Ghost Busters
Post-Episode 45
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 45 (S2,E20):
"I can't thank you enough. But maybe I can help others the way you've helped me." Cecrops shakes hands with Xena.
Gabrielle grabs his arm, "Oh I know how you can start! Zeeb had a daughter. Maybe you can see her?"
Cecrops likes the suggestion. He kisses his fingers and puts them on Gabrielle's cheek. "I think I will. But I'm going to walk there. You know Posiden is probably upset with me. I think he got use to having me around."
"Well, he'll find someone else to be angry at. That's just his way. Let's hope it's someone who truly deserves it." Xena said as she looked out over the ocean.
Two months later…
Xena is walking down a somewhat scary looking path. It's dark, damp and silent. Xena stops walking and draws her sword. Her eyes dart around her surroundings looking for something; she's not quite sure what. She hears footsteps running towards her from behind. She turns, sword ready to parry any attacks. Nothing is there.
In the distance she hears a cry, "Xena!" it's Gabrielle. Her head whips towards the sound of her lover's voice. She begins to walk towards the area she heard Gabrielle. She picks up the pace to a light jog. "Xena help!" Gabrielle's voice is now the opposite direction. Xena stops.
"What is going on here?" Xena whispers to herself. "Gabrielle!" She hears footsteps again, they sound close. She stops and slows her breathing to listen. The footsteps are moving steadily towards her from behind. She slowly turns as she hears the footsteps stop ten feet behind her. A ghost like figure is holding Gabrielle with a knife to her throat. Xena's breath catches. "What do you want with us?" The ghost just looks at her, with anger burning in its eyes. It does not answer. Gabrielle squirms and it digs the knife deeper against her flesh, causing blood to trickle down her neck. "Don't!" Xena yells. "What do you want? I'll do anything!"
Finally the ghost answers, "Come with me." Xena puts her sword into its scabbard and walks towards the ghost. She takes her eye off the ghost long enough to see Gabrielle's eyes. Gabrielle is terrified.
Xena is about a foot away from the ghost and Gabrielle. "Alright, I'll go. But you have to release her."
"Xena, no! Where you go I go." Gabrielle is serious. The ghost pushes the bard hard away from them and then grabs Xena. Suddenly the knife is now at Xena's throat. The ghost takes the Chakrum off Xena and throws it to the ground, then does the same with her sword and breast dagger. Then the ghost and Xena disappear in a vapor.
"Xena!" Gabrielle screams with desperation. She looks around every direction. There is no sign of Xena or the ghost. All that remains is Xena's sword and Chakrum on the ground. Gabrielle has tears streaming down her face. She walks over and grabs Xena's weapons, then attaches them to herself. Looking around, she isn't sure how to get out of the area. She spots Xena's footprints that led her here; she tracks them backwards, hoping it takes them back to where they begin.
A day later, Gabrielle is finally out of the creepy forest where Xena was taken. She has dried blood on her neck. She looks utterly exhausted. She hasn't stopped walking in a day. Luckily, she finds their camping spot with all their stuff. Argo is there and runs up to Gabrielle to nuzzle her in the stomach. "Hey girl. Have you seen Xena?" Argo shakes her head and snorts. "Alright… we have to find her." Gabrielle begins to hurriedly gather their things; she does not want to spend the night this close to the haunted forest. After loading Argo up with their gear, she hops into the saddle. She is too exhausted to walk. Taking one last look at the camp, then the direction of the haunted forest, she clucks at Argo to move.
They ride through the night. Its cold, but nothing like that forest. Gabrielle is riding towards a town that can be seen in the distance. A few nights prior they had gone through that town and heard stories of the haunted forest. It just so happened to be that they needed to go through there in order to get back onto their normal course. Seeing torches blazing in the distance, Gabrielle urges the horse into a gallop. "Come on girl!"
Upon arrival to the town, Gabrielle drops Argo off at a stable then she proceeds to the local inn. She walks with purpose directly to a man that she recognizes from the other night. He is the one that told them stories of the haunted forest. She had thought, at the time, that he was just a great bard. But neither she nor Xena thought he was telling a true story. She approaches him fast and puts her face directly into his "Tell me more about this haunted forest! Now!" she slams her hand down on the table to emphasize that she is not messing around.
He is in shock at first, but then he shakes out of it. "Why do you want to know?" He looks around and sees that the warrior woman she was with the other day is nowhere to be seen. Then he notices how tired and beat up she looks. "Where is your friend?"
Gabrielle's eyes begin to water. "Tell me about the forest. I need to know everything."
"It's said that the people of the forest are only there for one reason; they are awaiting the arrival of a warrior to save them from their torment. They are stuck in between worlds. All they want is someone that can release them. Stories have been handed down in their generations of a warrior that will bring about their release." He stops and sees realization dawning on Gabrielle's face. Then he continues, "It sounds to me as though they've found their warrior."
Gabrielle sits back on the bench and puts her head back against the wall. "Xena. They've taken her. She was right in front of me, then she just vanished with a ghost. I have no idea where she is or how to get to her."
The man sighs, "I'm sorry. I wish I knew how to help you. There is an old man that lives in our village; or at least on the outer rim of our boundaries. He has been around since before the people turned to ghosts. He may be able to help you. But you'll have to wait until morning; it will take a couple hours to get there.
Gabrielle sighs, then stands up. She looks down at the bard, "Thank you." I should just go now and get there by dawn. However, I'm exhausted. I haven't slept in over a day. I'm no good to Xena in this condition. I can barely process information. She walks to the inn keeper and gets a room. Slowly she walks up the stairs, tiredness and sadness evident in her gait. The room she has been assigned is actually quite nice, but she doesn't really notice. All she can think about is Xena. "Oh Xena. How am I supposed to get you back?" She lies down on the bed and is immediately taken by Morpheus in to a dream world.
The next day Gabrielle is up at the crack of dawn and heads to the old man's place at the edge of the border. As she arrives, she notices that the home looks vacant. It appears no one has lived there for years. "Hmm great. Just what I need." She hops off Argo and heads to the house just to check. "Hello? Anyone here?" Nothing but an echo of her own voice. Argo snickers in the background. She looks toward the horse, then is suddenly jumped by someone. She is knocked to the ground. She looks up and sees an old man with a crazed expression on his face. He is not coming after her, just staring at her. "Hey! That wasn't nice!" She stands up.
His expression softens and becomes less crazy. "Sorry ma'am. I thought you were here to attack me. Are you alright?"
She scoffs at him, "Yeah. I'm fine. I'm not here to attack you. I'm here to get your help." Gabrielle brushes herself off.
"Help, why would you want the help of an old man?" He questions grumpily.
"My name is Gabrielle. My friend, Xena, was taken recently in the forest to the north of your town. I've been told that you might be able to tell me how to get her back." Gabrielle stares at him as she waits for a sign that he's even heard her.
He looks down, then back up at her. "Come inside." He waves her in and looks both ways before closing the door. "Would you like some tea?"
Gabrielle nods, "Please, with honey if you have it." She waits patiently as he prepares her tea. She realizes now why Xena is so impatient with people like this all the time. When you want answers, you don't want people to waste time.
He hands her the tea, "Alright dear. Tell me what happened." After she tells the entire story, he shakes his head and asks, "So… your friend is a warrior. The good thing about that is I now know why they took her and where as well."
Gabrielle's eyes go wide. "Where is she?" Her voice is desperate.
"She is in the abandon Roman mines about three leagues from here. Only two leagues from the forest. You were closer to her before you left the forest."
Gabrielle hangs her head. "What do I need to do to get her back?"
He thinks for a moment. "There isn't anything you can do, it's all up to her. However, if you want to find her, I can tell you how to get there. I don't think the ghosts will stop you from entering the mine or finding her. But they will prevent her from leaving until she has helped them."
"Ok, do you know what she has to do to help them? If so, tell me. If she hasn't already figured it out, then it would be best for me to know so I can tell her. What happens when she helps them, do they just release her in the mine or back where they took her?"
"I honestly could not tell you little one. That's why we better get you to her before she finishes, otherwise I'm not sure how you'll find each other again." Gabrielle leaves the man's home, full of the knowledge of how to find Xena and how to help Xena finish this task. She whistles for Argo, who comes trotting out of a nearby field. The sun is setting as she jumps on Argo's back. "Come on girl, let's get to those mines. Yah!"
After several hours of riding, Gabrielle and Argo have to take a break. She spots a creek just off the road and decides she has to stop there to rest. She removes Argo's tack and lets her graze on the grassy field. She gets her bedroll and lays it on the ground, then plops down. She stares up at the clouds in the blue sky above. "Xena? I'm coming for you love. I promise I'll find you." She closes her eyes and drifts off for a few moments. She hears Argo approaching and wakes out of her light doze. I gotta get going. I'm wasting time! She grabs Argo's tack and is about to get on the horse, but Argo won't let her on. Instead, Argo moves the saddle bag right in front of the bards face. Gabrielle glares at Argo then reaches in the pack and pulls out an apple. "There you happy?" She jumps on Argo and continues her journey.
Gabrielle rides through the night, eager to find Xena. Her worry has grown with each passing day. She's never ridden a horse at night; it's not easy. She just hopes Argo can see where to go. The entire night, she fights off sleep. Luckily she doesn't miss any of the land marks the man told her to watch for.
Around noon the next day, Gabrielle arrives to the mine. She stops Argo and ties her to a nearby tree. She pulls out her staff and ties Xena's sword to her back. She also hooks the Chakurm to her side. Alright, looks like I'm ready. It's really dark in there, I'm not sure how I'm going to find my way. I've got to find something to make a torch out of. She walks around the outside of the mine for a few minutes and finds an old torch. It smells as though it still has oil on it, so she lights it with her flint. After a few sparks, it lights. "Whew!" Walking through the cold, damp cave is more nerve racking that then bard anticipated. There are discarded Roman swords, armor and other miscellaneous items. Chains are hooked to the wall in various places with blood staining the walls behind them. She comes across a small alcove where there are piles of wax drippings from candles. There is nothing in the alcove, as if something has been removed. After an hour of walking, she comes to a split in the mine. "Ok, he said to go left. Please be here Xena." Not long after she begins the left hallway route, she hears something up ahead. She pauses and turns her head to listen closely. It sounds like someone walking. She also hears rocks being moved. She picks up her pace, but is careful not to make too much noise.
Xena is moving rock after rock across a cavern. She's been doing this for a solid day. She is exhausted and not really sure she is doing the right thing. Her attempts at leaving the cavern did not work out. The ghosts stopped her every time with an invisible force of some kind. She sets a large rock down, then stops. She hears a noise which sound remarkably like Gabrielle's footsteps when she is trying to be quiet. The sound stops. Hmm must be imagining things. Damn, I wish she was here. I miss her and need her. She is my source of strength. Xena picks up another rock and discards it. Again she hears the footsteps. A smile crosses her face as she is sure that it's Gabrielle. She sniffs the air and smells her bard's scent. I'd know that smell anywhere.
Gabrielle slowly creeps into a large cavern. The sounds have since stopped. She looks around and is startled when she sees someone standing there out of the corner of her eye. She jumps and lets out scream. When she looks full on at the person, she sees that it is Xena. "Xena!" Gabrielle runs and jumps at the warrior who returns the embrace with just as much enthusiasm.
Xena buries her nose into Gabrielle's hair and neck. She lifts Gabrielle up and twirls her around while laughing. "How did you find me?!" Xena can't help the huge smile on her face.
"It's a long story. I'm so glad I found you Xena. I was so worried." Gabrielle's eyes begin to water with tears. Xena wipes them away and sets her feet back onto the floor.
"Shhh, it's ok. I've got you." She cups Gabrielle's face with her dirty hand and leans in to kiss her on the lips. After a few moments of getting reacquainted, they part. "Let's sit down." Xena leads her over to a boulder.
"Here I have some food. Have you been able to eat?" Gabrielle pulls bread, cheese, fruit and water out of her pack.
"No, there isn't anything to eat here. Thank you for thinking of that. Now, my bard, tell me how you found me and how you got here." Xena began to chow down on food and water while Gabrielle recounted the last couple days.
An hour later, Gabrielle asked Xena, "So what are you doing exactly with all these rocks?"
"Well, I'm honestly not really sure. I think that I have to move all the rocks off this huge pile over here. When the ghost dropped me off, it pointed to the pile then just vanished. It didn't want to tell me what to do apparently, so after trying to escape a few times, I ended up just digging. I have no clue if what I'm doing is going to work." Xena stood up and grabbed a rock then took it to the other side of the chamber. "It's very repetitive to say the least." She shrugged at her love.
"Xena, the man told me that these people were buried alive. I wonder if they are under this pile of rocks. He also said, that the legend tells of a mystic power that holds their spirits from crossing to the other side. Supposedly, if you can uncover their bodies AND find the object that is holding the power, then they can cross to the other side and have peace. What I don't understand, is why did they need a warrior for this, rather than just someone strong?"
"Are you saying I'm not strong?" Xena's eyebrow goes up as she teases the bard.
Gabrielle giggles then walks over to Xena. She pokes her in the stomach and says, "Oh no. You're strong. I just don't understand why they specifically needed a warrior."
Xena shrugs, "Maybe because it takes someone strong of mind as well as body to do this. Either that or I'm going to have to fight some evil ghosts to get out of here. Wouldn't that be something?" She chuckles then pulls Gabrielle in for a hug. "Well, I guess I better get back to work."
"Oh no you don't! You rest for awhile. We'll take turns. I've had a night of decent sleep in a bed. You've been without food and water and you've been sleeping on a cave floor. Actually, you should take a nap. You look exhausted." Gabrielle pushes Xena towards where she had been sleeping and swats her on the butt. "Shoo."
Xena gives her the famous "Xena Warrior Princess look", then relaxes. "Thank Gabrielle. I don't know that I can sleep, but I will lay down for a bit. Be careful on the rocks ok? If one is too heavy, skip it and move to another one. I don't want you hurting your back."
An hour later, the warrior has woken from a much needed nap. She turns over to face Gabrielle who is still laboring on the rocks. "Hey sexy." She drawls as she stretches.
Gabrielle stops and looks at Xena. She smiles, "Hey sleepy head." She walks over to Xena as she is sitting up. Xena pulls her down so that she is sitting on her lap.
"I missed you Gabrielle. I was worried I'd never see you again."Xena leans her head against Gabrielle's cheek.
Gabrielle puts her arms around Xena's neck and holds her tight. "I'm here. I was worried too. That old man didn't know what they would do with you if you had already saved them. I had to get up here as fast as I could. Argo is waiting for us at the entrance to the mine. She misses you too."
Xena looks up at her bard and leans in for a kiss. Their lips touch gently at first, then the kiss turns passionate. Gabrielle pushes Xena to the ground as she lays down on top of her. Her kisses move to Xena's neck and upper chest. Xena moans softly.
Suddenly Xena pushes Gabrielle up, "Gabrielle stop." Gabrielle sits up confused. "Look." Xena points toward the middle of the cavern.
The ghost that took Xena is there. It speaks to them, "Warrior, I've allowed that other one to join you because I knew your spirit was being defeated. But I will not allow this distraction to happen. If you don't finish the task, then she will be sent away."
Xena's face grows angry. She starts to get up to attack the ghost, but Gabrielle pushes her back down. "Xena, no. Calm down." Then she looks back at the ghost. "We'll help you, but where is the object that we need to find, the one that holds the power over you?"
The ghost doesn't answer at first. Then he shrugs, "We do not know. The power can only go so far; it must be in the mines somewhere. Once you find it, it has to be destroyed." The ghost vanishes.
"Dammit! How am I supposed to find the object somewhere in the mines if they won't let me leave this gods forsaken cavern!" Xena stands up and begins to pace. "Why does this crazy stuff always happen to me?" it was a rhetorical question.
"Xena, I guess it's a good thing I'm here. Maybe I can leave the cavern and find this object. They did let me in after all." Gabrielle stands up and moves to the mouth of the cave. She begins to walk across the plane of the entrance. Nothing happens. "Xena, maybe they'll let you out now too?"
Xena follows her, but is stopped by an invisible force. "Nope. Same old thing. Look, you take the torch and try to find something that might hold the power. My guess is that it is some sort of idol like statue or something. Other than that, it could be anything. Just see if anything sticks out to you, ok? Be safe."
Gabrielle steps back into the cavern and picks up the torch. She grabs her staff and the sword. "I might need this to destroy it. I really don't know how to completely destroy something, other than to try and break it." Xena pulls her in for a hug and quick kiss. "I'll be careful I promise. You promise to be careful too, ok?"
Xena smiles out of the side of her mouth, "I will." Gabrielle turns to leave and receives a swat on the butt. "Paybacks." Gabrielle just shakes her head and walks away laughing.
Gabrielle retraces her steps, as the cavern was a dead end to the tunnel she took on the left. She ends up at the split in the tunnels. There is a lot of heat coming from the tunnel on the right, which makes her a little worried about her safety. Should I go down this other tunnel, or back towards the entrance? She decides on the latter because she wants to go let Argo loose so she can eat and drink. Being stuck in one place too long won't be good for the horse and she had no clue how long they'd be here. On her way back she kept her eye out for any unusual objects. She found none.
The light at the entrance was bright. It was obviously the next morning. It took a few minutes to adjust to the lighting, but eventually she could see properly again. "Hey Argo." Gabrielle said as she approached the horse. She pet her on the nose then removed her tack, saddle, and bags. "There you go. Stay close by ok? We might need you soon." Argo trotted off to find food.
Gabrielle grabbed their gear and headed back into the mine. She decided to carry all the stuff back with her, in case they needed any of it. On the way back, she once again noticed the alcove that had candle wax on it. Hmm maybe I should try to find the statue that was here at one time. Xena did say that it most likely was a figure of something. Gabrielle set everything down and started a detail search of the area. She didn't find anything. She looked back at the alcove and noticed that the rock above it had fallen to the ground. There was a nice pile directly below where the statue would have been sitting. She began to dig and throw rocks aside. Eventually she came to what somewhat resembled a statue of a god. She had never seen this particular god before. This must be it! Oh please let this be it! The eyes of the statue were made of small green gems. After she wiped them off, they sparkled against the torch light.
An hour later Gabrielle stumbles back into the cavern. Xena is immediately at her side. "You ok!?" Xena's voice is full of worry.
Gabrielle is panting, "Water..."
Xena quickly retrieves the water bag and helps Gabrielle drink. "What happened? Are you hurt?"
"No. I'm just very tired. I carried all this stuff back in case we need it. But the worst part was carrying this heavy statue. I don't know if it's it, but we need to find out." Gabrielle begun to dig into one of their saddle bags; she handed the object to Xena.
Xena examined it. "Well, I guess there's only one way to find out!" She chucks the statue at the pile of rocks, hoping to destroy it. Nothing happens. She walks over and picks it back up to re-examine it. "It didn't even crack."
Gabrielle hangs her head. "Now what?"
Xena grabs her chakrum and sets the statue on the ground. She throws the weapon and bounces it off the wall then the statue and repeats this several times to no avail. Xena sits down for a quick moment, then gets up and begins to pace. "This doesn't make sense. Maybe it's not the right object."
"Xena, it's the only thing I could find that seems like it could be it." Then an idea hits Gabrielle, "Hey! The second tunnel had a lot of heat coming from it. Do you think it could be an underground lava flow or something?"
Xena's eyes light up. "It's definitely possible. That should definitely destroy this thing." Xena puts the statue into an empty saddle bag, then hands it to Gabrielle. "Good luck. I'll keep working on this pile of rocks. I'm almost done anyway."
Gabrielle grabs the bag and her staff, then walks back down the tunnel.
Several hours later, Xena finishes the pile of rocks. She has uncovered ten bodies that have deteriorated to the bone.
At the same time that Xena uncovers the last body, Gabrielle comes to the end of the tunnel. There is a huge canyon below her, she is on the edge. Nestled in the canyon is a river of lava. The heat is almost unbearable. Gabrielle quickly gets the statue out and throws it into the river below. She watches it's decent until it disappears into the lava. The underground begins to shake, rocks begin to cave in. Gabrielle grabs her bag and starts running to the entrance of the tunnel.
The cavern begins to fall in around Xena. She grabs their bags and hopes for the best when crossing the entrance to the cave. She walks through with no problem. She begins to sprint as fast as she can to the entrance of the tunnel.
Xena and Gabrielle reach the intersection of tunnels at the same time. They take a quick glance at each other and continue running for the entrance. Moments before the entrance collapses, they jump out onto the ground. They successfully made it out without being killed by falling rock.
Xena stands up and helps Gabrielle off the ground. She pulls her into a hug and they both look back at the mine, which is in a big pile of rubble.
Xena and Gabrielle are both riding on Argo. They ride all day long and arrive at the inn by nightfall. Gabrielle gets them a room and heads up to get the bath going. It's been a long couple of days and she is eager to get a bath and some sleep.
Xena brings food up to their room. Gabrielle is already naked and getting into the bath. Xena strips her clothes and jumps in with her. "Well, that was quiet the adventure, wasn't it?" Xena grabs the scrubber and soap, then sets to work on cleaning Gabrielle's back, neck and ears.
"Yeah, some adventure." Gabrielle says unenthusiastically. "Remind me to believe in ghost stories the next time we hear them, ok?"
Xena laughs, "Yeah, don't worry. I think we both will."
After their bath, they eat and then get into bed. Xena spoons Gabrielle from behind and kisses her on the neck and shoulder. Gabrielle lets out a moan of enjoyment and contentment. After a moment, the kisses subside and they drift off to sleep together.
1 ½ months later
Beginning of Episode 46:
Cupid walks out of a room with a crying baby. "I know, I know, I know. When I was your age I hated going to bed too. You get to be my age and going to bed takes on a whole new meaning. You know?"
From the backroom, a woman calls "Cupid, I'm waiting!"
Cupid continues to talk to the baby, "Ok look. This could REALLY work out for you, you know? Here's the deal, here's the deal. You go to bed and give your mother and me a chance and you might end up with a baby brother or a sister, huh? Wouldn't that be cool?"
The baby shakes his head and says, "No."