Disclaimers: The characters of Xena: Warrior Princess and all other associated with the television series of the same name are owned by MCA/ Universal Pictures. This is a work of fan fiction and no copyright infringement is intended.

Subtext: I guess with my writing so far we'll just quit calling it subtext and call it maintext. Yes they are in love with each other.

Sex: None

Violence: Yes.

Language: Mild

Other: Part Fifty in the series "Raising Melosa". Takes place six months after "Don’t Touch the Amazon

By T.Novan

Taking a deep breath I knew immediately something wasn’t right. I rolled over and realized I was lying on the ground in a bedroll. I opened my eyes to find Xena leaning over a fire fixing tea and cooking fish. She looked to me and smiled.

"Good morning sleepyhead."

I sat up quickly trying to get my bearings. I ran my hand through my hair. It was cut short. Looking to my hands I found the mendhi. "Oh Gods…."

"Gabrielle are you all right?"

I looked to her again. Her hair was dark. Her eyes so clear, all the age gone from her face. "Xena…."

She got up, moved across the fire and settled down next to me, putting her arm around me. "Hey you okay?" She placed a hand to my forehead. "You don’t feel warm? Are you sick?"

"It’s all gone…."

"Gabrielle what’s all gone?"

"The house…."

"House?"

"The children…."

"Children? Gabrielle what’s going on?"

I couldn’t speak. I wrapped my arms around her neck and simply cried.

"Shhh…hey it’s okay." I could feel her holding me, stroking my hair. Comforting me. "Come on Gabrielle tell me what’s wrong?"

"I’m, I’m not sure. I had," I looked into her eyes. She looked so confused. "I must have had a dream."

"You, my dear, are not allowed to have bad dreams." She smiled and tapped the tip of my nose with her finger.

"Oh Xena it wasn’t a bad dream. It was wonderful…we…we had…." I buried my head back in her shoulder. "We had a home and children. Gods Xena we had the most beautiful children."

She pulled back and smiled at me. "Children? You and I had children? How many?"

"Five."

"Hmm we were ah… busy weren’t we?" Her grin grew wider. "So tell me. How did we manage to have so many children?"

"I don’t even know where to start." I got up and moved to the edge of the hill, staring out into the meadow below us. I wrapped my arms around myself as I watched Argo graze contentedly.

"The beginning is always a good place." She moved behind me stroking my arms with her hands. "Come on Gabrielle this really has you upset. Tell me."

"We went back to the amazons and settled there."

"We did?"

"Yeah…settled and umm well we got married."

"Well so far so good." She chuckled.

I put my hands over hers, leaning back into her. "It was good, so very good. Artemis gave us a child Xena. We named her Melosa. A beautiful little girl that looked just like you."

"Oh that poor child."

"Oh no Xena," I turned to face her. "She was so perfect. So much like you. Then you well you died…."

"That’s bad."

"Yes it was. Hades and Artemis sent you back. They sent Solan back too." I saw the pain cross her face. "Our family was complete Xena. They helped make it complete. In time you also came to accept Hades as your father."

"Hades as my father? Oh Honey we gotta keep you away from spicy food before bedtime."

"No it was okay. That’s how our other children came into the world. It was because of your special ‘gift’ that allowed us to have our other children, another son and twin daughters, Kai, Kessa and Rosa." I felt the tears begin to slip down my cheeks as I thought of that life. That life that seemed so perfect. That life that was gone with this sunrise.

She wrapped her arms around me. "I’m sorry it was a dream Gabrielle."

I finished packing up our gear as Xena saddled Argo. My heart felt so heavy. I felt as if I had lost everything that was important to me. Gods how could a dream seem so real? I massaged my forehead as I tried to force the visions of my children…the children from my mind. They didn’t exist. They never had. How could I be so upset by something that had never happened?

"Hey," I looked up to see her holding her hand out to me. "You going to be okay?"

"Sure. I just have to get used to the fact that the next twenty or so seasons aren’t what I thought they were going to be." I took her hand and she pulled me to my feet. "That everything I apparently came to love doesn’t really exist."

"Gee thanks."

"That’s not what I meant. You know I love you. By the Gods Xena it just seemed so real. They were just so wonderful. It was…perfect. We had a home and a family. You were so content. Mel was good for you. You two were so much alike. You adored her and she worshipped you."

"You keep this up and I’m going to start missing her." She drew me in for a hug. "We’d better get going."

"Yeah sure." I sighed as I handed her our bedroll.

"So how long had we been living this life?" She asked as she took the bedroll and attached it to the saddle.

"We had been married for almost fifteen seasons. Mel was almost thirteen, Kai was eleven, Kessa and Rosa were close to nine. Gabrielle was eight and Dante’ was four."

"Who were Gabrielle and Dante’?"

"Our grandchildren." I smiled at the memory.

She turned to me. "Grandchildren?"

"Yeah, yeah," I wiped a tear away. "Grandchildren, just as beautiful as our children."

"I take it Solan was the father?"

"Yeah he was married to an amazon warrior named Alana. They lived just over the ridge from us."

"It was very vivid wasn’t it?" She mounted Argo, then held her hand out to me.

"Yes it was. I’ll walk if that’s okay."

"Of course." She smiled at me. "Gabrielle it was just a dream."

I nodded. "I know." I swallowed hard as we began moving down the road. "I know." I whispered as I fought the tears and felt the loss.

"Gabrielle? Hey Gabrielle…." Her voice brought me back.

"Yes?"

"You’re awfully quiet. That dream still bugging you? We’ve been traveling for nearly three candle marks and you haven’t said a word."

"I can’t help it. You just don’t understand how real it was. I feel like I’ve lost an important part of my life."

She reined Argo, sliding out of the saddle she took my hand. "It that what you want Gabrielle? Do you want to go home to the Amazons and settle down? You know a dream is a wish your heart makes."

"Xena it would be wonderful to do that, but it would never be like it was in my dream. Those children…those bright and beautiful children could never…."

She pressed her finger to my lips. "You don’t know that Gabrielle. Maybe that dream is what we’re supposed to do."

"You think so?"

"Why not? Maybe it was a vision…."

I couldn’t help but groan. I didn’t mean to roll my eyes.

"Yeah, yeah I know but this could be it. This could be the one. Let’s go home to the amazons. We can be there in two days." I nodded and smiled as she wrapped her arms around me, kissing my forehead. "So you made an honest woman out of me huh?"

"Yup. Not sure what possessed me to do that." I grinned as I caressed her cheek. "Must have something to do with the fact that I love you more than anything in this life or the next. ‘Sides can’t very well allow you to stay single with all those amazons running around."

"You needn’t worry about those other amazons my love. You have my heart."

We settled down that night next to the fire. Xena held me in her arms as we watched the fire. "So tell me more about Melosa…."

"What do you want to know?"

"What was she like?"

I laughed. "Oh she was just a little you. So totally you, she was even becoming a warrior."

"Hmm well whaddya know. What about the other kids?"

"Kai was our little scholar…."

"Ah just like you."

"I guess so yeah. Kessa and Rosa were training to take over as Queens."

"Heirs for you huh. Shouldn’t that have been Melosa?"

"Should have been, but she gave it up to follow you." I stroked her arms. "Umm Xena?"

"Yeah."

"Call her Mel. That’s what you called her. It just doesn’t sound right to hear you saying Melosa."

I wiped a tear away when I finally realized that my warrior had no memory of these things. This had been my dream. She never knew our children. She never sat on the floor watching Mel and I sleep. She never held me in her arms while Kai was born. She never saved my life and the lives of Kessa and Rosa by taking them when I couldn’t deliver them.

We settled into our bedroll for the night. She pulled me into her arms. As I put my head on her shoulder she whispered. "If I can make this dream come true Gabrielle, I will."

I fell asleep wishing I would wake and find my family whole and intact.

I felt her move out of the bedroll. Grabbing for her sword as she did. "Xena…."

"We’ve got company." She motioned me back down as she crouched and moved toward the edge of the clearing. "Stay here."

I watched as she disappeared into the darkness. I slipped a cloak around my shoulders and threw a little dirt on the fire to dampen the flame. I could hear horses, at least six. I got to my feet as I heard the battle cry. She was engaging them. The sound of metal clashing rang in my ears as I made my way to the edge of the clearing. I heard it, but I couldn’t see where it came from. The sound of a crossbow bolt. I watched her drop her arms and look down. Her back was to me and I couldn’t see much else. The riders regrouped and left almost as quickly as they came.

I ran toward her, hoping that she was pleased with herself for having a nice little skirmish in the middle of the night. "Happy Warrior…." As I got closer she turned to me. Then I saw it. The bolt sticking from her chest. "Gods no!" I couldn’t move fast enough as I looked into her eyes.

"Gabrielle…." As she said my name, blood poured from her mouth. Her knees buckled and her sword fell from her hand.

I caught her before she hit the ground, pulling her into my lap I cradled her. "Don’t you dare! You promised me!"

"Gabrielle…." She reached a hand to my cheek. "It was a…lovely…dream…." She smiled as her eyes fell shut.

I felt the last breath leave her body. I screamed.

TBC…

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