Disclaimer: This story is not intended to violate any copyrights held by MCA, Universal, Renaissance Pictures, or any other entity involved in the productions of Hercules: the Legendary Journeys or Xena: Warrior Princess.

I’m not suppose to make any money from this, so please don’t send me any. ;) Feedback on the other hand I gladly accept. Give me, give me! silvermoon@iolausian.net

Description: Hercules, Iolaus, Xena and Gabrielle are celebrating the new year. (It take place a while after the Christmas specials, A Star To Guide Them in H:TLJ and A Solstice Carol in X:WP.)

A New Year

By Linda "Silvermoon" Svensson

It was the night of New Year's Eve, and the light of the full moon fell upon a hill where four friends had gathered.

Gabrielle took her eyes from the stars she'd been watching and turned to face the two men. "So, what have you guys done this passed year?"

Iolaus shrugged. "You know, the usual."

"Like what?"

Hercules exchanged a smile with his friend and decided to go first. "Well, I got to be a spirit for a whole day."

"And I got to be purple," the lighter man put in.

"I played a prince."

"And I a king."

"I almost got killed as I was swallowed by sea-serpent, for the second time."

"And I did get killed, for the third time."

The younger woman looked up at Xena. "A-ha, that 'usual'."

"How 'bout you, what have you been up to?"

"Well, I don't wanna brag," the dark warrior said with smile, "but we died too."

"Really?! Your first?" Ioluas' voice revealed his excitement.

"Yeah. Hey, did you also feel that, hm..." the bard stopped to search for the right word, "tingle. You know, just before that."

"I've been wondering about that myself. Kind of creepy, isn't it?"

"Eh, excuse me." Hercules tried to get the attention of the two babbling blonds. "Can't we find a more pleasant subject to talk about?"

"Ha, you're just jealous 'cause you never died," Iolaus informed him.

Hercules rolled his eyes and ignored his friend. "Did you perhaps do anything else? Besides dying?"

"We did became Bacchaes for a while," Gabrielle said after some thinking.

"And I'm only just recovered from a body-exchange with Callisto."

"Sounds like you've been kind of busy you too," Iolaus stated with a grin.

There was a short silence before the bard decided to break it. "Do you think it's a new year yet?"

Iolaus looked up at the moon. "Hard to tell, but I guess now's as a good a time as any."

They all looked at the ones around them and in unison wished each other a happy new year.

"So, any New Year resolutions?"

"Well, Herc and I decided to make up each others." The hunter turned to his friend. "So, what do I got?"

Hercules smiled before answering. "To stay out of trouble."

"And you expect me to keep that?"

"For a whole year? No. But I was hoping for maybe a week or two."

"I'll do my best. And as for your resolution, you should flirt more," Iolaus finished with a broad grin.

The demigod sighed, "I can't believe I didn't seen that one coming. Xena how 'bout you?"

"Don't have any."

"I could be wrong, but Gabrielle's the one doing all the household work, isn't she? Maybe you could promise to, I don't know, cook twice a week? Something like that."

The tall woman opened her mouth to reply but her friend was faster. "I thought a New Year resolution was suppose to do good, not food poison you."

Xena chose to ignore the younger woman. "I could promise to do the laundry more often, that's as far as I'll go."

"Actually, washing our clothes is the one thing you do help with, and you're not very good at it. I don't understand how you managed to shrink my top every single time."

"It's not that hard."

"What?"

"I said, neither do I."

Gabrielle looked suspiciously at the warrior princess, but the tall woman acted as if she didn't notice. "So, what's your resolution then?"

"I haven't been able to come up with anything good."

"You know, if you travel with Xena, you ought to learn how to defend your self." Iolaus didn't see the two women exchange a private smile. "If you want to, I can teach you how to use that stick for more than walking."

"Thank you, I would love that. Hey, why don't we have our first lesson right now?"

"Why not?" the blond man said with a smile as he followed the bard a few paces away from Xena and Herc.

"I had this 'stick'," Gabrielle smiled at the word, "for some time now, and I already picked up a few things. Mind if I show you before we start?"

"Go head."

The young woman started swinging the staff elegantly through the air around her. Iolaus just starred. "You know, I think there's something that I forgot to mention earlier," she said with a soft voice.

"A-ha." Iolaus still couldn't believe his eyes. Suddenly he felt his feet being swept off the ground, and he landed on this back with a thud.

Gabrielle held her staff against the surprised mans throat. "I'm an amazon princess."

The hunter called out to his friend, but his eyes never left the staff. "Herc, I think I just broke my New Year resolution."

~The End

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