The Series Ender

As Gabrielle progressed through the ritual of the Judgment of the Dead, each soul was compelled to come forward and pass judgment on their murderer. Hour after hour, soul after soul moved into the center of the circle. The first few offered their forgiveness to Xena. With each declaration of amnesty, Gabrielle felt her heart grow stronger and the ethereal quality of Xena's body, which Gabrielle hadn't even noticed before, began to change and solidify.

But then one of the souls came forward and condemned her. Gabrielle felt her breath leave her chest and Xena's head lowered in despair. Gabrielle begged and pleaded, but the soul refused to forgive Xena. And now that the ritual had been started, there was no stopping it. Many souls forgave Xena, but still many others condemned her for her actions against them and others.

With the last soul's verdict, the sun rose over the mountains and a bright ray of light filled the valley of the Amazons. In a flash, the souls vanished and Gabrielle was left with Xena's ghost and the chanting Amazons.

Varia solemnly closed the circle and the Amazons hesitantly stepped forward to offer their condolences to Gabrielle. Then they dispersed to leave Gabrielle alone with the ghost of Xena.

"You did your best, Gabrielle," Xena told her.

Gabrielle nodded.

"It's all right," Gabrielle said. "At least I tried."

Xena watched Gabrielle for a few moments, trying to understand why she was so calm. She'd expected Gabrielle to be absolutely hysterical.

"Xena, promise you'll stay right here. I'll be back with you in a few minutes."

Xena nodded.

"I'm not going anywhere."

Gabrielle went to the Queen's hut and knocked on the door. Varia called for her to come in.

"Gabrielle," Varia greeted her. "So you've said your goodbyes to Xena?"

"No. I came here to tell you goodbye. And to give you my Right of Caste. I'm trusting you to pass it on to someone who would make me and Xena proud."

"Wait, what? What are you saying, Gabrielle?" Varia asked in alarm.

"I've said all I need to. Tell the others I'll miss them. They will always be the sisters of my heart."

Gabrielle turned to leave.

"Wait, Gabrielle…"

Gabrielle stopped, but didn't turn around.

"Don't try to stop me, Varia. I belong with Xena. I was never meant to live without her. She's my soulmate."

"You're being a coward, Gabrielle," Varia said disgustedly.

Gabrielle finally turned around and faced Varia. The young brunette was totally unprepared for the complete desolation that was in Gabrielle's expression. The hope and determination she'd come to associate with Gabrielle was nowhere to be found. Instead, there was just a shell of a woman standing before her and she didn't know what to do about it.

"Maybe I am being a coward. But I think I've earned that right. We've put the "greater good" ahead of ourselves so many times that it's become a habit. Well, I'm tired. I'm tired of always doing the honorable thing, the noble thing, the right thing. Just this once, I want to get what I want. I want to be with Xena. Xena told me once that everybody has something that is more important to them than the greater good. Well, she's it for me. I couldn't keep my promise to save her the way she saved me, so I'm going to join her. I'm not asking you to understand, just don't get in my way."

Gabrielle didn't wait for Varia's response and turned and left the hut. She walked back to the circle and Xena was still there, waiting for her. The look on Gabrielle's face told Xena all she needed to know.

"Gabrielle, no."

"Xena, I want you to disappear now. I'll see you again in a few minutes," Gabrielle said calmly.

"No. Gabrielle, I'm not leaving you alone right now," Xena said as she began to panic.

Gabrielle shook her head.

"Xena, I can't live like this. I can't live with you half in my life and half not. I need you. All of you."

Gabrielle pulled one of her sais from her boot.

"Gabrielle, please don't do this," Xena pleaded through her tears.

"You're my whole life. You're all that matters to me. I just want to be with you. I love you, Xena," Gabrielle whispered.

Xena watched, immobile, as Gabrielle let herself fall stiffly forward onto the point of the sai she held aimed at her stomach. The ground met the hilt of the weapon quickly and slammed it home.

"Nooo!" Xena screamed and was suddenly able to rush forward as Gabrielle felt her insides being ripped apart.

The pain was actually quite bearable in comparison to the agony her heart had been feeling since Xena's death. There was also a sense of peace as she felt Xena's arms cradling her body and she knew it wouldn't be long before she would get to see Xena on the other side.

Xena rocked Gabrielle's body until she felt the life force evaporate from it completely. Then she realized she was no longer in the valley of the Amazons and she looked up at an orange tinted sky.

"Oh brother, not this again," Xena mumbled.

"At least Callisto isn't here to cause trouble again," Gabrielle told her.

Xena cut her eyes at her soulmate as she remembered how they'd gotten there this time.

"I can't believe you did that," Xena chastised.

"It was the only way to get things moving again," Gabrielle defended her actions.

"Would it have been so bad to just wait for old age or something?"

"Put yourself in my place and ask yourself that question," Gabrielle retorted.

Xena thought about it. During her last battle, Gabrielle's name had become her warcry against all those soldiers. The only thing keeping her alive had been her thoughts of Gabrielle, at least until she'd lost her head. Had Gabrielle been dead at that point, Xena knew she wouldn't have fought nearly so hard. So maybe asking Gabrielle to do what Xena knew she herself wouldn't wasn't exactly fair.

"All right. So now what?" Xena asked.

"We wait for the angels, then we'll get sent back to earth to start new lives. They'd just better put us in the same country," Gabrielle warned no one in particular.

"Gabrielle?"

Gabrielle turned her head to look up at Xena.

"Yeah?"

"You are the best thing in my life."

Gabrielle smiled. She reached up and drew Xena's lips to her own. The touch was soft and lingered after they parted.

"I love you, Xena."

As the welcoming angels picked them up, they felt their spirits being pulled into new existences. They each caught glimpses of what their new lives would hold, but they only paid attention to one detail.

They would be together. That's all that mattered.

The End