Legal Disclaimer: The typical stuff, i do not own the rights for Xena, Gabriele and the others, unfortunately that rights are of StudiosUSA , Universal Pictures and the rest of TPTB, and my personal opinion is that they are persons who care nothing about the fans and need a good kick on their asses.

Violence: Some

Languaje: nothing

Subtext: What's subtext? Ahhh you mean you think they are just friends...are you sure you and I have seen the same show? =)

No really this is a story in wich they love each other...i'm pretty open minded so this don't bothers me...

Spoilers: this is made because i'm truly dissapointed with Robert Tapert, and the rest. So this is another alter ending....or for being more explicit it is the chapter that got lost in TPTB office.

Comments: are well recieved on karla_wp_99@yahoo.com

"Xena...wha..what are you doing here?" Akemi asked worried holding the warrior's arm

"Where do you expected me to be?" she asked, sarcastically, with a tired voice tone.

"I thought that by now you have been restored...something wrong happened?"

"Restored?...Wrong?" the warrior terrorized at the revelation.

"Xena...what did you do?" Akemi asked fearful that the warrior has made some stupid thing.

"You told me that the sould must be avenged to be released on grace..." with a lower gaze and without saying it, Xena told the girl that she has technically let herself die.

"God no...i told you that before you killed Yodoshi, after that I told you that you have been redeemed along with us, that meant that your debt was cancelled"

"Wh...what?" Xena asked and her face lost all color.

"I should had explained better...i never told you that you had to stay dead!" Akemi shouted her, holding her shoulders.

"I thougth....like when you killed yourself...." the warrior admitted.

"Xena i have a code because of my traditions...you, you have your own...and why did you thought that we wanted revenge?

Avenged not always mean killing in this case we just wanted you to kill Yodoshi...after that we were all redeemed along with you..."

Xena was speechless...her last oportunity was gone yesterday.

"You stayed here without a reason" the girl told her saddly

"Well.... i think...that ...well we all have to die isnt?" Xena said with a small smile taking aback Akemi

"You stayed here because you thought it was the right thing.....because deep inside your heart you still feel guilty...Xena tell me when are you going to understand the meaning of redemption? You made better alive than dead"

Xena was teary eyed...her heart shattered because of the truth...her las hope was gone and with this the last chance to be with Gabrielle again.

The poet hold her head with a hand and began to think in all the options to reunite Xena with the blonde bard "Well we have to see if there's something we can do....I'm going to tell Gabrielle to keep your ashes...they could be useful for..."

Before Akemi could dissapear the warrior held her arm "Akemi wait...i don't want you to visit Gabrielle"

"Why?" asked surprised and scared.

"Now i know that there's nothing that attach me to this place...but let's be realistic there's no way she can restore me..."

"you don't want to live again?" she asked immediately.

"Of course i want but..." not ttrying to face her.

"You had lost hope..."

Xena stayed silent "I don't want her to spend the rest of her life seraching a way to restore me...i can't ask her to do that..."

"I think it's not your choice Xena is hers....and she'll keep searching...believe me" the girl dissapeared and Xena fell on her knees crying, for the first time in her life she was destroyed, she was fearful and she felt stupid all at the same time.

In the deck of a boat a woman looked destroyed from the insides, Gabrielle was sobbing it was the second day since Xena's death...true death, she was crying, and remembering all the happy times she had with the warrior..."Damn it Xena....why you left me?"

"Gabrielle" Akemi appeared before Gabrielle, this scared at first then knowing it was Akemi she sitted in her bead.

"Akemi nice to see you...what are you doing here?"

"Xena can and must be restored"

The bard felt a lump in her throat "I wish that but i don't know how...and what are you telling? What about those 40,000 souls?"

"Xena misundertood the message...i told her that the souls must be avenged...she avenged them by killing Yodoshi..it ...it wasnt necessary for her to stay there"

"oh no...no...noo....she know this?"

"I have just told her...but she has lost her will and her hope...she has given up...the pain of being without you has been too much to her"

"Too much that she gaves up and don't fight for return?" now Gabrielle sadness was transforming in anger, Akemi put a hand on her shoulder and calmed her instantly.

"you need to help her..." akemi begged

"How?"

"I spoke with my ancestors they say that the land you are going there's a powerful book...called the book of the death..it has the power to bring back the dead, you need to find the book, and there they comes the instructions of what you must do....but i have to tell you that is a very dangerous mission, will you accept it?"

"For bringing her back...of course!"

Akemi gave the bard some instructions, before she left Gabrielle asked "Akemi why are you doing this?"

"I need to be forgiven for what I made to her...i loved her, and i can't bear to see her in that state of hopeless..."

"thanks" then the ghost dissapeared and reapeared on the spirit realm.

"Xena...i went to Gabrielle" she confessed.

"I know..."

"She loves you a lot"

Xena keep silent at the comment

"You need to help her..."

"How can i help her and give her hope when i have lost mine?" the warrior asked shattered at the revelation.

"She won't succed unless you help her...I know it has been very hard to you...that's the reason of why you dissapeared of her sight after she went on the boat...and that's the reason of why you didn't say her goodbye...it's killing you that you are apart from her..."

The warrior just nodded.

In the night Gabrielle was shinning with new hopes, she was finally smiling, when she felt someone that hugged her from behind.

"Xena" she whispered

"Gabrielle" the bard faced the spirit looking her, happily.

"Akemi told me that theres a way to restore you" the smile in the bard's face reflected her soul.

"Gabrielle how dangerous is this?" Xena asked seriously, holding her face.

The bard remained silent "I dont' want you to risk. yourself..."

"I'm going to do it Xena" the determination in the voice gave Xena some confidence.

"Do you think is worthy to risk you life, for me?" Xena asked a stupid question.

"Xena you haven't learned anything or what? Of course is worthy! To bring you back i'll pay any price"

"I don't deserve that"

"You deserve it because I say so"

"Thanks Gabrielle" both hugged each other tightly.

Some weeks passed until the bard saw some pyramids on the landscape.

"Finally..."

She went to the palace Akemi told her, and entered the place seem enormous and scary, the place echoed each step she took...she heard a click and ducked at time when five darts crossed from one wall to her, she sighed in relief, and followed a corridor until the dead end. She touched the walls and found something like a button, she pushed it and a door opened, then there was the book of the dead, she took it and the whole place began to tremble she stood frozen as an enormous human-like with the head of animal appeared in front of her.

His voice strong as a thunder asked

"You dared to took the book of the dead...and you woke the Great Anubis .....Why you came here?"

Gabrielle was surprised and scared no god she has ever known was as impossing as this one "I...I came to ask for help"

"What's your name?" he asked with the commanding voice tone.

"Gabrielle....my name is Garbielle"

"you help my choosen...Queen Cleopatra some years ago along with Xena....i'm going to pay you that favor....what do you want?"

"I...i need to restore a deceased"

"Xena?" he asked with an arrogant voice, knowing the answer already.

"Yes, Xena..."

"Your intentions seem fair...but why you want to restore her?"

"Because i can't live without her...and because i think it was not yet her time"

"Your wish is pure...but is selfish...you want to restore her because YOU want isnt'?"

Gabrielle was trapped yes it was selfish...she wanted Xena with her, alive she knew she couldn't deny nor lie "Yes"

"You spoke with the truth...i know she died in a honorable way....martydom at my point of view but very honorable....What will you do to bring her back?"

With out thinking it twice she just told him what she felt "Everything"

"Your love for her is deep, strong, selfless and pure...your intentions seem fair...and we owe you the times you along with Xena helped and saved Cleopatra and my people, so I'm gonna grant your wish if..."

"If what...?"Gab interrumpted

"You need to do some sacrifices...it's the only way I know you can restore your friend...since she has been reduced to ashes....its gonna be painful and dangerous....and no one, single human, has ever succed in this task.."

Gabrielle don't pay attention to the warnings "I'm willing to do it"

"No!" a voice shouted

The blonde turned instantly and saw Xena materializing.

"I'm not going to let you risk yourself for me"

Gabrielle was about to explode "Xena I have had enough...first you left me out of your plans...no i don't care if it was to protect me...you left me out of them...then you didn't let me to restore you...you didn't ask me if i wanted to be at your side in the battle...i would had prefered to die by yourside than to live with out you...i could have decided i'm not a child anymore..."

Xena was stunned "I'm sorry..."

"i am too Xena...i miss you a lot...you have no idea of how much...everyday with out you i'm dying a little more....please let me do this, let me save you...please....you once told me that for every person there's something more important than the greater good...you...you mean that to me"

The bard approached to the warrior and touched Xena's cheek "Xena, I love you...I have never asked you something selfish....this is the first time I'm gonna do it...let me do it and come back....please"

Xena was with her sight at the floor "Don't you trust me?" the bard asked, fearfull of the answer, Xena looked at her answering her question "Gabrielle never think that....you were always the stronger of us...i'm sorry if i have acted as a jerk...but i was..."

"I know that you lost hope....and that you were scared"

Xena nood at the terrible admission "Yes i felt hopeless....for the first time I lost everything i had...and for a wrong choice..."

"But we can make up everything...just have faith in me...Just that" the bard pleaded.

Xena nooded silently, and embraced the bard, both felt nothing at doing it, it was like holding something but nothing at the same time, both cried and Xena recalled something to her "Gabrielle, I won't lose you"

"I hope you succed better than what I made..."

"i'm sorry for that...i'm sorry....It's my fault...sorry..."

Gabrielle looked at her and saw the fear and pain in the warrior's eyes, she caressed the warrior's cheek "Xena, listen to me...One way or another we'll be together..."

Xena began to object "No...Xena let me finish...let me do this...let me have the option to choose my destiny...let me do that....the only thing that I want is to be with you...let me try to do that."

Xena was crying as well as the bard, the god got tired of waiting, and said in a deep voice "Enough!"

"Gabrielle this is a very dangerous task, if you feel defeated, hopeless, or your faith and love for Xena weakens you'll be destroyed as well as your soul...that means no more reincarnations, destroyed for ever."

Gabrielle expected to see Xena object but she was calm and that gave her self confidence "I'm ready" she said with proud and confidence.

In that moment the god snapped his fingers and Gabrielle was changed to a white robe, Xena felt stuck to the floor, and she wasn't able to move "Xena, I have paralized you for you to do not interfere" the warrior noodded and stopped fighting.

The god commanded Gabrielle to walk to the middle of the altar, and stand in the middle of it, from up it looked a big circle and the altar where Gabrielle put the ashes and began to read the book, to start the rite, after finishing the lecture all the torches lit and the room was filled with light.

"First Gabrielle you must drink this... this will purify your heart and soul" handing her a small potion, Gabrielle took it and drink it immediately.

Some seconds later the potion took efect Gabrielle began to feel dizzy, all the room was spinning she fell to her knees and tried to breath; she began to cough hardly, she couldn't breath well and her whole body was trembling, at the potent poison.

Looking at the bard's suffering, how she was convulsing violently in the floor the warrior shouted "Stop! Stop it what did you gave her?"

"It's a poison...the most potent poison in all the world...she must do some sacrifices if she gives up she'll fail...."

"I don't care! STOP IT!" the warrior begged.

"The god was about to do it when Gabrielle said between coughs "No....don't do it...I can do it...."

Xena saw the determination she couldn't bear to watch the bard in so much suffering, when she was poisoned in Tripoli she was heart broken, but watching at the bard's sacrifice for her it was too much, Xena let her tears fall and just do the only thing that she could reasure the bard, confort her, she began to say a lot of words to Gabrielle to make her feel better, Gabrielle gave her a little smile, she whispered "Thanks..."

Xena used the one thing she knew it would help the bard "Gabrielle...I love you"

Gabrielle smiled and between her labored breath she answered with the same...the god snapped his fingers

"Gabrielle, you have passed the first stange, the physical test....now comes one more difficult and more painful"

Xena looked at him "What could be more difficult?!"

"Stick and stones are not the most painful things in all the world..." he answered wisely.

Instantly the room filled with light and the walls were instantly mirrors, in wich every mirror reflected events of the past, Hope's birth, Dahak, Xena, his parents, flashes of adventures in every part of the world Norselands, Egypt, Rome, Greece, India, Chin.

The memories began to change and evey mirrow showed a moment of pain, of everytime Xena hurted her, looking at this Xena regreted some choices...Gabrielle began to cry, they were too much but she was determined to bring the warrior back.

After some hours of remembering the bard moments, Anubis asked her "If you had known that all of this will happen" pointing to the mirrors "Will you have followed Xena?"

"Yes..."

Then the game changed and the mirrors showed everytime Xena left her behind or every time she hid things from her

"She has lied to you...plenty of times...do you think she will still do it?"

As much as it hurted the bard she answered honestly "I know that's probably impossible, and maybe she'll never change but she did it for a good reason....all that things she did it for a good reason."

"you still belive in her" he said.

"With all my heart" she confirmed it.

"Most of the people who has done this have changed their mind and hearts...so have passed this stage. And I know you too love each other...I know how much you love each other.....Gabrielle your heart is pure, and your love deep, as well your intentions are fair so I'm gonna restore the warrior princess"

He stood before the warrior and put a hand before her, a glow came from his hand and the light covered the spirit of Xena, she closed her eyes and felt the godly power filling all her being, she fell to the floor gasping air hardly.

When the light faded the warrior opened her eyes and looked at Gabrielle, the bard looked at her smiling, the God gave Xena a final bolt of energy, then he stepped aside and bring Gabrielle.

"Xena...are you allright?" she asked tentatively, holding the warriors arms. Xena just smiled, with this the bard embraced her "I..I missed you..."

"Anubis thanks..." directing to the god the bard thanked holding the warrior's hand and enterwining their fingers.

"No Gabrielle, don't thank me...my debt, the debt of my people with you is payed" after that he dissapeared.

Gabrielle looked again to the warrior and embraced her again "God, how much I had missed you...."

"I missed you too Gabrielle" answered the warrior holding the bard's face then losing into the bard's eyes she leaned and kissed her tenderly, the touch was wonderful the thing that she has most missed, more than her own body.

"I love you"

"I love you too"

Then once again the warrior stole another kiss, this one deeper than the first, she hold her face with one hand "And now what do you want to do?"

Gabrielle smiled "Whatever...as long as it is with you..."

Xena smiled "How about a vacation?"

"Great!...but nowhere near Chin, Japa, Norse or Britania" the bard warned her.

"What about a month watching all the roman plays?" Xena asked, Gabrielle knew that Xena hated Rome and she was offering her to go there.

"Really?" she asked expecting that to be a joke.

"Yes" the warrior confirmed smiling.

"So we took off the sais and the sword?" the bard asked smiling mirroring Xena's face.

"Yes, you forgot the chakram" she reminder her pointing to the metal object that shone on the bard's belt.

"Talking about it I used it" she told her, excited about remembering how it went and how it came to her again.

"Did you like it?" the warrior asked knowing the answer already.

"Yes, now I know why you love it!"

"Keep it" the warrior offered her it.

"No i can't" Gabrielle objected.

"You are better than me with it" Xena tried to convinced her.

"Tha'ts not true...come on Xena it's yours...don't make me mad.." Gabrielle threatened, holding the chakram to Xena.

"Allright" she finally accepted it and then she placed it on her belt.

"That's good nice girl" Gabrielle said stretching the warrior's cheek

"Hey!" Xena objected, at her sored cheek.

Both went out of the temple with their hands enterwined, looking at the amazing landscape of sand and the complex dance of light that the sun made with the buildings, happy of having some time for themselves.

"Finally out of the land of Pharos" the bard said with relif.

"And with two girls and a chakram" Xena reminded her.

"Mmm now we need the boat....you know Xena? we could have spared a lot of time if I had poured your ashes on the fountain"

"What's done is done...but now I promise you never to put you behind...."

"I hope you'll keep that" said the bard teasing.

"That and to love you forever" the warrior whispered.

"We both have that one" the bard reminded her.

Both keep watching the lanscape with renewed hopes of a future together, prepared to fight everything or everyone .