CopyRight: Xena, Gabrielle, Melinda Pappas, Janice Covington, and the Amazons all are owned by Universal/MCA and Renaissance Pictures, not mine, I wish though. But, the story line is all mine and not yours as well as the characters, Emily Leukos, Doctor Longhem, Wilson Havagin, Doctor Nathan Johnson, and Doctor Julia Philistine so don't mess with them or the story line. Otherwise I will come after you.
Sex/Subtext: Yeah there is defiantly both of those. There is love between two women which if offends you, then don't read this story. If you are under 18 years of age or if this type of story is illegal in the state or country in which you live, please do not read it. Otherwise enjoy yourself.
Started: October 18, 1999
If anybody has comments about my story please let me know at:
Part 2
Section Two
~*Part 6*~
Janice opened the door to the room and reached to the wall on the left, she flipped the switch. Stepping in the archeologist shut the door behind her and walked over to the table centered in the large room. On the table lay a variety of artifacts from Janice's two digs. There are two groupings, one dealing with expedition from Amphipolis and the second from Poteidaia. The one from Amphipolis contains the most artifacts. The Poteidaia one although had only two artifacts, one item was the head from the Zeus statue. Then the second one Janice furrowed her brows at, reaching over she picked up the object. It was a dagger the hilt of a bird, the same bird the Amazons used to represent their Nation. On the blade it was tarnished with a red tint to it, Janice figuring it to be blood. Carefully the archeologist placed it back on the table. She then moved to the Amphipolis findings, most of the objects from the dud coffin of Xena's and Gabrielle's. Janice was about to reach for one object but the door to the room open. She pulled back and looked to the person at the door.
"Oh hi Doctor Covington, wasn't sure who was in here with the lights on and everything"
"Hi Doctor Leukos. How are you?" The doctor stood half way in to the room, a smile on her lips.
"Fine thanks, you?" Janice shrugged her shoulders.
"Pretty good" The archeologist then turned to completely face the other woman. "Is there any other reason as to why you peaked into this room?" Emily Leukos furrowed her brows.
"I don't understand Doctor Covington, I was just wondering who was in this room" Janice nodded her head.
"Come in and close the door" That's exactly what the doctor did. Janice's eyes were cold and she narrowed them now at the other woman. "Care to explain why it didn't seem to phase you that Poteidaia wasn't burned down?" Leukos flustered.
"It did actually" Janice crossed her arms against her chest.
"Didn't seem to, considering Doctor Longhem was shocked and you had no reaction to it" Doctor Emily Leukos straightened up and she all of a sudden wasn't flustered.
"Okay I wasn't surprised Doctor Covington"
"Care to explain why?" Leukos crossed her own arms against her chest. Janice didn't like this.
"I just assumed it" That did it. Janice's temper went off and she stalked forward rather fast. She reached to Emily Leukos' neck and revealed a golden bird necklace.
"Well what the hell is this?" The doctor's eyes widen at the archeologist's angered words, Janice's hand up high on the necklace making it hard for the woman to breath. Her words came out in a stutter between rasping breaths.
"Its…it's a neck…lace…that was given…to me by…my mother"
"Then why does it look just like the Amazon bird?" Leukos shut her eyes as she struggled for air.
"Becausssse it…is" Her head was jerked down for a moment then the necklace was released. The woman took deep breaths as Janice took a few steps back. The archeologist reached into her coat pocket then Emily Leukos looked back up. "Trust me Doctor Covington, you'll never find everything out about Xena and Gabrielle" Janice rolled her eyes and grinned.
"Next time Doctor Leukos know whom you're friends are before your enemies" Pulling her hand back out she held the golden bird then tossed it to Emily. She doctor caught the golden object and looked down at it, her mouth dropped.
"Oh my god" Leukos looked back up with an astonished expression. "I didn't know" Janice crossed her arms against her chest again.
"Didn't think you did. I guess Starling doesn't get word out soon enough huh?" The doctor looked back up, her expression going serious again. She handed the bird back to Janice, the archeologist placing it into her jacket and her arms crossing once again.
"I'm sorry Doctor Covington" The small woman slightly smiled to Emily Leukos. "No, Starling doesn't get many visits from other Amazon's out there, about three times a year if she's lucky" Janice nodded her head.
"I kind of thought your last name is Greek" Emily Leukos nodded her head.
"It is, Greek for bright or white" Janice nodded her head and turned back to the table of artifacts, Emily stepping up beside her.
The front door opened and the belle looked up to meet a pair of emerald eyes.
"Janice, what ya doing back so soon?" The small blond smiled across to Mel on the sofa.
"Ah, thought I'd come back early that's all"
"How'd duh artifacts look?"
"Um pretty good" Mel nodded to the response and the small woman entered into the den and stood in front of Mel. The southerner looked up to the other woman with a smile. The small blond studied Mel, her eyes going up and down Mel's length, her eyes stopping at the translator's breasts. The southerner had noticed how hard toned the other woman's voice was sounding then normal.
"Come with me Mel"
"Where?"
"Upstairs" The belle arched an eyebrow and stood up, she was then lead up stairs to their room. The small female closed the door then locked it, which astounded Mel. She then came to Mel and placed a hand on her waist the other going to the back of Mel's head.
They kissed.
To Mel the kiss felt awkward. It was demanding, never once was a kiss with Janice been demanding. The kiss had always been giving, filled with love.
The kiss ended and Mel was roughly pushed down on to the bed. The small woman crawled onto Mel's body and began to kiss Mel all over.
"Janice?" Dark green eyes looked up to the belle.
"What?"
"Yo feeling okay?"
"Yes" The small hands grasped aristocrat's wrists and forced them down, cold lips going to Mel's soft neck. The touch was different, it occurred to Mel rather quickly. Nor was the moment touching her soul like it should.
Small hands lifted up the leather bound book from the table.
"So tell me Doctor Leukos, you know anything in the history of Gabrielle's life about her daughter named Hope?" Emily Leukos' eyes widen at the archeologist, Janice opened the leather book to the first page. There on the page was a perfect drawing of Gabrielle about to be kissed by Xena.
"I do know about her as matter of fact Doctor Covington" Janice turned the page.
"Mind telling me a little about her?"
"Well she was born by Dahok" Janice interrupted.
"Dahok?" Emerald eyes peered up from the leather book.
"Yes, he was the one god of evil. Dahok infected Gabrielle with his daughter Hope. After Hope was born Xena quickly found out she was a force of darkness and tried to kill Hope. Gabrielle protected her daughter and ended up placing her into a basket sending her down a stream and lied to Xena saying she killed the child" Emily stopped for a moment then continued.
A cool mouth went to Mel's left breast while a cold hand went her other breast. The belle moaned in responds, her arms still being tightly held down by the small form.
"Then Hope showed up in a centaur village that Xena and Gabrielle arrived in to visit Xena's son, Solan"
"Solan?"
"Yes, there's quite a bit of hidden history about her son nobody knows much of. But as it turned out Hope like I said turned up at the centaur village. She had grown dramatically to the age of five or so within a month" Emerald eyes widen at that.
"Go on"
"Well as the story goes she ended up killing Solan. Once Xena found out Hope was alive and Gabrielle had lied to her, she grew angry with Gabrielle. Gabrielle though realized Hope was a force of darkness and killed Hope with some poison. After that Xena and Gabrielle separated, both were in extreme pain and anger"
"Damn"
"That's not all of it"
The belle's cloths had been removed and lay on the floor off the side. Cold hands snaked down to Mel's stomach as the small woman's lips went to Melinda's stomach. Mel felt her heart refuse this touch from the small person, but her body reacted to the touch. Her mind screamed louder as those lips went farther down her body. The touch and body on top of her immobilized her body.
"Yeah she came back to life right?" Emily Leukos nodded her head in answer.
"She did by a group of followers" Janice looked to the book in her hands and opened her jacket, slipping it into her inside pocket she had.
"Then the followers brought her back"
"Yes and Hope had Callisto's help" Janice nodded and listened. "There had been a debt from a while back that Gabrielle owed to Ares and called it in at that current time"
"Debt to Ares, over what?"
"Nobody knows, but the debt in payment in return was that if Xena killed Hope Xena would die too"
"Of course Gabrielle wouldn't let that happen" Emily Leukos nodded in agreement.
"No of course not, so she ended up stopping Xena at the last minute and pushed herself and Hope into a fire pit, it was suppose to have kill them both"
"But it didn't and they both showed up in Amphipolis and Hope had her son the Destroyer from Ares"
"Yes Doctor Covington, then Xena and Gabrielle managed to kill them both"
Those ice lips came back up to Mel's breast and a cold hand kneaded her other breast. The touch on Mel's body was forceful, never had it been. Then belle screamed as teeth sunk into her breast hard.
"You see though Doctor Leukos, the part I don't quite understand. Is how did Hope managed to live through that pit but not her son, both being of her and or father?"
"I am" Janice's back stiffened up, her eyes glossed over as they unfocused. "Not sure" The archeologist closed her eyes for a second, look forming into pain. "Doctor Covington you alright?" Emerald eyes flew open and looked to Leukos.
"Shit, I need to go"
"Where to?" Janice quickly moved to the door.
"To my home" The door opened. "Actually Doctor Leukos, I want you to come with me" The Amazon looked to Janice.
"Where's your house, I'll take my car?"
"It's on Randolph Street, big white mansion" The doctor nodded and Janice nodded back and bolted out the door. Leukos could hear the archeologist running down the hallway quickly. Emily Leukos quickly turned off the light and locked the door behind her as she head down the hall at a power walk.
Janice's bike hit the lane of the mansion, decided to take a short cut and went directly across the lawn instead of following the loop. Her mind was screaming to her, her heart raced. Not again. That was the only thought that popped into Janice's head as she turned off the bike and let it fall to the ground. She busted through the door and as soon as she did a scream erupted through the mansion. Bedroom.
"Mel!" Her soulmate's name came from her mouth as if it was in agony. Janice ascended the stairs in a quick fluent motion. She came to the door and grabbed the handle, locked. Janice gritted her teeth and kicked at the door. Another loud scream of pain exploded in the belle's voice. Not again. Same thought. "Mel!" A third agonizing scream and Janice took three steps back. She removed her revolver and pointed it at the doorknob. The doorknob fell of off and dangled from the door from the shot, a little smoke rising from the barrel of the revolver. Janice kicked the door and it swung open. She ran in and was caught off guard by the site.
The archeologist stared at what she thought was the mirror. "Get away from her!" The mirror image stood at the foot of the bed, blood on her lips. The mirror image faced Janice as the archeologist came off to the side of the bed. Now Janice was off to the side of the foot of the bed, the mirror image had her right side to the foot of the bed. "Back off now!" Janice had her gun up pointed at the stranger. The mirror image did as she was told and took three steps, Janice moving to where the mirror image had stood. The archeologist heard muffled sobs from her soulmate, she took a quick glance to see Mel nude on her side rolled up into a ball. Janice looked back to her mirror image. "Who the hell are you?"
"I'm one of your old family members" The voice was cold. Janice thought the voice of this mirror image had just one to many packs of cigarettes, the voice scratchy. Then the mirror image raised one hand and without belief the gun was taken from Janice's hand as it floated in air. It quickly went to its new owner, the mirror image. A shot was heard, a scream from Mel, then a body falling to the ground.
~*Part 7*~
The ending of the last part left us with a mirror image of Janice Covington whom had forcefully taken Mel and shot Janice. We could easily believe that Janice Covington is dead, but it all depends. Soon another person will find out the truth as our Doctor Emily Leukos came rushing up the stairs of the mansion. She looked down to the floor to a bedroom to see Doctor Covington lying on the floor, eyes closed, blood trickling down the right side of her face. The doctor quickly ran into the room, she bent down to the smaller woman. Nobody else in the room. She'd noticed that the bed sheets had been made into a mess.
Emily Leukos lifted Janice's head with one hand, she touched the bloody spot on the side of Janice's face. She breathed a sigh of relief, it only grazed the side of her head. The doctor just lifted Janice up and spotted a sofa across the room in front of a wide window. She placed the archeologist onto the sofa and rushed into the bathroom. The doctor came back out and dabbed away at the graze on the side of Janice's head with a washcloth. After she cleaned it, she held the washcloth against the graze with pressure for a few minutes. Doctor Leukos pulled away the washcloth in hopes that the pressure stopped the bleeding, it had. The Amazon looked to the floor again to see the archeologist's hat, she went over a lifted it up, placing it by Janice.
She then quickly found her way down to the kitchen and retrieved a cup of water and hurried back up stairs to Janice. The doctor sat on the edge of the sofa and lightly patted at Janice's cheeks.
"Doctor Covington wake up" A groan and Leukos tried again. "Come on Doctor Covington, wake up" Hazy green eyes drifted open to stare up at Emily Leukos.
"What happened?"
"All I know is I came rushing up stairs here to find you passed out on the floor with a graze on side of your head" Janice lifted up one hand to touch the side of her face, it was raw and ached. Oh yeah it was defiantly a graze, thank god. The archeologist sat up and the doctor handed the archeologist the cup of water.
"Thanks" A pause as Janice drank.
"What happened to you?" A gulp of water.
"When I got here somebody that looked exactly like me had…hurt Miss Pappas. And they took my gun to say and shot at me, bad shot too" Leukos grinned for a second then went serious again.
"Do you know who it was, especially if they look just like you?" Emerald eyes turned to the doctor.
"Yes I do, it was Hope" Doctor Emily Leukos thought her mouth hit the floor.
"How…how could you be sure?"
"Because I met Gabrielle and this woman looked exactly like her…and me" Leukos was amazed, her eyes wide, mouth gaping.
"Well…where do you suppose they went?" Janice shook her head for a moment, trying to clear her thoughts. Janice stood up from the sofa and paced the floor, she looked to the doctor.
"Was Dahok ever killed?"
"Supposedly yes by Hercules" Great even his legend is real. The archeologist shook off the thought.
"Well he was a god, so he couldn't have been killed. Was there any sort of sacrifice that had to be done to bring Dahok to life?" Emily Leukos stared at the floor as she thought.
"Yes, yes there was when he infected Gabrielle. Gabrielle in self-defense murder a young priestess of Dahok's it had been considered the sacrifice to Dahok, Gabrielle losing her blood innocence so to speak. Then Xena was suppose to have been sacrificed to be the opening of Dahok's arrival"
"Where did this happen?"
"It all happened in…Britannia"
"Okay Britannia is now England, that's where all the major fighting took place over Dahok?"
"No actually it all happened in Greece, there was a temple set up by Hope's followers that was said where Dahok would come to the land of the living" Bingo! Janice grinned to the doctor.
"So my guess is they took Miss Pappas to be sacrificed" Emily Leukos' eyebrows furrowed.
"How do you figure that Doctor Covington?"
"Because Miss Pappas is the decedent of Xena" Again the doctor's mouth she believed hit the floor. She'd believe it though, considering the number of tales she heard from her Mom whom was an Amazon.
"That still doesn't tell us where Hope took Miss Pappas"
"No it does, Hope plans to take Miss Pappas to Greece to that temple of Dahok's" Janice's looked to the Doctor Emily Leukos. "Look I am going after Miss Pappas…I mean Mel I can't let anything happen to her" Leukos nodded her head and replied back.
"Let me help Doctor Covington" Janice stalked over to the dresser and opened up the opposite drawer from where she kept her gun. She grinned as she lifted out another revolver and opened the chamber. Janice pulled open the draw beside her and bulled out her box of bullets. She placed the box on top of the dresser and began to fill the revolver.
"Its up to you Doctor Leukos"
"I'm coming then, especially if you're the decedent of Gabrielle's and Miss Pappas of Xena. It's my duty" Janice smile at the headstrong woman as she slipped the rest of her bullets into her leather jacket. Janice then quickly moved to the closet and opened it, she reach inside against the back, she pulled out a leather object. Leather coiled up object, her whip, which she quickly hooks to her side. Janice walked over to Leukos and grabbed her hat putting it on and then helped Leukos up.
"Let's go to the airport, they'll fly to Greece my guess"
"I'll take my car"
"I'm going on my bike" And that was that, the pair raced out to the mansion, Emily Leukos to her car and Janice to her Indian bike. Again Janice had sped through the lawn, not caring and out the drive, Leukos a little behind her. Janice could only hope her lover was okay and that the plane hadn't left the airport.
Janice turned off the bike and kicked the kickstand out from under the bike and hopped off. Doctor Leukos' car pulled up into the parking spot beside Janice's bike. The two women nodded to each other and they both ran into the airport and directly to a clerk inside.
"Excuse me Miss?" The airport attendant looked up to a gruff woman, she smiled lightly.
"Yes Ma'am how my I help you?" Beside the gruff woman stood a dark haired woman in nice normal attire.
"I need to know if there are any flights going to Greece?"
"No I'm sorry Ma'am none ain't" Janice's features went a little angry.
"There has to be"
"No Miss, but there was an American Air Force cargo plane that arrive here early this morning from Greece and is headed back to Greece in a few minutes"
"Where is it?"
"There is no way you can board it Ma'am" The archeologist gritted her teeth.
"I don't care just tell me where the hell it is!"
"Its…its down at the last gate, Gate "E" to your left, can't miss it" Janice looked to Leukos and they both looked to their left and saw a sign hanging down that read Gate A
"Shit" Both women broke out into a run down the airport, people moving out of their way. Janice was ahead with Leukos running right behind her. Gate B, Gate C, they are getting close. Gate D, a head Janice spotted Gate E, she yelled back. "Do you think Hope might still have followers these today?" The doctor yelled back.
"She could"
"I think she does" And Janice pointed ahead to a huge silver DC-3 plane that they could see through the glass windows. Leukos looked and saw Air Force attendants climbing aboard to the plane outside. They both reached Gate E and went to the door that would lead outside to the plane, an attendant at the door.
"Sorry Miss you can't go through"
"Look get out of the way"
"No only American Air Force personal are allowed to board this plane" Janice turned around to face Leukos and rolled her eyes. All of a sudden Janice whirled around to slug the man in the face, he fell to the ground. The archeologist grabbed the door and swung it open. The females raced out of the door and ran to where the stairs were to the plane.
"Hold it right there" Two sets of emerald eyes locked.
"Hope its not going to work"
"What, sacrificing Melinda Pappas? Oh it will Doctor Covington" Janice began to move for the steps.
"If you move another step well…" Janice's mirror image stepped out of the plane with Janice's first revolver pointed at her and Leukos. Too close. Hope then nodded her head and three men walked out of the plane with guns as well. "Take Covington" Two men walked over to Janice and grabbed her. "Her on the other hand, kill her I have no use for an Amazon" The archeologist was trying to be forced into the plane by the men, but she struggled. So one of them hit her over the head with his gun and she was dragged in. Hope walked into the plane leaving the third man to kill Emily Leukos. Leukos rushed him and knocked him to the ground his gun falling to the ground.
That's when the plane came to life, the props on the wings quickly turning. He swept his feet and hit the doctor's, she fell and he was on his knees. The man punched Leukos in the face knocking her unconscious. He then retrieved his gun and aimed at Doctor Emily Leukos.
"Get in here!" The man looked up to a guy hanging out the door of the cargo plane. "Forget her! Get in here before we leave you!" The man lowered his gun and jogged over to the steps, climbing them. The steps then were pulled in and the door shut with a hard slam. The cargo plane's wheels rolled and the plane moved to the eastern airstrip, sitting at the beginning of the strip. That's when Emily Leukos shook her head and got to one knee to see the plane on the runway. The cargo plane picked up speed and raced down the runway then lifted up into the air off the runway, the wheels going up into the plane. The doctor got up and ran into the airport and headed straight for a public phone.
~*Part 8*~
The top of the archeologist's head ached extremely, she slowly opened her emerald eyes. She spotted her soulmate just across from her, the belle's own eyes closed, Mel's arms tied to a post. The belle, Janice noticed, is dressed in an Air Force uniform, a navy blue zip up and boots, her long hair down. Janice tried to move but quickly found her arms tied behind her against something metal. The weight of her revolver and whip was gone, they had been taken. The small blond then noticed that she was in the cargo bay of the Air Force plane. There was a window above Mel, she noticed the clouds outside. Great, just great was all her mind could muse.
The archeologist looked back to her partner and noticed the marks on Mel. The belle's wrists from where she could tell were red, scratch marks just visible through the uniform on Mel's shoulders near her neck, done by nails. Then Janice spotted the long deep scratch made on Mel's left cheek also from the looks of nails and then there was a small light cut on Mel's lower left side of her lip. Janice felt anger swell up into her. Then blue eyes opened up to peer at her, Janice noticed even from here that Mel's eyes were very distant.
"Mel, you okay?" The belle blinked for a second.
"Yes, dat you Janice?" The archeologist smiled to her soulmate.
"Yeah its me Mel" The southerner stared across the airplane to the other woman. She stared hard into emerald eyes, they were brilliant and held love. She could feel her heart reel, her mind felt safe, her soul complete. That is her soulmate.
"It iz you" Janice slightly nodded.
"Yeah" The northerner noticed the belle's distant look almost disappeared, but something wasn't all quite right with the belle, Janice was sure of that.
"Janice, who iz dat other woman that looks like ya?" Janice took a deep breath.
"That's Hope" Sky eyes widen from across the cargo bay.
"Hope I though she wuz…"
"Killed?" Speak of the devil so to say, the daughter of Dahok walked into the cargo bay. "Yes I was killed as a matter of fact" Cold emerald eyes glanced up to Hope as did harden azure eyes.
"How did you manage to stay alive Hope?" Janice's mirror image looked to her with an evil smile.
"You tell me Doctor Covington" The archeologist's eyes narrow, Hope stepping closer to her.
"My guess you were reborn, but how is what I'd like to know" Hope nodded as she took a deep breath. She was dressed in exactly what Janice is wearing. Hope didn't seem so content at that moment to answer that question. So she looked to Mel.
"Well looks like your…friend woke up Doctor Covington" Janice glowered at Hope.
"Why did ya take me Hope?" Distant green eyes look to the southerner.
"Why did I kidnap you well…" She looked to Janice. "…I think Doctor Covington can answer that Miss Pappas" Hope smiled to Janice. "Care to share the explanation to Miss Pappas?" The archeologist looked to Hope and replied.
"She took you Mel because she plans to sacrifice" The archeologist averted her eyes to the watching Mel in mid sentence. "you to bring Dahok to the world" The daughter of Dahok smiled and looked to Mel.
"Doctor Covington hit the nail on the head" Hope crossed her arms against her chest. "You see Miss Pappas, when I was killed by my mother, she and her…warrior dug me hole far outside of Amphipolis and threw me in it" Dahok's daughter took a deep breath. "And that's where I remained till now"
"How did you manage to come back to life Hope?" Janice's look alike shifted her eyes to her.
"You're quite interested in knowing that huh?"
"Yes well I suppose its my nature" Hope arched a brown eyebrow, noticing the similarities of this woman to Gabrielle.
"Well I'll start from the beginning of this loving tale. When Gabrielle was in Britannia with Xena the pair had rescued a group of people from Romans. The group was religious based, their leader at the time was a man by the name of Kraftstar" Hope slightly smiled her eyes gleaming. "Xena left Gabrielle with Kraftstar while she went to fight Caesar, Kraftstar and his followers were at a temple at the time. They began a ritually and Gabrielle quickly found out that it was a sacrifice to a One-God the group believed in. In the middle of the ceremony Gabrielle noticed that a man was about to be sacrificed" Janice knew this part about to come. "So she stepped in the middle and took the dagger from the priestess at the time and stabbed the woman in self-defense. Gabrielle's own loss of her blood innocence was the sacrifice"
"I've heard this Hope, what's this got to do with you" Hope grinned and went on.
"It has to do everything with me. Kraftstar at the time became known as the Deliverer, one of Dahok's servants whom pledge to bring him to life. The Deliverer was suppose to kill Xena as an arrival but failed to do so, pity" Hope took a deep breath. "Xena killed him, the temple destroyed"
"But Gabrielle had been infected with you"
"If that's how you'd like to put it Doctor Covington, go ahead. Now then, I assume you both know of Germanys huh?"
"How couldn't we?" Hope grinned to Janice's reply.
"The stupid Nazes Hope?" Dahok's daughter looked to the belle.
"More precisely the Nazis, they consider themselves the one true race. Well they believe in a One-God" Green eyes narrow at Hope, blue widen. "What's his name…Hitler?"
"Adolf Hitler" Hope looked to Janice and nodded.
"Hitler as you both know rules Germany and has his Nazi followers, Hitler is also known as the Deliverer, the Nazis are the followers of Dahok"
"Let me guess they brought you back huh?" Hope smiled to the archeologist.
"Basically yes, this American Air Force plane was capture by the Nazi during the war and Hitler selected five special men, namely the clergy behind the religion. They masqueraded as Americans and flew into Greece as allies and went to your dig site Doctor Covington" Janice's eyes darkened at Hope. "Oh don't worry, they didn't harm your site, they just retrieved my bones and took me to Dahok's temple. There they committed me to my father's flames and I was reborn"
"I think we can guess the rest of the story" Hope uncrossed her arms and stared at the small other blond.
"I knew you were smart Doctor Covington" Janice glared for a moment then smirked.
"I always hate those Nazi bastards" Hope smiled to her and stepped over to her. She then bent down to one knee to stare into Janice's eyes.
"You do realize we are family" Janice replied with her teeth clenched tight.
"We are not"
"Oh but we are Janice" Hope leaned in closer to the archeologist. "Think about it, I am Gabrielle's daughter and you're her decedent, for all you know you could be my daughter" The archeologist's tried to move forward at Hope, but she only jerk, the bindings stopping her. "Just think Janice, you could be of me, you could have an evil inside of you that might creep up on you one day"
"Either way Hope, I'll kill you over what you did to Mel" Hope smiled her eyes locked with Janice's. The daughter of Dahok brought one hand up to touch Janice's cheek, the archeologist pulling away.
"Leave her alone Hope" Dahok's daughter grinned and then straightened up and walked over to the southerner.
"Then there is Xena's decedent" Hope's emerald eyes glared down at Mel. "So does even a proper southern belle have a tough side?"
"I do" Janice had quickly realized that her soulmate lost her accent, her tone was hard with an edge. She'd hadn't seen Mel like this since…since Xena had taken over her body.
"Well I have to give you some credit Melinda, you've made it this far" Hope then noticed that in those steel blue eyes something very dark came to life in them. She wasn't sure where that darkness came from nor was she sure she wanted to know.
"Hope we will stop you" Hope wickedly smiled to Mel and crossed her arms against her chest.
"I doubt it Miss Pappas"
"Don't count on it" Dahok's daughter narrowed her eyes and stepped away from Mel to now face both women again.
"You two are both descendants of Gabrielle and Xena, and I must say somewhere in the both of you Xena and Gabrielle remain. Their looks certainly survived over time. I'll leave you both to enjoy the rest of the five hour flight to Greece" And with that Hope disappeared into the main part of the plane, closing a large metal door behind her. Janice looked from the door to her soulmate. Mel's eyes were still ice cold, it made a shiver rippled down Janice's back. Those cobalt eyes then softened to Janice but there was some distance to them that Janice didn't like.
"Janice how are we gonna get out of dis?"
"I don't know Mel, but we will, promise" Janice smiled lovingly to her partner, Mel lightly smiled back.
Now this is the moment in time we begin to wonder. The time when questions arise within and we only can hope they are answered. That this adventure will have the right ending in our minds. That our characters make it through yet another ordeal, we'd assume it, assumption being all natural. Hence that assumption must be proven right or wrong as the adventure goes on. For our characters assumption, hope, and love were the only things driving them now. Their sense of adventure had been lost in this matter as soon as they found out whom their source of this whole thing revolved around.
Janice sighed at her fiasco she is now taking apart in. She dropped her head against the post behind her. She was angry, plain and simple. Angry at who was something you wouldn't guess. At herself.
Janice had let down Mel, her soulmate.
The archeologist banged her head against the metal post for a moment. The shot of pain didn't end her anger. Across from her Mel, asleep, the belle tired from what happened earlier with Hope. Anger fumed up in Janice. She knew something was going to happen when she left the mansion. But did she stay behind to protect Mel? Janice hadn't, she hadn't the last time in Greece. The archeologist closed her eyes and her hands fisted up behind herself. She'd never felt this anger, not since her father died.
"Janice, itz okay" The small blond opened her dark emerald eyes again and looked to her soulmate across the plane. They locked eyes. Melinda knew what just happened. The southerner wished she could comfort her partner but knew she couldn't physically. So she tried mentally. Her sky whisked eyes holding an unconceivable amount of love. Janice sadly smiled, a few tears came down. Her forest eyes dropped the floor of the plane. The archeologist took a breath and looked back up, certain walls had come back in the small woman's world.
"We'll get out of here Mel. I have an idea to get us out this mess" The translator automatically knew her soulmate put on her tough stoic mask. Mel didn't like the timing of it for once. She just nodded to Janice. "How are you feeling?"
"Okay, how are yo doing?" Janice sort of shrugged with her tied hands.
"Fine. You sleep alright?"
"Yes uh little" Janice nodded her head. It had been over four and half hours since Hope first visited them. Janice knew they'd have to be landing relatively soon. As if on cue the large metal door swung open and Hope stepped through.
"Well ladies, we're almost there, flying over Vardar River now. We'll be landing in Thessaloniki soon" Nobody said anything, Hope looked to Janice with a smirk. "Doctor Covington you do realize your soulmate will be killed with a few hours? Her life used to bring the cleansing force of evil into this world" Dangerous flashing emerald eyes turned to Hope.
"You won't Hope" The demigod kept her sardonic smile and replied back.
"I will Janice. It's a shame family should fight"
"What would you know about family Hope?" Dahok's daughter took a few paces to Janice and bent down to her level.
"What wold I know about family? I know they can be real back stabbing, especially when it comes to the mothers" Hope then caught a small amount of hurt reappear in Janice's dark eyes. She knew something happened in the archeologist's life to trig that. "Then I have a feeling Janice you'd know what I was talking about when it comes to mothers. They just always seem to run out on you huh?" Slowly Hope rose back up to her full height, she looked over to the belle. Hope was caught off guard by the blue eyes looking to her already. There was a deep darkness swirling within that set of eyes. She'd seen that darkness before in her past. For once the daughter of Dahok felt a hint of fear course through her. For once she wondered if she was playing with fire instead of flowers. She turned her back on the pair and walked into the main part of the plane, leaving the soulmates.
The plane jerked right then. They could feel the plane lowering in altitude, they were getting ready to land.
"We have orders to kill you Covington if you become a problem" Emerald eyes stared up at the man. It was the same tall man that had slugged her earlier and dragged her onto the plane. Janice just nodded her head to the man. There were four men altogether. Two shifted, one went to Mel the other to Janice. The other two still standing had their guns out watching their friends untie the hostages.
Janice was untied first and stood up. "Turn around" Janice followed the man's orders. He grasped the archeologist's hands roughly and pulled them behind her back. Her hands were quickly tied tightly. She looked over to her taller soulmate to see Mel's hands tied behind her back as well. Then the sound of boots coming into the cargo bay of the plane could be heard.
"Are we ready?" The lead man behind Janice looking back to Hope.
"We are" Hope nodded her head and walked past Janice and Mel. Hope was dressed differently now. She had on a pair of regular khaki pants, and a light blue button up tucked in. For shoes she had on low cut boots, the hat and jacket gone, her golden hair down.
"Do we know if the truck is here?" The same man responded.
"Nestor and two of his men are right outside with the truck"
"Good, I want you four to stay in the back of the truck with Covington and Pappas. Don't let them do anything. Understand?" All four of the man nodded their heads. Hope shifted to the door of the plane, it was night time out. She pulled down the handle and heaved it open. It opened up slowly and she looked down, on the ground were two men with a set of stairs. They quickly attached the pair of stairs to the plane and Hope climbed down them. Next to follow was Janice being shoved through the plane. She stopped retaliating and quietly walked down the plane steps, her guard man behind her. Then to follow was Melinda with her man behind her. Lastly were the other two men that had been standing aside.
A man in a dark uniform stepped up to Hope from the driver's door. To Janice he looked like a Nazi, that's it. In front of them is a dark gray truck, it had a cover over the back, it certainly was an army truck.
"Get in the truck" The archeologist looked sidelong at her bodyguard, then climbed into the truck, then he went in. Next was Mel with her guard then the other two men. Inside there was already one man with a rifle, he eyed Janice as she climbed in. All seven people sat down on the benches inside.
"How long is it going to take to get to the temple?"
"We expect it to take half and hour or more" Hope nodded her head at the man named Nestor.
"Good, I'll ride in the front with you" Nestor nodded his head and went to the driver's side of the truck. Hope went into the passenger's side and climbed in.
~*Part 9*~
The truck jounced and Janice's head whipped back to hit the canvas behind her head. She shook it off. Her shoulders ached from the ropes pulling. Not to mention she was hot from the surrounding people, her skin crawling. The evil was just pouring out of these men's bodies making Janice feel unclean. The archeologist could only guess how the belle was feeling.
She lifted her green eyes up from the floor of the truck to her soulmate across the truck. The southerner felt those eyes on her and looked to Janice. Both their bodies swayed back and forth from the movement of the truck on the dirt road. Mel slightly smiled to her soulmate, the archeologist sadly smiling back. The archeologist could see darkness hidden in those blue eyes. They weren't bright any more, they were dark and glowing with what Janice thought was evil. Or was it darkness? Or was her mind playing tricks with her? Janice could not be sure. But the realm around Melinda was different that was for sure. The soulmates both sighed and laid their heads back against the canvas.
Janice didn't know what to do. She said she had a plan, but she doesn't. She'd never felt so stuck or trapped in her life. Opening had always been there in the past for her. But not now. Janice couldn't find any way out of this one. Surrounded by seven men and one demigod and in the middle of no where doesn't make things easy.
Melinda though on the other hand was gone. Oh sure she was still there physically. But something during that plane ride had changed this Melinda. Now there was only the shell of the southern belle. Something deep and dark had risen inside of Melinda Pappas. It was a side she'd never felt before, nor thought she could become. But it was there, it was strong. She would have fought it because of the incredible amount of darkness this side held. Yet she didn't. She didn't because she felt protected by it because it felt right. As dark is this side is something about it was so perfect about it. So Melinda Pappas averted to it in hopes it would save her and her soulmate, protect them. Would it? Or would this side engulf Melinda Pappas forever? Only time would tell.
The truck drove on for around a three quarters of an hour. It finally rolled off the road somewhere. It then went into an open area, almost like a field but with grass. They drove for about ten minutes on this open field. Then the truck came to a stop, the engine was shut off and two doors swung open. The two men hopped out of the back of the truck and climbed down to the ground. Next to follow were the hostages' guards, they stood at the bottom and nodded to Mel and the archeologist. Carefully Janice went down then stood aside and watched to make sure her soulmate got down safely. Lastly was the guard with the rifle. He hopped down to the ground and Hope came around to the back of the truck. Nestor and another Nazi held a flashlight shined down at the ground.
"Let's go inside" Nestor nodded to Hope and he led the way with the flashlight. The group came around the back of the truck. There in front of them about five hundred paces away was a huge temple. It was old, which was easily to tell. Parts of the sides of the temple had been ruined, some of the roof as well had toppled down. It was an aerie color the temple, a washed out black and gray. At the entrance of the temple it looked as if three guards stood at the door, torches lighting the way at the front doors and steps.
The group came to the steps. Janice took a good look at the guards. They were dressed as Nazi and on their left lapel were small Nazi swastikas pinned on. Guns hooked to their right sides in holster and rifles hanging off their backs.
They walked in, the three guards remained at the door's entrance. The inside of the temple was gigantic. There was a huge skull off to the left and to the right was an open pit, it was glowing a bright orange and yellow. Something in Janice's body twitched at the sight of that fire pit, her stomach turned. Melinda herself spotted that same pit, her jaw tightened up and she didn't have an explanation as to why. That pit though made her anger flow thicker.
"Do you want them down below?" Dahok's daughter looked to Nestor and replied back.
"Yes we must wait for nightfall to come to begin the sacrifice. Take them below with three guards. I want the rest to prepare for the ceremony and keep an eye out for intruders" Nestor nodded his head and looked to the six men around Janice and the aristocrat.
"Take them below and lock them up till its time" One of the guards nodded and all six men escorted Janice and Mel to the left where there are a set of spiral stone steps leading down below. They all went down with Nestor behind them. Hope looked from where the group left to the skull. She took a deep breath as her eyes narrow. She then shifted her eyes to the pit and a grin slipped into place. She whirled around and stalked of to the right through a doorway into some other part of the temple.
Mel stepped into the cell first her bonds being cut, Janice coming in next and her bonds also being cut. The soulmates turned around to watch the guards all shift. Nestor and three of his men left and went back up stairs, three remained to guard the pair. The three guards remaining moved to sit somewhere, torches burning brightly along the walls. They all out of earshot and their guns placed back into their holsters.
"How are you feeling?" Melinda looked to her soulmate and replied back.
"Okay, how are yo feeling?"
"About the same" They both faintly grinned to each other.
"Janice we need tuh figure uh way out of dis" The northerner nodded her head and she moved to sit on the ground, her back against the bars. Melinda did the same, sitting beside Janice. Both women had their legs propped up.
"Well we're not getting out of this cell. We need to do something when that sacrifice starts. That's our only chance" The aristocrat nodded her head. Janice reached up and removed her hat, she placed it to her right on the stone floor.
"For once being Xena's and Gabrielle's decedents aint helpen us out" The archeologist looked to her soulmate and nodded her head. Her small left hand went over and grasped Mel's hand. Their hands intertwined together and shifted to lie between their bodies. Janice dropped her head back against the bars, emerald eyes closing. Mel squeezed her soulmate's hand tightly then loosens her hold a little. The archeologist smiled. "Yo would think dat Starling and duh others would know about dis" Janice reopened her eyes then replied back.
"You'd think so. But they're sorta in the middle of no where" The southerner sighed and also laid her head against the bars. They both held tight the other's hand. For fear swept through their minds and bodies that this might just be the end. But something else deep within told a different story, they both clung on to that little something that seemed to hold a lot of little power.
~*Part 9*~
A cling, cling was heard. Janice and the translator both slowly opened their eyes. They'd been sleeping the entire day and the archeologist figured it to be quite late afternoon since the room was dark again. The soulmates had fallen asleep due to the fact they lost a considerable amount of sleep.
But now the jail door creaked open and Nestor stood in the gateway of the cell.
"Get up the both of you. It's time" Janice took her hat off the floor and put it on, she slowly stood. Then Melinda stood up from the cold hard floor. The soulmates stepped out of the cell once Nestor backed out of the way. The three guards from earlier stood just outside of the cell, their revolvers in their hands. "Follow me"
The pair walked behind Nestor, the three guards behind the soulmates. They climbed the stairs and came back up to the main part of the temple. There centered in the middle of the temple was a huge stone sacrifice table, chains hanging down off it. To the right of it lay a wooden table with a red cloth over it. On the table lay three swords and two particular daggers. The two daggers for some reason Janice recognized. One was long and narrow, mostly silver. The second one though was dark and a wider blade, the archeologist quickly spotted what looked to be dark bloodstain on the blade.
Melinda also took to the notice of the daggers, the wider bloodstain dagger jolted something inside of her. She'd felt like she'd seen it before. Had she?
Everybody stopped moving and Hope walked out of the side doorway. She now wore a red robe that matched the red shade of the cloth over the table. The hood over her head and black streaks over the robe, her hands just visible. Hope nodded her head to Nestor. He stalked off to the doorway Hope had entered through. She then snapped her fingers and three more Nazi guards came inside from outside of the temple, they came up behind the pair.
"I want three of you taking care of Covington. The other three take Pappas" Two men roughly grabbed Janice Covington and two other's grasped Mel. Janice struggled but the belle didn't. Hope walked over to the sacrifice table, the three men with the translator followed behind. Mel never struggled.
"Mel!" Melinda Pappas went into a daze mode, Janice's calling her name never reached her. The two Nazis holding Mel's arms pushed her down on the table on her back. They held her arms down and Hope moved to shackle her down. Dahok's daughter then went to the end of the table and chained Mel's ankles. "Mel!" The archeologist tugged free from the two Nazi guards holding her. Quickly the three Nazis at the sacrifice table rushed to Janice and stopped her, one pointing a gun at Janice. The small blond stopped and stared into the man's cold eyes.
"Janice, I recommend you don't make any more moves. I don't think you'll be much help to Miss Pappas if you're shot" The archeologist dropped her shoulders after Hope's words. The three Nazi guards grasped Janice and dragged her back to the other three guards. Now she was well surrounded by six men.
Nestor reentered himself now dressed in a red robe with a tall hat on. He walked over to Hope with an evil grin playing on his lips. That's when the fire pit behind erupted, flames coming high up from it. Nestor looked to Hope.
"Its time Chosen, it is nightfall once again" Hope smiled some as her eyes narrowed, she nodded. Nestor walked to the side of the sacrifice table where the three swords and two daggers lay, Hope going to the opposite side. Hope looked down at Melinda Pappas, blue eyes looked up to her, they were hard and distant. Mel then turned her head to look directly up, her eyes closing. The daughter of Dahok looked up to Nestor and nodded.
"Mel!" Janice struggled against the men holding her back. "Mel wake up!" One of them then pulled out his revolver and held it to Janice's head. The archeologist's pleads echoed off the walls of the temple.
Slowly Nestor lifted up the blood stained dagger from the table in two hands. He held it in both of the palms of his hands and outstretched his hands over Mel's body, his hands out to Hope. Hope lifted up the dagger and gazed at it. The fire pit behind them erupted again and Hope looked to Janice.
"Janice Covington, you will be next sacrifice to the One-God" The Dahok's daughter then looked back to Mel and curled both of her hands around the hilt of the dagger. She lifted the blood stained dagger over her head. Janice battled and fought against the men that held her.
"No! Mel wake up!" Hope took a deep breath. She clenched her teeth the fire pit erupted again. Nestor narrowed his eyes at Melinda Pappas. Janice Covington struggled with all her might against the six men.
Gunshots went off.
Hope whipped her head to the right at Janice and the men. Everybody was frozen in place. Gunshots rung again outside of the temple.
"Three of you get out there and stop whoever that is now!" Three of the Nazis nodded to Hope's orders and rushed off to the door of the temple. Gun shots rung through the air again as the three men went outside with their guns drawn. Hope then turned her head back to Melinda Pappas, her eyes still closed. "Nothing can stop the One-God!" She brought the dagger over her head once again.
Melinda Pappas' eyes flew open. Hope was caught in mid-action as her eyes became locked with Melinda's. Hope stared into navy eyes, they were twinkling. They flashed with danger, hatred, anger, and pure darkness.
Hope's eyes widen in disbelief as Melinda Pappas brought up her left hand. She broke the chains and grasped Hope by the robe at her chest. Dahok's daughter was then thrown over Melinda Pappas and crashed into Nestor on the other side. Hope and Nestor then crashed into the table behind, the swords and dagger flying off the table and onto the ground.
This caught everybody off guard. Janice stared in amazement. She then quickly realized her three Nazi guards were as well. Taking advantage of this, she brought up her right arm. The archeologist nailed one man in the face with her elbow then brought her fist forward to punch the second man in the face with the revolver. Lastly she kicked behind and hit the third Nazi between the legs. Gunshots from outside now went off more continuously.
Mel brought up her right hand and broke the chains. She then kicked up her legs and broke the other bonds around her ankles. Rolling off the table, she landed on her feet and faced Hope and Nestor on the other side of the sacrifice table. Hope stood up from the ground then Nestor did as well.
"Stop them!" The three Nazis all came to and the three race to Janice. Hope and Nestor though faced the dark Melinda. In Hope's hands still lay the dagger. Nestor picked up the slim dagger that was on the floor by his feet. Dahok's daughter then looked to the three swords on the ground, her eyes narrowed. The swords slowly lifted up into the air. Hope's cold eyes turned to Melinda.
The three swords flew through the air at the belle. The translator ducked and they swiped past and crashed into the wall behind her and embedded into the wall.
"You'll have to do better then that Hope" The blond growled at Melinda's words. The front entrance to the temple then boomed open, four Nazis came rushing in, bloody faces. Two other Nazis slowly backed in, their rifles down shooting at something. Hope and Nestor turned their heads to the scene. Melinda grinned at that and ran to the wall where the three swords stuck out of the wall. She tugged at the center one and it came out. She spun the sword with a grin, it felt right.
Janice ducked as a fist passed over her head. She leaned to the right as another one came at her. The archeologist grinned and kicked. She hit the Nazi right in the stomach, he back stepped coughing. Another Nazi came at her, one already on the ground unconscious.
The four Nazis that came in earlier with bloody faces noticed Melinda. They all raced towards the belle with their guns. Melinda saw them rushing her. She laughed, bent her legs some. Once they came two paces away she leaped into the air and flipped forward over them. The four Nazis stopped running and turned around to face her. They aimed their guns at her.
At the same time they all shot at Melinda. She saw it coming and leaped high into the air again with a war cry. Nothing hit her and she landed back to the ground with a devilish grin. They all looked to each other in amazement. The four men then pulled back their hammers on the guns and pulled the trigger. Nothing, no ammo. "Come on boys, show me what you really got" Two of them growled and charged Mel. The other two looked up to the swords above them and grinned.
The archeologist's fist connected with the Nazis face. He shook his head then punched Janice back, blood tricked down Janice's lower lip.
"I just love a good fight!" Janice pulled back her fist. But before she could punch the Nazi he went sprawling to the ground. Another Nazi on top of him. The archeologist looked up to the direction the man came flying from and saw a grinning Starling. "Starling?" The Amazon smiled and three women came up behind the Amazon Queen. One was Hellenes, the second Sylvia and the wondrous Doctor Emily Leukos. Starling was dressed in her Amazon attire, sword sheathed on her back and staff in hand. Hellenes and Sylvia were also in their Amazon garb with their swords in hand, masks over their heads. Emily Leukos on the other hand was dressed in dirty brown pants and her white blouse untucked, boots on.
"Thought you might like some help Janice" The archeologist grinned up at Starling.
"Your timing could have been a little better" The Amazon chuckled and then they all took to notice the Nazis getting back up. The three by Janice staggered up and glared at Janice. Starling lifted her staff and tossed it to Janice.
"Use my staff Janice" The archeologist caught it and stared at it for a moment in her hands.
"How the hell am I gonna use this thing?" She looked up to spot the three men coming at her. "Shit" The other six Nazis off to the right of the Amazons were getting up as well. Starling nodded to them and she moved with Hellenes and Sylvia. Starling drew her sword and the three Amazons advanced on the six Nazis. The doctor on the other hand went over to the brawl Janice is caught in.
Melinda kicked high and sent one man sprawling to the ground. She spun her sword again and advanced on the man with one of the swords. Metal crashed. Mel then swung her sword at the man's stomach, he jumped back. The belle laughed and brought her sword over her head as the Nazi to her right tried to bring his sword down on her. She then brought her blade down and swiped at her right, cutting the man. He fell to the ground beside two other Nazis. The aristocrat looked back to the last standing Nazi.
"Sorry we didn't get here earlier Doctor Covington" Janice drove forward with the butt of the staff. It made contact with the Nazi's stomach, he bent forward.
"For Christ sakes just call me Janice" Emily laughed for a moment then whirled around doing a high kick. The man was hit in the face and he went reeling to the ground.
"Only if you call me Emily"
"Deal!" Emily Leukos turned and watched as Janice did rapped hits to the Nazi's sides. She stopped and the man fell to the ground in a heap. The archeologist looked up to Leukos and nodded. The Amazon looked to where the other three Amazons were. She ran over and joined them. Janice looked to her soulmate. Her mouth fell.
Melinda Pappas just ran up the side of the temple wall, pushed off it and did a back flip landing on her feet with a sword in hand. The Nazi turned around with his sword. Behind the southerner the pit exploded again. Hope and Nestor the entire time had been standing aside watching the fights. Nestor narrowed his eyes at Melinda. He moved. Nestor shifted past the sacrifice table, dagger in hand, Mel had her back to him. Janice's eyes widen. Nestor raised his hand up with the dagger. "No!" Janice Covington broke out into a sprint and leaped once close enough. Staff in front of her body and she crashed into Nestor. The two of them went rolling onto the ground.
Pain shot through Janice's left shoulder. Her staff had spun across the floor and Nestor lay under her, the dagger in her shoulder. The archeologist looked down at the man, his dark eyes looking up at her.
"I'll kill you Covington" Nestor punched Janice and the blond rolled to her left onto her back. The dagger still embedded into her shoulder. She looked to her left to see Nestor picking up a gun from the ground that lay near an unconscious Nazi. He pointed the revolver at Janice and pulled back the hammer.
Melinda rushed Nestor right then. Her sword came down and knocked the gun from his hands. She kicked the man in the face. He went flying and crashed into the sacrifice table, slid down it, eyes closed head slumped forward.
"Don't mess with my soulmate" Blue eyes narrowed down at Nestor after Melinda said that. She turned around to Janice and walked over to her. The archeologist sat up as Mel bent down to one knee, the sword going to the ground. Janice grasped the dagger in her left shoulder. All of a sudden Janice's looked up and her eyes went unfocussed. "Janice?"
Gabrielle slowly pulled the long thin dagger from the woman's stomach. Blood dripped off the dagger's tip, the woman falling to her knees. She looked down to the dagger still in her hands, her blood soaked hands. The blade was masked in deep red. Gabrielle lifted up her red hands with the dagger and stared at them for a few moments, her eyes in horror. She threw back her head and screamed.
Janice's head jerked and she came to. The blond ripped the dagger from her shoulder and turned to the pit. She looked to the dagger again and then to the pit. She threw the dagger at the pit and it went flying in. The flames exploded from the pit as if in rejection. Janice's horror filled eyes turned back to Mel. "Janice?"
"Mel?"
"Hey yeah its me Janice" The belle's right hand went up to caress the archeologist's cheek. "You okay?"
"I think so. You okay?" Mel sadly smiled and nodded.
"Yeah" Emerald eyes shifted from the translator to the opposite side of the sacrifice table. There stood Hope, her eyes looking around. Her dark green eyes turned to Janice and Mel. She gritted her teeth and lifted the dagger in her hands. She sprinted ahead.
"Dahok will be reborn!" Janice's eyes widen.
"Mel!" Quickly Melinda Pappas stood back up and turned around to Hope. Dahok's daughter jumped up onto the sacrifice table and leaped forward with the dagger out at the tall belle. Mel braced herself and brought her hands up to catch Hope. The southerner's hands wrapped around Hope's wrists as the small blond smashed into Mel. They fell back onto the ground, Hope on top of Mel. Hope wrapped both of her hands around the red stained dagger's hilt and brought it over the other woman's chest. Mel's own hands around Hope's wrists pushing up.
Janice looked over to her soulmate and Hope. She began to stand up. Her body jolted and her eyes unfocussed again, her back going ridged.
Gabrielle looked up to Ares. Her eyes then shifted to the Fates. One of them held a pair of scissors, the scissors open and the blades between a thread, Xena's thread. Then all three Fates spoke simultaneously.
"If Xena kills Hope, Xena will die" Gabrielle stared at Xena's life thread. The Debt.
Spring eyes refocused and Janice looked over to her soulmate again as she sat on her knees. She watched as the pair rolled, Mel now on top of Hope. Melinda Pappas now had the dagger pointing down to Hope's throat. Mel grinned wildly at Hope and slightly laughed. "Stop!" Janice sprung to her feet and leaped towards the two women. She went barreling into Mel and the dagger skidded to the ground. Hope was left on her back stunned. Emerald and sapphire locked.
"Janice?" The archeologist turned her head to Hope. Dahok's daughter was getting up. Janice's eyes averted to the dagger. She reached out and clasped it. She bounced to her feet and whirled around, Hope stood up at the same time. Janice drove forward with the dagger. It sunk into Hope's stomach.
Two sets of emerald eyes locked.
Janice watched as Hope's eyes moved down to see the dagger in her stomach. She looked back up to Janice, Hope's expression hard. Janice looked deep into sea green eyes and saw something deep with in them.
They were filled with regret. And a small amount of goodness and love were held in them, a light.
The Daughter of Dahok backed away from the dagger then fell forward on her knees. Her eyes rolled back up into her head and then she fell to her side, her hands going to the wound. She closed her eyes and her hands went limp with her body, breathing stopped. Blood slowly seeped out of the wound.
Janice Covington looked down to the dagger still in her hands. It was coated in blood, as are her hands. Her eyes looked down to Hope to see the slow stream of blood crawling onto the floor, red as Hope's robe. Janice slowly brought up her hands with the dagger and stared horrified at her blood soaked hands and dagger. She could feel the warm blood trickle down her hands and wrists. She looked up and screamed. Tears spilled down her cheeks, her eyes going red as her hands.
"No no get it off me" Janice desperately tried to wipe the blood off on pants only smearing it onto her trousers. She dropped the dagger and it landed directly in front of Hope's open eyes with a cling. "No…no…no" She wiped the blood all over her pants and shirt, it only rubbed more into her hands. "Get it off"
Janice then felt to strong hands grasp her shoulders. She whirled around to stare up into soft sky eyes. Janice fell into her soulmate and Melinda wrapped her arms around the smaller woman. The archeologist placed her head into Mel's chest and cried. The archeologist's body shook and small arms wrapped around Melinda. Janice felt her knees begin to buckle under her and the soulmates slowly slipped down to their knees on the ground. Melinda's head on top of Janice's head. She began to cry as well. The two soulmates cried. Janice Covington tucked up into Melinda Pappas' lap.