CHARACTERS:

Gabrielle - the Battling Bard of Potedeia
Xena - Warrior Princess
Joxer - Warrior Wannabe
Ephiny - Amazon Queen
Eli - religious figure
Callisto - former psychotic murderer turned angel
Argus - a young shipmate
Jason - the ship's healer

Rating: PG
Spoilers: Friends In Need and a few other episodes, which I can't think of the name of right now.
Sex: Nothing more serious than a little kissing.
Violence: None.
Disclaimer: Xena and her friends belong to RenPics, not to me. Argus and Jason, on the other hand, are from my own imagination... however warped it may be. ;)
Author's note: I want to thank SC for his help on this... without him, the ending would have been drastically different! And I'm sure a lot of people would NOT have been happy! *g*
Summary: After Xena's death, Gabrielle has to face one of the hardest decisions of her life.

Gabrielle gazed out over the water, holding the small urn close to her chest. It had been almost a week since her best friend had been brutally murdered and she had never felt so incredibly alone.

First Ephiny, then Joxer, now you, the bard thought to herself, as fresh tears rolled down her cheeks. How am I supposed to live without you? I close my eyes and see you standing before me. I can almost hear your voice... whispering your undying love. Gods, I can't stand this! Xena, I know you would want me to live, but I just can't bear the thought of living the rest of my life without you!

Gently placing the urn at her feet, Gabrielle glanced around quickly to make sure no one was watching, and then knelt down beside the remains of her friend. Drawing a dagger from its sheath on her hip, she closed her eyes and, holding the blade in front of her, she prepared to plunge it into her chest.

"Gabrielle, no," a soft voice whispered in her ear. A soft breeze caressed her cheek and the bard paused. Opening her eyes, she looked around but saw no one near and held the blade before her again.

"I'm coming, Xena," the bard whispered as she plunged the blade deep into her chest. Gasping at the pain, Gabrielle shoved the blade in deeper and then collapsed on the deck. Her mind filled with images of happier times as her blood pooled beneath her...

The young sailor heard a small cry and glanced towards the attractive blonde passenger. His eyes widened as he watched the young woman collapse, with the hilt of a dagger sticking out of her chest.

"Man... er... woman down!" he called out as he scrambled off the rigging and ran towards the bard. Why'd this have to happen on my first voyage? he wondered to himself as he reached her. He slipped a little on the blood, but caught himself before he fell. Dropping to his knees, he stared at the beautiful woman lying before him and wondered what to do. After a few moments, he grabbed the dagger and started to pull it out.

"Stop, Argus! Don't pull it!" a voice yelled behind the young sailor and heavy footsteps pounded on the wooden planking as an aged seaman hurried to the side of the young man and stopped him from pulling the blade any further out. "The dagger's the only thing that's stopping her from bleeding to death," he explained.

"So... she'll be okay, Jason?" the young man asked hopefully, as he let go of the blade.

"I don't know, Argus," the old sailor answered sadly. "She's lost a lot of blood... I'll have to take her tunic off so I can see how the blade went in. She may have a chance, as long as the dagger hasn't done any serious damage inside."

"She's so young. What could possibly make her want to die?" Argus wondered, as he admired the beautiful young woman.

"Please! Let me go with you," the bard remembered pleading when she first met the Warrior Princess. That seemed like ages ago... she had been a young, foolish girl who had been looking for adventure and Xena seemed like the perfect escape from the boring life that her father wanted for her.

"That was a long time ago," a familiar voice commented.

Opening her eyes, Gabrielle found herself standing before her best friend. Tears rolled down her cheeks as she smiled and hugged Xena tightly. Kissing Xena's cheek and stepping back, the bard smiled again and wiped the tears from her face.

"Don't forget about us," another voice complained from behind her. Turning around, the bard gasped as she recognized Joxer and Ephiny.

"Oh gods! I've missed you both so much!" the bard's eyes filled with tears as she hugged her friends tightly for several moments.

"Gabrielle, what are you trying to do?" Xena asked, concerned.

"Xena, I can't go on by myself," Gabrielle answered. "All my friends are dead... you... Joxer... Ephiny... and so many others. I can't go on by myself! I... I don't want to!"

"You have to go back," Ephiny said. "There's still so much for you to do!"

"Yeah, Gabby," Joxer added. "You can do it! You're the strongest woman I know... er... knew... uh..."

"What he's trying to say is that you have the strength to go on," Xena interrupted, impatiently. "Without us," she added.

"Xena, how could you say that?" Gabrielle pleaded. "When I thought I couldn't go on...your love made me make it through. You were always right there for me! And I always saw in you my light... my strength. Xena, if I can't live with you by my side, I don't want to live at all!"

Xena was about to respond when a light appeared behind Gabrielle and slowly grew brighter. Soon she was able to make out two forms that seemed to be walking towards them. A few moments later she recognized who they were.

Gabrielle noticed that her friend was no longer looking at her, but behind her, and she turned to see what had caught her friend's attention. "Eli! Callisto!"

"It's good to see you again, Gabrielle," Eli said with a smile. "But you should not be here... it is not your time yet."

Gabrielle shook her head in protest. "But... how can I...?"

Callisto softly stroked the bard's cheek. "There is another who needs your help... your guidance," the angel spoke softly.

"Can't they find someone else? Why do they need me?" Gabrielle asked.

"No, Gabrielle. Only you can give them the guidance they need. Only you can provide the comfort they seek. Only you can protect them from the dangers they must face," Eli replied.

"Who is it?" the bard asked, her curiousity peeked.

Callisto smiled. "She is your daughter."

Gabrielle frowned. "But I thought Hope was dead!"

"I am referring to Eve," Callisto corrected with a smile.

"Eve," Gabrielle whispered. "But... she follows the way of peace and love. What could I teach her?"

"There is much you will teach her... and much you will learn," Eli replied. "You both need each other. You also have many things to teach a young man who will travel with you."

"A young... You mean Virgil?" Gabrielle asked. "I thought he went home to help his mother."

"That boy's got too much of his old man's wandering spirit in him," Joxer answered sadly. "Gabby, you could really teach him a lot, what with you being a bard and all."

Gabrielle shook her head. "But I don't want to be with your kids! I want to be with you," she protested looking at Xena. "Please, don't make me go back," she whispered.

"We're losin' her," Jason said desperately, pressing hard on the wound. "Quick, go get the smellin' salts! And bring the medicine herbs, too," he instructed the young sailor, and then turned his attention back to his patient. "Come on, girl! Don't make me look bad in front of the kid," he muttered, as he checked the woman's heartbeat and breathing.

Argus returned within minutes and handed the herb containers to Jason, while he held the smelling salts under the blonde woman's nose. Jason sorted through the various herbs until he found what he was looking for, a soft spongy moss. He placed the moss on the wound, around the blade, and grabbed the hilt firmly. Taking a deep breath, the ship's healer pulled the dagger from the woman's chest and pressed down on the moss to stem the flow of blood.

"Well, that's it," Jason said as he tied a cloth around his patient's chest to hold the moss in place.

Argus looked anxiously at the woman lying before him. "You mean she'll be okay? She... she's going to live?" he asked hopefully, his brown eyes gazing up at his friend.

The healer paused before answering. "Argus, she may live... or she may die. It's all up to her now. I've done all I could."

...More coming soon!

Please take a moment to write to Annie at JoxerBuddy@hotmail.com and let her know how you like the story so far!

COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER:
Xena: Warrior Princess, Xena, Gabrielle, Joxer, and all other characters who have appeared in the series, together with the names, titles and backstories are the sole copyright property of StudiosUSA and Renaissance Pictures. The characters of Argus and Jason were created by the author for use in this fiction. No infringement of copyrights or trademarks is intended in the writing of this fan fiction. This story is copyright © 2001 by Anne Beaudry and is her sole property along with the story idea. This story cannot be sold or used for profit in any way. Copies of this story may be made for private use only and must include all disclaimers and copyright notices.