“Well they’ll just have to be disappointed then, won’t they?” Iolaus huffed and turned around. Hercules argued as long as he could, then finally he had to give up and go to meet the girls alone.

Xena was enjoying one of the best mugs of ale she’d had in a long time as she waited for Hercules and Iolaus to arrive. She and Gabrielle had arrived the night before and Gabrielle was still upstairs in her room, determined to make herself look perfect. Primping. Xena hated nothing so much as primping. And there was no way she was going to be late in meeting Hercules.

“Well, there’s a familiar face,” she heard a voice behind her say. Xena stood up and turned to see her longtime friend standing in the doorway. After seeing Joxer and Meg after twenty-five years, she was quite relieved to find Hercules looking almost exactly as she remembered him.

“Hercules,” she said with a huge smile on her face.

“Hello, Xena” he said as he opened his arms to her. Normally she wasn’t one for hugs, but this guy always was an exception. She went quickly towards him.

“I am so happy to see you again,” she laughed as she embraced him. “And you look just the same!”

“Hey, so do you! And what’s this, do I get you all to myself?”

“Gabrielle’s upstairs. She’ll be down in a minute. Have a seat,” she beckoned to a chair next to hers. He joined her and ordered a mug of ale. “I thought you didn’t drink.”

“Only on special occasions,” he said, offering her a toast. They clinked glasses.

“And where’s Iolaus, by the way? I thought you wrote he was with you.”

“I did,” Herc sighed. “But he had second thoughts.”

“What do you mean?” she asked as she took another sip.

“Xena, I can’t get Iolaus to come.”

“Huh?”

“Xena, please don’t start. I’ve been trying to reason with him all day.”

Xena couldn’t believe it. “Surely after all these years he can’t still be angry-”

“Oh no, Xena. It’s not that. It’s not even you. It’s Gabrielle.” He watched her blink in surprise.

“Gabrielle?”

“He’s afraid to face her again after so long. He’s aged, Xena. He’s almost sixty. He found out you two hadn’t aged and… he says he doesn’t want Gabrielle to see him now.”