NOTES: This was ORIGINALLY intended for The Buffyverse Femslash X-over of the month back in like September 2006. It's been sitting in my head since about 2 months before that having had the advance warning that comes with being a mod. However, though my muse was home and quite happy to amuse me with tales it would seem my writer took an 18 month break. So here 'tis. Please review... my muse has been missing for a while. Am hoping this may bring her home to have it completed.

A/N2: QUIESCO VENEFICUS is a combination of Latin words from an online english-latin translator. Thanks to Zap for the link to the site. I found the word for stop which is Quiesco and Venificus means either witch or spell caster and just put them together to use. So please don't shoot me cuz my Latin sucks :-p Latin is not an option in most Oz secondary schools that I know of, so I never had the chance to take it.

A/N3: Any Greek Mythical Beings mentioned are a) based partly on fact and b) based partly on Xena-lore and all thrown together in my own way.

A/N4: Thanks to Zap also, for the beta'ing.

SPOILERS: S-3, S-4 BtVS. X:WP up til season 4, after "Between The Lines". Let's pretend too that the conceit is actual fact and the show came about from Gab's scrolls. Gabrielle didn't throw away her staff ala Eli's Way either. Oh, and Riley. He's gone the way of Parker and Angel already. Mainly cuz I couldn't be bothered with the hassle of getting rid of him :)

DEDICATIONS: As always to my heart, my life. Laina, without you I would
be incomplete.

1.

Sometime BC

It was the perfect ending to a perfect day. At least in Gabrielle's scrolls. They didn't have anywhere to be when they had gotten up this morning, so they had spent the day walking along at leisure. The little blonde bard had enjoyed it immensely as it was the first real chance she and Xena had had to spend some real alone time together in over a moon. Most of the day had been spent in comfortable silence with the occasional conversation over nothing at all really, springing up between them. After the trip forward in time to save Xena and stop Alti, then helping the village it had been far too long since the warrior and bard had had a chance to spend a quiet day together.

The warrior and her bard had spent the last moon helping rebuild a small village raiders had been attacking at least once a day for a fortnight. After turning up just in time for the last attack, Xena had either killed or scared away the raiders and the duo had set about helping the villagers rebuild burnt down buildings and set up defenses against future attacks. They had been unable to find a moment to themselves in that time because at the end of each day they'd been too exhausted to do much more than fall into bed, curl up into the other and pass out.

As the blonde puttered around setting up camp in the small cave Xena had
found for them to spend the night in she found herself increasingly distracted by thoughts of her blue-eyed warrior. It had been far too long since they had been intimate and now her body was demanding recompense for the denial of her warrior's electric touch over the last few weeks.

A candle mark or so later found the bard and warrior exactly where they both wanted to be, in each other's arms. What seemed like a forever of foreplay to Gabrielle had finally culminated in her having Xena right where she wanted her.

Xena felt a shiver go up her spine followed by a softly giggled "Oops." floating around in the air behind her. She spun away from Gabrielle and was on her feet in seconds, sword in hand pointed at the empty air at the end of the bed.

"Alright," the warrior growled. "Show yourself, I know you're there." The last thing the warrior wanted was her time with her bard interrupted by anyone, let alone gods after so long but it would seem that's exactly what was happening. There was a shimmering in the air in front of her and a slightly flushed Aphrodite appeared before the end of the sword grinning sheepishly.

The blonde goddess pushed the blade away from her with the tip of her finger, cleared her throat and said "Settle down tall, dark and dangerous. I'm sorry I err… popped in on you at the wrong time," She smiled a little sheepishly at this. "But I wouldn't be here though unless I had to be. And just so you know, my timing is all out of whack otherwise it would have been a candle mark at least, before I showed up here. Would have just waited too if you hadn't decided to wave that thing about and tickle my ribs with it."

Xena rolled her eyes at the blonde goddess before turning her back on her to gather her armor. As she adjusted the buckles on the chest piece she looked over at the goddess. "So Aphr..." The rest of what the warrior was going to say was muffled by the goddess' hand covering her mouth. The goddess had moved so quickly Xena hadn't even seen her move.

"Don't use my name. Or you will invoke the 'Dite of this time. Well at least her hearing. Just call me 'Dite. You will eventually anyway." Now both the bard and warrior were looking at her in total puzzlement. The blonde goddess sighed. "It's a long story. Why don't you get dressed and I'll tell you about it."

Several candlemarks later and Xena was not in a good mood. Not only had she been taken from the arms of her bard before Gabrielle had soothed her pain, now she was being told a tale that sounded totally incredible and was expected to go along with the totally insane plan that went with it. She leaned back further against the log behind her and closed her eyes. Damn Ares to Tartarus and back, again and again, she swore to herself.

It would appear that the goddess that was talking to them, was from a future millennia in front of her. A 'Dite who had seen many an age come to pass and fall. A woman who had changed so much from the goddess they knew in this time there were moments she seemed unrecognizable to the pair. Yet so many things about her had remained the same. Like the way Dite and Ares would always be rival siblings, constantly fighting for their Father's approval, even though from what Dite had said the rest of the Greek Gods no longer existed in that time. And once again, the warrior's aid was needed to solve their squabble. Simply because Ares couldn't give up his fascination with her and making her his Chosen again even two thousand years in the future. She sighed deeply and rubbed her temples. Cursed centaur's assed gods!

Aphrodite waited a moment or two to give the pair in front of her time to gather some of their thoughts together then asked them the question that would change all their futures. "So will you help?"

Some 2000 odd years in the future and then some.

Faith swung the fork at Buffy's face but the blonde ducked away and the force of Faith's swing buried the fork and her own hand in the wall behind. As Faith was attempting to pull it out Buffy grabbed her, throwing her against the table again. The dark slayer quickly elbowed Buffy in the face with a backward swing freeing herself in the process. Faith made a mad scramble across the table and she could hear the screaming of approaching police cars.

"The cops." She muttered to herself, knowing she didn't have a lot of time. She made for the living room and for the surprise she held in store for the other slayer. Buffy was right behind her, not even hesitating when Faith changed directions.

Too close for Faith's liking as she reached the open French doorway, and she grabbed one of the doors swinging it into Buffy's face. The blonde just crashed right through it stumbling into the living room. She had barely regained her own balance before she was threw a quick combination at the brunette, sending the younger slayer crashing down through the coffee table.

Faith scrambled to her feet quickly enough to dodge Buffy's next hit, grabbing the blonde by her arm and pushing her across the room to throw her into the glass bookcase. Needing to regain the advantage Faith threw out a round-house kick but found it blocked. After a backhand across the face Faith gets in another roundhouse knocking Buffy down. Seeing her chance, Faith grabbed a small contraption off the mantelpiece and slid it over her hand, silently praying this would change the way things were turning out.

The dark slayer turned to find Buffy on her feet and approaching swiftly. She wasn't quite quick enough to block the incoming left hook which was followed by an even faster right. Before Buffy can swing again Faith grabs her hand, holding on tightly.

A glow began to emanate from between their hands just as Willow burst in the front door. Seeing the two locked as they were and a kind of shockwave starting to pass through them she didn't even think about it, the words leaving her mouth. "QUIESCO VENEFICUS"

The shockwave stopped mid way through both slayers and it and the light began retracting back into the device as it also threw the slayers apart before finally exploding in Faith's palm in a little poof! The brunette looked at the contraption aghast before throwing it in the direction of the Super Friends and bolting out through the back door and into the night, hoping to avoid the cops at the front. Buffy was hot on her heels before she'd even left the room, yelling at Willow to take care of her mom.

The blonde was hot on Faith's tail as she leapt over the back fence and bolted through another yard. The younger Slayer could almost swear she could feel Buffy's breath on her neck. She put her head down and kept running, turning into another dark alley hoping to maybe lose the other slayer in the dark but she knew even that hope was dim. Faith was so focused on Buffy behind her, that she failed to see the swirling of pink lights just ahead of her and two figures tumbling into her path.

The warrior barely had time to keep her balance and keep Gabrielle standing when she saw the dark figure running towards her.

"That her?" She whispered to an invisible Aphrodite. The soft 'yes' response floated around her for a moment before disappearing and her senses told her the goddess had left to let them do what they could.

Xena watched the figure approaching swiftly, and could tell she was being chased by someone. A blonde rounded the corner behind the one Xena knew as Faith and she figured this had to be Buffy.

"Faith." Xena said, hoping it would be enough to catch the brunette slayer's attention before she ploughed down both her and Gabrielle.

The brunette stopped dead in front of the strangely dressed women in front of her and dropped into a fighting stance, her attention having been called to them by the use of her name.

"Who the fuck are you?" Faith was fully aware of the fact that the blonde had stopped behind her and was waiting to see what would happen, neither knowing if the two in front of them were friend or foe or just some badly costumed geeks out in the dark. "And what the hell do you want? You're in my way."

Without waiting for a response, Faith's flight or fight reaction fully controlling her, she went to attack the taller of the two. Going on the sword attached to her back and the Frisbee-looking thing around her waist Faith figured her to be the more immediate threat. The brunette was right, of course. She didn't even see the warrior's hands move. She felt something push in her neck then she was on her knees unable to move.

The blonde turned to her darker companion and sighed. "Did you have to put the pinch on her? We're here to help her, not kill her."

The brunette looked guilty for a moment before her hands flew out again and removed said pinch, though not quite quick enough to stop the nosebleed that followed. The effects would leave Faith unable to move for the moment so she knew neither her nor Gabrielle would be in any danger from her for at least a few minutes. She didn't feel quite so safe from the blonde who now looked like she was preparing to attack, approaching cautiously as she had seen how quickly the taller one had taken out Faith.

"Wait! Please." Gabrielle chose this moment to step in. "We're here to help."

Buffy snorted in response. "Yeah, like I'm supposed to believe that." Indicating to Xena though she slowed her approach. "She just took down Faith with no effort. And trust me, it takes some." Hoping, instead for some sort of explanation but keeping her guard up just the same. If they took Faith down easily they were definitely a possible threat but she didn't want to just attack in case they were speaking the truth and were here to help Faith. She looked them over taking note of the unusual clothes and the fact the taller one carried a sword and a round thing at her waist, while the other carried what seemed to be a staff to Buffy. They looked weird enough that they just might be telling the truth, especially considering the crazy town she lived in.

"It's ok. We're friends and we have been sent to help. Help Faith and you." Gabrielle could tell she would have to explain further, even though she really wasn't sure what to say. They weren't allowed to say who had sent them. Mainly because if they knew, someone would work out why Aphrodite had her finger in the pot, so to speak.

"I don't need help." Buffy looked almost incredulous. "And why should I listen to someone who doesn't even introduce themselves before attacking?"

"Hey, Faith attacked me first." Xena tried to defend herself while shooting a look at Gabrielle, her look saying 'why is it they say they never need help when in fact they do'. She trusted her bard to get them past this one. Gabrielle was the talker, she was the doer. The little blonde rolled her eyes in response to her lover's silent question before turning her attention back to Buffy.

"I'm sorry for my lack of manners, " The little blonde smiled at Buffy in a way she hoped was friendly. "But Xena is right, she did attack first." Gabrielle said, "Xena being the tall, dark, brooding one here. And I'm Gabrielle." The little blonde bard continued to smile at the older Slayer, hoping to put her at ease.

Faith's eyes widened at her statement, though Gabrielle's introduction had no effect on Buffy. Faith tried to shake her head, thinking she had to be imagining things, Buffy had to have thumped her too hard at one point or something cause there was no way someone from the long distant past could be here now, right? Especially one who's achievements preceded her to become the stuff of legends. A legend come to life to help her. Maybe she was worth saving after all, was Faith's last thought before she passed out from shock and the temporary blood restriction.

"What the hell?" said Buffy as she rushed to the younger slayer's side. "What did you do to her?" As angry as she was at Faith, Buffy just couldn't stand by and let someone else harm the younger girl. Double standardish much, Buffy knew but she just couldn't help it.

"It's ok, she's just passed out from the blood loss." The tall one named Xena said calmly. "She'll wake up soon enough."

"And is there somewhere we could go to, maybe talk and make sure Faith is alright?" inquired Gabrielle.

Something about the little blonde made Buffy feel, that despite their unusual appearance in the middle of the night in the middle of Sunnydale no less, that she could trust them.

DISCLAIMER: Argo was not harmed during Xena's absence and the making of this motion FIC. She did, in fact, find a nice pasture not far from the
cave with plenty of grass to graze, and await her mistress' return.