Through sheer dint of willpower and an innate stubbornness, that had been fostered by her long association with a certain Warrior Princess, she pushed herself to her knees, and unsteadily made it to her feet. Taking deep breaths she commanded her tired, battered and aching limbs to obey her, before she staggered the few necessary steps away from the edge of the surf.

Clear of the sea water, Gabrielle tried to peer through the stormy deluge that was lashing the coast. If she had managed to make it safely to the beach, then she prayed, to any of the Gods who cared to listen, that Autolycus and Joxer had done so as well. The question was, where would they be?

The bard began to shiver again. She was cold, wet and exhausted. She couldn't see more than a few feet in any direction, and she was in enemy territory. And, just to make things even more interesting, she had no doubt, whatsoever, that as soon as he was able, Brutus would have hunting parties out looking for her. - If he had survived the storm! - her mind insisted. - What would Xena do? - she thought to herself picturing her strong determined friend at her side.

"Find somewhere to shelter, Gabrielle," she clearly heard the Warrior Princess tell her in her mind, "You can't do anything until the storm lessens, and if you don't get into the dry, you're going to come down with a fever." - Fine, - she decided, - Let's see if we can find a cave then, -

Decision made, she forced her protesting body to head towards the cliffs. If she was lucky, she'd be able to find a cave. If she was really lucky, there might be some dry driftwood in it that she could use to start a fire, always supposing she could find some flints, - Ah well, - she mused, - it's something to dream about. -

Stumbling along northwards in the lashing rain, she nearly missed the entrance to a small cave that was practically hidden behind a dense cluster of boulders. She squeezed in among the rocks and into the dark space beyond, feeling an almost instantaneous relief as she left the storm behind her.

Gabrielle could feel sand beneath her feet, but could see really very little of her shelter until a flash of lightning lit up the space revealing, for an instant, a cave not much more than ten foot square. She sank to her knees, and breathed deeply, trying to harness some of the reserves of energy that she hoped she still had.

As she knelt there, her instincts began to register a few details that were going to be important to her. Firstly the sand was dry and even partially warm, which was not too surprising as this was the middle of summer. Secondly, in the intermittent flashes of lightning, she could make out some piles of driftwood scattered around the edges of the cave, obviously deposited during the winter storms when much higher tides reached the base of the cliffs. Thirdly, she desperately needed a source of heat.

Coaxing her rebellious body into movement, she scouted around the cave to see if she could find anything that would help her get a fire started. Luck seemed to be with her when her questing hands found some unshaped natural stones that had the feel of being flint. She remembered Xena's patient lessons on how to start a fire. A half grin formed as she recalled how inept she had been when she first started to trail after the Warrior Princess .. she hadn't even been able to start a blaze then and the cold had finally forced her to approach Xena's camp. Since then, though, she had learnt much from her friend .. including how to get a fire started. She struck two together, testing them and her skill, and was able to produce a spark.

- So far, so good, - she told herself, trying to keep her spirits up.

Placing the flints she had found where she could easily re-locate them, she gathered together some of the dried wood that was scattered around the cave. The next part was going to be more difficult, however. Using her hands, she carefully examined her flints to find one with a sharp edge. She eventually selected the one most suited to the task she had in mind and, choosing a stick, she slowly began to shave slivers off to produce some fine tinder.

"I hope this works," she muttered to herself when she finally judged she had enough to make the attempt.

Taking two more of the flints she cracked them together close to the tinder. A spark leapt and she held her breath as she hoped it would catch and fire, but it died before gaining a hold on the tinder. Drawing a deep breath, Gabrielle told herself firmly, - You can do this .. focus! - and continued to strike the flints, knowing that she desperately needed to get this fire started, - I can't go running to Xena this time, - she thought miserably.

Finally, after too many attempts to number, she succeeded and she gently blew on the glow that began to flicker in the fine shreds of wood. As the flames became stronger, she began to feed in larger pieces, just twigs to start with, but as the flames increased in size and strength, she was able to add further, larger pieces of wood, until she had a respectable fire going.

Gabrielle huddled over the warmth protectively, allowing the heat to soak into her cold body, revelling in just how good it felt. Eventually, she pulled herself away from the flames and began to strip her sodden clothing off, she wrung the excess water out of them and laid her skirt and top and undergarments on the opposite side of the fire as she curled up in front of the warmth and allowed her eyes to drift closed.

Autolycus cradled his left arm gingerly. He was almost certain that it was broken above the wrist and it hurt like Hades! He allowed himself a short rest against a convenient rock and tried to blink some of the rain out of his eyes. He had no idea where either of his two companions were. He hoped that they were somewhere on this beach, and that neither of them had been too badly hurt in getting through the reef that protected the bay. He'd been slammed against a rock shortly after losing sight of Gabrielle and that's where he'd broken his arm. He offered up a silent prayer that neither Gabrielle, nor Joxer had come to grief.

- Well, sitting here isn't going to help matters, - he told himself sternly, - with any luck, Gabrielle will have found some shelter to hole up in. If she stays put I might be able to find her. The question is which way should I go? -

A flash of lightning suddenly showed the bireme in stark relief as it somehow slid through a gap in the reef and was pushed into the bay, - Well, that settles it, - decided the thief quickly, - I'll head north away from the ship and Brutus, hopefully I'll find the others before he does ... if they survived. -

Moving towards the cliffs, he stumbled along, trying to ignore his exhaustion in the need to remove himself from the all too close proximity of the Roman and his troops. Having managed once to get free from Brutus, he was in no hurry to hand himself back to him.

It was hard going. He was cold and tired, and the storm made it difficult to see far. The only good things about the situation were that the Romans would find it almost impossible to search for them, at least until the storm abated, and that being summer the tide, even driven by the storm, didn't reach the cliffs. He was also fairly certain that the rain would wash out any tracks he left in the soft sand.

The brief flashes of illumination that the lightning provided, helped him gauge what was before him, but it also tended to leave his vision impaired in the after glow of the violent light. However, it was during one of those brief flashes that he spotted what appeared to be a body, laying at the surf's edge.

Shaking his head, to clear his eyesight, Autolycus stumbled down the beach once more and found an unconscious Joxer, laying half drowned with blood running freely from a scalp wound where he had hit his head, "Well at least that won't have caused any permanent damage," muttered the thief to himself. It was not a charitable thought, but it did afford him some relief from the worry he'd been feeling, for if Joxer made it to shore, albeit a bit battered, then it was good odds that Gabrielle would be found also.

He gently patted Joxer's cheeks with his good right hand. With his broken arm, he'd never be able to carry the wannabe warrior. He was going to need some kind of assistance if he was going to be able to get his companion off the beach, "C'mon Joxer," he encouraged as the other man's eyes began to flicker, "C'mon, we've got to find Gabrielle," he prodded.

"G ... Gab ... Gabby," Joxer slurred dazedly. The crack on his head was obviously a bad one.

"Can you stand if I help?" asked Autolycus carefully.

"Gab," the injured man rasped as he tried to make his eyes focus and his body work, "Where's G..Gab?"

Autolycus used his good arm to pull Joxer to his feet, where he staggered unsteadily and would have fallen back into the surf if the thief hadn't managed to loop one of his friend's arms over his shoulder and get his right arm around his waist, "C'mon Jox, help me out here," he grunted softly, "move your feet and let's get moving."

It was a struggle as they teetered precariously back to the scant shelter of the cliffs and, once there, continued north away from Brutus and his men. Autolycus hoped that they'd find the bard, and that she wasn't too hurt. He needed her assistance with Joxer, knowing that she knew far more about healing than he did, having learnt from Xena. He also wanted her to look at his wrist that was throbbing with undiluted pain. What he didn't want to do was admit to himself that he was worried about the golden haired bard .. it was far easier to concentrate on finding her for the help she could give him and Joxer.

They moved slowly with Autolycus encouraging his confused and disorientated friend every step of the way. If he could, he'd have found a way off the beach and up into the countryside above; he felt too exposed here, knowing that Brutus could be just a step behind him. - Well genius, - he goaded himself, - worrying about it won't do us any good. Besides, if Gabrielle's on this beach and we're up on the cliff we're gonna miss her. -

He plodded heavily on, half supporting, half dragging, Joxer with him, exhaustion hampering his every movement. The storm continued to whip viciously around them, and in some way he was grateful for the closeness of Joxer's body because that was the only warm patch on his whole frame. - We need to get out of this rain ... and soon. - he told himself.

Lightning cracked overhead once more, half blinding him in the sudden brightness that left vivid jags of light before his eyes. It was almost enough to make him miss the soft glow that radiated around the edge of a tumble of rocks. Autolycus stopped and shook his head blinking rapidly to try and clear his vision. The glow remained constant, and he pulled his stumbling burden towards it, desperately hoping that not only would he find shelter, but Gabrielle as well.

With excessive difficulty, he scrambled over the storm slick boulders and was guided to the tight opening of the cave by the light he could see. Maneuvering Joxer so that they could both squeeze through the jagged hole, and into the beckoning warmth, was a trial, but he succeeded after expending a great deal of his failing reserves of strength. He stumbled to a swaying halt just inside, seeing the gently glowing fire and a fully naked Gabrielle stretched out beside it.

"Well," he smirked appreciatively, "Now there's a sight for sore eyes!"

Autolycus hauled Joxer deeper into the cave and sat him down close to the fire, which was in need of more fuel before it died. He gathered some of the bone dry driftwood from around the cave, wincing as he did so, and carefully tended to the fire making sure that it was burning well before deciding what to do next.

Seeing Gabrielle's clothes where they had been put to dry, he knelt down and touched them. They were a little damp, but had dried out enough to suggest that the bard had been here some time. He turned them over to help them dry evenly, before turning back to Joxer and stripping off his clothes. The 'wanna-be' warrior needed to dry off as well if they didn't want further complications setting in to go with his head injury. He did decide, however, to leave the man's underpants on. Gabrielle was going to have enough problems when she woke up without seeing a pair of naked men to match her own state of undress.

Having seen to Joxer, Autolycus piled together more of the driftwood and sorting out the most likely looking pieces for a splint. With that done, he allowed his mind to focus on the nagging worry of the glow from the fire attracting more attention. They needed the fire for it's warmth, they didn't want it to give away their hiding place. He went and studied the small opening. If he could just find something to block the hole with, it might just serve to hide them from the outside world. Sighing he looked distastefully at his sodden clothing, and, glaring at the storm tossed night outside of the warm cave, he made a decision.

Wrinkling his nose, he squeezed himself back through the hole and searched around the area for the item he wanted. It took a while, but he eventually located a scraggy bush that clung tenaciously to the side of the cliff. He fought long and hard with it, before it eventually gave up the struggle and he found himself dumped onto the wet sand as it's resistance gave.

Biting back a half hearted curse for the pain that lanced through his wrist, the thief, clutching his prize, made his way back to the safe haven of the cave, drawn on by the thought of the warmth that awaited him there. Once he reached the spot, he tried positioning the bush over the hole and seeing the effect it had on diffusing the glow. It didn't totally mask the soft light, but Autolycus figured that if he drew it into the hole after him, he might just be able to cut out all of the tell tale signs of the fire.

Satisfied that it was the best he could do, the thief pulled the bush out of the cave mouth and then backed himself in, pulling the greenery after him until it was wedged tightly. Smiling to himself he straightened up, only to feel a stunning blow to the back of his head that dumped him to the sandy floor with a sudden dizziness that was accompanied by bright stars.

"Autolycus," yelped Gabrielle as she dropped the large branch she was holding and sank to her knees beside the thief, "I'm so sorry, I didn't know it was you ... I just heard this noise as I woke up and ... and I thought it was Brutus and his men."

"Okay, okay," he grumbled rubbing his sore head with his good hand, "It was an accident ... I should have told you I was coming back, but I didn't want to wake you up."

"Wake me up?" questioned the bard in confusion, and suddenly reddening as she became aware of her state of undress, "Ah, what do you mean, coming back?"

"Well," began Autolycus, starting to stand and turn around, "I brought Joxer in here a little while ago when I saw the glow of the fi ...."

"Hold it right there!" Gabrielle squeaked arresting the thief's movement, "You've already been ... you were in here ... you saw me ..."

"Relax Gabrielle," he tried to reassure her, "Joxer's passed out over in the corner, and I've seen plenty of ... ah, unclothed females before."

"Not this unclothed female, you haven't!" she gritted out, "Just stay facing the entrance until I can get my clothes on."

"They're still damp, Gabrielle," he told her politely, "and you really have nothing to be ashamed of."

"Autolycus!" she yelped again, shocked at what she was hearing. "Just do what I asked," demanded the embarrassed bard as she shrugged back into her clothes which, although a little damp, were not really too bad. - Better than being naked anyway, - she decided. When she had finished dressing she told the thief, "All right you can turn around now."

"Great," he muttered and began to strip off his own soaking wet clothes.

"Erm, Autolycus?" she asked tentatively.

"What, Gabrielle?" he demanded more sharply than he intended as a ripping pain stabbed through his injured arm.

"How far ... I mean, just how much ... err?" struggled the bard defensively.

"Oh c'mon, Gabrielle. I need to get out of these wet clothes before I come down with something nasty. Don't worry, I'll keep my underwear on, and I promise to do nothing to compromise your virtue." the thief told her testily while thinking, - Not that I'm not tempted, but the thought of what Xena would do to me kind of puts a dampener on the idea. Besides, the kids alright, but she not a patch on the Warrior Princess. -

"Autolycus, why are you grinning?" asked Gabrielle as she crossed towards where Joxer lay unmoving.

The grin instantly disappeared and he side stepped the question by asking one of his own, "How's he doing?"

The bard checked the unconscious man's pulse and lifted his eyelid, before laying a hand on his forehead, "His pulse and breathing seem okay," she reported, "That crack on his head has probably given him a concussion, his eyes are a bit dilated," she explained, "and he could be coming down with a chill." She sighed, "There's nothing to give him, all we can do is make sure he stays as warm as possible and hope for the best."

"Gabrielle," the thief said quietly, "has Xena taught you anything about broken bones?"

She turned back to look at Autolycus, who was cradling his left arm carefully. The bard saw immediately the darkening skin and the slightly odd angle of the lower arm. The one good thing was that it hadn't swollen much yet, "Why didn't you say something before?" she demanded, worried about the thief.

"There was a lot of things to be sorted out before I could get around to it," he answered almost with embarrassment, "Joxer needed seeing to and the cave mouth needed to be hidden ...."

"Okay, I get the message," sighed the bard as she scooted across to look at the arm, "Did anyone ever tell you that you're a good man, Autolycus?"

"Don't start that again, Gabrielle," the thief replied beginning to go red around the neck.

"Alright," she agreed, "I won't, but you are," she added softly and almost laughed as he scowled at her. Looks aimed at intimidating didn't really effect her now, she'd studied the worlds finest intimidator and nearly everything and everyone else paled into insignificance beside her friend. "Look," she explained, "we haven't got any bandages, so I'm going to have to rip some off your shirt. Then I'm going to need some splints."

Autolycus nodded to the small pile of suitable wood that he'd previously sorted out, "You should find what you need there," he told her.

"Great," she agreed with a pleased nod as she turned her attention to the soaking wet shirt. "If I take the sleeves off this I can use it to hold the splints in place."

"Fine, Gabrielle. You know what you're doing." He paused for a moment as he watched her, "You do know what you're doing, don't you?"

"Of course," the bard replied with all the confidence she could muster, "At least I know all the theory behind it. I've watched and helped Xena do this dozens of times, so I'm sure that everything will work out okay. Besides I fixed your other arm that time with the Amazons," she reminded him, "although that was an easier break to deal with."

"Oh yeah," muttered the thief, "I get to be a guinea pig."

Once Gabrielle had finished her preparations, managing to rip the shirt sleeves into the desired pieces, and having selected the wood for the splints, she turned her attention to her patient's arm, "Now this is going to hurt a bit," she explained, "I'm going to have to pull the bone into the correct line, otherwise it will heal crooked and you might lose some of the use."

"Fine, Gabrielle," gritted out Autolycus, "Just do what you have to do."

"Ready?" she asked as she took his hand wrist to wrist. When he nodded his assent, she pulled on the arm, listening and feeling for the click that would tell her that the bone was back in the right place.

"Got it!" she said at last as she glanced at her friend's face and saw the beads of perspiration standing out from his brow, the look of agony in his eyes and along his tightly clamped jaw, "We're nearly finished," the bard encouraged, "just bear with me while I get this splint on."

She worked quickly, making sure that the injured arm was well supported and wrapped, finally tying the last knot to complete her handiwork, "That's it," she told him. "Why don't you get some rest. You look exhausted." She saw that he was about to protest, but she quickly jumped in, "I've already slept. I'll stay awake and keep watch and make sure that the fire doesn't die on us. Besides I need to bandage Joxer's head."

Seeing the sense in what she was saying, Autolycus reluctantly agreed, laying down in the warm sand close to the fire. Before he drifted off however, he remembered to warn the bard about the Romans, "Be careful, Gabrielle. I saw the ship slip through the reef before I found Joxer. I think it's fairly safe to assume that Brutus survived and that he'll be looking for us. If you hear anything, anything at all, douse the fire and wake me."

Gabrielle swallowed hard and put her hand to the collar at her throat, "Okay Autolycus, she agreed. "Get some sleep and then we'll figure out what we should do next when your rested."

As the King of Thieves drifted off into an exhausted, dreamless, sleep, Gabrielle worked on dressing Joxer's wounded head. She wished that she had some fresh water to clean it, but she thought that the washing in salt sea water would have probably ensured that it would remain free from infection. She tore the sleeves out of Joxer's nearly dry shirt and used one to carefully wrap a dressing, of sorts around his injury.

With her task completed, she put some more wood on the fire and arranged the men's clothing so that it got a chance to dry. Joxer's leather trousers and jacket looked a little worse for their ducking in the sea, but they'd still be an improvement on his normal choice of clothing.

Having finished that, she turned her attention to gathering all of the wood, scattered around the cave, into one easily accessible pile. It was while she was doing this that she uncovered a stout pole. It was a bit too short and a little thicker than she was comfortable with and would need some of the outgrowths of twigs to be removed, but it would serve as a staff and it made her feel better that she was no longer completely defenceless.

With nothing else to occupy her, she turned her attention to trying to compose this latest adventure into story form. Her heart wasn't really in it though, and she had no ink or parchment to record her ideas anyway. Inevitably, her thoughts drifted to Xena and as she wondered where her best friend was, and what was happening to her, slowly drifted into the realms of Morpheus and his brothers.