Best Friends, Better Enemies, Chapter 26

Xena & Gabrielle stayed up most of the night, unburdening their troubled experiences of Petros on the only other person who could possibly understand. Gabrielle knew everything that Petros had done, personally, to Xena. But Xena had no idea of the suffering Gabrielle had endured.

"You saw everything?" Xena asked, appalled.

"I was told that you would be buried under his conscious."

"I was." Gabrielle answered, shuddering with terror.

"But I could still see and hear everything going on. I just couldn't do anything about it. Oh Xena! That was the worst part. I couldn't stop him. All those innocent people suffered, and I couldn't do a thing about it!"

Gabrielle finally broke down in tears, and Xena scooted close and wrapped her arms around her friend in a big hug. Gabrielle buried her face in Xena's shoulder and allowed herself the luxury of a good weep. Her shoulders shook with the force of her tears, but Xena understood, slowly rocking her like one would with a child.

"Shh, it's all right now, Gabrielle."

The litany of assurance seemed to help the distraught girl, as Xena's motherly instincts took over and showered on her best friend. After several minutes, Gabrielle sat back and wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"Thanks. I needed that."

Xena smiled and shifted to a more comfortable position.

"Gabrielle, we do have one problem left to solve."

"What's that?" she asked, having no idea what Xena was talking about.

"Your army. They're still camped down in that little village that....." Xena hesitated, remembering her friend standing before the legion. "Well, the village that Petros captured."

Gabrielle noticed her hesitation and knew it to be another problem that she would have to face.

"I'm going to have to endure the fear and mistrust of everyone I meet now, right?"

Gabrielle didn't say it, but Xena knew the thought, "Just like you?" was beneath the surface.

"We can't be sure, Gabrielle. Although Petros used a different name, the whole countryside has a detailed description of you. I would say yes. Chances are, at least until this thing blows over, you may have to block out much of the cruelty people will throw at you. But it will die down eventually. Time does heal wounds. And before you know it, you'll be a respectable member of humanity again."

Gabrielle nodded sagely, then smiled brightly.

"Maybe we could use that to get rid of my, uh.., I mean, Petros' army."

"You want to just walk in there and scare them off? I don't know, Gabrielle. It's very dangerous."

Gabrielle gave her one of those looks from the bottom of her eyes that said, "And what did I just come out of?"

"It'll work, Xena. Those men are scared sightless of me. I'll just go in there, tell them all that if they don't disband instantly, that I'll take great pleasure in torturing every one of them. They'll run. I just know it."

Xena shook her head.

"No Gabrielle. It's too dangerous. Those men saw Petros be destroyed. If you walk back into that camp, it'll be like a lamb to slaughter."

Gabrielle started to argue, but was cut short by a voice from the dark.

"She's right. Those men would tear you apart. Besides, it's totally unnecessary. I've taken them back under my control and am leading them east. Plenty of countries to vanquish that way."

Gabrielle had jumped at his approach, but Xena had felt the fine hairs on her neck raise, like they always do at Ares' appearance.

"Ares! This is the third time you've snuck up on me like that! What is it with you? Do you get a kick watching everyone jump out of their skin?"

Xena was amazed by her friends audacity. She expected a full blast of anger from the god, but he merely laughed.

"Actually, yes. I do enjoy it. I see the meek one isn't quite so humble anymore. Did Petros rub off on you that much?"

His taunting only made Gabrielle more bold.

"Maybe he did. All I know is, you don't frighten me anymore."

A calculating look flashed across his face as he leaned close to the blonde.

"Then maybe that partnership Ara and I formed will work out after all. Should we give it a test?"

He grabbed her around the waist and mashed her tight to his chest, but a sharp slap from Gabrielle and a drawn sword by Xena was enough of a dissuasion.

"That's enough, Ares. Any agreement you had with Ara is gone. Gabrielle is not obligated to fulfill a deal made when Petros was in control."

Ares smirked at Gabrielle, who was rubbing her hand to ease the pain of striking his masculine face.

"I'll give you that much Xena. Petros was in control. And that's where most of the challenge came from anyway. You said you were no longer afraid of me, little girl."

Aries again met Gabrielle's eyes and held them darkly as he whispered, "You should be."

He laughed and disappeared with a flash of light.

"Well, at least he solved the problem with the army for us."

Gabrielle sighed as she sat back down by the campfire. Xena lingered a moment, checking to see if everything had returned to normal, before taking her seat next to Gabrielle.

"And gave someone else a problem to deal with. That army was efficient. They followed orders and worked well together. It was quite a formidable force."

Gabrielle knew Xena was only expounding, but she couldn't help but tease her anyway.

"Why Xena! Are you jealous of my army?"

Gabrielle's silly smirk gave the game away, and Xena smiled at her antics.

"Of course not. My army was many times greater than yours. I was only saying that they were passably good."

Gabrielle's "Ha!" didn't conceal the laughter that escaped. "Passable good? That's not even close...."

And so, the two friends debated and laughed, renewing the bond between them. Too many years spent at each other sides had forged a link between them, one that would never be broken again..