"A reincarnate?" Cyane asks. "Who? From your old tribe?"

"No," Sydney says. "Valerie fights with a more vicious style to her. I'm thinking of a future tribe after I was gone."

"Why don't you contact Artemis. She will straight out tell you if this girl is a reincarnate or not." Cyane says.

"She is forming a new Amazon tribe near Italy right now. First, I want to get to know this girl before I ask Artemis, just to make sure." Sydney says.

"How about Xena and Gabrielle?" Cyane asks.

"Right now, they are in Gabrielle's hometown visiting Gabrielle's mom and sister," Sydney says. "The death of Gabrielle's dad took a major toll on her. I don't want to bug them right now."

"That's right," Cyane says, concerned. "How is Gabrielle?"

"She is doing ok," Sydney says. "Her mom and Xena convinced her to talk to a grief counselor. It will take time, but she's coming to terms with her dad's death."

"How long will they be gone?" Crane asks.

"A few months," Sydney says. "They're leaving Shiloh, TX next week and headed to Seattle. From there, who knows."

"Ok. So about the teenager. What are your plans." Cyane says.

"I'm not sure yet," Sydney says. "I am going down to the station tomorrow, and I'm going to talk to this girl."

"About what?" Cyane asks seriously. "She injured our sisters! If I didn't jump in when I did, she would've broken Nixie's neck!"

"As I said before, I want to get to know this girl, scope her out," Sydney says.

Cyane then gives Sydney a look of heartbreak. Sydney sees Cyane's reaction, gets a concerned look on her face, then says, "Cyane! No! It's not like that!" Sydney takes Cyane into her arms and says, "I'm yours, now and forever. I would never, ever hurt you like that. When you came to see me in The Netherlands, I knew you were mine." Sydney kisses Cyane and the head, smiles, and then says, "I love you, Cyane, and only you." They share a tender kiss, and then Sydney smiles at Cyane and says, "Besides, who has my back when it comes to Ares."

Cyane tenderly smiles at Sydney and says, "God of war or not; I can still take him on!"

"Oh, yes, you can!" Sydney says, smiling at her as she takes Cyane in her arms, and says, "Trust me with this Cyane! I know deep down, this girl is a reincarnation of an amazon from ancient times. Who, I don't know. But I want to get to know this girl and look through the books of Artemis. I will contact Artemis, Xena, and Gabrielle when I feel the time is right. Just trust me on this."

Cyane looks at Sydney, smiles, and says, "Ok, I will trust you on this. I don't know about our sisters, though. They want revenge for what she did."

"I know they do, but they will come to terms and accept what I'm going to do," Sydney says. "I know they're pissed, and rightfully so. But if this girl was an amazon from the past, I want to know who she is and help her adjust."

"Ok, you are our leader," Cyane says, smiling. Cyane kisses Sydney and then says, "Let's go and make sure the tribe is ok to get back to their places, and then you and I have some alone time."

Cyane passionately kisses Sydney, and Sydney then says with a smirk on her face, "Sounds like a plan!"

———-

The next day, Sydney and Maria are outside the jail room about to go see Valerie when Maria asks Sydney, "Are you sure about this? I mean, I understand Xena, Gabrielle, Joxer, and you being who you all are; I understand the legends that brought you all back, but do you really think Valerie is a reincarnated amazon from ancient times!?!"

"She fights like a true amazon, Maria," Sydney says. "If you had seen what I saw, she is an amazon at heart."

"She's a troubled kid Sydney," Maria says, concerned. "I've tried numerous times to set her on the right path, but every time I do, she fails me. With these charges that are up against her, she could be looking at five years in prison, maybe more. Sydney, she's a lost cause."

"I won't give up on someone who's lost," Sydney says seriously. "She needs another chance. And I'm willing to give that to her."

Maria gently smirks and says, "Always looking for the best in people, even when they can't be saved. You get that from your mother."

Sydney gently smirks and asks, "She saved you, didn't she?"

Maria smiles and says, "Yes, she did. If she didn't rescue me from my family situation, I wouldn't be here right now."

"Well, think of this as that part of her, living through me," Sydney says.

"You are stubborn! Also like your mother," Maria says, smiling.

Sydney smirks and then asks, "Now, you will talk to the D.A. and her parole officer, right?"

"Yes, first thing Monday morning," Maria says

"If anything, I would also like to talk to them. If that's ok with you." Sydney says.

"If you feel it will help, sure," Maria says. "My only question is, what if she isn't what you are saying and she doesn't go along with what you are about to do? Then what happens?"

"I will release her back to you, Maria," Sydney says seriously. "Believe me, Maria, I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't think she was a reincarnate."

"I know," Maria says as she's about to unlock the door. "Sydney, your mom would be proud of you." Sydney smiles at Maria, and they enter the jailhouse. They walk down to a cell where Valerie is lying on the bed, just staring at the ceiling. "Valerie! You have a visitor!" Maria says.

Valerie gets up, looks at Sydney, and asks, "Why is she here?"

"Valerie, I want to get to know you a little more," Sydney says

"Why? I beat the shit out of your crew; why would you want to get to know me." Valerie says with a cocky look on her face. "Unless you want me to teach them what I know!!"

"My tribe is trained in the ways of the ancient amazons," Sydney says. "You hoan those same skills."

"Yeah, so what!" Valerie says. "What's it to you?"

Sydney looks at Maria and says, "Can you leave us alone for a few minutes, please."

"Are you sure, Sydney?" Maria says. "She can get a little hostile."

Sydney looks at Valerie with a severe look on her face, gives a sly smirk, and says, "Don't worry. I can handle Little Ms. Anger Problem here!"

Maria seriously looks at the both of them and says, "I will be right outside. Bang on the door when you are done, Sydney."

Maria leaves the room, and Valerie looks at Sydney and says, "So, queen of the amazons, what do you want to know about me."

"Where are you originally from?" Sydney asks.

"Chicago. Why." Valerie asks.

"Your family?" Sydney asks.

"My family! You want to know about my family! Ok queen, here it is." Valerie says. "Never knew my bio-parents, I was adopted by a couple who couldn't have kids, or so they thought they couldn't have kids. Five years later, my adoptive parents had a son, and then a year after that, a daughter. It was then that I became invisible."

"What do you mean?" Sydney asks. "Didn't they treat you like family? Love you at all?"

"They only adopted me to look good in their community. Sure yeah, as a kid, I was loved. But a lot of times, it was for show." Valerie says. "Spent a lot of my time growing up basically by myself. Then when my adoptive siblings came along, it was like I didn't exist to them."

"I'm sorry," Sydney says. "That must have been hard on you. Did you have a relationship with your adoptive siblings?"

"I tried to bond with my adoptive siblings, but my adoptive parents didn't want me near them," Valerie says with a sad look on her face. "A lot of times, I felt like an outsider looking in. Shit, even when my birthday rolled around, they ignored it! The only person that would acknowledge it was a neighbor lady by the name of Crissy, who lived down the road."

"So, what happened? Why are you down here and homeless?" Sydney asks.

Valerie looks to the ground, holding back tears, and says, "One night, when I was thirteen, my adoptive dad came home drunk off his ass. I had never seen him like that in my whole life, and it freaked me out a little. My adoptive mom and their kids were with her parents for a weekend visit, and my adoptive dad stayed back to watch me. When he came home that night drunk, he tried to force himself on me."

Sydney gets a shocked look on her face and says, "By the Gods, no! Did he?"

"No," Valerie says. "Before he even tried, I told him to stay back, that it was the booze talking. He said that because I wasn't his biological kid, it was fine. He started to come towards me, and that's when something in me click, and I started beating him."

"Like you did with my tribe?" Sydney asks.

"Yeah," Valerie says, shaking her head yes. "He tried to stop me, but I just kept beating him. Then I kicked him in the head, and he hit the floor and was out cold."

"What happened next?" Sydney asks.

"I ran to my neighbor Crissy, told her what happened, and she went to check on him. She came back and said that she called an ambulance because he was unconscious but still breathing. They came, along with the cops. I told the cops what had happened, and Crissy took me in. When my adoptive mom was called, she came back and started to scream at me, said that my adoptive dad told her that I was the one who tried to seduce him and that I wasn't wanted in their home anymore."

"Couldn't you have stayed with your neighbor?" Sydney asks.

"Our neighborhood started to take sides, I knew what happened, and Crissy knew what happened; she was the only one who believed me! But I didn't want the neighborhood to condemn her, so I decided to leave."

"You just left?" Sydney says. "How did you survive?"

"Crissy took me shopping for clothes and enough necessities to last three months. She also gave me five hundred bucks and told me that when tensions died down in the neighborhood to contact her and she would try and find a way for me to come back and stay with her." Valerie says. "Three months later, I tried to get a hold of her, but when I did, her sister told me that she died in a car accident. When the money that she gave me ran out, I survived going to homeless shelters and playing music on the streets for food. The guitar I had, Crissy gave that to me and taught me how to play. So when it got jacked, I was pissed. That guitar meant the world to me."

"So you decided to break into the camp," Sydney says.

"I just thought it was a warehouse with random shit in it," Valerie says. "So, you Amazons are the real deal?"

"Yes, we are," Sydney says. "My sister Xena and her partner, Gabrielle's hand, picked these women to be the Amazons of the twenty-first century."

"Wait! Your sister is Xena!" Valerie says excitedly.

"Yes, she is," Sydney says, smirking a bit.

"Xena and Gabrielle kick ass!" Valerie says, smiling.

"How do you know about them?" Sydney asks with an intrigued look on her face.

"I read about them, seen stuff on the news about them! They are legends!" Valerie says.

"So the whole reincarnation thing about them doesn't bug you at all?" Sydney asks.

"Not at all! Why?" Valerie asks.

Sydney walks around and then says, "I am also a reincarnate from ancient times."

Valerie gets a wide-eyed look and asks, "Really?"

"Do you doubt me?" Sydney asks.

"Did you know them in the past?" Valerie asks.

Sydney smirks and says, "Gabrielle was my best friend and queen to our tribe. I was her second in command and Amazon queen when she and Xena were out helping the greater good. Xena was a good friend of mine. She delivered my son."

"Wow," Valerie says. "I have a question for you."

"What is it?" Sydney asks.

"Why are you interested in me?" Valerie asks.

Sydney seriously looks at her and says, "I have a deal for you. I will get all of the charges against you dropped if you let me take you under my wing."

Valerie gets a serious look on her face and asks, "Why?"

"I believe in second chances," Sydney says.

"This isn't some kind of setup where your tribe will kick my ass in retaliation, isn't it?" Valerie asks cautiously.

"My tribe will not harm you," Sydney says as she puts her fist by her heart. "You have my word, Valerie."

Valerie walks around and says, "Ok, deal. Another question."

"Ok, what is it?" Sydney asks.

"Why me?" Valerie asks cautiously.

Sydney looks at her and says, "I see something in you, Valerie. You fight like an Amazon. And I am willing to help you out."

"Your tribe might disagree," Valerie says.

"Don't prove me wrong then," Sydney says.

"Why, what would happen if I do!" Valerie says, a little cocky.

"I return you back to Maria!" Sydney says seriously. Valerie gets a scared look on her face as Sydney then says, "Don't prove me wrong. I do remember you saying you hate tight spaces, and women in prison will devour you." Sydney walks away from Valerie, leaving her with a contemplating look on her face. Sydney pounds on the door, and Maria lets her out.

"So, what's your decision?" Maria asks.

"She's a reincarnated Amazon," Sydney says. "I will meet with her P.O. and the D.A. on Monday to work out the deal."