Wounds of the Past

Disclaimer: Yeah

Summary: Set after Gabrielle receives the antidote in One Against an Army. Although the episode "Bitter Sweet" was meant to reconcile our favorite duo, I felt things were still left unsaid, so here it goes...

"Rest now..." That was the last thing Gabrielle remembered hearing before she drifted off into a deep sleep.

She saw the fluffy softness across from her, and her hands itched and reached out to them. She felt them underneath her finger tips and squeezed them with her hands. It was a lovely softness she couldn't quite place or describe, but she knew she wanted more of it.

"Oh fluffy cloud, come rest across my cheek." she mumbled happily. Her eyes squeezed tightly, and a smile formed softly at her lips. She fondled the cloud's softness beneath her and she rubbed her cheek greedily across it.

"I could live amongst these clouds forever." she said, sighing happily, nestling in to the cloud.

Xena awoke to Gabrielle mumbling softly into her cleavage. She was exhausted by the fight with the Persian army. The truth was, she was too exhausted to be awake, but the bard seemed to be keeping her awake inadvertently. Gabrielle was now snuggling softly into her breasts and making it very hot and difficult to sleep. Not to mention, very distracting. She didn't have the heart to wake her, since she had just fought off the poison she had been afflicted with. It was a miracle on both accounts that either of them were alive. She'd just have to weather the storm of being fondled by Gabrielle.

"Xena? Are we dead?" Gabrielle whispered softly and peacefully into Xena's cleavage. Her voice was raspy and hoarse. She didn't sound scared. She didn't sound sad. She was perfectly happy, as long as she was by the warrior's side.

Now that Gabrielle was awake, Xena squirmed to remove herself from underneath Gabrielle's caress.

"We're alive. Rest." the black haired woman reminded her. This was the second time the bard had awakened during her sleep. She was a bit delirious from the toll the poison took, and from dehydration.

"You almost died. You are so stubborn you know."

A soft chuckle emanated from Gabrielle's direction. "Xena, you are too! I learned it from you. You showed me that there are things worth dying for."

"I know, but this land doesn't mean anything to me without you by my side." the older woman was a bit embarrassed by the vulnerability of her candid answer. She hoped that the Gabrielle would forget what had been said, since she wasn't quite sure the bard was truly awake. Gabrielle tended to talk in her sleep. Also, Xena didn't care at the moment because she was too tired.

There was a silence beside her and the bard was still. Figuring that the blond had drifted off to sleep again, Xena resigned herself to sleep, until she heard the blond swallow loudly and continue.

"Xena, I'm really sorry about," she paused not quite sure, "your son."

Xena winced at her friend's adherence to her order.

"You can say his name Gabrielle. We both made mistakes. I don't blame you for what happened. At the time I did, but I wasn't thinking clearly. I was angry and hurting. I shouldn't have taken it out on you."

"No! I should have told you. I should have tried to listen. I shouldn't have lied to you." Gabrielle rushed, but she began to cough because of the stress.

"Then what Gabrielle? You would let me kill your daughter? You did what any mother would do. She may have killed that guard. She might not have. I was going to kill a baby before I saw her kill with my own eyes. I could have at least waited till I knew for sure."

Xena made an effort to make her point, "Look me in the eye and tell me that you'd still be with me if I had killed her back then."

Gabrielle's eyes looked everywhere but.

"I thought so. I wouldn't blame you. I realized later that you defended Hope, just like you defended me. I should have expected nothing less."

"I tried to hate you Xena after you hurt me. I couldn't. Even after everything that had happened, all I did was miss you. It hurt so much inside."

"I'm so sorry Gabrielle. I'm sorry for what I did to you."

A sob broke from Gabrielle's throat at the apology.

Xena continued, "You lied to me, but you never purposefully hurt me. You never killed Solan, but I hurt you. I sought you out and hurt you. I can't forgive myself for that, and I don't expect you to. I just hope that I won't lose you."

Gabrielle reached for Xena's face, turning it to hers. She brushed away a tear that trickled out of Xena's right eye with her thumb.

"I don't know what is in store for us Xena, but I do know I love you. So I think after everything that happened, we'll just have to take it one day at a time, okay?"

The brunette blinked away any threatening tears, and changed the subject.

"No one is going to believe us you you know?"

"Hmm?"

"An army of Persians against a poisoned bard, and a distracted warrior in a barn."

"It doesn't matter Xena, because I know. You didn't leave my side, even though you should have." A short humored breath escaped the blond, "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you love me."

Tiredly Xena sighed, "I think you are tired and delirious."

"So are you."

"Well let's be tired and delirious together shall we?" The warrior softly replied.

"Absolutely. You still owe me a pair of boots."

"In the morning. Right after I finish fighting off another army just for you." Xena answered.

With a content smile Gabrielle lay back down and let the threatening sleep take her back into the clouds. Xena gladly providing the clouds, relaxed into the embrace.

Despite all their trials, it seemed that everything might someday be okay between them. One day the past wounds would heal. The scars would still always be a reminder of how much it hurt, but at least it would prevent them from ever repeating it.

The End

**ETA: Rewrite of some lines. Thanks to Demented Noodles for catching missing words**