***Disclaimer*** See Chapter 1.


"Morning Savis, how did you sleep?" Gabrielle said taking the young woman's hand, gently caressing her fingers with her own.

"Fine thanks" she whispered, her voice was strained and full of emotion. She stretched and cocked an ear. "Heavy rain, how appropriate, even the heavens are sad. Today must be the day."

"Oh Savis, I'm so sorry." She ran her hand through Savis's long blonde hair and drew her in for a hug. "I bought you some breakfast." Gabrielle smiled trying to ease her friend's pain.

"Thanks but I think I'll go check on mother first." She broke from the bards embrace, walking towards the door and reaching for her cloak that hung from a peg behind it.

"No you don't...a hot mug of tea first and something to eat, come on." Taking the cloak from her friend's hands she pulled her in the direction of a small table that had two steaming mugs of tea and two bowls of leftover stew. "Sit", the bard said pulling out a chair, "have breakfast with me and keep me company."

"Well now that you put it that way, how could I refuse an offer like that" she said trying to smile. "Stew for breakfast mmm, and what did I do to deserve this little luxury?"

"You skipped dinner, so you can have it now." Gabrielle raised her eyebrow watching and waiting for Savis to dig in. The blonde played with her food, before placing her spoon down and reaching for the tea instead. Gabrielle sighed, and reached for her hand squeezing it gently. "Sav honey you need to eat, please have something."

That did it for Savis, the soothing voice of her friend encouraging her to eat was enough to make her heart melt. "Of course I do." She picked up her spoon and began to eat. Both women ate in silence, their thoughts to themselves while they chewed.

Gabrielle came across the hospice two moons ago, just south of the amazon village. She couldn't believe her luck that she should find a place of healing and decided it was the perfect place to stay. The bard herself being a very gifted healer had offered her services for free, all she required was a roof over her head and a hot meal each day to sustain her.


That is when she had met Savis. She was one of the healers that worked among the sick giving her time and loving care to heal those that could be healed, or to comfort those during their last days, providing peace within their soul to aid in their final journey towards death.

Savis was an extremely attractive woman in her mid twenties, with long blonde hair and striking blue eyes, her skin the tone of copper and her body slightly muscular. She was a little taller than Gabrielle, but not by much, her breasts a little larger, her waist a little slimmer, she was a very beautiful woman…inside and out.

Gabrielle's heart had skipped a beat when she first met this healer, to say she was sexually attractive was an understatement. She often wondered why she was alone in life with no one to love, a shame really for Gabrielle could see the beauty she held within her soul, a truly amazing woman that deserved to be loved.


She sat across the table from the blonde healer she now called friend and watched as she ate. Her face although still beautiful was drawn from lack of sleep, her hair lacked sheen, her body too thin. Gabrielle hoped her pain would soon be over, her mother was dying, it was her time to go. Gabrielle understood only too well how hard it is to lose a loved one. The memory of loss over Xena was unbearable and yet she survived the trauma it caused. Her soul was healing, the hatred she held was gone, smiling slightly she reached into her pocket and felt the ring that lived there. The ring that hopefully one day would adorn her warrior's hand.

"Gabrielle."

"Mmmm." The bard said sipping on her tea.

"I saw some amazons here a week ago, w-why were they here?" she asked shyly, her eye's never leaving the bowl of stew.

"I asked them to come and collect a scroll for delivery." Gabrielle watched her body language as she spoke and saw the discomfort.

She swallowed, before she asked. "To Xena?" She lifted her eyes.

"Yes Savis, to Xena." Gabrielle's voice was soft and compassionate "why do you ask?"

"Do you love her?"

Both women's eye's locked onto each other at the question, Gabrielle being a little suspicious.

"With all of my being, I love my warrior." She whispered.

A single tear escaped and slowly slid down Savis's cheek. She tried to sit still as her body began to tremble, she swallowed again "you will be leaving soon." It wasn't a question but rather a statement, a known fact that Gabrielle was only there while her soul healed enough to seek out her lover once more.

"Yes." Gabrielle stood going to Savis's side and kneeling in front of her and taking her hand to hold. "Hey Savis, I won't be leaving straight away."

"To go to her, you will be leaving to go to her." A few more tears slid down her cheeks.

"No Savis, I will not be leaving to go to her, I will be leaving with her. Savis, my message to Xena was asking her to join me, so hopefully she is on her way." Gabrielle squeezed her shoulder. "Hey we won't go anywhere till you're ready for us to leave. Okay, not until you're well enough to cope and certainly not before your mother has passed."

The tears now fell as Savis began to sob. Gabrielle pulled her up wrapping her arms around the blonde as her body slumped into her own as she cried. "Oh Savis, please don't cry. I promise to find a replacement healer, and we'll wait until your grief is over and can cope once more."

"Gods Gabrielle, I'm going to miss you." She wiped away her tears and chuckled. "I really got use to having you around." Her eyes shone with tears as she gazed at her friend, her gaze a little too long.

"I-um, Gods I'm sorry." Savis was embarrassed and all she wanted to do at that moment was evaporate into thin air. The bard put her arm around her new friend, "come on, the rain has stopped, let's go for a walk before we see your mother."


Archangel Michael stood looking into the pool of water while waiting for another soul to be greeted. He stood at the doorway to the afterlife and watched with interest. Two angels stood by as he watched.

"No, that can't be." He huffed as he walked around the pool. "It, just can't be. What in Hades is she doing there?" He roared. Both angels trembled as he unleashed his anger. "She should not be there!"

He snapped his fingers "One of you prepare for our new soul. The old woman's body is dying, so one of you go to collect her and bring her straight to me when she's done!"


The clouds were beginning to part as the sun's rays pushed through the maze. The two women walked side by side while they chatted, enjoying the morning freshness to the new day. They approached a bench that was under a tree which looked out over the green valley.

Gabrielle pulled Savis down next to her.

Smiling she took her hand. "Sav, I need to ask, um...how shall I say this,...but why are you alone in life?"

"Oh well" she sighed "I have my reasons."

"Not good enough, my friend." She gently knocked shoulders with her. "Savis you deserve to be loved, I find it hard no man has claimed you as his own."

Savis laughed and shifted slightly. "Well that Gabrielle, is never going to happen." She looked the young bard in the eye. A smile playing on her lips.

Gabrielle blushed. "Oh I see, w-well umm, th-there's..."

She cupped the bard's cheek, "blushing and tongue tied, not a trait a bard should get use to." Savis's voice was mellow and dripped with seduction as her thumb caressed Gabrielle's cheek, her eye's dropping to stare at her lips.

"Hey, whoa, steady up girl." Gabrielle abruptly stood, her blood pressure had skyrocketed from her touch. She shook the sensations free before once again taking her seat.

"Right, listen." Gabrielle had a plan and smiled. "Savis, before Xe and I leave, I'm going to introduce you to the amazon tribe. There are plenty of women there that I'm sure would just love to meet you."

It was now Savis who blushed. "Ah I don't think so Gabrielle."

"Excuse me for noticing, but Savis you are an absolutely gorgeous woman. You my friend turn heads, and I'm sure every amazon in the village would salivate upon laying their eye's upon you."

"Oh Gabrielle, really, um thank you, but no thanks."

"Why?" the bard laughed. "Savis you need to get la..., sorry, you could use a companion in life, don't you think?"

"Yes, but Gabrielle they're not my type." The bard raised her brow and stared at the beautiful blonde.

"Well their um, they're icky Gabrielle."

"Icky...and what pray tell, does icky mean Sav?"

"Well you know icky, dirty, a little smelly. You know Gabrielle they're savages." Savis was almost whispering, looking nervously over her shoulder as she spoke.

"Really" Gabrielle raised her arm and smelt underneath her armpit. "Nope, smells fine to me."

"Gabrielle! Gods gross" she giggled, until she thought about what she had said "um-oh not you, I don't mean you Gabs, you are definitely not gross."

The laughter subsided, Savis tilted her head to one side and looked at the smaller blonde. Her voice dropped to a more serious tone.

"You love Xena very much don't you?"

"Yes, I do." Gabrielle said without hesitation and with absolute certainty.

"Xena is a lucky woman to have you."

"No, I'm the lucky one to have her."

Gabrielle stood and lent against the tree, looking out over the valley below. "Hey, that's why I sent for her. I've been a fool" her throat constricted with emotion, "if we love each other so much, why aren't we together?" The bard smiled "I should never have walked out on her, I'm such an idiot, for leaving."

"Yeah, well that makes me an idiot for letting you." The silken seductive voice was heard from behind her.

Gabrielle turned, her eyes falling upon the most important thing in her life, her soulmate.

The two women never noticed when Savis had left.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed. Plenty more to come. :-)