This is the sequel to Gabrielle Destroyer of Nations, I'd reccomend reading it first or this will make no sense (Not that it does anyways... Ooh, stop hitting me NewGab!)
Quick Preview: Xena and Gabrielle are trying to solve their many problems, but their lack of communication is getting in the way. Thanks to a little sense from the Gods, they get together again.
Disclaimers: I don�t own Xena or Gabrielle (damn I wish I did) they belong to the producers (damn I wish they didn�t) this is just me releasing my anger about the finale
Subtext: Please even the show has admitted it�but this is a strictly PG-13 story you want to see more than that go somewhere else. If the thought of two woman in love with each other offends you at all� I feel really sorry for you and I suggest you go somewhere else
Violence: Hmmmm�Xena WARRIOR Princess there might be just a tad bit a violence given the name of the show�PG-13 level here too sorry. I suck at R rated stuff
Spoilers: Yes, Seasons 1-6
Gabrielle was not sure where she was going. All she did know is that she needed to get away from Xena. Away from the pain, seeing the warrior seemed to cause her. Xena was just as horrified at Gabrielle as the rest of the world. Knowing that hurt so much. Yet, it made her laugh remembering the crazy looks Xena gave her when they had just started their adventures. Xena thought it was crazy for anyone to want to be with her then. And she was right it makes so much sense now. Gabrielle would just be dragging Xena down from her destiny by letting her be with her. Her reputation as a good doer would be ruined if she traveled with her now.
That and Gabrielle just did not deserve to travel with the warrior princess anymore. She had ruined their destiny to spend lifetime after lifetime with Xena protecting the innocent by letting her grief take control over what she knew was wrong. She could never be with Xena again�
At that thought, Gabrielle slumped to her knees in tears. She then collapsed on the snowy ground, pulled her knee to her chest and wracked with sobs.
Gabrielle immediately stopped, jumped to her feet and held one of her sias at battle stance, the other arm still cradled to her body as the god of war materialized in front of her.
�Well isn�t this just the most interesting story?� He asked amused. As he circled the warrior bard.
�What is?� Gabrielle asked with a flat tone to her voice.
�It used to be Xena running around the world righting the wrongs of her past with a little tag-along bard insisting to help her with her redemption. Xena of course reluctantly allowed you tag along because she loved you trusted your judgment on what was best for yourself... And later what was best for her self.� Ares stopped circling the bard now and looked her in the eye. �But now your roles are reversed and you are the one seeking redemption and it is Xena who is trying to tag-along because she believes it�s best for her and you, you then run away like a frightened deer desperate to protect her. And I do believe that was the very thing that drove you insane when you first started traveling. Quite the hypocrite aren�t we Gabrielle?� Ares questioned.
�You don�t understand if she stays with me everyone will think she�s evil again and I would be ruining her reputation-� Ares cut her off with a roar of laughter.
�Her reputation? She lives, breathes, sleeps, eats, drinks� everything for you and you worry about her reputation? Gabrielle let me tell you something about the new Xena that you I might add helped shape. She doesn�t give a damn what the rest of the world thinks of her all she cares about is what you think about her and how to make your life better and keeping the world in order�all that not necessarily in that order.�
�But-� Gabrielle tried to say but was interrupted once again.
�Lets get one thing straight Blondie I don�t give a damn about you or anything other than war and destruction and that�s how it�s always been. Yet, for some damn strange reason I care for Xena. And her sanity just like yours apparently does depends on the both of you being together so I wouldn�t be here trying to get you back together unless it was because is was something that was good for Xena so stop the sniveling whining crap and get back to Xena!� Ares finally shouted his frustration with the warrior bard shining through his attempt at diplomacy.
Gabrielle finally nodded in agreement. �Never thought I�d say it but your right Ares. And you at least answered my question as you why you cared to help me get over this. I was scared there for a second that you liked me.�
�Not bloody likely.� Ares told her. �Of course your not quite as annoying as you where back when you first started traveling with Xena.� He smiled almost friendly like to Gabrielle�that scared her.
�Well I�ve got something to do before I catch up with Xena so I�d better get going.� Gabrielle told him.
�Oh nonono you can�t do that. Xena and Aphrodite are going insane over where you are and the fact that you are hurt and all that crap. I�m tired of hearing them whine I�m taking you to them!� Ares was about to teleport them both to Xena and the goddess of love when Gabrielle interrupted him.
�Ares! Look I�ve got to take care of this thing tell Xena I�ll meet her in the next village so that she�ll stop going ballistic okay?�
�What is it you have to do?� Ares questioned.
�Get my stuff.�
�Which is with your former army?�
�Yes.�
�That�s not a good idea. Your not exactly fit to take on your army whom I�m sure are a little ticked off about you abandoning them.� Ares warned.
�I know the risks Ares. I�m not going to run away from them I�m going to leave like a warrior.� Gabrielle told him shortly a bit angry that he thought otherwise.
�Gab I hate to tell you this but I sincerely doubt you can just tell them you don�t want to lead them you just came for your stuff bye. You�re going to have to-�
�Walk the gauntlet? Yeah Ares I know but I am going to try to avoid that. I�ll just get my stuff and sneak out I�ll come back later to deal with the army itself. I don�t think Xena would appreciate Argo being stuck with them so...�
�I don�t think Xena would appreciate finding your head on a post either.� Ares told her as he watched Gabrielle walk off, his last attempt to stop her.
�Didn�t stop her from facing an army when it was I who didn�t like the idea of her head on a post!� Gabrielle shot back as she started running toward her army�s camp.
�Damnit!� Ares growled as he disappeared in a flash of blue light.
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�Did you find her?� Xena asked desperately as the god of war materialized.
Xena and Aphrodite had been searching throughout the forest for the warrior bard both to impatient for Gabrielle to work out her problems�and both desperate to care for her wound.
�Yes I found her. She agreed that she made a mistake running off and said she�d meet you in the next village after she took care of something.� Ares told her.
Xena thought for a moment. �She�s going to face her army isn�t she?� Xena questioned. Ares nodded. �And you let her??!� Xena shouted at him.
�Hey! I�m lucky I pulled off convincing her to come back to you! That b...� After a glare from Xena, he immediately changed his choice of words �bard is really stubborn. She must have learned the trait from you.� He sneered.
�Take me to her armies camp.� Xena ordered the god her voice quivered just a bit at the words her army, disbelief even after so many years still overcame her...and guilt.
�Oh you wanna commit suicide too? Great then we�ll be back at square one with Gabby the terminator there.�
Xena growled a warning to him. �No, I want to be outside her camp to make sure she gets out alright and to make sure she doesn�t run off again, especially since she�ll more than likely be more hurt than she already is.�
�And your just going to watch while she gets hurt?� Aphrodite questioned.
�Its something Gabrielle has to do�It�s a warrior thing.� She told the
goddess.
Aphrodite just sighed. �She was sooo much more fun when she was just the bard.
�You�re telling me?� Xena and Ares both said at the same time. Then glared at each other.
�Come on lets get going.� Xena told them both. �You coming Aphrodite?� Xena asked already knowing the answer.
�Sorry I can�t bare to watch the sweet pea get beat up I�ll pop in when things have quieted down. Besides with all this stuff going on I�m like totally late for a facial.� In addition, with that the goddess was gone.
Ares sighed. �Come on.� Then they disappeared in a flash of blue light.
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�Hey Argo.� Gabrielle whispered softly to the warhorse, as she quickly saddled her. The entire camp was silent; all asleep save the few guards that watched at different points around the camp. Therefore, sneaking into her tent and retrieving the few personal items, she had and then sneaking to the tent where the horses were kept to get Argo had not been difficult.
�We�re going to go get Xena girl. You�ll have your old mistress back. You always liked her better than me didn�t you girl? She gave you more apples. And then we�ll go back to adventuring like we used to, remember?� Gabrielle smiled at the memory herself. �Alright girl come on lets get going. Quite now.� The warrior bard told the mare.
�Well, well our beloved leader returns from her mysterious disappearance to�what? Talk to the animals? My the men are right you really are crazy.� A voice from the shadows yelled out, as Gabrielle was about to walk out of the tent.
�Zarius. I�m really not in the mood for games.� Gabrielle told her second in command with a sigh as she turned around to face him.
Zarius was by no means handsome, his body was a mass of scars, and his hair was long and desperately needed washing. His teeth yellow, and crooked. Gabrielle grimaced at the site of him.
�No your not are you? You must return to your precious Xena whom I am guess came back to life sometime while you were gone. Not that far fetched by the stories told of your travels together, but that would mean that you would be leaving the army. And as you well know my dear former leader that there is only one way to leave an army and live to tell the tale.� Zarius told her smugly.
Gabrielle looked around as she noticed soldiers surrounding her. �The gauntlet.� She whispered softly her defeat evident in her voice.
Zarius grinned wickedly. �Well then, it�s getting late, we should get started.� Zarius clapped his hands together. Then addressed him men �Come on everyone form a line. We have business to attend to.�
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Xena and Ares appeared outside the camp and watched painfully the line of soldiers forming in a line on either side of the bard, who stood at the end of the line waiting to get the horror of the next few moments over with so she could be with Xena again.
�Gods sometimes I wish warriors weren�t so damned prideful. Gabrielle could so easily escape that!� Xena cursed under her breath.
�Look whose talking warrior princess! If I recall you very easily could have escaped your army as well.� Ares laughed.
�That was different I-�
�Cut the crap Xena, you know all your really thinking is that you deserve that treatment and Gabrielle doesn�t because she�s an innocent little bard. Xena you got to realize that you too are supposedly partners and these decisions you make should be decided together.� Ares told her seriously.
�But we didn�t discuss her doing that!� Xena protesting in her own defense.
�That is Gabrielle tying up the problems you caused her with making decisions without her.�
Xena growled in frustration. �Would you just stop bothering me? I can take care of it fine by myself now. Go destroy a village or something!�
Ares gave her a bored look. �Fine whatever. I was however quite looking forward to watching this little floor show...�
�Ares�� Xena warned.
�Yeah, yeah, I�m gone.� He said as he disappeared.
Ares words continued to swirl in Xena�s mind as she watched with a new sense of guilt, the horrors that she had in many ways help cause.
Tears began forming in the warrior�s eyes as she watched the soldiers� punch, kick, and pound down on her soulmate. A few times Gabrielle managed to fight back, but the overpowering strength of the warriors were too much for the warrior bard to fight off, as fists and clubs rained down on Gabrielle she fell to the ground and began crawling to the end of the seemingly endless line. Then at last she collapsed as her fingers barely passed the line.
Xena watched with an eerie familiarity to the whole scene. Greater familiarity filled her as the bard slowly rose to her feet.
Every bone in the warrior bard�s body aching with the abuse it just endured, but pride overcame her pain and she stood daring anyone to finish the job.
Zarius and his men all stood in awe as Gabrielle carefully mounted Argo, who knelt to assist her mistress. Gabrielle was amazed that she was being allowed out of camp without so much as a yell in protest from the army. Of course if they were yelling Gabrielle would not have noticed, for the aches and pains of both her battle with Akemi and the gauntlet were now making themselves known. When she was finally far away from the camp, and nearing unconsciousness, Xena decided to go to her soulmate. �Hey.� She soothed as she caught the bard as she fell off Argo, her body no longer willing to take the commands she made of it.
�Xe�� She managed.
�Shhh everything�s alright now. You're safe. Just rest now you�ll be fine.� Xena soothed� her heart desperately trying to convince herself of that. However, her logical mind knew better. Knew that Gabrielle had taken too hard of a beating and lost too much blood�
Oh gods this isn�t fair! Xena�s mind screamed. Just as I figure out how to make it right between us, she is taken from me! Oh, gods�she can�t die�oh gods please no�
�Gods Gabrielle I�m so sorry. If I could go back��
�Its okay...� Gabrielle�s weak voice told her. �The past is the past, can�t change it�even when we wish with�all that�we are�that we could�please Xe�don�t make the same mistake I made�go on and do all those�great things I knows inside you�don�t become me�� Gabrielle was struggling for words, her breath becoming shallow and more labored as she fought to comfort her love.
�Gab please�don�t leave�you can�t�� The warrior pleaded desperately. Gabrielle gave her a weak smile.
�Don�t worry�you�ll be fine�we�ll be together again someday�I love you...� Gabrielle shuddered out the last word as her last breath escaped her lungs.
�Gab...� was Xena�s last coherent as her world crashed down upon her.
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�This is so like sad.� Aphrodite told her brother as they watched through a magical portal in their wall on Olympus.
�Damnit just as those two finally figure out how they should do things this happens!� Ares shouted in frustration.
�Like Gab said if they only had a second chance...� Aphrodite started but was overcome with tears and begun sobbing to the point of driving the God of War insane.
They both thought for a minute than simultaneously said, �Wait a minute!�
�We can reverse time! Give them a second chance at life. They could like fix all the mistakes they made!�
�Yes but how far back do we want to send them?� Ares asked. �And are we sending ourselves there as well?�
�Well of course we�re sending ourselves there, Ares! And I know exactly when to send them back to. Just leave that part to me. But we will need to use both of our powers to send all four of us back.�
�Whatever. Lets just get this over with. I do have other things to do than saves those two�s asses all the time.�
�Ares you usually get their asses in trouble.�
�Yeah, yeah, shut up and lets do this.� Ares told her as he reached his hands out and clasped hers. And a blinding white light escaped from their hands.
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Xena could feel her world swirling into chaos. And at first, she thought it was just the grief of Gabrielle�s death, that was giving her this feeling, but then she opened her eyes and noticed she was no longer sitting in a field holding the dead body of her soulmate. She was walking on one side of Argo, the first Argo. She looked around the original chakram was strapped at her waist, and on the other side of the warhorse was Gabrielle. Longhaired and green halter topped Gabrielle.
Hope? Xena thought confused at what she was seeing, but as her eyes met that of the blond woman�s she knew without a doubt it was her bard. Her alive bard.
Xena was still confused of how Gabrielle was alive and why she was dressed like she was years before, but he joy that she was just here breathing forced all her logical thinking out of her for the time being.
Xena gave out an overjoyed yell as she grabbed the still confused Gabrielle and swung her around in a circle.
�Xena? Wha-? Are we dead?� Gabrielle questioned with a smile at Xena�s antics as she was finally released.
�I don�t know. And I�m not sure I care. So long as we�re dead together.�
�You�re catching on to my point.� Gabrielle laughed gently at her. Then she was silenced as Xena�s lips met hers. When they pulled away, Gabrielle spoke slightly breathlessly. �Can�t be dead for that to feel that good.�
�You saying I�m a bad kisser when I�m dead?� Xena questioned in a mock angered voice.
�Heh.�
Xena was about to reply when a two flashes, one pink and one blue, revealed the forms of Aphrodite and Ares.
�I suppose-if you two can tear yourselves away from each other for five minutes-explanations are in order.� Ares said in his usual dour voice.
�Jealous Ares?� Gabrielle questioned with a smirk.
Before any other exchanges took place however Aphrodite broke in. �Yeah well what we did was we like saw what happened with you guys and well we reversed time back though I didn�t quite me to go this far.
�How far back are we talking about?� Gabrielle queried.
�Ummm like right before you guys like left for Britannia.�
�You�re kidding right?� Xena questioned. The shake of both heads answered her.
�So all that stuff, Hope, our 25 year sleep, the death of the gods, none of that happened?� The bard asked in disbelief.
�Nope.�
�Xena we could prevent all that from happening! �We can fix all the mistakes we made! Isn�t this great?� Gabrielle beamed. Xena smiled in answer to her bard�s excitement. Then she flung her arms around the Goddess of Love. �Thank you so much Aphrodite.�
�No prob sweet pea just you makes sure you watch out for tall dark and deadly over there.� Aphrodite nodded her head towards Xena.
All three of them laughed at Xena�s outraged expression at the name-calling.
�Well we�ve got some things of our own to sort through in this time period so we�ll leave you two to�whatever it is you mortal types do. Come on bro.�
They both watched as the two gods disappeared each adjusting to what happened in there minds.
�Sooo�� Xena finally started. �Where to now?� Xena questioned affectionately, as she threw her arms around her soulmate�s shoulders, who in turn wrapped an arm around Xena�s waist.�
�Who cares so long as we�re both there.� Gabrielle replied with her infectious smile that one just could not resist smiling back to, Xena being no exception to the bard�s charms.
�Well then I guess I pick where we go.� Xena grunted out as she pulled herself on top of Argo. She then reached out her hand in offering for her bard to climb up.
�That�s a scary thought.� Gabrielle replied. But hesitated at taking the offered hand. �You know Argo hates me.�
�Gabrielle everyone with half a brain cell loves you, why should Argo be any different?�
�Because I don�t sit on other people�s back, and eat all they�re apples.� Gabrielle retraced her words and blushed.
�Well you know you could-�
Gabrielle sighed, and took the offered arm and was swung behind the warrior.
�You know Gab worse come to worse we could just tie apples around your neck and Argo will be sure to like you then.�
�Goody then I can worry about her biting me in my sleep.�
�And you don�t worry about that with me?�
Gabrielle laughed. �Xena! You are incorrigible you know that? �
Xena just wiggled her eyebrows. Gabrielle sighed. The warrior chuckled as she started Argo into a light canter off into the sunset where new adventures lay before them.
THE END
(For Now)
Check out the sequel: Cold Awakening
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