A COLD OVERWHELMING SADNESS THAT CANNOT BE MEASURED

Huitzilopochtli stared at the two being in front of him he had not expected this despite what he'd been told. It was all just as Coaxoch had said in perfect detail. His Gabrielle the one he had made who now had wings and the other creature which was unlike monster he'd ever seen. He looked down slightly something told him that the other gods would be joining him soon enough. Xena had bolted ahead of both him and Itzli before he could stop her even for a battle worn warrior she was so focused. Despite all her pain and numbness Itzli had had a lot problems keeping up with her as had he but then wasn't used to running to places. He wanted to curse himself for not keeping up with her.

Now he was faced with the monster of his own creation that could match anything from the seventh hell. He'd heard of lycanthropes or werewolves but he'd never seen one. Now he could see the reason for everyone's concern, this wolf that walked on its hind legs like a person looked powerful, strong and violent. The horns on this ones head were something else both almost a meter high on each side although one was broken. He put a hand to his face he could blow this being to bits but he couldn't do it as he'd be damaging what was in essence an essential part of Gabrielle it was just as essential as the angel despite how it looked.

Xena knew what she was doing he could see it in her eyes and he'd have to hold back and let her finish what she'd started and put all his faith in her judgment at this moment because that was the honourable thing to do. She had a plan and she knew Gabrielle much better than he did, he would have to hold back and let her plan play out for his people's sake. Xena looked at the bag on her shoulder before turning back to meet the Blood Jaguars good eye. "You won't kill me." Blood Jaguar sneered slightly as she leaned forward. "Oh and why is that you smart ass bitch?" Xena breathed in deeply. "Because you're the part that always fights to save me, it was you who stood in front of C'thulon and made a deal for my life."

Blood Jaguar burst in to a fit of laugher. "Oh that's rich once again you believe I'm my counterpart." She eased up her clawed finger. "You hold the key to my existence in that bag." She felt her teeth grind together. "I won't have my life torn from me, I want to live to breath and have mindless sex with someone other than you!" Gabrielle eased up her hand watching as the wounds on her arm closed up healing fully, that was strange. She turned looking once again at the Warrior Princess whose name seemed to draw of her tongue like silk. She stepped forward looking closely at the warrior woman face and body yes she remembered now.

She could remember this tall warrior's face with its blue eyes perfectly as if she'd seen it a thousand times. She could even remember how her leather bodice smelt after it had been rubbed clean. As well as what the darker bronze skin felt when she ran her fingers over it and how soft the long dark hair felt when she touched it. She turned looking at the Aztec warrior close by, she recognised him from the house although he was now in warrior dress. He seemed familiar to her as well. She turned shaking her but she couldn't remember from where though, gods this was so messed up! She looked up staring in to her Lords sad eyes for a long moment before looking away again.

It had all been a lie none of it was real she knew it now in her hearts of hearts and yet she had no will to hate the tall man close by despite all that had happened. Yes he had lied to her, yes he hadn't been honest but he did love her and he'd never hurt her. He'd even protected her when his warriors who had accused her of being the killer. He wasn't her true lover though she knew that now and nothing would ever change that fact. She knew that she would not be returning to him when all this was over. She wanted to be with Xena the woman who gave her selfless love with question. She'd even go with her counterpart if it came to that, she was willing to share.

She looked up Xena was so noble and selfless she was even willing to say she loved her just as much as her counterpart. Even though her counterpart was being so cruel to her she suddenly felt the feeling of pure anger over take her in an instant. How dare her counterpart talk to her that way! No one should ever talk to her like that! She was a kind woman who was brave and noble she'd showed nothing but love in these past few minutes to her counterpart who had acted like a rebellious, spoilt child. She lowered her hand feeling it form a fist. The rage seemed to burn all the brighter as she watched her counterpart smile mockingly at the tall woman who looked like she had, had a battle not so long ago.

The dried blood was evidence of that, she felt her gaze slowly narrow she'd hurt her counterpart if she touched Xena in any way! She stepped further forward feeling all the fear leave her. She tensed feeling her feathers ruffles as she pulled up her wings in a violent motion causing the Aztec warrior to step away, the confusion showing in his eyes. Blood Jaguar eyed Xena in disgust. "I'm not going to die today you are though and you know you can't win. When the real Gabrielle had her normal werewolf form she was sent mad by Lycaon the werewolf king and we both know that you didn't fair well in that fight. So why don't you take a moment to imagine what fighting me will be like?!"

She leaned forward tensing as she readied herself. "I don't believe that you'll survive this time around Xena." Xena eased out her hands slowly. "You won't kill me, you don't want to deep down in your heart you love me and you don't want to destroy me." Blood Jaguar slowly raised her clawed hand. "Oh believe me I will!" She raised her clawed hand higher trying to ignore the tensing in her heart, she wanted this bitch dead!

That was what she wanted more than any thing wasn't it? Yes it was but at the same time she didn't. May be it was because of the sex it was so memorable. She found herself roaring in anger she could do this she could destroy Xena! Xena was just a dead dream belonging to real Gabrielle it wasn't her dream she didn't need it! She was stronger she killed things that was what she did, that was her nature! She felt her good eye dart as she looked at her shaking clawed hand she brought it down feeling everything go in to slow motion. She could already feel the muscles in her shoulder tensing as her hand slowed down she knew it was going to stop before it hit Xena as her heart started to scream with pain.

Gabrielle ran forward watching as the clawed hand came down in she wasn't going to let this happen she'd die before she let Xena be harmed! She felt the pain as she smashed in to her counterpart causing her to be thrown side ways. Blood Jaguar winced in pain as she slammed in to the ground feeling the pain go through her in an instant. She snarled as she turned watching as her counterpart came in to view she felt her clawed hand scratch the floor as she got up ignoring the pain. "You little bitch!" Gabrielle sneered as she eyed her no longer being able to hold back her rage. "You touch her and I will hurt you!" Blood Jaguar eased herself to her feet. "Oh please what are you going to do to me you pathetic little?"

She didn't get a chance to finish her words as the other woman her fist slammed in to her face. She blinked only to be smacked again even harder which caused her to stumble back as blood started to run down her lower jaw. Gabrielle felt her scream of anger hit the air as she pulled up both her wings up fully. "I'll do that to you, you cruel conceited monster!" Blood Jaguar stepped back as she let out an inhuman roar of anger which echoed through the square as her rage began to burn. She was going to kill this little bitch for doing that! Gabrielle didn't think as she screamed back as she tensed the flight feathers in a threatening manner, she wasn't afraid of her counterpart anymore!

She leapt of the floor pulling her wings to full spread as she took flight she flew forward using all the force of her wings as she brought her foot down smashing it in to her counterparts face, causing her to loose her footing and smash in to the ground back first. She flew up again realizing something, her counterpart was slower than she was she was much more agile. She flapped watching as her counterpart stood up trying to shake of her daze she was in. She eyed her wings for a moment they gave her power, it hadn't occurred to her before now. There was more though she wasn't able to fight back before because she had nothing worth fighting for and nothing she truly cared about.

She turned looking at Xena she'd fight for her she'd die for her, she knew that she'd do any thing the woman asked her to do because she loved her. She'd fight for her love, even if that meant her own death she could feel that deep down inside. The feeling of it was so strong that it encompassed her whole being. Blood Jaguar looked up only to watch as her counterpart dived bombed in mid flight coming at her. She didn't get a chance to react as the other woman slammed in to her mid section wrapping her arms around her as her wings beat faster causing her feet to leave the ground as she was forced up in to the air.

Her counterpart let go at the last minute causing her to thrown back first in to the nearest market stall which was smashed in half as her body went through it. She felt the stone of one of the buildings as she collided with it only off howl in pain as one of her ribs cracked as she slammed straight in to the solid stone ground. Her counterpart flew upwards only to turn in mid flight as she came back towards her picking up speed. Deep down inside she felt the fear as it began to take over. She turned eyeing Xena for one instant trying to ignore the part of her that wanted to run to her and hide behind her like a frighten child.

She swung her clawed hand outwards as her counterpart got closer only to feel her grip it at the wrist in mid swing. She swung her other clawed hand only to have that grabbed as well. Gabrielle screamed in anger as she beat her wings faster watching as her counterparts clawed feet left the floor, she tightened her grip trying to ignore the weight. Her counterpart had to weigh twice as much as she did and all because she was pure muscle. She flapped harder ignoring Blood Jaguar's struggle as they got up higher in to the air. She kept on beating her wings trying to gain even more height as she caught sight of the panic in her counterpart's good eye.

She leaned forward looking at the square bellow came with its huge sunstone symbol in the centre. She leaned forward so her face was close to the long snout. "I may not be as strong as you or as powerful but unlike me you can't fly!" She looked down at the floor bellow then back her counterpart who sneered slightly. "Lets see how strong you really are after you land!" Blood Jaguar blinked in shock as she looked up. "You won't drop me!" She turned looking at the floor far bellow she could already see Xena and Itzli running towards them. She turned back ignoring the pain in her chest. "I would drop you, but you wouldn't drop me!" Gabrielle narrowed her gaze. "I'd do anything for Xena, that's why I'll drop you."

She looked at the clawed hands. "Xena was trying to be nice to you and you tried to hurt her and now you're going to pay the price!" Blood Jaguar felt the panic hit home as her counterpart let go of her. She felt the air as it blew through her fur as she headed towards the solid ground bellow. She closed her eyes knowing that this was going to be unimaginable painfully all her thoughts were cut off as she collided with the floor feeling it crack underneath her as she hit it. Everything turned to blinding pain and stars for an instant she felt her wrist bone and her knee bone as they shattered causing her roar of agony to hit the air.

She opened her good eye only to see stars once more, which took a long moment to clear. She could see the shadow up above coming closer as her counterpart came down to land. She was lying sideways on the floor close to the sunstone symbol the solid ground underneath her had cracked outwards from the force of her smashing in to it. She eased up her clawed hand seeing that the bone from her wrist was now coming through. She looked down seeing that her foot was twisted at an odd angle and she couldn't feel her lower legs. She wasn't healing! She could still feel the broken rib bone in her chest which was burning with pain. The revelation of this was terrifying beyond words the thought of death was all encompassing.

She felt her eyes dart as she struggled to get up trying to control her fear only to see her counterparts feet as she landed opposite her slowly walking towards her, her voice hit the air in a desperate rush. "I wasn't going to kill Xena!" Gabrielle folded her wings back as she came closer to her counterpart she could see the fear in her good eye. "Yes you were! That's what you do, you said it your self it's in your nature." Blood Jaguar breathed out deeply. "You stupid fool I was going to stop my blow!" Gabrielle kneeled down grabbing one of the horns using it to pull her counterparts head up to meet her own. "Why would you stop?" Blood Jaguar breathed in sharply keeping her voice to a painful whisper. "Because in part we both…"

Gabrielle looked up sharply. "We both what?" Blood Jaguar tried again finding difficulty of saying the last word. "Love…." She looked at her opposite for a long moment. "You don't know how to love anyone, that's why I've always been the part of the real Gabrielle who had control. You've always been dangerous and I swear that if we do end up back in the true Gabrielle's body this day I will spend the rest of my life controlling you until the day I die!" Blood Jaguar looked down sadly feeling the blood as it ran down her jaws. "I only wanted to live! You've always been cruel you couldn't share your love with me!" She breathed in slowly, a part of her no longer cared if her counterpart finished her off. It was just more pain which she was used to receiving. "That was all I ever wanted! I just wanted to be a part of something!"

She lowered her gaze. "I need to be part of something! I hate being this way! I'm always condemned, always left out, do you even know what that feels like angel! Do you know what it is to never feel love!?" She watched as the surprise slowly spread across her counterparts face. "That is why I wanted to keep my life because I don't have one in the real Gabrielle's body!" She lowered her head looking at the floor. "I want only to see what dawn looks like in her true eyes, to smell cooked food on the stove. To have a moment during your love making where I can feel what its like! Yet I'm denied everything because you've never been willing to share with me because you're judgemental and unkind!"

She lowered her head further. "We both exist now in the real Gabrielle's body I know in the beginning it was just you, but things have changed. You can no longer destroy me or say that I don't exist or treat me like a parasite. I'm a part of you now and I will be until the end of time. I only want what you want to co exist if I could do that I wouldn't do any of the wrongs I do because I'd finally have inner peace." She looked up again. "So tell me angel do you know how it feels to never know pure love?!" Gabrielle looked down slightly she knew just how that felt and how much it hurt. The love she had shared with the sun god as real as it had been had not taken away the echoing loneliness in her heart "Yes I do know what that's like now."

She turned catching sight of Xena and the Aztec warrior running towards them she could see the panic and confusion in both their faces. She leaned down pulling her sai blade free as she turned to her counterpart who was breathing heavily her huge body hardly moving. "Are you afraid to die?" Blood Jaguar looked down slightly. "Yes." Gabrielle didn't think as she tightened her grip around the horn as she raising her weapon higher. Blood Jaguar eyed the gleaming steel with its glowing patterns. "Nothing ever changes does it? Some days I wish that I'd never existed at all. May be now you'll get what you want, the real Gabrielle's body back even though you'll die to be recreated in it."

Xena ran forward watching as Itzli followed what had just happened was nothing like what she'd expected. In an instant everything had gone out of control. She hadn't thought that the angel would fight for her like this it seemed that in an instant the Blood Jaguar had been not only been beaten but broken in more ways than one. It seemed that the part that fought for her was inside the angel and not in side the Blood Jaguar. The worst part of this was that she'd seen in the werewolf's good eye that she was going to stop mid swing, she'd seen her tense her arm as she'd swung it. She ran faster watching as the sai blade was raised even higher she couldn't kill the Blood Jaguar!

The werewolf was as much a part of Gabrielle as the angel to loose one would be to loose Gabrielle forever. She knew that she could throw the Chakram to stop the angel's weapon but she was too afraid to do so. There were still too many images in her mind of the day when she'd thrown the Chakram at her lover the first time. She wouldn't risk doing that again as long as she lived and she could disarm her without the use of her Chakram she knew it deep down inside. She raised her hand as she felt her feet hit the ground as she ran towards the huge sunstone symbol on the ground for all she was worth, ignoring all her pain. "No stop it! You can't kill her!

Gabrielle didn't think as she brought down the weapon she could see the fear and total despair in the Blood Jaguar good eye as her weapon came down in a deadly ark. She'd heard Xena's scream even from a distance and still her weapon hand travelled downwards. Blood Jaguar closed her eyes sadly her fate was sealed nothing mattered anymore all her dreams would die here and now.

End of part 80

Silvermoonlight

Is good always a good as it seems, is evil truly as cruel as it appears?