I'd like to apologize to everyone. I'm sorry that I made you all wait so long for this upload. I'm sorry it's short and not up to my usual caliber. I kind of wrote myself into a hole with this story that I will attempt to dig myself out of. This is the first thing I've written since the last chapter I upload so I'm gonna be rusty for a bit but I appreciate you all sticking with me.

Gabrielle tried to swallow the lump in her throat as she walked up hill towards the Xena's army's camp. Her army camp now. She wasn't sure if she could do this alone. Xena's voice echoed in her mind, "I trust you Gabrielle. You're so strong you can do this without me."

"I can, but I don't want to." She muttered under her breath, trying to keep her strides even and her face a mask.

"You're taking this rather well Blondie." A shimmer of blue lights appeared before her and when they vanished the god of war was standing in front of her.

"Ares, I really got enough of you on your last visit. Isn't there anyone else in the world you can annoy?" She extended her stride, not even bothering to glance his way as she strode past him. "I really don't have time right now, some asshole scared my horse off a few minutes ago so I've got a long walk ahead of me."

"That's not what I wanted. You do know that right?" He jogged a few steps to catch up with her. "I just wanted to encourage her. Xena was meant to lead this army and I just wanted her to keep control of it the way she wanted to."

Gabrielle stopped, spinning on her heel to face him. She grabbed his vest and shook him. "You don't get it do you, you have never got it. She doesn't want an army. She wants to go back to travelling around helping people who are in need. For her it isn't about war, she fights to protect people, not to conqueror them!" She threw him back and he actually stumbled to the ground.

"What's the difference?" He jumped back to his feet, dusting the dirt from his legs.

"It's something you'd never understand."

She started to walk away again but his voice came to her, barely a whisper carried on the wind. "I can't sense her anymore…."

Gabrielle stopped, a slight smile curling on her lips. She walked back to him and squatted next to where he was still sitting in the dirt. She waited for him to go on.

"It's like when she was dead Gabrielle. Her spirit is completely gone."

She couldn't help the smile that crossed her face now. "She's not gone, whatever part of her was drawn to you is gone. She's not a conqueror anymore and that was the only part of her that reached out to you."

He started to respond but she was already up and walking away, leaving him in the dust.

What had been a pleasantly short ride, was a long, lonely, and hot walk back to the camp. Gabrielle spent the time trying to still herself. She called on everything she had learned from Eli to calm her emotions and mind in an attempt to let go. She would deal with her own problems when she had time, right now she had a war to win.

Sentries spotted her before she got to the camp. Not that she was trying to be sneaky but she was glad that today's victory hadn't made Spartacus' troops cocky. She'd seen many an army fall at their height because they felt untouchable. Scenes of Troy ran through her mind, the drunken celebrations and a sense of immortality. Unfortunately the only immortality for the Trojans would be in their hubris.

However, it wasn't long she crossed the staked pits and palisades that she could hear cheering. She followed it, passing the occasional drunk soldier, usually with his arms around a woman, boasting of how many Romans he'd killed that day. Those words stung like daggers. Did none of them understand this was not about killing Romans, or anyone for that matter. It was about taking their freedom. The lives they took may be necessary but it shouldn't be celebrated. She shook her head and squared her shoulders practically charging ahead.

It was hard to miss the crowd that had gathered around a pit, one that had been dug disturbingly fast. It was no Colosseum but there was room for the two soldiers, still dressed in their Roman armor, given nothing but nets and spears. She had to shove her way through the crowd till she saw Crixus cheering, his arm slung around Argron obviously drunk.

"What is the meaning of this!" Xena had taught her how to command a battlefield with her voice and she used all the strength she had left to project louder than she ever had. A few men continued to mutter but most fell silent at her voice. The Romans stopped circling but never took their eyes from each other. "Are you men or beasts?"

Crixus' eyes grew stony. "We are what the Romans made us."

"You have a choice. You always have a choice." Fatigue hit her and she swayed on her feet for a moment before turning her body back to stone. "If you do to the Romans what they've done to you, you are no better than they. These men surrendered to you, trusted their lives to your safe keeping. You do not throw that away."

She jumped into the pit and took a spear from the shocked soldier. She dove it deep into the wall and then repeated with the other one, higher up. "Get out both of you." They hesitated. "Get out now, you're free to return home." They looked to be in shock. "Go!" After the last command they wasted no time in using the spears to scramble out. They shed their armor as they made their way carefully through the crowd till she couldn't see them anymore.

"We are not beasts. We are not monsters. We will not be slavers. Xena brought her army here to help you fight for your freedom, not to condemn others to lives you've escaped."

"We do only what is fair. For years I served at their amusement. They can serve at mine for a day." Gabrielle looked up, glaring at Crixus.

"Would you have let them both leave this pit alive?"

He scoffed. "I would have let neither Roman dog leave the arena. My blood watered their sands for years, now their blood shall water ours."

Half the crowd cheered with him and while some looked sheepishly away, slowly taking steps back to retreat into the camp.

"Face me then if you want amusement." The excitement drained from his face. "There will be no forcing anyone to fight in this army but, if you're bored I could use a little workout."

He shook his head. "I don't fight my brothers or sisters anymore."

She looked around. "Anyone who needs amusement hop down, from now on the only one fighting in this pit will be me and willing opponents." She paused. "No one? Really, I thought you all were bored and needed something to do. If you're afraid of consequences I make an oath on the River Styx that any harm that comes to me in this pit you won't be held accountable for." She looked up again but the crowd had thinned to almost no one. The men ashamed had slinked away.

"Very well, if anyone changes their mind I'll be in Xena's camp to the north, from here on our army will take over any prisoners you may have and bring them under our protection."

Everyone filed away except Crixus. He laid down in the dirt to offer a hand down to her, to help pull her from the pit. She ignored it and did one of Xena's flips out, landing softly on her feet at his side. She considered for a minute then offered a hand to help him up. He took it.

"The anger I have for these Roman dogs... " he trailed off seeing the look in her eye. "Sometimes I can't control myself. They have taken everything from me."

"Then start over. If they've taken everything from you Crixus that means you can build yourself anew." She rested a hand on his shoulder. "I have seen so many people who have had everything stripped away from them. Some stay nothing and just perpetuate the cycle by taking everything from others; but the best, the strongest rebuild better than before."

With that she turned and left him. Gabrielle briefly considered going back to Potentia, to the villa her and Xena had planned to stay at but quickly abandoned the plan. She was exhausted and Xena's camp was so much closer. She borrowed a horse and quickly made her way back to what they had been using as a command tent. Palemon met her outside.

"What are you doing back here?" He looked around for a moment and then his brow furrowed. "Where's Xena?"

With that Gabrielle's body began to fall. Lykos was beside her in a moment. He caught her before her knees could even hit the ground and carried her inside. They sat her on the couch where she had patched up Xena only a few hours ago. Had it really only been a few hours. To her it felt as though it had been years.

"Xena's gone." They both stopped in their tracks and sat to either side of her. "She doesn't want to do this anymore. She wanted to go home to Corinth." They both looked at her with heavy hearts and eyes full of understanding.

Lykos sat with her as she nodded off while Palemon went just outside the tent's flap to keep guard. Their eyes met and Lykos reached out to pull his lover close to him. Palemon eyes went to the horizon. He whispered so softly Lykos almost missed his words. "I hope she makes it back in time." His eyes flicked to the tent, and letting out a heavy sigh he broke the embrace with Lykos and began his patrol.