Please note: None of these characters belong to me and I am not getting paid for this piece of work, it's purely a fan of Xena
writing a story. If you have any comments or criticism please mail me it!

Guilt

It was a miserable overcast night the skies were pitch black and the ground was sodden from the continuous rain over the past few days. Xena found a cave in which they could spend the night, it was big enough so that even Argo could fit comfortably within it's protective walls.

" This makes me think of when I was a kid," Gabrielle sighed.

" Oh?" Xena wondered.

" My sister and I usually roamed the nearby forest pretending we were adventurers," she smiled. " When it rained we would sit in one of the caves, just-as-this-one, and we would scare each other wit-less with all sorts of ghost stories."

Xena smiled at herself, she couldn't think of a single time when she didn't find Gabrielle's stories amusing.

" Sounds fun," Xena said.

" We would tell each other about "

" Shh! " She cut her short and stood up drawing her sword into an attacking position. Gabrielle grabbed her fighting staff and stood behind Xena.

"Trouble?" Gabrielle asked.

" Uh-hu," Xena moved out of the cave, slowly, cautiously, putting one foot in front of another. She scanned the bushes for any sign of danger. Gabrielle followed several meters behind her she noticed that it was still raining heavily and that it was almost impossible
to see more than a few feet in any direction. Without a warning they attacked. Dozens of them came from every direction, every bush and very effectively closed their escape route. Xena and Gabrielle were standing back to back surrounded by warriors. Then they attacked. Xena dispatched every warrior that came her way, her every swing, her every move was brilliantly executed. Gabrielle was struggling her fighting skills had improved tremendously but she wasn't a match for this. Gabrielle kept on fighting bravely but in the end the pure volume of warriors won. They overpowered her and she fell to the muddy floor. She desperately cried out for Xena but the distance between them had grown to far for her to hear Gabrielle's call. The warriors that overpowered Gabrielle started to kick at her, shots of pain flew through her body with every blow. After awhile she didn't feel it anymore her entire body had gone numb and finally she blacked out.
The mocking and scoffing of warriors drew Xena's attention. They stood in a tight circle around a body, kicking at it.

" Gabrielle?" she whispered. " Gabrielle!" She shouted running into that direction. She felt her hold over her rage slowly slip away, an uncontrollable anger that could not be stopped if it slipped out of her control. Then she saw her friends face for the first time a mixture of blood and mud was smeared over her face. Xena gave an unbelievable cry of anger. She killed many men that night and those who not kill were injured and were running for their lives. It had stopped raining when she finally went to her friend.

"Gabrielle?" she started. Xena checked for a pulse putting her finger on Gabrielle's neck. She sighed in relief. Thank goodness she's alive, she thought. She took Gabrielle back to the cave where she cleaned, washed and dressed all of the wounds.

"Xena?" Gabrielle whispered. "Xena?"

" I am here Gabrielle."

" Xena I want you to promise me something," she gulped.

" What?"

" That if I die "

" No! Don't talk like that!"

" Just hear me out. That if I die you will tell my family why I left why I had to leave."

" I promise."

" And" Gabrielle grunted as another shot of pain went through her body. " That you will not turn into the monster the monster you had been the monster you were tonight."

" I promise Gabrielle."

After that Gabrielle fell into a deep sleep but not a restful one, she had fallen into a fever and Xena feared that Gabrielle wouldn't
make it though the night. " Don't you dare die on me!" Xena shouted at one stage. I should have been there for you, Xena thought to herself. How could I have let this happen? Oh, Gabrielle please hang on; you've got so much to live for. It was all her fault and now Gabrielle had to pay fir her mistakes. Xena had never felt guilty like this before, and there was nothing she could do about it. It frustrated her. The morning came slowly and with it came Gabrielle's health. Xena had fallen asleep at Gabrielle's side and didn't notice when she awakened.

" Xena wake up."

"Gabrielle? Gabrielle!" Xena frowned. " How are you feeling?"

" Oh, like I've been beaten up."

" You had a fever, you know?"

" Oh?"

" You're lucky you made it."

" I know."

" Look, Gabrielle I am sorry I shouldn't have let you fight alone."

" It's not you're fault."

" It is. I failed you, you trusted in me and I let you down I almost got you killed."

" It's all right you did your best." Gabrielle stood up. " Come on we've got to go, there's always a village to save."

"Gabrielle."

"Yes?"

" Thank you."

" Forget about it," she smiled. "Hey!"

"What?"

" Don't get all soppy on me - that's my job."

Friend and Friend they walked to the woods for all they knew there would be an adventure laying ahead of them, waiting for them that day or the next. Who would ever know?

THE END.