The day began with promise, as had so many before it. Xena woke as the sun split the horizon. The sky bled, oozing hues of purple, red and orange into a turquoise dawn. Gabrielle slept soundly at her side, snoring lightly. Xena sensed a presence, something silently watching them from the cover of deep woods. She had this feeling, this awareness, of someone following, watching, for several days now. It was an odd and elusive presence, one that she couldn't quite grasp; it was like trying to perceive a ghost.

She sensed no danger, it was probably just a fox or some other curious creature of the forest, but her hand closed around her sword nonetheless. She lay quietly for a moment, listening, as the woodland listened back. After a few moments a bird sounded a tentative note, then fell silent. The wind sighed around her; Mother Earth yawning deeply as She awakened with the dawn, Her breath stirring the low-lying fog in the meadow.

They had set up camp very late last night, beneath the pale blue light of a waning moon. They were in a small, sheltered clearing at the edge of dense forest. A meadow of yellowing grass and late blooming wildflowers rolled away to their left and down a slight incline where it was swallowed up by the waiting forest. Ironically, they discovered that this tranquil piece of grassland had once, long ago, played host to a violent conflict. Scattered pieces of broken and discarded weaponry littered the field. The earth was slowly, inexorably, reclaiming fragments of bone, rotting leather, tarnished buckles of silver and sundry other items as nature patiently erased the damage wrought by the callous hand of man.

The wind swept past, bathing her face with a fine, cool mist. Xena closed her eyes and listened to faint echoes of the battle. The rush of footsteps in the tall grass, the clash of swords in the rattling trees, and the moans of the dead and dying in the murmuring wind. The presence in the woods gradually faded, along with the restless spirits that still fought their final battle on this lonely piece of earth.

Xena sat up slowly, resting on her elbows. Gabrielle mumbled something in her sleep, most likely protesting the absence of Xena's warmth. Xena had come to greatly appreciate quiet preludes to their often-hectic days and to highly treasure early mornings of absolute peace. She studied Gabrielle, as she often did in these quiet times, before the day intruded upon them.

Gabrielle's face looked as smooth and unlined as a child's in this faultless light, innocent and unburdened. Xena felt a familiar tightening in her chest as her heart reacted to this tiny illusion. The telltale etchings of their oft times arduous journeys were magically absent in this uncertain light of dawn. Xena had observed those telling lines appear over the years, born of laughter and harshness, reflections of heartache and joy. They had shared much, both hilarious and hellacious, and life had deeply marked them as it had swept them along in its heedless rush to tomorrow.

Xena reached over and touched Gabrielle's hair, the warrior's hand trembled slightly and a tiny smile crossed her lips; such was the power of the diminutive bard from Poteidaia who had grown to mean so much to her. A fine line creased Gabrielle's forehead as she reached out for Xena and found her missing. Her eyes, still heavy with sleep, struggled to open. Xena bent close to her ear.

"I'm here, Gabrielle."

"Uhmph...up? " Gabrielle mumbled in return.

"Go back to sleep," Xena said softly.

A slit of sea green appeared for a brief moment, meeting sky blue, then disappeared, along with the worry line.

Xena had good intentions of getting up, but as she began to move away Gabrielle turned toward her and moved closer. Xena hesitated. A few moments later Gabrielle's arm snaked across Xena's waist, her head nestling in the hollow of her shoulder. Xena closed her eyes and pressed a gentle kiss against Gabrielle's temple. Absolutely nothing in Xena's life had ever felt as purely good and right as this simple, familiar act. Some days, it just made more sense to sleep in.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

When darkness falls upon your heart and soul

I'll be the light that shines for you

-Reba McEntire-

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>



Gabrielle stood motionless in brilliant white sunlight, it sat uncomfortably warm on her shoulders, but she shivered in spite it. She watched as Xena walked toward her, a shimmering visage in the sun's bright glare. Xena was smiling and an answering smile lit Gabrielle's face. A vague uneasiness stole over Gabrielle as a similar scene teased the edge of a distant memory, lingered for a moment and was lost.

Xena held out her hand as she drew nearer. "Come with me, Gabrielle."

Gabrielle's smile faded as she noticed a darkness hovering close behind Xena. It followed her, caressed her with hideous fingers. This darkness had a name, but she could not remember it.

"Gabrielle?" Xena extended her hand, beckoning.

Gabrielle moved forward, reaching for her hand, but pulled back quickly as the voracious darkness surged toward her.

"Don't be afraid," Xena's voice was soothing. "Accept it. It defines you, what you are becoming. It's the way."

"No."

Xena's smile slid from her face. The sun cowered, then abruptly disappeared, overcome by the darkness.

"Xena, it's not my way."

"Stand with me, be with me, Gabrielle."

"I'm here for you."

"I'm alone in this darkness." Xena began to fade, swallowed by the murky blackness.

"No, don't go. You're not alone, I'll stay with you." Gabrielle reached out for her. The darkness smiled.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Dreams of sorrow, dreams of ire

Yesterday's ashes

Tomorrow's fire

Darkness listens, watches, waits

Hides in shadows

Alters fates

-Dean Koontz-

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Xena woke for the second time that morning when Gabrielle turned uneasily away from her and cried out softly in her sleep.

Dreaming again, Xena thought, looking over her shoulder at her.

And it didn't look pleasant. Xena frowned, she had hoped that the nightmares that plagued Gabrielle's dreams would fade in time. It had been almost two years since their run-in with Zagnan. Of course, she thought ruefully, their lives were seldom conducive to peaceful dreams. Gabrielle mumbled something and reached out. Xena turned over and took Gabrielle's hand, felt it tremble within her grasp, and wrapped both hands around it. Gabrielle tensed slightly, then relaxed, comforted by the familiar warmth of Xena's touch; the trembling ceased. Xena moved close behind her, gently laying an arm across her waist. As the tension gradually left Gabrielle's body, sleep overtook Xena once more. Gabrielle's hand slid from her grasp; the trembling returned almost immediately.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

On the road that I have taken,
One day, walking, I awaken,
Amazed to see where I have come,
Where I'm going, where I'm from.

This is not the path I thought.
This is not the place I sought.
This is not the dream I bought,
Just a fever of fate I've caught.

-Book Of Counted Sorrows-

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Gabrielle's nose twitched as the smell of simmering broth enticed her to wakefulness; she opened one eye and sniffed. Xena watched with amusement as the shapeless lump beneath the blankets began to slowly emerge; Gabrielle could sleep through most anything, her stomach, however, was not so inclined. The disheveled blond head appeared, followed closely by two aquamarine eyes at half-mast. The nose reluctantly left the warmth of the blanket and the blanket, in turn, slid down to reveal a yawn so huge it made Xena's jaw ache just to look at it. Xena stirred the broth and Gabrielle's nose pulled her upright.

"Muhnornin'," Gabrielle mumbled.

"That it is," Xena confirmed, lifting an eyebrow as Gabrielle's head and eyelids drooped in perfect harmony. "Hungry?" Xena asked.

The eyes slid open, narrowing perplexedly at the sight of Gabrielle's lap. The brain sparked, the head lolled back, way back, then slowly forward; the sky appeared in Gabrielle's line of vision, followed closely by a bird aloft, treetops, the horizon, and finally, Xena, as the head settled in it's accustomed place. Gabrielle blinked like a wise old owl. Xena's lopsided grin appeared as she crouched down and ruffled the unruly bed-head, barely able to resist placing an affectionate kiss on top of it. The corners of Gabrielle's mouth lifted in a somewhat goofy grin as a cup of something hot and smelling savory materialized in her hand, "Mmm...thanks," she murmured sleepily.

"Uh-huh," Xena replied.

Gabrielle lifted the cup to her lips, relishing the warmth of the steam on her face for a moment before taking a cautious sip. Gabrielle's eyes widened slightly in surprise, whatever Xena had cooked up was not only edible, it was hot and tasty. An all encompassing "Mmm-good," echoed hollowly from inside the cup. Xena chuckled, then frowned slightly as she looked discreetly over Gabrielle's shoulder.

Coming more fully awake now, Gabrielle slowly lowered the cup. "What is it?" she whispered, resisting the urge to turn and see for herself.

Xena gave her a wistful look, brushed her fingertips lightly along Gabrielle's jaw, then stood, her hand coming to rest, finally, on her chakram. The fragile serenity of the morning dissipated as soundlessly as Xena's sigh as trouble emerged phantom-like from the mist-shrouded woods. Gabrielle reluctantly dropped the cup of broth she was holding and scrambled to her feet.

"Stay close, Gabrielle," Xena's breath laced the crisp dawn with pale blue frost as she calmly let fly the deceptively beautiful sphere of silver and drew her sword.

The chakram touched three; nuzzling a throat, caressing a chest and singing harmony with an upraised sword in its passing. A jugular spurted wildly, a heart pumped crimson, a blade severed, and all three added to the rubble amidst the tangled weeds of the decaying battlefield. The chakram, calmly returning to its mistress after completing its assigned tasks, took no notice of the devastation it left behind.

Xena followed the chakram's flight, capturing it as gently as a lover upon its return. This triggered a familiar, evil little grin and ignited an unholy light burning behind her icy blue eyes. The transformation never failed to astonish Gabrielle. More men emerged from the woods, two of which decided on a less formidable looking opponent and turned their attention to Gabrielle. Xena stepped in front of her. The two approaching Gabrielle were quickly dispatched, but not before another drew Xena's blood. Xena seldom got cut, and rarely so early into a battle, and the sight of it was eerily disturbing.

There are too many of them, Gabrielle thought, for her to be worrying about me.

Slightly mesmerized by the thick line of blood running down Xena's arm, Gabrielle found herself, not for the first time, in a battle with her conscience over her determination not to fight and the danger it placed them in.

"Xena!" Gabrielle yelled a warning as she ducked, leaned to her left, and agilely extended a foot in the path of a determined, though somewhat overly zealous, attacker.

Xena turned quickly, eyes widening at the now out-of-control rush of an equally wide-eyed attacker; she discouraged him with a well-placed kick. His weapon fell from hands otherwise occupied cradling more valuable assets. The spear fell at Gabrielle's feet, its gleaming silver tip giving her an impudent wink in the sunlight.

...pick it up...help her

Gabrielle closed her eyes, "I can't..."

...don't let her down again, Gabrielle...she depends on you...can't you hear thier cries, those you failed...pick it up....

Xena deftly sidestepped another adversary and slashed a brilliant swatch of scarlet across his chest as he passed. Gabrielle instinctively stepped aside, but not quite far enough, nor fast enough this time to avoid a bone-jarring collision before he fell away from her. An instantly fierce surge of pain inserted itself behind Gabrielle's eyes as she squeezed them shut; pulsating waves of purple throbbed gently to the rhythm of her heart. She lowered her head, pressing her fingertips tightly against her temples as the fighting raged around her. Dizzy and queasy, her sense of time and self became as distorted as her vision when she opened her eyes once more.

Her pulse quickened as she closed her eyes again and listened... listened and remembered. Entangled now, grappling with the demons of her past, bits and pieces of myriad battles unfolded before her;

Leading the charge, the instinctive, intoxicating fight for survival as senses sharpened, muscles tightened, breathing became more even and controlled. Her heart raced, thundering in her ears. She ducked away from a whistling sword, retaliated quickly and turned in one quick, precise movement, bouncing lightly on her toes as she faced her next opponent. The hollow ring of her staff against his shield vibrated through her entire body.

"No, no..." her voice was a fraying gossamer thread, binding her tenuously to the present as the past unraveled, spun away from her, and wove itself into a portent of a future that haunted her dreams.

Someone blind-sided her, snapping her head painfully to the side, sending a streak of burning pain down the side of her neck and shoulder. She lashed out angrily, swinging the staff with instinctive, unerring accuracy and then pulled back, startled, as a spray of warm blood covered her hands and splashed across her face. All motion around her slowed, images and sounds heightened to a keen intensity. Her lungs labored and burned, spewing tiny clouds of rasping breath into the chill air. She heard the wet, eerily drawn out slash of a sword across tortured flesh, followed by a long, low cry of agony. Fire and smoke and... death...death all around her. The world grew still and small, shrank away from her in frightened, silent awe.

And within that silence; deception and truth found voice inside her head and emerged as one: "You have inherited a gift, Gabrielle; this rage, this beautiful darkness, it becomes you... And then... "all this is for a reason...otherwise, what's the point?"

Gabrielle opened her eyes as past and present, reality and illusion, merged seamlessly, if not entirely accurately. "It's not me," she insisted, "that's not who I am."

"...what you and Xena did was for the greater good; there was a reason for it then, there is a reason for it now. It is a good day for fighting."

The wind whispered to her, surrounded her, touched her; ghostly fingers riding an errant breeze. She froze, sickened, as that day of fighting came rushing back to her in loathsome detail; Phlanagus, Temecula and a failure that would haunt her until her dying day. ?I could have saved him. How do I get past that?

"Gabrielle!"

Xena's shout of warning coincided with a sharp blow that jarred her harshly into the present, forced her to her knees and slashed a narrow path of stinging pain across her temple. Blood poured from a gash above her eye. She lifted her head and swiped a forearm across her face, trying to clear her bloodstained vision. A vicious kick to her ribs emptied her of breath, rattled her teeth and sent her hard to the ground. Lifting her head, she looked up and winced, half blinded by pain and the sun glinting off a sword as it was raised above her.

A dark silhouette emerged against the sun as she struggled to pull in a breath. She stared up at him for what seemed an excessive amount of time before he did something profoundly odd; bowing his head, he brought the sword to his chest, then slowly sank to his knees beside her as if paying homage to a god. Gabrielle watched this bizarre episode with eerie detachment, finally managing to suck in a breath that hurt like Tartarus. She pushed herself part way up off the ground, sucking in another careful breath. He lifted his head a little and she looked into his eyes, which now reflected an aching, infinite sadness.

"I..." he opened his mouth to speak and they both watched, morbidly fascinated, as one...two...three falling drops of red spattered on the ground between them. Three answering puffs of dust spiraled upward and were immediately borne away by a softly sighing wind. The sight captivated Gabrielle until he spoke again.

"I...don't even... know you..."

She looked up at him once more. He was young, so very young. His eyes, blue as a soft summer sky, overflowed with tears as he stared fixedly at his sword. He turned his head slightly and looked down at her. With one hand clutched tightly to his chest, he moved his sword to her throat with a terrible and precise purpose.

"I'm sorry," he whispered with gentle regret.

The wind rose and swirled around them. He lifted his head as it tossed his hair; spun gold in sunlight, into his eyes. Smiling sadly, he ran a hand through it, leaving a jarring, glistening streak of bright red across his forehead.

"Momma?...oh, do you see..." Disbelief, then quiet acceptance filled his eyes, his voice, as he absently moved the blade away. Bearing a smudge of dusty red that spoiled its fine radiance, the sword dropped, unnoticed, from his fingers as he slowly collapsed at Gabrielle's side.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I know that it will hurt
I know that it will break your heart
The way things are
The way they've been
The way they've always been

-natalie merchant



"Gabrielle?"

Gabrielle did not answer. She sat, staring dully into the young man's unseeing blue eyes, rocking slightly in the softly wailing wind. Xena touched her shoulder. "Gabrielle..."

Gabrielle lifted her head. Xena's heart sank as she looked into the haunted emptiness of Gabrielle's dazed eyes. She had seen this look far too often lately, had witnessed the almost daily war Gabrielle seemed to wage to re-establish her balance between the darkness and the light.

"He..." Gabrielle's words were swallowed by the rushing wind, she bowed her head against the swirling dust. Xena knelt in front of her, laying a gentle hand against her face. The wind pushed angrily at Xena's back for a time, then retreated with an irritated huff.

"By the gods, Xena," anguished disbelief rendered Gabrielle's voice nearly inaudible. "He called out for his mother." Closing her eyes, Gabrielle bit her lip and tried to force back a hot rush of tears. She succeeded only for a moment, losing the struggle when Xena pulled her into a tight embrace. Gabrielle's face crumpled into a mask of despair, she began to cry. Xena closed her eyes and held on.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

At the point where hope and reason part

Lies the spot where madness gets a start

-the book of counted sorrows

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

There was a quiet tension about them as Xena finally persuaded Gabrielle to lie down so she could tend to her injuries. Gabrielle lay quietly, pressing a blood-soaked cloth above her eye. She had watched, just as quietly, as Xena had buried the young man. Gabrielle had insisted they at least put him in the ground, out of the reach of scavengers, then asked, too, if they could move on before seeing to their own wounds. Gabrielle seemed far removed. In shock or just deep in thought? Xena wondered, as she washed blood from Gabrielle's hands and face. She remained that way until Xena cleaned the gash above her eye, drawing in hissing breath when Xena applied a pungent smelling concoction, which stung as sharply as it smelled.

"Sorry," Xena apologized.

"Mmm," Gabrielle replied.

"I'm going to close this with a couple of stitches."

"All right."

Xena raised an eyebrow and bent to the task.

"Ow!"

"I'm sorry. Hold still."

"I am holding still."

"No, you aren't, stop squirming."

"Well, how long can it take for a couple of little stitches?"

"I'm trying to be neat, so it doesn't leave a scar."

Gabrielle uttered an exasperated little snort, but held still until Xena finished. When she began to sit up, Xena placed a firm hand on her shoulder.

"Wait. Let me-"

"I'm all right."

"Let me just-"

Gabrielle sat up; if she felt any pain, she hid it well behind tightly clenched teeth. "I said, I'm all right," voice sharp, bordering on anger.

Xena clamped her own teeth together and took a deep breath. Gabrielle noted the muscle in Xena's jaw twitching and sat still for a moment, redirecting her gaze out toward the mountains in the distant horizon.

"You want to tell me what it is that's bothering you?" Xena asked.

Gabrielle looked back into Xena's questioning gaze. "What?"

"Look, Gabrielle, I know you are upset about that boy, why don't you just talk about it. "

Gabrielle opened her mouth, then closed it again and looked away. Xena sat quietly, waiting, with a lot more patience than she felt.

"Did you have to kill him?" Gabrielle asked softly a few moments later.

"What?"

Gabrielle met her eyes again; Xena's were narrowed in confusion.

"The boy," Gabrielle replied. "Why did you..."

"I didn't kill that boy, Gabrielle."

Gabrielle stared at her for a few moments, bewildered. "Then who...you don't think that I..."

"No, I didn't say that."

"Well, I didn't, at least, I don't think I..."

She stopped and shook her head a little, trying to remember. "By the gods, Xena, could I have killed him and not remember it?" That haunted look began to creep back into Gabrielle's eyes; Xena reached over and took her hand.

"No," Xena stated firmly.

"Then who..."

"He was very young, Gabrielle, and inexperienced. The fighting was intense, he just got in the way of someone's sword."

Gabrielle didn't look entirely convinced, but some of the color began to return to her face. Something very cold lodged itself in the pit of her stomach and she shivered. Xena grabbed a blanket and wrapped it around her. "Why don't you rest for a while, we're in no hurry to be anywhere."

Gabrielle looked into Xena's azure gaze for a moment and suddenly felt very tired. She nodded her head a little and lay down, wincing at the pull of the stitches above her eye.

Xena watched her until she fell asleep, amazed, as always, at Gabrielle's uncanny and enviable ability to escape into slumber so quickly. She moved away to attend to some of her own wounds. The one on her arm was minor, but there was a particularly nasty cut on the back of her hand. She poured some of the pungent medicine over it and sucked in a sharp breath. Damn, she thought, that really does sting. Xena occupied herself brushing Argo until she heard Gabrielle's voice and returned to her side. She was talking in her sleep, a troubled frown on her face. Xena gently lifted a few strands of Gabrielle's hair away from the cut, which had stopped seeping blood and crusted over. Gabrielle again mumbled something in her sleep and Xena leaned closer, "What?" she whispered, close to Gabrielle's ear.

"I'm cold."

Xena thought for a moment that she was awake, but she wasn't. She retrieved another blanket and covered her with it. Xena looked around her. The sun was nearing the horizon. It was going to be a fine sunset, all reds and oranges behind majestic mountains of purple clouds. She toyed with the idea of waking Gabrielle to see it, so the day might end as it begun; in relative peace. She wondered why they were attacked. Were they merely thieves or something else entirely? And she thought, too, about the boy.

Gabrielle moved uneasily under the blanket and uttered a single word into the heavy silence; "Cold."

The word and the tone of her voice were an eerily matched pair. Xena lifted the blankets and lay down close behind her, draping a protective arm across her waist. She allowed herself a small smile as Gabrielle sighed deeply and settled back against her warmth. A few moments later, she felt Gabrielle's hand close around hers and finally, together, they found peace in the restless night.



>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Tell me who you love,

And I'll tell you who you are

-Creole Proverb

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>



The day dawned chilly, drenched in fog and spitting occasional smatterings of fat, wet snowflakes; winter, struggling to assert itself against fall's tenacious hold.

Gabrielle woke with the rising sun, which was attempting, with very little success, to muscle aside the chill with its warmth. She reached out groggily for Xena and found her gone. This was not unusual, for Xena often rose long before Gabrielle even thought of opening her eyes. She would busy herself tending the fire, brushing Argo, or performing her own routine of exercise and meditation while waiting for Gabrielle to drag herself into wakefulness. Still, every time Gabrielle woke and found her gone, it sent a tiny shot of apprehension straight into her heart. She sat up and sucked in a hissing breath as a few of her more spiteful bumps and bruises cheerfully announced their presence. She touched the stitches above her eye, grimacing a little at the rough feel of them and the dull ache beneath them. Sensing someone behind her, instinct sent her hand underneath the blanket. The coldness of Xena's sword felt forbidding beneath her touch, she quickly pulled her hand away.

"It's me," Xena declared softly.

Gabrielle turned to look at her. She was an obscure shadow against the fragile sun, emerging from an eerily tinted blue-gray mist and silent snowfall like an image from a fading dream. A feeling of inexplicable, icy dread flickered through Gabrielle's consciousness, there and quickly gone, no match for the warmth of Xena's eyes as she drew near.

"I have something that may interest you." Xena told her, stooping down beside her.

"Oh? What's that?"

"It's a surprise."

Gabrielle smiled a little. "Well, you know I love surprises."

Xena returned the smile. Reaching over, she pushed Gabrielle's hair aside and studied the stitches above her eye. "How do you feel?"

Gabrielle shrugged. "I'll live."

Xena stared at her for such a long time that she began to feel a little uncomfortable. Gabrielle began to say something to fill the silence when Xena leaned over and touched her lips very gently against the laceration above her eye, which had the immediate effect of rendering Gabrielle speechless.

Xena leaned back and looked into her eyes. "My mother used to do that," she said, by way of explanation. "It had the most amazing healing effect. Just thought I'd give it a try."

Gabrielle said nothing, but felt something very much akin to being struck by lightning.

"Well?" Xena inquired.

Gabrielle touched the cut, which, oddly, seemed to hum with a slight energy beneath her fingertips. "What?" she replied, more than a little distracted.

"Did it help?"

"Uh-huh."

Xena cocked an eyebrow at her, a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth. "Come on, I've got something to show you." She stood and held out her hand, Gabrielle grasped it and Xena gave her a careful assist to her feet. Gathering up their meager belongings, they stowed them on Argo and Xena climbed aboard, again extending her hand. "A bit of a ride, but we'll go slow, give the aches a break."

Gabrielle grasped her hand, stuck a foot in the stirrup, and gingerly helped pull herself into the saddle behind Xena. True to her word, Xena urged Argo slowly forward with a gentle nudge of her knees.

"So, what's the surprise?"

"Well, it's not going to be a surprise if I tell ya, now, is it?"

"Guess not."

They rode in easy silence. Gabrielle had become considerably more introspective in the last few years, and though Xena told herself she was grateful for the reprieve from Gabrielle's incessant chatter, she had to admit that she sometimes missed it. Xena guided Argo off the main trail onto a barely discernible path that took them higher into the mountains. Gabrielle gazed around her. The vegetation, which should have been growing sparser the higher they climbed, was, in fact, growing more lush. The trees hung low and they had to duck under a canopy of greenness as Argo pushed forward.

"You aren't bringing me up here to lose me, are you?"

Xena chuckled a little. "Never."

"Are you lost?"

Xena turned to give her a look. Gabrielle returned it with a grin. The barely perceptible sound of rushing water, as is its habit, quietly instilled itself upon their senses and gradually increased in volume as they neared its source. They broke through into a clearing and Gabrielle's jaw dropped in surprise. A double waterfall, over a hundred feet high, which mysteriously disappeared from view between the two cascades. Water spilled like fine white lace down a sheer face of black stone and then dropped out of sight into a narrow channel of smooth shale. It emerged in a rush of foam and white water and thundered over another towering outcropping of rock before emptying into a shimmering pool of clear blue water. A dozen tiny rainbows rode the mist in its wake. When she could finally force her eyes from the waterfalls, Gabrielle looked around her. Everything was green, from the subtlest shade of cool jade to shinning emerald. A light, gauzy mist from a dozen hot springs enveloped it all in a silky, comforting warmth.

"It's beautiful," Gabrielle whispered.

"Yes, " Xena replied simply, turning to look at her.

Gabrielle, eyes still fixed on her surroundings, absently accepted a hand down. Xena began unsaddling Argo. "I thought a nice long soak would do us both good."

Gabrielle looked back at her. "You've been here before?"

"Mmm-hmm," Xena removed harness and gave Argo's nose a brisk rub before the horse ambled away. She walked over to stand beside Gabrielle. "It's a special place for me. A place to go to get away from people and...things. I've never brought anyone here before."

Gabrielle looked over at her. "Xena, I..."

Xena gazed into her eyes; rendered a deep jade by their surroundings.

"Thank you."

"Call it a belated birthday present."

Gabrielle looked into the gentlest of eyes, such a revelation were those eyes, she knew them so well, but sometimes, in a heartbeat, she knew them not at all. "I...I don't know what to say."

"Well, there's a first, eh?"

"Funny," Gabrielle gave her a droll smile. "Sure beats spiders in my bedroll, squishy things in my boots," she added, looking around.

"Day's young yet," Xena teased. Gabrielle raised an eyebrow and shot her a look.

"So," Xena said, ignoring the look. "Feel like getting warm and wet?"

The eyebrow rose higher.

"The springs," Xena clarified, with a nod toward them.

"Ah, the springs," Gabrielle replied. "Of course."

Xena shed her garments with practiced ease, an action both innocent and sensual, and disappeared into the swirling steam, only to reappear a few moments later. "Coming?" she asked, eyes blue fire in the gray mist.

"Oh yeah, uh-huh," Gabrielle affirmed.

Xena grinned.



>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Oh, mirror in the sky,

What is love
Can the child within my heart rise above
Can I sail through the changing ocean tides
Can I handle the seasons of my life
-stevie nicks

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>



The day passed peacefully; a wonder in itself. They soaked long and luxuriously, trading massages and suchF allowing the steaming water to soothe both body and spirit. Xena groaned in pure pleasure as Gabrielle coaxed stubborn knots from her neck and shoulders.

"Mmmm," Xena sighed. "Did I ever tell you what wonderful hands you have?"

Gabrielle paused and studied the steam rising from Xena's shoulders. "As a matter of fact, I don't think you have. Just the opposite, something about sailors if I remember right?"

"Well, whatever I said before, I take it back," Xena closed her eyes and sank lower in the steam.

"Xena?"

"Hmmm?" voice bubbling up through the water.

"This is nice, isn't it?"

Xena resurfaced, spewing a small splut of water. "Is this a trick question?"

"No," Gabrielle replied, answer riding on a chuckle. "It just made me wonder if you ever think about settling somewhere for a while."

Gabrielle felt Xena stiffen slightly under her touch. She was silent for so long that Gabrielle decided that she wasn't going to answer.

Xena sat up slowly and turned to face her. "Here," she said. "I'll do you for a while."

Gabrielle turned around and closed her eyes. In a very short time she was gone, lost in the magic of Xena's firm but gentle touch.

"Is that what you want?" Xena asked her.

"What?"

"To settle down?"

Gabrielle thought about it for a moment. "I don't know. I think about it sometimes. The violence..." She stopped speaking and Xena's hands stopped moving.

"I know it bothers you, Gabrielle, I..."

"It does more than that," Gabrielle interrupted, not unkindly. "It really scares me at times."

Xena was still, saying nothing for a long moment. "Do I scare you, Gabrielle?"

Not nearly as much as I scare myself, Gabrielle thought, turning to look at her and trying, with limited success, to unravel the complexities in those cool blue eyes. "Sometimes, you can be truly scary, Warrior Princess, so that would have to be a yes. "

Xena studied her for a moment. "Well, good," she said, laying a hand on Gabrielle's shoulder. "Hate to think I'd lost my touch."

Gabrielle looked surprised for just a second, then caught that look in Xena's eye. "Don't you da-"

Xena pushed her under. Gabrielle came up sputtering and with a handful of foot, Xena's, it turned out, and she suddenly disappeared beneath the bubbling steam. A well placed pinch drew a squeal of indignation and a flurry of enthusiastic retaliation and wild splashing. And so went another fierce aquatic battle between Amazon Queen and Warrior Princess. The battle wound down to a waterlogged draw and a wary truce. The only casualty; one mystical spring, which was left considerably depleted.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Everything is waves and stars

The universe is resting

In my arms

oh, I feel so light

this is all I want to feel tonight

-nina gorden

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The sun began a slow descent, occasionally peeking from between the massive trees that surrounded the springs. Xena smiled to herself as Gabrielle carefully checked each boot before pulling it on. "Feel like taking a walk?"

"I feel remarkably rejuvenated," Gabrielle answered, standing up. "Lead on."

A mere suggestion of a path preceded them upward through the rocks toward the waterfall as they raced the setting sun. Gabrielle stumbled a little over a small pile of fallen stone and Xena grabbed her arm. "Careful."

Gabrielle looked down. The trees looked dwarf-like from this height, the pool they had bathed in a tiny, glimmering jewel in an oasis of jade. The waterfall showered them with fine mist, smelling of cold metal and soft musk.

"Not far now," Xena told her, as they crossed a slippery expanse of shale and disappeared behind the first waterfall. Water roared above them as they passed through a surprisingly wide tunnel and emerged on the side of the mountain in the face of the setting sun. Head a little woozy from the climb, taken by the sight before her, Gabrielle sat down with a "Wow" as her only comment.

Xena smiled and sat close beside her. "You know, for a bard, your vocabulary seems sorely depleted today."

Gabrielle grinned. "I'm totally speechless."

"Wonders never cease."

"Ha ha."

They both tuned their gaze toward the horizon. A muted, crimson sun settled itself lazily toward a distant sea, casting floating ribbons of color upon its surface. The nearly cloudless sky faded from turquoise, to indigo, to dusky deep blue flushed with rose. The corpulent sun flattened itself against the horizon, as if reluctant to touch the cool waters of the waiting sea. A solitary hawk dipped and soared, deftly riding currents of air and for a moment, Xena felt a profound longing to be by its side. Xena leaned toward Gabrielle. "Did you know," she said quietly, "that if you are very still, you can hear the sun touch the water?"

"Really?" Gabrielle whispered back, a small smile touching her lips.

"Mmm-hmm."

Xena turned her head slightly, watching, as Gabrielle returned her gaze to the horizon, half closing her eyes against the muted brilliance of the setting sun.

Whether by power of suggestion, or some mystical ability hidden until this moment by Xena, the sun nestled into the tranquility of the waiting sea with a tiny, audible hissss and an inexplicable flash of pale green light.

"Did you see that?" Gabrielle's voice was reverently hushed, her skepticism lost in wonder. "Wasn't that just the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?"

"Yes," Xena agreed, delighting in her own private sunset reflected in the turquoise sea of Gabrielle's eyes. "It was."

Gabrielle looked over at her. "I wish it could always be like this."

"But then, you wouldn't appreciate it so much," Xena moved closer.

Gabrielle raised an eyebrow, leaning closer yet, drawn by the quiescent blue fire of Xena's eyes. "When did you become so wise, Warrior Woman?"

"Oh, I've always been wise. I know many things."

"Such as?"

"Shush and I'll teach you."

"Lucky me..."

The sun bled into the smooth palette of the sea, infusing it with perpetual ribbons of multihued color. The hawk circled the heavens, Xena no longer desired to be by its side; she was already there.



>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Diverse are those

Who inhabit the night

Thinking their thoughts

As the rest of the world

Dream theirs.

Some share the darkness

Unafraid

Some are the darkness

Most unholy

Others trespass unaware

Never to find the dawn

- pw-

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>



They met under cover of night, beneath a pale moon blanketed by a layer of ragged clouds. The wind alone moved through the trees, all else had grown silent at their passing. The trees bent toward one another, trading delicious gossip, until the goddess of darkness raised her head. The wind subsided; the trees hung their heads like scolded children. "Why do you fear them so?" Hecate asked.

"I told you before, Hecate, I fear no one. They are a- "

"A distraction," Hecate interrupted impatiently. "Yes, yes, I remember what you said."

"You dare to question me?"

Hecate turned slowly to face the shadowy figure. A few moments passed in cold silence before she spoke. "I do not fear you, so do not take that condescending tone with me. As a matter of fact, you sorely try my patience. You want my help, yet you refuse to tell me why."

"You must trust me when I tell you- "

Hecate laughed, or what passed as laughter for her; a short, sharp, derisive bark of amusement. "Trust you? I'd sooner trust a snake. If you want my help, you will tell me why you are so fixated on Xena and Gabrielle. I helped you with them before, I fail to see what more you require of me."

"The plan went somewhat awry."

"The plan was set in motion, and although it did not go exactly as expected, you have yet to see the final outcome."

A sigh from the darkness. "Let us just say that we require some assurance, just in case. A backup plan, if you will."

Hecate turned away, silent, deep in thought, gently stroking the head of the great hound that sat quietly at her feet.

"Are you afraid of them, Hecate?"

"I respect them, I respect their power."

"If I did not know you better, Hecate, I'd say you've developed a soft spot for them, especially the little bard."

She turned slowly, deliberately, and the dark soul before her, who feared nothing, retreated a step from the intense malevolence in her eyes. "You do not know me at all," voice quietly restrained. "You would be wise to remember that." The hound shifted uncomfortably at her feet, sensing much more in her tone than her words revealed. "And I do not answer to you," Hecate concluded. "You are wasting my time. Come, Tess." The beast immediately rose to her feet. Hecate turned away and a peculiar wind arose in her wake; an unnerving mix of fire and ice.

"Wait, Hecate!"

She paused.

"Please," the word, seldom used, had to be painfully coaxed into existence.

She faced the shadows once more. "You need not waste such words on me, I gain no satisfaction from hearing them. Say what you have to say, if it is the truth, I will listen."

"Very well. I will concede that even the gods are, how shall I put this...troubled. There is unrest among the people, rumors of another power, even prophecies of a twilight."

"Twilight? Of the gods?" Hecate's voice held a note of incredulity. "That myth has been around for eons."

Silence.

"You believe this?" she asked.

"There have been certain... unsettling developments."

"Such as?"

"For one, there is a rather annoying group of people who persist in perpetuating the belief that there is but one true God."

"I know of them."

"They are but sheep, weak, easily led..."

Hecate drew in an exasperated breath. "Get to the point, will you?!"

"The point is that, according to The Fates, there may be some merit to the myth. The point is that there have been some subtle shifts in power, and every time this shift occurs, they are there."

A tiny little thrill ran through Hecate; the hound felt it and whined excitedly. Hecate knew at once who they were. "Xena and Gabrielle," she stated.

"Yes. Xena! " The name spoken with barely suppressed rage. "This Power, this so called One God, seems drawn to her, though she, herself, shows not the least respect to any god."
"Oh, that is true," Hecate replied with a small hidden smile. "How can you be sure that it is Xena that draws this One God?"

"What are you implying?"

"Perhaps," Hecate answered thoughtfully, "it is Gabrielle, not Xena, who invites this interest."

A few moments of considered silence. "Perhaps you are right. All the more reason to separate them. Divide and conquer."

Hecate sniffed. "You sound like the man who would be a god," she said. "If only in his own mind."

"He has proved... useful."

"He is a fool."

"Useful, nevertheless. Tell me, what would you give for an emperor's foolish soul, Hecate?"

The eyes within the hood burned brighter with renewed interest.

"So, have you any ideas for a backup plan?" The entity in the darkness had no doubt that she did, there was a game to be played, with very high stakes, and Hecate was a true master of the game.

"Gabrielle has lost her way, or so she is coming to believe," Hecate noted, eyes chillingly bright within the shadowed cowl. "And I have been helping her along with that particular belief. Now we..."

The darkness trembled at the intensity with which the particulars of the game were presented. A keen wind arose above them. Treetops swayed toward one another, prattling earnestly, excitedly, before backing away with a creak and a groan. Skeletal branches tore at tattered clouds, releasing the mummified moon; it hung there tangled in their midst, looking down upon them with a resentful, suspicious eye.

"...we must continue to provide her with a new way," Hecate insisted. "One at odds from the one Xena embraces so heartily."

"We can turn her by deception," agreed the voice from the shadows, caught up in the new scheme. "Divide and conquer indeed. Simple."

Hecate snorted at the word and turned away. The great black hound rose at her feet as the clouds began to overcome the moon once more. "There is nothing remotely simple about those two, one day, you will realize that. And the day they realize it, the game will be over, a path of their own making will end it."

The moon escaped once again, casting a wary eye over the landscape below, but the Goddess Who Ruled the Night was nowhere to be seen.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Who can say
Where the road goes
Where the day flows

-enya
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Gabrielle looked on silently as Xena slowly raised the chakram. The buck lifted its head slightly, ears pivoting toward them and looked, Gabrielle swore, straight into her eyes. She laid a hand on Xena's arm. Xena shifted her gaze to Gabrielle's hand for a moment, then to her face. Gabrielle turned her head slightly and met Xena's inquisitive gaze. Xena lifted an eyebrow as Gabrielle's lower lip disappeared beneath her top teeth.

"I thought you were hungry," Xena kept her voice low and soft, throwing a quick glance at the buck. His head lifted high now, muscles tensed, he was getting ready to bolt.

"Not so much," Gabrielle whispered back, nose wrinkling slightly as an ominous growl emerged from her stomach. Xena's mouth pooched out a little as she lifted an eloquent eyebrow. Gabrielle always thought of this as her "Yeah, right" look.

"Gabrielle," Xena said patiently, "it's going to be a very lean winter if you keep bonding with all the edible food."

"We could go fishing," Gabrielle suggested.

"We? You hate fishing."

Gabrielle had no reply to this; she truly did hate fishing.

"That buck," Xena chanced another look, amazed to see it was still standing there. "Could keep us fed and warm for a long time."

Gabrielle released a small sigh and looked at the big buck, almost invisible within the dappled hues of the forest. Her jaw dropped slightly and Xena followed her gaze. A doe had joined the buck and her gentle brown eyes stared directly into Xena's somewhat startled blue. Gabrielle smiled a little as Xena uttered a soft curse. They looked at each other again and Xena did not miss the amusement in Gabrielle's eyes.

"We still have to eat," Xena muttered gruffly.

Gabrielle lifted an eyebrow and gave her a small shrug. Xena recognized this as Gabrielle's "Go ahead, I'm not stopping you" gesture. Xena's eyes narrowed and filled with determined resolve. Gabrielle removed her hand from Xena's arm, decided that the laces on her boots needed tightening, and bent to the task. There was a short period of absolute silence before a small exclamation of surprise brought Gabrielle's eyes back to Xena's face, which had gone very pale. Gabrielle followed Xena's stunned gaze to the child who had suddenly appeared between them and the deer.

"Oh...." Gabrielle exhaled the word on a breath of air.

Standing before them, drenched in sunlight and delicate swirls of mist, the child was simply, breathtakingly, beautiful. Her hair was long, colors blended by the sun, from deep mahogany to burnished copper. She was small, but appeared wiry and fit. Her eyes, staring fixedly at Xena's chakram, were large and incredibly bright against her tanned skin. Xena stared at her, the deer forgotten. The child looked achingly familiar and Xena's heart filled with an odd mix of elation and despair.

"Rach..." Xena began, then shook her head at the impossibility of the thought. The chakram suddenly felt awkward in her hand and Gabrielle jumped, startled, as she dropped it at their feet. Gabrielle forced her eyes from the child and looked down. She had never seen Xena drop her chakram. An icy bolt of fear shot through Gabrielle as she quickly turned to face her. But Xena appeared fine, aside from the fact she looked as though she had seen a ghost and her hands were fisted tightly at her sides. Gabrielle, feeling light-headed as the fear rush subsided, turned her attention to the child once more. The child said nothing; she merely lifted her arm and pointed into the woods off to their right. Curious, Xena and Gabrielle both looked in the direction she was pointing. In the amount of time it took them to do that and look back, both the child and the deer had vanished leaving only the swirling mist to fill the void of their passing.

"Did you see..." Gabrielle began.

"Yes. I saw her," Xena confirmed, moving forward. Gabrielle bent and picked up the chakram. A sticky smear of dark red marred its silver brilliance. Gabrielle frowned and wiped it away with her thumb, she stared after Xena for a moment, then followed.

Gabrielle, looking around for the child, nearly bumped into Xena who had halted at the point where the child had disappeared into the woods. "Do you see her?" Gabrielle asked quietly. Xena shook her head and pointed with her chin toward the deep woods. Gabrielle saw nothing at first. Gradually, as her eyes adjusted to the ever-changing camouflage of the forest, she saw it. A fawn, lying in a shadowed bed of grass and leaves, so young that a soft white striping of fur still remained on its back. The doe appeared at its side, nuzzling it awake. She lifted her head and stared at them through the fine ground mist as the fawn scrambled awkwardly to its feet. A crackle of leaves and a snapping branch turned their attention to the buck. He snorted once, breath fogging the cooler air of the deep forest. He lifted his head, then lowered it, a threat, or merely an acknowledgment of their presence? He then retreated quietly into the mist and vanished. Gabrielle looked at Xena, following her gaze back to the spot they had seen the doe and her fawn. They were gone.

"Huh," Gabrielle commented, turning toward Xena.

Xena wore her look of inquisitive amusement.

"What?" Gabrielle inquired of the look.

"Oh, I don't know," Xena replied. "I guess I was expecting more than one syllable."

"Words elude me at the moment."

"Again?" Xena said with a wry grin.

"Now what?" Gabrielle asked, ignoring the jibe.

"Now," Xena said, looking around, "we go fishing."

"But..."

"We're not going to find her," Xena interrupted, correctly reading Gabrielle's thoughts, "if she doesn't want to be found."

Gabrielle had more questions, of course, but she wisely held onto them. "Fishing. Wonderful," she stated with feigned enthusiasm, handing Xena her chakram. Xena took it, absently returning it to its place at her side, if she was at all surprised she had lost track of it, she gave no sign.









>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Love hurts

Love scars

Love wounds

And mars

-nazareth-

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Gabrielle knelt by the fire and added more wood, then tilted her head back and gazed up into a rich, midnight blue sky. The clouds were an immaculate white, brushed with dark shadows, the moon edging them with silver. So bright was the moon that when she looked away, an afterimage of it floated before her eyes within the darkness. She stood up, looking around for Xena. She caught sight of her and watched silently as Xena whispered softly to Argo. The mare lifted her head and then lowered it, as if nodding in agreement with whatever it was Xena was saying. Xena smiled and leaned her forehead against Argo's, rubbing one hand underneath the horse's chin, the other over her nose. Argo whickered softly in contentment. Gabrielle smiled. It was one of those rare, unguarded moments where the warrior retreated completely and the gentle, almost childlike woman magically surfaced in her place. It never failed to touch Gabrielle's heart. Xena must have sensed her watching, because she lifted her head from Argo's and met Gabrielle's eyes, giving her an endearing smile. Gabrielle felt a rush of warmth, hitting her fast and hard, leaving her breathless... gods, how she loved this woman.

Xena said something else to Argo, gave the horse a quick smooch on the nose, and walked over to stand beside Gabrielle.

"Feels like winter's coming," Gabrielle spoke softly, rubbing her hands together.

"Uh-huh," Xena agreed, moving closer to her, holding her hands over the fire to warm them.

They were miles from any type of settlement and Gabrielle's reluctance to sleep inside anything even remotely resembling a cave left them few options. Not that Xena blamed her, Gabrielle had been held captive underground for days and had very nearly died there; her aversion to them was understandable. They had managed to find shelter under a huge outcropping of rock, which was at least dry underneath and kept the worst of the wind off of them. The ground was sandy and soft and a small trickle of cold water ran down the rocks, spilling into a tiny, shallow pool at the bottom. It smelled, not unpleasantly, of damp earth, the metallic odor of the river not far from them and, rather strangely, strongly of pine. Xena picked up a blanket and wrapped it around Gabrielle's shoulders. Gabrielle was staring into the fire, absently massaging her hand.

"It still bothers you, doesn't it?" Xena asked.

Gabrielle turned her head to look into Xena's soft blue eyes. Eyes that always used to hold a hint of frost, even at the best of times, but seemed lately to have mellowed somewhat.

"What?"

"Your hand," Xena clarified. "It still hurts you sometimes."

"A little," Gabrielle admitted, looking down at it. "It aches in the cold and I can tell when it's going to rain. But," she added, "that's a small price to pay for what might have been."

Xena looked closely at her. They had not discussed all of what had happened with Zagnan, Rachel and Xandra. They both wondered, at times, but were reluctant to open barely healed wounds. Gabrielle wondered when, or even if, Xena would feel it was safe enough to search for Catherine, Xena's grandchild. Xena shivered a little and Gabrielle lifted the blanket. The shiver had little to do with the weather, but Xena moved closer and Gabrielle laid the blanket across her shoulders, Xena grasped it and pulled it close around them.

"Gabrielle?"

"Hmmm?"

"I'm sorry I didn't do more for you before I left you. Maybe if I had taken more time with your hand..."

"No." Gabrielle said, turning toward her. "No, it wasn't that, Zagnan..." Gabrielle hesitated and averted her eyes. Xena stared at her for a long moment.

"Gabrielle..."

Gabrielle shook her head a little and Xena took her hand. It was icy cold and trembled slightly, Xena wrapped both her hands around it. Gabrielle looked into the crystal blueness of Xena's eyes; a tiny spark of flame seemed to leap from their depths.

"How much damage did he do, Gabrielle?"

Gabrielle was silent, but Xena could read volumes in the intricacies of those sea green eyes. There were shadows there, with secrets still huddled deep.

"It doesn't matter now, Xena," Gabrielle assured her.

"It matters to me."

"I know," Gabrielle's sad half-smile was grateful, though grim, as she looked away. They grew silent once more, lost in their own thoughts. Xena looked down at the faint scar that ran across the back of Gabrielle's hand, faded now, to the point of invisibility unless you knew it was there. She thought about the damage inflicted, which caused Gabrielle's hand to tremble uncontrollably when she was tired, and sometimes even, when she slept. Baltar had, literally, crushed it and Zagnan had obviously abused it further. Xena felt a rush of white-hot fury at the thought. She pushed it aside; there was no release for it here.

"Who healed your hand, Gabrielle?"

Gabrielle glanced quickly at her, then down at her hand.

"I'm not really sure. I was having these dreams, hallucinations from the fever and whatever it was that Zagnan was putting in the food and water. I don't remember a lot of it. But I do remember looking into these incredible eyes... and thinking it was you." She winced a little and looked up as Xena's grip suddenly tightened on her hand. "But her eyes were green, not blue," Gabrielle continued. "And her smile, her touch, were almost yours, too, but not quite."

Xena's face grew pale in the firelight, her eyes a vivid contrast of mellifluous blue. She stared hard at Gabrielle for a moment, then abruptly looked away.

"It was Rachel, wasn't it?" Gabrielle asked gently, "It was your daughter."

No answer was forthcoming and Gabrielle was startled to realize that Xena was crying. Nothing wounded Gabrielle more deeply than the sight of Xena's tears. Xena seldom shed them, and Gabrielle knew that she had touched upon a wound that had not yet even begun to heal. Unbearable loss, soul deep despair, only a mother who had lost a child could comprehend this particular heartache, they both knew it well. Gabrielle wrapped an arm around Xena's waist and leaned her head against her shoulder. They stood that way for a long time before Xena realized she was squeezing Gabrielle's hand. Gabrielle seemed not to notice and Xena massaged it gently for a moment before releasing it. "I'm going to get more wood for the fire," Xena told her, moving away a little.

She looked into Gabrielle's eyes, searching, then seemed to find what it was she was looking for. She pulled the blanket snug around Gabrielle's shoulders, touched her face for a brief moment and turned away.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I see a bad moon risin'

I see trouble on the way..

-john fogarty-

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Gabrielle watched Xena until she was lost in the darkness. Taking a deep breath, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand, she moved to the fire and hung a pot of soup over the flames. She stirred it slowly, lost in memories past, and it was some time before she became aware that someone was watching her. She raised her head and from the corner of her eye saw a brief flash of movement in the shadows. Straightening slowly, she stood up, "Xena?" she called out softly. A weighty silence pressed around her. Gabrielle felt a chill slide down her back, raising gooseflesh on her skin. She listened intently and heard a slight whisper of cloth, the soft scrape of a shoe on the sandy ground. "I know you're there," Gabrielle declared firmly. "Show yourself." All she could hear now was her own heartbeat thrumming in her ears. She moved quietly to the spot where she had seen movement and studied the darkness. Once her eyes adjusted, she could see a slight indentation in the rock wall. Bending down, she found a small hole in the wall and looked in. She drew back as two spots of flickering light winked back at her. She returned to the fire, never taking her eyes from the spot. Lighting a torch, she moved back to the small opening in the rocks. A cave, she thought to herself, wonderful.

"What is it?"

Xena's voice startled her so badly, Gabrielle jumped a foot and very nearly wet herself. "Zeus!" she yelped, turning to face her.

Xena raised an eyebrow and calmly pushed aside the torch that Gabrielle had reflexively thrust much too close to her face.

"By the gods, Xena!" Gabrielle gasped. "You scared me half to death, do you have to creep around like that?!"

"I wasn't creeping. Give me that."

Xena took the torch from her and stuck it in the hole while Gabrielle swallowed several times trying to dislodge her heart from her throat. Xena bent down and Gabrielle eyed her backside for a moment, barely resisting the urge to give her a swift kick for scaring her so badly.

"Don't even think about it."

Gabrielle stuck her tongue out at her; she hated it when Xena read her mind like that.

"I saw that," Xena stated, doing it again, her disembodied voice echoing eerily.

"What's in there?" Gabrielle asked, pointedly ignoring Xena's physic abilities.

"There's a few feet of tunnel, then another opening," Xena answered as she backed out of the hole. "It looks as if there is a small fire inside it. Did you see anyone?"

"Just the light. I heard something moving earlier, I don't think it was an animal."

"Animals don't build fires."

"Not the four legged kind, anyway."

Xena's wry smile appeared. Gabrielle bent down and stared into the hole, then sucked in a quick breath.

Xena laid a hand on her shoulder. "See something?"

"Yes," Gabrielle stood back up and faced her. "A face, it looked like a child."

They tried calling out, but only the flames of the fire took heed, leaning curiously toward them, then retreating with casual disinterest. Xena crawled through the opening into the short tunnel, but it narrowed considerably a few feet in and she could not reach the other opening.

Gabrielle peered into the darkness, trying not to set Xena aflame with the torch. "You might as well come out."

"What?"

"I said," Gabrielle repeated, raising her voice, "you might as well come out before you get stuck in there."

Xena scootched backward out of the hole and stood up.

"You can't get through there," Gabrielle told her, grimacing, as she flicked a small spider out of Xena's hair. "Your, uhm...shoulders are too big," she concluded, with a quick, but meaningful, glance at Xena's chest.

Xena gave her a look. Gabrielle grinned.

"Well, do you want to go in?"

Gabrielle glanced down at the small, dark opening. "Not remotely."

Xena sighed. "I guess he'll just have to come out on his own, then."

"She."

"What?"

"She," Gabrielle reiterated. "I'm pretty sure it was a girl."

"Okay, she, then."

"Maybe she's hurt."

"Just scared, probably."

"Or both. What's she doing out here?"

"Why don't you go in and ask her?"

Gabrielle eyed the opening nervously, took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "All right."

"You sure?"

"Of course I'm not sure," she retorted somewhat irritably, running the words all together. "Just let me do it before I have time to change my mind."

Xena smiled slightly and handed her the torch.

"I think I'll go without it. It's not that far to the end and I can see the fire there. I don't think I want to see anything else on the way."

"What if the fire goes out?"

"You had to say that, didn't you?"

Xena thought about it for a moment. "How 'bout if we tie a rope around you, if worse comes to worst, I can yank you back out."

"Wonderful idea," Gabrielle intoned bleakly, picturing how much skin she would lose if it came to that.

An ornery little gleam sparkled in Xena's eyes. "Oh, I'm just full of good ideas."

"You're full of something, all right," Gabrielle agreed.

Xena fetched the rope and began to tie it securely around Gabrielle's waist. "Want to take your coat off?"

"Nope."

Xena smiled a little and secured the rope. Gabrielle got on her hands and knees and crawled through the opening. It was close and dark and Gabrielle squeezed her eyes shut against an instant attack of claustrophobia.

"Gabrielle?" Xena's muffled voice filtered through.

"What?"

"Be careful... I'm right here."

Gabrielle opened her eyes and nodded, then realized Xena couldn't see her.

"Okay," she said.

"What?"

"I said, okay," she shouted, a little louder than she intended.

Xena gave her a reassuring little pat on the butt; oddly out of character for her, but immensely comforting somehow. Gabrielle crawled the few feet along the short, narrow tunnel, keeping her eyes firmly fixed on the flickering firelight at the end. She tried to ignore the little scuttling noises and occasional feathery touches on her face. She was sweating now and breathing heavily. The opening she had reached was even smaller than the one she had come through at the other end. Terrific, she thought to herself, just terrific. She thought briefly about backing out, but something caught her eye and she immediately changed her mind. She lay flat on her stomach and pushed forward.

"Can you see her?" Xena's distorted voice reached her from the other end.

"Uh-huh," Gabrielle answered, trying to squeeze through the narrow opening.

"What's she doing?"

"What?"

"I said, what's she doing?" louder this time, words bouncing disjointedly off the tunnel walls.

"She's just sitting there."

"Ah."

"What?"

"Can you get through?"

Gabrielle blew an errant strand of hair out of her eyes, wiped a trickle of sweat from her brow and tired to pull herself further into the opening. "Gods, I hate caves," she hissed.

"What?"

"I'm stuck, can you grab whatever is stuck and get it loose?"

Xena lowered the torch and looked in. Raising an eyebrow, she pondered briefly and laid the torch down. She crawled as far forward through the tunnel as she could, then reached out and grabbed Gabrielle's butt with both hands.

"Hey! Ow!" Gabrielle yelped in surprise, briskly rubbing her head where she had given it a good whack on the low hanging rock above her. "Son of a bi? Xena!!!"

"What?"

"What in Tartarus are you doing!?"

"Well, you told me to grab what's stuck, that's what's stuck."

"It's my foot, not my a... what you grabbed!"

"Oh."

"By the gods..."

"What?"

Gabrielle buried her face in her hands and blew out an exasperated breath. The child looked down at her from where she stood. A tiny smile flitted briefly across her face as she picked up the crossbow at her feet.



>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

In the real world as in dreams,

Nothing is quite what it seems.

- dean koontz-

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Xena felt Gabrielle go suddenly rigid beneath her hands. "Gabrielle? What's wrong?"

"Can you get me loose?" she answered, voice sounding strained.

Xena felt her way down Gabrielle's leg and discovered she had wedged her foot into a crevice that began wide at the bottom and grew narrower near the top. "Can you push your foot back?"

No answer.

"Gabrielle?"

"I'm trying. No, it's stuck tight."

Xena's lips drew into a slight pout as she contemplated the problem.

"Xena?"

"I'm here. Try to lift your leg a little. I'm going to unlace your boot, maybe you can pull out of it."

"Okay."

The leg came up a bit and Xena went to work on the laces.

"You sound funny," Xena said. "You all right?"

"Uh-huh."

"Can you see the kid?"

"Uh-huh."

"You know," Xena grumbled, struggling with laces. "For someone with such a large vocabulary, you certainly aren't using much of it lately."

"So you've said. You want to hurry up a little?"

"I'm hurrying as fast as I can. What's the kid doing?"

"She's just standing there."

"Is she scared? Or hurt?"

"Uhm, no. She has a crossbow."

"What?!" Xena yelled.

"Don't yell."

"I'm not yelling!" Xena yelled again. "Come out of there!"

"I told you, I'm stuck."

Xena worked furiously at the knot in the laces, finally losing what little patience she possessed, she used her chakram to cut them.

Gabrielle's foot jerked and she yelled something unintelligible. Xena's heart skipped a beat. "Gabrielle?" Xena sucked in a breath and held it.

"Did you just cut my boot?" Gabrielle said indignantly.

The breath exited in an exasperated rush and Xena swore beneath it.

"What?" Gabrielle yelled.

"See if you can pull your foot loose and come back out of there."

Gabrielle freed her foot, but continued to crawl forward through the opening. Xena reached down, grabbed the rope and heard Gabrielle grunt as she gave it a yank.

"Xena! Stop that!"

"What are you doing? Come out of there!"

"I can't," she looked up at the child, who was motioning her forward. "I have to go in."

Something in her voice made Xena release the rope. Gabrielle squeezed the rest of the way through the opening and stood up slowly. The child watched her impassively, crossbow pointed directly at her heart.

"I'm not here to hurt you," Gabrielle's voice was softly reassuring, or, at least, she hoped it was. "Why don't you point that somewhere else?"

Xena bent down and stared impatiently into the opening. She could see Gabrielle's legs and just a shadow of the child; her chakram was still in her hand. Get out of the way, Gabrielle, she thought to herself. Every instinct screamed at her to release the chakram, but she hesitated. Gabrielle took a step forward and to the side and saw the child's finger move to the trigger. "Wait, don't..."

Xena heard Gabrielle's voice and a sound that made her blood run cold; the familiar, unmistakable hiss of an arrow in flight. She heard Gabrielle's short gasp of pain as it found its mark. The child's shadow abruptly disappeared.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Ice crystals

In a beating heart.

Cold fire.

-dean koontz-

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>



"Gabrielle! Gabrielle, answer me!"

Nothing. Xena had pushed herself as far forward as she could, but could see nothing except the dying flames of the small fire. She cursed soundly and laid her head on her arm trying to think. She thought about pulling on the rope, but quickly dismissed that idea. Sweat trickled into her eyes, causing them to burn as the air reached them. Air? She thought to herself, raising her head. She held her breath and waited. A slight, cool breeze swept out of the opening in front of her. The child seemed to have disappeared and there was a breeze - another entrance somewhere? She pushed herself back out of the tunnel and strode quickly out from under the outcropping of rock.

It was dark, but the moon illuminated the surrounding landscape like the underside of day; bleak, cool and blue and startlingly defined. Shadows and crevices stood out in stark contrast against the ghostly light. Xena's eyes moved slowly across the hillside and she felt, rather than saw, someone or something staring down at her. A darker shadow amongst the shadows gave her a focal point, fixing her eyes on it, she started up the rocky incline. She heard a scuffling sound above her and ducked her head as few pebbles cascaded down the hillside. She hesitated. A strong sense of danger; her skin prickled with it as she stood listening to the silence. It was too silent, as if the air had been sucked dry of sound. She could hear her own heartbeat and little else. A wolf sent up a melancholy howl in the distance, its eerie, hauntingly beautiful cry sending shivers down her spine. Another answered, and then two more, their melodious voices blending into a mournful chorus, free and untamed as anything on earth.

Another sound drew her attention from the hypnotic cry of the wolf and this one caused her to swear out loud and push herself close against the face of the rock in front of her.

A good-sized boulder came thump-bumping down the embankment, clipping her shoulder on the way by. Another mini avalanche of rock and shale followed, and then all fell silent once again.

Xena stayed pressed to the earth in front of her for a few moments more before she leaned back and studied the darkness above her. A few moments later an owl screeched, splintering the silence. Other familiar night sounds leaked through, slowly flooding the area with a cacophony of sound. Whatever had hushed them seemed to have moved on. Xena rubbed her shoulder and felt something wet on her fingertips. She glanced at them, her blood looked black in the moonlight. "Dammit," she whispered. "What else could go- "

A cloud passed over the moon and thunder sounded in the distance, a sudden gust of wind carried the smell of rain. "Wonderful," she muttered, making her way up the hillside once more. It didn't take long to find the other entrance, it had been well hidden, but whoever had used it last had not bothered to replace the concealing pile of brush, making it easy to see. Too easy, perhaps? Xena entered cautiously, pulling her sword from its sheath at her back. The corridor was short, sloping sharply downward, but the ceiling was high and there was not much cover for someone to hide. She paused, and feeling nothing threatening, moved quickly on. The ceiling dropped lower and the passage narrowed, coming to an end at a dimly lit hole in the rock wall. Xena bent down and peered inside. All that remained of the fire were burning embers illuminating the interior with a warm, welcoming glow. Just like home. Xena thought to herself.

She was reluctant to enter it's false warmth, head arguing common sense to her heart, until she caught site of a form lying motionless across the way. "Gabrielle."

Xena propelled herself through the opening and rolled to her left, coming quickly to her feet. There was no one else inside and nowhere to hide. A quick glance around revealed a bed of fragrant pine needles covered by furs and blankets, a water bag, a bowl, a cup, a few other items scattered about. She moved quickly to Gabrielle and bent over her. She was lying on her side; one arm stretched above her head, the other lay across her chest. Xena's own chest constricted so tightly she couldn't breathe. "Gabrielle." The word lodged painfully in her throat and refused to budge. She reached over and gripped Gabrielle's shoulder, turning her slightly and Gabrielle groaned in response. Xena expelled a short burst of air and her chest hurt so badly her breath caught in her throat once more. She closed her eyes for a moment, an unwelcome sense of deja vu enveloping her. How many times had she- had both of them- performed this very act? How many times would they do it before one of those times became the last time? The thoughts departed as quickly as they had arrived, leaving an aching emptiness in their passing.

Xena lifted Gabrielle's hand from her chest, her jaw clenching tightly, expecting the worst; a crossbow at such a short distance; the damage would be devastating. Xena's eyes widened in shock. There was nothing. No blood, no arrow, nothing. Had the arrow missed its mark? Apparently so. She ran her fingertips across Gabrielle's chest and she coughed a little and opened her eyes.

"Hey," Xena greeted her hoarsely.

Gabrielle stared blankly at her for a moment.

"You okay?" Xena asked.

"She shot me," Gabrielle managed, voice incredulous, finally focusing on Xena's brilliant blue eyes.

"She missed."

"Nu-uh. Hurts," Gabrielle sucked in a hissing breath of pain as she attempted to sit up. "Ow, by the g - "

"Lie still. Let me look," Xena undid the leather laces of the coat Gabrielle wore and carefully pulled it open. There was an angry purple and red bruise with a hard white center directly over her heart. Xena touched it gently.

"Ow!"

"Sorry."

Gabrielle sat up, with Xena's help, and looked down at her chest. "What the..." Gabrielle touched the bruise and winced.

Xena was looking around; finally catching sight of the feathered end of the crossbow arrow lying half buried in the dirt. Reaching over, she lifted it up and studied the end. "Huh."

"What is it?" Gabrielle asked, looking up.

Xena held the arrow out. The tip was wound with cloth, bound with leather strips. They stared wordlessly at one another for a moment.

"I guess she didn't miss," Xena conceded.

"No. She didn't miss," Gabrielle assured her, eyes locked on the arrow, absently rubbing her chest.

"She could have killed you."

"She was just a child."

"A child with a crossbow and no qualms about using it."

"The tip is covered- "

"And if it hadn't been?"

Gabrielle was silent.

"Dammit, Gabrielle. You need to be more careful," Xena was suddenly angry. And scared, though she wouldn't admit it. She seldom felt one without some measure of the other, especially where Gabrielle was concerned. Gabrielle raised an eyebrow.

"You just go charging in with no thought to- "

"What happened to your shoulder?" Gabrielle interrupted.

"What?"

"Your shoulder. It's bleeding."

Xena glanced at her shoulder, she had forgotten about it. "It's nothing."

"Doesn't look like nothing," Gabrielle reached out to touch it and Xena pulled back. Their eyes met and Gabrielle looked past the furious fire in Xena's gaze, suddenly remembering a voice from past. Xandra's voice, she of the silvery eyes and remarkably profound wisdom. "She always gets angry when she's had a good scare."

"I'm sorry," Gabrielle whispered.

Xena looked startled. Whatever it was she had expected Gabrielle to say, that was not it. She reached over and wiped a smudge of dirt from Gabrielle's jaw. "I..." Xena began.

Thunder rumbled outside and the ground trembled beneath them. Xena felt cold and overwhelmingly tired. She looked into Gabrielle's soft green eyes.

"What do you say we get out of here," Xena quietly suggested, handing Gabrielle her boot.

Gabrielle sighed meaningfully at the sight of the sliced leather. Xena watched silently as she pulled it on and rearranged the leather bindings to hold it in place. That done, she looked up at Xena, who presented her a sheepish grin.

Gabrielle gave her a long-suffering look. "Another day, another boot," she philosophized remorsefully.

Xena chuckled.



>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Storms have come

Rains wash the earth away

Dark skies fall down

Into another day.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>



They left the cave and made their way back down the hillside. The rain increased steadily as they went and the footing grew treacherous. Xena went toward the river, giving the rising, rushing water a worrisome look as she whistled for Argo. The horse appeared out of the gloom, breath misting in the cool, moist air. "Come on, girl,'" Xena's voice was soothing. Though Argo never appeared troubled by storms, rather, in fact, seemed to enjoy them, Xena wanted her near and led her under the outcropping of rock. After wiping Argo down and throwing a blanket over her, she joined Gabrielle, who had built up the fire and was stirring something herbally fragrant within a small bowl warming at its outer edge.

"Where do you suppose she went?" Gabrielle wondered, looking up at Xena. Xena shrugged her shoulders and sat down. Gabrielle picked up the bowl and moved to sit beside her. Xena turned toward her with a soft smile as Gabrielle began to clean the abrasion on her shoulder. "I can do that."

"I don't mind," Gabrielle replied, returning the smile.

"You know, you have developed quite a soft touch."

"Maybe your skin's just getting tougher."

"Maybe so," Xena agreed, laughing a little.

A sudden flash of lightning and answering crack of thunder caused them both to start slightly. The wind changed direction and blew a spray of cold rain over them. The fire hissed under the onslaught.

"Nasty," Gabrielle observed, shivering a little.

Xena nodded. "We'll want to keep an eye on the river, if this keeps up, it's going to flood for sure."

"Could it rise this high?" Gabrielle asked her, setting aside the bowl and smearing salve on the abrasion.

"Possibly."

Gabrielle washed her hands, then moved to the fire and filled a bowl with soup and passed it over to Xena.

"Thanks," Xena's teeth flashed white as she took a bite and her gratified stomach transferred its smile to her lips.

"I know it would be better if it had some meat in it."

"It's good. Really," Xena assured her, swallowing another spoonful.

"Well, at least it's hot."

They ate in silence for a while.

"I think that may have been the same child we saw this morning," Gabrielle offered, looking over at Xena.

"Are you sure?

"Pretty sure. Her hair was the same color, same type of clothing, though her eyes looked much darker. She was... beautiful."

"Beautiful and menacing," Xena pointed out, spooning more soup from the pot."

"I don't think she's dangerous. Not to us anyway."

"And you think this because? Yowch," she mumbled, as she singed her fingers on the edge of the pot.

"Careful. I don't know, exactly. Just a feeling about her, one I've had before."

Xena looked up and Gabrielle gave her a small smile. Beautiful and menacing pretty much summed up Gabrielle's first impression of Xena.

Xena touched her tongue against four lightly seared fingertips before blowing a stream of cool air over them. "Well, regardless, I think we should be a bit more cautious around her if we see her again, okay?"

"Okay," Gabrielle agreed, suppressing a grin at Xena's unrefined medical techniques.

They finished their meals and rinsed the bowls. Moving to the back of the overhang as far as they could, they spread out blankets and lay down. It had been a long day and Xena closed her eyes, looking forward to sleep. Gabrielle stared up a bit uneasily at the tons of rock and earth above them and moved closer to Xena. "Xena?"

"Hmmm?" she answered with a soft sigh.

"Did she look familiar to you?"

"I didn't see her."

"The child we saw this morning, I mean."

Xena thought about it a moment, remembering the shock of seeing her, and whom she so strongly resembled.

"Xena?"

"Yes," she whispered. "She looked familiar."

Gabrielle began to say something more, but something in Xena's voice stilled her. Reaching over, she gently squeezed Xena's hand. Xena said nothing, but held onto Gabrielle's hand when she started to remove it. Gabrielle drifted into a sound sleep; Xena stared into the darkness for a long time before sleep overcame her.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

In my dreams I'll always see you soar above the sky
In my heart there will always be a place for you
For all my life
I'll keep a part of you with me
And everywhere I am, there you'll be

-faith hill-
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Xena rolled over and changed positions, trying to elude a small pebble that seemed determined to poke and prod her no matter where she moved on the blankets. She instinctively reached out for Gabrielle and found only emptiness where she should be. Xena opened her eyes, sat up and began scanning the area beneath their shelter. The fire burned high and bright and threw shadows across the massive rock ceiling; an army of misshapen, ghostly monks weaving to a soundless chant. Gabrielle was wrapped in a blanket, standing with her back to the fire, staring out at the wind and rain that thrashed the darkness. Xena stood and watched her for awhile. She looked small and fragile against the fury of the storm beyond her, but Xena knew this to be an illusion. Gabrielle; the naive little bard with the innocent heart and merciless chatter was all but gone. Innocence lost, a battered heart, and a world-weary awareness had etched fine lines of knowledge and pain across her face, across her soul. And yet the integrity, the laughter, the hope remained, deeply rooted in her heart.

A thousand thoughts tumbled over one another in Xena's mind. A kaleidoscope of images of what they had been through; the joys, the danger, victories and despair. They had faced it all, had been torn apart, body and soul and pieced themselves, and each other, back together. And through it all, it was as often Gabrielle as it was herself, who had the strength of will to heal them. They were completely different, yet incomplete without one another.

Gabrielle must have sensed her watching, for she turned slowly and looked directly into Xena's eyes. A small, melancholy smile touched her lips, firelight sparking muted green flame in her eyes. Something awakened within Xena, something that had been there all along and had been reflected in many different ways. But this, this was a feeling akin to a physical rush, yet to think of it as such seemed almost profane, for it was so much more than that.

It filled every part of her with wonder, infused her with fire, yet humbled her with its awesome power. They stood gazing at one another through the purifying flames and held the exact, unshakable thought in their hearts. A conviction so crystal clear, so simply complicated, and so powerful it caused even the gods to tremble; I have loved her before. I will love her forever. No matter what lifetime, no matter what form, or path, my spirit takes, I will always find her. I will recognize her, and I will love her there, too.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I hear hurricanes a blowin'

I know the end is coming soon

I feel rivers overflowing

I hear the voice of rage and ruin

Don't come around tonight

It's bound to take your life

There's a bad moon on the rise

-john fogarty-

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Xena shook her head a little, as if awakening from a dream, and moved to Gabrielle's side. Gabrielle looked up at her for a moment, then looked outward into the storm once more. The wind and the downpour intensified. Sheet lightning, eerily silent, illuminated the cloud cover above, creating a monochrome landscape below; it was both beautiful and desolate. Gabrielle looked over at Xena, who was staring intently at the rain, a small frown on her face.

"What are you thinking?" Gabrielle asked.

Xena glanced back toward the far corner of the overhang; the insignificant trickle of water had grown into to a gushing torrent. "I'm thinking that if this storm doesn't let up soon, it's going to wash us right off the side of this mountain."

A blinding flash and a huge clap of thunder drew their attention once more. Another flash of lightning caused Gabrielle to blink, and yet another revealed the child standing before them. Wet hair plastered to her head, soaked through by the pouring rain, she stared up at them, eyes wildly alight with what might have been either terror or excitement, perhaps both.

"I need help!" she shouted above the rain, then she turned and ran.

Gabrielle immediately began to follow.

"Wait!" Xena insisted, grabbing Gabrielle's arm.

"We'll lose her!" Gabrielle yelled, trying to pull lose from Xena's grip.

"Gabrielle! This is the person who just shot you with a crossbow, now you want to chase after her in the dark?"

"I'm trusting my instincts," Gabrielle shot back.

For some reason, that particular statement sent an apprehensive chill racing down Xena's spine. She looked into Gabrielle's determined eyes for a moment longer and released her, a look of weary resignation settling over her face. Rain poured steadily as the lightning intensified. Rolling across the sky, it back-lit fast moving clouds, illuminating the landscape with flickering light. Curiously muted thunder accompanied it, booming deeply, like a drum in a cauldron. Gabrielle seemed to know where she was going and Xena followed her through the storm, growing increasingly uneasy as they neared the rapidly rising river. "Gabri-" Xena began to call out, nearly running over her when she came to an abrupt halt in front of her.

"By the gods..." Gabrielle whispered to herself.

Xena looked over Gabrielle's head at the bizarre scene before them. The child stood near the riverbank, crossbow at the ready. In front of her stood a large black dog, teeth bared at an even larger wild boar. Both Xena and Gabrielle were well aware of the folly of facing off against the menace of wild boar. Fear of them was widespread and well deserved. They were unpredictable, ferocious, destructive, unnaturally strong and notoriously short on manners. The gods, especially Artemis, were fond of using them to unleash sudden and violent vengeance on mortals who had somehow irked them. Xena had seen a particularly nasty boar use razor sharp tusks to literally disembowel a hunter. It happened so quickly that the unfortunate victim stood for several seconds, staring down at his own steaming entrails puddled on the ground before him, before his brain registered he was dead.

The boar attacked, the dog sidestepped and the child triggered the crossbow. From the answering, earsplitting squeal of pain, or rage, it was obvious that the point of this particular arrow was unhampered by layers of cloth. The dog, Gabrielle and Xena all moved at the same time. The dog went for the boar's throat, Xena palmed her chakram, and Gabrielle went for the child. What transpired after that became a study in chaos that later defied even Gabrielle's efforts to clearly depict in her scrolls.

The child shouted at Xena not to hurt the dog as Xena performed a delicate ballet of self-preservation and imminent bodily harm between the gnashing fangs of both animals. The child, showing an inordinate amount of strength for someone so small, pushed an astounded Gabrielle aside as Gabrielle struggled to pull her to safety. Gabrielle slid a few feet in the mud and fell to one knee as she tried to gain purchase on the slippery ground. The child threw an exasperated, warning look in her direction as she notched another arrow. Gabrielle watched in horrified fascination as the arrow hissed through the staggered light and dark of the night, missed Xena by a hair, and hit its intended target only inches from Xena's bloody chakram. The boar shrieked again. Xena cursed and threw a look of blistering blue heat in the child's direction as she drew her sword, abandoning the chakram buried in the boar's leathery neck.

The boar, half crazed now, from pain and frustration turned on Xena and charged. Gabrielle regained her senses and her feet as she caught a glimpse of Xena's sword, blade shimmering as it reflected the lightning, as it sailed off into the darkness. Xena went down, and Gabrielle was unsure who screamed the loudest; herself in fear for Xena, the boar in triumph, or the child in anger.

The dog hesitated, uncertain, and looking as though it very much wanted to flee. It turned in a confused circle before it launched itself forward and fastened its jaws again on the boar's exposed throat. The beast howled and hooked a deadly tusk under the dog, throwing it aside like a mere toy. Its jugular pumping spurts of dark blood, the boar turned its beady black eyes and dripping jaws on Xena and took several determined steps toward her as she tried to backpedal away from it. She made little headway in the mud and the boar opened its mouth wide, dribbling snot and slobber, before its jaws closed around her boot. Xena grimaced, more in disgust than pain, braced herself as best she could with her hands in the muck, and kicked at it with her other foot. The boar was weakening, but determined; the kick was a mere annoyance in its frenzied state. Gabrielle slid to a panicked stop beside the boar as it abandoned Xena's boot and began a determined lunge at her throat. Gabrielle had Xena's sword in hand, but no way in Tartarus to get it to her in time. She did the only thing she could think to do; she dropped the sword, grabbed onto the chakram and pulled, hoping to pull the boar's head away, or at least distract it. The chakram pulled free and a thick spurt of steaming blood cascaded across Gabrielle's boots. Incredibly, the beast emitted a startled shriek and abruptly collapsed in a heap at their feet. Pushing herself up on her elbows, Xena looked at up Gabrielle. Dramatically illuminated by the persistent lightning, Xena's blood-soaked chakram in her hand, she was a rather awesome sight. The image of her as god-like avenger, however, was somewhat compromised by the trembling of her hands, the look of sick astonishment on her mud-streaked face, and finally, her exclamation of disgusted outrage at the further ruination of her boots. Gabrielle opened her mouth to say something when they were both distracted by the child racing past them.

"You all right?" Gabrielle shouted into the wind, looking down again at Xena.

"Just peachy," Xena shouted back; her sarcasm lost on Gabrielle, who thrust the gore-encrusted chakram into her hand, turned quickly away, and ran after the child.

"Dammit," Xena muttered, pushing herself to her feet. She grimaced at the dripping chakram, scowled as she plucked her sword from the mud, and followed.

Gabrielle latched onto the child just before she launched herself over the edge of the riverbank. Wary of her strength this time, Gabrielle got a solid grip and hauled her back with a firm yank. The child went down, landing hard on her butt at Xena's feet. She glared up at Gabrielle from the ground

"What in Tartarus..." Gabrielle began.

"DOG!" the child yelled, scrambling to her feet.

Gabrielle and Xena both tensed and looked around them. Xena's hand sought her chakram as Gabrielle, not for the first time, silently lamented tossing her staff in the river. They stood in adrenaline charged readiness, awaiting another attack from the on and off darkness. The child ran to the edge of the bank, dropped to her knees and peered over. Gabrielle and Xena looked at each other.

"Her dog, I think," Xena surmised, finally, as Gabrielle's heart began beating once more.

They moved to the edge of the unstable riverbank, one on each side of the child, and looked down. The dog was lying on a small island of mud and debris at the bottom of the incline. Ravaged by the swirling waters of the rain-swollen river, the ground and riverbank were quickly eroding. Xena and Gabrielle both grabbed a handful of child as she leaned further over the edge.

"I have to get her!" the child insisted, squirming under their grasp.

"I'll go," Xena stated, against her better judgment, knowing if she did not, the child would.

"No," Gabrielle replied, with an eye on the unstable ground, "I'll go, I'm lighter."

"Can you lift it?" Xena asked, staring down at the dog.

"I think so, but I don't think I can carry it back up. I'll get it up and see if I can hand it to you."

"Don't hurt her," the child pleaded.

Xena and Gabrielle glanced at each other, both knowing the animal could well be beyond hurting.

"Be careful," Xena warned, as Gabrielle started down.

"Always."

"Uh-huh," Xena huffed under her breath.

Gabrielle half slid, half fell, down the short incline where the animal lay. She stepped onto the precarious ledge and her foot went through muck up to her knee. Xena sucked in a breath between clenched teeth. Gabrielle pulled hard against the sucking sinkhole and it grudgingly gave up its quarry.

Grimacing at the wet sludge inside her boot, she carefully made her way to the dog and knelt beside it. She laid a hand against its side and felt movement; it was still breathing, at least. She also felt a sticky wetness and fervently hoped it was mostly mud. Gods, the thing was big, she wondered if she could lift it at all. She drew back a bit as the animal's eyes opened. They glowed eerily red in the nearly constant illumination from the incandescent lightning above. Then, oddly, they melted into green, then gold; Gabrielle became spellbound by the transformation.

"Gabrielle!"

Xena's voice aptly coincided with the next burst of lightning and impatient thunder. Gabrielle's pulse quickened as she saw how fast the ledge was dissolving beneath her. Taking a deep breath, she got her feet under her and wrapped her arms around the dog. A rumbling growl from deep within its throat stood Gabrielle's hair on end.

"Don't you dare bite me!" she hissed at it. Surprisingly, the growl subsided. The only way she could manage was to maneuver its front legs into a carry position over her shoulder. It whimpered a little as she lifted, and the weight of it almost sent her over backward into the river. Xena held her breath until Gabrielle moved forward, cursing under her breath when she stumbled again. Instinctively, she started down to help her, but the child grabbed her arm.

"Wait," she advised calmly. Xena waited.

Gabrielle tightened her grip and struggled to her feet. Lungs laboring, heart pounding, river lapping at her heels and half blinded by rain and lightning, she blundered her way to the incline and looked up. Xena was lying down, hands extended over the edge.

"Hurry, Gabrielle!"

With a grunt and a final burst of effort, she pushed herself and the dog far enough up the incline for Xena to grab hold of it. Grabbing the dog by the thick fur around its neck, one eye on the disappearing ledge beneath Gabrielle's feet, Xena hauled it unceremoniously up. They both went down in a heap. Xena roughly pushed the animal aside and crawled back toward the edge of the incline. The dog retaliated for the rude treatment by nipping her in the ass as she crawled past it.

"DAMMIT!" Xena yelped, glancing back for a moment and kicking a foot out towards the dog. She swiftly crabbed on all fours to the incline and waited impatiently for the next flash of lightning to reveal the ledge below. It came with a resounding roar of thunder. The ledge was gone, so was Gabrielle.













>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

From the silent deep

The waters sweep

With a plaintive cry

And the waters leapt

And the wild winds swept

And blew out the moon in the sky

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

"Gabrielle! Xena tried to out-shout the wind, but her words were lost in the chaos of the relentless storm. Angry and helpless, she turned her frustration and furious blue eyes on the dog. It was on its feet, staring antagonistically back at her. Xena's lip curled back in an unconscious snarl.

"No!" the child cried out.

Xena hadn't noticed the child at the dog's side, nor had she realized she was a hair away from releasing the chakram in her hand.

"Please," the child insisted.

Xena glared into the dog's eyes for a long moment, body trembling from that insidious rage that simmered just beneath her reason. Another flash of lightning again transformed the animal's eyes from coal black to a shimmering green. Something flickered there, recognizable and potent enough to temper Xena's anger; pain.

Xena blinked and looked at the child's hand on her arm, she hadn't even noticed it was there. She lowered the chakram and turned her eyes to the churning black water beneath her.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Wild ran the river

Cold and deep

And all that it seized

It intended to keep

-pw

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The freezing black water stole her breath and filled her lungs with liquid fire. Sputtering, gasping for air, Gabrielle gave up trying to fight it and concentrated on just keeping her head above the rushing, fluid wave of darkness. Debris and flotsam clogged the water. Small trees and branches swept by her, grabbing, scraping and battering with merciless fingers as they shot past. She went under again as something spiteful and black as pitch unerringly discovered the wound over her eye and gave it a solid whack. She found that it was curiously calm beneath the surface. A pleasant murmuring filled her ears, peaceful and soothing. She was flying, arms outstretched, sailing on an ocean of liquid air. So tired. So very, very tired.





>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Tremulous skeins of destiny

Flutter so ethereally

Around me - but then I feel

Its embrace is that of steel.

-dean koontz-

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

Returning to the land of the living was having a markedly adverse effect on Gabrielle. She accepted it grudgingly, and with a most undignified lack of appreciation. After irritably, though ineffectively, fighting the hands and mouth attempting to force life back into her sodden lungs, she turned her head to the side and threw up. Several times.

"Ish!"

A voice from the darkness penetrated her misery. She tried to speak, but nothing came forth except dirty river water.

Exhausted and shaking, she finally began to realize that someone was trying to help her.

"You're freezing."

The voice again. A nice, warm, familiar voice. She felt herself lifted, which made her sick again, so she left, seeking the welcoming, cottony darkness. She opened her eyes twice more. Once when she heard the lyrical crackling of a fire and the touch of soft fur against her skin. And again when she felt a warm body pull her near, enveloping her in a gentle embrace. The teeth-rattling trembling brought on by the frigid cold slowly withdrew, only to return in a gentler form that had nothing to do with the cold.

"Xena," she whispered.

"Sleep, Gabrielle." The voice snuggled around her, cozy, safe and warm; she slept.

Continued in Part 2