The Story: This takes place in the very first episode, Sins of the Past, where Xena and Gabrielle meet for the first time. This is mainly uber fiction though. However, instead of the characters being those that come after the actual Xena and Gabrielle, these come before them. Confused yet? Don't worry, you will be after reading this.

Mushball alert. Yes, this is a big 'ol sappy kinda story. I'm not the blow-em-up type, sorry. Although, you have to admit, that's pretty hard to do in ancient Greece.

The Author: As always, would love to hear what you guys thought. You can write to me at xenickz@hotmail.com

Xena watched silently, impressed despite herself , as the village girl offered herself to the raiders in place of the rest. The leader ordered one of his men to whip her. Deciding this had gone on long enough, she stepped forward, catching the whip just in time. All eyes turned to her. The last thing the soldier saw was her fist speeding towards his face before he fell unconscious. "Get her, "the leader roared. Soldiers rushed toward her and she leapt into the air, somersaulting and landing behind them. She spun around and found herself facing the forest green eyes of the girl. Their gazes locked and held and everything around them , even time itself, seemed to stop as two lost souls found each other once again and rejoiced.

Laina smiled at her new found friend. "You know they say the eyes are the windows to the soul?"

That earned her a raised eyebrow but the expression remained the same. Cool, aloof, detached. She looked into brilliant blue eyes but she couldn't tell what Ariana was thinking at all. They were devoid of emotions, empty. "Not to mine, "Araina said evenly. Laina looked away. "I guess not" she mumbled .

The windows to her soul were locked, shut and bolted.

She watched Ariana strike at pretend opponents, parrying with a skill that seemed beyond her years. "Ariana?" she called softly. "Hmmm?" came the reply as Ariana ducked a thrust that came way too close for comfort, then spun around and drove her mother's best broom into her "opponent's" stomach , her long dark hair flying about her. "What do you want to be when you grow up?" she asked. Ariana punched her imaginary enemy and ended with a roundhouse kick. "That's easy, "she said with a triumphant grin. "I'm going to be a fighter. I'm going to be one of the best soldiers ever, ".

Laina frowned. "But there aren't any women soldiers, ".

Ariana sat down next to her. "Not here but there are in other places, " she said knowledgeably. Laina looked at her in awe. "Really?" .

She nodded. "Besides, even if there aren't I'll just have to be the first then. I'm good enough, "she said with a shrug. Laina nodded. None of the boys could beat Ariana. She was better and faster and stronger than all of them. Laina lay on the grass looking up at the sky. "I want to write, "she confided shyly. "I want to be a story-teller, ". She sneaked a peek at Ariana waiting for her to burst into uncontrollable laughter. Ariana studied her then nodded thoughtfully. "I think you'd be good at that, ".

Laina sat up startled. "R. . . really?" she stammered, surprised. Ariana grinned wryly. "I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it, ". Laina beamed. Ariana was the first person who had encouraged her to pursue her dream. The rest had either laughed or told her she was too young or not good enough or she should just get married and have children. She lost her smile. As it was, her parents had already agreed to her betrothal to Peter Wilson. "My mother said I should forget about things like that. She said I should just concentrate on being a good daughter and someday a good wife, "she said darkly. Ariana gave an unladylike snort. "I think you should do whatever you want. If I lived my life like they wanted me to, then I'd end up running my mother's inn. I'm not going to waste my life sitting behind the bar in some town. I'm going to be somebody. I want to make a difference in people's lives, "she finished, her blue eyes alive with determination.

"Me too, "Laina gave a hesitant grin. "Maybe. . maybe we can do it together, "Laina said hopefully. A slow smile lit Ariana's face. "Maybe we can, ".

She opened her eyes, blinking several times and shut them again with a quiet groan. The bright light streaming through the window hurt her eyes. Her head was throbbing. In fact every part of her body ached. Her mouth was dry and her throat parched. "Water, "she croaked softly hoping desperately that someone would hear her. "Laina?" A concerned voice rang out. "You're awake?" . Ariana hurried to her side, carrying a glass of water. She helped Laina up and held the glass to her lips. Laina almost cried in relief as the cool water flowed down her parched throat. She drank greedily, stopping only when the glass was empty. She lay her head back down, meeting Ariana's concerned blue eyes. "Hi, "she said weakly.

"Hi? After everything you put us through all I get is a hi?" Ariana said with mock anger but Laina could see her heart wasn't in it. It was only then she realized that Ariana looked exhausted. Her vibrant eyes were dull and red-rimmed and her hair limp. In fact, she looked like she hadn't slept in ages. "What happened?" .

"You fainted suddenly, without any warning at all. You were unconscious for three days. We were pretty worried, "Ariana said, trying to sound nonchalant.

Laina watched her puzzled. She looked as though she was desperately trying not to break down. Ariana's lip was trembling but why…then it hit her.

Ariana was afraid and that scared her because Ariana was never afraid. Never. "Ariana?" She whispered, her heart thudding painfully against her chest.

Araina turned away and from the trembling of her shoulders, Laina could tell she was crying. She couldn't remember when she had ever seen her cry. "Ariana, what's wrong?"

"The healer…he said…, "Ariana swallowed. "He said you're sick. That you're not going to get better, ". Her voice dropped to a whisper. "He said you don't have much time left, ".

Ariana reached for Laina's hand, expecting…well, not knowing what to expect but certainly not the calm, dry-eyed girl that meet her eyes. She frowned, staring hard at her and then it dawned on her so suddenly that it took her breath away. Surprise and hurt filled her eyes.

"You knew, "she whispered, with child-like surprise, her voice filled with anguish. "You knew that you were ill and you never told me! Me! "

She stared accusingly at Laina, her voice growing steadily louder.

Laina looked in blue eyes that were as cold as ice.

Ariana's whole demeanor had changed. Her face seemed closed off, her body radiating aloofness. The barriers were in place.

"Yes, I knew, "Laina said quietly.

Ariana looked out the window, squinting.

"Aren't you going to ask me why? Why I never told you?" .

Ariana continued to look away, her jaw clenched.

"Because I didn't want to lose you, ". That got her attention. Ariana turned to her expectantly, silently demanding an explanation.

Laina gave a sad smile. "It sounds ridiculous doesn't it? Especially since I'm going to die. I'm going to lose you inevitably. But what I meant was I didn't want you to shut me out, ". Ariana's head snapped up, startled.

Laina nodded. "That's what you would have done. I know you. That's how you deal with loss, you distance yourself from it because that hurts so much less than caring. Caring makes you vulnerable, so you don't. Care, I mean. Maybe it was selfish and wrong but you have no idea how much it meant to me. Ariana, don't you see? For the first time, you were starting to open up to me. I couldn't lose…that, ". Laina reached out feebly for her hand. "Don't shut me out now, "Laina whispered.

Slowly, Ariana's eyes, then her expression softened. Her lip began to tremble and tortured blue eyes hold her gaze.

Finally, the windows were open.

For the first time since she had known her, Ariana was finally opening herself up to Laina. Totally and completely. Tears filled her azure eyes and she fell into Laina's open arms. "I. . I don't want to lose you, "she sobbed into Laina's shoulder. "You won't, "Laina said firmly. "You won't get rid of me that easily, "she said with a watery grin. Ariana pulled back and gave her an embarrassed smile, wiping tears away.

"Besides, I'll find you again, "Laina said determinedly.

"You promise?" Ariana whispered, the naked vulnerability in her eyes tugging at Laina's heart.

"I promise, "Laina said, covering Ariana's hand with her own.

Xena froze, recognizing the girl yet certain she had never seen her before. There seemed to be some sort of…. connection that she couldn't identify. Then just as quickly as it had come, the feeling disappeared. She blinked and pulled herself together, angry at the sudden loss in concentration. She broke the gaze and turned her attention back to her attackers. The moment was gone and all that was left of it was a promise fulfilled, although forgotten.