So Long, Illusia
Post-Episode 58
By Jinxie
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters; I just made up the stories. The beginning and ends of episodes are quoted from the actual TV series.
Content Warning: This is a series that takes place between episodes. The stories build upon the TV series and it is advised that you watch the episodes then read the post-episode (this story) in between. Many references by the characters are very specific to the episodes, so you may not get everything unless you watch at the same time or have the episodes memorized. The series does lead to a romantic relationship between two women, so if you don't like it don't read it.
Goal: To fill in the rest of the story of Xena and Gabrielle that I felt the series left out. This is more how I would have wished the show to go. I strive to make it a realistic love story of how the two get together and share their lives together. Please feel free to email me with constructive feedback Jinxie2013
End of Episode 58 (S3,E12):
In Illusia, Xena is hugging Solan. Suddenly they are no longer in Illusia and it's not Solan she is holding, but Gabrielle. They part and look at each other. The expressions on their faces are showing uncertainty. Gabrielle finally speaks up, "We're home."
"At last." Xena smiles softly.
Gabrielle sighs and breaks into a big smile and hugs Xena.
That night, they lit a fire on the beach. Xena collected dried palm branches and other leaves to make beds for them. Gabrielle tended to the fire, and cooked some fish that she had caught earlier. Neither had said much, both lost in thought about the past hour, or days. They weren't sure how long they were in Illusia.
Xena walked back into camp with an arm full of more branches. She threw them into the pile she had been collecting. "That should do." She began to organize them, building a bed in one spot next to the fire. Then she began to build one several feet away.
"Xena?"
"Mm?"
"You can build one big bed if…if you would be interested." Gabrielle said softly, not sure what Xena's reaction would be.
Xena looked back down to the beds. She gathered all the branches from one and moved them over to the other, and put them all together. "Better?"
Gabrielle smiled, "Yeah. I think so." She sighed. "Do you?"
Xena stood up and walked over to her, "I agree." Gabrielle patted the log next to her. Xena sat.
"Xena, Are we ok?"
Xena pursed her lips together and though for a moment, "We are. I think we still have some things to work through, hurt and pain. But…" she paused. "I forgive you Gabrielle. I love you still, very much."
"I love you too Xena." She leaned over and put her head against her partner's strong shoulder. "I'm glad to finally be home…"
"Uh, we aren't quite home yet Gabrielle."
"You are my home Xena." Gabrielle smiled softly.
"Ah. Right back at you." Xena put her arm around Gabrielle. That night they stayed awake staring at the stars and holding each other. They talked, wept, and comforted each other. Finally, near dawn they fell asleep wrapped around each other.
A month later…
"Hey sleepy head. Wake up." Xena knudges Gabrielle with her foot. She is standing over the bard, it's about noon.
"Just a few more minutes?"
"Honey, its noon. It's time to get moving. I'm going to go for a jog, want to go with me?"
"Uhhg. No. I want to sleep." Gabrielle is extremely grumpy.
Xena squats down on the ground next to her lover. "Why are you so tired today? Did you not sleep well again?"
"No. I just can't seem to sleep throughout the night. I wake up all the time, mostly because of bad dreams." Gabrielle sits up to face Xena. "When will it all stop hurting?"
"I don't know, baby. I wish I could stop it. But I can't. Come on, get up. Exercise sometimes help relieve stress. Lets go for a jog."
Gabrielle pouts but then gets up and stretches herself out. She gets a drink of water then is ready to go. They jog for about twenty minutes, making a loop back to their camping spot. Along the way, Xena decided to work out a few extra kinks by doing flips. "Arg I hate that you do that so easily. I wish I could do that!"
"Trust me, it takes a ton of practice. And you are not into practicing that much." She winces as she says that, it comes out completely wrong.
"Excuse me? I practice. I practice my staff with you all the time, Princess!" Gabrielle stops running. "Just for that, you need to teach me to do your flip."
"No way." Xena turns around and walks back to the bard. "You'll get hurt. I started off with a bar anyway, and we don't have one of those."
"We could make one, couldn't we?"
"Well, yeah if we found the right stuff."
"Ok, well let's find the right stuff then." Gabrielle is smiling at Xena, she knows she has her.
When they arrive back at camp, their stuff is scattered everywhere. "What the Tartarus happened here!" the bard screeched. Her scrolls were thrown every direction, her ink laying on the ground pouring out. Xena's extra set of clothing was missing.
"Shit. They took my clothes. Is any of your stuff missing love?" She wandered over to Gabrielle, who was now in tears. She was sitting on the ground with scrolls in her lap. "Oh no. Did they ruin any of them? Are they salvageable?"
Gabrielle looks up at her with tears, "I don't know. Maybe. I don't have the right stuff to fix the ones that are torn. And now I don't have any ink."
"Well Thessaly is not that far away; a couple days. Let's go there and get this fixed up, shall we?" Xena reaches her hand down hoping Gabrielle will take it. She does. They bend down and gather everything up, then they pack up camp.
The next day Gabrielle is still determined to learn the flip. Xena has shown her how to set up a bar to practice on. She finally found two trees to set up her staff in between.
- a moment later
Beginning of Episode 59:
Gabrielle is getting ready to flip over her staff. She is trying to do Xena's flip. She runs and flips over it, then lands perfectly. "Terrific, now can we head to Thessaly before you hurt yourself?" Xena says.
"No no no. You see. I've worked out the mechanics." She pulls a stick doll out of her cleavage. "The speed, trajectory, and finally the arc of the spin." Gabrielle says.
Xena grabs the doll. "Good, what's the point?"
"Your flip. Basically I've broken it down into its relatively simple steps." Gabrielle says.
"Oh yeah, what foot do I start on?" Xena begins to pick her teeth with the stick figure.
She grabs the doll from Xena. "Don't confuse me. This time, no staff. Watch."
Xena grabs her and turns her back around, "Gabrielle, before I tried the flip without the staff, I made 300 attempts with it."
Gabrielle pats her on the arm, "Slow learner huh Xena? I had that problem with basket weaving." Gabrielle runs back to take the staff down.
"It's the right foot, but I'd rather you didn't." Xena says a little annoyed.
"It's not like it's gonna kill me. Let me try it one time. Ok? That's all I need. One time." Gabrielle attempts it again and takes off on the wrong foot. She lands on her back and sprains her ankle.
