The End

"What are you going to do with it?" Eve asked.

"I don't know." Perdicus answered. "But I promised her it would never be found."

As he pondered, Peridcus absently ran his finger around the outer edge of the Chakram as it lay in the middle of the old wooden table.

"Can't you just bury it somewhere?" Cyrene asked. "It's not like we don't have enough land."

"I thought about it," Perdicus said. "But somehow that just doesn't seem -- I don't know, respectful."

As the three of them sat staring at it, the sound of rain could be heard on the roof. And then a thunderclap startled them.

"Storm's coming." Cyrene said as she snuggled Sarah, her and Perdicus' nine-month old daughter; Eve's third grandchild.

"Sounds like it's already here." Perdicus replied.

"Mother, will you check on the twins for me?" Cyrene asked Eve. "I don't think the thunder will wake them up, but you never know."

Eve got up from the table to check on Lila and Herodotus, now twelve years old, but as inseparable as they were when they were a year old, or three years old, or five, or nine.

Though sixty-eight years old, Eve still managed to get around fairly well for her age.

Not like Gabrielle, who, at sixty-nine, could barely walk the last few months before she died.

"You know, I was thinking about giving it to Aphrodite." Perdicus said. "I'm sure she could find someplace safe for it. Maybe somewhere up on Mt. Olympus."

"Well, at Gabrielle's funeral she did say if there was anything she could do to let her know." Eve said as she re-entered the kitchen where they were gathered.

"What about the rest of Grandma Xena's armor? And Aunt Gabby's sais? Shouldn't everything be together?" Cyrene wanted to know.

"I talked to Mother about that before she -- went. And she was quite clear about it: she promised Aunt Xena that her Chakram would never be seen again, that it would never fall into the hands of anyone who might use it for evil purposes. And I promised Mother the same thing."

"I thought she had hidden it right after Grandma Xena's funeral. Who would have thought it was under her mattress all this time?" Cyrene said.

"I guess she just couldn't stand to part with anything that was Mother's." Eve explained. "I know how she feels."

Just then thunder boomed again, causing Sarah to awaken and start fussing. Cyrene opened the front of her blouse and guided one nipple to Sarah's waiting mouth. Soon she was sleeping again.

"Are you going to give it to Aphrodite?" Eve asked her son-in-law.

"I don't know. I suppose I could ask her about it."

"What about their ashes? Do we want to keep them here, or let Aphrodite take them with her to Mt Olympus." Cyrene asked.

"Why would we do that? What's wrong with keeping them here?" Her husband asked.

"Well, what happens if there is a flood, or a fire, or an earthquake? They could be lost or destroyed. At least on Mt Olympus they'd be safe, and last forever."

"If that ever happened, then they'd go back to the earth, to Mother Earth, back to where they came from." Eve said. "Where they belong."

Perdicus got up and walked to the mantle over the large fireplace. Carefully he took a simple, unadorned urn from it and carried it back to the table. Gently, he placed it beside the Chakram.

He then reached over and took Cyrene's free hand, squeezing it lovingly. "I never would have thought of it, but when it's our time to go, I want OUR ashes to be mixed together just like Aunt Xena's and Mother's are."

"Me, too." Cyrene answered, squeezing his hand in return.

"You don't know how long you'll be gone?" Cyrene asked, fighting back the tears.

Perdicus put his arms around her, pulling her close to him. "No. I still don't know where to take it. I'll just have to ride until I find the right place. I'll know it when I see it."

"You be careful." Eve said. "We need you here."

"I know - the Fall harvest isn't far off. I'll try to be back by then."

"That's not what I mean. We need YOU."

Perdicus gave Eve a warm hug, then hugged and kissed Lila, Herodotus, and Sarah, and then one more for Cyrene. Mounting up, he said, "If I don't find the right place before the harvest, then I'll try again next Spring. But don't worry, I'll be back before you know it."

As he galloped out of sight, they turned back to the house. There was always work to be done.

As the days passed, Perdicus thought back over the events of the past month.

The day before he left, Eve had called out to Aphrodite, who appeared so quickly, it was as if she was waiting them to call her.

After they explained the situation, she volunteered to take the Chakram, and the ashes, to Mt. Olympus. The Chakram, she thought, should be safe in the Great Hall of War, since Ares was imprisoned in the Cave of Hephaestus. And she would put the ashes in hers. But Eve was concerned that even if the chance of Ares escaping was almost zero, it was still too great.

And they decided they just couldn't part with the final remains of Xena and Gabrielle.

The only suggestion Aphrodite had was to drop the Chakram into a lava pit, maybe even the one Gabrielle and Hope fell into. Perdicus said he would consider it, but wasn't sure.

Then his thoughts went back to those few precious days just before Gabrielle left them.

As usual, Gabrielle was complaining about her aches and pains. And they were legitimate complaints, she wasn't Xena. Her body didn't have the unusual healing abilities Xena's had.

It was true that Gabrielle didn't the history of combat that Xena had. If she had fought the battles Xena had, she most likely would have died before Xena.

But still and all, the toll on her body began to catch up with her. Perhaps after the death of Xena eight years ago, her body, or perhaps her spirit, decided there was no longer any reason to stay strong and healthy.

She complained about her aches and pains long before Xena crossed over. But this time it was different. Her complaints weren't about her joints aching, or the constant pain in her back, or even the terrible headaches that started after Xena left them.

Now, her complaints were subtle -- she didn't "feel right." Nothing tasted like it should. It was hard to catch her breath. It was easier to sit and do nothing than even to eat.

Then came the morning when she couldn't get out of bed. She knew her time was close, but how to let the others know without upsetting them? Or should she even let them know she was dying? Would it be better if she just passed away without them knowing it was coming so that the anticipation of her death wouldn't burden them?

After some thought, she decided she couldn't die without telling them how much she loved them, and how grateful she was to have had them in her life.

"My Son," He remembered her saying. "There is something you need to do for me. Under my mattress is Xena's Chakram. Before she died I promised her that I would make sure it was never seen again. And in a way, I guess I kept that promise, since no one's seen it since her funeral. But now it needs to disappear from this earth. I can't do it, not now. Now that my time here is coming to an end."

Perdicus felt his eyes moisten, remembering the tears he shed when he realized what she was saying. How much he protested, denying what she was telling him, not wanting to believe she was on her deathbed.

"You must do this for me." She had said. "You must do it for Xena. And you must do it for the good of the world. It is too dangerous to be allowed to fall into the wrong hands. Promise me this!"

Of course, he made the promise. And as he did, she lay back on the bed, fighting for breath, but with a contented look on her face. As he watched her, he suddenly became aware of how much she had changed in the past eight years; how much she had aged.

Her golden blond hair, partially gray at Xena's death, was now completely white. She was frail and weak. Her once strong and healthy body was no more. Her smooth, tanned complexion was now wrinkled and ashen.

But her eyes -- those beautiful, pale green eyes still sparkled with life even though they were rimmed with red, and wet with tears as her family gathered around her. It was obvious she was now in pain, great pain, yet her eyes never showed anything but tenderness for them.

Through her tears, Gabrielle looked at each of them, her gaze lingering on their faces. As she did, her thoughts traveled back to the time when it was Xena who was lying on her deathbed, and it was Gabrielle who was looking down into the eyes of the one she loved so much, and would miss beyond words.

Although her voice was barely above a whisper, Gabrielle had one last dying request.

"After ... after I'm gone ... and the ashes have cooled ... I want my and Xena's ashes to be put together ... into a single urn. We have been apart too long ... too long."

And then her breath caught. Pain wracked her body, yet she was too weak to cry out. And then it lessened, a little.

There was a flash of light, and Aphrodite was standing at the foot of her bed. Eve moved away and Aphrodite went to Gabrielle's side. As she stood, silent, a single teardrop formed and slowly ran down the cheek of the Goddess of Love.

Aphrodite captured the tear with the tip of her finger, and gently placed it to Gabrielle's lips. And Gabrielle took an easy, pain-free breath.

"Thanks." She whispered as Aphrodite took her hand. Then Gabrielle saw a second, and then a third tear appear.

"What is this?" she asked. "A god crying over a mere mortal?"

"You may be mortal." Aphrodite whispered back. "But 'mere' you most definitely are not. I will miss you."

As she let go of Gabrielle's hand to let Perdicus take her place, Aphrodite said, "Xena is waiting for you."

Gabrielle nodded, closed her eyes, then weakly squeezed Perdicus' and Cyrene's hands.

And left her mortal body to join her Soul mate in Eternity.

The funeral pyre was lit after sundown. And as she had done for her mother, Eve sang the Funeral Dirge for Gabrielle as the night sky was lit up with sparks, as if new stars were being placed in the heavens.

And as she had requested, Gabrielle's ashes were gently mixed with those of Xena, and then placed in a simple, unadorned urn which would remain on the old oaken mantle for many, many years to come.

"Did you find a place for the Chakram?" Cyrene asked as Perdicus climbed down from his horse, three months later.

"I did."

"Someplace safe?"

"For at least the next thousand years, or two. Maybe by the time it is found, things will be different. Maybe it will be a better, more peaceful world, and it won't be needed to protect the innocent against the forces of evil."

As Cyrene held Sarah just a little tighter, she said, "We can only hope, for our children's children's sake."