Life and Death by Xena






Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters, but I did make a few up. All the characters like Xena, Gabrielle, Ares, Eve, Aphrodite, and so on and so on, belong to Renaissance Pictures, USA Studios, and the creators of Xena Warrior Princess. Subtext: No Violence: No Series: Fate Series. This is the sixth installment and it immediately follows Godhood on the Line. Sex: No





Nine month old Zander stared at his mother. She was brushing her hair while she fed her son. Ares came into the room. "Today's the day." He said. Hermes is taking me and Aphrodite up to Olympus. I may be a god by the end of the day." "Yeah. That's great." Xena said. She sighed and stared into her lover's dark eyes. "Xena, I know you like me better as a mortal man, but I'm just not myself. I miss the wars. I miss popping in and out at night to be with you. I miss seeing the look on your face when I come home after being gone for a long time." Ares explained. Xena nodded and kissed Ares slowly. Zander giggled in his mother's arms. Ares picked him up. "He's going to really look up to you one day." Xena said smiling. "He already does." "I'm glad. I miss taking him up to the star." Ares said. "You took our baby up to a star?" Xena asked getting a little nervous. "Yeah. It was when you told me to take our son to safety. I took him to a place no other god or goddess has been before. I did take him a few times after that. Times when you were sleeping peacefully, looking like a goddess. I would take our son up there and talk to him for hours. He'd look at me with his beautiful dark eyes and he'd listen. As if he knew what I was talking about." "XENA!" came a scream from another room in the house. Xena stood and ran into Gabrielle and Joxer's room. "Gabrielle?" she asked. She went to Gabrielle's side. "What happened?" "I was . . . sitting up in bed, and my water broke. The baby . . . the baby's coming." Gabrielle stammered. Xena nodded and kissed her nervous friend's hand. "Go get Joxer." Xena told Ares. Her friend was in considerable pain, and her labor had just started. "Xena, something . . . something's wrong!" Gabrielle cried. She gripped her friend's hand as she bore down. "No, Gabrielle don't push! No matter how much it hurts. Don't push. You're not ready yet." Xena said. Eve ran into the room and Xena told her to go get some cold water from the spring and bring in a rag. Eve ran out to do as she was told. A few minutes later, Ares came into the room with Joxer. Joxer was frightened when he saw Gabrielle in so much pain. Ares was instructed to take Zander upstairs. Eve ran in with the rag and cool water that Xena asked her to bring. Then she was told to go upstairs to stay with Zander. As the hours passed, Xena told Ares and Joxer to go upstairs as well. Aphrodite heated a tub of water above the fire, and it cooled a bit so it was nice and warm when the delivery came. Gabrielle was sweating bullets as she began to bleed. Xena noticed that the baby's head was coming out, but more blood than usual was coming along. "Gabrielle, breathe." Aphrodite said as Xena gave her a worried look. She got a dagger ready to slice off the cord when the baby came. Gabrielle grabbed Xena's hand. Just at that moment, Ares came downstairs and got Aphrodite. Hermes took them to Olympus. Gabrielle screamed in pain and continued to hold Xena's hand. "I'm not going-going to make it." Gabrielle said. "I can feel it. I'm going to die." She started to cry. "I don't want to be buried in Potedia. I want to be buried in Amphipolis, next to you." "You're not going to die." Xena said with tears streaming down her face. She kissed Gabrielle's hand. "Promise me." Gabrielle whispered. "Gabrielle . . ." Xena cried. Gabrielle squeezed Xena's hand. "Promise!" she screamed. "I promise, Gabrielle." Xena said. "I promise." The baby was almost out when Xena cut the cord and rolled up the sleeves to her dress. Gabrielle gave a final push and a scream when the baby came out. Gabrielle looked at the baby. Xena looked at the baby. Xena handed the baby to Gabrielle who weakly looked her child over. "A daughter." Gabrielle said. She kissed her crying daughter's forehead, with a tear streaming down her cheek. She looked at Xena and smiled. "Thank you . . . I love you Xena. Tell Joxer I love him." With that, she breathed her final breath and was gone in an instant. Xena picked the child up and laid her down in a cradle, wrapped in a blanket. "GABRIELLE!" Xena screamed. Joxer could hear a faint scream, and he couldn't tell if it was Xena or Gabrielle. He wasn't sure what the scream said, but Eve held his hand, urging him to stay upstairs. Xena pounded on her friend's chest as much as she could. She couldn't let her friend die. After ten minutes, and no return from the short-haired bard, Xena stopped and lay her head against the bard's, crying. "I'm so sorry Gabrielle. I'm so sorry." She cried. She heard the baby make a noise, and she went over to the cradle. Her dress stained with Gabrielle's blood. "Come here baby." Xena said as she cried softly. She picked up her friend's daughter and took her to the tub of warm water. She bathed the little girl and dried her off. She dressed her in the little green outfit that Eve wore as a baby. The little girl's head wore the green hat and everything. The baby had just a little touch of hair, and the hair was red. She was going to look just like Gabrielle. Xena felt her stomach go queasy as she looked at her best friend. She lay the baby back down in the cradle, and she fell to her knees. "Gabrielle, I'm so sorry. I let you down. I couldn't save you. It wasn't your time to go. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." Xena said. She cried again.


On Olympus, Apollo was ready for the verdict. "Ares and Aphrodite. I grant you both your godhoods back. If you ever betray the gods again, you will not only lose your godhoods, but you'll be killed." Apollo ruled. Ares and Aphrodite looked at each other and nodded. They felt their immortality and godhood coming back. Soon, they were on their way back down to the little house where their mortal friends and family were. The god and goddess appeared in Eve's room. Joxer, Eve, and Zander were waiting. "Hey! Look who's back in action!" Aphrodite exclaimed. "They gave you your godhoods back." Joxer said. "Yeah. My Cupie talked them into it." Aphrodite said. Eve mouthed "Cupie?" To Joxer with a strange look on her face. "Where's Xena?" Ares asked. "Downstairs with Gabrielle." Joxer said. "No baby yet?" Aphrodite asked. At the same time, she and Ares looked at each other. They could feel Xena's sadness. "I'll be right back." Ares said. Aphrodite knew to stay upstairs with Joxer and Eve and Zander. Ares snapped his fingers and in a second he was beside Xena. Xena sat by Gabrielle's side, rocking the baby and crying. Xena knew he was there by instinct. "You got your godhood back." She whispered as she cradled the sleeping baby in her arms. "Yeah. Xena, what happened?" Ares asked. He knew Gabrielle was dead. He could tell. "There was so much blood. I tried to stop it. I . . . I couldn't." Xena stammered. She lay the baby back down in a crib and held onto Ares tight. "My best friend died because I couldn't save her. So much blood. So much blood." "I'm sorry." Ares said. He comforted Xena as she grieved the loss of her friend. "I'm here now. I'm here and I'm not going anywhere." He looked over at the blonde bard. He saw the blood on the blankets. He saw the bloodstains on Xena's dress. He looked at the tiny infant lying in the cradle. He saw a little red hair sticking out from the little green hat. He saw the green eyes. The baby would look just like Gabrielle. "I'm sorry Gabrielle." Xena whispered. "I'm so sorry." Xena kissed Ares softly as she continued to cry. She pulled away from him and dried her tear stained face and she dried her eyes. She walked over to the crib holding Gabrielle's daughter. Xena took Gabrielle's slightly red-haired, green-eyed daughter and slowly made her way through the house with Ares by her side. She stepped up onto the stairs and started to make her way up the stairs to show Joxer his daughter, and tell him the love of his life was dead.


The End . . . or is it?