Timeline: Season 1, Episode – Is there a doctor in the house?
Prompt: Xena was panic-stricken when Gabrielle died. What if her death had lasted just long enough for the Warrior Princess to calm down and whisper something to her before she came back to life?
Pairing: Xena/Gabrielle
Pounding that's all the warrior heard, was the pounding of her own heart in her ears. She didn't hear her own shouts, her own pleas of recovery, "Wake up," she yelled. "Wake up." Those words were as silent to her as they were to her friend. A friend she desperately tried to revive. "Wake up," the woman pleaded again as her strong fist came down on to the unmoving chest, yet the outcome was as it was before. The girl did not wake, she did not move, Gabrielle the lone warrior's friend lies dead on the table. Xena lifted her hand one more time as a last effort to save her friends life only to gently place it on the girl's chest instead in defeat. She couldn't breathe it was like all the air was ripped out of the temple, ripped out from the world. It was like she was gasping just to retain a breath, a breath that never seemed to come. The warrior could see the other people's chest rise and fall everyone but the one person that mattered most to her. The one person she could have ever called friend. "Xena," she heard someone calling her. Had her unsaid prayers finally been answered? Franticly she looked down at the body in front of her. "Did you say something Gabrielle?" she asked inwardly. Peering down Xena noticed no change no signs of life. Gabrielle, her friend had left this world.
"Xena," Marmax said again placing his hand over hers. "You have to let her go." His tone was gentle but he received no reaction from the warrior princess. She was lost to the living; her mind was far too clouded to even notice the contact. Marmax sighed he knew loss he knew what it was to lose a friend in war. "Xena…" he said again giving her hand a comforting squeeze, only to have her pull hers away in a swift manner. "Get out," the raven haired warrior uttered with a broken voice, not even looking up at the man. He gave her a sympathetic look, Marmax could see the hurt, the anger in her icy blue eyes and yet he didn't budge. Xena took in a breath at last finally able to put on her mask she worn for so long back on. Hiding, yes she wanted to hide her emotions, hide her hurt. Shooting the man an ice cold stare she yelled, "Get out, all of you," looking around at the rest of the bystanders who stood quietly in the background. Each was stunned into silence. Hippocrates and the other priests grew fond of the young girl, with her view of the world and her devotion to the injured, in the end that devotion was what killed her.
Marmax peered over at the young priest and nodded, he knew Xena needed to say her goodbyes. He walked around the table in which the strawberry blonde woman laid and placed a hand on Xena's shoulder. With a slight nod he turned and left along with the others.
Xena looked up at the ceiling hoping this would be easier, wishing she had never met this village girl in the first place. Then she wouldn't be here right now mourning over her lose. She knew this would happen. This was a very dangerous world with 'monsters' over every hill, around every corner. Gabrielle was a young woman who met that world head on without looking back. Xena shook her head and looked down at the beauty, with one hand she removed a stay hair from Gabrielle's face and with the other she took hold of one of the blonde hands, holding it gently. Xena couldn't help the tears that freely fell from her eyes. "I wish," she started with a cracked voice. "I wish I wished I never met you than this wouldn't be so damn hard." She swallowed hard to push back the on flow of emotions. "The thing is Gabrielle you changed me. Hercules might have been the one to give me a chance but you are the one who saved me. I never gave you the respect or the credit you deserved. And I hate myself for that. I hate myself for getting you in the middle of this god's forsaken war." Xena peered at the ceiling again, gods this was hard. Choking back her fears she began again, "if I had a choice to do it all over again, to meet you again, I wouldn't waste it. I'd make you feel welcome, id treat you as an equal and as a friend, like you treated me. Gabrielle I am sorry. I'm sorry I failed you."
Tears once again filled the eyes of the raven haired warrior. No matter how hard she tried to be strong she just could be. There was something that the blonde had done that was now everlasting, something Xena didn't think was possible and that was feel. To feel the pain of loss the pain of losing someone she cared deeply about and not even knows that until this moment. Xena knew pain from the loss of her brother but this type of pain was something else entirely. "I promise…" she began again "I will always remember you." with a light squeeze of the blonde's "goodbye Gabrielle," she said as smoothly and as gently as possible.
Xena turned to leave the temple. She had to Ephiny the sad news. Just as her hand was leaving the others she found she couldn't move it. With eyes wide Xena slowly turned on her heel to find to source of what was keeping her there. She froze, everything seemed to go black, everything but 'her' green eyes.
*** this is a one shot and a challenge that i accepted. Review tell me how it is.***