Thanks again for the great reviews! I'm so happy people are enjoying this story and that there are other fans of the Xena/Caesar relationship out there. I recently made a fanvideo on the subject, you can find it on YouTube under 'Kirachi' :)

Enjoy!

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Gabrielle worked quickly upon the laces of the woman's torn, dirty clothing, carefully easing the limp body up into her arms and sliding the garment off before covering her nakedness with a soft sheet of linen. She then set about washing her clean in tender, gentle strokes, removing all traces of grime and blood until the woman's bronze tinted skin glowed in its true glory.

Gabrielle then went to a large wooden cupboard that stood to the side of the room, she hesitated… Caesar may become angry with her for touching things she had not been instructed to, but she could not leave the poor woman naked. She set her jaw and opened the doors with a determined air and riffled through the many disused woman's garments. She pondered if they had belonged to Cleopatra, they had been sealed in here for years - she had never seen Caesar enter this room for the four years she had lived within the palace.

The dresses were of the finest heavy silks, plush velvets and light silks that appeared almost translucent in many dazzling deep colours. She picked out a silver threaded simple gown with a covering of light silk, she somehow knew that this would suit her best and propped the woman's body up against her torso as she slipped the dress over her head and guided her arms through the elegant sleeves. Gabrielle then carefully laid her head back down upon the soft pillow and pulled a silken sheet over her to ward off any chill before fetching a small comb and teasing out the woman's black hair until it shone in long strands about her face.

She watched the small, shallow rise of her chest as the woman breathed and wondered where had she come from? What had befallen her? Was she to become a slave like she was? Was she Caesar's spoils taken from Xena? A servant girl that took his fancy? She supposed she would get no answers today, not unless he wanted her to know, so she decided it was best not to dwell upon the matter.

She rose from the bed and picked up the bucket. Giving a last glance over her shoulder she made her way from the room and closed the door silently behind her. Caesar's chambers appeared to be empty so she made her way on to the balcony to dispose of the water. She started in surprise as the form of Caesar meet her eyes; he was leaning upon the stone ledge, gazing out across the vast cityscape before him. Gabrielle thought of turning around and walking back inside before he noticed her but something about his posture… his aura stilled her and she ventured a few steps forward, placing the bucket softly upon the ground. His thoughts must have been consuming him for he did not hear her approach. She reached out and gently placed a hand upon his shoulder, for some strange reason she could not fathom, she felt sorry for him, pitied him. He flinched at her touch as if just coming back to himself.

"Are you alright?" she asked in a small voice.

Caesar did not turn to face her, his eyes stayed fixed upon the view, nor did he answer her. Gabrielle backed away, feeling a strange emotion coming from him, something she had not felt before and she was unsure how to handle the situation.

Finally after what seemed an age he turned, leaning lazily upon the stone behind him and regarded her with rich dark eyes.

"I am tired" he said softly.

Her voice seemed to desert her as she looked upon him. He was the same Caesar, his looks had not changed, but there was something about him - a softness, a gentleness that made him look handsome. Gabrielle had never dwelled upon his looks before, to her he had been no better than a nightmare sent to torment her, to never lay a kind word in her ear… She supposed he had appeared ugly to her eyes because it was easier to see him as a monster than a human being, but now she was seeing for the first time his beautiful dark eyes, sweet as honey, expressive pools that now seemed to burn into her. His black hair had a lustrous quality to it, the short cut suited the masculine turn of his jaw. He raised his dark eyebrows at her, questioning why she was staring at him so intently and within that moment her senses regained themselves and the strange moment passed.

"Who is she?" The words burst forth from her before she had time to think, the situation and her thoughts from mere seconds ago making her feel flustered, as if she had to focus upon something else.

Caesar regarded her coolly as if judging something important, perhaps if she could be trusted. He gave a small smirk as if dismissing the idea.

"She is Xena" he said casually, a smug smile now replacing the smirk.

Gabrielle's lips parted in surprise and she glanced behind her towards the room where the woman still slept before looking back at Caesar as if he had lost his mind.

"Xena?"

He nodded in reply.

"Why have you brought her here?" Gabrielle asked forgetting herself. "She is dangerous!"

Caesar glanced at her as if she were simple and cocked an eyebrow at his slave girl. "Because she is mine" he said simply.

Gabrielle hesitated once more, knowing that at any moment he could decide she had over stepped her mark and then he would beat her… or worse.

"Should she not be in the dungeons?" Gabrielle again glanced back towards the room Xena was in, feeling a slight fear catch around her heart that a bloodthirsty warrior was mere feet away. "Should she not be chained?"

Caesar furrowed his brow. "Yes," he said, as if she had questioned his mind, "I have sent word for chains to be fetched, I'm sure that will cause quite a flurry of gossip." He gave a low chuckle and glanced at her.

They stood in silence for a few moments as Caesar enjoyed the warm sunlight upon his back and Gabrielle felt a growing sense of unease. A loud booming knock sounded at the chamber door and Caesar gestured for her to rush and open it. She did as she was bid and opened the door to a Roman guard who carried a long chain much like her own, and hand restraints. She noticed the guard gave her a disdainful look before smirking and turning away, she knew that it would soon be all across the palace that Caesar now bound his slave girls, but what did she care what people she did not know thought of her, their opinions of her could make her life no worse than it already was.

She closed the door and hurried back to Caesar, he gave the chains a quick glance, checking they were what he had asked for before heading back towards the small bedroom, Gabrielle following meekly in his footsteps. She breathed a sigh of relief that Xena still slept on as Caesar pushed the manacles into her hands.

"Put them on her wrists and secure the chain to the bed." Gabrielle nodded and set about her task with trembling hands, fearing that the warrior woman's eyes would open in a flash and her iron like fingers would grip tightly around her neck. She breathed another sigh once she had finished and glanced over at Caesar who had just finished securing the chain to Xena's ankle, locking the other half of the chain to a loop at the base of the bed.

"When do you think she will awaken?" Gabrielle whispered.

Caesar gave a small shrug of his shoulders. "Stay with her until she does, call for me the moment she begins to come out of sleep" he ordered and left her once more alone.

Gabrielle brought a chair a little towards the bed, not wishing to be too close to the woman and there she waited as the hours lazily passed by. She assumed Caesar had fallen asleep after such a long journey and at the thought her own eyes began to droop, she rested her chin upon her chest and let herself doze a little in the warmness of the room, her mind too exhausted to dwell upon fear anymore.

She did not know how long she slept but when her eyes finally opened once again, evening was falling over the palace, casting a gloom on the room. She rubbed her eyes, dispelling any remaining sleep and got to her feet. She searched for a moment before finding a small oil lamp and lighting it. The glow it produced instantly lifted the mood of the room, casting warm light about her. She carried the lamp back to the bed side with her and placed it upon a small table nearby.

It was then that she noticed the small movement; the woman's fingers were moving. Gabrielle hesitated, knowing that she should call Caesar that she should be afraid… but the light bathed Xena's face and Gabrielle felt her heart leap with some unspoken, unknown feeling. It left her with the mindset that this woman before her could not be evil, there was something about her, something she could not understand that assured her of this and also told her that Caesar was the last person Xena would want to see.

Gabrielle reached out and gently took Xena's hand in her own and leaned forward. Xena's dark eyelashes were fluttering against her cheeks, she would be awake in moments and Gabrielle felt a strange feeling of satisfaction that it was her face Xena would see first.

Finally Xena opened her eyes and Gabrielle felt her breath catch in her throat, they were the most dazzling colour of blue she had ever seen. Xena blinked a few times as if her eyesight was blurred and then her beautiful gaze focused upon Gabrielle, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"It's alright," Gabrielle said soothingly, "you are safe."

Xena raised a hand up to her temple and froze at the chain around her wrist before looking back at Gabrielle, those stunning blue eyes lost.

"It's alright" Gabrielle repeated, and smiled softly.

This seemed to comfort Xena and she rested back down, her brow furrowing once more as if she were in pain. She swallowed hard and opened her mouth; a sigh was all that came out at her first attempt at speaking. She paused, swallowed again and tried once more.

"Where am I?" she questioned, her voice was no more than a strained whisper and Gabrielle had to lean in to catch the words.

"You are safe," Gabrielle repeated, not thinking it was the right time to tell the poor woman that her enemy had defeated her and captured her. "Are you in pain?" she asked, trying to avoid the subject.

Xena nodded and touched her temple lightly once more, "My head."

Gabrielle placed a hand gently upon Xena's brow and smiled reassuringly. "I will fetch you something for the pain in a moment."

Xena directed her startling gaze back upon her and licked her dry lips, "Who are you?"

Gabrielle removed her hand and smiled again, "I'm Gabrielle."

"Do you know me?" Xena asked, her voice becoming a little more croaky.

Gabrielle raised her brow in surprise at the question. "No, I have only known you for a short time, since you were brought here unconscious" she replied honestly.

Xena again looked confused. "Strange," she managed, "it felt like I knew you." She gave a dry cough and Gabrielle fetched a small cup of water. She helped Xena rise a little and guided the liquid to the lips, Xena sipped thirstily before again relaxing back down.

Gabrielle knew that Caesar would be furious with her but she felt reluctant to give up her time with this woman.

"I think you should rest some more" she said calmly and gave an inward sigh knowing that she could not avoid waking her master any longer. Xena reached out with a speed Gabrielle had not known to be possible and grasped her fingers tightly around her wrist. Gabrielle started with surprise and turned back to face her.

"I feel confused" Xena said in a whisper. Her eyes searched the room as if searching for a hidden answer; finally she locked her eyes with Gabrielle's. "Who am I?" she questioned with such a helpless expression that Gabrielle felt her heart ache.

She took a step back towards the bed and gently released Xena's grip, taking her hand in both of her own.

"Don't you remember?"

Xena closed her eyes tightly as if trying to remember and finally opened her eyes with a gasp as if the effort to do so had been painful. Her eyes met Gabrielle's, her expression telling her simply that she did not.

Gabrielle sat down upon the bed and brushed a few strands of Xena's hair from her cheek.

"Your name is Xena" she said with a smile, hoping this small piece of information would help, for she knew nothing else she wanted to tell her openly.

"Xena," Xena repeated with a frown, "I can't remember, my head hurts too much to try to think."

Gabrielle could see that this fact was beginning to distress her.

"Just lie back, everything is going to be fine." She smiled again and was relieved to see Xena try a weak smile in return.

Xena lay back and closed her eyes. "Stay near." Her voice once again sounded distant and Gabrielle knew she must be exhausted by the pain.

"I will, I will fetch something to help and then I will sit beside you." She rose and quickly left the room, knowing her only choice was to wake Caesar.

He lay upon his bed, his clothes disposed of nearby and a sheet draped lazily across his middle. Gently Gabrielle shook him until his eyes opened. He sat up his gaze becoming fully aware of what her presence meant.

"Is she waking?" he asked, pushing himself from his bed and reaching for his clothes. Gabrielle assisted him in dressing, her eyes cast downwards, dreading the words she now had to speak.

"She is awake."

Caesar stopped his rush and glared down at her, "What?"

"She awoke so quickly," Gabrielle lied, "she did not want me to leave her."

"You fool!" Caesar bellowed. "You're lucky she didn't kill you!" He cast a disdainful eye over her. "Maybe it would have been better if she had if you are going to disobey my orders."

"My Emperor," Gabrielle said quickly, knowing that look within his eyes, if she did not speak quickly he would strike her, "she does not remember who she is."

Caesar's anger melted away, replaced by a stunned expression. She could see his mind working quickly, pulling out all possibilities to the situation. Finally he glanced at her with a sneer.

"It may be a trick." He paused before finishing dressing and turning upon his heel. He picked up a small dagger before briskly walking over to the smaller chamber and entering. He knew even Xena in all her cunning would not be able to keep up her pretense if he was stood right before her.

"Xena." His voice was stern but he kept his distance from the bed, Gabrielle lurked behind him.

Xena's eyes once again opened, fixing their intense gaze upon the man before her. Caesar had not known how he would feel to have those familiar eyes upon him once again, they seemed to steal his breath and resolve all in one sweep and it took him a moment to regain his composure.

"Xena" he repeated.

"Yes" she replied in a small voice.

Caesar furrowed his brow, why was she not jumping from the bed in fury, his blood upon her mind, her hands aching to clutch around his neck. He ventured a few steps forward.

"How are you feeling?" he asked softly.

Xena sighed, "Terrible." She attempted a smile but it looked more like a grimace. "The girl helped, I don't remember…" She looked at Caesar once more, "Who are you?"

Caesar took a step back in shock as her eyes looked right at him, no hate lay behind them, no hardened gaze… but a strange innocence and honesty called to him from their depths.

Caesar's mind whirled, what had happened, was it all really true… had Xena lost her mind? His face betrayed nothing of his inner feelings, a plan had already begun to form within his thoughts. He walked forward, holding himself in his most regal stance. He reached out and took her smooth hand in his and gazed devotedly into her eyes.

"I am a friend Xena."