As expected, Gabrielle finds Xena at their clearing. The warrior is sitting on a wooden stump, staring into the ashes of last night's fire. Tears are still streaming down her face. When Gabrielle steps into the camp, Xena looks up at her with a look the bard has never seen before and Gabrielle's heart breaks at the sight. The warrior's blue eyes, normally full of fire, reflect indescribable pain and seem to stare right through the bard into nothingness. Somewhat confused by this uncharacteristically strong emotional reaction, Gabrielle approaches Xena, kneels down in front of her and puts a hand on the warrior's cheek.
The bard wipes away Xena's tears and whispers, "Xena, I … I'm so sorry. I don't know how this is possible."
Xena doesn't respond but looks into Gabrielle's eyes.
The bard continues, trying to comfort her best friend, "Go and talk to him, Xena." And in a slightly more strained voice she adds, "He's your dearest friend. You …", she hesitates, "this might be a second chance."
The warrior's eyes light up the tiniest bit and a small smile creeps across her face, but she says in a pained voice, "Gabrielle … I … I don't know. How can this be possible? This must be some sort of trick."
Her voice breaks and it takes a while before she whispers, "Marcus died many years ago when we fought Crycos in Thessaly."
Xena hides her face in her hands. As Gabrielle moves to sit next to her and puts an arm around the warrior's shoulders, the bard's green eyes fill with tears as she remembers that fateful battle.
Xena, Gabrielle and Marcus are inside a large, dimly lit store room full of various weapons. All three are engaged in fighting Crycos' men – about fifty well-trained war machines against three. Admittedly, Xena and Marcus are exceptionally skilled and experienced warriors but Gabrielle is still a young bard who's just learning how to wield her Amazon staff. Thus, the odds are not great but the battle is going quite well for the three, until Gabrielle is overpowered and knocked down by a particularly gruesome-looking soldier. As she falls, she hits her head on the edge of a wooden crate, gives a cry of pain and then slumps to the ground, unconscious.
When Gabrielle wakes up, she finds herself wrapped in warm furs her head bandaged but throbbing. Xena is sitting next to her, staring into the campfire. When the bard moves and gives an involuntary yelp of pain, the warrior turns and puts a hand on her shoulder, gently pushing her back down.
"Shhh … it's ok … lie back down, Gabrielle. You hit your smart, little head pretty hard and you might have a concussion. Better not overexert yourself now", Xena says, concerned about her best friend.
Giving in to Xena and her aching head, Gabrielle lies back down.
After several moments she asks, "Xena, what happened? Where are we and where's Marcus?"
Xena's expression turns from concerned to sad, "Don't worry. We defeated Crycos and are about half a day's ride from Thessaly. You're safe"
When she doesn't continue, Gabrielle prompts her carefully, fearing the worst, "and Marcus?"
"He … he's dead, Gabrielle", the warrior whispers in a pained voice.
Gabrielle's face turns into a grimace of shock and she sits up, ignoring the searing pain in her head.
The bard touches Xena's hand and says in a hushed voice, "Oh god, Xena, I'm so sorry. I know he was your oldest friend." And then, almost inaudibly, "What happened?"
Xena entwines her fingers with Gabrielle's and hesitates, a thoughtful look on her face. "He … he died a hero's death, defending innocent people from a ruthless army", she answers finally.
Gabrielle's heart breaks when she sees the sorrow and pain in her soul mate's eyes. "I wish there was a way to bring him back", she whispers softly, covering their intertwined fingers with her free hand.
Xena looks into Gabrielle's eyes with a sad but grateful smile, "He's gone for good, Gabrielle, but I'm endlessly grateful you're safe and still here with me."
The bard's eyes fill with tears as she feels a surge of gratitude for Xena's words, and the two friends hug each other tightly.
For a long time the two friends sit in silence, Gabrielle holding Xena's hand. Finally, Xena moves and looks at the bard. Gabrielle, still lost in thought, doesn't notice immediately. Only when Xena speaks softly, does she meet the warrior's eyes.
"Gabrielle, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have shut you out like this. You're my best friend. … But I was just so stunned to see him alive that…"
"It's ok, Xena. He's your oldest friend and you believed him dead all these years and now he's here and…", her voice rises somewhat hysterically but she manages to regain her calm before Xena notices, "Of course that's a major shock for you."
Xena squeezes Gabrielle's hand and smiles wryly. Gabrielle recognizes the look on her friend's face and her heart sinks.
"Oh no, there's something she's not telling me. This is the same look she gave me before she told me about Akemi."
To be continued...