ForevaXena's FanFic . . .
Reborn
by R. G. Heller
Disclaimer:
The characters of Xena, Gabrielle, etc. etc. etc... are owned by
Universal/MCA studios. No
infringement is intended.
Sex:
Not that I know of.
Violence:
Nothing that exceeds the shows
Timeline:
Sixth season after the episode "Legacy," but before the
"Abyss".
Personal note: This is my first attempt at fan fiction. I welcome feedback and will respond to your mail. Originally I began writing this piece because I was disturbed by the season five finale, but the story took on a life of it’s own. I hope you enjoy it. I would also like to thank my beta reader Terry. Thank you so much!!!!!
Email: proffandrea@hotmail.comPart 1
Chapter 1
The
rays of the sun were already beginning to burn Gabrielle’s shoulders and it
had just recently risen. Only a few
open clearings like the one the travelers now passed through existed on their
chosen path. For the most part, the
forest areas at least provided some shade and it seemed cooler.
Though, with the pace Xena had set combined with the irritating itch
surrounding the bard’s legs as the tall golden grass scraped against them, and
the sting of the sun on her body, causing a headache to slowly emerge, Gabrielle
didn’t care much to be anywhere.
Awaking
in a startled state, the bard had not been conscious for long before noticing a
strange dark skinned woman sitting on a log, about ten steps away from where she
and Xena slept. She was stroking
the head of a beautiful dark black wolf who was standing silently still next to
her, holding in her right hand a tall, thin branch.
The young woman was long and skinny, and she brandished wild, curly black
hair that was unevenly pulled back into a long ponytail.
She was barefoot and wore a brown stained shift that had been cut all
around and only came down to her belly button.
A frayed blue wraparound skirt accompanied it, and both hung loosely from
her body.
Unconsciously
the bard grabbed her Sia, leapt to her feet, called Xena out of sleep while at
the same time kicking her twice in the back with her heel, and took up a
defensive posture. "Who are
you?" Gabrielle asked starring straight into the girl’s eyes, as Xena took
up a similar stance next to her. The
woman did not respond. Instead she
carefully looked them both up and down, holding the expression of someone who
had just seen a ghost. "Who are
you?" Xena repeated the bard’s question, saying each word slowly
and loudly. This time the woman
stood up after patting the motionless wolf on the head.
Her eyes were wide and remained fixed on the two women before her. She
stood silent, breathing heavily. "Well?"
Xena questioned lifting both eyebrows, hoping maybe to scare her into
responding.
"I...I..."
was all the girl managed to utter, her stale voice cracking.
Her cheeks flushed and she clasped her free hand over her chest and
sighed deeply. Water surfaced on
the edge of her eyes, and a few tears made an appearance, but were quickly wiped
away.
Relaxing
from their positions, Gabrielle and Xena looked at each other in shock and
bewilderment, both hoping the other had an idea of how next to proceed.
Finally, the bard slowly set her Sia on the ground, and still kneeling,
softly said, " It’s OK.
We won’t hurt you. What’s your name?" The
woman moved her lips as if to answer, but remained silent.
"I’m sure you have a name," the bard continued, raising her
eyebrows and smiling at the young woman as she stood up.
Still getting no response, Gabrielle stepped forward.
"I’m...."
"I
know who you are," the woman abruptly and unexpectedly responded, while taking
a careful step backwards. The bard
looked over her shoulder at the warrior, who, just as taken by the situation as
she, slightly shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.
"I’m...I’m..." the girl started, her voice shaking.
Composing herself for a moment, she uttered, "I’m sorry," and then
began to carefully start walking backwards.
Fully turning away from Gabrielle and Xena, the woman whistled strangely,
at which the dark wolf took up position at her side.
She moved slowly into the forest, revealing to the bard and warrior wide
long scars on her lower back, and on the back of her right leg, that seemed to
stretch from the back of her knee all the way to her heel. Gabrielle winced. Hurriedly
stepping forward she yelled, "Wait." The girl did not stop.
"Gabrielle,"
the warrior said softly. The bard
looked back over her shoulder with a worried expression.
Xena simply replied, "No. Let
her go." The bard looked back at
the young woman who would soon be out of sight.
"No." repeated Xena a little louder and with authority. Sighing and frowning Gabrielle gave in. "Fine," she said, almost in a whisper. She knew Xena was anxious to see Eve again, and whether or
not she wanted to, she knew now was not the time to get involved in any new
situations.
After
they had broke camp, Xena had immediately begun laying out her day’s plan to
the bard, preventing either of them to dwell in thought about their morning
interaction. Gabrielle tried to
listen but her thoughts remained locked on the strange woman, and after a short
while of mechanical nodding and timed intervals of "yeah" or "good" the
warrior finished, and silence came over the two.
Lagging, the bard soon ended up a little behind Xena, her thoughts left
to freely wander.
"Gabrielle.
Gabrielle!" Xena said again, stopping and looking over her shoulder at
her lingering friend. "What?
Uh?" Gabrielle muttered, as she snapped out of thought and looked up to find
herself now quite a distance behind the warrior.
"Ya
alright?"
"Yeah.
Sorry. I must have...I just
got lost.... in thought and...and...", the bard answered, breaking into a jog
to catch up to her friend.
"I told you earlier I wanted to set a fast pace. Xena turned and resumed her hard pace, not waiting for Gabrielle to catch up. "The path seems clear and safe for now. I want to take advantage of the daylight. We shouldn’t have more than a few days to go," the warrior finished, glancing a second time behind her at the bard.
Knowing
she couldn’t keep the same pace as Xena, Gabrielle slowed out of her jog and
continued behind the warrior. It
was obvious Xena wasn’t in the mood to talk.
In fact, the two hadn’t talked much at all since returning to Greece.
The bard momentarily closed her heavy eyes as she walked and let her
head hang. Her stomach growled
but she paid it no attention. She
continued on quietly, falling back a great distance from the warrior, her
thoughts in control.
Hector
looked up at his friend with a curious eye, his head tilted a little.
He walked out ahead of the young woman, scanning the forest and
periodically looking back to check on her.
When she stopped, he sat and waited, but the strange noises and actions
of his friend disturbed him, and he soon slowly walked back toward her, panting
and exerting extreme caution.
After
her cold sweaty palm had slipped a second time down the long branch she
supported herself with, causing her to trip and nearly fall, the young woman
finally stopped and forcefully let out a long deep breath she had taken.
The ground was rough and the disabled woman, slowly being consumed by
anger, had attempted to walk faster than she could handle.
She closed her eyes and covered them with her free hand attempting to
gather herself, ignoring the tears that slowly slid down her flustered cheeks.
Calm down, calm down. C’mon
Cassandra, relax. It’s OK. It’s OK.
Her own consolation proved useless against the feelings building inside
her. She resisted the urge of
screaming out, as not to scare her friend, but she knew that soon this anger
would have full control. Her chin
began to tremble and a hot sting rushed through her face.
No! Stop! Stop it!
Finally, she spat out something resembling a word, and lowered her head
toward the ground crying deeply, succumbing to the painful emotions.
At
first, the cool repetitive licks across her knee went unnoticed.
Slowly though they brought her back, and her breaths became deeper, and
tears lighter. She unclasped her
hand from over her eyes and dropped her arm to her side, dangling her fingers.
"Hector," she uttered in a hoarse voice as if she had some bad news
to tell him. He began to lick the
warm salty liquid from her fingers and nudged her leg a few times in between.
A small smile cracked on her red face, and with one breath she blew out
the remaining anger and doubt and recomposed herself.
She looked down at her friend with determined eyes, and slightly nodded
her head at him, like in agreement with some unspoken command.
"I know, I know," she said as Hector sat back and looked up at her.
"You’re right."
It
was midday now, and Gabrielle didn’t believe Xena intended on stopping anytime
soon to take a break or even eat. She
couldn’t remember the last decent meal they’d had since returning, surviving
off dried meat and berries they carried with them.
Her stomach growled and she rolled her eyes at herself, wondering how she
could even feel hungry given her present state of being.
The day had only grown hotter and the sun was at its peak, but they were
within a forest now, shaded somewhat by the trees.
The
bard wiped her hand across her forehead and removed the sweat and damp sticky
hair that rested upon it. She
seemed to be sweating more than usual and her eyes stung from the repeated
contact with the watery substance that continued to roll into them.
The headache that had teased her earlier had moved into both temples, and
seemed to grow stronger and more painful with each step she took.
Sharp pulsations jolted through her head at somewhat irregular intervals,
and the pounding sensation they caused prevented her from focusing on any one
thing for any extended amount of time. She
wearily watched as the warrior moved farther and farther ahead of her.
Gabrielle
compelled herself to keep going, forcing one leg in front of the other, taking
short heavy steps until finally she stopped, knowing she wouldn’t make it much
further without tending to herself. She
searched around in a small leather sack that hung across her shoulders and found
a small handkerchief she had acquired in a village that they had hastily
traveled through only a short day ago. The
bard watched as Xena walked out of sight, and she lifted both eyebrows and
pressed her lips forward for a moment.
She
unfastened the waterskin that hung from her belt and took a long drink.
The water wasn’t very cold, but it would have to do, and Gabrielle
drenched the thin cloth in it. She
folded it over once and wrapped it around her forehead, tying it tightly and
firmly against the back of her head. Water
dripped down her face and she closed her eyes and remained still, trying to
relax, waiting for the inevitable shout of her name once the warrior finally
turned and realized she was alone.
The
ground thundered in the distance with the sound of cracking branches and leaves.
If the bard hadn’t known it was only her friend, she would have been inclined
to climb a tree to get out of the way of whatever it was that was coming towards
her with such force. She squared
her shoulders and tried to make a stern face, but she was overcome by dizziness,
and she swayed back and forth a few times before putting her hand out to her
side, securing it against a large cypress.
Slumping back against it, Gabrielle mumbled something under her breath
and allowed her throbbing head to fall back against the hard and rigid trunk of
the tree. She turned her eyes
towards Xena, in time to see the warrior’s expression change from mad to
worried.
"Gabrielle?
Gabrielle?" the warrior shouted at her tired friend as she ran to her.
"I’m
fine, I’m fine," the bard answered, pushing herself off of the Cypress with
her back and turning to face Xena.
The
bard began to wobble a little and Xena caught her.
"Hey, hey. What’s wrong?
Are you OK?" The warrior guided
Gabrielle back to the large tree by her shoulders, and positioned her up against
it.
"Xena!
I told you I’m fine," the bard retorted in an irritated tone.
"Yeah
sure. Let me look at you," the
warrior said, scanning Gabrielle’s eyes and feeling both of her cheeks with
the back of her hand.
"Xena
please," the bard said calmly, grabbing her friend’s wrist and lowering it
from her face. "I’m alright.
I just needed a little break."
"Well
why didn’t you say something Gabrielle?" Xena asked as she curiously tugged
on the handkerchief around the bard’s head.
"What’s this?"
"I’m
hot. I thought it would help me
stay cool."
"I’ve
never seen it before. Is it new?"
"Yeah,
I picked it up in that village yesterday," Gabrielle said waving Xena’s
hands away from the handkerchief and her head.
"Oh.
Could we afford it?" Xena continued accusingly, stepping back a little
from the bard.
"Xena,
I’m not in the mood. Let’s just
get going. I’m fine," the bard
said, bumping shoulders with the warrior and marching out in front of her.
"What?"
the warrior said in a confused manner, shaking her head and turning to face her
friend’s back.
"Gabrielle,
wait," she continued softly. "Why
don’t we rest for a while and eat something.
I know I set a hard pace. I’m
just anxious to see Eve. It’s
been awhile. I’m sorry.
We haven’t eaten yet today. Why
don’t we just relax a bit. You
look exhausted."
The
bard’s shoulders slumped and she lowered her head towards the ground with an
exaggerated sigh. "Xena, I already rested here.
I can eat something while we walk. I’m
fine. Let’s just keep moving,"
she finished with her back still to the warrior.
"Uh
huh. What’s the real problem
Gabrielle?" The warrior’s eyes
were serious, but her voice sincere.
Spinning
around the bard threw a nasty glare at her friend and angrily crossed her arms
over her chest. All right.
First, I am not in a hurry to see your daughter.
In fact I would have much rather taken the time to try and find out
exactly why that young woman wondered into our camp today."
The bard uncrossed her arms and started gesturing with her hands as she
spoke. "You told me we were going
to rest in North Africa, and we got involved in a war, and I... and since
we’ve gotten back you have hardly spoken a word to me."
Gabrielle paused for a moment, frowning.
Looking straight into Xena’s eyes she finally said, "And what you
have said, certainly had nothing to do with how I felt or with what I wanted."
The bard shook her head back and forth in agreement with herself and
continued to stare down her friend, placing her hands on her hips.
"What?
Gabrielle what are you taking about?
I miss my daughter. I do...
"Yeah,
well I wouldn’t know about that."
The
warrior sighed in disbelief and slightly turned her head.
"What’s wrong with you?" she asked the bard in a concerned manner
walking toward her slowly.
"Xena,"
the bard started in low tone, looking at the ground and turning away from the
warrior. "I’m not going any
further. You and Eve can meet me
back here in a few days. I need to
be alone."
Xena
squinted her eyes slightly and looked away from the bard.
"Fine Gabrielle, you do that." The
warrior continued on her path, stopping once to look back at her friend. Gabrielle remained stationary until Xena was out of sight.
The
bard tried to stay angry, but her head ached so terribly now that all she could
think to do was wander back to the Cypress she had recently rested on and sit
down and lay back against it. She
wasn’t very positive that she could have continued on with Xena even if she
wanted to, and she really was exhausted both physically and mentally.
Gabrielle
poured some water over her head and tried to meditate.
Finally she fell asleep, but the pain in her head pulled her in and out
of consciousness for most of the remaining day.
She waited urgently for sundown, hoping the night would be cool, and the
darkness and quite of it, her healer.
Shadows
seemed to be moving about a short distance from the bard, but whether or not
they were real was undetermined, and presently, not really of much concern to
her. She looked straight out from
where she sat, not considering turning her head or speaking one word.
Only simple details could be comprehended.
It was night, she was still in the same place, against the same tree, her
head still hurt, and she was extremely cold.
Dreams
and reality seemed to merge together, and strange visions and thoughts clouded
her mind when she believed herself conscious.
Humming sounds now seemed to accompany these strange moving blurs about
her and it was possible that they were closer to her now, very close.
Hector
stopped abruptly. He raised his head, carefully smelling the air. Glancing back
at his companion, he trotted forward a few steps and threw his head back near
the ground before heading full throttle into the darkness.
Cassandra waited. Hector would return to safely guide her.
She hoped he had found them again.
They
had walked well into the night, and Cassandra knew she must allow herself and
Hector some rest soon. At the
outset she had decided they would keep moving until Hector located the two
women, but a recent cloud cover blocked the already minimal amount of light
shining into the forest from the moon, and slowed their travel dramatically.
She
felt his presence as he reproached her. The
black wolf was camouflaged well by the night, and it seemed as though he moved
with such care that even a gentle breeze made more of a rustle.
The wolf gently rubbed up against her legs and then returned to her left
side. Leading Cassandra forward, he
stayed in contact with her and kept a watchful eye.
Hector’s behavior indicated to her to try to move as quietly as
possible and her thoughts shifted continuously.
Her stomach churned and she clasped her free hand tightly.
It has to be them.
They
seemed to travel quite a long distance before Hector finally stopped.
Again he left her, but seemed to return immediately, grunting at the
young woman as he approached her. Cassandra
repeatedly surveyed the surrounding area with her eyes, but the darkness was
much too dense and offered nothing. She
remained where she was. The wolf
circled her a few times before gesturing with a nudge to start moving again.
She continued to scan the area out of habit.
She knew she was close to whatever Hector had found.
He
stopped shortly and began to whine before sauntering forward a few steps and
stopping again. Cassandra was alert, but she could barely make out her
companion a few steps in front of her, much less anything around him.
She stayed where she was and slowly swung her walking stick from side
to side, moving it further and further away from her body, focusing her eyes
as best she could into the darkness. Cassandra
made out the limp figure slouched against a large tree just after her staff
came into contact with the stranger’s leg.
Resting
on her knees, Cassandra gently removed the hair from the woman’s forehead.
She wished she had had something to cover her with, but the woman had
thrashed about so terribly through most of the night, that it might have made
little difference. Shifting around
a little the frail young woman moaned while turning herself on her side.
She suddenly opened her eyes. Cassandra
watched. She had done this twice earlier, but both times shortly gone
back to sleep. Suddenly the woman
sat up, startling Cassandra, but she regained her poise promptly and began to
softly speak to her.
"Hey,
Hey it’s alright. Settle down. You’re
OK."
"Where
am I?" the woman asked immediately in a very solemn tone but with a confused
look.
"I
found you here late last night and it’s nearly sundown now.
You had a fever but it broke midday.
I removed your belongings. They’re
behind you."
Relaxing
her shoulders, the woman sighed deeply and rested her head in her hand for a
moment. "Oh, I am so stupid,"
she mumbled before looking at Cassandra. Her
eyes were heavy and each movement was slow and seemed to require a bit of
contemplation. She looked back behind her and grabbed her waterskin,
dragging it across the ground to her side.
"I
filled it with fresh water earlier."
"Hmm.
I suppose I owe you a thank you," said the woman tiredly as she plopped
the water filled jug into her lap. "Who
knows what would’ve happened if you hadn’t found me."
Cassandra’s
expression remained unchanged. She
had a stoic look about her, but her ever-increasing heart rate was equipped with
the truth, and she battled with what to say.
"Gabrielle, right?" she finally said with some confidence, before the
bard had a chance to start questioning her.
"Yes,"
Gabrielle responded, giving Cassandra an intent look.
"I know you, don’t I?"
"Yes,"
the young woman said while using her walking stick to help herself back to a
standing position.
The
bard followed the woman with her eyes while at the same time studying the area
as best she could. "You had a wolf with you."
"Yes,"
Cassandra nodded. "Supper," she continued, answering the next obvious
question. She paused for a moment
but quickly started in again, preventing the bard from proceeding with more
questions. "I need to start a
fire. Why don’t you relax here a
while, we can talk more later." The
young woman turned and made her way towards a small pile of wood. Gabrielle was anxious to speak with the woman, but she sill
felt a little woozy and decided this time just to do what was suggested.
Anyway, she wasn’t going anywhere and she doubted she was in any
danger. So she stretched a bit and
quietly watched the young woman.
Gabrielle
had forgotten how good rabbit could taste.
She chewed slowly, enjoying every morsel.
"Thank you," she said in-between bites, hoping to start a
conversation with the young woman, although just making eye contact with her was
proving to be difficult. Cassandra
made no gesture of acknowledgment to the bard and just continued to eat and
stare into the fire.
"I
don’t think you told me your name, or your friend’s" Gabrielle kindly
prodded, determined to get the woman to talk with her.
Looking over at the bard, she replied in a very subtle tone, "That’s
Hector, and my name is Cassandra," she said, turning her head upwards towards
the sky for a moment, then looking at Hector who replied with a few whimpers and
gestures with his front legs. "I
think a storm is headed our way. We
should probably move while there’s still some daylight." Cassandra grabbed her long walking stick and turned it
upright, positioning it firmly on the ground.
She stood and looked shyly at the bard.
"Are you feeling OK to travel? You’re still very pale," she asked
without meeting eyes.
"I
feel fine. I wasted the whole day
sleeping. I should be OK,"
Gabrielle answered with a confident smirk on her face.
She had suffered a dizzy spell while trying to make her way over to the
fire for dinner, but she was pretty sure Cassandra hadn’t noticed.
Besides, it was doubtful they were going far, and she was certain that
they would be traveling slower than she was used too.
Gabrielle
ran back toward the Cypress to recover her things as Cassandra put the fire out.
She hastily bent down, reaching for her sack, but instead secured both
hands on her knees. Don’t.
Don’t. Close your eyes
Gabrielle.
"Are
you OK?" asked Cassandra taking a
few steps towards the bard before stopping.
"Oh yeah," the bard mumbled under her breath. "Im fine," she said, securing her sack and cautiously straitening up.
‘It’s
not much of a shelter, but we should stay fairly dry."
Cassandra stood a little out in front of the bard before a decently sized
stream and pointed to a small and rigid dirt and rock overhang that jutted out
of a steep low ridge just beyond the water.
"The stream’s not deep. We
can walk across it." Hector had
already crossed with a few quick leaps and impatiently paced back and forth as
Cassandra carefully moved through the stream using her stick as a stepping
guide.
Gabrielle
closed her eyes for a moment. She
briefly clasped a hand to her stomach and took a few deep breaths.
The bard watched the young woman as she crossed the stream and then
glanced at Hector. She reached the
bank before Cassandra, and helped the young woman out of the water.
"Do you know this area pretty well," Gabrielle questioned, once again
trying to make conversation with the quiet woman.
"No," is all she got as Cassandra passed by her.
"It’ll
be tight if we both want to stay dry," the young woman mumbled, her head only
half turned back toward the bard. Gabrielle
wasn’t too concerned. Anyway,
close quarters would give the bard a more opportune chance to hound the strange
woman with questions. Gabrielle sat
down, placing her leather sack behind her to rest her back against.
Her feet lay beyond the overhang’s reach, but at least most of her body
would stay dry if it began to rain. Cassandra
stood for a few moments and watched the stream, reluctant to join this woman
that she had so hoped to find.
Darkness
rapidly overtook the forest, and like the night prior, not a star was to be seen
through the pinhole openings of the forest brush.
Thunder could now be heard in the distance, and it steadily grew louder
and longer. Hector sat between the
two women, and rested his head on Cassandra’s right thigh.
As close as they were, the women could hardly make each other out.
The bard had gained no further ground in revealing the identity or
intentions of the strange woman, and now that the weather was getting worse it
seemed useless for her to start any deep line of questioning, although she was
becoming quite irritated. However,
she wondered if the woman would have even stayed with her through the night, had
the weather been better.
Hector’s
company and location also complicated matters. With every shift or grunt,
Gabrielle flinched in surprise. She
was absolutely perplexed by how intimidated she was.
With no way to determine the animal’s mood or even movements, she found
herself in constant worry about what it was doing and even thinking, but
eventually the travel took its toll, and she drifted off to sleep shortly before
the rain began. Cassandra remained
awake for most of the night, debating with herself and listening to the bard.
Successive
warm bursts of air collided with Gabrielle’s face, and as she became more
aware, her head seemed to automatically attempt to escape them and their smell.
Turning her head as far to the left as possible she opened one eye.
"Hector," Cassandra whispered forcefully, "let her sleep."
Hector retreated across the stream to his friend’s side.
The bard grabbed her nose a few times, wiggling it back and forth, trying
to extract the stench of the wolf’s breath from her nostrils.
"Hmm. How long have you
been up?" she tiredly asked, having trouble keeping her eyes open.
"I’m sorry Hector woke you. There’s
no need to get up," Cassandra replied walking back toward the stream.
"No,
no," Gabrielle continued in an argumentative tone.
"What time is it?"
The
woman hesitated for a moment sensing the bard’s frustration.
"It’s almost midday. I..."
"What!"
Gabrielle exclaimed angrily, more upset with herself than with Cassandra.
"Why didn’t you..." The bard stopped and sighed, closing her eyes
and rubbing her forehead a few times.
"I
know you didn’t sleep well last night.
I thought it couldn’t hurt to let you rest some today," Cassandra
countered, looking into the stream.
"I
slept fine!" Gabrielle said while
standing very hurriedly, almost slipping in the mud that her unprotected feet
had lay in during the stormy night.
"I
just want...well, I just thought I was helping."
The woman’s manner turned defensive and she began to take small steps
backwards to retain her distance from the bard.
"I
know. I know, " Gabrielle said
calmly, relaxing some. "I’m
sorry. I really...I’m just angry
with myself. You’ve taken care of
me for two days and..." Gabrielle looked at the woman intently.
Cassandra, how did you find me the other night?"
Cassandra
swallowed hard and kept her eyes fixed on the stream.
"Look,
I just want to know more about you. Why
are you out here alone? Do you want something from me or Xena?"
"I
don’t know," the woman quietly responded.
"What?"
"I
don’t know!" She repeated,
turning to walk away from Gabrielle.
"Cassandra
wait! Wait!" the bard yelled, crossing the stream as hastily as possible.
" Hey! Hey!" she said grabbing the woman firmly by the arm.
"Please."
Cassandra
stopped, but did not turn to face Gabrielle.
"I don’t know who I am. I
don’t know. I have been in the forest for almost six seasons now,
and I don’t know who or where my family is.
I don’t know where I am from, or even how old I am. I don’t even know how I became crippled.
I only have Hector. My name,
I gave myself." The bard
carefully placed a hand on the woman’s shoulder.
"It’s OK." Cassandra
turned, but let her head hang.
"
I know about you and your friend though. Not
to long ago I overheard some travelers speaking of you.
They said you had returned. Your
names didn’t mean much to me at first, but soon after I began remembering
things. Stories, about you."
A pause ensued as the woman attempted to return to a normal breathing
pattern, wiping the back of her hand across her face, removing tears and snot.
She looked up at Gabrielle but was careful not to meet eyes.
"How
could I know them? Someone must have told them to me.
Someone I knew. Maybe even
my father, or mother. I didn’t’
even know where to begin looking for answers.
But then I just...I just found you.
I couldn't ... well; you’re the first connection to my past.
I... I thought if I could travel with you for a while or something I
might...I don’t know. I just want
to remember. I just want to know
who I am. It's a stupid idea I'm sorry. "
"No
it’s not. Of course you can
travel with us. I’m sure your
family’s out there somewhere. Xena should be back in a few days. She went to get her daughter.
I’m glad you found us. I’m
sorry..."
"No."
Cassandra covered the bard’s hand with her own.
"Thank you."
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