Gabrielle watched as the young woman moved slowly, her steps uncalculated and her walk heavy, as though she carried a weight. Seeing Juliette like this, she empathized. Xena didn't need to explain the love that the woman had for Leandros. It was as plain as day on her face. What had given it away had been the way she had turned into an absolute wreck when she'd mentioned seeing him dead in her vision. That was another thing. Xena rarely kept secrets from her when it came to something important. She would have thought that the fact that Juliette was a seer would have been important enough to tell her, right? It boggled her mind when she tried to think of why she hadn't told her. But then again, the warrior princess worked in mysterious ways.

She glanced over her shoulder to where Xena stood alone, her back to her and her face lifted skyward as she stared up at the sun. She believed in Xena's skills as a tracker, but it seemed that there was something that was stopping them from moving on. It worried Gabrielle. Seeing Xena confused didn't serve them well.

Although the situation was serious, Gabrielle couldn't help but notice that she felt a little lighter. Basking in the sun's warming rays and being outside of Dreyas made her feel somewhat happier. She didn't know what caused the change, only that she felt relieved by it. Juliette however, seemed not to notice any change. For the first time since meeting her, Gabrielle saw an expression of pure grief and worry on the woman's face. It didn't seem to suit her. Gabrielle had grown too used to seeing Juliette happy with a smile for everyone. Now it looked as though the young seer didn't know how to.

Her heart ached for her. She could understand completely her concern. If it was the other way around and it was Xena that was captured or under threat of death, Gabrielle would stop at nothing to make sure that she could help her escape, even if it felt like her heart was ripping to shreds within her chest. It had almost killed her when she'd betrayed Xena, unintentionally directing her toward certain death as punishment for her crime against the Green Dragon in Chin. She refused to do that again. As soon as she'd realized her error, she'd tried what she could, begging him to spare her soul mate's life. It had been a miracle when Xena had escaped through use of her sudden burst of mysterious powers. Though she hadn't assisted much in helping the warrior escape the shackles, Gabrielle made a silent vow that she would do anything to protect Xena, even give her own life; a vow that was put to the test when she was forced to make the choice between Xena and her own daughter.

She owed her life to the warrior more times than she could count, but she wouldn't change their life for anything in the Known World.

"Juliette?"

The woman jumped slightly when Gabrielle gently placed her hand on her shoulder. She sniffed. "Yes?"

Gabrielle cleared her throat, checking to make sure Xena wasn't looking. "How long have you been in love with Leandros?"

Juliette glanced up at her with teary brown eyes. "Since I saw him in my vision."

"You saw him in a vision?"

"Yes." She nodded tearfully, scooting over so Gabrielle could sit beside her. "It was months before I came to Dreyas. I'd had a vision that I was going to meet him. He seemed…important somehow in my vision. I tried to make sense of why he kept appearing, flashes at a time within my visions, but I could never understand. I…I instantly fell in love with him – with the feelings his image invoked in my heart, with the love I could feel emanating from his being in the visions. My instincts screamed out for me to go to him, but it wasn't time yet." Juliette wiped her eyes with the cuff of her sleeve and smiled slightly.

"Then, I began to dream of him. I saw his face over and over until one day, I grew impatient. I gathered my people and brought them a few days early to the town. Seeing him in person…it was strange." She frowned slightly as she thought, her eyes slowly starting to glaze over as she envisioned him. "I'd fallen in love with an image, the brief glimpses of a man I saw in my visions. At first I thought I was being ridiculous. I thought that, maybe, I had imagined the feelings, and that I wasn't really in love. However, when I met him, my heart fell in love all over again. It took everything I had not to run to him and hold him close to me." She smiled then, her face brightening slightly. "I felt the pull in my soul, the way I was left breathless when he first smiled at me. He is my soulmate."

"It must be strange to watch the one you love from a distance and not be able to say anything," Gabrielle muttered wistfully.

"You know first-hand how hard it is, Gabrielle."

Gabrielle froze, tensing as if Xena might be within earshot. "What do you mean?"

"You can't lie to me, Gabrielle. I know of your love for the warrior. I've seen it."

"In a vision?"

Juliette chuckled quietly, shaking her head at the bard. "I don't need to be a seer or have a vision to see the love that you so clearly have for Xena."

Fighting to control the blush creeping into her cheeks, Gabrielle looked away toward Xena. The dark warrior still had her back to them. She was so still – she was like a mountain; strong and sturdy, possessing both patience and strength in her stance, yet Gabrielle could sense her friend's unease. It rolled off of her in waves. Every now and then, Gabrielle spotted Xena's fists clench and release, her frustration evident even from a distance.

"It will never be. It's silly to feel like this."

"Why?"

"She's my friend!" Gabrielle replied with more force than she intended. Seeing Juliette stare back at her, eyes wide, Gabrielle shook her head remorsefully. "Sorry, I didn't mean to snap. It's just so…frustrating. I know she doesn't feel the same way, and it would be wrong to distract her with silly school-girl feelings."

Out her peripheral vision, Juliette's eyes turned to the floor, her lip pursing as though she had to force her mouth to stay closed. "I…Gabrielle? You can't really know how someone feels unless they say it themselves. You can't take everything at face value. If you did, you wouldn't be alive. The mind has funny ways on picking up on things you wouldn't normally see with your own eyes. To know her heart you need to take a step back. Look at her with new eyes and you will see the truth."

Juliette's words confused her. She frowned. "What do you mean?"

The seer was quiet for a moment, noticeably looking over at Xena and biting her lip slightly as if she was contemplating something. When she looked back, Gabrielle noticed the mischievous glint in her eyes. "You'll see."

Before Gabrielle could question her further, the silver haired seer leaned forward, grasping the bard's chin and pressed her lips against hers lightly. Blood rushed to Gabrielle's face all at once as the young woman moved her mouth, creating strange and unfamiliar patterns. Frozen with shock, it was all Gabrielle could do to sit there, but as the kiss wore on, it didn't escape her how sweet Juliette's lips tasted upon her own. She wanted to protest – to pull away – but the kiss between Xena and Selena flashed before her in her mind and she could do nothing but close her eyes tightly, fighting back the stinging she felt as Juliette kissed her.

Xena didn't know what it was.

There was something different. She felt different. As she cast her eyes along the road they had passed, she sensed something different in the way she held herself. She felt somewhat…lighter, if it was possible? Xena had noticed the change as soon as they had left Dreyas. She no longer felt as though there was something pressing down on her all the time; like she was being watched by unseen eyes. She could breathe again – think again. However, even though she felt better physically, leaving Selena back at the town preyed on her mind. She trusted the captain. He hadn't done anything for her to question him as a man or a soldier, but she still felt bad for leaving her. It was like leaving Gabrielle somewhere, alone. It was unimaginable, and her guilt over leaving Selena again after doing it so often in their past tortured her.

She needed to talk to Juliette and Gabrielle. She had to know if they were feeling it too. She couldn't be the only one, could she?

As she turned, it felt as though all the wind had been knocked out of her as her eyes locked on the two women. She was a small distance away, but it was obvious to Xena from their proximity what they doing, and the fire it caused in her belly surprised her. It took all she had not to storm over to them. Instead, she remained as calm as she could as she approached, forcing herself to keep a cool head. She stood before them, crossing her arms across her chest and raised an eyebrow.

"Am I interrupting something?" she asked.

Gabrielle jolted away from Juliette as though Zeus's had thrown one of his lightning bolts at her. She looked up at the warrior, her face flushed and her eyes filled with embarrassment and guilt. She looked to Juliette and back to the warrior, waving her hands.

"This, um, this isn't what it looks like, Xena!" Gabrielle gushed.

Xena clenched her jaw. "Weren't you two just kissing?"

Sheepishly, Gabrielle nodded.

"Then it is what it looks like."

"But it isn't, really." Gabrielle stood up, ready to defend herself - ready to tell Xena that the kiss wasn't her idea when Xena cut her off.

"No, it's okay, Gabrielle. What you do and who you give yourself to is none of my business, but I would be a little more mindful."

Watching Xena walk away, Gabrielle just stared after her until she felt a nudge at her hip. She looked down and saw Juliette giving her an encouraging nod. "Go!" her eyes flashed.

Wasting no time, Gabrielle strode up to Xena, managing to keep pace with her as the warrior returned to her prior position overlooking the path. An awkward silence filled the air around them as the seconds stretched on into minutes. Finally, Gabrielle couldn't take it anymore.

"Xena-?"

"Do you feel any different after leaving the town?" Xena interrupted.

Gabrielle wondered whether her friend was effected in anyway about the kiss, but as usual, Xena remained annoyingly stoic, making it impossible to read her face and her feelings. Her voice was so even that she couldn't sense a note off pitch that would tip her off to Xena's mood. She sighed and answered.

"Slightly, yes. I feel different; lighter. Do you think it has something to do with being outside?

Xena shook her head. "I think it has something to do with the town."

"The town?"

"Yes. For days, I've felt something – a presence – pushing. It was as if it was trying to deafen my senses. I spoke with Cupid last night. He told me that something has been affecting people all over Greece – a darkness that makes you angry, something that influences you to attack those you know. After leaving the town…I can't feel it anymore. Before, I couldn't think straight; the things I heard…I thought they were untrue. Feelings…" she trailed off at that.

Gabrielle continued to scrutinize Xena's face until the warrior locked eyes with her. She felt her heart jolt slightly at the emotions that rushed her all at once. For a moment, if only for a blink of an eye, Xena looked at her in a way that Gabrielle could only describe as someone baring their soul. Her eyes looked a more intense blue as they continued to look at her. It almost looked as though the warrior was speaking to her, but her words were silent; unspoken.

Then it was over. Xena looked away, the moment and the warrior's vulnerability, gone.

"Xena?" Gabrielle touched Xena's forearm, her fingers gently brushing the crook of the warrior's elbow.

"Gabrielle, really, it has nothing to do with me. I thought Juliette loved Leandros, but I'm starting to think that maybe I was wrong."

"You're not. She does love him, really. We…we're just friends."

"I've never known friends to kiss like that," Xena chuckled in response, but Gabrielle could have sworn she heard a strange tightness in the warrior's voice.

At that moment, the memory of the kisses they had shared assaulted Gabrielle's mind and she grinned sardonically. "Right, I guess not,"

"What…?" Xena stumbled. She looked away, rubbing the back of her neck awkwardly. "How did you even...?"

"I was just comforting her,"

"You never comforted me like that," Xena replied, quickly covering the way her voice sounded like a pout. "Not that I…"

"Yeah, I know," Gabrielle interrupted.

Xena didn't know whether it was her imagination or not, but she could have sworn that the bard sounded almost sad. She had rushed to cut off her words, leaving them in awkward silence once again. Growing uncomfortable, Xena cleared her throat and gestured behind them.

"We should get moving. I hate to guess what Darius and his men have done to Leandros."

"Right behind you."

~X~

"Where is everyone? I can't see a single person," Gabrielle whispered.

Xena's eyes roamed the camp. She was right. The place looked empty – completely deserted. It was almost as if they knew that Xena was one her way. Still, even though the place looked empty, Xena knew better. Her instincts told her there was something wrong, and she always trusted her instincts.

"Do you think it's a trap?" Gabrielle asked.

"I'm not sure, but it feels like one."

Moving slowly, Xena gestured for the others to follow her, but to be quiet. They weaved in and out of the trees surrounding the camp until they reached the fire. Its logs had long since burned to ash; there wasn't a single ember left.

"I'd say they left a couple of hours ago." Xena rose from her inspective crouch, rubbing away ash from between her finger and thumb.

"Left? Why would they just leave everything?"

Xena pointed around them. "Their tents are still up, but there is nothing inside any one of them. Everything is gone. They couldn't have gathered up everything and left in a rush. They would have tripped up somewhere, dropped something, and the fire is cold. No water was used to douse it."

Juliette wandered around the camp, the look of panic rising on her pale face again. It twisted Gabrielle's heart to see her look so lost and distraught. Her fingers lifted to her lips unconsciously. She could still feel the kiss on her lips; still tasted the sweetness of the other woman's mouth. She hadn't felt anything but embarrassment and shock when Juliette had kissed her. She hadn't even known what she had meant to do until it was too late, but the seer's words beforehand still floated around in her mind.

Step back and look at her with new eyes…You'll see…

Gabrielle glanced up and saw Xena staring after Juliette, a strange look on her face again. Except, this time, Gabrielle could have sworn she saw something flash in the warrior's blue eyes the longer she stared at the young seer. Jealousy? No…it couldn't be. Was Xena jealous? The thought made Gabrielle's mind spin and her heart begin to race.

As the minutes stretched on, Xena decided to search the surrounding area to look for tracks to see which direction Darius and his men took. Gabrielle had been ready to stay behind with Juliette, but after a silent inner debate, Xena insisted that Gabrielle accompanied her. Before she left with the warrior, Gabrielle glanced back at Juliette and saw the smile in the young woman's eyes.

Xena went ahead as she normally did inspecting the ground for signs of movement, foot treads, broken branches; anything that would give away the men's direction. As she did, Gabrielle watched her. She noticed the way Xena moved, looking over her shoulder every so often as if to make sure Gabrielle was still there. It made the bard smile inside, knowing that Xena was thinking about her enough to check. As she followed that train of thought, she quietly wondered if Xena had ever thought of her the way that she had thought of her for many nights over the duration of their friendship. She wondered whether Xena had ever imagined kissing her because she wanted to, and not because Gabrielle was getting married again, or because Xena was going to die. Gabrielle wondered if the dark warrior held as much love for her as she did for Xena, and all that entailed. Feeling love for someone that she couldn't have, it all but killed her.

Xena concentrated on looking for any tracks and followed them when she did, but she was very aware of the bard behind her. She could feel the bard's eyes watching her, but it didn't make her feel uncomfortable, even if Gabrielle was staring. The warrior smiled inside. But that smile slipped from her face when she remembered the kiss she had seen Gabrielle and Juliette exchange.

She thought about the kiss more than she cared to admit since it happened. It invoked anger, jealousy and sparked desire. Seeing Gabrielle kiss another, it wasn't hard to imagine herself and the bard sharing the same kind of kiss. For months, Xena had tried to provoke some kind of situation so she could kiss Gabrielle's lips once again, but all attempts had fallen flat, and she couldn't try too often in danger of revealing her true feelings. Instead, frustration left her muttering darkly under her breath, raising curious looks from her companion. Curious looks that the bard shot her now.

"They went north, toward the sea," Xena said, frowning past the trees.

"What's north?"

Xena was quiet for a moment as a thought hit her. "The old village; Darius's home."

Gabrielle frowned in confusion. "I thought you said your army destroyed it?"

Xena glanced down at her friend, biting her lip. "Yes, they did, but I know Darius. He's sentimental. He could be taking Leandros back there, to keep him away. I don't know."

The bard blinked as she looked out at the disturbed shrubbery where Darius and his men had torn through the trees without concern. She could smell the mixed scent of moisture and salt; the sea was nearby. The broken grass and flowers filled the air, creating an earthy smell that reminded her too much of the warrior stood inches from her.

"So, what's the plan?" Gabrielle asked, grinning up at the warrior.

Xena smiled at the young blonde, moving a strand of hair out of her face. "We go north."

Hey guys! Sorry the update is late, but as usual, Uni work is piling up. Bad excuse, I know, but it's the only one I got that's genuine DX You don't know how much I really appreciate you guys following and reviewing the story. Gives me hope, y'know? ;) As a gift, I've decided to continue this, maybe...like a short series? I've got a sequel on the go, but 'shhh', don't tell anyone lol Anyway, I'll crack on with the next chapter,...you guys know what to do by now, right? ;)

- Bex