"You don't have to." Diana turned to
see a beautiful Amazon standing there. "Just drop the apple
into her hand."

"Who are you?" asked Diana.

"Just do it – hurry, Honey – Haggis
is coming!" the woman said, taking the other apple and opening
Gabrielle's coffin.

Diana did as she was told just as the sky grew dark
and a cold wind blew in, announcing the arrival of the evil Haggis.
Xena sat up, sword ready.

"Thanks, Kid," she said, ruffling
Diana's hair and leaping up out of her coffin, sword in hand in
time to start fighting Hera's Blue Priests who had accompanied
Haggis.

Diana saw that Gabrielle was right beside her,
fighting with her staff. The Amazon stayed with Diana, guarding the
little girl.

"Gosh, I wish I could do that," said
Diana.

The Amazon smiled at her.

"You will," she said.

"Who are you?" asked Diana again.

"I'm your mother, Queen Hippolyta,"
said the Amazon. "My ashes were buried beneath this tree and
my spirit has lived inside of it all these years. When you dropped
that apple, it brought me back."

"You've been here all along?" asked
Diana, incredulous.

"Yes, Little One," said Hippolyta, sadly.
"I heard you crying for me so many times and wished I could
come to you like this. But all I could do was offer you the comfort
of strong branches and a trunk to lean on when Haggis and her
harpies made you sad."

"But now … ?" asked the little
girl.

"Now, I'm back," said the Amazon,
smiling. "And I will make sure that no one ever hurts you like
that again."

"Oh, how touching," said Haggis, walking up
to the mother and daughter.

"Stay back, Sweetheart," said Hippolyta,
drawing her sword. "I have a few scores to settle with this
one."

Diana watched as Xena and Gabrielle dispatched all of
Hera's Blue Priests, then Hippolyta fighting Haggis. Finally
Hippolyta got the priestess down and tied her hands together.

"Hera won't let me be held for long,"
Haggis hissed as Hippolyta pulled her roughly to her feet.

"Don't be too sure about that," said
Xena. "Hera doesn't back losers."

"Diana, you did it," said Gabrielle,
hugging the little girl. "We came to rescue you and you turned
around and did the rescuing."

"Yes, I am very proud of you," said
Hippolyta.

Diana blushed and looked at her bare feet.

"Aw, I had help," she said.

"Who?" asked Xena.

"Gosh, Xena, they all said not to tell,"
said Diana.

Xena laughed. "Never mind – I can guess,"
she said.

They all left, then. Haggis was taken to Hercules to
decide her punishment since he was the most impartial person they
knew. Hippolyta and Diana went to the Amazons where Hippolyta was
re-instated as queen – making Diana a princess, just like she
always wanted. Xena and Gabrielle went on and had many more
adventures together.

Did they all live happily ever after? You decide.
<G>

The End

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"You know what, Prince? You seem like a real
nice fella, so I'm gonna make this nice and simple for ya. I
don't need you, or a fairy godsmother, or anyone else to
give me a happy ending. That's something that I'll get– or
I won't get– all my own self. So I suggest you peddle this
shoe someplace else."

Xena, "If the Shoe Fits"