Summary: Gabrielle approaches Aphrodite and Ares for help bring Xena back to her.
Timeline: Post FIN, then... you'll see.
Main Characters: Gabrielle, Xena, Aphrodite, Ares
Rating: M, just in case. Pretty much PG-13 though. Some violence
Disclaimer: The Characters belong to Renaissance Pictures and MCA/Universal. I write for fun not profit so I hope they don't mind too much :)
One defining moment.
The warrior entered the temple slowly, her footsteps weary, dragging. She stopped in front of the altar and raised dark ringed eyes to gaze upon the statue standing next to it.
"Aphrodite?" Her voice, already harsh from lack of use, cracked with fatigue halfway through uttering the name. She took a deep breath and tried again. "Aphrodite? Could I talk to you for a moment please?" There was a long moment of silence, and she let out a heavy sigh, her shoulders drooping further.
"I'm here..." the warrior spun around to face the source of the voice. The Goddess's normally cheerful face bore a somber expression as she held her arms out, drawing the smaller woman into her warm embrace. "I heard about what happened. Oh Sweetpea I'm so sorry..." Aphrodite pulled back slightly, cupping the sides of Gabrielle's face with her hands, but the bard's eyes were downcast, refusing to meet her gaze.
"I still can't believe she's gone." Gabrielle allowed the Goddess to lead her to a couch that had appeared nearby. She unclipped the Chakram from her waist, setting it and her long, curved sword to one side before sinking into the cushions. It was clear from her slow, deliberate movements that she was completely exhausted.
"Gabby, when was the last time you slept? Or ate? Or bathed?" She asked the last with a slight nose wrinkle. Gabrielle finally looked up and Aphrodite gasped as the dull green eyes met her own. There were no tears there but the Goddess found herself gazing straight into a soul in torment, the depth of pain and despair etched into the blonde's face took her breath away. Aphrodite felt her heart break and her own eyes welled with tears.
"I don't remember." Gabrielle scrubbed at her face and ran her fingers through hair that was dull and stiff with salt from weeks at sea. Her randomly wandering gaze lit upon the chakram and she reached for it, holding it by it's curved handle and staring at her distorted reflection in the circular blade. "We were going to go to Egypt, get out of Greece for a while and see some more of the world. It wasn't supposed to end like this..." her voice was barely above a whisper. She looked up at Aphrodite again. "We were supposed to be together forever." A warm hand clasped her shoulder.
"You will be Gabrielle, some day you'll..." the Goddess was interrupted as Gabrielle shook off her hand and stood up, sudden anger giving her a burst of energy.
"Some day?" Gabrielle walked away a few paces, then spun back around to pin Aphrodite with an almost accusing stare. "Some day is not good enough! I..." her voice cracked and her anger vanished as tears that had been held back until now sprung forth, to spill down her cheeks. "I can't bear this! She's the other half of my soul. I feel like… like someone has reached into my chest and ripped my heart out and I can't..." The floodgates opened, and tears began to flow down her cheeks. "I can't breathe…" she was enveloped once more in the Goddess's arms, and held up as she began to sag, her breath slowly leaving her lungs in a silent, drawn out sob, her throat too tight to make any sound. She allowed herself to be pulled the few staggering steps back to the couch and collapsed onto it, her body shaking with grief. Aphrodite held her close, rocking her gently and muttering meaningless words of comfort until the storm of tears finally blew itself out, sheer exhaustion leaving the bard quivering but quiet.
"Come on little one, you need a bath, a meal and some decent sleep." Aphrodite finally said, preparing to transfer them both back to her chambers on Mount Olympus where her friend could rest in safety. Gabrielle roused enough to sit up, placing a hand on the Goddess's arm to forestall her.
"No... Aphrodite I need your help. I need you to help me fix this!" The Goddess stared at her.
"Gabrielle I can't! I would if I could but none of us can bring back the dead, not from ashes! Even if Athena were still alive, that was beyond even her abilities!" Aphrodite was clearly distressed, she wanted to help but there are limits to even the Gods powers.
"I know, I'm not asking you to do that. But I have an idea, and it's something I think you CAN help me with." Gabrielle took a breath, composing her thoughts. "Okay, a long time ago now, before Xena and I were frozen, Hope…" After all this time, the name of her daughter made the blonde wince. "Hope sent Callisto back in time to kill Hercules' mother before he was born, right?" Aphrodite nodded uneasily, having a feeling she knew where this was going. "Right, and Iolaus managed to use the Kronos stone to fix things."
"Yeah, and Callisto melted it. The stone was destroyed!"
"I know… but what if there's more than one? I need you to help me, to find out if there are other stones, and help me find one. I have to go back and fix this somehow." She saw the negative answer on the Goddess's face and pressed her case harder. "Please Aphrodite... I need her." Gabrielle clasped both of Aphrodite's hands in her own and pressed them against her chest. "Can you feel this? Can you see into my heart?" She whispered, and the Goddess nodded again, fresh tears running down her beautiful features. "Then you know that I'll never be whole without her. You of all people know that the kind of love we had happens once in a lifetime." Aphrodite nodded.
"More like once in a hundred lifetimes." She reached up to gently stroke the bard's tearstained cheek.
"So will you help me?" Gabrielle's eyes bore into those of the Goddess, pleading. Aphrodite closed her eyes for a long moment, then finally nodded once more.
"I'll do my best Gabrielle. For the sake of love..." she gave the bard a watery smile. "I don't really know how though, I have no idea where to find a Kronos stone. Or if other stones even exist!"
"I'm willing to bet that one of the other Gods does."
"Well maybe, but how are we going to persuade any of them to help you? You know that you and Xena aren't exactly popular after the whole Eve thing." Aphrodite shrugged helplessly.
"What about Ares, would he help us? He always said he loved Xena. Surely if he really did, he'd want to help bring her back?" Gabrielle was reluctant to involve the War God; not fully believing that his claims of love weren't merely an attempt to manipulate the Warrior Princess back into his service. But she was desperate enough to try anything. The Goddess of love still looked pensive, but as she considered the possibilities, her expression gradually changed to one of resolve.
"He might. I'll talk to him." She drew Gabrielle into another embrace. "Meanwhile, you really need to eat and rest or you won't be any good to anyone. I'll talk to Ares in the morning when you've had a few hours sleep. Deal?" She held out a hand, which the bard clasped and shook, nodding gravely.
"Deal." The word was barely out of her mouth when she felt the curious tingling through her body that meant she was being transported somewhere else. She blinked, and by the time her eyes opened again, she was in Aphrodite's home. Like most of the buildings on Olympus, the main hall was a large, airy space with stone pillars holding the roof up. Much like Aphrodite's temples, it had statues and paintings all around, mostly depicting the Goddess of Love and some of her favourite family members. Gabrielle felt a pang of guilt as she spotted the scenes of Aphrodite and her husband Hephaestus, and one of Artemis teaching Dite how to use a bow and arrows. If only the Gods had just left them alone... Gabrielle knew that if she had to do it all over again she would, but it didn't stop her heart from aching for Aphrodite at the loss of so many loved ones. She knew what that felt like. Gabrielle averted her eyes from the frescoes, blinking away fresh tears. Looking around the rest of the hall she saw several doors leading off the main chamber and followed Aphrodite to one of them.
"Here, this room usually only gets used when I'm babysitting little Bliss." The Goddess snapped her fingers and the room lit up. Gabrielle peered inside, noting absently that all of her belongings were already stacked neatly in a corner of the palatial room. As she had expected, everything was decorated with various shades of pink, but she was pleasantly surprised to find the shades were quite subtle and easy on the eyes. A huge four poster bed stood against one wall, some comfy looking chairs were set to one side, and the rug covered floor was littered with throw-pillows, mostly piled near a low dining table. There was even a writing desk in one corner with fresh blank scrolls and a full inkwell. Clearly Aphrodite had done a bit of quick redecorating before their arrival for this was not a child's room. In fact it was obvious that the Goddess had set it up this way specifically for her unexpected guest.
"It's beautiful Aphrodite, thank you." The once chatty bard abruptly found herself choked up and unable to speak any further. Aphrodite leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on her cheek.
"My pleasure... now, bathe, eat, and then sleep sweetpea, that's an order." And with that, the Goddess was gone, letting the door swing quietly shut behind her. A bubbling noise drew the bard's attention to an adjoining room where a large, hot bath was foaming merrily. She closed her eyes and inhaled a familiar scent.
"Essence of white chocolate…" she smiled faintly; realising that Aphrodite was going all out to make her feel comfortable. She grimaced as even the memory of a happier time brought on a fresh wave of pain. She ruthlessly closed her mind to her memories and concentrated on the present, and her surroundings. The bath looked incredibly tempting and she resisted for only a moment before stripping off her grimy clothing and lowering herself into the tub with a groan. She would have loved to soak for a while, but was afraid that if she stayed in the warm water too long she would fall asleep. So she quickly scrubbed from head to foot, removing the salt from her skin and hair, then she climbed out. Promising her aching body a longer soak later if she got the chance, she dried off and headed back to the sleeping chamber. A long night-shirt had been laid out on the bed and she gratefully slipped it on, marvelling at the unusual material. It reminded her of the silk she and Xena had worn in Chin, but incredibly it seemed to be even smoother and shinier. It felt wonderful against her skin, sliding easily over it and whispering quietly as she moved.
Suddenly, something flashed into existence off to one side, making Gabrielle jump. Instantly on the defensive, she went into a half-crouch, eyes flicking to her belongings, calculating how quickly she could reach her weapons. She relaxed again when she looked back to the source of the flash and realised what it was that had startled her. The low table she had noticed earlier was now laden with bread, cheese, fruit and several types of cold meat. As the scent of the food drifted over, her stomach growled loudly, reminding her that her last decent meal was a long forgotten memory. Her legs moved towards the table without conscious instructions and before she even thought about it she was sitting on a plump cushion and reaching for a loaf of still-warm, crusty bread.
"Thank you Aphrodite." Gabrielle wasn't sure if the Goddess would hear her but felt the need to express her gratitude. Her first few mouthfuls were chewed and swallowed mechanically, as she had done with every meal since she'd left Japan. But as the quality of the food made itself known to her taste-buds, hunger took over, and she began eating with more gusto than she had in weeks. A skin of wine was hooked over the corner of the table and she filled a goblet, sipping slowly as she filled her stomach. She had made a size-able dent in the feast before her appetite was finally appeased and she was reduced to slowly nibbling on a sweet cake. Draining the wine goblet, she rose, feeling the warmth from the alcohol seeping its way into her bones, making them turn to jelly. She wasn't sure if it was the wine or exhaustion that made her sway, but the room tilted alarmingly for a moment before she recovered. A yawn almost dislocated her jaw, and giving in to the inevitable, she stumbled her way towards the bed and crawled under the covers. She barely had time to pull the blankets over herself before she fell into a deep sleep, not noticing the lights dimming and going out around her. For the first time in months, her slumber was uninterrupted by the nightmares that usually woke her every hour or so. Here in Aphrodite's realm, Morpheus's grasp was tenuous and the ever-thoughtful Goddess made certain that for tonight at least, Gabrielle's dreams were pleasant ones.