Reunited

"Xena?"

Xena stepped into the small campsite and sighed, smiling over at her warrior bard. "Yes, Gabrielle. It's me."

Gabrielle's confused look switched to anger as she readied herself with sais pointed across the fire. "Who are you? I know you're not Xena. Xena's been gone for five years. I don't know what game you're playing, but you had better stop it right now." She gritted her teeth, steeling back the tears that were threatening.

Xena put her hands up defensively. "It's not a game, Gabrielle. It is me," Xena pulled the cloak from her body, hoping that the sight of her in her golden armor would help convince her.

The action only made Gabrielle angrier. "Where did you get that? I searched everywhere for that." She paused for a moment, but the silence only fueled her anger. "WHERE DID YOU GET THAT?!"

Xena took a step backward, shocked at the bitterness of Gabrielle's actions. "It's mine, Gabrielle. I promise you, it's me!" She smiled weakly, pleading with her eyes.

Gabrielle put her tongue in her cheek and shook her head. "No. You're not Xena. You can't be. You know why? Cuz Xena's here," Gabrielle bent to her pack and pulled out Xena's urn. She held it up, eyes narrowed. "She's in here, just like she has been for the last five years." Gabrielle was almost spitting as she spoke.

Xena's heart broke as she saw and heard first hand the extent of Gabrielle's pain. Xena knew, this was not the same Gabrielle she had left all those years ago.

Suddenly an unknown force knocked the urn out of Gabrielle's hand, sending it crashing to the ground. The black urn knocked against a rock, sending the lid flying. The urn toppled around, revealing its contents. It was empty.

Gabrielle stared wide eyed. There was no way it could be empty. She had carried that around for years, frequently opening it to examine the contents. Where had the ashes gone? She looked up at the figure claiming to be Xena and eyed her suspiciously. Those eyes. That smile. She SO wanted to believe. But it was impossible.

Xena just gazed at her, until finally she thought of something. "I can prove to you I'm Xena. I know something about you that no one else knows. " she took a step forward and grinned.

"How am I supposed to know it's not something you read in my scrolls?"

Xena raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you didn't write about this." When Gabrielle nodded with a look of interest, Xena continued. "No one else knows or could have overheard because you told me in a dreamscape."

Gabrielle furrowed her eyebrows, thinking back. Suddenly she remembered Morpheus.

"Do you remember when Morpheus was trying to get you to lose your blood innocence? We met in your dream. I said the only way I could know it was you was if you told me something that I didn't already know about you."

Gabrielle slowly lowered her sais and swallowed thickly. Her heart raced, as she knew she was about to be proven wrong.

"You told me that when you were born, you had six toes on your right foot."

Gabrielle whimpered as her body went limp. She dropped her sais and put her hands over her mouth. "Xena?!" She whispered.

Xena smiled and nodded her head. "It's me. I'm back!"

Gabrielle slowly walked toward Xena as her hands dropped to her sides. There were no tears. No expression really. She walked up and slapped Xena across the face as hard as she could.