DISCLAIMER – Belong to Rob Tapert, Sam Raimi, et al, MCA, Studios USA, and Pacific Renaissance Pictures


DAY 2

In a corner booth of the crowded tavern Xena sat watching impatiently for Gabrielle to walk through the door. She'd been at the Chartreuse Fox Tavern since it had opened that morning, after being the last to leave the night before. Her sidekick was now officially a day late, and although her rational mind knew Gabrielle was more than capable of looking after herself, she was still worried. Now, through the lunchtime crowd she watched intently as the front door opened. The door closed, and the only people that had entered, were a group of young men. One of them dressed in the most appalling outfit she'd seen in a long time. Xena shook her head and sipped at her ale. 'Kids these days couldn't dress themselves to save their lives,' she thought with an air of contempt.

Xena watched in amusement as one of the local girls sidled up to the loud dresser. She almost laughed aloud when the young man's face turned as bright red as his shirt. She didn't need much of an imagination to know what had been asked. He bent and said something into the young woman's ear. The woman gave him an irritated look, but didn't leave. Trying to ignore her, the handsome youth scanned the room, and spying Xena made a beeline toward her. Xena watched with dismay as he neared. She just knew he was going to proposition her, as it happened all the time. The thought of wearing an ancient moth bitten wolfskin, as an alternate outfit was becoming an attractive alternative to the allure leather seemed to pose.

The young woman was still hanging off his shoulder when he finally made it to her table. He made one last attempt at getting her to leave. 'Listen, I'm sure you're very nice, but I don't need a date.' He looked at Xena. 'I'm already seeing someone.'

Gutsy move, Xena thought, but when she leaves, I'm going to shoot him down like a driad.

The young woman looked at Xena with disdain. 'Fine, but if you need some real lovin'…'

'… Then I'll know where to find you. Thankyou.' The handsome man finished for her. Giving him a dirty look, the woman made her way back through the crowd, and quickly hooked up with a much more willing customer.

'Xena.'

Here we go, she thought. Try to stay as casual as possible so he can't misinterpret anything as a come on, or any form of interest what so ever. 'Yes?'

'Xena, it's me. Gabrielle.'

Novel approach. But there's no way I'm buying a line like that, she thought. 'Mmm hmm, and I'm Aphrodite.'

Gabrielle nodded. Well, considering what I look like, I don't blame her. I wouldn't believe me either. 'Right, proof. Your horse's name is Argo, your mother's name is Cyrene, and your father's name was Atrius. You have an older brother called Toris, and your younger brother, who was killed while defending your home village of Amphipolis was called Lyceus.'

Xena shook her head. Not good enough. 'Not exactly secret information.'

With a sigh Gabrielle said, 'I once traded your whip for a frying pan, because you used one of my scrolls for private purposes. Claiming there were no decent leaves in the bush.'

'Again information any person asking the right person the right questions could find out.' Xena replied.

Frustrated, Gabrielle leaned on the table, She didn't want to have to rehash any painful memories, but Xena's stubborn streak would leave her no choice, if her next bit of evidence failed to convince her. In a low voice she said, 'I traded favors with Ares so I could get to Chin ahead of you, and it almost cost you your life. Twice.'

Xena sat up a little straighter, it still wasn't the push she needed. After all, Joxer had never been the model of discretion. Before she was able to answer, one of the men from the bar sauntered over to assert his chivalrous side.

To Xena he said, 'Excuse me miss, but is this boy bothering you?'

Gabrielle stood, barely reaching the hefty mans chest. Xena covered a smile, and almost choked on the laugh that was making its way to her mouth. She cleared her throat. 'No, I'm fine. Thankyou.'

The man left, casting a doubtful look over his shoulder before sitting back down at the bar and ordering another drink.

'You're getting soft,' Gabrielle said.

Xena glared at her. Whoever this little punk was, would be in a world of hurt if he didn't either leave or convince her of who he claimed to be. 'You've got one last chance to convince me you're Gabrielle. She always says she knows what I'm thinking, and if you really are Gabrielle, you'll be able to tell me what I was thinking when you walked toward me.'

Gabrielle thought for a moment. First it would have been something to do with this terrible outfit I've got on, closely followed by … She smiled. 'Your first thought when I walked in was, 'Kids these days couldn't dress themselves to save their lives.' Which was closely followed by how attractive the thought of wearing an ancient moth bitten wolf skin was becoming as opposed to the allure leather seems to pose, because you thought I was coming over to hit on you.'

Xena sat up, convinced. Incredulous she asked, 'Gabrielle?'

Gabrielle nodded. Xena moved to make room for her unfamiliar friend, and caught the glare of the woman whose advances Gabrielle had turned down minutes earlier. Xena looked at her friend. It didn't seem possible. Couldn't be.

'How, why, … when?' she stammered.

Gabrielle leaned dejectedly on the table. 'Well, it seems I pissed off a god.'

Xena nodded an experience she'd had more than a fleeting acquaintance with. 'Who? Ares, Aphrodite, Discord? Please tell me it wasn't Hera!'

Gabrielle shook her head. 'No… let me think. It was Ares nephew.'

'But Strife was killed by Hercules.' Gabrielle gave Xena an irritated glare, and shushed her with her hand.

'Yeah, he was. Menace! That's it. As for when, well I've had a day to get used to this body and I still hate it.'

Gabrielle felt something shift uncomfortably below the table. She still hadn't figured out a way of moving without having 'other things' crawl around of their own free will. She tried to sneak her hand under the table without Xena noticing. She thought she'd gotten away with it, and was just about to rearrange when Xena looked under the table, thinking Gabrielle had dropped something. Mortified, Gabrielle quickly put her hand back on the table and folded them. Xena cleared her throat embarrassed at the faux pas.

'So ah, is it permanent?' she asked avoiding looking her young friend in the eye.

Gabrielle shook her head. 'No, all I have to do is get to the Southern Oracle, and I'll be told how I can get my original body back.'

Confused Xena asked, 'You mean the Oracle at Delphi?'

'No, he specifically said the 'Southern Oracle'. Anyway, I figure we should be able to…'

Xena put her hand on the masculine fore arm. Gabrielle looked at her. 'Gabrielle, there is no Southern Oracle.'

Gabrielle studied her face, searching for some hint that Xena was pulling a fast one on her. Finally she said, 'You're kidding right?'

With a sympathetic look, Xena shook her head.

'Oh come on! All I did was call him a moron, and he's damn lucky that was all I did after the move he made. There was no way I was going to just lay there and take it. What in Tartarus did he expect?' Gabrielle let her head drop to the table in frustration.

Xena looked at her with alarm. 'What exactly did he try to do to you?'

Gabrielle looked up. 'What? Oh, he tried to kiss me. I mean he didn't even look the same. Even if I'd known who he was, I wouldn't have let him kiss me!'

Much of what Gabrielle was saying made no sense, but Xena tried to comfort her friend. 'Maybe we could go to Ares for help. It is his nephew, and he seems to have a thing for me. I could talk to him for you.' The very thought of it made her skin crawl, but for Gabrielle…

'Maybe it's a new one!' Gabrielle burst out, not having heard a word Xena had said.

Xena shook her head. 'No, a new Oracle would be big news, and I haven't heard anything.'

'That's just great! I'm going to be stuck like this the rest of my life.' Now entirely irate, and not caring in the least, she added. 'Now if you'll excuse me, I have to straighten up.'

While Gabrielle was engrossed in getting the wedding tackle to sit right, Xena cast a sideways glance at her. At least she hadn't been turned into a pig, or harpie. She actually made a pretty good-looking guy. Gabrielle finally had everything sitting comfortably. Looking up she caught Xena staring.

'Now what?' she asked alarmed.

'Nothing, I was just thinking that it was a lucky thing you weren't turned into a farmyard animal or Gorgon or something even worse.'

'Thank Zeus for small favors.'

Xena stood. 'Come on, let's get out of here. We'll head south. I could be wrong about the Oracle, maybe someone along the way will have heard something.'

Gabrielle stood next to her and tweaked her crotch uncomfortably. Xena looked at her. 'You're taller.'

Nodding ruefully Gabrielle said, 'I know, I've already knocked my head half a dozen times.'

Gabrielle guided Xena through the crowd, drawing an angry look from the young woman whose advances she had spurned.

'Why didn't you bring your staff in with you? It would have been the clincher.'

Gabrielle pointed to the sign posted above the door;





'NO WEAPONS ALLOWED'

as they left. 'Besides which, tell me honestly. Your best friend's a day late and a strange albeit handsome man walks in carrying her staff. Now, what do you do? Talk calmly and rationally and let the young man explain himself, or beat the Tartarus out of him, then put the pinch on him to find out what happened to your friend?'

Xena shrugged, 'Well…'

Eyebrows raised, Gabrielle watched her best friend squirm. 'Well, what?'

Xena considered a little longer, 'Well, you're probably right,' she conceded.

Grinning, Gabrielle shook her head. 'Yeah, probably.'

They both smiled as they lead Argo from the hitching post and made their way out of town.

… We hadn't been on the road for long when I discovered that for some reason I no longer needed my staff to be effective in a fight…

Xena and Gabrielle walked in companionable silence, when Xena turned to her young friend. 'We've go at least a dozen men surrounding us.'

Nodding Gabrielle answered, 'I was about to tell you the same thing.'

Seconds later, they were attacked. The bandits seemed to pour from the surrounding undergrowth. Gabrielle, caught off guard by a bandit wrenching at her staff, let go to keep from falling. Xena seeing her friend on the verge of attack, threw an unconscious bandit at one of Gabrielle's approaching assailants. With two still standing, Gabrielle had no time to retrieve her staff, so she started in with her fists. Never having been one for hand-to-hand combat, Gabrielle was too busy to be surprised by her sudden expertise. Every blow connected every kick potentially lethal.

With a flurry of punches, Gabrielle was able to knock out four of their attackers, and send one hurtling Xena's way with a well-aimed kick to his stomach. Xena nodded her thanks. She took a few glances between kicks, punches, and sword strikes, marveling at the viciousness of Gabrielle's defense. Her focus, strength and speed. She never would have believed so long ago, that the irritating tag along could become such a lethal wild cat fighter. As she double kicked an approaching highwayman, Xena was pretty certain that it would be a close contest if they were to enter a hand-to-hand competition. Gabrielle knocked out the last of the bandits, and picked up her staff, surveying the damage. Two men rose groggily to their feet and staggered back into the undergrowth. The remaining men lay where they were in various degrees of pain and consciousness.

Xena threw her sidekick a questioning look.

Gabrielle was straight on the defense. 'What?'

'Nothing, it's just that I've never seen you actually punch your way through a fight. To be honest, I wasn't even aware that you knew how to punch. Anything else I should know about?'

'Funny,' Gabrielle replied with dry sarcasm. 'Tell you something though, I never thought it could be such a rush.'

'We should see how well you can throw a spear.'

'Why?'

Xena continued with a smile. 'Well, maybe you could compete at the next Olympics.'

As she walked past Gabrielle, and pointed at a low hanging branch. 'Don't forget to duck on your way through.' Gabrielle smiled as they continued on. She took a last glance back at the unconscious men. The smile left her face, to be replaced by a troubled look.

…..

DAY 7

Lost in the past, Gabrielle stopped writing. Memories to her past flooded back, as she relived the horror of her actions. The recent realization still terrified her. Her newfound strength had made her capable of killing without a weapon. That though was only secondary to the memory of the intensely arousing and intoxicating feelings the fight had stirred up in her. Feelings she never knew she possessed, and frankly never wanted.

From across the stable, Xena watched the expression on Gabrielle's face change. Although they were now masculine, she'd known Gabrielle long enough to recognize the introspective mood that had just descended on her friend. She wandered over. After a few moments she spoke.

'Hey.'

She almost expected the same reaction as that morning, but Gabrielle merely looked up questioningly.

'Hey what?' Gabrielle asked making room for Xena as she sat down next to her.

'Noticed the look you just had on your face. What's up?'

Gabrielle smiled a little, it was a kind of comforting feeling knowing someone knew her well enough to know when she was upset. She rolled up her quill in the scroll, and set it down. 'Nothing much, just thinking and considering.'

'In your case not necessarily a good combination.' She was more than familiar with the despondency that set in when Gabrielle became too pensive.

'Doesn't look like it'll stop raining anytime soon. I'm going to get us something to eat, and fix our stay here for the night.' She gave the young man a friendly nudge. 'Coming?'

Nodding in Siromos' direction Gabrielle shook her head. 'Someone's got to watch him. Why not take Coralyn. She looks on the verge of a severe case of cabin fever.'

At the other end of the stable, Xena watched the young girl pace from one end to the other. 'No way! I'll stay here, you can go settle things at the Inn.'

With a smile Gabrielle answered. 'You started this, finish it. Surely you can talk to one little girl. It's not like she'll bite.'

Xena gave a doubtful shrug as she got up to leave, 'You know you're going to have to take over eventually.'

'Maybe not. Trust yourself a little more. Your instincts may be more to caving in heads, but you're better at it than you may think.'

Looking deep into Gabrielle's eyes, Xena saw something there that she wished she could reach, instead she quickly squeezed her arm. 'Whatever it is, don't let it bother you too much.'

Gabrielle smiled. 'I'll try. Thanks.'

Xena returned the smile, and walked over to where Coralyn was on her fifth lap of the far wall. 'Let's go.'

'Where to?' Came the sullen response from the far end of the stable.

'You're going to help me bring dinner over.'

Coralyn stopped and pouted at the suggestion. 'Why don't you stay here, and look after him, and I'll go with Gabriel?'

That would please me more than you know, she thought. 'Very funny,' Xena said dryly. 'Let's go.' Xena grabbed the young girl's arm and pulled her to the door.

To Gabrielle she said, 'See you in a little while.'

Then addressing both men she asked, 'Any requests for dinner?'

Siromos replied with his usual glare, and Gabrielle shook her head. 'I'm easy.'

Coralyn followed the Warrior Princess to the Inn. The miserable look on her face didn't diminish even when Xena bought her a mug of watered down honey ale. Coralyn sat on the barstool mumbling her grievances.

Ignoring her Xena called over the bar keep with a look ordered four House Specials to go, and asked for the cost of half the barn for the night.

The man nodded. 'You sure? We do have vacancies.'

Coralyn opened her mouth to say something, but closed it with a warning look from Xena. 'Yes, we're sure. Thank you.'

'All right then. The platters will be fifteen minutes.'

'How much is that all up?' Xena asked taking out her purse.

'With the drinks, it comes to seven Dinars.' Xena fished the money from her purse and slid it over the counter. 'Oh, how much for a pitcher of ale?'

'One Dinar,' the bar tender answered reaching behind him to grab a jug.

Xena handed him the extra money. 'I'll take that with the food.' He nodded. Xena then grabbed the two mugs in one hand and pulled Coralyn's sleeve with the other. 'Let's talk.'

Coralyn rolled her eyes, as Xena dragged her to a vacant table. She sat the girl down.

Slouching in her chair Coralyn scowled. 'Now what?'

Xena took a large swallow of her sweet full strength beer, and a deep breath. 'I know you miss your family, and home. And I would love to be able to let you sleep in your own room at the Inn. But we don't have the money for it. Most importantly though and know you won't agree, but you need to be around people as much as possible right now.'

'Yeah, but one of the people I have to be around is the one who killed my family in cold blood. And thanks to your moral fortitude he's still alive. While my family's dead.' Coralyn retorted.

Xena sat quietly for a minute, trying to calm her rising temper. The recent and sudden loss of her family, she knew had been traumatic. However, the girl was seriously testing her patience. With another deep breath, she said, 'I know, that's why we're taking him to Athens to be tried for those crimes.'

Color rose in the young girl's cheeks as her anger grew. 'Oh that's just great! They'll stick him in prison for a few years, then release him to rejoin some warlord's militia, and start his murdering all over again, and that's only if they find him guilty. No, death is the only thing good enough for him. The slower the better.'

Xena closed her eyes, she could imagine a young Callisto saying something very similar about the Warlord Xena, after she'd killed her family. Callisto's monster had remained at large, and had in turn spawned a monster. She opened her eyes to find Coralyn on the verge of tears.

'I know quite a few people who would say the same of me.' Xena said quietly.

Coralyn looked at her a little stunned and shook her head. 'No way, you're nothing like that murderer.'

'I was once a lot worse.' A montage of burning villages, screaming people and dead men rushed her memory. She shook her head to clear the images. 'I was able to change because someone had faith in me.'

Coralyn smiled. 'Gabriel right?'

Xena shrugged. 'To some extent yes, but the man who started it was Hercules.'

Leaning forward enthusiastically, eyes lit up, Coralyn leaned forward. She'd heard a lot of stories about the legendary demi-god. How he'd saved whole villages from being trampled by angry Cyclopes, how he'd slain the hydra. But to actually meet someone who really knew him. 'Really?'

Xena nodded.

'Awesome! What's he like? Is he really handsome? How strong is he? How close…'

'You're missing the point,' Xena interrupted. Coralyn sighed and sat back in her chair. 'The point being, after all I'd done to him and his best friend Iolaus, he was able to forgive me, and in doing so, I discovered the light in me hadn't been entirely extinguished. It was at that time, I promised myself to give others the chance I'd been given. Guilty or not!'

The mere mention of second chances put the cold look back on Coralyn's face. 'Well, I know first hand of his guilt, and no sweet story about change and forgiveness will make me change my mind about that monster you're protecting in the barn.' With that the distraught youngster pushed away from the table and ran out the door.'

Xena rubbed her eyes, torn between pity and irritation. She sat deep in thought until their dinners were ready.

Balancing the four plates, mugs and pitcher of drink on a serving tray, she carefully hurried through the rain to the stables.

Inching her way through the door, she set the tray on the floor. 'Dinner's served.' She looked around for Coralyn. 'Where's the girl?'

Shrugging Gabrielle replied. 'I thought she was with you.'

'No, she stormed out of the Inn about five minutes ago. I thought she came back here.'

'We have to look for her,' Gabrielle said stating the obvious. 'The temperature's dropped, and it's still raining. She could be anywhere by now.'

She was halfway through the door. 'I should go,' said Xena.

'No, I'll go.' She ducked into the storm.

………

Coralyn sat in the rain at the water's edge. The small pond reminded her of those last hours with her friends, the kiss Jason had given her. She hated herself for having played hooky. For not having been there when the village had been attacked. If she had, she'd be dead now. It was what she deserved. If only…

Gabrielle finally spotted the girl sitting in the rain by the small pond behind the Minotaur. The wind and rain had increased, further dropping the temperature. Gabrielle's teeth chattered with the cold. If the girl got sick now, it would add weeks to their journey, or they'd have to split up.

'You need to come in out of the rain.' Gabrielle said softly from behind her.

'LEAVE ME ALONE!' Coralyn yelled through her tears, and stormed off in the direction of the stables. Gabrielle clenched her jaw against the cold and closed her eyes. Opening and closing her fists in frustration, as she followed the girl back to warmer surroundings. She was beginning to see what Xena meant about trying to be understanding. She could see how her friend would be frustrated by the wall the young girl had built.

Coralyn burst into the barn, and went straight to the loft.

Xena met Gabrielle at the door a short time later. 'What happened?'

'She yelled at me to leave her alone, then ran back here.' Gabrielle's teeth started chattering again, and her lips were almost blue.

'Not going so well then?' Gabrielle handed Xena her dinner, and draped a blanket around her sodden friend's shoulders.

Gabrielle smiled her gratitude, and shook her head at the question. 'I'm not sure anyone can get past the wall she's put up.'

A rare hint of self-doubt crept into Xena's voice. 'Why is it so hard this time? I can identify with the way she feels I know what loss is about. And why does she irritate me so much?'

Gabrielle sat down, next to her friend, wincing at the pain it caused her still tender ribs. 'Everyone's different. You may never get through to her on a personal level but just being there may be enough.'

Xena grimaced. 'I know you can pull it off.' Gabrielle said encouragingly.

'No,' Xena said swallowing. 'It's the food, it's almost as bad as one of Joxer's concoctions.' Nodding in Siromos's direction she asked, 'Has our friend said anything yet?' She took another wary bite of her dinner.

'Nope. Name, a few lewd comments. That's all.'

'Lewd comments?'

Color rose in Gabrielle's face. 'Yeah, seems he's under the impression that you and I are more of an item, than we are friends.'

Standing, she collected the empty plates, and placed them on the tray. Xena watched in silence, she'd given little thought to the change Gabrielle had been through, once she'd accepted the young man was actually her best friend. It only now occurred to her that there were biological, and psychological changes on top of the physical that Gabrielle would be dealing with. She'd known her fair share of young men, and although she knew Gabrielle would never act on an impulse, the impulses were probably there nonetheless. It could also shed some light on recent bizarre behavior. Why she'd run off the other evening, and very probably the dreams she'd been having. Dropping her eyes to her plate, Xena blushed a little and hurriedly finished off the rest of her meal. Placing the plate on the tray, Gabrielle was holding.

'I'll go,' Xena said taking the tray from her young friend. 'They have baths upstairs, and I need to do some serious unwinding. Do you have any camomile left?'

Gabrielle nodded. Fossicking around in her bag for the pungent herb, she handed it to Xena.

'Ask Coralyn to go with you,' she suggested. 'After the time she spent in the rain, I would say she could use a bath too.'

Nodding Xena took a step toward the ladder and called up, 'Hey, Coralyn, want to come for a bath?'

There was no answer, and Xena shrugged. 'I'll be back in about an hour.'

Wistfully Gabrielle watched her leave. She loved baths, and playing babysitter was a lousy substitute. She sat down near the warrior. Picking up her pen and paper, she checked where she'd left off.

The fight didn't last long and Xena was as surprised as I was at the speed with which I handled the bandits…

Gabrielle dipped her quill in the small ink well.

A couple of days later and I was still being surprised in unexpected and embarrassing ways. The worst happened on the morning of the third day stuck in this strange masculine being…

TBC….