"No Mother. I already told you, we plan to stay for only a couple of days. That’s it."

"Don’t tell me you are too busy saving the world or being queen to those Amazons. Really, Gabrielle; your father and I raised you to be healthy and normal. Being an Amazon, especially queen is not normal. Neither is traveling the world with a warlord, fighting other warlords and telling stories. Have you heard the rumors about you two? I just wish…"

Gabrielle balled her hands into fists and jumped up from the bench as she exploded. "Will you just stop it!!! I’m sick of hearing about being normal! You think we’re a normal family?!? Do you?!? We are not normal, and if we are, I rather be abnormal!" She pointed at her mother. "And let me tell you something else. Xena is my family! She means more to me than anyone! She is there when I need her, in good times and bad, and she has never hurt me the way my ‘family’ has! So please, just stop it!" She turned away from her mother and started sobbing. Everyone inside ran to the front porch to see what the commotion was.

Xena saw Gabrielle’s body rack with grief and she quickly ran to her partner’s side and wrapped her arms around her. "It’s okay. It’s okay."

Hecuba tried to compose herself. It was true, Gabrielle’s childhood was not easy. But must of her trouble she brought on herself. ‘Telling her stories, daydreaming all the time, hanging out with Sophia; it’s no wonder Herodotus had beaten her. She knew better, and still did what she wanted.’ There were times that she thought Herodotus went too far, but what could she do? There was no place for her to go, especially with two children. She walked up to Gabrielle and Xena.

"Gabrielle, I know that you are mad. I know that there were times that Herodotus went too far, but he only hit you to make you a better person. I won’t stand here and let you insult him and the rest of us. We are your family and no matter how much you love Xe…"

"Beat me? You think this is about the beatings? Yes, Mother he did go too far. And you just stood there and did nothing. But there is more. You want to know what I think about my precious father! What can I think about the man that raped me when I was a child?!?"