ForevaXena's FanFic . . .

The Power Of Love

by Julia Ford

Disclaimers:  The characters Xena, Gabrielle, and company are owned by MCA/Universal/Renaissance Pictures/Studios USA (have I missed anyone?), and are used here without permission but with many thanks.  The other characters are my creation and are not intended to resemble anyone else living or dead.  My apologies if the story and or characters resemble anyone else’s!

Spoilers:  Do not read any further if you don’t want to know about the series finale (or anything before that) of Xena: Warrior Princess

Subtext:  No because…

Maintext: YES, although nothing very graphic. If you object to intimate relationships between two women and/or if it is illegal where you live or for your age, do not read any further.

Violence:  Not too much, but this is Xena.  What more can I say?

Preamble:  When I finished the “Finding our Way” trilogy I was happy in the knowledge that the next time I wanted Xena and Gabrielle to come out and play in the lines of my stories they would be there.  After watching the series finale I was left with a sense of disappointment that they wouldn’t be able to come and play anymore…at least not in the way I want…so with the power of a bard I decided to fix things! 

A suggestion: The story uses settings and people that I first wrote about in my “Finding our Way” trilogy (particularly “Lessons of Love”).  You might want to read it first, but it is not required.

©June 30, 2001

As Gabrielle woke she could feel Xena spooned into her with the warrior’s arm wrapped around the bard’s ribs, holding her tightly.  For a moment Gabrielle allowed herself to imagine that the last three months hadn’t happened, that Japan was a bad dream and that Xena was with her in the flesh, not just as a spirit.  It was only in during her early morning drowsy stage that Gabrielle had any luck believing her imaginings.  The rest of the time the reality pressed in on her too hard for words to describe.

She was thankful that Xena’s spirit chose to most of the time with her in a form she could see, hear and feel, but it wasn’t the same.  With the exception of herself and the sacred katana which Gabrielle had brought back from Japan, Xena wasn’t able to touch anything of this world.  Her hands would pass through solid matter as they had with her chakram in that horrid moment that Gabrielle first realized that Xena was dead.  The look on Xena’s face the first time she had tried to help Gabrielle out during a fight and her fist went straight through a bad guy’s head would have been funny if their situation wasn’t so pitiful.  Of course the look on the thugs faces the day Xena grabbed the katana from the sheath on Gabrielle’s back and started swinging had been really funny.  To them, all they could see was a sword in motion with nobody holding it! 

Gabrielle’s reputation as a warrior had grown during her months in Egypt where she had gone after Japan. So too had her reputation of being an insane sorcerer courtesy of the seemingly magical sword that would guard her back and the bard’s continual talking to thin air as if someone were there.  It was known that Xena was dead and that the “irritating blond” had become a force to be reckoned with and was continuing her legacy – chakram and all.  But Gabrielle had grown tired of Egypt and longed for home…for Greece…so she headed back and camped in a familiar glen.  Egypt just hadn’t been fun without Xena in the flesh.

Greece was turning out not to be all that much fun either.  Gabrielle had secretly harboured the hope that back in their own stomping grounds somebody else would be able to see Xena.  Eve had hugged Gabrielle, cried with her, and then gone back to her life not realizing Xena had been there the whole time.  Even Aphrodite who came to check up on her “little one” couldn’t see Xena.  The Goddess of Love was seriously worried about Gabrielle.  The way that Gabrielle would turn to nothing and talk as if Xena were standing right there!  Her poor little one had lost her mind with grief!  Aphrodite was so worried she even sent Ares to see if he could get any sense that Xena was with Gabrielle as the warrior-bard claimed. 

Despite his own grief, Ares thought it was amusing that Gabrielle tried to slice his head off with Xena’s chakram.  And he was fascinated when the sacred katana moved of it’s own volition and engaged him in a sword fight, but Ares felt nothing of Xena’s presence.  So after propositioning Gabrielle, who really was the best warrior around, he left in a flash of blue light.  Even Argo couldn’t sense Xena’s presence.

Recently life had started to be even harder.  Xena’s spirit was restless.  She hated that, other than for Gabrielle, she had no contact with the earthly realm except at the end of the sacred katana.  The warrior missed the little things of life that she had so taken for granted.  Helping to set up camp, grooming Argo, fishing…Xena even missed cooking!  It was so bad that one night she took the katana and went into the woods and started to chop wood with it.  Not exactly what the makers had in mind.  Even worse, Gabrielle was growing fearful that somehow she would lose Xena because her soul mate was disappearing for longer and longer periods of time, returning with a despondent look in her eyes.  

Tears slowly started to trickle down the bard’s cheeks.  As much as she knew in her heart that the greater good had been to not return Xena to the land of the living, the price was just too high.  There was even times when she wished she too were dead so that they could be really together.

“Hey, hey, I’m here.”  Xena had felt Gabrielle’s breathing change and knew her partner was crying.  The warrior drew Gabrielle even closer.

At the sound of Xena’s voice the flood dams broke.  All the pain and grief that Gabrielle had been storing in her heart could be contained no longer.  Sobs wracked the blond woman’s frame as she rolled over and cried into the warrior’s shoulder.  Xena could do nothing except hold Gabrielle, stroke her hair, and tell her over and over again how much she was loved by her warrior.  Gradually the sobs subsided.

“Xena, I just can’t do this.  I want things to be the way they were.  This just isn’t right.”  Gabrielle knew she shouldn’t torment Xena with what couldn’t be changed, but right now she just couldn’t help it.

“You’re right…something’s wrong.”  Xena gently wiped the tears from her lover’s eyes.

“I am?  It is?”

“Yeah.”

“Tell me about it…” coaxed Gabrielle afraid that once again Xena wouldn’t tell her the whole story. 

Xena shifted and looked into Gabrielle’s eyes.  “Something’s just not right.  When I’m not with you I’m in a void…a nothing.  I’m not in Tartarus, I’m not in the Elysian fields, I’m not with Michael & the Angels, I’m not with Lucifer, I’m not with the Amazons.  Eli is nowhere to be found.  I’m nowhere.  I can’t find the 40,000.  I can’t find Akemi….”

Xena felt Gabrielle shift at the name of Akemi.  “I wanted to find her to get some answers.  You are my soul mate and my love for all time.”  Xena knew she had guessed right as she felt Gabrielle’s body relax against hers.

“Is that why you’ve been staying away for so long?  I was afraid that you were drifting away from me.”

“Never.  I will never leave you.  Yeah, I’ve been trying to find out what’s going on.  I search and search and all I find is green forests.”

Gabrielle sat up and looked at Xena.  “Do the forests look familiar?”

“Sort of…they remind me of the time Aphrodite sent me to her school of hard knocks to teach me the lessons of love.”

Gabrielle was quiet for a moment or two as she remembered that time in their lives.  Xena had been both physically and emotionally unwell and hadn’t been unable to express her true feelings for Gabrielle because she couldn’t trust herself to know whether it was true love or just a warlord’s lust.  All too often in the past Xena had used her sexuality as a weapon to get what she wanted…power…information…a good roll in the sack.  Never used it to express true love.  After Aphrodite had sent her to learn the lessons of love, Xena had come back to Gabrielle able to and wanting to be with her not only as a soul mate, but also as lovers.   The warrior had never really been able to explain what happened at Aphrodite’s school of hard knocks, but Gabrielle sure liked the outcome!

Gabrielle frowned a bit.  She had wished Xena had introduced her to Akemi as her lover not just as soul mate.  As much as it wasn’t in Gabrielle’s soul to hate…she certainly didn’t harbour kind feelings towards Akemi.  If she had never sent for Xena then Xena would be alive now.  Tears once again started to form in the bard’s eyes.

Xena wiped the tears away as they trickled down Gabrielle’s cheeks as she waited for the bard to calm down.  She didn’t think Gabrielle was going to like what she had in mind to try and sort out what was going on.

“Gabrielle, I have to go and find out what’s happening.   I…I…think I need to try to get back to that forest where I learned the lessons of love.  Not just the nothing version I see when I leave your side now, but the real spiritual realm I was sent to before.”  Xena paused and looked at Gabrielle.

“I’m coming, too you know.”  Gabrielle’s voice was quietly determined.

“I know you want to, but I’m not sure how to make it happen.”

“We’ll figure it out together.”  Gabrielle’s voice left no room for debate so Xena did the only reasonable thing that she could.  She said yes they would and then started to sensuously kiss her partner.

It was several hours later that the two women were on the road towards the cave where Xena had experienced Aphrodite’s gift.  They were hoping that, even if Aphrodite thought Xena was long dead, that the warrior would be able to find her way back.  Of course part of the plan was for Xena to put on the bracelet Aphrodite had given her that Gabrielle had safe guarded (Xena didn’t wear it as it was always at risk of getting caught in the pommel of her sword).  Xena had no idea whether or not she even could wear the bracelet given her current ghost like state.  Xena guessed they would figure that out when the time came.

They reached the cave as day was gently giving way to twilight.  A glorious sunset lit the last of their way. 

Gabrielle stopped at the mouth of the cave and looked at Xena.  “By tomorrow night I want to be able to watch a sunset happy that you’re alive by my side.”   

“If that’s possible without condemning the 40,000 I’ll be there.”  Xena drew Gabrielle close and kissed the top of her head.

Gabrielle unsaddled Argo and carried the supplies into the cave and lit the torches.  Looking around Gabrielle just had to smile.  She had forgotten just how “Aphrodite” the cave was.  A huge round pink bed dominated the center of the room with a glitter globe hanging from the mirrored ceiling above.  On the walls hung soft filmy material.  Think pink and you will have a pretty good idea of what the room looked like!  The only piece out of place was the stone altar that jutted out from the back wall.  It was here that Xena had recovered the bracelet, lay down her weapons, and started on the “lessons of love”.

“Well, Xena…” Gabrielle had finished setting up camp in the cave, “what’s next?”

The warrior walked to her side and whispered in her ear that it would be a shame to let such a marvelous bed go to waste.  Then Gabrielle found herself picked up off her feet and gently deposited on the bed.  She moaned in anticipation as gentle hands removed her clothes and then watched wide eyed as Xena slowly, sexily, removed her leathers.   Gabrielle never could get over how amazing Xena’s body was or the fact that she gave it freely to the warrior-bard.   Then Xena lay down on top of Gabrielle.  How Gabrielle loved the feel of her lover on top of her.

“Love me Xena and make me scream your name into the night,” commanded the bard.

“Always…”

Moonlight was streaming into the mouth of the cave and Gabrielle was happily tucked under Xena’s arm tracing patterns on the warrior’s stomach.  It was at moments like this, after having been taken to levels of ecstasy that most mortals only dream of, that Gabrielle had some faith that all would work out.  Given all their love for each other, the cosmos couldn’t really deny them life together, could they?

“What’s the plan for tomorrow?”

Xena kissed the top of Gabrielle’s head.  “Let’s worry about tomorrow when tomorrow comes.  Right now I have other ideas…”

Later as Gabrielle drifted off to sleep her last conscious thought was about how great a lover Xena was.

Both warriors woke very early the next morning.  As Gabrielle made breakfast for herself – she was starved as usual - they talked about their plans.  Xena was more and more sure that the place she went to when not visible to Gabrielle was the very same forest she had learned her lessons of love.  The trick would be how to get Gabrielle there with her.  Gabrielle made it quite clear that there would be no going without her.

“Now you promise me…”

“Gabrielle, I promise I won’t put the bracelet on until you tell me it’s ok…I just want to see if I can hold it.”  Xena put her hand out.  Gabrielle, paused, then laid the delicate gold chain on the palm of Xena’s hand fully expecting it to drop through her hand and fall to the floor.

“Kaboom!”  As soon as the bracelet touched Xena’s hand the cave echoed with the sound thunder and a brilliant clap of lightening just about blinded them.

“Like yech.  A goddess needs her beauty sleep.”  A very “just got out of bed” looking Aphrodite emerged from the brightness, looked at Gabrielle and said “Gabs, baby, one moment I’m having the nicest dream and the next minute I’m here!  What gives little one?”  Just then Aphrodite caught a glimpse of herself in a mirror and was just about to have a hairy fit when instead she snapped her fingers and was immediately transformed.

“Well, that’s better!”  The goddess surveyed her reflection with satisfaction and then looked back at Gabrielle.  “So, like, what’s up?”

Xena who had been standing silently behind the goddess decided it was time to see if Aphrodite could see or hear her now that she had the goddess’s gift to her in hand.  “Aphrodite?”

The goddess twirled on her heel.  “Whoa, warrior babe!  Tubular!  Where you been hiding?”

“I’ve been here all along.”

“Huh?  Gabs?”

It took a while to explain to Aphrodite what was going on as she insisted they start at the beginning.  By the time they got to the sunset on Mt. Fuji the Goddess of Love was crying.   She grew, for Aphrodite, solemn when she heard that Xena’s spirit, when not with Gabrielle, seemed to be in a never ending forest reminiscent of the one Xena experienced in her “lessons of love” class.

“Warrior babe, did you see this Akemi person when you went through my lessons of love?”

“No, Aphrodite.”

“Well there’s warrior sized repression of feelings for you!”  Aphrodite walked around the cave before continuing, “I don’t know much about the after life…that was Hades bag…but you’ve got to go and get this one figured out.  You’ll have to put on the bracelet and go back.”

Gabrielle put a hand on the goddess’s arm.  “Not without me.”

“Course not little one.  Look.” The goddess waved her hand at the altar and magically a second bracelet appeared.  Except for size, it was identical to Xena’s.  “You will have to leave all your weapons on the altar before you put it on…you too Xena.  Weapons are of Ares but don’t worry, you’ll be safe.”

Gabrielle hugged the Goddess of Love.  “Thank you for letting us stay together!”

“Gabs honey, don’t you know yet that the strongest power in this world…or the next…is love?  You two are meant to be together.  Now you go girls!  Love ya.”  With that Aphrodite gave one of her big smiles and disappeared.

Xena and Gabrielle walked to the altar.  Gabrielle carefully laid the chakram, sacred katana, and her sai’s on the altar and watched as Xena pulled out her breast dagger and sword and set them down. 

“I love you Xena, Warrior Princess.  I’ll be right with you.”  With that Gabrielle put the bracelet on Xena’s wrist, watched her disappear, and then put on her own bracelet. 

Gabrielle woke up in a lush green forest.  For a moment she was disoriented but quickly pulled her wits together enough to realize that someone was offering her an arm up.  Looking up she found herself looking into the calm blue eyes of not Xena, but Gaia…the warrior who had fought and died at their side during the battle to save Arcopolis.  Before Gabrielle could ask any questions, Gaia gently pressed a finger to her lips, indicating that she should be quiet.  Gabrielle nodded and then followed the warrior as she silently moved towards the open space ahead of them.  As they approached Gaia motioned to Gabrielle to stop and look out through a gap in the woods.

Gabrielle silently did as she was asked.  Looking through the trees she saw Xena standing in the opening looking at something in the distance.  Gradually Gabrielle was able to make out a person walking towards her soul mate.  It was Akemi.  A shiver ran across the blonde’s skin and she wanted to go and stand beside her lover.  Gaia’s hand on her arm was a reminder not to go.   Gabrielle wasn’t sure why Gaia wanted her to stay hidden, but it was Gaia who had helped Xena become her lover in the first place and the warrior-bard trusted her.  So she stayed put and watched.

“Oh Xena, I knew you would come back to me.”  Akemi was now standing in front of Xena looking up at the warrior with adoring eyes.  “I knew you wouldn’t stay with her.  She wasn’t really your soul mate.  I am.  See I’ve written down the feelings in my heart for you.”

It took all of Gaia’s strength to keep Gabrielle from charging to attack Akemi.  “Wait.  It’ll be ok.  Just let it play out,” Gaia hissed in the squirming warrior-bard’s ear.  Gabrielle settled back into her hiding spot after giving Gaia a “you better be right or you’re dead” look as good as any Xena could have doled out.

Xena walked around Akemi.  “So you’ve been expecting me?”

“Yes, I knew you wouldn’t want to stay an earthbound spirit.  You were destined to fly with me through the cosmos.  We belong together.  You, yourself said that we would meet again one day.  This is one day.”

“What would I have to do be able to fly the cosmos?”  Xena asked trying to get more information.

“You would have to forsake that body.  It has to die.  Please I wrote this for you.  Here.”  Akemi thrust a scroll into Xena’s hands that the warrior dropped without even looking at it.

As Gabrielle saw the scroll drop she knew she had nothing to fear.  Xena was hers. 

“You don’t want it?” asked Akemi as she picked up her work.

“What I want is the truth.  I’ve had months to ponder what happened in Japan.  Why would the monk and the ghost killer send Gabrielle on the dangerous trek to save my body if I couldn’t be saved without condemning the 40,000?  Why by saving them and releasing them to a state of grace did I still stay in this spirit form?  Why did you manipulate me all those years ago?  If you had wanted your father dead why not let me do it after I collected his ransom for you?  There are far more unanswered questions than answered.  Tell me the truth!”  Xena growled out the last sentence with such anger that Akemi involuntarily took a step back.

The girl said nothing.  She just stood there and looked at Xena with fawn like eyes. 

Now Xena was really angry.  “Look little miss innocence, tell me!”

“You are destined to love me.  I knew you would come back.”

Xena took a step closer.

Gabrielle couldn’t believe her eyes, as Xena stepped forward Akemi put the pinch on her.  Xena fell to the ground, a small trickle of blood running from her nose.  Once again Gaia held her back saying “let Akemi talk for 10 second, then save her…I’ll help.”

“In thirty seconds Xena you will be mine.  Gabrielle will never be able to reach you.  You could have let her bring you back to life.  The 40,000 would have been fine…it was just me who wouldn’t have been.  I told you what I did so that you wouldn’t let her bring you back to life.  You are mine.”  Akemi bent over to kiss Xena’s dying spirit body.

Gabrielle had almost done what Gaia had asked.  She had waited nine seconds.  Nine long agonizing seconds while Xena’s precious life force trickled away.  But when she saw Akemi bend to kiss Xena there was no waiting until the tenth second.  She hurled herself through the air to knock Akemi away from her beloved.

“Uff.”  The wind was knocked out of Gabrielle’s body as she hit the ground.  Although Akemi looked solid enough Gabrielle’s attempt to knock her away from Xena failed as the warrior-bard’s body passed though Akemi’s.

Akemi turned form her objective of kissing Xena to instead deal with Gabrielle.  “She never was yours.  She was always mine and will always be.  As soon as her earth bound spirit body dies she will soar away with me.”

Oh how Gabrielle wished she had the sacred katana in her hands.  To be able to take this deluded woman’s head off had some definite appeal for the warrior-bard.  Instead she turned her back on Akemi and crawled towards Xena.  In her mind she could still hear her soul mate’s voice coaching her.

“Gabrielle come here.  Come here.  Give me your hands.  Here.  Feel the surge of blood under the skin.  Now, just behind….” 

Gabrielle was about to undo the pinch when she heard Akemi coming after her.  She wasn’t to be distracted even if Akemi tried to kill her.  She wasn’t going to let Xena’s spirit body die.  Jab, jab…it was undone.  Akemi hadn’t stopped her.  Holding the recovering Xena in her arms Gabrielle turned to see Akemi stopped dead in her tracks by Gaia, whose sword tip was neatly nestled in the hollow of Akemi’s neck.

Xena wasn’t long in getting to her feet.  She roared past Gaia, relieving her of her sword on the way by, and in one swift motion brought the sword slicing through Akemi’s neck.  As she did Xena cried out “Lucifer…this one is yours!”

Gabrielle jumped back when she realized that Xena was about to behead Akemi.  She knew how much blood could go flying.  Nothing prepared her for what happened next, as she hadn’t seen what happened when Xena cut off Yodoshi’s head.  Instead of blood there was a gold glowing light streaming from where her head had been and out of it came two distinct blue lights.

“Thank you Xena.”

“Ghost killer?”

“Yes, Akemi captured my soul and the monk’s.  Once we were dead I realized that she didn’t care about the 40,000.  All she wanted was to be with you for all eternity.  She couldn’t risk that we would tell you she was lying when she told you that you had to say dead.”

“Gabrielle,” continued the monk, “we wouldn’t have sent you to Mt. Fuji if Xena needed to stay dead to save the 40.000.  We wouldn’t have risked your life that way.”

The ghost killer’s soul hovered by Xena’s head.  “Did you see Yodoshi ingest Akemi? That burp was because he had captured three souls at once.  Even then she sought only to have you forever.  If you lost to Yodoshi, she would be with you within him.  If you won she thought that you would come to her after tiring of ghostly life.  All she had to do was keep you from regaining your life.”

Gabrielle sat down on a log and started to weep as if her life were ending.  All she could think of was that she could have brought Xena back to life, but because of Akemi’s sick obsession with Xena, her soul mate was doomed to this ghostly existence.  The warrior-bard felt Xena’s arms surround her and lips kiss her head.  It did nothing to stem the flow of tears.

The monk’s soul floated in front of them.  “Don’t despair.  Xena will live again.”

Tear reddened eyes filled with questions looked up at the floating blue light.

“You were there in time to place her ashes in the fountain before sunset but chose not to in order to allow her soul to accomplish the greater good.  Now that is accomplished.  All the souls are redeemed and Akemi has received justice.  Do you have Xena’s ashes still?”

“They are always with me, even now.”   Gabrielle patted the small knapsack slung over her shoulder.

“Then go back to Mt. Fuji.  She can still be recovered if her ashes are put in the fountain.  Your unselfish love conquers all.”  With those words both the monk’s and the ghost killer’s souls vanished.

“Xena, if only we weren’t so far away from Mt. Fuji,” sighed Gabrielle as she hugged Xena.

“We’ll make it, no matter how long it takes.”

“Umm, excuse me….”  Gaia had been quietly standing in the background after retrieving her sword.

Both Xena and Gabrielle turned and greeted their friend warmly, appreciative of her help.

“Xena,” asked Gaia, “do you remember when you were here last?”

“Yes, Gaia, I remember.”

“Did we spend all our time in this forest?”

“No.  Things took place in all sorts of different places.”

“Exactly. This is still your journey of love.”  With that Gaia disappeared.

Xena held Gabrielle very close and wiped away her tears.  “Close your eyes, think about the fountain on Mt. Fuji, and hold on.”

“I’ll never let you go.”

In Aphrodite’s “Lessons of Love” school of hard knocks the student would be taken to re-live situations where they experienced love – or should have experienced love – or abused love.  Xena’s schooling about love took her everywhere from Amphipolis to Chin.  Now she was hoping the power of their love would take them to Japan.

Xena closed her eyes and pictured those last bitter moments when they were last on Mt. Fuji.  Gabrielle’s tears, the setting of the sun and the moment she disappeared all became so real that Xena had to open her eyes.  As she did so, she found herself standing on Mt. Fuji.  It was an odd experience because even though she was still holding Gabrielle in her arms, she could see the warrior-bard trudging away from the fountain with sagging shoulders and the urn of Xena’s ashes in her hands.  Xena’s heart ached for her.  The warrior waited until the Gabrielle of the past was out of sight before she told Gabrielle to open her eyes.

The blond slowly opened her eyes and shivered as she saw the fountain in the gloom of evening.  Holding Xena’s hand, Gabrielle moved to the edge of the fountain.  There she removed the urn from her knapsack and undid the lid.  Looking up at Xena she raised an eyebrow.

“Yes Gabrielle, do it.  This time I won’t stop you.  I love you and want with all my heart and soul to be able to be alive and to be with you.”

Together they watched the ashes dissipate into the water of the fountain….

They woke to the golden-red light of a sunset streaming into mouth of the cave.  Without a word Gabrielle got out of the bed, walked to the altar and picked up the chakram.   Then she returned and offered the chakram to Xena with a shaking hand.   Equally shaky was Xena’s hand as she reached to take it.  As fingers curled around the weapon and held it unaided by Gabrielle, a wide smile formed on Xena’s lips.

“Welcome back to life my love…we have a sunset to watch.”   

THE END…and a new beginning.