First off I wrote this in one sitting mainly to bring up a point that
I have felt strongly about for a while now. It hasn't been beta'd,
so all mistakes are mine. It is Gabrielle's thoughts after
Succession, but not really about Succession. Succession merely
brought it up.

Disclaimer: I don't own them and I don't particularly wish to. They
get into waaaay to much trouble for me to handle.


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'Hi' is thought

Archive: If you want it you can have it just keep my name with it.
That's spelled G... A...


Anyway on with the story...




Gabrielle decided to take a hot bath to sooth her aches and to try
and release the tensions of the day. It wasn't working. She was too
irritated for it to work.

"I can't believe I had to go thru all of that simply because Ares
wanted to test whether or not I would be a worthy successor to Xena."
Gabrielle said angrily to the empty room.

She sighed. Venting felt like a really good idea right now. She
decided to try and talk out why she was so frustrated. "First I get
attacked by some psycho warrior princess wannabe and then I get
sucked into another world. Then I get so focused on worrying about
Xena that I managed to get myself injured. Making things even more
complicated when I had to fight Mavican." Gabrielle sighed trying to
force her muscles to relax. "Okay those are the bad points now let's
try to be a little more positive." Gabrielle paused before speaking
again.

"Well, at least I managed to beat her. Even fighting with only one
arm." Gabrielle smirked as another thought came to her. "He wanted me
because he and everyone else in Greece thinks that Xena trained me.
But she didn't. Every fighting technique I have ever learned I
learned from simply watching Xena and other warriors. Sure sometimes
someone will take me aside and show me the basics like Solari taught
me the basics of staff fighting. But never Xena. Oh occasionaly we
have a discussion on how she does something, like that arrow trick.
It's one of the reasons she is so proud of me and yet at the same
time what makes her worry about me. She never wanted me to learn to
fight to begin with."

Gabrielle laughed out loud. 'If only Ares knew how good I really am.'
She thought. "All of my fighting skills and my ability to think
strategically comes from on the job experience!"

'Which is why Xena takes on all the soldiers, she worries that by
taking me with her into all the battles we have been in she has
damaged my soul by taking away my innocence.' Gabrielle thought, and
as her body finally began to relax she became introspective. 'Oh,
Xena! No one can stay innocent forever. If I had stayed home it would
have been the drudgery of everday life or maybe losing a child to
some illness that would have stolen my innocence. At least this way I
can help other people. I am doing something I love and without her I
never would have been able to do any of it. Maybe she will stop
trying to protect me so much if I explain that to her.'

As Gabrielle lay back to relax her thoughts switched gears again.
'Ares told me I have potential. If Ares knew just how much potential
I really have, how I soak up any type of knowledge he would never
leave me alone.'

Gabrielle's thoughts took on a slightly mischievous slant. 'Although
that might not be such a bad idea. Maybe I should arrange for him to
find out. After all, who wouldn't want a gorgeous god trailing around
after them? Sigh. No, that would be wrong, and we musn't do any of
that must we? Wouldn't you know it, one of Greece's sexiest men and
he has to be a bad guy. But you have to look at things realistically,
a relationship with the god of war would never have worked out
anyway. I just don't think I could overlook the whole obsessed with
my best friend thing.'

'Well there is one bright spot emerging from the whole mess.'
Gabrielle thought as she prepared to exit the bath. 'Ares probably
won't be calling me the irritating little blond anymore.'


The End