Always
By spheeris1
Disclaimers: I do not own Xena, Gabrielle, Amazons, Ares, Aphrodite or other sundry characters. I do own this idea and fic.
Warnings: Subtext is now Maintext. Deal with it.
Notes: This is a multi-chapter Post FIN fic… Hopefully it is not too convoluted or badly written. There is shifting POV’s and flowing words and some violence. Take a chance, you might like it [lol].
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Part One
She didn't know how long she had been asleep,
drifting in and out of the world...in and out of time. Xena knew that her own
soul had reached peace, but her body would not catch up as quickly. The muscles
and the bone and the tendons, living and breathing, walking and running and jumping
- none of that here. Wherever here is. This calm limbo, this bright oasis... this serene
nothingness.
For a few months, the warrior could stay in the
land of the still alive. She could coast alongside ships, could dissolve into
sand, could reach out and touch... You. I could once touch you, Gabrielle. I said that
death could never separate us. But each day pulls me further away and now you
can't see me as well.
There was not a supreme being to greet her at the
end of her days. No voice, no light, no Eli or archangels. Just day upon day of
silence. And for a while, that was a good thing. Xena let the quiet wash over
her, finding her mind clear of dark thoughts and guilt. She even could share
this bliss with the bard, once or twice... Wind for fingertips, spelling
messages to Gabrielle in the desert. And the bard would smile, albeit a sad
form of smiling.
"I'm happy for you, Xena."
That was the last time they saw each other, really
saw each other. Then the tug of some unknown place slowly took Xena away from
Gabrielle and Egypt and grass and sky and everything. Her soul, now clean and
unblemished, is free. And freedom means leaving for good. Freedom means no
attachments to the earthly realm.
Leaving for good... My soul is free from pain
and hate and sadness. Yet, it is not free from you, Gabrielle. Nor do I want it
to be, but when you call for me and I cannot come to you... My soul can still
ache for you, Gabrielle. My soul can still hurt for you. How can I leave you
behind when you are a part of me?
These thoughts are persistent now, with each
passing moment that Xena cannot see the bard. The warrior feels the stirrings
of discontent once more, only this time it is not a need for redemption - it is
a need for love.
And with that very thought, so concrete and true,
Xena finds the ethereal turn to blackness. For the first time in a long time,
the warrior can feel something on her skin, along her arms and legs - it is the
air.
Like an apple from a tree, she is
falling..........................
* * * * *
Dirt. I feel dirt. And roots. And my back hurts
like a centaur kicked it... which means... that... But that's impossible.
Xena opens her eyes slowly, finding herself surrounded
by trees. Trees and the night sky of the living world swirling above... But
that's impossible...right?
"I'm alive again."
And Xena grins to hear her own voice echo out into
the woods. She stands like a newborn, shaky legs and curious looks. But each
step gets braver, more broad and sure. Every intake of air is deep, her lungs
filling up with a substance she never thought she would miss.
Gabrielle... The name
is a mantra in Xena's head. Gotta find out where I am, how to find her, what is
going on... And the warrior does wonder what is going on. How did
this happen? And why?
That is when she notices something in her hand. Was
that there the whole time? Parchment, slightly torn and crumpled, revealing a crude
drawing of weapons. And a reward for the...
"The last of the Amazons." Xena finishes
out-loud, the words getting tangled up in her throat. The tattered poster
offers huge sums for the capture of whatever is left of the Amazon nation.
A familiar name tops the list. A blonde warrior, a
fair queen, a talented bard. Xena grips the parchment tightly.
"Is this why I was brought back?" She
shouts to the night. And somewhere, in the darkness, a whisper answers 'yes'. A
shadow follows Xena, watching the newly returned hero stumble and run.
A shadow watches and waits to see if Xena will
succeed...or fail.