Author's notes: set about maybe 3 to 4 months after the events of "Kindred Spirits"...

"So, are you just going to sit and stare down at that thing all day or actually do something about it for a change?"

Gabrielle's jaw opened in surprise as Aphrodite appeared before her in a rose-scented shower of pink and gold sparkles. Her palm automatically closed over the ring that Hagar had given her in that crazy dream she had had after hitting her head and falling into the water. "What are you doing here?" she asked, her brow furrowing in initial confusion only to be rapidly replaced with anger.

"Yo! Like take those nasty vibes and throw them out with yesterday's trash, huh?" Aphrodite put her hands up in the air and sniffed contemptuously. "In case you've forgotten, my gig is the love thing and your mind is like totally addled by it, Miss Thing!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

Aphrodite rolled her eyes and sighed. "Denial isn't just a river in Egypt..."

"Oh please, spare me the tired jokes!" Gabrielle interrupted.

"Hey! Like watch your mouth, Bardy-Pants!" the goddess warned. The air buzzed as one perfectly manicured finger idly began whirling around in the air, golden sparkles surrounding it.

"Okay! Okay! I get the point!" Gabrielle exclaimed, lifting her hand up in surrender.

Aphrodite lowered her finger and placed both hands on shapely hips, shaking her head and sighing in frustration. "Okay, but one more smartmouthed remark like that..."

"I know! I know! But seriously... What are you doing here?" Gabrielle asked.

Aphrodite rewarded her question with a glorious smile. "That's much better!" she exclaimed. She lifted her hand up to the level of her eyes and frowned. "Ooo. Got a chip there!" A little pink puff surrounded her hand for a moment and she giggled as it drifted away, leaving behind a heavy rose scent in its wake. "All fixed!"

Gabrielle cleared her throat loudly.

"Oh yeah, yeah, yeah! Back to you, sugar!" Aphrodite said, her lovely features turning serious as she focused her attention back on Gabrielle. "Like I was saying before, your mind is like totally addled when it comes to the love thing - and I thought you could use a few pointers."

Gabrielle laughed and shook her head in disbelief. "What are you talking about? I'm not addled-minded about a damned thing - especially when it comes to love!"

A blonde eyebrow lifted in amusement as Aphrodite gazed at the bard. "Wanna make a bet? Take a gander at this, sweet thing." She snapped her fingers and a scroll appeared in mid-air. "Time to break out the visuals with you, toots, since trying to tell you is so obviously not working with you."

Gabrielle frowned as she stared at the scroll curiously. "What's that?"

"This, Miss Thing, is the roadmap of a normal mortal figuring out that they're in love with somebody," the goddess replied airily. "See all the bumps, curves and detours along the way, but eventually there's a finish line in sight?"

"Yeah... But what on earth has this got to do with me?"

Aphrodite snapped her fingers and a second scroll appeared. "This is your roadmap, sweetcheeks."

Gabrielle leaned forward and frowned as she gazed at the new scroll's picture. "That's... That's not me! I'm not like that!..." she sputtered.

Aphrodite began laughing heartily. "Oh babe, you've so got the denial thing down pat that you can't even admit to the truth even when it's staring at you straight before your eyes! Wow, like talk about being a completely pathetic hardcase!" she said, shaking her head as she snapped her fingers and the two scrolls disappeared in the wink of an eye. She sobered up then and looked at Gabrielle with a sympathetic gaze in her eyes. "Maybe, just maybe, if you listened to what was going on in your heart instead of that stubborn noggin of yours for once, you just might get rid of a little bit of that mess that you just saw."

Gabrielle shook her head in disbelief as she stared at Aphrodite.

"I'm totally serious, Miss Bard. Think about what you just saw - and do something about it for once! You're pretty smart for a mortal - most of the time, at any rate," Aphrodite said. "Later! Got some waves to catch off Rhodes," she added in before snapping her fingers and disappearing in a pink swirl of light.

Gabrielle stared in the spot that Aphrodite appeared in for some time before turning her attention back to the ring that she still clutched in her hand. She was so lost in her thoughts that she almost didn't hear the steady *clank-clank* of Joxer's armor as he approached her.

"Gabrielle? Are you okay?"

Gabrielle slowly looked up to see Joxer staring down at her curiously, his hair tousled by the light breeze as he came to a halt a short distance away from her. "Oh. Hi, Joxer."

"Hi," Joxer greeted her with a tiny smile as he pointed in the opposite direction. "Xena said that she was going take Eve with her while she goes to catch some fish for supper and wanted me to find you..."

"Okay." Gabrielle nodded but didn't move from her seat. Instead, she patted the ground next to her and smiled invitingly at him. "Before we go back, I need to talk to you about a few things..."

Please take the time to write to Sandy at fiebrans@prodigy.net, and let her know how you liked the story!

COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER:
Xena: Warrior Princess, Xena, Gabrielle, Joxer, Eve, and all other characters who have appeared in the series, together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of StudiosUSA and Renaissance Pictures. No infringement of copyrights or trademarks is intended in the writing of this fan fiction. This story is copyright © 2006 by Sandy Fiebranz 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.