Full Circle
by Simahoyo
Disclaimer: Xena and Gabrielle were the creations of the writers of Xena Warrior Princess. They are now apparently owned by Studios USA. I have borrowed them for a bit of fanfiction. I wish to thank Lena for a little idea I stole. I owe her for, "Aphrodite's Got a Secret". I wish to also thank Inga for being an outstanding Beta reader. And also Storm the Ancient Amazon and Oiusel for research help. ALL materials belonging to the respective authors are copyrighted.
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The circle is perfect,
never-ending,
like a story of the universe,
sacred before we thought of gods,
beyond our skills to duplicate
except in thought,
leading nowhere and everywhere,
the one path
to recognition of our souls,
a meditation on the eternal,
on nature's cycles, and
on partings and reunions,
symbol of the creative
and the feminine in all.
Perfect is the circle.
Wishes
Time and place merged and stopped. Gabrielle's world centered on one horrible image-Xena crumpled on the ground, soaked in blood and unmoving. Instead of turning her anger on the men fighting her, she dropped her sais on the ground. The pounding of their fists forgot to hurt. Nothing could even come close to the pain in her heart.
She could hear her own heart still beating, a wild drumbeat, drowning out the battle sounds around her. And like swirling water, they moved around her, and were off down the dusty road. She was left alone with Xena.
Gabrielle didn't know why she knew, but Xena was really and finally dead this time. Her nine lives were up. Gabrielle felt too defeated to handle her body much. She just made the funeral pyre, placed her love's body on it, and started the fire. Memories of every pyre, from Marcus and Perdicus to Ephiny rushed through her mind. The smell of burning flesh added to her misery. She let go of her iron self-control and cried for Xena, for herself and for the world without a hero.
Through the salty taste, blurred vision and mental haze, Gabrielle could make out a familiar form across the flames from her. She stared-half in shock, half grateful. It was Aphrodite.
The Goddess of love had been a friend for many years, and somehow it felt just right that she was here. Aphrodite wrapped her arms around Gabrielle to comfort her After all, the Goddess was one of too few of their old friends still left alive.
"I'm so sorry, Gabby. You cry all you want to. I'm here, and I'm not leaving any time soon," said Aphrodite.
"Thank you for being here. I've never been so alone before. I don't know what to do now", said Gabrielle.
Aphrodite patted the bard's back and gave her a little hug, then wiped Gabrielle's eyes with the tip of her pink gown.
"Well, you could come home."
Gabrielle did a mental double take. Yes, they were not in Greece, but there was something else beneath the statement.
"Home. You mean to Greece?" asked Gabrielle.
Aphrodite looked Gabrielle directly in the eyes. She slowly shook her head.
"No, baby, I mean home. It's time." And Aphrodite took Gabrielle's hand. They disappeared together, and reappeared in a beautiful marble room with gold furniture. On a golden table was a cornucopia and some ambrosia. Gabrielle felt as if she was too close to a lightning storm. She turned to face the goddess.
"What are you talking about? Where are we ?"
"You wanted to do this all on your own. We agreed that you could until it was the right time to end it all..." started Aphrodite.
"Did you think I wanted to kill myself? No, no...you misunderstood me."
Aphrodite frowned, and her eyes rolled heavenward. "Kids", she muttered. "You wanted to be born a mortal on earth with regular parents. You said you wanted the whole mortal experience. And you asked to have no memory of your life here."
Gabrielle rocked back on her heels. This was making no sense. She was a girl from Potadia, a wide spot in the road. Her mother and father were dead. She had a sister named Lila.
Aphrodite aported a goblet full of something and handed it to Gabrielle. Gabrielle drank. It was sweet and cleared her head some. She stared at the goddess, wondering which of them had gone insane. Aphrodite took a big breath, and started again.
"Did you ever feel as it you were like the other kids? Weren't you always a little smarter, and little more curious than they were?"
Gabrielle nodded, not trusting herself to speak. She remembered only too well how stifled she had felt growing up. Xena had opened so many doors for her. Not to mention her heart.
"Didn't you always suspect that maybe they weren't your real parents?"
"But the midwife was there when I was born, and Grandma too."
Aphrodite rolled her eyes. " Yes, that was your idea, to make it all seem real. And I tell you, it really frustrated me. I hated the whole idea. The trouble is, my little bard, you could persuade Dionysus to give up wine. I caved-against my better judgement, mind you."
Gabrielle concentrated. There was something familiar about the story, like an old legend she might have heard only once in her childhood. Her eyes took in Aphrodite's face. There was a hungry look on the lovely features. Gabrielle looked deeper, she pulled so close to THE TRUTH, that she nearly fell over backpedaling from it.
"Who am I?"
"You're mine. I mean, I'm your mother. And I've missed you so much."
When Gabrielle came to, Aphrodite was fanning her with a huge, white feather fan. She was handed the goblet to drink from again, and she emptied it in a single gulp. Next to Aphrodite stood Cupid, looking concerned. "Hi, little sis', he said.
Gabrielle thought about all the times she had been around these two over the years. Add in Ares and Bliss, and it was a family she saw fairly often. She winced as two memories hit her like fists in her gut.
"If I'm your daughter, why did you ever let me help Xena kill my family? The thought makes me sick now. I pushed her so hard to follow Eli's god. I wanted so much for his vision of the world to be true, and I really should have tried harder to stop...everything. It was awful."
Cupid took her hand, holding it a bit awkwardly. His eyes were sad.
"Xena was used by a foreign god in a power play. Our family scared themselves into attacking her and her baby. It they had left them alone, they'd still be here. That's what we did, and Psyche, Bliss and I are still here. Lots of us are-though we had to tie Uncle Apollo up to get him out of here while we hid out."
A tiny grin leaked out and Gabrielle found herself smiling at the mental image of a trussed up Apollo being carted off to safety. The smile fell immediately. Here she was in the lap of luxury, surrounded by family who obviously loved her, and Xena was gone. The world needed a hero. It should have happened the other way around.
"Poor Hephie. I asked him not to fight, but he was so loyal." and Aphrodite wiped away a tear. "But I have my baby back with me. Both my babies." And she enveloped her two children in a hug.