Berries
Part 4
By
CatThe night was another long one for the Warrior Princess as she continued to watch over her charge. She watched Gabrielle struggle as her fever rose and fell several more times throughout the night until finally it broke just before dawn. Xena immediately notice the new coolness to the bard's skin under her own and saw the tense features visibly relax. She swore she heard a contented sigh as the blonde turned ever so slightly in her sleep. Sleep. Real sleep. Not the unconsciousness brought on by her injuries or the fevered nightmares that had haunted her for the past nights from whatever sickness ran through her body; but real, true, resting sleep. She was going to be okay, in body at least. The events from the night before still ran through the warrior's mind. Would she remember? If so, how much? Would she still be the same Gabrielle who had grown to mean so much to her? For as much relief she felt at the bard's physical recovery, she could not help hoping her memory would return and everything would return to normal. Or as normal as our lives ever are, she thought with a wry smile as she gazed down on the sleeping form she still held in her arms. She told herself it was solely for Gabrielle's reassurance, but she knew it was for her own just as much. Gabrielle was going to be okay; she had to be. Even without her memory, the core of her person still had to be there, right? They would make new memories if they had to, and Xena would protect her just like she always did. Just like she failed to do this time...
She was shook out of her thoughts by a light knock on the door. "Come in," she called loud enough for herself to be heard but soft enough not to wake her charge. As expected, Hercules and Iolaus entered, with the larger man once again carrying a tray of food.
"How is she doing?" Iolaus asked, edging closer to the bed. He seemed more coherent today, though he still looked exhausted and as if his head was still giving him a few problems.
"Fever's broke," was all she said, barely looking up from the sleeping form.
"Good," he said more to himself than anyone else. He looked around the room for a moment, trying to think of his next words, but it was clear his attention never left his friend. "Is she going?" He trailed off, his mind not wanting to think of the possibilities. It was clear that the events of last night were still fresh in his mind as well.
"I don't know," Xena answered honestly, her voice betraying her fears. "She hasn't woken up yet, but she seems more relaxed, more comfortable. I think that's a good sign. There's no way to be certain what the effects will be until she wakes up, and even then they may not show themselves for a while." She sighed. "It doesn't matter. No matter what she is still Gabrielle and we will work through this together." She spoke with a confidence she did not truly feel, but she knew there was nothing else she could do.
"I know you will," he agreed softly. He was silent for a moment before he spoke again. "So, when do you think she'll wake up?" He was just as impatient as the others, only he wasn't afraid to admit it.
"It's hard to tell," Xena sighed, readjusting the precious bundle she held ever so slightly. "Her body needs rest to fight this thing, whatever it is, and to heal itself. She's been out for most of the past few days, but not resting. There's no way of telling when she'll wake up or what condition she'll be in when she does." She paused again, deep in her thoughts. "It's best to let her wake on her own." The tone of her voice made it clear she would not take kindly to anyone who woke her charge, and as her gaze leveled on Iolaus, it was clear who the message was meant for.
"Huh? Oh, not a problem. I'll be so quiet you won't even know I'm here I mean if it's okay if I stay, 'cause I would really like to be here when she wakes up, but only if it's alright with you..." the small man rambled, making her reconsider her earlier diagnosis of him. He was silenced as Hercules slapped an apple into his hand, then brought the hand up towards his mouth. Iolaus got the hint and bit down into the fruit with a loud crunch. "Was that too loud?" he asked worriedly around a mouthful of fruit.
Hercules rolled his eyes, trying to remember just how long the old apothecary said it would be until the effects wore off. "I think what he was trying to say is that we'd like to be here, if you'll let us," he explained in far fewer words than it would have taken his friend. Xena only nodded in reply, a small smile on her lips. "Good," he said, more to himself than to anyone else. He turned to the table of fruits and breads, then back to the woman holding her friend on the bed. "What do you want to eat?"
She waved him off with a look. He put his hands on his hips and looked at her in an almost motherly expression that she had to consciously try not to laugh at. "Now Xena, you have to eat something," he told her, the tone in his voice matching his current expression. He shot Iolaus a glare when the smaller man was not as successful at covering his humor.
"I will," she promised. "But later. I don't want to risk waking her up by me moving just yet." She looked down to the sleeping woman, who chose that exact moment to roll almost completely out of her grasp and onto the pillows. The young woman mumbled something, then snuggled deeper into the pillows.
Hercules saw the look of almost shock the passed over the older woman's face as she let go of her charge. Xena carefully tucked a blanket around the woman and looked up at his questioning gaze. He swore he could see a glint of humor in her eyes, but she refused to explain without him asking. He sighed, giving in. "What did she say?"
"She told me to go eat," Xena said, leaning back against the headboard and crossing her arms in front of her. She looked down at the sleeping woman and bit back a smile. It appeared at least some part of her friend's personality remained; it was a good sign.
"I think you should listen to Gabrielle," Iolaus chuckled. He saw the look she was trying to give him, but pointedly ignored it, seeing laughter gleaming in her eyes behind the glare.
"Come on," Hercules prodded, offering his hand to help her off the bed. "It looks like it's three against one," he smiled, though he knew only the opinion of one of those three really mattered to his friend.
Xena accepted it, shaking her head. Even unconscious, Gabrielle could get her way; how did she do it? Standing now, she stretched, popping her vertebrae back into place and causing Iolaus to wince at the sound. She had been sitting in one place for far too long; it felt good to move again. Looking back to her sleeping friend, she knew she would have stayed there forever if that was what it took. Gabrielle had a full life ahead of her, if only she would get, and stay, well enough to enjoy it.
She wandered over to the tray and picked up a few items, not even noticing what she took as she put it on a small plate for herself. As she began to munch on the fruits, she leaned against the table, letting her eyes drift back to the bed and it's now single occupant. She swore even the bruises looked lighter today, but that was probably just her imagination. No one would know it, but even an ex-warlord could wish for things enough to make her mind see them. Looking around at the others in the room, she decided to amend that thought to almost no one. So, she wanted to see her friend get better, what was wrong with that? What was wrong was that she might just want it enough that she was seeing things that were not there. There was no way of knowing what was going to happen next. Gabrielle might not be okay, the mumbling could have just been a fluke, the fever could come back, or half a dozen other things could go wrong.
She reached down for another bite and found that she had finished everything on her plate while she had been lost in her thoughts. She looked up and found two pairs of concerned blue eyes watching her. "Well," she said, placing her empty plate next to the almost empty tray. "I guess I am done." The two men weren't fooled for a moment and she knew it. They would not be satisfied until she admitted what was on her mind. Her stomach also decided it was not satisfied and let its needs be known with a low rumble. It would allow her to put off its needs for only so long. Now that it finally had the chance to fill itself, it was not about to pass it up. She looked up almost sheepishly, but raised a warning eyebrow when Iolaus looked like he was about to laugh.
"Why don't we go downstairs and have Linus fix you something real to eat?" Hercules suggested. She had locked herself in this little room for far too long; she needed to get out, stretch, clear her mind. Besides, he thought with a smile. Maybe he could get her to talk about what had happened and get a bit of the weight she was carrying around off her chest.
She waved him off and started to walk back to the bed. "Come on, the fresh air will do you good," Iolaus tried. "Besides, she's sleeping and she probably will be for a while. I'll stay here and watch her. If she wakes up, or even moves, you will be the first to know."
Xena thought about it for a moment. She knew they were right, she could use a good meal and some fresh air. Could she just leave Gabrielle here though? Iolaus said he would watch her, but was he in any condition to? She was sleeping. She had already threatened Iolaus enough to know he would not wake her
The men watched as the wheels spun in her head, until finally, she spoke. "Okay, you have a deal," she told them. "On a couple of conditions though." She waited until both looked at her expectantly. "One, we just go downstairs to eat; no looking for anyplace else. Two, Iolaus doesn't leave her side until we get back. Three, I get to kill him if he wakes her." She added the last one just to get her point across, knowing she had already defeated Hercules' original plan with her first condition.
"Sounds good to me," the larger man shrugged.
"Hey!" Iolaus complained, not quite liking the last condition. He wasn't sure if it was a joke or not. He hoped it was.
Hercules clasped the smaller man's shoulder and leaned down to look him in the eye so he could see his own twinkling. "Just don't wake her and you'll be fine." He straightened himself and turned to the large woman. "You coming?" he asked, motioning towards the door.
Xena hesitated, looking back to the bed again. "Do you think I should change the poultices first?" she asked worriedly.
Hercules sighed. He understood his friend's concern, but he also knew she was stalling. "She'll be fine. The apothecary is coming this afternoon to check on her again. She's sleeping now, let her sleep." He took her by the arm and led her to the door, releasing her only when she reached for the handle. She took one last look towards her sleeping friend, and stepped out into the hallway, with him shortly behind her.
Iolaus took a plate and filled it with the last of the fruit from the tray. Maybe eating would get rid of his headache. True, he had tried it before and it didn't work, but maybe it would now. He shook his head at his logic. Zeus his mind was muddled. He would have to try some of those focusing exercises when he was done, they couldn't hurt. He briefly wondered why he hadn't thought of them before as he quietly pulled a chair up along the side of the bed. He sat down with a sigh. How much longer until that stuff was out of his system? On the up side, his realizing how off he was and thinking up a way to help had to be a good sign, right?
Hercules and Xena walked into the main room of the inn to find, not so surprisingly, a table instantly cleared for them. They also noticed a few people take a look at them and leave. Hercules decided, looking at the woman beside him, that it was probably for the best. She was wound up a bit tight, to say the least, but with good reason. He also noticed the maid from the day before watching them again. He smiled in her direction, but she suddenly found something better to do. He looked briefly to his companion to see if she had a comment, but saw she hadn't noticed; she had other things on her mind. When he looked back, the maid was gone. Flighty little thing, he shrugged.
They sat down and almost immediately Linus was at there side. "He finally got you to come down for a real meal, ay?" the old man asked with a smile. "I figured it would take at least another day, so either he is a really good negotiator or your friend is doing better." He raised an eyebrow waiting for an answer.
Xena smile at her former lieutenant despite herself. "Her fever broke this morning," she told him.
"So she's going to be alright then?" he asked.
"We hope so," was all she would say, and he knew not to press the issue.
"Well," he said, clearing his throat. "What do you want to eat this morning? You name it and it's yours, within reason of course." He smiled again, thinking of the grandiose meals he had seen her eat as his commander. He briefly wondered if he even knew how to make honey roasted peacock.
Before she could respond, Hercules answered for her. "Anything you pick will be fine, just give her plenty of it."
Xena gave him a look which he pointedly ignored, much to the amusement of the waiting innkeeper. "And what about you?" he asked the large man.
"I'll just have some hot cereal if you have any." Linus started to object, so he added, "I'm not the one who hasn't been eating. Hot cereal will be plenty."
"We'll see," the old man told him, giving him a sideward look. Before Hercules could ask for an explanation, he disappeared into the kitchen.
"You just did something very daring," Xena told him, leaning back in her chair.
"What? Making you eat?"
"No, leaving Linus up to his own devises. You never know what you are going to get," she smiled.
Hercules smiled back, taking it as a good sign that she was joking about something. "So," he began, picking at the wood table in front of him. He had no idea to approach the issue. Maybe he should wait until they were done eating. If Linus gave her something that involved using a knife, he could be in trouble.
"So," she repeated, knowing exactly what was on his mind. She just didn't know if she wanted to talk about it right now. He picked up on her tone.
They sat in silence until their meals arrived, both searching for anything to look at or think about other than the person across the table. Linus appeared with their meals, setting it down in front of them without a word before backing away. He could feel the tension between them, he would be a fool not to. At least now they would have something to focus their attentions on. Before Xena sat a large bowl of rich stew and a plate of fresh bread.
Looking at the bowl of hot cereal before him, Hercules briefly wondered if he should have followed the old man's advice. Taking a ginger bite of his meal, he was pleasantly surprised. Somehow the cook had managed to make even a boring bowl of cereal taste excellent.
They ate in silence, even the waitress who brought them water was afraid to speak. She set the mugs down and scurried away. It was only after both had finished their meals and were simply playing with their spoons and bowls Hercules could take no more. "You want to talk about it?" He looked up to meet her eyes.
"Do you really want me to?" she asked. A myriad of emotions flashed through her eyes before they focused into a cold glare.
The large man was suddenly less sure of himself. He knew what Xena was capable of doing in a fit of rage, but he also knew how important it was to get everything out in the open. Besides, what kind of damage could she do with only a spoon? He bit back a gulp, thinking of several things. His decision was made for him. "Yes," he answered.
She was silent for so long he was afraid she would not talk about it. He was about to try again when she opened her mouth to speak. She closed it again, as if not sure what to say. He would be patient, give her time to get her thoughts in order if need be. It was the least he could do. "What is it that you want to know?" she finally asked.
"Your thoughts, your feelings. You can't keep this all locked up inside you know," he answered, though he knew her well enough to know that she could, and would, if given the chance.
"You want to know what I am feeling?" she asked, the effort it took to restrain her anger coming through in every word. "How do you think I feel? My best friend is lying upstairs, beat to a pulp and suffering from some who knows what kind of sickness. The people I trusted to take care of her and watch over her walk away from a fight with barely a scratch and she's unconscious. I should have been there to protect her. I should have been able to stop all of this from ever happening. If we had not gotten separated during that first fight, or if I had found her sooner, or if I had not let her got to the marketplace... There are a million ways I could have stopped this from happening, but I did not. She was hurt because of me... Because of some warlord from my past wanted to hurt me, he went after her. I should have known he would not stop, but I trusted you to protect her in case of anything. I failed. You failed. We can't change that, no matter how much we may want to. I can scream at you all I want, or take it out on you in other ways, but that won't change the fact that Gabrielle is lying upstairs and we don't know if she will ever be who she was again." By the time she finished, most of the room had cleared out. Even those who did not know what she was capable of knew it was best not to be around a large leather-clad woman who was most definitely upset with an even larger leather-clad man. She had gone from trying to restrain her anger, to letting it shine through.
"You're right," Hercules told her when he was certain she was finished. "We can't change what has happened. But that doesn't get rid of all the feelings you have inside." He knew there was more in there, and what it would take for her to get it all out. "You have to deal with them, act on them, get them all out. Keeping them inside is not going to do anyone any good. You have to let them out."
She sighed, resting her arms on the table and her head in her hands. She wiped her hands across her face as if trying to wipe everything away as she leaned back in her chair to face him again. "I know that you and Iolaus did everything you could to protect her, I really do. It's just"
"It's just that you still want to beat us into a pulp for what happened," he supplied for her. She smiled a wry smile despite the circumstances. "Then do it," he suggested, knowing he would regret this later. She raised an eyebrow at him, so he clarified. "Well, don't actually beat us into a pulp, but you need to get those aggressions out somehow. You have been locked up in that room, letting everything stew for too long. You need to get some fresh air, exercise, something. Maybe if you had a good spar..."
"You going to fight me?" she asked doubtingly, eyebrow still raised.
"Well, not fight, but yeah," he answered. Her eyes drifted towards the stairs that led to their rooms and he knew what she was thinking. "We won't go far, how about the courtyard around the side of the inn?" She looked back to him and he knew he almost had her. "Come on," he whispered, leaning in closer. "We could give the villagers a good scare."
"Well, when you put it that way" She started to stand.
"Just one rule," he added, joining her. He noticed that she still wasn't wearing her armor, and was thankful for small favors. She looked to him expectantly. "No weapons."
She sighed dramatically as she removed her dagger from its hiding place and set it on the table before him. "Anything else?" she asked.
"Nope."
"Good," she replied, cracking her knuckles as she made her way to the door.
"I am definitely going to regret this later," Hercules said to himself under his breath as he followed her out the door and into the sunlight.
It was about time she left that room, the dark haired woman thought to herself as she slipped into the kitchen. She signaled to the men waiting at the door. Peaking though the doorway, she watched the argument in the mainroom, and waited until she saw them leave through the front door. It was time.
She creaped up the back stairway with one of the men following behind her. One of the inn's guests saw her and smiled. She paused, confused, until she remembered they thought she was one of the maids. She smiled sweetly in return and waited for him to go about his business as the man with her pretended to look for his room. She reached the door she was looking for. She knew it well; she had been watching it since she got to this place. One man was with that woman, which meant one man was left in the room with her goal. He was small though, and should present no problems.
"Mekan," the man behind her whispered, getting her attention.
The dark haired woman turned to face him. "What?"
"I should go in first to take the small one out of the way," he told her.
"But if he sees you, he'll know something's wrong. If he sees me, he'll think I'm just the maid and won't care. You can get him from behind," she answered, angry with him for questioning her plan. He nodded; he would do what she said.
She opened the door cautiously, even though as far as the occupants were concerned she had a right to be there. The small man was sitting on the floor with his back to her and appeared to be doing some sort of meditation, though she did not recognize it from her own training. If he was in a trance Oh, this could be too easy. She walked in a little further, edging closer to the bed.
"What do you need?" the blonde man asked her. He was now standing, facing her, though she never even heard him move. His eyes were dark, he recognized her, but obviously did not trust her.
"I was just seeing if you needed anything, and, uh, checking in on your patient," she lied. She added a sickly sweet smile in hope that he would believe her, but she could see it wasn't working.
"We're fine, thank you," he said curtly. He moved as if to escort her to the door, but never got far. The back of his head met with the pommel of the other man's sword and he crumpled to the floor, unconscious.
"Sure you are," Mekan told him, kicking him once to make sure he was out. Satisfied, she turned to her companion. "Watch the door," she ordered. He nodded and stepped out into the hallway. She walked over to the bed and gazed at the young woman who lie in it. "So, you're Xena's little friend, eh?" she asked, hands on her hips as she scrutinized the woman in front of her.
Hazy green eyes blinked up at her. "Xena?" Gabrielle repeated, quite confused. Her eyes would not focus as she looked up at the woman with long dark hair leaning over her. She tried blinking them again, but it didn't work.
"Shhh," the strange woman told her. "It's all right, I'm here." She couldn't tell if the voice was comforting or sarcastic, but it was soft so she closed her eyes again.
Mekan sighed, that was close. Good thing the girl was delusional. She pulled the blanket back to expose more of the small woman's battered body. The man had done a good job; maybe he shouldn't have been punished that severely. Too late. She carefully picked up the semi-conscious woman, not wanting to wake her and ruin everything. Mekan may have been small, but she was strong and held the woman to her as she walked to the door. "Is it clear?" she asked the man guarding the hall.
"Looks so," he answered, moving to let her through. The crept down the hall to the back stairway and were about to go down when the real maid staff started up it with their large buckets of water, mops, and linens.
Mekan swore under her breath as she quickly ducked back around the corner. "We'll have to go down the main stairs. You go first in case anyone tries to stop us," she ordered. The man nodded as she readjusted her bundle, then both hurried down the hallway to the main staircase.
Hercules and Xena wandered back towards the inn. He was trying his best not to show how stiff he was, but knew she didn't buy it. On the up side, she seemed to be in much better spirits and had worked out a great deal of her aggression. It had taken her a bit to really get into it, but once she did, she went full force and let him have it. Of course, she swore afterward that she was holding back because she didn't want to hurt him, but he wasn't sure he believed it. After all, how much aggression could one woman have? As it was, they did, as expected, scare some of the villagers. He had to stop to tell one of them not to go get the magistrate, that they were just training, and that had almost cost him the fight right there as Xena did not stop. As it was, she won. Not that he had let her win, but she honestly out and out won. But they were just sparring, he told himself. In a real fight...
Something off to the side of the inn caught his attention. It was a man, on horseback, with two empty horses waiting beside him. Not that something like that was unusual, but the man on the horse looked suspiciously like one of the men he had fought the other day in the square. He motioned to Xena, who whispered, "I see him." From the looks of it, he had not seen them yet though, so they hurried towards the main door to the inn.
When they entered the inn, they saw the last thing they expected to see. Linus was holding a sword on another man who had also drawn his sword. Behind the second man on the stairs was the woman Hercules had assumed was one of the maids, holding Gabrielle in her arms. She definitely saw them.
The man easily disarmed and knocked the much older Linus to the ground, then stood protectively in front of the other woman and her bundle. "You must be Xena. It's been a long time," the woman spoke.
"I don't know who you are or what you want," Xena told her, inching forward. "But you have something that is very important to me."
"Oh, I know how important this one is to you," Mekan nearly spat. She paused to readjust her grip as Gabrielle stirred ever so slightly. "And what I want is to make you suffer." She watched as Xena stepped forward again. "Come any closer and she dies now. Let us go, and she has a chance to live," the small woman warned.
Xena's hand instinctively went to her side to reach for her chakram, but found it missing. She remembered it lay with the rest of her weapons and her armor, upstairs next to the bed. No weapons, Hercules had said. Fat lot of good it did her now as even her dagger lay on the table out of her reach. She knew there was no way she could make it across the room before the man could make his move. He might not get the chance to kill Gabrielle, but he could hurt her, and she was not willing to take that chance. "Let her go," she warned, knowing Hercules was ready to move if only she would give the signal.
"Not that strong without your weapons or an army, now are you?" the woman taunted. She noticed Hercules shift his stance. "That warning goes for you too, big man," she warned. "You two are going to let us walk out of here, right now, or your precious little friend dies. No matter what, I win." Mekan smiled smugly, sound in her victory.
That smile was wiped off her face as a fist connected solidly with her jaw. She looked down in shock to a pair of angry, and completely conscious, green eyes. Gabrielle tried to push herself away from the woman, who had now loosened her hold. Mekan found she could do nothing while still holding onto the girl, so she threw her down and into the path of the approaching Xena. Hercules had seen his opening and attacked the other man, batting off his sword and pinning him to the ground. Knowing Xena would stop for her friend and the large man was busy, Mekan darted through the kitchen and out the door to her waiting comrade.
Xena had been ready to charge at the woman, but as soon as Gabrielle hit the floor, she changed her path. She was immediately on the floor beside her friend. She glanced up briefly through the kitchen door just in time to see Mekan climb into the saddle of her waiting horse and take off, with yet another armed man following. Her attention focused on her friend. "Are you all right?" she asked, the worry evident in her tone as she quickly looked the young woman over for any new injuries.
"Ow," was her only reply as Gabrielle struggled to prop herself up. The room was swimming in all different directions, but it sure was a pretty color. She shook her head, trying to clear it, wincing at the pain it brought. The room slowed to a haze, but she couldn't tell if it was her eyes or the pain in her head that was making her vision blur around the edges. "Xena?" the blonde asked hoarsely, quite confused as she cocked her head to the side.
"You know who I am?" the warrior asked, not bothering to keep the joy out of her voice as she helped support her friend. The smaller woman screwed up her face in an almost comical expression, not understanding. Xena's heart sank. "Do you know who you are?" she asked, more cautiously this time. She had to, she told herself. She had to remember something
"Of course," Gabrielle smiled. "I'm the Queen of the Amazons." With that, she flopped back down to the ground, a place she found much more comfortable at the time being.
Xena could have hit her for her sick sense of humor, but she was too happy to have her back. "You little..." she started. She scooped her up into a bear hug, not wanting to let go.
"Hey Xena," Gabrielle said through gasps of breath. "Ribs," she reminded her. As good as it felt to be able to hug her friend again, she still hurt like she had been run over by a mob of angry centaurs.
Xena released her so fast she had to stop herself from dropping her. "Sorry," she said almost sheepishly. "Are you okay?"
Before the young woman could answer, Hercules spoke. "I really hate to interrupt, but could you do your thing on this guy?" he asked. It was then she realized he was still holding onto the man who had tried to help kidnap Gabrielle.
"Oh," she said, carefully lowering her injured friend back to the ground. As soon as she was certain the girl was comfortable, her hands shot out with deadly precision at the man's neck. "I just cut off the flow of blood to your brain. Talk and I might let you live," she told him, a cold edge to her voice.
"What do you want to know?" he gasped as Hercules released him.
"Who was that woman and what did she want with Gabrielle?" she demanded. She looked over to the girl in question, who was currently counting off the seconds on her fingers. She tried to hide a smile and look stern again.
"Her name is Mekan... She works for Melnos... You destroyed her village and he saved her raised her as his own... She wants revenge," the man told her, struggling for breath.
"Which village?" she asked. Something definitely did not sound right. Melnos saving someone? Never. There had to be something more.
"Tachas," the man gasped.
Now things were starting to make sense, she thought to herself. She glanced over to Gabrielle, who had about four fingers left to count in the last cycle. She knew she would get nothing more out of the man so, with a sigh, her fingers darted out once more, releasing the man from his hold. He took one lungful of air before her fist connected solidly with his jaw, knocking him out.
"How do you do that?" Gabrielle asked, propping herself up again. This time her head didn't swim nearly as much.
"What? The pinch? You've seen that plenty of times."
"No, knocking someone out without hurting your hand. I've got to learn that," she said, rubbing her rapidly bruising knuckles.
Hercules left them to talk about the finer points of punching someone as he turned to check on Linus. The older man was shaking his head, trying to sit up. Hercules helped him rest against the side of the bar before asking, "Are you all right?"
"Oh, I'll be fine. I've had worse knocks than that before," Linus answered, waving him off. "It's her I'm worried about," he said, motioning to Gabrielle who at the time was feigning punching Xena in the face, trying to work on her technique. "The poor thing is delusional. She thinks she's the queen of the Amazons!"
"Uh, yeah," Hercules commented, not knowing what else to say. He figured it was best to leave it alone for the time being, and let her tell him if she wanted to. It wasn't exactly something she went around telling everybody. Satisfied the innkeeper was okay, he turned to the other man, still unconscious on the floor. "What should we do with him?"
"I'll send someone to get the magistrate," Linus promised him. "We can tie him up for now."
"Good," Hercules told him, then turned back to face his friends. It was only now that he noticed one of them was gone. "Where's Iolaus?" he asked no one in particular, though a pit was growing in the bottom of his stomach. Gabrielle looked at him blankly, having no idea. The large man took off running up the steps.
"We better go up and check on him," Xena said, starting to stand.
"Uh, Xena?" Gabrielle called from her place on the floor. The larger woman looked down to her. "I'm not sure if I can walk," she admitted sheepishly. "The other woman carried me down, and it hurts just to lay here" she rushed to explain.
Xena knew how much it took for her friend to admit her weaknesses; she had picked that up from a certain dark haired warrior. "I gotcha," she smiled, sweeping her up in one smooth motion.
Gabrielle relaxed and let herself be carried up the steps to their room. When they got there, they found Hercules leaning over the prone body of Iolaus. "Oh no!" she cried, fearing the worse. He had just been trying to help her, and now...
"He's alive," Hercules said grimly, answering the unspoken question. "He's unconscious, but alive."
He waited as Xena settled the young woman on the bed. She immediately tried to scoot closer to see her friends, but Xena held her in place. "Stay there," the larger woman told her. "I'll go check on him."
"There's something more," Hercules said as the woman knelt beside him and checked the smaller man's pulse. She looked up expectantly, but he did not say a word. Instead, he carefully rolled his friend over and lifted his arm. There she saw a large red mark, just like the ones Gabrielle had on her arm and leg. It had not yet turned purple, but she knew it would.
"What do you know?" she sighed, sitting back on her haunches. "He really did see a bug." Hercules gave her a look to say that he was not amused, though the same thought was running through his mind as well. Iolaus hadn't been quite with it for the past few days, so he had assumed seeing the bugs was just another thing to add to a long list of problems with his mental state. Now, his best friend lay unconscious on the floor, about to suffer through the same sickness Gabrielle had been through. "I'll have Linus send for the apothecary," Xena's voice cut into his thoughts. "Maybe we caught it early enough and it won't be as bad."
He hadn't thought of that. Iolaus might not get sick at all, or maybe just not as sick as Gabrielle had been. In any case, at least they had a fair idea of what to expect. He gently picked up the smaller man and carried him to the other side of the room. Xena opened the door that led into the room the men had been sharing, and Hercules entered, carefully lying the man on the bed. As he removed his hands, he was surprised to find blood on one of them. "He's bleeding," he told Xena, who now stood at his side. She gently, though efficiently, looked the man over for wounds.
"It's his head," she told the concerned larger man. "It's small and will most likely seal itself. It's probably from when they knocked him out," she explained, keeping her voice level in an attempt to calm him.
"They attacked from behind. They didn't even give him a fighting chance," Hercules said, not even trying to conceal his anger. He needed to find something to hit, preferably the man downstairs that he was certain had done this to his friend. He decided a wall would do instead.
Xena's hand stopped his fist before it hit the wall. "Don't go smashing up Linus's place. He didn't do anything," she told him with a small smile, releasing his hand. She knew exactly how he felt, but also knew there were more important things to be dealt with right now.
"I know," he said dejectedly, letting his arm fall. "It's just..."
"It's just you feel like pounding something," Xena finished for him. "If I know Melnos, you'll get your chance. He's been holding a grudge for this long, you think the minor little setback of us finding out about him is going to stop him?" She turned to look at the unconscious man on the bed, then back to the angry man who stood before her. "The reason they attacked from behind is they knew they could not take him head on. He would have stopped them. He's a fighter. He'll be fine." She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, and was surprised when he didn't flinch away. He knew that now the only thing he could do was wait, and hope. Two things Xena herself had been doing for the past few days.
"Anyone want to tell me what's going on?" they heard a familiar, but still rather hoarse voice call from the other room. Though she could recognize that voice anywhere, Xena looked through the doorway at Gabrielle. The small woman had propped herself up again and was doing her best to get a view of the other room, though all she could see was the outline of Xena in the doorway.
"Go," Hercules told the woman at his side, reading the emotions that played across her face. He gently laid his own hand on top of hers in a comforting gesture. "She needs you more right now. Besides, there is nothing we can do for him until either he wakes or the apothecary comes."
She met his eyes for a moment to see if he would be all right. Satisfied, she let go and walked into the other room, where her best friend waited for her.
The blonde looked at her expectantly as she approached. "Is he going to be okay?" she asked, attempting to peer into the room once again.
"We hope so," Xena sighed as she sat down on the edge of the bed next to her friend. Gabrielle lay back down on the pillows, trying her best to hide a wince of pain as she moved, before looking up at the warrior. Xena was not fooled for a moment. "I thought I told you to stay there," she chided, gently pulling the blankets around the young woman.
"Yeah, that's going to work," Gabrielle joked. She would have laughed, but a fit of coughs took over her body. Xena could do nothing but watch until the coughs subsided. Gabrielle took a deep breath and coughed once more before she was able to speak again. "That hurt," she commented, gazing up at the ceiling and willing her breathing to return to normal.
Xena gave her a look of sympathy as she brushed strands of golden hair away from a still bruised and battered face. "Do you think you could manage some water?" satisfied that at least this round of coughs was over. The blonde nodded and Xena picked up a skin and a mug from the table on the side of the bed. She filled the mug and recorked the skin, placing it back on the table, before carefully lifting the mug to her friends lips. She brought one hand around her back to support her as the blonde sipped gingerly at first, the greedily as the liquid cooled her throat. "Slowly," the larger woman reminded in a motherly tone when Gabrielle coughed again. The mug now empty, she set it on the table and helped her friend lie down once again.
There was a soft knock on the door. "Come in," Xena called, turning and finding, as expected, Linus at the door.
"I thought you would like to know that some men came and brought that man to the magistrate," he said, leaning heavily on the doorframe. It was clear he was not as resilient as he had thought. Xena nodded in thanks and was bout to ask him something, but he interrupted. "I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of sending for the apothecary. I figured with Gabrielle now awake, you would want to see her again." He tossed her something, which she caught expertly in the air. It was her dagger. "I also thought you would want this back."
Xena smiled in thanks. He always had seemed to know what she would need before she asked for it, just like a true lieutenant should. "Iolaus will also need her services," she informed him.
"That young man? I hope it's nothing serious." The concern was evident in the older man's voice. The small man seemed like such a nice boy, a bit loopy perhaps, but his heart was in the right place.
"We hope not," Xena replied, her gaze drifting over to the other room.
"Well," Linus said clearing his throat. "If you need anything, just let me know. That goes for all of you." He looked over to Gabrielle and smiled, his heart warming when she returned the gesture. "I'm glad to see that you are feeling better. Knowing you, you'll be up and telling stories in no time. You keep an eye on that one though," he commented, motioning to Xena. "She probably won't admit it, but she was worried sick over you." Gabrielle smiled again, but before Xena could comment, he ducked out the door.
"Worried sick, huh?" the blonde teased, poking her friend in the side.
"Yes," Xena admitted with a smile. It felt so good to have Gabrielle back again, the real Gabrielle. "For a while there, I was afraid I was going to lose you." She lowered her eyes at the admission. When she looked back up, there was a playful gleam to the blue. "Have you looked in a mirror lately? You'd think so too."
The smaller woman looked down at her bruised body, finding to look almost as bad as she felt. "Ugh, don't think I want to," she smiled. "Xena?" she asked, her tone suddenly serious. "How bad was I? I mean, how long was I out?"
The larger woman sighed. How much would she want to know? How much did she know? She would start with the basics and work her way from there. "You were out for about three days," she admitted. She watched as Gabrielle attempted some mental calculations. Now for the tough part. "How much do you remember?"
"It's hard to tell," Gabrielle sighed. Did she really want to go back there? "I remember bits and pieces, but it's pretty disorganized. I remember the river and coming to the village. I think I remember a fight with Hercules and Iolaus trying to help. The rest, the rest is just nightmares, or what I hope is nightmares. Everyone appears to be here, and alive, so I'm assuming none of it really happened."
Xena nodded. She kept her relief to herself. So far, it seemed, Gabrielle could remember everything that was important. The fact that she remembered the river was a good sign; it meant she probably remembered everything else from before getting sick. "How are you feeling now?" she asked, needing to know.
"I hurt, everywhere," Gabrielle admitted. She knew she couldn't hide anything from her friend, so why even try? "It's not as bad as before, but I could do without it," she smiled. "My vision is still blurry around the edges, but my head feels clearer, not as foggy. It hurts, but the headaches are gone, I think it's just from when I hit it."
"That should go away with time," Xena assured her. She was silent for a moment, deep in thought. Something was bothering her, something she wanted to know. "Gabrielle?" she began, waiting for her friend's semi-focused gaze to settle on her. "How did you know it wasn't me? If you couldn't see who it was, how did you know to hit Mekan and not me?"
"It just didn't feel right," the small woman shrugged. "Right from when she picked me up, something in me told me it was wrong. I couldn't tell which voice was coming from where, but the person holding me just didn't feel like you." She smiled sheepishly. After all the years they had been together, she could recognize just about anything about her friend, delirious or not. There was a definite difference between the way Xena was there for her, and anyone else. It was just something that even this bard had trouble putting into words. The closest she could come to was that she simply felt safe.
Xena smiled, but before she could say anything, there was another knock at the door. "That would be the apothecary," she explained. She looked pointedly at the young woman and warned playfully, "Be nice." Turning to the door, she called, "Come in."
Antomeana opened the door and peeked in. "I heard I was dealing with a conscious patient today," the old woman smiled as she shuffled through the door and into the room.
"One of them," Xena replied. Seeing the confused look the old woman gave her, she explained. "I think Iolaus is in need of your services before you tend to Gabrielle."
Hercules stepped through the door that joined the rooms and relief washed over his face as he saw the healer. "He's in here," he told her.
She hurried over to the other room, bags of healing medicines and bandages still in hand. She set them down on the bed next to the small man and began to look him over. "I know he was getting annoying, but did you have to knock him out?" she asked, looking to the larger man.
He honestly could not tell if it was a joke or not, but he was definitely not amused. "I didn't," he said forcibly. He saw the look he got in return and softened his tone. "Some people tried to take Gabrielle. He was trying to help. By the time we got up here, he was out." He didn't feel the need to go into it any more than that. It wasn't his business. If Xena wanted to, she could.
"I don't know what it is about you four," she said, shaking her head and making the tsking sound she was so fond of. "You just can't seem to stay out of trouble."
Hercules couldn't help but smile at her motherly tone. Her statement held more than a bit of truth to it as well. "Is he going to be okay?" he asked. He couldn't help the feeling that was growing inside him, he had to know.
"He just got a bump on the head," she told him. "He'll sleep it off and be fine."
"What about?"
"The bite?" she finished for him. "You caught it early enough that its effects won't be too bad. He'll get a bit of a fever, but give him some broth and use the poultice and he should be back to normal in a day or so. He's in good shape and has few injuries, unlike your other friend," she motioned to the other room. "His body is in a better position to fight it than she was. It will tire him out for a few days, so don't buy it when he says he's fine." The old woman smiled knowingly. Warriors, she sniffed to herself. Always got to be so tough, never know what's good for them. At least this group was willing to listen to her advice; maybe they would even follow it.
"Thank you," Hercules told her, his voice conveying a gratitude more than his words.
"You're welcome," she replied, unloading the items Iolaus would need from the large bags she carried with her. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have another patient waiting for me."
"Of course," he said, walking the short distance over to the door.
Before she left, she whispered, "This one's not as pigheaded as the rest of you, is she?"
"Worse," the large man laughed. "She's also a bard."
"Great," the woman shook her head. "She better get used to telling her stories from bed for a while..." With that, she entered the women's room, closing the door behind her for privacy.
"How is he?" Gabrielle asked when she saw the old woman enter the room.
"Give him a day to let the fever run its course and he'll be fine," Antomeana told her as she shuffled over to the bed. Seeing the identical doubting looks of the two women, she could have laughed. This was quite the group. "He was in better shape than you and he only got bit once," she explained. "As it is, you seem to be doing better than expected. You seem coherent and are moving around, something I did not expect you to do for at least another day."
"She never was good at sitting still for long," Xena commented, getting a look from the patient which she playfully returned.
Antomeana noticed the warrior was in much better spirits now that her friend was out of danger. She even appeared to have a less serious side, not that the old woman would bring that up. From the stories she had heard, it was a side she reserved for only special people and this Gabrielle was definitely one of them. "Before I change your bandages, is there anything in particular that is giving you trouble? Anything that you are especially concerned about?"
Gabrielle screwed her face up in thought, and the old woman could almost see her doing a mental inventory of her injuries. She's definitely been around these warrior-types for too long. "Well, my shoulder and head hurt the worse, though everything is pretty sore," she began, sounding more like she was describing a shopping list than her own state of well-being. "I'd say I've had worse, but I'd be lying. The only thing that I am really worried about is that everything is still blurry. I've hit my head before, but I don't remember it being this bad this many days later."
The old woman seemed to ponder that a moment before speaking. "As I told your friends before, the toxin from the berries affects the healing process. It will take longer than usual for any injuries to heal. It could just be the head injury is taking longer to heal, or it could be the lasting effects of the berries. I tend to rule out the second since you seem quite coherent in all other ways. Since I plan on keeping you here for several more days, I'll check in every day to see if it's any better. Hopefully it will go away with no problems."
Hopefully. Gabrielle repeated the word to herself. How could she be a bard if she could not see the world around her? How could she describe the beauty of some new vista if she could not see it herself? How could she defend herself against all the thugs intent on challenging her and Xena on their travels? She could not rely on Xena to take care of them all. She would not rely on Xena to care for her completely. It simply was not fair to her.
The warrior saw her friend's inward gaze and had a fair idea what was going through her mind. "Hey," she said, touching her arm lightly to draw the girl back to the real world. "It will be fine. You'll be back to normal in no time, you'll see." She regretted her last words as soon as she said them.
Gabrielle gave her a sideward glare. "Cute," she said tersely, but couldn't help the smile that formed after. She knew Xena was just trying to comfort her and doing the best job she could, but that didn't mean she couldn't have some fun at the warrior's expense.
"If you two are done..." Antomeana sighed. She could not figure out if these were her worse patients or not. They certainly were her most interesting.
"Sorry," both women gulped at the same time.
The old woman just shook her head, lowering it so they would not see the smile she knew was spreading across her face. She loved to see the kind of friendship these two shared, it was a rare thing indeed. She pulled back the blankets Xena had so carefully tucked around the girl and was once again taken aback at the damage she saw. Hurt, huh? Her right foot it did. That girl must have a gift for the understatement. True, the bruises looked better than the last time she saw her, and the swelling had gone down around the cuts, but goddesses and giants the child had to be in pain. The apothecary began to wonder just what the poor thing had been through in the past if her tolerance was as high as she claimed.
Xena watched as the healer gently and meticulously cleaned each and every wound, carefully wrapping clean bandages around every scrape and cut. She helped lift Gabrielle up so the old woman could rewrap the still mending ribs, feeling the tension in the young woman's body as she fought against the pain. Probably thinks she needs to act tough because of me, she thought. Silly, she should know better than that by now. As if reading her mind, Gabrielle looked at her a bit guiltily when she lay back down on the pillows.
The healer moved next to the smaller woman's shoulder, taking even greater care with the area she knew was the most sensitive. Gabrielle flinched when the cool salve was applied. Antomeana looked up and could see her biting back the tears. She had a fair idea of how much the child hurt, and knew that in her place more than one tear would be shed. "It's okay to cry, you know," she whispered. "I bet even this one does sometimes," she smiled, motioning to the warrior beside her. That warrior immediately raised an eyebrow at the old woman, who just waved her off, knowing it to be an act.
Gabrielle nodded and smiled through the tears she now let fall. "Hurts," she said, stating the obvious.
"I bet it does," the old woman agreed. "But the salve will help it heal, and right now darling, you need all the help you can get." She wrapped a clean piece of cloth around the wound, careful not to pull too tightly against the delicate area. "Now, let's have a look at that head of yours."
Using the same painstaking technique and patience she had used everywhere else, she examined Gabrielle's bruised face and neck. She noted that part of the wound on her forehead must have split open again during whatever adventure she had had earlier today. Using a soft rag, she washed away the drying blood, then made certain the wound had sealed itself before she finished.
"Well," she said, wiping her hands on the apron she wore. "That should do it for today. I'm going to give you some medicine for the pain and I want you to take it all; none of that 'oh really I'm fine' stuff, okay? I also don't want you moving any more than you absolutely have to." Seeing the dejected look the young woman gave her, she added, "Your body needs time to heal. Moving around takes up some of the energy you could be using to help yourself, and increases the risk that you could be hurt again. I'll be back tomorrow to check on you and your friend. If you need anything before then, don't hesitate to send for me."
"We won't," Xena promised her. She rose from the bed to walk the old healer to the door. "Thank you for all of your help. I don't know what we would have done without you."
"It's my job," Antomeana smiled, waving her off as she stepped through the doorway. "I didn't do anything special."
"You saved my best friend's life. I consider that very special," Xena told her, looking her straight in the eye, but both knew her mind was with the girl on the bed.
"You just keep care of her," the old woman said before shuffling down the hall.
"I will," the warrior whispered to herself as she closed the door. That was one promise she intended to keep.
"Xena?" Gabrielle asked, waiting for the other woman to settle herself on the edge of the bed before continuing.
"Yes?" she responded. She had to admit it was good to hear that voice again.
"Why did you send for a healer?" She cocked her head to the side quizzically. "You've taken care of hundreds of injuries by yourself before, why did you need help now?"
Xena thought about that for a while, and decided the best answer was the truth. "I didn't want to take the risk," she said softly. She looked down at the soft blanket for a moment before lifting her head to meet her friend's unwavering gaze. "I didn't know what was wrong with you. I knew you were sick, and because you were sick, you got hurt. I was able to treat those wounds, but not the true cause behind them. I could have tried different medicines, but if they didn't work I could have lost you."
Gabrielle's eyes filled with tears for the second time that day. "I should have told you something was wrong. I should have told Hercules when I first started feeling worse, I know that. But..."
"But you didn't want anyone to worry about you," Xena finished for her. "I knew something was wrong. Did you think that after all this time you could hide something like that from me? I shouldn't have let you go, even with Hercules and Iolaus. I should have stopped you and I should have stayed with you."
"Like that would have worked," the young woman sniffed. "You know what kind of fit I would have thrown?"
"I have a fair idea," Xena smiled. "But if it had stopped you from getting hurt..."
"No," Gabrielle interrupted. "We can't worry about what might have been. What happened, happened. It hurt like Tartarus and still does, but it's over and done with. We have to move on."
Xena hung her head again. She knew Gabrielle was right, they had to move on from here. Only one thing was stopping that from happening right now, besides her guilt. Melnos. He would be back. This time, she would be ready for him. He would pay for what he had done. He would not be given the chance to hurt anyone ever again.
Hercules pulled a chair up to the bedside and sat down, his mind heavy with thoughts. He shouldn't have left Iolaus alone to watch over Gabrielle. The small man was a more than capable fighter, but he hadn't been up to full strength and he knew it. He could have stayed with Iolaus and simply sent Xena down to eat, but that would have upset them both. Xena would have refused to go, or if she did would have barely ate anything and then came right back instead of working through all of her aggression. Iolaus would have thrown a fit thinking he was being insulted, like he could not be trusted to simply watch over a sleeping friend.
He had thought he had made the right choice. He had gotten Xena to finally take a break and Iolaus had seemed so much better that morning. Maybe if he hadn't talked Xena into the spar, or if somehow they had gotten back just a little sooner, they could have stopped everything from happening. Iolaus wouldn't have been hurt, Gabrielle wouldn't have been taken, and there would have been two people in the magistrate's jail right now instead of one.
He sighed. This wasn't getting himself anywhere. How in the world had Xena sat alone with her thoughts for that long? If he had been in her place, by the time Gabrielle had woken up, he would have driven himself insane. But he was in her place now, sort of. Iolaus was unconscious, but not truly hurt. The apothecary had warned him of a fever. Gabrielle had had a fever, and had terrible nightmares. Would Iolaus? But he was not as bad, right? One bite instead of two. A bump on the head instead of being beat to a pulp because someone hadn't protected him like they were supposed to. Great, now that guilt was coming back again. He truly was going to drive himself insane if he kept this up. If Xena would just let him hit something ...
"So how long do you think it will take until Hercules either drives himself insane or comes in wanting someone to talk to?" Gabrielle asked idly, playing with the hem of one of the blankets wrapped around her.
"About as long as it will take for you to try to get up out of bed," Xena answered with a smile.
"I was already out of bed," Gabrielle reminded her. "Don't think I want to do that again for a while." She winced, remembering her new bruises so recently added to her collection.
"You okay?" the warrior asked, unable to keep more than a trace of worry out of her tone.
"Yeah, fine," the bard waved her off. "Just hurts is all. Did she have to throw me on the floor?" She would have rubbed her tender tailbone to make her point, but she was too comfortable at the moment.
"The apothecary gave you pain medicine for a reason," Xena reminded her in a motherly tone. "If you hurt, you should take it."
"If I take it, I'll fall asleep. Been doing enough of that already," the young woman grumbled.
"That was a different kind of sleep and you know it. Your body needs time to heal. Why not sleep and let it take care of itself instead of using up your energy just hurting?" She paused, giving the young woman time to contemplate her words. "Besides," she smiled. "Then I don't have to listen to you complain." It was a lie and she knew it. She was elated to hear her friend's voice again, complaints or no.
Gabrielle gave her a look. "I'd hit you, but it would hurt too much and you would stop me anyway." She tried to be angry, but she couldn't keep the smile off her face.
"You're right," was all Xena said. She adjusted herself so she leaned back against the headboard, resting slightly on the pile of pillows that surrounded her friend. She looked down at the young woman beside her, knowing she was struggling to stay awake as it was. Just a bit of the apothecary's medicine would do the trick, help take away the pain and put her to sleep. Before she could ask, Gabrielle broke into another coughing fit. She was immediately supporting her, helping her to breathe until she could work through this current bout. Satisfied it was over, she filled the mug again and held it as her charge took little sips.
"Ouch," Gabrielle sighed as she pushed the mug away and lay back down on the pillows.
"You want to try a little bit of the medicine? It will help take the edge off the pain," Xena suggested.
"Might as well," Gabrielle coughed one last time. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, seeming to end the bout for good.
Xena mixed it just as Antomeana had shown her, knowing full well that she was giving her friend a full dose. She needed it, she reasoned. Gabrielle wouldn't admit how much pain she was in, but that didn't stop Xena from knowing. She had had enough injuries herself to know how bad they hurt, and had been around her friend long enough to tell when she was putting on the tough girl act. Though she herself may have tried to work through her injuries, she had far more experience in doing so and usually had a good reason. Besides, Gabrielle was different, she told herself. She shouldn't have to, and it was as simple as that.
The young woman drank the mixture carefully, not knowing what to expect. She was pleasantly surprised at the taste, not too bitter and almost sweet. Definitely not one of Xena's mixes, she thought with a smile. She had barely finished the cup when she felt its effects beginning to kick in. She set the cup down in her lap only to have Xena remove it almost immediately. The older woman helped her slide back down on the pillows until she was quite comfortable and could feel herself beginning to drift off. "Hey, not fair," she complained, struggling to stay awake as she realized what her friend had done. She knew it was a losing battle as her pain, worry, and consciousness slowly disappeared.
Hercules was still fighting with his thoughts when he heard a soft knock on the door. Being that it was the door that joined the two rooms, he had a fair idea who it was. "Come in," he called, turning briefly towards the door before his eyes returned to the bed.
Xena opened the door and stepped just barely into the room, leaning casually on the doorjamb. She had waited until she was certain Gabrielle was asleep, and then a bit more just to make sure. As it was, she refused to be out of earshot on the off chance her friend might need her. "How are you doing?" she asked the large man slouched in the room's only chair. She remembered the others were still in her own room, along side the bed Gabrielle now slept in.
"He's still asleep. Won't know how bad he is until he wakes up," Hercules answered.
"That's nice, but I asked how you were," Xena smiled.
The large man smiled back, though the humor never reached his eyes. "Fine," he finally answered. He knew she would not be satisfied with his response, and looked up to find the expected arched eyebrow. "Okay, so I'm not," he admitted. "I just don't know what to do. I want to do something, anything, to help him get better, but all I can do is sit here and watch," he sighed.
"You're there for him, and that's what's important. Some part of him has to know that, and it gives him a reason to fight whatever it is that has taken hold of him. You have to believe that," Xena told him.
Hercules wiped his hands across his face, catching a few stray strands of hair that fell in his eyes, before letting them collapse in his lap. "How did you do it?" he sighed. "I've been here a fraction of the time you spent with Gabrielle, and I don't know how much more I can take."
"I wasn't alone," she reminded him. "And neither are you. My entire focus was to get Gabrielle through this, as if my wanting it made it so. Though you may not think so, your simply being there helped me through it, helped me know I was not alone. And when I was sure she was going to be all right, you took me aside and made me face all the feelings I had been putting on hold. Believe me when I say that was a very difficult thing to do."
Hercules had a fair idea how difficult it was. Though Gabrielle had made a huge improvement in getting the famed Warrior Princess to deal with her emotions, to even realize she had them and it wasn't a bad thing, Xena still preferred to keep them inside, safe from all but her closest friends. And when her very closest friend, the one who kept her in touch with her emotions, was hurt and unable to help her, she tended to want to lock them away as she had always done. He knew just how strong those emotions could be, and their probable consequences. Just like Iolaus had told him before breakfast that morning, he truly was taking his life into his own hands. Not that Xena would actually hurt him... He thought back to their spar and his still aching muscles and debated whether or not her needed to rephrase that.
"Iolaus is going to be fine," Xena's words cut into his thoughts. "The apothecary herself said so. Gabrielle's case was rare. Very few people get bit twice, and even fewer..." She could not bring herself to say it. Yes, she was still angry about what happened to her friend, and would be for a long time. However, there was nothing she could do about it, and right now Gabrielle was in the next room alive and on her way to a full recovery. Hercules had enough on his mind right now, she didn't need him thinking she still blamed him. "Iolaus was in good shape and is a fighter. If Gabrielle could fight it, so can he. Just give him a little time."
Hercules smiled wryly at the woman. He knew she was trying to make him feel better, and it was working. He also knew she was telling the truth. Iolaus would be fine. It was just he had to wait for that to happen. "Does that mean I can go beat something up now?"
Xena looked down at the sleeping woman with a smile. Gabrielle looked so peaceful, with not a hint of pain or discomfort. That was some pretty powerful stuff Antomeana had given her. The sun hung low in the afternoon sky, and the girl was still asleep. She had left Hercules some time ago though, much to his disappointment, she had not let him beat anything up. Iolaus had stirred ever so slightly in his sleep, and Hercules had rushed to his side thinking he was waking up. Instead, Xena could tell, the fever was starting to kick in. It had surprised her that he had not woken up yet, but she figured the lasting effects of the berries were to be blamed for that. The fever itself was not as strong as Gabrielle's had been, but given time it could grow into something just as bad. She didn't know who it would be harder on, the small man, or the demi-god beside him. She heard a frantic knock on the door between their rooms and decided it was quite possibly going to be hardest on her. What now, had Iolaus moved again?
The door cracked open without her saying a word. "Xena?" Hercules called softly, barely peeking his head through the door. His voice was strained, almost panicked. To anyone but his closest of friends, it would be hard to believe that voice was coming from that man, that the great Hercules could actually be afraid of anything.
Xena knew him better than that though. Iolaus was his closest and truest friend. He could not bear seeing him in pain any more than she could bare seeing Gabrielle in pain. It was just that the large man had a way of overreacting; not that anyone could actually tell him that though. "Yes," she replied almost boredly, never lifting her eyes from her charge.
"I... I think he's dreaming, having nightmares just like Gabrielle did. What do I do?" he asked nervously. What if he did the wrong thing? What if he made it worse instead of better? He did not know if that was possible, but he certainly did not want to find out.
"Be with him," she answered simply. She glanced up at the worried man and decided her answer would not be enough. "Talk to him, try to calm him down. Let him know that you are there and the images he sees are not real. Give him something tangible to hold on to."
"Okay, I'll try," he sighed. He started to close the door and she could almost count out the time; three, two, one The door popped open again. "Uh, Xena?" A raised eyebrow was his only response. "Thank you." With that, he closed the door behind him, knowing they each had their separate charges to take care of.
Xena looked back down at her own charge, not surprised to find green eyes blinking up at her. "Xena?" Gabrielle yawned. She felt the need to make sure it was not another dream or vision, but a real person in front of her. With everything that had happened, she could not be sure.
"I'm here," came the warrior's reply. Xena absent-mindedly smoothed back stray strands of hair from her friend's face as she waited for her friend to speak again.
"Was that Hercules?" the young woman asked.
"Mmm-hmm," Xena affirmed.
"He seemed worried about something. Is Iolaus all right?"
Xena thought for a moment and decided the truth was her best option. Besides, Gabrielle would not accept anything else. "His fever is kicking in. He's starting to have nightmares and Hercules asked me what to do."
"What did you tell him?" the bard asked. She had just been waking up when he came in and could only make out the voices and the tone they were spoken in, but not the actual words. As it was, the room was just now starting to orient itself again. Her mind felt so sluggish, but there was nothing she could do about it.
"I told him to just be with him, to talk to him so he would know there was someone there."
Xena knew the next question before Gabrielle even asked it. "Is that what you did with me?" Green eyes focused on her, waiting for an answer, and holding something else in them, some secret knowledge.
"Yes," Xena answered simply. She watched as her friend seemed to think out her next words before she spoke, trying to sort out the different images they held into something more coherent that could be explained.
"I guess I knew that already," Gabrielle smiled shyly. "When I was there, in that dark place with nothing but sorrow and evil around me, I felt something There was something else in the distance, a sort of light mixed in with all the shadows. When I felt it, I knew that no matter how bad things got, that there was still hope, that there was still something good out there somewhere. I knew I needed to find that goodness, that light." Once again, green eyes focused on blue, daring them to argue. "When I did, I heard a voice, your voice, and knew I was going to be all right."
Xena wanted to look away, to hide the feelings she felt at what she heard, but her heart wouldn't let her. Once again, Gabrielle had found a way through all of her emotional barriers. Gabrielle had felt safe with her, had fought to come back because of her. She knew all of the dangers and darkness her reality was capable of by simply being with the former warlord, but she also knew that same woman would do everything in her power to protect her, so she felt safe, safe enough to want to come back. No, Gabrielle, you're my light, Xena thought to herself, remembering just how many times she had said those very words to her. The reason I am so willing to protect you is that you have brought such goodness into my life, I could not bear to lose it, to lose you, to any force this world may offer. "Thank you," was all she could bring herself to say, though she knew her friend understood everything she could not put words to.
"I should be the one thanking you..." Gabrielle started to say. Whatever she intended to say next was forgotten as a maddened scream erupted from the room next door.
"Iolaus," both said at the same time.
Xena jumped up out of the bed to head for the door and saw Gabrielle trying to move to follow. "Stay here," she commanded.
"But..." the small woman began to protest even though the simple movement shot bolts of pain through her.
Xena gave her a look. "Please?" she sighed. "If he's okay, I'll see if you can visit." Before Gabrielle could object, she ran into the other room.
She was met with the sight of Iolaus frantically gripping onto Hercules' arm as the large man tried to calm him down. The smaller man was drenched with sweat and struggling with every breath, the fear in his eyes evident even from where she stood.
"Shh," Hercules told him, brushing back gold curls away from frantic blue eyes with his free hand. "It's okay, it was just a dream" He looked briefly to the woman who stood next to him, as if unsure of himself before returning his attention to his feverish friend. He kept repeating the same words over and over again, in the same quiet voice, until the blonde man began to relax. Hercules slowly lowered his friend back to the bed, watching as the small man's eyes drifted close and he finally loosened his death grip, allowing feeling to edge back into his arm again. He did not take his attention off his friend until Iolaus' breathing came in slow, regular breaths. Finally, he gently pushed himself off the bed and turned to face the waiting Xena.
"He started mumbling different names under his breath, all of the different monsters and warlords we have fought. The next thing I know, he's screaming as if they were all right here in the room next to him," Hercules sighed, brushing his hair away from his tired eyes. He was beginning to think fighting those monsters was nothing in comparison to what he was going through right now. At least he could do something with the monsters, and let his aggressions out at the same time.
"To him, they were," Xena replied simply. She knew her friend knew this at some level, but maybe if he heard the words, again, it would help him to understand it better.
"Do you have any idea how much I would give to trade places with him right now?"
"Yes," was all she said. Her mind traveled back to only the night before, though it felt like ages ago. It should have been her lying in the bed fighting the fever and all the monsters and demons that came with it. Gabrielle had done nothing to deserve such torture, yet she went through it, and survived. It didn't change the fact that Xena would have been willing to do just about anything to have prevented that from happening. She would have faced her own demons, dark as they were. She had done it before, and she was certain she would be called upon to do it again.
Hercules looked up at the woman beside him and saw the emotions run across her face, the sadness in her eyes. It didn't take an oracle to know what she was thinking. Of course she knew. She would have done the same. But the Fates would not allow either of them to take the pain away from their best friends, no matter how much they wanted to. Xena had stayed by Gabrielle's side and got her through this without going mad, he was certain he could do the same for Iolaus. It would be hard, and he would really want to hit something by the end of it, but he could do it.