I don't know how long it has been since I first entered the forest. The days started to blend together a while ago and before that I don't know how long I was in the cave for after I was saved. At first I would count the passing cycle of the sun and moon, but somewhere along the way I lost the ability to track how long it has been. If I had to guess, I would say I have been in the forest now for almost two months but the time is flying. Before I left Athens, summer was already waning. The air and leaves were becoming crisper. Now they wave freely, rustling together and turning gold for the oncoming autumn. I had already packed thicker clothes just in case but after what happened with my sister, my belongings are lost to me. They are either somewhere lost in the forest where I can't get to them, or she took them with her when she left me to die; either way, I doubt I'll see them again. There is much that I have lost on this trip.

It saddens me greatly by what has happened. The one person I thought I could trust with my thoughts, my job and my life betrayed me and as a result, I have been forced to live in the forest in the fear that, if I ever grew the confidence to leave, I may never know if I can or if death is awaiting outside the safety of the trees.

My new life resorts to me spending every day picking and scraping for food to ensure my survival, and constructing tools from mere natural sources that I find on the ground. Although I don't have a frying pan or anything else to cook the meat that we do catch, I make do with what the forest offers me. My most recent addition to my arsenal is the staff I was given by the very person that stopped me from dying alone in a watery grave all those weeks ago.

Gabrielle glanced up slowly when she heard the leaves rustle in the trees nearby. She shook her head and dipped the broken quill in the only inkwell that had managed to be saved. She crossed her legs and unrolled more parchment on her knee.

I can still remember the moment I saw my sister change. There was something in her eyes that told me she had before I even knew. It was the way she looked at me that fatal morning that marked the last time I saw her. It was no longer with love but hate, a deep and dark loathing I had grown up oblivious to during my time away from my family. I had not meant to abandon them as Lila saw it. I had chased my dream and had been captured by it instead; imprisoned by the world I had dreamed of, unreleased and tortured everyday by those I had once thought were there to help me.

Lila chased me through the trees, slashing at them, at me, from behind. Her calls frightened me more than I can ever remember being, and when she finally caught up and drove in the dagger, it was as though she had plunged it through my heart, through our relationship and our complete history. Everything was a lie and the dagger had become the truth.

I don't remember much after that except for a pair of loving blue eyes looking back at me as I was pulled out of the water. Arms, strange but not unfamiliar, held me close like a child and I fell into darkness, coaxed with promises of warmth, security and love; the things I always dreamt of but never truly received.

There was a snap nearby. Gabrielle didn't need to look to see who it was, although she thought she would have at least been quieter upon her approach. Her instincts told her to get ready for an attack but her face could hardly suppress the smile she felt twitching at the corner of her mouth. She sighed and carried on writing. Right up until the woman fell right in front of her in a blur of colour, smiling and waving her hands. Seeing Gabrielle was unaffected by her sudden entrance, Xena scratched her head.

"Gabrielle not scared?" she asked the golden human.

Gabrielle tilted her head as she concentrated finishing her sentence before looking up. She smiled. "Sorry, Xena but I knew you were coming."

Xena made a face as she fell onto her backside. "How?"

Gabrielle reached over and ruffled the woman's hair as she would a child. "You were making so much noise."

Xena could have sworn she was being quiet. She had started out quiet anyway. She had crept through the tree like a snake slithering across the branches, but then she had seen Gabrielle and all thoughts of being patient left her mind. She had smiled and moved through the tree quicker than she had anticipated; her heart racing and her mouth dry. It had been that way ever since Gabrielle had kissed her, although if she was being honest, the way she was feeling could be rooted back to before then. When she was growing up with the pack, she couldn't remember feeling anything like she did when she was with Gabrielle.

Even now her stomach fluttered as Gabrielle retracted her hand. The smallest touch, no matter how innocent seemed to make her heart flip in a pleasurable way.

"Maybe Gabrielle hear better?"

Gabrielle sat up, looking around at the forest as she thought. "Maybe."

When she thought about it, Gabrielle knew she was getting better at sensing her surroundings, especially when it came to Xena. It was as if some part of her knew where she was without her needing to think too much about it. It was almost as if she could hear her movements when she made them. She could almost know where things were or what was around without needing to see what was actually there.

They had been hunting the day before. After the disastrous attempts at hunting when Xena had taken her, the wild woman had helped her 'sense' her surroundings by listening to the sounds of the forest. Gabrielle had somewhat understood but had still remained confused when Xena had told her not to overthink what she was hearing or what she was meaning to listen to what was there. Xena had told her to listen beyond the sounds and in response had just looked at her funny.

Still, she had tried to go with her advice. At first it had left her as lost and bumbling as she had the day she had first entered the forest. Her first prey had been a rabbit. Leaving her to her devices, Xena had taken the side lines, instead choosing to watch Gabrielle hunt by herself for the first time.

The rabbit had escaped Gabrielle's grasp twice when she jumped it, but on the third try she had really listened as Xena had initially advised, to listen beyond. She had crouched nearby, listening to the rabbit as it was grazing, the water of the stream running nearby and the small skittering of smaller animals near it. Opening her eyes, she had crept closer, stepping carefully over exposed tree roots and dry bushes that would rustle it she risked getting too close and scaring off the rabbit. Once she was close enough, instead of luring it to her as she would have done, Gabrielle leapt at it and grabbed hold.

The happiness at actually capturing the elusive rabbit left her beaming. She could still remember the look of pride Xena had had on her face when she lifted it and showed her prize to the wild woman. She received a nod of acknowledgement and to Gabrielle, it had felt like acceptance. To hunting, living in the forest and just being part of Xena and mostly to herself, she was accepted – she was part of something.

Since then Gabrielle had practiced her new heightened sense, listening and tracking Xena. The woman who somehow managed to sneak around her before, stepping so quietly that anyone would have thought she was a phantom, moving like a whisper instead of the six foot muscle she actually was. Though Xena seemed impressed by Gabrielle's ability to learn her wild teachings quickly, there was almost a begrudging sense of happiness when Xena found it increasingly difficult for her to surprise her.

Seeing Gabrielle bend her head over her knee, Xena sat up straight and looked too, curiously. "What that?"

"It's a scroll, remember?" Gabrielle straightened it out and showed Xena.

Xena reached out and softly brushed her fingertip over the scroll. She moved it over the strange markings and brought her finger back. She looked at it then to the scroll again.

"These are words. They're made with ink and this quill," Gabrielle said showing her. "They were in my bag I brought. I did a little exploring and found it nearby, along with this."

Gabrielle reached into the bag and lifted out a sharp blade. It was stained red and looking at it, Gabrielle's face darkened. She handled it carefully, turning it over in her hands as she looked at it. "She used this on me and it fell when I did."

Xena shuddered. "That you?" she asked pointing to the blood on the shiny end.

Gabrielle nodded solemnly. She put it back in the bag and sighed. "Yes, that's me alright. Hey, don't look sad, Xena."

She lifted her hand and brushed Xena's cheek with the backs of her fingers. Gabrielle brought them under Xena's chin and lifted her head until her blue eyes looked back at her.

"Gabrielle almost gone because of that," Xena replied sadly.

"But I'm not, because of you." Still not convinced by her words, Gabrielle tugged at Xena's hand until she sat next to her. When she was close, Gabrielle leaned over and rested her head on the woman's shoulder. "I'm still here because of you, Xena. You saved me and in a twisted sort of way, if it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be here…with you." She laughed nervously. "It's almost as if fate had a hand in this."

Xena tilted her head until it rested on hers. "With me."

Gabrielle laced her fingers in Xena's and lifted them together, kissing the woman's hand before letting go. "You know, because you have taught me so much, I think it's only fair that I teach you something as well. How would you like to write something?"

"Write?"

"Yeah!" Gabrielle reached out a scroll with many mistakes on it and passed it over to Xena, guessing it would be alright to practice on. She rested it on Xena's knees and gave her the quill. Seeing the way she held it, Gabrielle chuckled. "Don't hold it like a stone. You shouldn't look as if you're about to throw it. Here,"

She positioned the quill in Xena's hand properly. When she did, Xena grinned, lacing her arm around Gabrielle's waist and pulled her closer.

"Xena, c'mon, you're not going to learn anything about writing like this," she laughed, pushing her arm away and wriggling. "Right, you saw how I held it, right? Now you try. Put your fingers there and your thumb there. Okay, now move your hand across the parchment."

Xena did as she was told. She concentrated on the quill and moving it. Once she saw the black line appearing seemingly out of nowhere, she paused and glanced up at Gabrielle in shock. She pointed to it, amazed. "Look!"

Gabrielle grinned. It was like watching a child. "Well done, Xena. You made a circle. That round thing? That's a circle."

"Circle," Xena nodded in acknowledgement. She created more and more until the ink ran out. Confused, Xena lifted the end and looked up, shaking it above her head.

"Oh, no, Xena don't do that. There might be-,"

Xena shrieked when ink dropped out onto her face. She spat and shook her head. Gabrielle was genuinely concerned until Xena turned to her. Ink splats marked her cheek and near the corner of the woman's mouth. The look was enough to leave her bent over in laughter.

"I'm sorry!" she cried, still laughing. "I am…I really am, Xena. It's just…you look so funny!"

Xena made a face, meaning to look mad, but it only resulted in making Gabrielle laugh harder. Instead, Xena got up and stormed off.

"Wha-? Oh, come on, Xena!" Gabrielle stood and followed after her.

She ran after Xena, following her foot tracks in the muddy ground until they disappeared where vines descended from the branches above. Gabrielle sighed and flourished her hands at the forest.

"It's only a bit of ink, Xena. You don't look too bad actually. It could almost pass as war paint," she said mostly to herself in an attempt to lighten the feeling of guilt laughing left on her.

Gabrielle stood still, listening to the forest in the hopes she would be able to hear Xena nearby, but all she could pick up where birds and the rush of a distant waterfall. After almost ten minutes of hopeful waiting, Gabrielle turned and started back to where she left her bag and scrolls.

She resumed her seat and picked up her scroll. Dipping the quill, she scratched away.

When I was a child I would always dream of a world that existed outside of the one I knew. A world filled with magic, mystery and adventure. The idea constantly filled my mind, inspiring story after story, and though it was by a cruel twist of fate, I have found my new world. Lila's betrayal left me reeling, torn and somewhat dead, but out of the darkness, a hero came swooping out of nowhere and stole my soul back from the dark abyss that threatened to forever steal it away.

Xena

She rescued not only my body, but my soul and restored my belief that the magic I was taught to stamp out and forget about still existed. Through her innocent and almost childish approach to the things that have become second nature to me, I am reminded of a younger me; eyes filled with wonder, being surprised at the simplest things and finding happiness over what I forgot long ago to enjoy. Through her wild and unassuming view of humans, Xena has managed to heal my body and the part of my heart that many years of wealth, fame and lies ate away; leaving what was left of it withered, cynical and unforgiving. Every day I feel my self—

Gabrielle glanced up when she heard dry leaves rustling and crunching under someone's weight. Her eyes locked with Xena's immediately. Before anything else, Gabrielle stood up and quickly apologized.

"Xena? I'm really sorry; I didn't mean to laugh at you. I didn't mean to hurt you…" her words trailed off at Xena's approach. Gabrielle didn't find the small blotches of dried ink on Xena's cheek funny anymore, especially not when there was such a serious expression on Xena's face.

"Xena got something for Gabrielle."

Gabrielle's eyes darted to the woman's arms which she now realized were behind her back. She fidgeted uncomfortably, wondering whether or not she should start running. She remembered the last time she laughed at Xena. When she reappeared, Xena did so with a handful of dirt that she promptly dumped on the bard's freshly cleaned hair. It took Gabrielle days before she managed to get it all out, but she learned not to drop fish guts on Xena, accident or not.

"Look, Xena…I already said I was sorry," Gabrielle said now holding her hands up in surrender.

Xena was quicker than the bard. Before she managed to run away, Xena rushed across the clearing, grabbing her arm, tight enough to stop her but not enough to mark her. Gabrielle struggled against her but stopped when Xena presented her gift.

"Where…where did you find this?" Gabrielle asked.

She gently took the scroll from Xena's hand, turning this way and that. She unfurled it slightly and saw writing on it and a corner with a piece missing with bite marks around to edge.

Xena let her go, rubbing the back of her neck. "Xena found it. Gabrielle looked for it."

"I looked for this a while ago. It was one of the only scrolls I wrote in. You said you found this while I was looking for it? But I was with Lila when I was looking for it." Gabrielle paused, her eyes widening as realization struck her. "You were the animal—I mean the one that took it? I thought some animal had eaten it! wait…you tried to eat my scroll?"

Xena looked away guiltily. She hadn't meant to. "Xena not know what scroll was."

Gabrielle smirked. "Well, at least it came back in one piece. Uh, sort of. Thank you, Xena."

Gabrielle reached up on her tip toes and kissed Xena's cheek. Smiling, Xena wrapped her arms around the bard and lifted her over her shoulder. She moved so quickly that in surprise, Gabrielle dropped the scroll, instead scrambling and trying desperately to wriggle out of Xena's grasp.

"Xena! What are you doing?"

Xena grinned broadly. "It a surprise."

The scroll she had been holding rolled away and joined the other Gabrielle had left unattended, the quill resting over her last words: falling in love.

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