Gabrielle's PoV
I woke up in the middle of the night, occasionally, or maybe I've felt that something was wrong for there was an empty space by my side.
"Xena?" I called softly, looking for her. Soon, she appeared, sitting in her place and putting a hand on my shoulder.
"I'm sorry. Did I woke you up?" the gaze that came from her eyes and the way she was touching me let it clear that she as afraid and that the fear was, somehow, related with me. There, I had sure that she have dreamed about that future vision once more.
"No. It wasn't you. What's wrong?" I raised my hand to caress her face. Xena closed her eyes for a second, absorbing my touch and inhaling the smell of my skin, then, taking my hand and planting a kiss on it.
"Nothing." She sighed.
"Xena, I know what's happening. Alti showed me the future too. And, still, I know we can change it."
"But, Gabrielle, your hair..." I passed my other hand through my head, feeling the absence of my long hair. It was gonna take a while for me to get used to that.
And, in fact, in the future vision that Alti showed us, that was how my hair was…
I couldn't deny that I was a little afraid, but, after all, Alti was evil. That thing she showed us could be just an illusion to get us scared and make us apart from each other. I wasn't going to succumb to those images shown by that witch:
"Xena. Nothing's gonna happen with us" I sat down, holding her and kissing her cheek, just as my hand came caressing her hair.
"I just don't want you to die because of me." The way she spoke was so loaded by feelings that it made my heart start to run faster, sharing her pain.
"Xena, do you remember what we've learned? Our destinies are intertwined. They've always been and always will be. It doesn't help if we try to get apart for you to protect me, and besides..." I let go of the hug so I could stare at her blue eyes "I'm not gonna let you die alone."
"Gabrielle…" I put one of my fingers over her lips, shushing her.
"No. If it's to happen. We'll face it together, okay?" a flash of a smile came across her lips, then, she hugged me again:
"I love you" then, she kissed my forehead. I closed my eyes, smiling.
"I love you too." I pressed my lips against hers, softly "Do you think you'll be able to sleep now?"
"I can try" she chuckled.
"Come, then." I lay still, opening an arm for her to lay by my side. Xena did it, snuggling her body close to mine. I put my head in the space between her shoulder and her breast, just as she put her arm behind my neck. Then, my arm came across her belly as my hand encountered hers. It didn't take long for us both to fall asleep.
Nothing else would matter. Not while we could face things together.