Goodbye Gabrielle by Xena






Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters. I did make some of them up. Almost all of the characters belong to Renaissance Pictures, USA Studios, and the creators of Xena Warrior Princess. This is the sixth installment of the Fate series. This immediately follows Life and Death Subtext: No Violence: Yes Sex: Yes Series: Fate series. This is the seventh installment. It immediately follows Life and Death. Rating: PG13





As she climbed the stairs, Ares held one of his strong hands on her back to support her. The baby squirmed in her arms. The tears weren't falling now. Her eyes were too dry to produce tears. Every few minutes she'd let out a small sob. Ares kissed her shoulders softly. Xena was numb on the inside. She couldn't think straight. She wanted to save Gabrielle. She did all she could, but she felt like there was more she could've done. She looked down at her best-friends baby. She looked into the child's eyes. She felt as if she were staring into Gabrielle's eyes. Into Gabrielle's soul. Aphrodite sat beside Eve and held Zander in her lap. There was a knock on the door. Ares opened it and motioned for Joxer to come out into the hall. Xena went into her room and sat on the bed with the tiny girl. She held her up so the baby's head rested on her shoulder. She felt tears forming again, but held them back. She had to stay strong. This was going to be one of the hardest things she'd ever have to do. Joxer looked at Ares. He saw the solemn look on the war god's face. "Xena's in there." He pointed to the bedroom. Joxer walked in to find Xena sitting on the bed holding a baby on her chest. He could see that the child's head rested on her shoulder. Such a little baby. His eyes went wide. He smiled. "Xena." He said. Xena looked up. She tried to smile, but it came out halfway. "She's a girl." Xena said. Joxer grinned ear to ear. "I have a daughter." He said. Xena motioned for Joxer to come sit on the edge of the bed. Joxer sat and Xena handed him the swaddled baby. "You gave her Eve's clothes." "I figured she'd fit in them." Xena said. Joxer could read on Xena's face that something was wrong. "Xena?" he asked, his voice quivering as he held his daughter. Xena couldn't look Joxer in the eyes. "How's Gabrielle?" Xena shook her head, shook away the tears. "There was so much blood. I tried to help her. I couldn't. I . . .I couldn't." Xena sobbed. Joxer started to feel the tears falling from his eyes. His moment of pure joy turned to the biggest fear of his life. "Gab-Gabrielle is dead?" he asked. "Tell me she's not. She's going to be okay?" Xena shook her head. "I'm sorry. I tried to save her. I tried." Xena said as she sobbed. "Joxer, I'm so sorry." Joxer felt his arms start to shake. The baby began to wake. Xena took her from Joxer. "GABRIELLE!" Joxer screamed. The baby started to cry. He left the room and ran down the stairs. He sat by his beloved. He lay his head down on her blood stained belly and sobbed. She looked so pale, so delicate. He rubbed the blood off of her stomach and covered her completely with a blanket. Xena walked down the hall and into the bedroom where Ares and Aphrodite were. Eve and Zander were asleep now. They hadn't been woken up by the screams of Joxer. However, Ares and Aphrodite had heard. Xena soothed the baby to sleep before she entered the room. Ares immediately walked over to her and kissed her forehead. He hadn't said a word to Aphrodite. "Go downstairs. Talk to Joxer." Xena said to Ares. He nodded and left the room. Aphrodite didn't know what was wrong. "Is it a girl?" Aphrodite asked. Xena nodded. "She's beautiful." Xena nodded again as another tear fell from her eyes. "Xena? What happened? Where's Gabrielle?" "I tried . . ." Xena said. She muttered something but the words didn't come out. Aphrodite walked over to Xena and hugged her. She started to sob now because she knew her friend was dead. She knew that Gabrielle was dead.


The night was spent on saying good-bye. Xena fed Gabrielle's daughter from an old wineskin. She put some cow's milk in it. That night, Xena sang a lullaby that lulled Zander to sleep. She finally got Gabrielle's daughter to sleep and then she went into Eve's room. Eve was awake now. "Mother, why won't anyone tell me anything? I've seen the baby, but where's Gabrielle?" Eve asked. "Come here Eve." Xena said as she sat on the bed. Eve walked over and sat beside her mother on the bed. "Gabrielle's gone." Her eyes wouldn't shed anymore tears, but she saw her daughter's eyes go glossy. Eve shook her head. "No. Aunt Gabrielle isn't gone. She's downstairs. I know she is." Eve said. "Sweetheart, Gabrielle died." Eve said calmly. "No!" Eve yelled. "She can't be!" She started crying and Xena comforted her. After hours, Eve finally fell asleep. Xena walked downstairs to see Joxer still sitting by Gabrielle. Ares and Aphrodite stood beside him. Seeing this congregation, Xena knew she'd have to do something. She pulled Ares over to the side. "Take Gabrielle's body to the ice cave." Xena said remembering Gabrielle's wishes to be buried in Amphipolis. She wasn't ready to bury her yet. She wasn't ready to let go of her friend. Ares nodded. "Joxer." Joxer looked over to Xena. Xena walked over to him. "Xena?" he asked. She put a hand on Joxer's arm. "Ares is going to take Gabrielle to the ice cave. She wants to be buried next to me in Amphipolis, but I'm not ready to let her go yet. She's my friend, and it wasn't her time. I'm going to try to get her back." Xena explained. Joxer's face lit up. "You're going to bring her back to me?" Joxer asked. "Yes. We all need her, and most importantly, her baby needs her." Xena said. Joxer nodded. He kissed Gabrielle's lips. Ares lifted Gabrielle's lifeless body into his arms. Xena kissed her forehead. In a second, Ares was gone and back again. Xena pulled Ares into the kitchen. "I need your help. I'm going to bring Gabrielle back, but I want one night with you. I need you to take away the grief. I need you Ares." Ares nodded and kissed Xena's lips. In a second, Ares had taken the blood out of Xena's dress. She was cleaned up and before Ares took her off to be alone, Xena told Aphrodite to stay with Joxer and the children. Ares and Xena ended up by the lake that is the entrance to Tartarus. The big full moon reflected beautifully on the lake. Xena wanted all of her painful thought to go away for one night. Ares took her in his arms and kissed her softly and slowly. Xena felt her knees go weak as she surrendered to Ares' touch. Xena lay back on the banks of the lake as Ares slid the dress off of her and in a heartbeat his clothes were gone and they were making love under the moonlight. Xena felt the pain and guilt she felt in the pit of her stomach waver and finally leave as Ares made her forget everything at the moment that the task at hand. Slowly, Xena fell asleep in Ares' arms when they were finished. Ares wrapped his arms around his warrior as he lay awake all night long.


Joxer lay awake in Ares and Xena's room that night as he looked at his baby daughter. She was so perfect in every since. She looked just like her mother. Joxer held his baby girl and bonded with her for the first time. Aphrodite slept in Eve's room, looking after the girl and the baby boy Zander. The house was full of sadness, but everytime they'd look at Gabrielle's daughter, they would have hope that Xena could bring her back.


In the morning, Xena kissed Ares and told him to wait for her. He refused to let her go alone, so she took his hand and they entered Tartarus by swimming through to the bottom of the lake. Xena now had the hope in her heart that she would bring Gabrielle back to the living. But how was she going to do it? That was a concern she'd come to when she found Gabrielle.


The End . . . or is it?