Merry Christmas Everybody! :D - (A/N - This chapter has recieved some editing)


Gabrielle turned onto her side and grimaced. She felt heavy and the muscles in her shoulders ached terribly. When she tried to move, a low whimpering sound escaped her lips. Still drowsy with sleep, and losing the will to move, she turned her head, following the smell of burning and ash that lingered within the small space. The fire she had set up the night before had dwindled to nothing but embers that flickered softly within the remains of the wood. She smiled at the sight, listening to the sound of it still crackling away. She had been asleep for a good few hours, but it hadn't done much to improve the way her body felt.

She sat up and looked around. She panicked for a moment when she realized that Xena was nowhere to be seen. The only sound she could hear nearby was the low murmuring of a wolf and the sound of water trickling into the large sink pool that took up most of the main room. She turned slowly, clocking the wolf as he slinked along the edge of the pool, looking in every now and then before continuing on. She still hadn't gotten used to seeing the wolf, and even less so that she was to trust it. Every instinct in her body told her to run away from it and that it would kill her when it got the chance. But she reminded herself that she'd slept in its presence all night and she couldn't see any physical harm done to her body. None more than Lila had left anyway.

Lifting herself to her feet, Gabrielle complained. Her bones creaked and her whole body felt heavy, but at least the painful cramps had gone, along with her hunger. Though it wasn't what she was used to, the meat she had cooked had been a welcome change to starvation.

She yawned as she hobbled over to the wolf, careful not to make any sudden movements. The wolf still froze upon her approach and turned. He stared at her for a long moment before flattening his ears and stuck out his nose to her outstretched hand. Familiarizing himself with her scent, Joxer stepped back and continued his strange pacing.

Gabrielle watched him with interest. She crouched by the water and looked in, narrowing her eyes to see the cause of his seeming distress. He looked worried, if that was possible. His eyes were wide as he watched the water. There was a look in them that was almost human, making it easier for her to read him.

"What is it, boy? What are you looking at?" she asked, staring into the deep blue.

The longer she stared into the pool the more unfocused her eyes became. The colouring became darker the deeper it went. She had only looked at it a couple of times in passing, but had never really given much thought to really investigate it. She didn't trust what she couldn't see, and because she couldn't see the bottom, she wouldn't trust what was hidden in the depths. She wasn't a bad swimmer, but her lack of practice over the years gave her reason to be hesitant now. She knew that if she was to fall in and it turned out to be as deep as she thought, she would surely flail about like an imbecile.

Joxer stopped and keened, lowering his body to the ground. He flattened his ears to his skull and looked inside, tilting his head sideways as he stared at the still water. Gabrielle though she had never seen something look so sad. He looked as though he was lost and he was waiting to be found again. Like a child who had been separated from its mother. She watched him for any other movement, but he remained as still as the water was flat. Looking out again, Gabrielle leaned further forward, but not until she had wrapped her fingers securely around the edge of the rock. It felt slimy under her skin, but she would rather her feel that than all of her body feel wet.

The water was so still she could have almost have been looking into a mirror; a mirror with a bluish colouring and a tendency to waver every now and then as fresh water trickled in at the opposite end of the pool.

Gabrielle hadn't been able to see herself since she'd left Athens. Seeing her reflection now brought about a mix of emotions. She was happy that she didn't look exactly as she felt; her pain was visible in her eyes, and the grim curve of her lips hinted at the grief she had spent the past few days crying over, but she looked healthy despite the shadows under her eyes and the slight gauntness to her cheeks where lack of food had taken its toll. She was in desperate need of a wash. Her hair was matted together with blood and dirt, and she smelled of rock, sweat and wolf. Perhaps if the water wasn't so deep she would take a dip later?

She reached out with one hand and swept it across the surface, her palm never touching the water but the possibility imminent. She moved her hand back and forth. A slight heat pressed against the skin of her hand and she smiled, finally noticing Joxer move. He sat up and looked at the water with his tongue lolling out, giving the impression that he was smiling.

Before she could explore his sudden change in behaviour, she noticed the water ripple out the corner of her eyes and something dark burst under the surface. Gabrielle shot back onto her backside with a scream. She grazed her hand upon her rough landing, but she was more concerned with what was in the pool. Looking back, Gabrielle's eyes suddenly widened and her protest died on her tongue. Numb to the pain that she knew throbbed away in her hand, she stared at the naked woman as she rose out of the water.

"By the…gods," Gabrielle rasped.

Water streamed down Xena's body in rivulets, making paths across her skin. It travelled down her body as though it was caressing it, moving deliciously across her full breasts and over her leanly muscled torso to travel to lower extremities. Gabrielle could hardly tear her eyes away from the wild, unrivalled beauty of Xena's bronzed body. Though her lifestyle brought with it danger, risk and the need for hardness, Xena's skin looked as soft and supple as silk as it covered the strength she so clearly possessed. The muscles beneath her skin bunched and rippled, moving like the water that sheathed and dripped down her form. She took slow, calculated steps as she moved toward Gabrielle, her body strong and powerful, but her eyes worried and her stance unsure.

Gabrielle swallowed hard, forcing herself to look Xena square in the eyes as the older woman knelt down before her, reaching out with tentative hands.

"Gabrielle?" she asked worriedly.

"I'm okay," Gabrielle squeaked embarrassingly. She cleared her throat and tried again. "I mean….I'm alright, Xena. Okay."

"Gabrielle sure?"

Gabrielle tried to nod and reassure the beautiful woman, but when Xena gently rubbed her hand up and down her arm, Gabrielle closed her eyes in attempt to focus on stopping herself from exploding. What was happening to her? She'd seen naked women before in the baths, or when she had dressed around servants and they had never elicited feelings such as these before. Seeing Xena bared before her, her strength and beauty rolled up into one powerful form made Gabrielle's blood rush to her face and burn with a fire to rival the flames that had kept her warm the night before.

She looked away, cupping her hand around her eyes to give Xena privacy. "Ah, yes, I'm sure."

Hearing a gasp, Gabrielle looked to Xena and saw the woman's eyes further saddened. But before she could ask what was wrong, Xena reached out and took Gabrielle's hand, bringing it to her lips and closing her eyes. "Gabrielle hurt," she uttered softly, her tone filled with regret.

Gabrielle closed her eyes. Feeling Xena brush her lips over her skin, a tingling sensation run through her fingertips and down her spine, setting her nerve endings alight. Her eyes snapped open, however, when she felt something warm and wet drag across her skin.

"Hey, stop licking my hand, Xena!" she said as she took her hand back. She looked at the angry graze across the fleshy part of her hand just under her thumb and sighed. "I told you, it won't make it better if you keep licking wounds. They'll just get infected."

But Xena wasn't listening. Gabrielle's eyes were drawn to the wild woman's perfectly rounded backside and the sway of her curvy hips as she walked away, back over to the pool. She swallowed to clear the dryness that suddenly took her throat and watched Xena as she playfully ruffled the young wolf's fur before moving over to a darkened area of the cave, coming back moments later with her arms filled with her clothes.

'I think I scared the human, Joxer,' Xena chuckled to her brother.

Joxer looked over at Gabrielle and saw the human watching Xena with a new look in her eyes. There seemed to be something there that he hadn't seen before and he wasn't sure how to feel about it. His instincts weren't telling him that his human sister was in any danger so he left it.

He laughed back. 'Maybe, but I think she looks more dazed than scared, sister.'

'What do you mean?'

'She's watching you.'

Xena looked up then at Gabrielle and saw her turn away when their eyes met, the human's cheeks turning a funny shade of red. 'I wonder if she's still ill, brother. I'm not an expert with humans.'

'But you are human!' Joxer replied, surprised.

Xena rolled her eyes. 'I mean outsider humans. Just how different are they from me? I'm still trying to understand why the human's blood sibling tried to kill her. They must have strange customs outside the forest.'

'Seems like it,' Joxer agreed seriously. He looked at the human, noticing that she still kept her face turned away but her eyes betrayed her every now and then, darting back to look at Xena for a second before looking away again. 'She seems strange your human.'

'What makes you say so, brother?' Xena asked as she pulled on and attached her fur coverings.

She felt somewhat warmer, but she preferred to walk around uncovered. She considered staying undressed, but when she noticed the growing stress in Gabrielle, she decided not to. She realized after speaking of human customs that she might be breaking one of Gabrielle's unknowingly. She didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable or force her to retreat back into the cold stone room. Not after all the progress she'd made in the past couple of days.

'Just the way she was looking at you. I can't decide what she is thinking. Gah, humans are so hard to read!' Joxer looked to his sister and lolled his tongue out. 'You more than her though. I never know what you're thinking half the time.'

Xena winked at him and left to attend Gabrielle's side once more. When the human looked at her, she saw a strange mixture of relief and disappointment flicker in Gabrielle's eyes. Joxer's words echoed in her mind just then. Yeah, maybe humans were hard to read sometimes?

"Gabrielle is…hungry?" she asked carefully, unsure how to tread with the human in her confused and fragile state. Noting her nod, Xena smiled and stood, pulling Gabrielle up slowly with her. She felt the pulse quicken under her fingers as she clasped Gabrielle's wrist and pulled her toward the entrance of the cave. She met no resistance until Gabrielle suddenly realized where Xena was leading her.

"Wait. Xena? Where are we…outside? No. No, I can't go out yet, Xena. No! Please! Let me go!" Gabrielle struggled against Xena's grasp, but she was too strong. She yanked her hand, attempting to make Xena let go, but Xena seemed either unaware or to be ignoring Gabrielle's plea for release. When they passed their little campsite inside the tunnel leading to the outside, Gabrielle kicked up a stick and grabbed it. With one quick whack across Xena's hand, she was finally released. Xena yelped at the impact.

It was more surprise that Gabrielle had managed to get free than the small pain that she felt on her knuckles. She looked back and saw the golden haired human shivering. She didn't feel any cold, despite still being somewhat wet and standing in the entrance. It was fear. She could tell by the way she held her arms around herself, and the way her eyes remained wide open. Not that she blamed the poor human after everything she had been through. However, after being raised with her wolf family Xena had learned the hard way that to dwell on things could make her ill. She didn't want that to happen to Gabrielle. Not when she seemed on the verge of breaking down and hiding away again.

Xena stepped back to look at the human. She tilted her head as she observed her. She would have to tread carefully if she was ever going to successfully coax her out of the darkness and into the light once more. She could tell she was suffering—suffocating in the depths of the cave. She was safe, for now, but she needed to return to the earth and breathe fresh air if she was ever to hope to return back to normal.

"Gabrielle…hurt. Here," Xena said, covering Gabrielle's chest with her hand just above her heart. She gave a look of sadness. "Need better. Outside help Gabrielle."

Gabrielle listened carefully, surprised by the amount of words Xena had managed to put together, and even more shocked that she found her voice sounded so smooth in its transition from the rough wolfish growl to something more human. She wondered just how much of what she said she understood. "I can't, Xena," Gabrielle insisted, shaking her head.

Xena crouched a little lower until their eyes were level. Seeing her blue eyes so close, looking so deeply into her own, Gabrielle found she couldn't look away. It was as though Xena quietly demanded her attention, willing her to listen without using any words.

"Gabrielle must. Xena hurt too. Same," she said, placing her own hand over her own heart. "Mother…helped Xena. Feel…outside makes Gabrielle better."

Gabrielle looked over Xena's shoulder to look at the small entrance at the end of the tunnel. Light trickled in through the gaps, letting daylight in and spilled across the floor, highlighting the dust particles that floated in the air to rest peacefully. The outside was a few steps away. All it would take for her to move forward and take those first few steps out of the cave. But she wasn't' sure if she could do it. Her heart still ached with her loss, the wound in her shoulder was on the mend but remained fresh in her mind, and the fear she had tried to fight off came back to taunt her, lingering in the shadows with an evil smile hiding behind a friendly and familiar face. She looked up into the caring eyes of the woman before her. The one that had rescued her more than once, and shown her compassion when her own family hadn't. She recognized the look of hope that resided behind those bright blue eyes as they watched her. Accepting the hand that stretched out to her, Gabrielle let Xena lead her out of the tunnel and toward the cave entrance.

She tried to remain calm, but with every step fear weighed her down, slowing her and stretching out the distance again. Her body trembled uncontrollably. Her throat grew thick and words escaped her. But her heart gave a little squeeze when Xena gripped her hand tighter and laced her fingers with her own. Gabrielle glanced up and smiled at the wry grin Xena gave when they paused. For the first time since meeting, Gabrielle felt as though they didn't need to be able to speak the same language to be able to communicate. With just one look, Xena conveyed her own hope and thoughts. Xena understood her hesitation and would wait for her to make the first move, however long as it may take.

Drawing strength from her silent saviour and new friend, Gabrielle pulled her hand away. She lifted a finger to stop Xena when she stepped forward. She needed to do this alone. She had to, or she would never be able to rebuild that which she had lost in just a few short days. Herself. She couldn't afford to completely lose herself to the fear and let it swallow her whole. She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders, taking her time to wait until she was ready.

She took a few small steps until she stood within the cave mouth. The daylight that touched her felt warm against her skin. The brightness forced her to squint and she hadn't left yet. She had been in the cave too long. Somewhere outside, birds tweeted, hidden within the thick canopy of the trees that surrounded the area outside. She could see out, but there was nothing but trees within her sight. Didn't seem so dangerous.

With one last look back Gabrielle held her breath and walked out into the daylight.


Hey everybody! Sorry for the long wait. Balancing my writing and university work was harder to do than I expected X( But I plan to keep at my writing. I don't like leaving stories half-done. Thought I'd get this in for christmas like I promised lol. Hope youliked it. The next update should be up soon. As usual, any spelling/grammar issues, or con-crit? Contact me in a PM so I can make ammendments :)