Seven steps to being a good Father.

Disclaimer: I own nothing yadda yadda yadda...

(Xentrya)

Step 1: Revelation

The resonant sound of mechanically clashing swords and high pitched fighting shouts was bursting throughout the woods like thunder, amplified at least a couple of times by the menacing gusts of wind that were supposed to bring about a quite considerable quantity of ice cold, heavy rain in but a matter of minutes….

To a foreign, exterior presence , judging by the sparks flying all around them from the roughly colliding metal, the two opponents were striking to kill, eager to draw blood, to carve some flesh in the process, but to a more familiar eye, they were just playing around, barely training….

Nonetheless, beyond any shadow of a doubt, the instant Ares' blade dropped flat to the ground, Xena's teasing, knee slapping laughter would have taken right about anyone by surprise - given the fact that their facial expression was looking anything but bemused and jocular only a few moments before….

"Don't tell me the big, bad God of War is scared of lightening! " the sharp irony rolled off her tongue ass soon as his sword touched the grass, arching an eyebrow at the broken, bright yellow line splitting the skies in half.

In response, a round energy bolt made her own weapon fly away from her hand with a speed to rival the unshackled forces of nature.

Fine flickers of lethal electricity were still tickling the tip of his fingertips as she narrowed those arctic blue moons at him, and his entire being was flashing with the exhilarating spirit of battle and subtle victory. His body was strikingly relaxed though, his pose almost casual, as if he were there for the sole purpose of finding out the latest gossip spreading throughout the Athenian Agora at noon and not to rip the head off her shoulders…..

"Me? No. Are you?" he finally replied, grinning widely at her slightly bruised hand….

There was no trace of pain on her features but the God knew better…that type of impact was bound to leave a mark….

"How's your hand? " he continued to sting, unable to restrain the need to brag a bit about that tremendously successful hit.

She just sneered in disgust at his filthy way of doing things.

"Could you play fair for once?"

"Where would the fun in that be, Princess? "

"I guess you're right….Kicking your ass during each confrontation would be a lousy way to spend my spare time…What?!" she playfully exclaimed while proudly analyzing that artificially forced smile he was now displaying. "We both know that without the godly powers you'd be shamefully biting the dust whenever you'd feel the need to release all that negative, pent up energy…"

A low, mocking laugh rushed to precede his line, skillfully masking that unfathomable frustration induced by her previous words. She was patronizing him…a GOD. An Olympian God….That had to change…..

"You have a very, very twisted vision about me….Why don't you let me fix that? "

Within a blink, showing off some amazing, super human dexterity, the son of Zeus was flipping into the air, ready to launch a rough surprise attack on his "victim" - using a new move that he was dead sure she had never seen before- when, counting on pretty much the same technique, the raven Warrior jumped right by him, kicking him in the back with a strength to mach his own.

They both fell face down on the ground, grinding their teeth nosily, just to rapidly get back on their feet, as if trying to pretend that nothing had happened, that such particular sequence could be but a figment of their overly wild imagination.

Soon, they were both ready for the following stage, and the agile Warrior Princess could swear on her flawless honor that she had correctly noticed a weak spot in her adversary's defense during their sword fight, a detail that she was on the verge of using in her own advantage, when, right out of nowhere, Ares vanished like a plume of smoke from the place where he had been standing, just to appear in the blink of an eye at a fairly dangerous distance behind her, eagerly applying an obviously damaging elbow strike several inches above her kidneys.

...She collapsed back to the ground like a rock, in desperate need for air, the ripping sensation traveling throughout her every cell now, refusing to allow her brain to control her lungs any more.

For a couple of seconds, everything turned dark, and the earth itself felt like shaking beneath her palms…..She couldn't move, she couldn't think, and she definitely couldn't anticipate Ares' next move, so when he grabbed her arm and yanked her to her feet, she was literally under the impression that her spine was going to snap, so intense was the pain…..

All of the sudden, an unbearable feeling of nausea made her press her lips together with the back of her hand...She was as pale as a ghost.

The very moment he was about to kick her again, aiming for the stomach this time, the God froze in place though when he noticed the fading color in her cheeks….By all appearances she was about to black out soon….

Expertly masking his surprise, and without giving his impulse a second thought, Ares wrapped his arm around her waist for support.

"Xe? Are you ok? What? Is it the back? Have I hit too hard? Maybe you should lay down a bit…" he hesitantly suggested, trapped between the urge to locate the source of her pain and her reaction regarding the passion he had put in that kick.

"I'm fine…" she barely managed to mutter, doing her best to keep her balance.

Fortunately, he was not that easy to fool...

With infinite care, he took her in his arms and transported her a few yards away, under a sky high oke tree, aware that the rain was about to start soon….

Nonetheless, the second he laid her on the grass , his own face turned chalk white, as his hand remained fully petrified on her flat belly.

Despite the still present discomfort, Xena couldn't help sensing the radical change in vibration coming from his aura, a strange, perceptible transformation ranging from utter worry, to surprise and barely controlled wrath:

"You're pregnant?!"