CHAPTERE TEN

Xena was upset by Gabrielle's revelation, but she knew the bard well enough not to bother trying to dissuade her. Once Gabrielle had chosen a path, there was no swaying her, regardless of the strength of the argument. She was undoubtedly the most stubborn person Xena had ever known. Neither was she easily intimidated, even by the warrior princess. Xena cast back through her memories of the countless times Gabrielle had stood up to her, when no one else could or would. Gabrielle had not backed down….ever.

She was a single minded individual, her bard, and arguing with her would get Xena nowhere. Her best hope, was to try and control the situation as it played out, and since she was dead, that was going to be quite a feat. Even so, on some level, she was gratified that Gabrielle had never given her up, and it seemed she never would.

They talked for a while, Gabrielle waxing poetic about being back in Egypt. Xena had never really liked Egypt much, she supposed it had something to do with Anthony and the whole Cleopatra debacle. Someone always seemed to die a nasty death when she came here. She just hoped this time it wasn't Gabrielle. Xena wasn't sure she could take another death on her conscience, most especially Gabrielle's. Xena would beg to be sent into the Duat if something should happen to the bard because she was trying to get Xena back. She'd pick a fight with Osiris and get banished into the Lake of Fire, or just let Ammit the Devourer swallow her up. It would be no more than she deserved. But she kept her morbid thoughts to herself, as Gabrielle seemed to have found fresh purpose in this endeavor. She was amped up with enthusiasm, and it was so good to see her optimistic for a change, that Xena just spent the time nodding and smiling.

After a while Gabrielle began to wind down, she started yawning and her voice got quieter as the minutes passed until Xena finally said, " I think you should get some sleep Gabrielle. You have to set out for Memphis in the morning so that you can make your meeting with Herodotus…and the next few days are going to be rather…intense. You're going to need to be on top of your game eh?"

Gabrielle nodded, recognizing the wisdom, but not really wanting to end her time with Xena so soon. Considering their newly acknowledged feelings for one another, Gabrielle felt like she was making up for lost time with her friend. And though she had put the best face on the situation, projecting optimism and surety, she was truthfully frightened out of her considerable wits. If she should fail in her attempt to secure Xena's acquittal, her best friend and soul mate could be sent so deep into the Duat that even should Gabrielle, die herself in an effort to follow her, they could be separated forever. Despite what Xena had said about it not all being on her, Gabrielle was somehow sure it was, and Xena's fate rested in her hands. The responsibility weighed heavy, for both of their sakes, Gabrielle needed to be her most persuasive when she went before Anubis.

She reluctantly agreed to sleep, and asked Xena if she would stay until it claimed her. Xena acquiesced with a smile. Even without the invitation, she had planned to stick around a while. She wasn't about to voice it, but she too felt the press of time and an uncertainty concerning the outcome of the "trial" they were facing, and she didn't want to miss a moment with Gabrielle as long as she was able. Even watching her sleep would be pleasurable. Gabrielle stripped down to undergarments and climbed wearily into bed. Xena slipped in next to her, spooned against the bards' back, and draped her arm across her waist pulling her close.

Gabrielle sighed deeply, and Xena could discern the melancholy that colored it. This was good, thought Gabrielle, but it would be so much better when Xena was flesh and blood again. Warm, alive, and without the need to disappear. They would live out the rest of their lives together, somewhere quiet and semi peaceful. Maybe Gabrielle could teach…perhaps Xena could open a….sword shop? Gabrielle snorted softly at the thought, or maybe she could train young warriors…something that didn't require her losing her life, or her head, every time they turned around. After all, she had many skills. Gabrielle was sincerely tired of dying, or watching the person she loved most, die. Her last thought as she drifted off to sleep was that they had earned the right to get old together.

Xena's thoughts were much along the same lines, though she didn't imagine an arms shop. She envisioned something much more mundane. Perhaps a farm, or a vineyard…someplace where the only weapon she had to carry was a rake or a hoe. She was a warrior, and at heart would probably always be one, but she was tired. Tired of blood and death, tired of watching Gabrielle suffer for the path she followed. She wanted to give Gabrielle the opportunity to write her stories down, go to sleep each night in a warm bed, wake up safe and with a future that was only limited by the number of hours in a peaceful day. She hoped she would be able to convince Anubis of that.

Gabrielle was finally asleep, her breathing deep and even. Xena buried her face in the crook of her neck, tightening her arm around this petite, wonderful woman who had changed her forever. She let the love she felt for Gabrielle, flow over and through her. She had loved before, certainly, and with a warriors fierceness. But she had never known such tenderness, outside the love she had felt for her children. But even allowing for that, it had been Gabrielle's name on her lips in those final moments in Japa. Gabrielle, who had filled her heart and mind at the end, and Gabrielle who kept her tethered to this world. The bards devotion had been the most reliable thing in Xena's life, and in her death for that matter. She would walk through Tartarus, Hell, the Lake of Fire, or any other underworld imaginable for her. She deserved no less.

Xena reached up and smoothed an errant strand of blond hair from Gabrielle's face, and pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek. " Sleep well sweetheart," she whispered, grinning when the bard smiled in her sleep. She let herself begin to fade out, then paused when she heard the door creak open behind her. Alert and now invisible, she rolled toward the sound in time to see a brown hand slip through the gap between door and jamb . She whispered urgently in Gabrielle's mind," You have an uninvited guest Gabrielle, wakey, wakey."

The bards eyes snapped open, but she didn't move. The arm that trailed over the edge of the bed groped for the sai in her boot, and she grasped the hilt in readiness.

The door was pushed inward slowly, and a shadowy figure eased into the room. Gabrielle gave an exaggerated sigh and rolled onto her back, slipping the sai under the blanket. The figure froze and remained still for several long beats, then began to edge towards the bed and the presumably sleeping occupant.

The man, as it clearly was, had reached the bedside and was bending over when suddenly Gabrielle's arm whipped out from under the covers, the point of the sai pressing into the tender flesh on the underside of the mans jaw. " That's close enough' she hissed.

There was a soft chuckle and firm, masculine voice replied," So it would seem. You do not need your weapon little scribe," there was an amused pause," I mean you no harm, and frankly if I did, your weapon would be useless anyway."

The man straightened, then snapped his fingers and all the candles in the room blazed to life simultaneously. He reached up and slid the cowl back from his head, which was shaved in the style of the Pharaoh with a side knot. He smiled warmly, " I am Thoth," he said, " I am the God of scribes and wisdom, among other more tedious duties. I have watched you for many years Gabrielle," he smiled when she looked startled," Oh yes, I am quite familiar with you…and your work. You might even say I am an admirer."

Gabrielle was flabbergasted, and in her mind Xena said," Just what we need…another meddling God."