the curse was intended to be unsolvable: it had to be me, and there was no guarantee that the cursed one would be able to seduce me...the Fates were truly smiling at you!" Xena said, discretely slipping out of her body armor.

"I may believe in fate yet! Lastly: in the path of the phoenix, you may find your way. That would be you, me, Gabrielle, Joxer and Electra, rising from our ashes in the future as it were. Uh...why are you taking your clothes off?" Sully said, looking at Xena gape-mouthed.

She stood before him buck-naked, smiling mischievously and joined him in the hot springs, pumice stone in hand.

"While your whiskers soften, show me those feet of yours! A promise is a promise!" Xena said, in a sensual voice.

Grinning, Sully raised his right foot out of the water.

"I already noticed that your fingernails and toenails are pretty short for one with no nail cutting tools; another example of your magic?" Xena asked, pumicing his callused right heel.

"No such magic, I used a rough piece of flint...long, tedious job to grind my fingernails and toenails short...but some days I didn't have much more to do than that..." Sully said.

"Well, it will make my job a whole lot quicker...and those heels of yours are going to get a lot smoother!" Xena said, putting in some elbow grease.

After a few minutes, Xena assessed her progress and nodded. She placed her pumice stone near the edge of the hot spring and tenderly, massaged his right foot and calf.

"God...you have magic hands Xena!" Sully moaned.

"Just like Brenda..." He thought, privately.

"Why thank you! Other foot please!" She said, smirking, grabbing the pumice stone from the edge of the hot spring.

Obediently, Sully returned his right foot in the water and raised his left foot. Xena playfully pretended to bite his foot, then proceeded with pumicing his callused left heel. She frowned, her eyes focused on a particular spot of his heel.

"Well what have we here...do you walk barefoot often? You have a small splinter sticking out of your heel." Xena said, putting the pumice stone back down near the edge of the hot spring and carefully grabbing the splinter between her right hand thumb and forefinger.

"Yeah, sometimes I do. The calluses on my feet are so thick that I never even realized there was a splinter in there!" Sully said, as Xena carefully removed the splinter.

She tossed the splinter aside and resumed pumicing his left foot.

"Tell me Xena, and you don't have to answer if it's too personal, but what is it that attracted a daughter of Aphrodite to a warmonger like Julius Cesar?" Sully asked, with a curious frown.

Xena looked at him gape-mouthed as if he had said the most ridiculous thing ever, then threw her head back, laughing heartily.

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! Good one, you had me going there Sully! To answer your question, I was a headstrong girl with an unquenchable thirst for power...then Cesar betrayed me. But my Mother's name is Cyrene. If I really were the daughter of a Goddess, do you really think I would devote my life to war?" Xena said, her firm, perky breasts jiggling as she chuckled.

"Aphrodite has a history of cheating on her former husband Hephaestus...notably with Hermes, Poseidon and Ares...Greek god of War. Not that far a stretch that they would be your birth parents, Warrior Princess...you wouldn't be the first Aphrodite offspring to be forced into adoption to parents that were sworn to secrecy." Sully said, with a shrug.

Xena nodded thoughtfully as she massaged Sully's left foot and calf.

"That would explain a lot of things...my fiery temper among a few. And since crossing the gods is a bad idea...Aphrodite would be my real mother? I'll have to ask her the next time I stop by her temple!" Xena said, finishing Sully's foot and calf massage.

She scooted closer to him and snuggled with him.

"All the same, I'm gonna miss you while you're gone. A lifetime is a long time to wait until we meet again." Xena said.

"Quicker than you may think Xena, once the curse is broken, none of this will have happened. We pick up where we left off in the future." Sully said.

Tenderly, they kissed.

The Grooming of the Holy Man

"Let's get that beard shaven and that hair cut!" Xena said, in a near whisper.

They exited the hot springs and got dressed, smiling. Sully looked at his tunic and shook his head.

"If making love to you solves the riddle, I might as well just wear my sandals and britches." Sully said, absent mindedly touching the talisman that hung from the chain around his neck.

They walked back towards the grotto, holding hands.

"We're ready here Sully, the basin is filled, Electra brought out your jar of natron swabu and another lotion..." Joxer said, greeting them.

"Remember, the one you kept telling me you wanted to try the day you would get your beard shaved?" Electra added.

"...as well as a dry towel." Joxer said, finishing his sentence.

"Thank you my friends!" Sully said, as he took his place on the bales of hay.

"Lie down Mister Druid, while I wash your hair!" Xena said, lifting Sully's hair in the same manner as he had done for her the day before.

Smirking, Sully complied. He drew in a sharp breath as the cold water splashed his head, but refused to gasp in front of everyone.

"Keep breathing tough guy, you'll give yourself a headache!" Xena said, teasingly.

"I am breathing!" Sully said, teeth clenched.

He could hear Gabrielle and Electra giggling as Xena thoroughly wet his hair.

"Come on girls, that's not nice!" Joxer said, struggling to keep a straight face.

"It's all good Joxer...now that my body's gotten used to the cold water this actually feels pretty nice! Relaxing even..." Sully said, as Xena lathered natron swabu in his thick mane of hair.

She then rinsed his hair, taking care of not getting any of the natron swabu in his eyes.

"Okay, let's get cutting, sit up Sully!" Xena said, smiling.

Sully sat up, water dripping down his face, chest and shoulders. Xena grabbed the towel and proceeded towelling off Sully's chest, shoulders, abdomen; and finally his hair. She then wrapped it around his shoulders and grabbed her bronze scissors. Sully exhaled slowly as Xena cut his hair.

"That feels nice...the feel of the breeze against my skin as she moves my hair and cuts it..." Sully thought, blissfully.

"You like that?" Xena asked, in a soft voice.

"Uh-huh...I do...kind of like the way you liked the hair treatment I've given you yesterday!" Sully said; smirking.

"Yes, relaxing and very sensual...you could have given me the ivory comb treatment all day and I would have been very content!" Xena said, nodding as she snipped more of Sully's hair.

"Looking good Xena! Don't go too short or he'll end up looking like a Roman General!" Gabrielle said, tongue in cheek.

Xena walked around the bales of hay, gave Sully an appraising look, nodded and proceeded to take a bit more off the top, hair clippings blowing in the wind.

"I'll just trim a bit more so it looks even...and I'll also trim off excess beard whiskers before switching over to the razor..." Xena said, pensively.

"Do you still have that copper mirror we picked up in Mesopotamia? I'm sure Sully would like to see the finished product!" Gabrielle said, smiling.

"Yep, right there, next to the razor...raise your chin up a bit Sully? Good, let's thin out that beard before shaving it off, then I'll tidy up the nape of your neck with the razor...not too nervous having a Warrior Princess handling sharp objects near your face and throat? Oh, yeah...the spell..." Xena said, with a sensual smirk.

"I might be wrong but...even without the spell I don't think you'd hurt me." Sully said.

Xena giggled charmingly and kissed him, to a chorus of "Oooooh!" from Gabrielle, Electra and Joxer.

"Okay you jokers, enough!" Xena said, grinning as she got busy trimming Sully's beard.

Sully absent-mindedly brushed beard clippings from his muscular chest, observing Xena as she groomed him, feeling a bit bewildered.

"Xena...Brenda...so weird to think that Brenda was nursing me back to health when the curse hit, now she as Xena has given me a pedicure, and now a shave and haircut...wild..." He thought.

She gave Sully another appraising glance, nodded, and swapped her scissors for her razor. Sully closed his eyes as the blade glided on his cheeks, throat, chin and under his nose. She then shaved the nape of his neck and swapped the razor for her mirror, which she handed to Sully.

He looked, smiled and nodded.

"Very handsome..." Electra mumbled, Gabrielle nodding in agreement.

"Wonderful work Xena, even with the razor burn It's good to see my face again!" Sully said, putting the mirror down next to him on the bale of hay.

"Thanks Sully, I'm just glad I haven't lost my touch, no nicks or cuts, I'm proud of myself! But yes, your poor face looks very irritated, Joxer and Electra mentioned a lotion?" Xena said, looking at the small clay pot near the natron swabu jar.

"Yes, it'll sting like crazy but it should cool the burn down pretty fast." Sully said, catching a glimpse of Xena's cleavage as she bent over to pick up his after shave container.

She removed the lid and nodded at the clean, citrusy fragrance. She held out the pot so Sully could dip his hands in it. Wincing, he liberally splashed the lotion on his face, throat and the nape of his neck.

"NNNNGRRRUUUUHHH...HOLY mother FUCKING SHIT! YEOWWW!" Sully screamed, his face burning like hell, the towel around his shoulders sliding to the ground.

"Great Zeus, Sully, are you okay?" Xena asked, putting her hands on his shoulders, genuinely worried.

"I...ayyyeee...I'll be fine...the lotion is starting to work...the burning sensation is receding..." Sully said, panting.

Indeed, all traces of razor burn were rapidly fading from his face.

"Thank Zeus, you had me worried!" Xena said, relieved.

They looked into each other's eyes, mesmerised.

"Joxer, Electra, care to give me a hand in the stable?" Gabrielle said, hinting that Xena and Sully may want some privacy.

Snickering quietly, Gabrielle, Electra and Joxer discretely made their way to the stable.

"Since none of this will have happened once the riddle is solved...I'd really like to feel Joxer's appendage in me this time around!" Gabrielle thought, heart beating faster out of anticipation.

Xena and Sully's lips connected. They threw their arms around each other, ignoring Gabrielle, Electra and Joxer as they walked to the stable, giggling. Clumsily, they undressed each other; Xena fumbling at Sully's britches and Sully grabbing at the clasps at the back of Xena's body armor, still kissing.

Finally, his britches slid down his ankles as did her body armor down hers. Other than his talisman and sandals and her new boots, they were both naked. She interrupted their kiss, bending over and raising her right foot, as if to remove her boots.

"No, keep them on...they look sexy on you!" Sully said, his voice sounding hoarse.

She giggled, and darted towards the grotto, her perky breasts bouncing merrily as she ran.

"Can't catch me!" She said in a teasing voice.

Laughing, Sully gave her chase, straight to the grotto. Xena hopped onto the futon and sensually assumed an exaggerated submissive stance, comically covering her nipples with her right arm and her pussy with her left hand.

"I surrender Holy Man, I am no match for your magic and am your prisoner; do as you wish with my body but please do not hurt me!" She said, hamming it up.

She then winked at Sully who giggled good-heartedly.

"Ah my pretty one, to hurt you is the farthest thing from my mind!" He said, sitting next to her on the futon.

He caressed her thighs, so smooth and warm.

"Definitely a daughter of Aphrodite...smooth skin, hair-free legs and armpits, naturally short pubes..." He marvelled in silence.

He then moved his hands to her hips and motioned for her to lie on her back. Smiling, she complied, enjoying the feel of his hands exploring her shapely body: hips, thighs, inner thighs, abdomen, breasts, shoulders, arms and back down. Suddenly, he buried his face in her crotch.

"OH YESSS!! OOHHH SWEET EROS! SULLY THAT FEELS SO GOOOOD!" Xena shouted in pure ecstasy, as Sully licked, suckled, nibbled and kissed the sweet flesh of her pussy.

She fondled her breasts and pinched her nipples adding to the pleasure that coursed through her body.

"F...finger...puh...please Sully...like you did to me yester-gasp-day...pleaaase!" Xena begged, breathing hard.

Gently, Sully inserted his right hand's middle finger in Xena's vulva, probing. He located her G-spot and firmly massaged it as he circled her clitoris with the tip of his tongue.

"Nhh yeah...uhhh...uhhh...UHHHH...HMMMH...NNNH OH YEEEEESSS! GAIAAAA!" Xena screamed, in prey of her first squirting orgasm, her body fluids flooding Sully's face.

"Oh...I'm sorry...I swear it's the first time I..." Xena said, embarrassed.

"It's fine Xena, your squirting in my face is the highest form of compliment, it means I've pleasured you intensely!" Sully said, wiping his chin with the back of his hand.

"That you sure did! Let me repay the favor, you said my future self also pleasures you with her mouth?" Xena asked, sitting up.

"Yes, though if you haven't done this before, the taste can be, well... a bit...objectionable." Sully said, lying on his back.

"I'm a big girl, I think I can handle it...let me know if I'm doing this right though..." Xena said, taking Sully's cock in her right hand and bringing her mouth to its head.

The familiar wet, warm, pleasurable sensation brought a smile to Sully's face, as Xena took his cock gradually deeper.

"Oh yeah Xena...you're doing marvellously well..." Sully said, his voice taking a deep, breathy quality that turned Xena on.

Encouraged, she increased the pace, feeling Sully's body beginning to tremble. She focused her mouth on the head of his penis, circling her tongue around it in a way similar to what he had done earlier with her clit; and stroking the shaft with the firm grip of her thumb, index and middle finger.

"Oh my GOD that feels amazing! For a woman who's never done this before you're a natural!" he blurted out, looking at her in genuine amazement; his body shaking with pleasure.

With a mischievous look on her face, Xena increased her pace again, wanting him to explode in her mouth in the same way he had done for her.

"Oh God Xena slow down! I can't hold back! I'm gonna cum! I'M GONNA CUM! I'm GONNA CUHHH!" Sully exclaimed, Old Faithful exploding in Xena's teasing mouth.

Giggling, she spat his semen on the floor next to the futon.

"Damn that was intense! But since I'm still here, that wasn't it..." Sully said, smiling.

"We'll just have to try again...as soon as your big boy is ready to go, my little girl would love to make his acquaintance!" Xena said, lying down next to him, teasing his balls with her left hand's fingertips.

Sully put his left arm around her staring at the grotto's ceiling. Smiling, she laid her head on his powerful biceps, now caressing his muscular chest.

"Soul mates..." he mumbled, grinning.

"What's that Sully?" She said, with a curious frown.

"I've always been sceptical about the concept, cynical even...but for us to be lovers in this lifetime and in the next...the evidence is too obvious to ignore; we are soul mates!" Sully said, turning his head to look at her.

"Soul mates, I love it! Well, well, what have we here?" Xena said, her hand moving back down Sully's body, and brushing against his reborn boner.

"I'm ready for my second helping Xena, are you?" Sully said, feeling precum oozing from his cock.

"Oh I'm ready Sully, I want you right here..." Xena said, pointing at her pussy.

She sensually spread her labia open, giving him a mischievous wink.

"Oh my God, déjà vu...could it be that...the final piece of the riddle is a re-enactment of my last love-making session with Brenda?" He wondered silently, feeling the hairs at the back of his neck standing straight.

"Go wild Sully, and shoot your man cream all over my breasts!" She said, with a familiar lustful expression on her face.

"As you wish my Warrior Princess..." He said, positioning himself between her legs.

He slowly inserted his cock into her tight pussy, savoring every sensuous second.

"Nnnngh yeah...nice and slow Quentin...I love it!" Xena grunted, trembling in anticipation of the upcoming faster, harder thrusts.

"Wait a minute...Quentin? And...did her tits just triple in size?" He wondered; excited and freaked out all at once.

He leaned forward, brining his mouth to her now gargantuan chest. She pushed her newly massive tits together, allowing him to alternate sucking her left and right nipples as he rocked his pelvis increasingly harder and faster; soon pistoning into her like an out of control locomotive.

"Yeah...yeah...YEAH...do it Quentin, do it! FUCK ME HARD I LOVE IT!" She shouted, feeling another orgasm building up within her; wrapping her long muscular legs around his waist.

"Again calling me Quentin...bigger tits...freckles and sunburn gone from her shoulders...and is it me or is it getting colder in here?" He wondered, moaning loudly, getting ready to blow his load.

"Yes baby, do it..." She said, breathing fast and shallow.

"I'm so close, I can't hold back much longer..." He said, in a shaky voice.

She looked at him with a mischievous smile, rubbing her pussy with her right hand as he still pistoned into her.

"Do it! I'm about to cum too Quentin! I feel so good! Cock and fingers at the same time! Cuh...cuh...CUMMIIIING! CREAM MY TITS QUENTIN! I WANT YOUR CUM ON MY TITS!" Her voice going from a sultry whisper to a whiny scream of pleasure.

"OH YEAH, I'M GONNA CUM! I'M GONNA CUM!" Quentin grunted, pulling out of her tight pussy to release Old Faithful's offering...

And cum he did, firing several wet, sticky salvos over her face, tits and abdomen.

"Wow, that was quite a build-up Quentin! We need a good soak in a hot bath!" Brenda said, laughing.

"The curse is broken..." Quentin said, a look of pure happiness on his face.

Brenda wiped cum off her chin, giving Quentin a quizzical glance.

"Have you developed super-hearing? Hexanna called while you were in the bathroom, she and Miss Réjeanne found an old curse on a piece of parchment going through Warlock's documents..." Brenda said, wiping the cum off her tits and abdomen with a corner of the duvet comforter.

"Which came into effect the moment I originally shot my load...sent me a few centuries in the past and was broken the moment I re-enacted this love-making session with your former-self...sending me back to the very instant the curse kicked in...cumming all over the woman I love!" Quentin said, smiling.

Brenda looked at him, gape mouthed, confused. Her She-Legion communicator chimed. She turned on her side and picked up the call. Quentin spooned with her, holding her close.

"Americana here, what’s up Hexxie?" Brenda answered.

"How did you know it was me?" Hexanna replied.

"Who else could it be? You warn me about a curse, Quentin's telling me the curse is broken...call it a wild hunch!" Brenda said, getting goose bumps from Quentin's breathing down her neck.

"He made it back? Thank the goddesses, the timeline has been restored!" Hexanna said, her voice sounding relieved.

"Okay...now I'm beginning to freak out...tell you what, drop by in about an hour, it'll give us a chance to tidy up, put a few logs in the fireplace...hopefully the power will be restored by then and we can discuss the...curse over coffee." Brenda said.

"Sounds good Brenda, see you in a bit!" Hexanna replied.

She returned her communicator to the night table.

"Care to fill me in while we change the bed?" Brenda asked.

"And while we take a bath, this is a long story." Sully replied, with a nod.

They got out of bed and proceeded to remove the duvet comforter's cover.

"The curse was temporal exile, punishment for spoiling Alpheus -Warlock's fuck fest with the She-Legion. It was released the moment Hexanna and Réjeanne found the parchment, and in pure Warlock fashion, kicked in the moment I was about to cum...giving me blue balls as a sentence." Quentin said, pulling a fresh comforter cover from the bedroom dresser.

Brenda chuckled, wiping off the rest of his cum using the old comforter cover, before tossing it into the laundry hamper.

"Yes, that does fit Warlock's profile, and the fact that you know so much about the curse makes sense. How did you figure out that...making love to my former self would break the curse?" Brenda asked, as they slipped the duvet comforter into the new clean cover.

"In order to torture me, he gave me this riddle to solve...dangling the prospect of being with you again in my face. It echoed in my head, frustrating me. Then, Hexanna and Réjeanne appeared to me in a dream, gifted me with knowledge and a few key spells. I actually made a living as a Druid...I was sent back to Greek antiquity!" Quentin said.

"Fascinating! Come my love, let's take a hot bath, the generator must have fully warmed up the water heater by now! But keep going?" Brenda said, taking Quentin by the hand, leading him to the bathroom.

"The riddle became pretty obvious once I met you in your former incarnation...you were a Warrior Princess named Xena. Your entourage included a young reddish blonde named Gabrielle, none other than Dana King in a prior lifetime; and by a well-meaning but accident-prone young warrior named Joxer - our friend Chris Townshend's previous incarnation..." Quentin said, as they made their way to the bathroom.

"Them too? That's eerie!" Brenda said, captivated.

"And a young disciple of Dionysus who would later become Aphrodite's favorite pupil...her name back then was Electra. She would gain immortality with a bit of Ambrosia...and later be known to us as Hexanna." Quentin said.

"Hexanna? No way!" Brenda said, as they entered the bathroom.

"Yep, only her memories of old would be repressed as she lived through many civilisations. I'm not sure when she began her enchantress training, but..." Quentin said.

"Ah, the many mysteries and enigmas that make our Hexanna so charming and fascinating!" Brenda said, now putting her arms around him.

"We're gonna have quite the briefing session with Hexanna..." Sully said, putting his arms around her waist.

"Perhaps we should extend the invite to Miss Réjeanne, Dana and Chris too...and I must say, even though I have no perception of you ever being gone at all...I know there was a curse, and I'm glad to have you back...I'd be lost without you." Brenda said, her lovely blue eyes looking into his.

"Brenda, I've been lost without you in Greek Antiquity for about three years...until your former self showed up and helped show me the way home...in her arms...which are your arms." Quentin replied.

Tenderly, they kissed.

"Even when you were lost in time, I managed to find you!" Brenda said, smiling charmingly.

"Past, present or futures are souls are entwined..." Quentin said.

"Like true soul mates!" Brenda said.

"Soul mates..." Quentin said, nodding.

Sitting around the large glass table in Brenda Wade's luxurious mansion-like cottage north of the border, Brenda, Quentin, Hexanna, Réjeanne, Dana and Chris went through debriefing, sipping coffee.

"Well this does explain a lot; I've had this inexplicable sense of déja vu, familiar faces looking different, vivid memories of being in a sword fight when I know for a fact I've never even owned one..." Chris Townshend said, putting his cup on the table.

Brenda looked down at her own cup, and sighed.

"Well I didn't mention it at first, given the fact that, well...oh heck, I might as well come out with it: I was post-orgasmic and dismissed the sensation as part of the after-glow; but I had this odd sense of relief when Quentin reached his orgasm, as if this latent feeling of dread and gloom had been suddenly lifted." Brenda said.

Everyone at the table nodded thoughtfully.

"Now dat be one powe'ful 'gasm!" Réjeanne said with a wink, and then taking a sip of coffee.

"Well I hate to brag, and I had great motivation..." Quentin said, tongue-in-cheek, as they chuckled quietly.

"Now, now, Agent Sullivan, behave!" Brenda said, giggling.

"But all kiddin' aside, Hexxie and me be real glad da spells we shared with ya helped!" Réjeanne continued, smiling.

"Amen to that!" Hexanna said.

"Well, I owe my life to your sharing your spells with me! Only a few hours ago those spells were crystal clear in my mind...I could have carried a conversation with you in Aramaic or ancient Greek and you wouldn't have detected any accent...now it's all blurred memories..." Quentin said, somewhat disappointed that the knowledge was fading away.

"Likely a paradox effect, wouldn't you agree Hexanna?" Dana said, raising her cup to her lips.

"Agreed Dana, a textbook paradox effect as a matter of fact. Sully will remember bits and pieces, such as being sent back through time and solving Warlock's riddle with the help of Brenda's prior incarnation; but specific details will be a blur, since he was returned to the exact point in time where the curse kicked in." Hexanna said, nodding as she reached for her coffee.

"Thus, your contacting him in his dreams to share the knowledge of ancient languages and spells that allowed him to live as a Druid would have never happened, as that timeline cancelled itself out once he returned to present time...I think I get it..." Brenda said, nodding.

"Bloody confusing, but that's what I understand too..." Chris Townshend said, bringing his cup back to his lips.

Dana smirked and discretely patted his lap with her left hand.

"I would say that your understanding of the phenomenon is accurate." Hexanna said, smiling, after taking a sip from her cup.

Quentin reached for his amulet and put it on the table.

"I have this...call it a latent memory? Linked to my amulet...something to do with Xena...Brenda's name in her prior life..." Quentin said, picking up his amulet, looking at it attentively.

He frowned, noticing something on the amulet's metal mount.

"Right there...some sort of engraving...very small...Brenda, your eyes are better than mine, have a look?" Quentin said, handing her the amulet.

She picked up the amulet and looked at it, squinting.

"Hm yes...I'm not familiar with this alphabet, Hexanna, would you know?" Brenda said, handing her the amulet.

"Well...this is the stamp of the Tibetan artisan who crafted it, but here...how peculiar...oh my..."Hexanna said, looking up, gape-mouthed.

"What chère? What's it say?" Réjeanne asked.

"Yeah Hexanna, you look like you've seen a ghost!" Dana said.

"I had a flashback from the deleted timeline...I...I was there too...a young Greek girl...the engraving has the stamp of the Warrior Princess, and loosely translated, says 'to my Druid'". Hexanna said.

"Electra...yes, I do remember that part, your name was Electra!" Quentin said, nodding.

"But if none of it has happened once the spell was broken..." Chris Townshend said, frowning.

"It's a loophole...it has to be: the amulet made the trip with me, there and back...I remember Xena telling me that that it must have made the trip with me because it belonged in that timeline, you see, she had the same amulet in her saddlebags..." Quentin said.

"Likely made by that same artisan in that era..." Brenda said.

"So it makes sense, but she must have engraved it before you did the horizontal boogie though, since the timeline ended when you..." Chris Townshend said, interrupted by a warning swat on the shoulder from Dana.

"Chris, come on!" She said, rolling her eyes.

Quentin laughed heartily.

"Now I'm the one getting a flashback! Gabrielle and Joxer often argued like this! Well, I'm no Doctor but I'd say I'm fully recovered and ready to get back to business!" He said, smiling.

"I'll book you an appointment with Professor Whirter...but for now, you're all welcome for some dinner and belated Holiday Cheer!" Brenda said, smiling.

"I'll get some stew going! Now why does that sound familiar..." Quentin said, making his way to the kitchen.

"I'll Help!" Chris said, following him.

"We'll help set the table!" Dana said.

Smiling, they got busy.

The end.