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Moribund or Bust! "Give me Xena or give me death!" By Zeplerfer Disclaimer: I don't own Xena or Gab, a powerful malevolent force does. Grrr. Warnings: Well, it does have a bit of mild language, but dammit, I swear everywhere! Oh, and this isn't my usual funny story, it is more serious (well, as serious as I can be). Plot: What an odd word, I'm sorry, the closest word I know is "plothole" is that close enough? ~~~~~Gabrielle gently slid her finger along the knife, caressing the cold hard steel. She stared at the knife intently. Should she? Could she? ~~~~~"Gabrielle, no!" Xena's voice broke Gabrielle's reverie as Xena materialized. ~~~~~"You can't stop me," Gabrielle gazed sadly at her soulmate. "You're nothing but a spirit now, a phantom. There's nothing there to touch the knife ... or me." ~~~~~"Please Gabrielle, don't kill yourself," Xena stepped towards her lover and reached for the knife, but stopped short. She knew Gabrielle was right, she couldn't stop her by physical means; all she had was her words, and words had always been Gabrielle's forte, not hers. ~~~~~"Why not? You did. Oh, it might not have been your hand that struck the killing blow, but you know as well as I that you could have prevented your death, but didn't." ~~~~~"I'm sorry Gabrielle, but those souls..." ~~~~~Gabrielle interrupted Xena's excuse, "Don't try to explain Xena, I don't understand. I'll never understand." She turned away from her soulmate. ~~~~~"Please Gabrielle," tears began streaming down Xena's face, "I want you to be with me, but not like this. Don't do this!" ~~~~~"Why not?" Gabrielle shouted at her soulmate, "I remember when you went heedlessly into danger, over and over in the hopes of paying for your sins. Was I not worth staying alive for? And then you did it again in Japan. You died, killed yourself as if your life was worth nothing," Gabrielle spoke softly, "but it was. It meant the world to me. And now I've lost my world. I would follow you anywhere Xena, into the future, into alternate worlds," Gabrielle paused and added in a whisper, "into death, into Hades." ~~~~~Xena placed her hand gently against Gabrielle's cheek. Gabrielle shivered, all that was left of her soft, warm Xena was a cold ghost no more substantial than mist. Still, she placed her hand over Xena's. "What's it like?" Gabrielle asked. ~~~~~"What? Death?" Xena replied; Gabrielle nodded. "I don't know, I chose to stay with you. Wherever death leads, we'll go there together." ~~~~~Gabrielle smiled faintly, "Yes, we will." She lifted the knife. "I wish I could chop off my head, it would seem fitting. Better yet, I wish I could chop of Akemi's head! Pity that bitch is dead." ~~~~~In desperation Xena spoke, "Gabrielle, remember what you told me about how I could do more good in life than I could in death? You don't want to be a hypocrite do you?" ~~~~~"It's not the same Xena, I'm not dying to pay for any evils I've caused. Sure, I could stay and fight evil more in this war-torn world. But I've already fought and died for this world. I've bled and cried for this world. I've given my life to this world; I think I deserve my death for myself." ~~~~~Xena gazed solemnly at her soulmate, "I love you, Gabrielle." ~~~~~"I love you, Xena," were Gabrielle's final words. She slit her wrists and drifted slowly into the oblivion of death. ~~~~~Gabrielle gasped and leapt out of the bedroll. "Xena?" she cried desperately. She turned to see her soulmate rousing slowly besider her. ~~~~~"Huh?" Xena opened her eyes. Gabrielle hugged Xena tightly. "It's good to see you too," Xena spoke bemusedly. After a few more moments they seperated. ~~~~~"Xena, I'm so glad you're fine, I love you Xena, promise you'll never leave me," Gabrielle gushed to her confused soulmate. ~~~~~"Gabrielle, you know I'd never leave you." ~~~~~"Promise me Xena, promise me you won't." ~~~~~"By the river Styx, I swear I'll never leave you," Xena pledged. ~~~~~Gabrielle smiled, "Xena, can we spend the rest of our lives in Greece? Maybe settle down, say, right now?" ~~~~~Xena blinked, "Well, it that's what you want. Gabrielle, what's gotten into you?" ~~~~~Gabrielle didn't speak for several moments, when she did it was in a whisper, "I saw our deaths Xena. I know we will die one day, but, it was horrible. I've never had a dream with so many plotholes and we didn't act at all like ourselves. I could never dream up such an asinine story on my own; I think it has to be the work of some powerful malevolent force. Some force that wants you dead." ~~~~~"It's ok, Gabrielle. I'm here now, we'll stay in Greece and everything will be fine." ~~~~~"Xena, pinch me." ~~~~~"What?!?" Xena looked in shock at her soulmate. ~~~~~"Pinch me." ~~~~~"If that's what you want..." Xena put "the pinch" on Gabrielle. ~~~~~"No... no... not this... kind of... pinch!" Gabrielle choked. Xena quickly unpinched her soulmate. Gabrielle gasped and coughed, "I meant a regular pinch! I wanted to be certain I wasn't dreaming." ~~~~~"I'm so sorry, Gabrielle. I'll make it up to you. ~~~~~"You'd better," Gabrielle muttered, then smiled, "and I know how." ~~~~~Xena winked at Gabrielle. And they lived happidly ever after. Or at least until the next fanfic author killed them off/tortured them/made a new rift. (but not of Gabrielle ;) |