~Thank you for all of the feedback that you've given, and I hope you stick with my little labor of love to the end.
A couple people have asked me how to pronounce Jadxea's name, and here it is:
Jahd-zee-uh...(and then shortened to:) Zee-uh
Thank you all for everything! Enjoy the newest chapter!~
The blonde's head never moved, only her eyes shifted, taking in the room and it's occupants. She pulled her knees tighter to her chest, with no acknowledgement to her lack of clothing. "What happened?" a dark, throaty voice emerged from the little blonde. Her eyes shifted through the room, falling on each occupant in turn. She settled on Gabrielle, their eyes locking, making the latter squirm slightly. "Mother?"
Gabrielle shook, starting in the pit of her stomach, tightening her grip on Jadxea. The girl was still squirming and kicking, whining her annoyance and discomfort. "No," Gabrielle growled low in her chest and suddenly found herself unable to stop. "No! No, no, no!" Over and over, she nearly shouted, dragging Jadxea further back, pinning them against the door.
Eve watched, an odd calm washing over her. She felt Gabrielle pull both she and Jadxea back a few steps, but she watched Hope closely. The young woman cringed as Gabrielle yelled at her. Her green eyes went wider and then she tucked her face back into her knees.
"Let me go!" Jadxea cried, her voice nearly lost in her mother's panic. "Let go! She's afraid! Let me go! She's scared of you!" But Gabrielle just held her daughter tighter, using every ounce of her superior stength.
Hope clung to herself, true fear in her eyes. Eve watched her stare at Jadxea in something like longing. As frightened, shocked, and disappointed as Eve was, she couldn't shake that natural instinct that assured her that she was safe. Slowly, she sank down to the floor with Gabrielle and Jadxea, hardly letting her focus waiver from Hope.
"Gabrielle," Eve caught her attention, panic still gripping the older blonde, but quieting her outbursts. "I can't explain it, but... she won't hurt us," Eve spoke low and gently, contrasting the other two, making Hope take notice of her. Eve's nerves jumped at the young woman's sudden attention, but then that odd reassurance washed over her again. "She won't harm us, Gabrielle."
"No!" Gabrielle clutched Eve's arm with her free hand. "You don't know her, Eve! Keep away!" Her hand suddenly left Eve and a sai was drawn from her boot. She held it out, threateningly, as if she were fending off the young blonde who cowered away from her.
The door the three were propped against suddenly shook as a fist banged from the other side. A gruff male called out to them, "Is everything all right in here?"
Eve thought fast, clamping her hand over Gabrielle's mouth, pinning her still against the door, an apology to her little mother in her expression immediately. "We're fine!" Eve called back. "Just a little fall! But we're all right! Thank you!" The dark Elijian didn't release Gabrielle until the retreating footsteps disappeared.
Gabrielle's eyes were dark and angry by the time Eve slowly released her, the sai still held protectively out in front of them. She watched Eve, not wanting to listen to another lecture or speech about Eli and the value of life, but unable to chastize the views that she encouraged in her adopted daughter.
Knowing Gabrielle all too well, Eve bipassed the opening lecture altogether and simply began with, "Look at her." Gabrielle did, anger and resentment burning in her face, and the identical blonde hid from it. "She's terrified of you."
"Good," Gabrielle spat, and Hope flinched
"She's not going to hurt us, Gabrielle," Eve tried to sooth. "Put the weapon down." The sai never moved, still held level and strong in front of them.
"Mother..." Jadxea fussed, squirming in the tight grip that held her, "we saved her! What's the matter with you?"
"What?" Gabrielle caught her daughter's words, dreading what she guessed the child meant.
"Jadxea, the girl in your dream..." Eve watched the girl, "what did she look like?"
"Her!" Jadxea nodded to Hope, who was staring at the child, seemingly entranced by the girl. "She was younger, like me, but it was her."
"Oh Gods," Gabrielle stared wide-eyed at the huddled mass that was Hope, "she wasn't seeing Xena at all. You!" she suddenly yelled at the fightened young blonde. "You used her!" she pulled Jadxea close. "What do you want?" Hope shrank away, looking like she was trying to fold into herself or melt into the floor.
"Gabrielle, stop," Eve touched her arm and then climbed to her feet. "She's just as confused as we are." She still clung tight to Jadxea's hand, and when she tried to step toward Hope, she pulled the little girl with her.
"No!" Gabrielle pulled Jadxea back into her arms, yanking Eve back in turn. "Don't go near her!"
"If I get closer," Eve soothed, "I can see into her heart. I'll know her true purpose here."
"She'll kill you!" Gabrielle implored. "You don't know her! She's trying to trick you!"
"She won't harm me!" Eve insisted.
"No!" Gabrielle gripped her arm. "I won't let her touch you! I won't let her harm another of Xena's children! I won't have that on my conscience again!"
Eve breathed, attempting to calm herself, suddenly understanding the root of this woman's fears. "My brother's death was tragic," Eve acknowledged, "but it wasn't your fault." She turned and her eyes fell on the shivering, naked blonde who watched them. "And I don't think it was hers either. I don't know why, but I don't think that this is the same Hope who killed my brother."
"Eve..." Gabrielle warned as the woman began to take a step.
"Hope?" Jadxea looked into each of their faces in turn, finally settling on the young blonde. "My sister?" The tension of fear began dissolving from Hope's face as she locked eyes with the dark little girl. "You're my sister, aren't you?" Jadxea pushed herself up, attempting to force her mother's arms off of her. She clung to Eve, who helped to pull her away as best she could.
"Xea, no!" Gabrielle grasped at her. "You don't know..."
"I read the scrolls, Mother," Jadxea's clear, blue eyes focused on her. "I know." Slowly, Gabrielle shook her head, but Jadxea successfully pulled herself to her feet and moved close to Eve. She looked between both women and nodded, "I won't let go."
Before Gabrielle could say another word, Eve tucked Jadxea behind her and moved toward the young blonde who looked as if she was willing herself to be invisible. "Hope?" Eve called softly. Steely green eyes slid up to find Eve and the dark woman shivered slightly at the emptiness she found there. For a moment, she reconsidered what she was doing, but something encouraged her onward. "Do you know who we are?"
Hope's eyes slid to each face in the room in turn, evaluating each one. Slowly, she found her way back to Eve and nodded. But as soon as the Elijian knelt close to her, Hope untangled herself and began pushing and kicking herself back away, eventually coming in contact with the wall.
Jadxea immediately moved forward, trying to get in front of Eve, but the elder moved her back, silently informing her that it wasn't safe just yet. Instead, Eve moved in quickly, pulling the girl behind her, trapping Hope. She knelt close, making Hope squirm away. The little blonde drew her knees up to her chest for protection, tucking her face into the wall, wincing and whining in her fear. Slowly, Eve reached out, seeing Hope flinch and go rigid before she ever touched her, and placed a strong, practiced hand at the crook of the young blonde's neck and chest. The two were frozen there, Eve's eyes eventually fluttering closed, and Hope watching Eve's hand with wide and distrustful eyes.
"Eve?" Gabrielle called nervously when the moment had gone on much longer than she was comfortable with.
"She's pure," Eve's voice answered softly.
"What?" Gabrielle climbed to her feet and inched toward the group.
"There's nothing there," Eve explained. "Just... nothing. Like a newborn; she's a completely clean slate."
"It's a trick," Gabrielle immediately accused. "Eve... you can't trust her!"
"I don't, Gabrielle!" Eve snapped. "I trust myself," keeping contact with Hope, Eve turned her head and looked up at the identical blonde. "She can't lie to me. It's no trick. Whatever was inside of her, years ago, it's gone. She barely even has any memories. There's just... nothing."
"That's not possible," Gabrielle stepped back, even more distrustful now. She reached out and called to her child, "Jadxea, come away."
The little girl shook her lead, never looking at her mother. "I can't let go," she squeezed Eve's hand.
"Hope," Eve tried to capture the young woman's attention, but she wouldn't look away from the hand attatched to her bare skin. "Hope, how did you get here?" The blonde tried to shy away from Eve's hand as if it were some deadly insect. "Hope," Eve tried again, refusing to move her hand, "who brought you through?"
Her eyes never decreasing in size, shifted their focus to the dark little girl behind Eve. Gabrielle stepped forward protectively, but flinched when Hope's attention suddenly snapped up to her. Quickly, as if Gabrielle's attention were the catalyst, Hope began mumbling manically. "Only the blood of her blood... blood. Blood of her blood. Only then... redeem... redemption." Hope found little Jadxea's face, craning around Eve. "The blood of my blood. Blood... blood... you..."
"No!" Gabrielle jumped forward again, and again Hope's focus swung around to her.
"Lines," Hope mumbled. "Like lines of the Mehndi... forever... forever connected. Strands... lines of the Mehndi... twine- twins- twined... forever connected. Destiny!"
"Hope," Eve called gently, trying to stop her unnerving words, but stopped herself when the piercing green eyes found her next.
"Death... only then... only in the essence of death with the prophecy... the prophecy. Only in death... the child finds salvation. The essence! The essence of death!"
Quickly, Eve closed her eyes and searched Hope to find where she was getting her prophetic rambling. Without opening her eyes, Eve allowed everyone else to hear the information she was recieving. "It's... it's as if... like a memory. But... she can't remember it."
"She wasn't there," Gabrielle shook her head. "She wasn't alive for any of those prophecies."
"I know," Eve's concentration deepened. "She knows too. She knows that she shouldn't know any of this. But it's there... tucked away, but it's a part of her."
"Oh God," Gabrielle whispered, her fingers beginning to twitch with the instinct to be on the defensive, her hand tightening around one sai, "she's been following me."
"It's very possible," Eve opened her eyes, looking up at the small Amazon. "She's your child. There's no reason that, in death, she shouldn't follow you."
"But," Gabrielle shook her head, refusing the sweetness of that statement, "her father..."
"No," Eve immediately assured, "not at all. I can't find any trace of him... anywhere. There's only you."
"Eve?" Jadxea's little voice sounded from behind her.
Eve looked back and glanced between Hope and the little sister that clung true to her. With a deep breath, she pulled Jadxea out from behind her, allowing her to settle beside her instead. On her knees, Jadxea craned her head forward, locking eyes with the little blonde.
"Eve..." Gabrielle called nervously, but Eve held up a hand to stop her.
Slowly, Jadxea reached a hand out and lightly pushed a few locks of Hope's hair behind her ear. Gabrielle went rigid and ready, stepping forward, her sai pointed true to Hope when the twin blonde immediately responded to Jadxea's touch. She wrapped her arms tightly around Jadxea, tucking her face into the girl's neck. Hope pressed her shivering body against her little sister, rambling and sobbing unintelligably. Quickly, Eve reached up and pulled a blanket from the bed, wrapping it around Hope securely, rubbing the chill out of her skin.
Gabrielle stepped close, "I don't like this." She gritted her teeth as watering green eyes slid up to meet hers.
"She won't harm her," Eve informed, annoyed, but preoccupied with wrapping herself around Hope, sandwiching her between the sisters. "She doesn't even know what hurting someone means."
"She knows 'blood'," Gabrielle pursed her lips. "She knows 'death'."
"They're just words to her," Eve breathed heavily, trying to force her charge to calm down. "They're words that she once heard. It doesn't mean anything to her."
Gabrielle set her jaw, watching Hope with contempt, and spinning the sai so that the blade laid flat against her forearm. "You'll understand if I don't agree."
Eve looked up and watched Gabrielle back away from them, settling on the edge of the bed. Eve tucked herself into the embrace that she, Jadxea, and Hope made. She wrapped her free arm around both girls, her one hand still holding tight to Jadxea. She set her chin on Hope's shoulder, forcing her to breathe a little slower, but kept her focus on any changes she may find in the oddly clean soul that she held.
1
Fatigue had begun taking over Gabrielle's body and she laid in the bed, watching the huddle that her children made. She was trying to force her burning eyes to stay open; a fight that she was losing quickly. She closed her eyes for a moment, just to try to clear the stinging sensation.
Blinking herself into clarity, Gabrielle found a dark face very close to her. It was no suprise to her, nor did it fill her with joy as that pleasantly smiling face usually did. Xena's head on the pillow beside her was just something she expected.
A soft hand reached up, and Xena trailed the back of her hand along Gabrielle's cheek and then laced into her long, untamed hair. "So much anger, my gentle bard," Xena stroked her temple with her thumb.
"Is it any wonder?" Gabrielle's tone was harsh, but her body couldn't help but respond to Xena's touch.
"Are you so unhappy?" the warrior nuzzled her bard's nose lovingly. "You have so many people who love you. Isn't that enough?"
"Never!" Gabrielle insisted. "It'll never be enough without you." She caught Xena's lips in a quick kiss before she pulled away.
"Don't be sad, little bard," Xena whispered. "I can't bear the idea of you being in pain."
"A bit late for that, isn't it?" Gabrielle grumbled miserably.
Xena sighed, hot breath coursing over the little blonde's face. "There isn't much more that I can do for you. I want you to be happy, Gabrielle. Forgive me."
The words struck Gabrielle and she shook her head quickly, making Xena smooth out the fly-away strands. "It was you," Gabrielle's eyes were wide. "You tricked us into pulling Hope through."
Xena smiled warmly, tucking her face close to her soulmate's again. "I should know by now that you can find any false trail that I lay out."
"You sent Eve that vision of you and the toy lamb so that when Jadxea dreamed, we would think that they were both seeing you. You were the one who convinced Eve that it had to be Jadxea who brought you through from the other side," Gabrielle tilted into Xena's lingering touch. "Why? Why would you do that to me?"
"Oh..." Xena stroked the soft blonde hair, "my sweet Gabrielle... why did I ever teach you to be so mistrustful?" She set her forehead against Gabrielle's, closing her eyes, as if taking in the sensations of the moment. "Hope has been caught in limbo. She cannot ascend because of her deeds, and Lucifer can't claim her because Dahak has forsaken her."
"I don't understand," Gabrielle was getting oddly drowsy, but attributed it to the calming effect of Xena's touch.
"The last time Hope was killed," Xena explained, "her father forsook her. He stripped her of her powers, her memories, anything connected to him. She had failed him too many times, and he was angry with her. So, she belonged to no one. She was a lost soul, wandering with no hope of salvation. Her spirit clung to you because you were the only person she remembered. You were the only connection she had to anything."
"But why bring her back to us?" Gabrielle sighed. "I don't trust her. I don't want Jadxea or Eve anywhere near her."
"Eve knows more about this realm than any mortal alive. Don't be so protective of her." Xena smiled, "I know... how hypocritical of me!" she rolled her eyes. "But it's true. Our daughter can take care of herself. And she's doing a beautiful job with Jadxea."
"But why?" Gabrielle implored.
"Because," Xena began and then placed a quick, but fervent, kiss on Gabrielle's lips, "you are the last one. 'I must find redemption from the one I loved and hurt the most'. Do you think I've spent these years just waiting at your beck and call?" she teased. "Where I am, I was given a chance for redemption. In my death, the souls of Higuchi were saved, and in a spiritual state, I was able to find every living person I had ever harmed, orphaned, tormented, and I was able to make their lives just a little better. As something of a guardian, I could give back to these people in a way that I never could in life. But you, my love..." she played with a lock of blonde hair, "you were my last soul to pay back."
"No," Gabrielle whispered, "no, Xena, you gave me everything. There's nothing between us to be forgiven."
"Oh," Xena scoffed kindly, "there was so much that I took from you, that I thank the heavens, even now, that you stayed true to me for so long. But, no matter. Hope was lost and looking for some kind of compassion. You were lost, and in need of remembering the kind, warm woman that you always were. We're all searching for redemption, Gabrielle. But, some of us will find it in places that we never even dreamed of."
Gabrielle breathed, absorbing the information reluctantly. "So what now? You've given Hope to me... 'a clean slate', Eve says. What do I do with her?"
"What you were always meant to do with her; love her, care for her." Xena was suddenly intense, her eyes focused and fixed. "Protect her, Gabrielle. Protect her with everything in you. Don't let her be taken away from you again. Do you understand?"
Gabrielle nodded, even though she didn't. "And you? What happens to you if I'm the last one you needed redemption from?"
Xena shook her head. "I don't know."
"Is there no chance of saving you?" Gabrielle pleaded. "Maybe Eve could... you know, whatever Jadxea did for Hope?"
Xena brushed her dark hair away, smiling. "Eve is too... um... worldly. Even if it hadn't been Hope who was pulled through today, Eve couldn't have done it anyway. The person has to be completely pure. The blood must be pure, unstained by corruption." Xena looked over her shoulder suddenly and then back to Gabrielle. "I have to go."
"No!" Gabrielle clutched her lover's hair, pressing herself close. Quickly, she devoured her lips, claiming them, letting her hands roam over those strong dark shoulders.
Xena responded to the passionate kiss, running her fingers along the silky blonde locks and beyond, down to the small of the bard's back, where she clung desperately, pulling the small woman closer. But, the warrior felt herself being pulled away, and she broke the kiss in time to get her final words out. "There is a way. The blood of my blood... my family, long forgotten." She grabbed Gabrielle's hair tight to impress the importance of her words, "Protect Hope! Don't let him take her from you again! Protect her!"
And then, there was nothing.