The Series Finale

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 and 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.

As time went on, though, the sense of elation was replaced with a feeling of dread. All it would take was one soul to condemn Xena and they would lose everything. A silent countdown was kept in everyone's minds and as the number of souls left became smaller and smaller, Gabrielle simply began to pray.

It wasn't until the last soul's pardon that there was a collective sigh of relief. The sun rose over the mountains and a bright ray of light filled the valley of the Amazons. In a flash, the souls vanished. Gabrielle nearly passed out with the feeling of pure joy that coursed through her veins. But the emotion was quickly supplanted by the need to finish what they'd started.

Gabrielle led the chanting Amazons into a new chant as she went to the urn and removed the lid. She sprinkled the ashes onto the sacred ground of the ritual circle and the chanting took on the rhythm of a heartbeat. With each beat, Gabrielle watched Xena's ghost form fade and the ashes began to reform and rebuild the body they had previously belonged to.

Time seemed to have no meaning. The chanting continued throughout the day and into the night. As morning came, Gabrielle's gaze was still fixed on the body that was slowly forming on the ground in front of her.

It wasn't until Xena gasped in her first breath of air in weeks that Gabrielle was able to move and the chanting stopped. Gabrielle fell to her knees by Xena's side and pulled Xena into her arms.

"I told you I'd find a way," Gabrielle whispered.

All of the Amazons watched as the soulmates were reunited, though the majority of them couldn't help noticing a certain Warrior Princess was without her usual warrior garb.

Varia closed the circle and the Amazons hesitantly stepped forward to greet Xena. Cyane was the first to bring a fur skin to cover the naked warrior and Gabrielle helped Xena to her feet. Xena was a little unsteady, but Gabrielle held on to her and refused to let go. There was no stopping the tears that were flowing from every eye there and no one even tried.

Gabrielle led Xena to her hut. She helped her lie down on the bed and pulled the covers over her, but Xena tried to sit up.

"Just rest, Xena. We can talk in the morning," Gabrielle tried to persuade her.

"Wait. Gabrielle. I just wanted to…"

Even as she started to say the words, Xena realized thanks were nowhere near enough for what Gabrielle had done for her. Instead, she pulled Gabrielle's head down to hers and gently kissed her lips. The contact seemed to last forever, but then Xena drew Gabrielle into a hug and managed to guide the exhausted woman down onto the bed to lie beside her.

"I think you need some rest too," Xena chided her friend.

They closed their eyes and went to sleep in each other's arms. They would need their strength for the adventures they had yet to go on.

The End