ForevaXena's FanFic . . .

Worst Crime In The World

by Nickie

Disclaimer: The characters in this story belong to MCA/Universal. If you are under 18, you should find something else to do.

WARNING: This short story is about rape (nothing graphic) and thoughts around that. If this makes you feel uncomfortable, don't read this one.

Let me know your thoughts afterwards. I'm at nickie_carlisle@yahoo.com

"Oh, Gabrielle.oh no.please no.."  Gabrielle was sitting on the cold dirt floor, her knees drawn up under her chin and her arms holding around her legs. Her body was slowly rocking back and forth and her eyes were staring in to nothing. Xena tried to talk to her but there was no answer. She picked up the hurt bard and carried her out to Argo.  It was cold and there was no inn for at least a day's travel. The warrior decided that she needed to find a cave for them to spend the night in. She put Gabrielle in the saddle and jumped up behind her. Xena knew what the soldiers had done to her companion and the anger started to build up inside her. Her main priority right now was to get the bard safe but nothing could stop her from making the soldiers pay for what they had done to her friend. The tears were falling down her cheek, both from sadness and deep hatred. Her thoughts were filled with images of when she would drive her sword through their bodies. Making them suffer for hours.

Xena finally found a cave for her and the young blond to stay in. Gabrielle hadn't moved an inch since the warrior had finally found her. Her body was almost lifeless and her eyes were still staring straight ahead. Xena had checked the bard's pulse several times, thinking she was dead, but both her pulse and her breathing were strong.  Well in the cave, she laid down Gabrielle on a bedroll and made a fire, then sat down by her friend and held her hand, talking to her in a sweet whispering voice. None of it seemed to have any effect on the bard but
it helped the warrior to keep herself in touch with reality. She knew that she needed to stay focused on her friend. No matter how hard it was, she had to push aside her thoughts of revenge for the moment.  The bard must have gone in to some kind of trance, during or after, the soldiers had hurt her in every way possible. Gabrielle hadn't snapped out of it yet but when she did, it would be the hardest thing in the
young blonde's life. Not to mention how hard it would be for the warrior to see her go through it. Xena felt so helpless knowing that there was nothing she could do to help her friend. Just sit there and wait.  "Gabrielle if you can hear me, close your eyes and try to get some sleep. I'll be right here. I won't let anything happen to you."  Xena looked at Gabrielle, holding her hand to her chest, while the tears kept falling down the warrior's face. The bard made no movement.

After a few hours, Xena got to her feet and walked back and forth by the fire where the young blond was lying.  "Gabrielle please come back" she whispered as she walked around, her arms across her chest and her hands on her own shoulders. She had no idea of how long time had passed since they had come to the cave, and she really didn't care either. Her main concern was to get her friend back to reality. Xena knew that it could take time, everything from an hour to a week, if not longer.

The warrior walked over to the cave wall and smacked her fist in to it, cursing all the soldiers in the world with every punch. She didn't even feel the pain as her knuckles crashed against the wall. And she didn't stop 'till she run out of strength to hit any longer and fell down on her knees. Her hands covered her face as she kept crying but also trying to calm herself down.

Xena walked back to Gabrielle and sat down again after throwing a few more logs in to the fire. As she sat there watching her friend, she noticed the torn clothes on her body.  'I got to get you out of these and clean you up a little. I can't let you "wake up" and see these on you. The pain on the inside will be big enough, you don't have to be reminded of it on the outside as well'  The warrior heated up some water and then gently undressed her friend, throwing the dirty, torn clothes in the fire. She then picked up a sponge from the saddlebag and carefully washed Gabrielle's body. At the same time checking for injuries. Nothing seemed to be broken or badly hurt. She then walked over to Gabrielle's bag and picked up some clean underpants and her nightshirt. The warrior carefully dressed the young friend, as if she was afraid she would break at any moment. After that there wasn't much else to do then just sit and wait, holding the young bard's hand. She wanted to lay down by Gabrielle, hold her and caress her, tell her how much she loved her and that everything was going to be alright. But she was afraid that the feeling of that would make the bard relive what had happened to her.

Xena must have fallen asleep, because she woke up from the sound of the bard's screaming and weaving. The warrior flew up from the ground and sat down close by Gabrielle and held her tightly.  "It's okay Gabrielle. I'm here. Shh..I'm here. You're safe now."  The warrior kept repeating the words over and over 'till she felt the bard calm down. Xena kept rocking her friend as she tried to convince her that she was safe.  Gabrielle had snapped out from the trance but there was still a long way to go. Baby blue ones was looking down at the emerald green.  "Gabrielle I'm sorry. If only I had found you sooner. I could have saved you from this."  The bard looked at her without answering. She then turned herself loose from the warrior's hold and lay down at the bedroll, turning her back to Xena. The warrior knew that Gabrielle needed some time to go over in her own mind, what had happened. But it still hurt her feelings when the bard turned her back to her.

Xena walked outside to get some fresh air and clear her mind. It was dark outside but she didn't know if it still was the same night as when they had arrived or if it was a new one. The warrior sat down on a big rock, just outside the cave opening, and thought about the day that it had happened.

They had come to a village where they hadn't been before. Xena had left Gabrielle at a tavern to tell a few stories, as she had done lots of times before, and Xena had walked around to buy supplies. It hadn't taken so long for her to do that so she decided that she would get some new shoes for Argo. All together it couldn't have taken more than two hours before Xena was back at the tavern where she had left Gabrielle.  When she entered the tavern, she couldn't see her friend anywhere. She had walked up to the man behind the counter and asked where Gabrielle was. The man said that the young blond had followed an old man outside to look at some shoes and he hadn't seen her come back. Xena went outside to have a look but there was no sight of Gabrielle. The warrior started asking the people around but no one had seen her.  At last, a young boy had come up to the warrior and said that her fried had been taken by some soldiers that had arrived on a ship the same day. The boy had pointed out the direction to where they had taken Gabrielle. Xena rode off in the same direction.

The tracks weren't hard to follow. It took about half an hour for the warrior to find the underground shelter where Gabrielle was. But when she got there, it was already too late. The damage had already been done and the soldiers were long gone. Xena kept beating herself up for not finding her friend sooner. Argo, who gently buffed her nose against the warrior, cut off her thoughts. "Argo, I'm not in the mood for playing right now." She said to the mare as she got up from the stone and walked inside the cave again to check on Gabrielle.  When she came in, the bard was still lying the same way as she had done when Xena had left the cave. She sat down by Gabrielle's feet and poked with a stick in the fire. Her thoughts and eyes were focused on the woman, lying by the fire. Suddenly Gabrielle opened her eyes and looked wondering at Xena, sitting beside her.  "Xena, where are we?"  Xena took the bard's hand as she answered. "We're in a cave, a few hours ride from the village.  No one will find us here."  The look on the bard's face told Xena that Gabrielle was starting to remember what had happened to her and a few tears rolled down the young blonde's face. The warrior didn't know if she should hold her friend or if that would make her feel uncomfortable. That question got its answer when Gabrielle stretched her arms out to the warrior. Xena moved closer and held Gabrielle tight, gently rocking her.  "I'm sorry Gabrielle. I will never let anything like this happen to you again. I'm so sorry."  The bard looked up at her friend as she said. "Xena it's not your fault. Don't blame yourself."  But even if Gabrielle didn't blame her, Xena blamed herself for leaving the bard in the first place. If it was true what the boy had told her about the soldiers, that they had arrived on a ship, then she knew that they would be long gone by now and she would never be able to catch them.

Xena put her bedroll next to Gabrielle. She wanted to be close incase the bard would have nightmares or needed her in any other way. Xena knew that the possibility was that once Gabrielle relaxed her mind enough, the images of the rape would come back to her. And the biggest chance of that happening was when the bard was sleeping. But the warrior also knew that the sooner the bard's memory came back, the sooner they could start the process of healing Gabrielle's soul. And that process would take a long time. Xena put a few more logs on the fire before she lay down by the bard.

Xena's suspicions couldn't have been more accurate. She was awakened by the bard's screams many times during the night, and the warrior did the only thing she knew how. She held Gabrielle tight, rocking her and whispering comforting words in her ear 'till she fell asleep again. The warrior repeated the process every time the bard woke up. Sometimes she even managed to calm the bard down before she woke completely. Xena didn't mind doing this at all. She would have done anything that could in any way help her friend.

The next morning when Gabrielle woke, Xena had made some tea and handed over a cup to the bard. "Gabrielle, I'm sorry to have to ask, but do you have any pain anywhere? I mean physical pain. If you have, I need to take a look at it."  "No I'm fine. I don't remember everything that happened...but maybe that is for the best. I remember enough to know that I don't want to relive it again."  Xena held the bard's hand and gave her a kiss on her forehead and the gently pressing the smaller body against her own. "Sometimes the memory doesn't come back 'till much later, after a trauma like this, and sometimes it doesn't come back at all.".  "That's okay, 'cause I know that when or if it does, you'll be there to help he deal with it. Right?"  The bard said, feeling so safe in the strong embrace that held her.  "As I have told you time and time again" the warrior said "I will never leave you. No matter what happens, I'll always be here."

THE END

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