Disclaimer: don't own squat, dangit.
A/N: anyone w/ some HELPFUL suggestions on how to learn how to PARAGRAPH so that I can no longer subject you to this torture which (I'm sure) is utterly savaging your poor eyes. As an fyi, I have Windows 98 and am in Microsoft Word. Help me out people, my story reads better if you're not blind.
Chapter 3
A scant three months had passed since Gabrielle had arrived at the little cabin deep in the woods at the base of the Mountain, miles from any semblance of normal civilization. Everything was taken care of. If she needed more food, she took the twelve-mile trek to the tiny outpost, which served as post office, grocery store, police station, and everything else under the sun. One not-so-special day, Gabrielle woke early, around three a.m., to begin the hard journey to get more food and her weapons sharpened. Gathering her supplies, Gabby ran her finger over the edge of her favorite dagger. It didn't bleed. The Celtic handle in the shape of a dragon appeared to be snarling; it too was a precious heirloom. She sighed. She really needed to take better care of her things. Now, what should she wear? Gabrielle smiled in anticipation of the elderly shopkeeper's face when he saw her in her shirt, cape, sword, and at least five daggers strapped to her thighs. 'He would probably pop,' she thought. 'Thanks Lauren!' Lauren had done her job well. Every single article of Gabby's clothing was practical for hiking, yet showed off her nice figure and made her look like, like.... like an evil fairy or something. Oh, how she longed to see Lauren. Perhaps she should write a letter. Her hand strayed toward the paper.... and firmly grasped her shopping list. If she didn't get going soon, she would miss the sunrise. There would be plenty of time to write Lala later. Walking quietly with her back to the Mountain, Gabrielle mused about why Fox had cut Xena: Warrior Princess from the networks. It had been in, what, sixteen seasons? It had been widely followed, and had indeed shown (finally) a woman who could kick some ass. Before had been Hercules, and now Buffy: The Vampire Slayer. TV seemed to get worse every year. And the networks didn't even have the decency to rerun them on Saturdays! The only good thing on was Beastmaster, and that really said something. Of course, if they hadn't made the last two seasons so dang crappy- .. What the heck was that? Torn from her reverie by a rustle in the bushes, Gabby quickly drew a knife from a side sheath and went into "commando assassin" mode. She crouched swiftly and began to creep silently forward with her knife at the ready. Suddenly, a bunny shot from the bushes. Startled, Gabrielle lost her balance and her hand flew to catch herself. Her leg twisted painfully and she landed hard on her bum. Getting up, Gabby said a silent prayer of thanks that she hadn't fallen on her knife. Now, there would be a tragedy. If only she could shake the feeling that something was going to happen soon.... * "Now, Miss Gabby, What seems to be the problem here?" Gabrielle smiled at the old man. "Well, Jason, look at them! The edges are completely dull. I could poke myself with them and I wouldn't even bleed. How am I supposed to protect myself if all the damage I'm capable of inflicting is a miniscule bruise?" "Well, dogoneit, ma'am, I don't rightly know who you'd be protecting your purty self from. Them coon's been getting a little frisky?" Jason looked at her in puzzlement. Gabby realized that he couldn't comprehend someone trying to hurt her. She heaved a sigh. "Jason, darling, it's always intelligent to be prepared. Would you be a dear and sharpen them while I go get what I need from the store?" Jason winked at her. "And what about that dangerous sword? You want that sharpened too?" Gabby looked down. She was so used to wearing it she had forgotten it. "I suppose so. But be very careful Jason, it's an antique." She unbelted it and gave it to him. "I'll be back in half an hour, all right?" "Sounds good to me, Missus Gabby." * "Oh, by the way, Miss Gabby, a package came for you from some country in Europe! .... Is it a bomb? Looks suspicious to me." Jason was holding the box at arm's length and glaring at it. Gabrielle laughed and snatched it from him. "LAUREN!" she screamed like a war cry. "A gift? How did she track down my address! Oh, God bless you, Lauren!" Gabby suddenly noticed that the store and surrounding area was dead silent. Jason stared at her with eyes as big as plates. "So, um.... How much do I owe you? I bought all the usual supplies; a three- month supply of beef jerky and assorted other foodstuffs, batteries for my CD player, 5 rolls of duct tape, female items, and everything else." Gabby knew she was blushing. For never having raised her voice above a calm murmur, she was sure she had sent him straight into shock. "And have you finished my knives yet?" Gabby missed the familiar weight of the sword by her side. It was security. It was also like having her father with her all the time. No matter what anyone said, having weapons with her was practical. You never knew when you might need one. "Y-Yes, Miss Gabby. Here you are," Jason stammered. He handed them over. Into the sheathes they went; one on each thigh, one down the right boot, two strapped to her back, the dragon by her ribcage, and the sword at her waist. To say the least, Gabby felt like a warrior. "See you later, Jason!" "G-Goodbye, Missus Gabby." "Bye...." The cry faded as she sailed out the door with a huge bag of provisions and a large box. She looked as formidable as a bear. * As soon as she was out of eyeshot, Gabby raced toward the cabin. About 10 minutes later she stopped. 'Boy do I feel retarded,' she thought. 'What is wrong with me? I can cut open that stupid package easily. I'm wearing five blades and a sword!' Plopping herself down on the grass, she pulled the massive box toward her. Seconds later she was reading the attached note: Gabby~ I know I shouldn't have bothered, but I made you three new outfits, complete with boots and underwear. Also enclosed is your birthday present. But don't wear it in the woods, ok? Love, Lauren That Lauren! Frantically Gabby rifled through the clothes until she found something wrapped in plain brown paper. She carefully opened it. It was.. .. A dress. Lauren gave me a DRESS!? In frustration Gabby buried it deep. That Lauren! When would she learn? After carefully transferring the clothes into the already overstuffed bag, Gabby got up and realized she had no idea where she was. Now came the true dilemma: Should she turn around in hopes of finding her way back to the store and risk going in the wrong direction, or should she set out blindly for home with the one in a billion chance that she might just find it? It was unfortunate that the sun was directly overhead. Oh well. She'd lasted this long; somebody still liked her. Taking a deep breath, she plunged into the foliage. 'Heaven help me,' she thought.
A/N: anyone w/ some HELPFUL suggestions on how to learn how to PARAGRAPH so that I can no longer subject you to this torture which (I'm sure) is utterly savaging your poor eyes. As an fyi, I have Windows 98 and am in Microsoft Word. Help me out people, my story reads better if you're not blind.
Chapter 3
A scant three months had passed since Gabrielle had arrived at the little cabin deep in the woods at the base of the Mountain, miles from any semblance of normal civilization. Everything was taken care of. If she needed more food, she took the twelve-mile trek to the tiny outpost, which served as post office, grocery store, police station, and everything else under the sun. One not-so-special day, Gabrielle woke early, around three a.m., to begin the hard journey to get more food and her weapons sharpened. Gathering her supplies, Gabby ran her finger over the edge of her favorite dagger. It didn't bleed. The Celtic handle in the shape of a dragon appeared to be snarling; it too was a precious heirloom. She sighed. She really needed to take better care of her things. Now, what should she wear? Gabrielle smiled in anticipation of the elderly shopkeeper's face when he saw her in her shirt, cape, sword, and at least five daggers strapped to her thighs. 'He would probably pop,' she thought. 'Thanks Lauren!' Lauren had done her job well. Every single article of Gabby's clothing was practical for hiking, yet showed off her nice figure and made her look like, like.... like an evil fairy or something. Oh, how she longed to see Lauren. Perhaps she should write a letter. Her hand strayed toward the paper.... and firmly grasped her shopping list. If she didn't get going soon, she would miss the sunrise. There would be plenty of time to write Lala later. Walking quietly with her back to the Mountain, Gabrielle mused about why Fox had cut Xena: Warrior Princess from the networks. It had been in, what, sixteen seasons? It had been widely followed, and had indeed shown (finally) a woman who could kick some ass. Before had been Hercules, and now Buffy: The Vampire Slayer. TV seemed to get worse every year. And the networks didn't even have the decency to rerun them on Saturdays! The only good thing on was Beastmaster, and that really said something. Of course, if they hadn't made the last two seasons so dang crappy- .. What the heck was that? Torn from her reverie by a rustle in the bushes, Gabby quickly drew a knife from a side sheath and went into "commando assassin" mode. She crouched swiftly and began to creep silently forward with her knife at the ready. Suddenly, a bunny shot from the bushes. Startled, Gabrielle lost her balance and her hand flew to catch herself. Her leg twisted painfully and she landed hard on her bum. Getting up, Gabby said a silent prayer of thanks that she hadn't fallen on her knife. Now, there would be a tragedy. If only she could shake the feeling that something was going to happen soon.... * "Now, Miss Gabby, What seems to be the problem here?" Gabrielle smiled at the old man. "Well, Jason, look at them! The edges are completely dull. I could poke myself with them and I wouldn't even bleed. How am I supposed to protect myself if all the damage I'm capable of inflicting is a miniscule bruise?" "Well, dogoneit, ma'am, I don't rightly know who you'd be protecting your purty self from. Them coon's been getting a little frisky?" Jason looked at her in puzzlement. Gabby realized that he couldn't comprehend someone trying to hurt her. She heaved a sigh. "Jason, darling, it's always intelligent to be prepared. Would you be a dear and sharpen them while I go get what I need from the store?" Jason winked at her. "And what about that dangerous sword? You want that sharpened too?" Gabby looked down. She was so used to wearing it she had forgotten it. "I suppose so. But be very careful Jason, it's an antique." She unbelted it and gave it to him. "I'll be back in half an hour, all right?" "Sounds good to me, Missus Gabby." * "Oh, by the way, Miss Gabby, a package came for you from some country in Europe! .... Is it a bomb? Looks suspicious to me." Jason was holding the box at arm's length and glaring at it. Gabrielle laughed and snatched it from him. "LAUREN!" she screamed like a war cry. "A gift? How did she track down my address! Oh, God bless you, Lauren!" Gabby suddenly noticed that the store and surrounding area was dead silent. Jason stared at her with eyes as big as plates. "So, um.... How much do I owe you? I bought all the usual supplies; a three- month supply of beef jerky and assorted other foodstuffs, batteries for my CD player, 5 rolls of duct tape, female items, and everything else." Gabby knew she was blushing. For never having raised her voice above a calm murmur, she was sure she had sent him straight into shock. "And have you finished my knives yet?" Gabby missed the familiar weight of the sword by her side. It was security. It was also like having her father with her all the time. No matter what anyone said, having weapons with her was practical. You never knew when you might need one. "Y-Yes, Miss Gabby. Here you are," Jason stammered. He handed them over. Into the sheathes they went; one on each thigh, one down the right boot, two strapped to her back, the dragon by her ribcage, and the sword at her waist. To say the least, Gabby felt like a warrior. "See you later, Jason!" "G-Goodbye, Missus Gabby." "Bye...." The cry faded as she sailed out the door with a huge bag of provisions and a large box. She looked as formidable as a bear. * As soon as she was out of eyeshot, Gabby raced toward the cabin. About 10 minutes later she stopped. 'Boy do I feel retarded,' she thought. 'What is wrong with me? I can cut open that stupid package easily. I'm wearing five blades and a sword!' Plopping herself down on the grass, she pulled the massive box toward her. Seconds later she was reading the attached note: Gabby~ I know I shouldn't have bothered, but I made you three new outfits, complete with boots and underwear. Also enclosed is your birthday present. But don't wear it in the woods, ok? Love, Lauren That Lauren! Frantically Gabby rifled through the clothes until she found something wrapped in plain brown paper. She carefully opened it. It was.. .. A dress. Lauren gave me a DRESS!? In frustration Gabby buried it deep. That Lauren! When would she learn? After carefully transferring the clothes into the already overstuffed bag, Gabby got up and realized she had no idea where she was. Now came the true dilemma: Should she turn around in hopes of finding her way back to the store and risk going in the wrong direction, or should she set out blindly for home with the one in a billion chance that she might just find it? It was unfortunate that the sun was directly overhead. Oh well. She'd lasted this long; somebody still liked her. Taking a deep breath, she plunged into the foliage. 'Heaven help me,' she thought.