Chapter Nine -- The Bloodless War

Gabrielle heard a tapping above her. Ever since she had sprinkled a small bit of earth -- no more than two handfuls -- in her coffin, she was resting a lot easier.

Well, I can’t call it sleep, really. I don’t dream at all. One minute I’m in this small little space in the dark and next thing I know, it’s a new night. No dreams, no waking up half way through the. . . day? to use the bathroom. It’s spooky at times how this stuff works, she reflected, Now, it feels like I'm back to a normal sleeping habit.

“Five more minutes, Xena? Please?” she grumbled. Gabrielle closed her eyes, for she knew what was going to happen next. She steeled herself for the inevitable horror.

The coffin lid flew open, bathing her in garish fluorescent lights. Xena’s pale face peered over, covering the waking woman’s view.

“Moonlight’s burning and you need training. Up and at ‘em, darling!” Xena was awake and aware of everything when she first came out of the undead slumber. Gabrielle had often contemplated staking Xena before she went to bed, just so that she could sleep until she felt ready to rise.

A powerful arm pulled her out of the box and gently set her upright.

“The only thing that’s keep me from clubbing you into compost is the fact that you’re my sire,” Gabrielle muttered as she shuffled slowly up the stairs and into the guest bedroom that served as her closet and changing room.

“Come on, we have to make the most of these winter nights! I want you trained and ready to go by spring’s end.” Xena's energy was like a five-year-old at Christmas day. Gabrielle pulled out a clutch of clothes and seperated them in a ritual that had turned into something that reaffirmed her humanity.

Gabrielle stopped as she hooked her bra, “Are you getting rid of me?” A look of shock surfaced quickly, then was repressed just as fast. The pair had been together for only a few short months. Xena had taken the time to tell the blonde neonate the truth about her new world. A world that would blindly crush someone without a second thought. In that time, Xena had gone from lover to lifeline. The idea of being thrust out into the unfeeling unknown chilled her more than the memories of her violent death.

“No, not at all. But you need to learn how to survive on your own. We all have to face the idea that we’re not going to die peacefully in our sleep. You need to learn how to fight with and without your Disciplines. You need to learn to shoot and track your prey and fe--”

“I won’t do that, Xena. I won’t hurt someone just to feed on them. I can go to a blood bank, maybe ghoul the night guard so I can get in easily and drink my fill,” Gabrielle shook herself into a pair of jeans, “Besides, I can always drink from you. You taste better now.” Gabrielle slid up to Xena and drew a light scratch down the center of her tank top.

Desire stirred in Gabrielle, and she could see that it was working itself on Xena. Her eyes became heavy-lidded as she leaned down to kiss her. Her hands worked their way through Gabrielle’s coppery blonde hair, then slid carefully down her back, pressing her closely. Gabrielle broke the kiss, moving along the edge of Xena’s jaw and taking small bites, nothing to break the porcelain white skin. Something grabbed the back of her thighs and picked her up easily. Xena’s neck, tantalizing the small woman with the promise of love and red desire, lurched into view.

Something sharp jabbed into Gabrielle’s neck. Pale memories of passion washed over her -- patient nights with her then-living husband, torrid affairs with various lovers. She moaned softly as she locked her legs around Xena’s waist. Gabrielle pressed Xena’s head deeper into the crook of her neck. Her fangs itched to be released and to sink into flesh. Her limbs shuddered once as muscles she thought now dormant came back to life with a vengeance.

Gabrielle bit deep into Xena’s neck, severing the carotid artery neatly. Vitae gushed and filled her mouth, tasting as sweet as honey. She gulped it down slowly, savoring every drop of red love given to her. She let her fingers become tangled in Xena’s dark hair.

Xena staggered to the bed and sat down hard. She leaned back, letting Gabrielle’s weight press tenderly on her hips. Xena felt sated as far as the pleasure went, but she knew that she was going to need to replenish the blood lost to her hungry lover. She sealed the wound she made with a tiny lick of her tongue, then closed her sapphire eyes and luxuriated in the eager carresses. Pain began to etch itself in Xena’s veins. The loving touch turned harsh.

“Gabby, let go.”

Gabrielle only grunted and held on tighter.

Xena brought her hands down to Gabrielle’s shoulder and tried to push her off, “Gabby, it’s hurting, stop.”

Gabby’s hands wrestled with Xena’s, pinning her to the bed. Xena felt panic coming up to her side. Uriel’s curse -- diablerie, she remembered the warnings from her sire from centuries past.

“GABBY, STOP!”, Xena reversed her hold on Gabrielle’s wrist, then powered her off onto the floor.

Fear and Potence sent the blonde skidding along the polished oak. The small woman struck the dresser hard enough to splinter the wood and shatter the mirror. Xena rolled to her feet, her face was twisted in a grimace. Gabrielle stood up and took a menacing step forward. There was a new fire in her eyes that Xena didn’t like to see. She didn’t wait to see what Gabrielle was going to do. Her hand jerked out to catch Gabrielle across the chin. Gabrielle stumbled backwards crazily, tripping over her heels and dropping to the floor. The fire began to sputter and gut out of the summer green eyes.

“When I say stop, I mean stop,” she growled, covering the wounds in her neck with her hand.

Gabrielle pulled on her shirt without saying a word and never meeting Xena’s gaze. Shuffling out of the room, she wiped away a single tear of blood. Xena heard her stump down the hall into the den.

She was a mistake. I should kill her when next I have the chance, Xena thought as she dialed a number on the phone by the bed. She paused a minute, then dialed another number. As she hung up the phone, Xena reached under the bed and pulled out a pistol. She had dozens of weapons hidden through out the house after seeing several friends dying because they were ill-prepared. She slid the clip free of the pistol and looked at it. The bottom of the clip was striped red -- incendiary rounds. Two shots through the chest, one in the base of the skull to finish her off. Then a shot in the head for me, Xena frowned. She knew that she couldn’t kill Gabrielle. She knew that when she cradled her in her arms, her belly blown out with a single shot. So, something had to be done.

The phone announced it’s need for attention.

“Hello?”

“This is Matthew."

“Matthew, it’s Xena. Come down to the house and bring your knives. We need to teach Gabrielle a lesson,” she hung up the phone without a second word. Tugging uselessly on the sheets, she stood up and tried to fix her face into the rigid mask of the master of the house. Xena marched down the hall, slipping the pistol into the back waist band and tugging her shirt over it. Gabrielle might have an ambush lurking in the study. She would do anything to get the honey sweet taste of her heart's blood. Which meant Xena had to do anything to keep her from it.

Xena walked down the hall, pausing before she passed through the threshold into the study. The only sound she heard were Gabrielle's choked and bitter sobs. Xena stepped into the study, keeping her face neutral. Gabrielle looked horrific with a blood streaked face. She glanced at Xena, struggling to compose herself. The younger vampire wiped at the tears, only to smear them across her cheeks.

“You might want to consider taking along a wet-nap if you’re going to get all blubbery.” Xena muttered around and walked into the bathroom. She dampened a washcloth quickly, then handed it to Gabrielle.

She smiled and began to wipe away the redness on her face. Xena gently took the cloth, tracing along the edge of those green eyes she loved to look at. Gabrielle looked down, avoiding her lover’s gaze.

“Did I... I...?” Gabrielle let the question hang in the air.

“Irritate you? Yes. Hurt me? Yes. Make me disappointed in saving you?” Xena smiled, “No. Never,” she reached down and pulled Gabrielle’s face up to hers.

“But I couldn’t stop. I wanted more and more of you. I never even heard what you had said. It was as if I were some--”

“Predator. A hunter. Gabrielle, that is what we are. We are monsters to ourselves, so that we can avoid being monsters to others,” Xena traced a line down Gabrielle’s cheek, “In time, you will understand this.”

And a short time after, you’ll hate the knowing, she thought to herself.

Xena stood up to answer the knocking door. She could feel Gabrielle's stare on the small of her back. She must have seen the pistol she was carrying and was assuming the worst as she turned the corner of the foyer. Xena opened the door, letting a ragged piece of winter wind swirl around her ankles. Matthew -- her oldest ghoul -- stood on the doorstep hugging his officer's dark coat closer to him.

"Nice to see you made it here fast." She commented as she stood aside. Matthew hopped in, opening his coat to reveal a pair of pistols strapped to his chest for easy reach and a knife taped onto his thigh. "I didn't tell you to bring the pistols." She said as Matthew took off his coat and hung it on the coat rack by the door. His gray eyes flickered a shade of concern.

"Word on the street is that someone is gearing up for a major street fight in a few days. Let's face it Xena, your prestige is starting to drop among the right circles." Matthew unholstered both pistols and slipped one into his coat pocket. The other one he chambered a round and reholstered it.

"There will be no guns for this exercise." She held out her hand. Matthew flicked the safety on then expertly twirled the pistol around his finger, handing it to Xena handle first. She took the weapon and dropped it into a drawer in a desk by the foyer door. She walked through the foyer and into the study, where Gabrielle was standing in the middle of the room, every muscle was ready for action. Xena felt a small bit of empathy for the woman. She had to learn everything she knew through painful trial and error. Xena never had the benefit of even an apathetic teacher. There were entire decades when she thought that Ares was trying to end her existence.

“Time for another lesson,” Xena said smiling as she descended the steps to where their coffins were stored.

Xena led Gabrielle and Matthew down to the crypt. As Matthew wheeled the coffins aside, Xena climbed on a dais and sat down on a soft, velvet antique chair. Gabrielle tugged at the cord that held her hair back. Once the room was cleared away, Matthew approached Xena and knelt on the steps.

Xena slashed her wrist with a small pen knife and let Matthew suck greedily. “This will be a brutally simple lesson, Gabrielle. Matthew will be filled to capacity with blood, which will make him. . . unstable is a good word to use,” she reached down and stroked his hair with a free hand. Matthew moaned softly, his cheeks hollowed out in ecstacy. Xena's own eyes looked half-lidded as she turned her head to look down at Matthew's head

“What’s the lesson?”

Matthew shuddered once, then tried to pull himself away. Xena pressed Matthew’s head down on her wrist cut, “Matthew, if you stake Gabrielle, I will not only Embrace you, but I will give you Gabrielle’s blood.”

Gabrielle gasped, “Xena!”

“Gabrielle, your goal will be to kill Matthew.” Xena continued on as if she never heard her.

“I can’t kill Matthew! That’s insane!”

Xena loosened her grip on Matthew's head. His grin was vulpine and bloody as he reared his head back “Then do me a favor and try not to scream too badly when I stake you to the floor.”

He took off as if shot from a cannon, catching Gabrielle by her mid-drift and slamming her into the wall. She grimaced as her head and back cracked against the stone wall. Gabrielle let her Celerity flow through her limbs. On the space of a panicked heartbeat, Gabrielle launched Matthew off the ground with a knee to the chest followed closely by an elbow to the back. She pulled her blow at the last minute to keep from snapping the ghoul’s back like a bundle of twigs. Desperately, she kicked him away as hard as she could. He sailed halfway across the room. Snarling, Gabrielle turned to Xena, “I am not going to do this Xena! I will not kill him for your sick pleasure.”

Xena smirked coldly, “This isn’t for my sick pleasure, Gabby. If it were, he’d be armed with a flame thrower. This is for your education.”

Matthew came at her again, this time unsheathing the knife attached to his thigh. Gabrielle took a step back, searching her body for a weapon. She winced when she realized that she had nothing on her to use against a knife -- especially one wielded by Matthew.

“Looking for something?”, Xena asked, “Rule number one -- never be without a weapon,” Xena said, “Rule number two -- there are weapons everywhere.”

Matthew lunged, catching the blonde unaware and scoring a slash across her chest. She sealed it without a second thought. There are weapons everywhere, she thought to herself, Looking for a weapon... a knife, a gun... a thermonuclear bomb... how am Ioooowww--, she healed a second wound to her forehead. This guy is a trained soldier and I only have some speed and strength. I need something! Her eye fell on a piece of neglected pipe. Long enough to be a used like a sword. She was now thankful that Xena drilled her mercilessly with every weapon she owned. Matthew followed her gaze. He crossed quickly, putting himself between Gabrielle and the pipe. He smiled devilishly and waved her forward.

“C’mon baby, make me immortal,” he grinned, making a stuttering step forward. Gabrielle took a step back, keeping her eyes on the knife. Then, she had a revelation, I can’t die from being stabbed. What the hell I am afraid of?

Gabrielle darted forward. She wasn’t faster than Matthew, for he managed to hack the knife blade into her back, scraping her backbone and rib painfully. Momentum pushed her forward, bringing her within easy grasp of the steel pipe. She hefted the shaft, swirling it around in a show of prowess. "Now, you're screwed." She let a cocky smile creep across her lips.

The Hunger whispered to her, but she focused the mind on the ghoul. Another knife appeared in his hand, this one was curved slightly -- a small head-hunter’s knife. Gabrielle lowered her stance and prepared herself to fight. Matthew began moving slowly, looking for a weakness in her defenses. Gabrielle raised the bar carefully.

“I’m bored. One of you should be dead by now.” Xena sighed and picked at an errant thread on her shirt.

“I wish she would be quiet,” Gabrielle muttered to herself. Matthew’s knife whistled towards her neck. Gabrielle ducked out of the way and struck him across the hips with every ounce of strength she could muster. The sound of Matthew’s hip breaking was followed closely by his screams. He dropped the knife as he crumpled to the floor. Gabrielle kicked the knife away and raised her weapon above her head. His cries drifted down to whimpers as he writhed in agony.

“Xena... Xena, I need some more... please...”, he groaned, holding his free hand up. The other cradled the misshapen lump that was his right hip bone. His skin was white and sweat beaded on his forehead. Gabrielle stepped back, lowering her bar to look at Xena with some sense of urgency. She knew what Matthew was thinking. The lure of blood was powerful, but he was still only a mortal. Matthew gritted his teeth and roll onto his back. Gabrielle watched with a sense of morbid fascination at Matthew's hip began to slowly regain its shape. The color came back to his face in patches. His breathing was coming in calm sighs as he raised himself on his elbows. She could see the contemp in his eyes for her -- something that she never saw before. She was used to the gruff drill-seargant like man who taught her how to protect herself from attackers, not the psychopath in front of her.

“Well, Matthew, you should have enough to heal yourself and my deal still stands. Same goes for you Gabrielle. Only one of you is going to walk out of here under their own power,” Xena slung a leg over one of the chair arms, “In fact, no one gets any blood from me until someone here dies.”

Gabrielle looked down at Matthew as he struggled to stand up. He had no weapons in his hand. In his eyes was a desperate gleam, “Come on... hand to hand.”

Gabrielle lowered herself in the stance she was taught, shifting her body to the side and raising her hands. Matthew threw an angry punch at her face. Moving automatically, Gabrielle stepped close, wrapping her arms around his outstretched limb. Knitting her hands together, she twisted violently and forced his head down to make contact with her thrusting knee. The woman felt a small glimmer of satisfaction as bone splintered. With one hand clamped on the back of his neck, she rotated her hips and drove Matthew's feet from under him with a swift kick. A huff of forced air from his lungs was the only sound he made when he hit the concrete. Gabrielle raised her leg to drive it into his chest, the rage in her blood screaming for satisfaction. Matthew twisted his leg, sweeping the vampire off of her feet. As she started to pick herself up, Matthew jumped to his feet and kicked her once on the stomach, listing her off of the ground.

"Didn't you learn a god-damn thing?!" He roared, stomping the small of her back. He stomped again, this time aiming for her head. Gabrielle willed the powers in her blood to function. As his foot came down, Gabrielle rolled away into a kneeling position. Letting her claws stretch out, she thrust forward with every ounce of strength. Through her red rimmed vision, she could see her talons digging into the soft skin just below his ribs. Blood jetted and dripped along her arm. Something pulpy pressed itself into her grasp. Fiendish strength rippled through her arm as she followed through with her swing. Matthew grunted and dropped like a stringless marionette, trying to keep the steady stream of red life from leaking out.

Gabrielle looked at her clenched hand with a sense of detached loathing. She tossed aside the red hunk of flesh as she crawled to Matthew. His eye were fixed on his wound, which was closing with maddening slowness. Gabrielle knew he was going to die soon if she did nothing. With one finger, she opened a slit in her wrist and flexed her forearm. Blood dripped onto his feverishly working lips. She brought the limb down, letting him drink freely. She gently moved Matthew's hand, watching the healing progress speed up. Muscle and skin melted together like candle wax. In the space of five minutes, the final holes were knitted up and the living rosy hue returned to the patch. Gabrielle stood up with care. She could feel the Hunger beginning to growl and Matthew was weak enough to be taken in her current state.

"Why did you stop? All you had to do was wait. He would have been dead in thirty seconds." Xena leaned forward on her chair. Gabrielle looked at Matthew and the pair exchanged an understanding glance. Matthew carefully began to twist into a standing position, his movements gentle and slow.

“I won’t kill him, Xena. Not for sport, not for a lesson, not for anything,” Gabrielle said clearly. She walked over and reached out to help the man up. He held up a foreboding hand, grunting as he shook his head.

Xena stood up and stepped off the dais, “You do realize that he was going to kill you without a second thought, isn’t that right, Matthew?”

He nodded slowly as he stood up, now keeping a healthy distance between him and her.

"I spared his life. That counts for something, I assume?" He nodded to Gabrielle. Xena's gaze jumped from Matthew to Gabrielle and back to Matthew again. She nodded to Matthew, who took that as his cue to leave. He nodded in deference to both women, then paused beside Gabrielle as he walked out.

"Good job." He padded her on the shoulder and walked up the steps.

Xena smiled as Matthew closed the door behind him, “Let’s get you fed. I know a blood bank with a guard who owes me a favor, and I need to show you a good hunting ground.”

X&G

Xena paced carefully behind Gabrielle as they picked their way through the maze of alleys that connected the blood bank to the city. Gabrielle looked back and smiled, her face now a healthy pink from blood. One would almost swear that she was alive if they didn’t know better. Xena returned her smile cautiously as they took a turn. “Gabrielle, I -- I want to apologize for the way this night has been. I, um, I just want you to be safe from the world. I’m not always a bit--”

Gabrielle placed a single finger on her lips, “Hey, I’m new to this, not stupid. You’re trying to toughen me up,” she wrapped her arms around the brawny woman and held her close, “You haven’t hurt my feelings and I thank you for everything you’re trying to do, but, one favor?”

“What is it?” She would pull the moon down for her if she asked.

“Can’t we take a break from all of this and just enjoy a night? Maybe go to a bar and drive everyone crazy?”

Xena smiled and chuckled. “OK, tomorrow evening we’ll go clubbing. For now, one last lesson?”

Gabrielle kissed her cheek, “One last lesson, then can we take a walk?”

Xena nodded as she pointed to various alleyways and streets, “This is a good spot to hunt. Winos pass out here, but take care when you’re feeding from them that you don’t get drunk as well. Druggies do the same and every now and then there’s a run--”

The scream made the pair of them jump. Xena slipped a pistol from the holster, then tossed a smaller one -- her back-up .32 revolver from a holster on the small of her back-- to Gabrielle. She pointed down the alley, then hooked her hand left. Slipping into the shadows, the pair crept noiselessly down the alley, then peeked around the corner. Three men, cloaked in shadow, were hunched and growling over a fourth man, who was kicking feebly at them. Gabrielle jumped out, holding the pistol up and aiming for the larger of the trio. "I've seen you three before. Who are you, why have you been following me and what are you doing with that man?"

“Gabrielle! Don’t!” Xena yelled. She cursed herself as she followed behind, preparing to throw Gabrielle behind her and take the brunt of the attack. She knew that Gabrielle's impetuousness was going to one day cost her something, but Xena had hoped it would be in the future and not in front of her eyes. She only hoped that everyone was in a mood to let mistakes like this slip.

“Who--” one started to say.

“--are--” the second one came in on the heels of the first.

“--you?”, the third finished the sentence.

“What the hell?” was all Gabrielle managed to stammer out.

“Cereberus! She doesn’t mean any harm. She’s new to the city,” Xena said quickly, holstering her pistol, “Gabrielle, meet Cereberus. Cereberus, Gabrielle Connor.”

“What are they and why are they following me?”

“I--”

“--am--”

“--Cereberus.” The third said with an air of finality, "I--

"--had never--"

"--seen you--"

"--before in--"

"--this city--"

"--with the--"

"--company of--"

"--this . . . woman."

"What clan is he... they... it is? You never mentioned anything like this, Xena.”

“I--”

“--am--”

“--Nosferatu and

“--servant to--”

“--my Lord Hades.”

Xena whispered, “Not all Nosferatu have a hive mind like Cerebus. They are unique among them.”

“Nosferatu,” Gabrielle blinked, summoning up memories, “The clan of the hidden?”

“Yes, they are... um...,” Xena searched for a better word.

“I--”

“--am hideous--”

“--to look upon, Gabrielle. Why--”

“--are you--”

“--here?”

“I was showing her the blood bank when we heard the scream. We didn’t know it was you, Cereberus,” Xena poked the staring Gabrielle in the ribs. Gabrielle squeaked and shot Xena a hurt look, then turned back to the three beings in front of her.

“Oh! Yeah, we didn’t know it was -- wait, why are you feeding from him?” Her gaze shifted back from the trio to the still body. She could begin to smell the odor of death from the man.

“He is--”

“--a serial--”

“--rapist we caught.”

Gabrielle’s eyes widened in naked fear, “You killed him?”

The three pairs of eyes, the only things Gabrielle could see beyond the dark humanoid shapes, tilted in acknowledgement, “We--

“--feed from--”

“--the criminals and the wicked as--”

“--our clan--”

“--founder wanted.”

One of the figures pulled something from a pocket. It looked like a pager, it was buzzing. A gloved hand pressed buttons as a light blinked once. The pager was dropped into a dark pocket.

“We have--”

“--been summoned--”

“--to our Lord. It--”

“--has been interesting--”

“--to meet you, Gabrielle. Perhaps--”

“--we should cross--”

“--paths again?” The three turned away in unison, their footfalls were silent on the asphalt ground. Gabrielle shivered once as two of them picked up the body while a third lifted a manhold cover. The body was dropped into the sewer with no ceremony. The three climbed down, one at a time, never saying another word. The last one slid the manhold cover back into place with a dragging clink.

"He likes you,” Xena said, mildly amused, "He's a good ally to have. Information connections, fighting capabilities -- you can pick your friends well."

Gabrielle arched her eyebrow, “What makes you say that? Besides, he -- it -- what is it?"

"No one knows, beyond that he is one of the Nosferatu. He keeps to himself, rarely talks. “I’ve known Cereberus for a half century, yet until tonight, I have heard no more than a sentence out of him. To you, he was rather chatty. The rumor is that he’s one of those Nosferatu who was Embraced as a lesson, but what the lesson was, I have no idea. Well, let’s go take that walk,” Xena said, holding Gabrielle close and steering her towards the relative safety of the streets.

"I don't feel safe with that thing around. He was spying on me from the very beginning. Remember when we went to that red room in the back of the Cypress? That's when I saw him." Gabrielle looked over her shoulder, half expecting Cereberus to leap out of the shadows.

"Relax, Gabrielle. Cereberus is the closest thing to a knight in shining armor around here. If he wanted to attack you, he would have done so a long time ago and we wouldn't be having this conversation. Take a look at this dress." Xena swung Gabrielle gently around to look into the darkened store front.

"Nice. I doubt I'm going to be going to anything that would merit that dress. You said Cerbereus was a good fighter? How good?"

Xena frowned at the surging memory. "The Sabbat were crusading for this city about fifteen years ago. A small pack of them were making their way to an abandoned house where squatters and runaways were known to hang out. I went there to get them out. I didn't like the kids, but I didn't want them to suffer at the fangs of the Sabbat. By the time I got there, the pack was only a block away and I had little time to do anything. I started shooting at them, hoping that whoever was inside would leave. Next thing I know, these three shadowy things -- Cereberus -- came racing out of an alley, holding only knives. They cleaved through the group as if they were nothing more than mortals. When all was said and done, there was not a single Sabbat pack member intact," Xena pointed to a corner three blocks down, "and he looked like wasn't even touched. That is the Nosferatu you want to owe you favors."

Gabrielle shrugged. "I don't know -- he's a little creepy."

"So says the vampire who ripped out someone's kidney."

Gabrielle stuck out her tongue in a mock act of defiance.

Xena pulled her closer again. "Don't flash it unless you intend to use it."

"Well, then you'd better take me home." Gabrielle wrinkled her nose and pecked her lips against Xena's. Xena smiled as she picked up the giggling blonde and began to race for her car.

Xena reached out, catching her lover's arm with an outstretched hand. "Hold on there, partner. There is a little something we are going to have to discuss." She shifted her stance, equalling her weight between both legs to be ready to either fight or flee. The Brujah temper was the stuff of whispered legend.

"What's up?" Gabrielle hopped in front of Xena, smiling at her lovingly.

"Do you remember how you felt when you attacked Matthew? I mean when you ripped into him?"

Gabrielle's face darkened at the memory. Her voice coasted to a guity whisper. "Yes, I was out of control. I didn't know what I was doing. I was . . . I was. . . insane. . . Xena," she looked up at her sire, "I was a monster."

Xena cupped Gabrielle's face gently. "This is our curse. Our emotions are always boiling just below the surface, waiting for a chance to erupt. We have to be careful, to strengthen our wills so that we can pass in mortal society." She placed a kiss on her forehead, then came down to her lips. "Let me help you."

Gabrielle's grin widened. "You're doing just fine, baby." Her hands wrapped around the dark haired vampire's waist, clutching her close. The world drifted away from Gabrielle's notice as a pair of sharp teeth carefully pierced her lower lip. The pleasant giddiness of ex-sanguination rushed to her head. Coal hair ran through her fingers once as Xena lifted her up to carry her back to her haven.

***TBC***