You're Still The One

By T.Novan
TNovan@aol.com

Twenty-First in the Melosa Series

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. Lyrics to You’re Still the One, belong to Twain/Lange and Mercury Nashville and are use here without permission.

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: None.

Language: Mild

Other: Part twenty-one in the series "Raising Melosa". Most of the Melosa stories have a gap of about six months between them, but this one takes up right after "The Depth of Love". Also, you’ll be getting these next several parts from Xena’s POV.

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Comments TNOVAN@aol.com

I watched her as she tried to focus on me. She looked so lost and confused. I had to assume that the amnesia was total…although the mention of the dog kept some hope alive in my heart.

"Gabrielle…" I said softly. Her eyes darted back to me. "That’s your name…Gabrielle."

She remained silent, but the look in her eyes made it clear she wanted more information. "My name is Xena." I said softly as I held her hand in mine giving it a light squeeze. Every nerve ending in my body shocked my skin as I realized she didn’t know who I was. After almost fifteen seasons together she had no idea. No memories of us or our life together seemed to remain.

She lifted her hand and placed it on my face as the tips of her fingers grazed gently along my jaw as she fought to form words. "Xe…Xe…na…Xena."

"Yes that’s right I’m Xena." I smiled. Maybe something was going to come back. "But you need to rest. You had an accident. You were hurt. So don’t worry about anything right now but getting your strength back."

She turned her head slowly and looked around the room. She seemed to be searching for something, what I wouldn’t be able to guess. Maybe just something that she would recognize in her own mind. She looked back to me. "Xena." She said one last time before giving over to sleep. I’m relieved when I realize it’s sleep and not the horrible unconsciousness that has kept her from us for the last week. I tucked her hand gently under the covers and realize it’s going to be a long hard road back.

Getting into bed, I laid there and watch her sleep. Easy deep breaths and I know that she’ll be okay. No matter how much of her memory comes back, or doesn’t come back at least she’ll be okay. For the first time in a week I allowed myself to sleep without fear that she’d slip away from me in the night.

When my eyes opened with the morning light I was surprised to find her sitting on the edge of the bed. I lifted myself up on an elbow and reached out with a tentative hand, touching her slowly. She turned her head and looked at me. "Xena." She said softly.

"You shouldn’t be up Gabrielle. You need to rest. Lay back down."

I got up and moved to her side of the bed and cautiously laid her back down. She didn’t resist me as I covered her. "I promise we’ll go out later, but for now you rest. It’s too early to be up anyhow. You’ve never been up this early." I grinned at her and she smiled back at me. I hoped it was genuine, but somehow I got a feeling it was reflex more than anything. "Rest, just rest."

"Xena…"

It almost seemed a question so I sat down on the edge of the bed and ran my fingers gently across her brow. "Yes sweetheart?"

Her eyes just looked at me, blank. No recognition. She just seemed to have locked onto the one word. My name. Funny how after all these seasons the sound of her saying my name could tear at my heart this way. "Well since you seem do be awake how about I get you something to eat?" She continued to stare at me. "Stay in bed I’ll be right back."

I left our room and headed to the kitchen. Cook and Karra sat at the table having their morning tea. "You’re up early." Karra said as I poured two cups of tea.

"Gabrielle’s awake." I said softly. My voice betrayed what should have been a happy announcement.

Karra stood and put her hand on my back. "What’s wrong?"

"She doesn’t remember." My voice cracked. "Anything." I shook it off and got two bowls down from the cabinet and moved to the cooking hearth were the morning oatmeal was cooking I got two bowls. I took Ri’s back to the counter and thinned it with a touch of tea and added a little honey. She hated oatmeal and would only eat it if it were sweet. "I’m going to try to get her to eat something a little more substantial."

"Do you need any help?" Karra offered her voice soft with concern.

"No I’ll be fine. Listen; do me a favor don’t say anything to the children just yet. I need time to think."

"Of course not." She reassured me with a little smile.

I nodded my thanks and took a tray of food back to our room. Gabrielle watched me as sat the tray down and turned to her. "Here let’s get you to sit up a bit." I helped her sit up in bed and retrieved a bowl of the cereal. She made no effort to reach for it. I stirred it and debated on the best way to handle this. "Okay tell you what we’re going to do. I’ll show you how to deal with this and when you’re ready you can take over." I took a bite of her cereal trying to show her it was food and that it was safe to eat. Then I offered her a bite. She never took her eyes off me as she accepted the food into her mouth. She tasted it and swallowed and smiled at me.

I smiled back, this smile was genuine she was enjoying the oatmeal. I fed her this first meal and then helped her drink her tea. I was just grateful to finally get some real food into her. After she ate she fell back to sleep. I laid her back into the bed and sighed as I watched her. For someone who had always had all the answers in the past I certainly felt lost right now. I leaned over and kissed my beloved wife on the forehead. "I love you bard."

I heard the rest of the house begin to stir and I knew the children would be headed for us in just a few moments. I decided to head them off this morning. Taking my tea I left our room. As I stepped out and closed the door behind me Mel, who was still rubbing the sleep from her eyes ran right into me.

She looked up and grinned at me. "Well, whaddya’ know, a wall." She said as she pushed on my legs. I didn’t move. I could only stand there and laugh silently for a moment. "Who put this here?" She said giving me another little shove. I sipped my tea, never moving a muscle. "It wasn’t here yesterday."

"You are just too smart for your own good you know that?" I asked as I handed her my tea so she could take a drink and get more awake.

"Yeah they tell me I’m a lot like someone else around here. Maybe you’ve seen her. Tall, blue eyes…" She sipped my tea. "Lousy sense of humor." She handed my tea back and I bent over and picked her up by the waist. She wrapped her legs around my waist and our foreheads met we were eye to eye.

"Who says I have a lousy sense of humor?" I grinned.

"Anyone who has spent more than one full day with you." She said as she kissed the tip of my nose.

"Oh is that so?" I threw her over my shoulder and walked away from the door to our room.

"Hey I wanted to go in there." She squeaked at me as we went the common room and I tossed her down on the couch.

"Yeah I know sweetheart, but we need to talk first okay?" I said as I sat down next to her and leaned back patting my lap for her to join me. She crawled up on my lap, just as Kai came out of his room. He came straight for us and climbed up on the couch and threw himself down on it, planning on going back to sleep I’m sure. He was more like Ri everyday. "Hey buddy sit up here for a moment I need to talk to you and your sister."

He grumbled but complied. I handed him my tea and it occurred to me that I never got to start or finish my own tea anymore when he handed the mug back empty.

"Is something wrong with Momma?" I could hear the fear creeping into Mel’s voice.

"No sweetheart your Momma is fine. As a matter of fact she opened her eyes this morning."

"That’s great!" Mel yelped as she started to climb down, but I held onto her.

"Hey hang on, we’re not done here yet." She resettled into my lap. "You’re Momma opened her eyes and that’s a really good sign that she’s going to be okay…but she has a bad head wound and there are other problems."

"What kind of problems?" Mel asked as she rested her chin on my shoulder and looked to our bedchamber door.

"Momma doesn’t remember anything." I said quietly.

"She doesn’t know us?" Kai asked as he took up a position with his arms and head resting on the back of the couch, also staring at the door.

"No buddy she doesn’t." I reached out and scratched his head.

He turned his head, laying it on his arms and looked at me with tears in his eyes. "She doesn’t love us anymore?"

"Sure she does. She just doesn’t know it yet. So we’re all going to have to work together to remind her okay." He nodded, but the tears fell as he did and I wiped them away with my thumb. "It’s going to be okay, but it’s going to take time."

"How long?" Mel asked. I could feel her tears soaking into my robe.

"I don’t know honey. I just don’t know. But for the next couple of days I’m gonna need to spend some time with Momma alone."

"Why?" Mel asked shooting straight up on my lap and wiping her eyes. "You just said that we would all…"

"And we will," I cut her off and pulled her back to me. "But first I want to tell her about you so that when you guys see each other again maybe she’ll remember something."

"Well then go in there and tell her now." Mel said as she sat back up and stared at me.

Why the Gods chose to bless me with a child so much like myself I’ll never know. My mother said it was revenge for all the things I put her through as a child.

"I will Mel, but it’s not that simple. You’re just gonna have to trust me on this okay?"

She looked back at the door and nodded. "Good now I need you to do my a big favor."

"What?" She asked as she turned back to me.

"It’s a big favor and a big responsibility. Can you handle it?"

"Sure."

"Okay I need you to get dressed while I saddle your pony. Then I want you to ride over to the village and get Aunt Eph for me. Can you do that?"

"By myself?"

"All by yourself."

"Yeah I can do that." She absolutely beamed at me. This was her first trip over to the village on her own. I had always walked her over or we had ridden over together. She had never been allowed to go by herself before, but she was the only one who could do it right now.

"What can I do?" Kai asked wanting to get in on it.

"Good question. I need you to go to your room and pack a couple of days worth of clothes okay? I’m going to have you go help your Aunt Alana. With your brother away she needs some extra help over at the house. Can you do that?"

"Sure!" I’m glad he was so young. It was easy to trick him. I knew I had to make him feel just as significant in all this. It was the only thing I could think of at the moment, but it seemed to work. I knew Alana would understand and do everything she could to make him feel important while he was there.

He took of for his room and Mel turned to me. "Please tell me you don’t think I’m that stupid too."

"Honey he’s not stupid. He’s little and I needed to make him feel big. He can’t stay here right now, but I needed to give him something to do. Now go get dressed." I sent her on her way with a little swat to her backside.

I returned to our room. Ri still slept. I dressed quickly and went to the barn and saddled Mel’s pony. Checking all his tack twice, just to make sure I took him back to the house. Mel met me on the porch.

"You sure you can handle this?" I asked as she came down the steps.

She stopped and looked up at me. "If you didn’t think I could, would you have asked me?" She smiled as she grabbed the saddle horn and put her foot in the stirrup pulling herself up into the saddle.

"No I guess I wouldn’t have." I had to agree with her logic. "Slow and easy okay?" I asked as I lowered my head for a kiss.

"Okay. Slow and easy." She gave me a kiss and when I stood back up she nudged her pony forward. A great deal of my pride went with my daughter as she rode off. She was quite a kid.

I went back inside through the side door. ‘Cook’ and Karra had Kessa and Rosa in the kitchen feeding them their oatmeal. I gave each of my daughter’s hugs and kisses and spent a few moment getting fed their oatmeal for my efforts. They were learning to do this for themselves, but apparently decided I need a little food this morning too. My stomach rumbled its agreement. I remembered that indeed I hadn’t eaten this morning when I took care of Ri. I decided now was a good time to explain my plan to my friends so I got a bowl of the cereal and sat down.

‘Cook’ and Karra prepared the children to travel. They would take Kai to Alana and then return to the village and keep Kessa and Rosa there for a few days. I had decided to allow Mel to remain with me. I knew that trying to get her to leave would only end up in an argument that neither one of us needed right now. With her lessons and her studies she would be gone most of the day anyhow. So it would be alright. I would have enough time alone with Ri.

Returning to our room I found her awake once again and trying to sit up. "Hey, hey what did I tell you?" I said as I took a seat next to her.

She got a very determined look on her face and fought for the right word. She closed her eyes and then opened them again. "Rest." She finally said with a smile.

"Yes rest." I couldn’t possibly explain the joy I found in that second word. She had some short term memories if she could remember my telling her that. This was a very good sign. "Gabrielle do you understand anything I’m saying to you?" I had to see if she could acknowledge that question in any way.

She looked at me and gave me a very determined sigh, running her hands over the blankets and the bed. "Rest."

She did understand. I sighed and felt a huge weight fall from my shoulders. If she could retain information and understand what it meant, helping her get her memories back might be easier than I thought. This was the woman I had fallen in love with, stubborn and defiant to the very end. I smiled. Now all I had to do was figure out exactly how to communicate with her.

The Raising Melosa Series Continues with Every Moment

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