A Friend In Need

One day...

Gabrielle is still traveling. She has seen the land of the Pharaohs, made her way out of the desert and into dark forests, spent evenings in safe villages and in hidden caves... Gabrielle has been everywhere... or so it seems.

One day I'll look over...

She still writes scroll after scroll, chronicling her own journeys and adventures. Life, with a few twists and turns, has turned out just as Gabrielle wanted it to. A life full of meaning and tales.

One day I'll look over and...

The Amazons give her a home, a place to rest and to see familiar faces. Even to meet new ones, to teach them and show them honor. Gabrielle watches the stars and feels blessed to have lived so long, to live to see such beauty...

One day I'll look over and you will be there.

Gabrielle sighs and does not stop the tears that fall. Others wonder when she will finally heal, to let go and to move on. But Gabrielle is healing and she is still moving...

But to let go of you, Xena, is not something I can do. And so I wait. I wait for the day when I can look over and I'll see your eyes again. And I know that day will come.

For now, though, Gabrielle keeps going. Keeps writing and keeps finding new parts of the world, keeps finding kindness in her heart to give and the ability to receive friendship in return...

One day, Xena, I'll look over and you will be there, where you have always remained, by my side and in my heart. And that day will come.

I can see you. I can hear you. Sometimes, I can touch you...

Xena cannot describe death to anyone. There are people around... but they seem vague, distant even when they are standing near. She has seen her mother and countless others, all those who have passed before.

I can walk beside you. I can smell your skin. Sometimes, I can almost feel you...

And quiet... Oh, the peace and quiet is here as well. A sense of redemption floods Xena's heart here. Of finally feeling the calm of eternal forgiveness. It is a wonderful feeling. Almost... almost perfect...

But it will always be lacking, I know this all too well... Every time I see you, Gabrielle, I know this place is always lacking you. You and your smile and your gentle hand in mine and your laugh and the way you always cared for me... That is not here.

Xena can watch and hear Gabrielle as she moves about the world. She can even touch upon the girl's thoughts, feel some of her pain and some of her weariness. As Gabrielle left Chin, Xena could even touch her and speak to her. That was long ago...

I have lived with regrets, Gabrielle. And you know them all. Even this one, the regret of having to leave you... you know I would not have gone if I did not have to... And yet, it hurts as much now as it did then.

Gabrielle, my love... one day, you will settle down for the long rest to come. And as you pass over, my hands will be there to greet you. My arms to embrace you and my lips upon yours.

And then I can spend eternity with you. I will mend your heart with my love. And then the final bliss of peace with come... for the both of us.