Best Friends, Bitter Enemys

With Petros' sword now history, Xena's primary concern was her friend, Gabrielle. In all haste she knelt beside her body, checking immediately for a pulse. But there was nothing. Not even a faint flutter of life could Xena find, and the emotional barrier she had thrown up came tumbling down like a house of cards.

Salty streams of tears bubbled forth from her eyes and left their tracks down he face. Her heart felt shattered as she brushed the sweat darkened strands of golden hair away from Gabrielle's sweet face, gently caressing the skin beneath. Xena's grief finally broke completely loose as she gathered her best friends body to her chest and started rocking slowly, like one would cradle a child. A hiccuped wail of loss echoed across the steps of Aries temple, so dejected was the sound that the would seemed to stop with her grief. All was quiet, the only disturbance being Xena's mourning.

"Gabrielle," she whispered, leaning over the serene face of her friend, uncaring that her tears fell whimsically onto Gabrielle's eyes and cheeks.

"No, don't do this. Don't you leave me. I can't do this without you."

Her throat closed up, and he pain in her heart was spreading to the rest of her body, shaking her with it's force. Muffled, pleading words escaped straight from Xena's soul as she poured out her anguish.

"You're all I've got. Don't leave me. Wake up, Gabrielle. Wake up!"

Her voice broke and Xena fell back into her dejected well of tears once again. What have I done? She asked herself. I've killed my best friend. The one person in the whole world who deserves to live, and I have killed her.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" she screamed to the world, throwing her head back and clutching Gabrielle's body to her chest.

"Don't you die, Gabrielle. Come back. PLEASE!"

Xena hunched her body over her friends, holding her close and resting her tear-stained face on Gabrielle's. Until something unusual happened. A light fluttering sensation caressed Xena's cheek and she jumped, startled by the unexpected contact. Rearing back, she stared at Gabrielle's serene face, but nothing had changed. Her beautiful eyes were closed and her porcelain complexion was translucent with death.

Xena bowed her head and muttered, "She's gone. Stop wishing. She's gone."

The litany comforted her not at all. She felt like her heart had been ripped out and the cavity left behind would never be filled.p

"Xena?"

Soft, hoarse and weak, Xena heard her name being called, but didn't bother to answer in her grief.

"Xena, look at me."

When the words again received no reply, Gabrielle gathered all her strength and shouted, "Xena, I'm NOT DEAD!"

Xena shot up like a bolt of lightning, staring down at her best friend, who was very much alive.

"Thank the gods! You're alive!"

Xena couldn't contain her happiness and scooped Gabrielle up in a big bear hug.

"Xena! I'm not going to be much longer if you keep squeezing the air out of me!"

Gabrielle laughed at the remorseful look on Xena's face and threw her arms back around her friend.

"Oh, I missed you, Xena!"