Immortality and Greek Wizardry Part 6
by: Pat Winterburn
Sandra and Amy's story.
For disclaimers see parts 1-5. I'm getting tired of apologizing.
Violence: A little fight
Sex: Sure, why not.
My name is Sandra Baxter. I'm the one with the long dark hair and the blue eyes. My partners name is Amy Saunders. She's the one with the short blonde hair and the green eyes. We grew up in small town America. Like most girls, we played baseball, rode bikes, skinned our knees and thought for sure Barbie and Ken would get married and live happily ever after. As fate would have it, we met in high school and life as we knew it changed forever. Visions of past lives plagued both of our dreams at night. Nameless faces of people from long ago seem to haunt our very souls. As we became better friends we would sit in the school cafeteria and spend our lunch time chatting about our nightly encounters with these unexplainable dreams.
Each day was sought trying to put a name to these faces. A time or place without much success. Until one day we both sat down and said the two names which brought a clarity into this otherwise insanity. I looked into her eyes and whispered Gabrielle. Amy whispered Xena. This is our story.
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If you've ever been caught in a warm summers rain shower and felt like your whole body has been cleansed and enlighted of all the worlds grime, this is how whispering those two strange names made us feel. All those nagging questions and odd dreams seemed to be answered, even though we had never seen those places or met those people. It just became clear. There was also something else that was becomming quite evident in our friendship. We were falling in love. Helpless in our feelings towards each other, we simply chose to ride with it and let nature take it's course. But at 17 years old, we weren't really sure what that course was. I mean, we knew about sex between men and women, they taught us that in sex education. But between two women? Do they have that listed on the internet?
Frustration has it's way of making a person find other outlets. I joined the track and field team, Amy joined the volleyball team. Surely, with all this added excersise and time away from each other our screaming hormones would see fit to hibernate. Such was not the case. Hormones don't hibernate in teenagers.
The first time I took Amy into my arms and kissed her, there was something so familiar about her lips and the way she looked at me. So trusting. So hungry were her eyes for my body, I simply took her to my bed and damned the "morning after" when my parents found out. We had spent most of the night kissing, talking, touching each other in places I had only dreamed about with my friend. We took each others virginity that night with a promise of love, always and forever. When the shuddering of each others orgasm subsided and Morpheus came to claim us, we would have happily stayed that way for eternity.
Hell had no fury as my mother when she came into my room to wake us up that Saturday morning. I had forgotten that Amy and I had promised to help my mom with painting some lawn furniture. There we were, naked, still sleeping, wrapped tightly around each other. She simply woke us up and said she would see us downstairs for breakfast. For the first time in my life, I can feel the terror that a condemed prisoner has, just before their final moments prior to death. I think I'm going to throw up!
She was quiet, too quiet. I hate it when mom is too quiet. I know I'm in big trouble. I don't care. This feeling we have for each other is beyond our stopping. Before we went downstairs, I held Amy closely and whispered a somehow familiar phrase to her " Even in my death, I will never leave you."
We stood there waiting for my mothers wrath to descend upon us. It never did. She stood before us and asked us one question. "Are you sure this is want you want?"
We both answered "yes."
My mother looked into our eyes as if searching for some answer. Alien abduction.? Pod people?
She smiled and nodded. "This still doesn't get you both out of painting." "Now get busy."
We were never ones to argue with a good thing. We painted.
My father seemed to be a bit upset at first, but he had known in his heart that Amy and I only had eyes for each other. On the day he gave us each a hug for no reason, I knew he had accepted us.
Amy's parents had been furious. They accused us of being "immoral" and "sick."
Something about God striking us dead, if we kept up our relationship. Their little girl had become a "pervert" in their eyes.
They gave her a choice of leaving me or leaving home.
Amy chose leaving home and moved in with me for the summer.
That summer is one of the best memories of my life. A scrapbook filled of pictures and momentos. Days were spent at our summer jobs as lifeguards at the local pool. Nights were spent in each others arms. On our days off, we would go to the beach and play volleyball with some of our friends or catch the newest movie at the theater. There was only once, that someone made a rude comment about the "dyke" and her "bitch." I honestly did apologize for the slip of that volleyball and the breakage of her nose. I couldn't understand how my aim of that spiked ball had been so bad. I'm sure my guilt lasted all of two seconds. Although Amy did shoot me that "look" in her eyes. It didn't last long when I smiled at her. It seemed to melt her heart and she smiled back, melting mine.
September came too soon and we found ourselves away from home at college.
We were lucky enough for those two years to share the same room in the dorm. We didn't flaunt our relationship. If anything we tried to act as any friends would. The only class we had together was an Ancient Greek history class that we had decided to take.
Our professer was a strange woman. Small in stature with light brown hair. When she would speak, you could almost feel you were there in ancient Greece. Reliving every word she spoke of long ago battles, kings and warlords. It was as though she had been there, watching, remembering every detail with such clairity.
Amy and I would talk with her after class over coffee. There was always a twinkle in her eyes, as if she could see into our souls and knew our very thoughts.
There was something about this person, we both felt a kinship towards. As if we had known each other in a previous life and had just taken up where time had left off in conversation. Sometimes we even sat in the local coffee shop dicussing those odd dreams we were still having. Hopeing she could find that missing piece of the puzzle that we had been searching for in these past few years.
One night, we were late leaving the coffee shop and were soon surrounded by a gang of teens. Their eyes were full of hate and they smelled of alcohol.
One of them pulled a knife and demanded money. He went to grab Amy and I don't to this day know how it happened, but I jumped into the air and kicked that knife out of his hand. A one-two punch to his face sent him flying into a wall. Amy grabbed a broom handle and quickly knocked another teen off his feet and on his ass.
There had been too many of them for the two of us to handle and things were starting to look grim. Then it happened. A fire ball came out of nowhere sending them scattering like the rats that they were.
We turned around to see our professor wearing an odd shaped cap and the biggest grin I have ever seen. With a wave of her hand we were in this centuries old cave with all sorts of books and literature strewn about.
"Sorry about the mess, I rarely have company." She explained.
We stood there unable to move. What just happened here? Are we dead or is this some nightmare we're both having?
"Tea?" She asked "I can also whip up some cookies if your hungry."
She laughed and shook her head.
"Sit down, relax." "Your not dead." "This is not a dream."
She went on to explain that her real name was Tapesus an immortal Greek Wizard. She had been Aphrodites chosen one, to protect Xena and Gabrielle and their descendants. It seems we were their descendants somehow. Soulmates she explained. Destined to unite for all time or until eternity finally ran out.
This was too much information. How could we be descendants. Wouldn't our parents be as well?
"No." She went on to explain. "The souls themselves choose which bodies they are going to enter." "Each soul being reborn to search for their other half." "It is my job to ensure you find each other before Gabrielle's soul turns 25, for if not, Ares God of War will inherit the earth." "As it is, he does enough damage."
The Wizard went on to explain, that this was the first time she had ever shown her real identity to any of the descendants. Lucky us I guess. It seems Amy and I are exact look alikes of Xena and Gabrielle. The Wizard shows us this "pool of knowledge" that contains all the worlds history. Especially a certain history of "Xena the Warrior Princess and Gabrielle Bard of Potadeia."
We sat there for hours watching their life unfold to us. The adventures they shared. The people they met and helped along the way. The love that they had for each other. Xena was a magnificent woman. Much taller then most of the people of that era. Long dark hair, olive skin and blues eyes. Her eyes were so intense, I could feel the depth of her soul. Her body rippled in muscles. When she fought, there was nothing that could tame her fury. Anyone who challenged her died. It was simple. People were terrified of her, except for one blonde haired woman who could tame the beast in one gentle touch or a soft smile. This is who they were and now seems, who we are. The Fates must surely be crazy!
If at any time, our brains had of been working properly we would of thought to ask "why now" do you feel it's necessary to reveal your identity? Our identical looks to Xena and Gabrielle, hardly seems like an adequate reason. Of course asking these types of questions always leads to answers that we really didn't want to hear, but I had to open my big mouth and now Amy is trying to shove her reebok shoe into that gaping hole.
The Wizards answer to us was quite calm, as if merely replying to one of our many questions in class. I expected her to quote some ancient prophecy about our two lost souls had now become one and it was going to be a beautiful tale of love and grandeur. Instead she said . "Because, Xena and Gabrielle have been cloned, are alive and living in L.A."
Amy fainted. I finally did that throwing up thing.
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Her name was Alti, an evil shamaness, from Xena's days as a warlord. Alti had predicted that Xena would be the destroyer of nations and Xena had believed her. Death and ruin followed in Xena's path. As she grow more powerful, so did Alti.
But, the Fates have a funny way of problem solving and one way was for Xena to become pregnant with her lover Borias' child. Borias fearing for the childs safety and Xena's sanity, cast Alti from their camp. In retaliation Alti cursed the unborn child, that he should never have the love of his parents. Alti's dark curse came true. Borias was killed when he split his alliance with Xena and defended the Centaurs. Xena, not wanting to raise the child on her own, gave him up for adoption. Ironically to the leader of the Centaurs. She knew her son Solan would be safer with them, as Xena had many enemies and the baby would be a target.
Again the Fates dedcided to interfere into Xena's life. They brought into her life a small blonde haired woman by the name of Gabrielle. Such a headache at first, Xena desperately tried to convince the girl to go home to her parents. But Gabrielle stood strong and refused to leave Xena's side. It took a while, but when the love between them grew, their souls became inseparable. The Fates then blessed these two mortal souls with the gift of eternity. Forever they would be joined in reincarnation.
Sounds simple right? Wrong! Two spoiled children of the Greek God Zeus decided to lay claim on this pair. Aphrodite, Goddess of Love and Ares, God of War, fought constantly over Xena and Gabrielle, until Zeus having heared enough of this bickering, made the declaration to them both. They are Aphrodite's until such time as the souls do not reunite at Gabrielle's 25 th earth birthday. The fight for them still remains.
Of course during this point in time, a young and bored wizard, had too much time on her hands and decided to interfere with their lives as well. This is how Aprhodite managed to snare her into watching over them for eternity. For the Wizard loved them as well. Everyone it seemed, wanted to be a part of their lives.
No one except for Alti that fateful night, saw Xena entwine the two hairs of hers and Gabrielle's into the hilt of her sword. "It was a warrior thing" she had told Gabrielle, never imagining that 3000 years later, Alti and technology would clone them back to life.
Now the Wizard had a problem. Alti, a confused Xena and Gabrielle, with their original souls and Sandra and Amy, with the souls of the descendants. Life from now on was certainly never going to be boring.
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If Amy and I learned anything from the history lessons that the Wizard had given us, Xena always finds a way to defeat Alti. With Gabrielle's help of course. They may have been clones, but once Xena got her memory back, Alti's ass kicking was on. Once again Alti was sent to another realm and out of our hair, for now.
For the next two years Amy and I finished our criminology course at school and went to work at a detective agency. We had moved into a small apartment in L.A. and had been married by a minister in the local church who's gathering were mostly gay and lesbian members. Of course we weren't legally married in the eyes of the law, but we wore our rings proudly on our fingers and had all our legal affairs done with the help of a lawyer. Life was great. We were happy and worked on some interesting cases, never questioning why the agency would hire two kids out of school, with no prior training, just a dipolma. I had to ask, didn't I.
It seems our benefactor was none other then the Wizard, herself. What a better way to watch over us, then to hire us, herself. This time Amy tried to shove her reebok shoe up my butt and told me never to ask those types of questions again or I'd be sleeping by myself until our next reincarnation. I have found it wise to listen to her.
For whatever the reason was, the Wizard transferred the business up to the Toronto, Canada area. For us it was a chance to build the business from the ground up and prove to ourselves that we really were good dectectives. I didn't want to think we were given these jobs as tokens. We had bought a condominium in the beaches area and had set up our new home. With all of our momentos from our first summer together in a bookcase we had bought, plus a few new ones, our home was complete.
It was on a warm summer's walk down by the lake that the Fates once more decided it was time to interfere. Holding Amy's hand in mine, we spotted another couple walking towards us. They seemed familiar. The closer we got the more familiar they became. It was us, I mean them. Xena and Gabrielle.
Four voices called out at once. "WIZARD!!!!!"
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Tonight I sit here on the couch and look down at a sleeping Amy, her head on my lap. She is beautiful. More beautiful with every day that passes. It has been three years since that day and I can't count how many adventures we have had with the Wizard, Xena and Gabrielle. We have been to more realms in this universe, then we have been to countries on this planet. Fighting for the "Greater Good."
I often wonder if our predecessors who were blessed with these souls, ever realized just what a gift they have been given. To be a part of this eternity, to be one half of these souls, who will always fight to be reunited no matter what. It is too much for my heart to conceive. I feel tears of joy start to spill down my cheeks and thank the Fates for their foresight. This is a love that is bound for all time.
My concentration is disrupted by two tiny voices in the nursery. Our children have woken up, but I need not go to them. It seems the Wizard has arrived to give her nightly bedtime story. After that she will visit Xena and Gabrielle's two children and soon her lover Sally will be trying to track her down to come home. It has been a nightly routine for months now. She thinks we don't know, but I feel her presence before she arrives. So does Xena. I have a lot in common with my warrior friend, but she will always have that intense look in her eyes. A look of the world that I shall never know. For it was her past, her life and her destiny.
I shall forever be in Xena's debt for the love she felt for Gabrielle. Without that love and the meddling of the Fates, I would not be here today feeling the love that I have for Amy.
Thank You!
The End.