FIC: The Good, The Bad & The Fangy 2/? Sequel to Ages Apart

["dawnm92" <dawnm92@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hello again,

Here's part 2 of my sequel to "Ages Apart". I'm glad some of you are 
enjoying the story. Feedback is always helpful and inspirational. :)

Title: The Good, The Bad and The Fangy
By: dawnm
Disclaimer: I do not own Buffy or Xena. All Hail Joss Whedon, Rob 
Tapert, et al. Please don't sue me for trying to have a little fun 
with them.
Spoilers: Takes place around Buffy s3 ep. "Choices" and Xena s2 
eps. "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" and "Return of Callisto", but events 
from all episodes prior to those are fair game for mention here as 
well.
Rating: PG-13ish
Pairings: Buffy/Willow, Xena/Gabrielle
Summary: **Sequel to my story "Ages Apart".**
Feedback: I'd love to hear what you think of the story. Feel free to 
email me anytime with comments or questions.  
*********************************************************


Chapter 3 - Dispelling The Demons

Exhausted and half-starved from skipping dinner the night before, 
Buffy and Willow sluggishly followed along as the group walked toward 
the catacombs the next day. Willow gravitated toward Gabrielle, 
chatting as they walked along, while Buffy chose to keep pace with 
Xena, a significant distance ahead of the others.

"You look tired." Xena commented.

"Didn't get much sleep last night." Buffy admitted.

"May be none of my business, but I think you should talk to her. Tell 
her how you feel." The warrior advised.

"You're one to talk." The slayer replied.

"It's not the same."

"It's exactly the same, isn't it? You're in love with Gabrielle, but 
you're afraid of how she'll react if you tell her, right?" Buffy 
asked.

"It's not that simple." Xena replied.

"What? What else is stopping you? Wait, let me guess&even if she
does 
feel the same, you don't want to accept it. You think she's better 
off without you, that being with you just puts her in danger. And you 
don't want her to get hurt. Does that about cover it?" The slayer 
asked.

Xena stared at Buffy, her eyebrows raised in surprise.

"Does it really surprise you that much that I know how you feel?" The 
slayer asked. "Because it shouldn't. Seems to me like we're both in 
the same miserable boat." Buffy added.

"I know she loves you." Xena remarked.

"I know she loves me. I'm just not sure it's a 'you're such a great 
friend' kind of love or an 'I want to rip your clothes off' kind of 
love." Buffy shot back.

"The second one." The warrior replied with a knowing smile. 

"Huh?" The slayer asked, clearly not understanding.

"I said, she's in love with you." Xena whispered, staring seriously 
at Buffy.

"Pfffft." The slayer laughed. "What makes you say that?"

"I see the way she looks at you, the way she acts." Xena explained.

"Like you would know." Buffy said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" The warrior asked defensively.

"It means&Gabrielle has the hots for you and you can't even see
it." 
The slayer retorted.

"Keep it down, will ya?" Xena urged, looking over her shoulder to 
make sure the others couldn't hear their conversation. "This isn't 
about me and Gabrielle." She argued.

"Sure it is. It's about you telling me to take a risk that you're not 
even willing to take yourself." Buffy noted.

"I don't want her to get hurt." Xena asserted. 

"Are you planning to hurt her?" Buffy replied.

"Of course not." Xena replied. "But just being around me puts her in 
danger because of the life I lead."

"Okay. Are you prepared to send her away and break off the friendship 
you have?" Buffy questioned.

"No."

"Then what's the difference, friends or lovers, if just being in your 
life puts her in danger?" The slayer asked pointedly.

Realizing the truth in Buffy's words, Xena didn't answer at first, 
then opted to enlighten the blonde. "I could say the same thing to 
you."

Buffy sobered a bit at the comment, but didn't deny the truth in 
it. "So, now we know. There's nothing else holding us back. At least 
we've admitted it." The slayer mused. "We're both just big cowards."

"Does that mean you're gonna talk to her?" Xena asked, smiling 
amusedly.

"Yeah, sure, right after you talk to Gabrielle." Buffy shot back 
playfully.

****************************

"This is it? When you said `weapons', I was thinking a
blacksmith's 
shop." Joxer commented as they entered the burial grounds.

"No, for this job, we need something special." Xena replied.
"Keep 
quiet, and don't step on any graves."

Walking on top of a nearby grave in spite of Xena's orders, Joxer 
read the gravestone and asked, "Dryad, Dry-- What's a
Dryad?"

"Sworn enemies of Bacchus." Xena called over her shoulder as she 
looked around. "A Dryad bone through the heart is the only way to 
kill a Bacchae."

"Do we have to dig them up?" Gabrielle asked.

"Not exactly." Xena commented.

"Well, they're not gonna jump out at us." Joxer said with a
laugh. As 
if on cue, the ground opened up beneath him. Apparently, he had 
awakened something by walking on the grave and he was being pulled 
under. As he sank into the ground, he screamed. "Whoa! Whoa! 
Aaaaaaaaahhhh."

"Joxer!" Gabrielle screamed, seeing that he was in serious
trouble.

"Help, Xena! Help me! They're pulling me under! I can't
breathe! I 
can't breathe! Aaaaaaaaaahhh." Joxer begged. Xena and Buffy ran
to 
his aid, grabbing his arms and trying to pull him back out of the 
ground. "Pull! Pull! Horrible animals! Ooh, and monsters!"  

Soon, the warrior and slayer had pulled him to freedom. "Oh, that was 
close." Joxer said relieved. "He took my boots! They cost me fifty 
dinars!"

"Great." Gabrielle commented.

"Stupid, good-for-nothing, bag of bone!" Joxer complained as
they 
continued on.

A screeching sound behind them prompted the group to turn around. 
Dust flew and a flame shot out of the grave Joxer had fallen into. A 
creature emerged, the skeletal remains of a large winged animal. Two 
more followed the first one out of the open grave, all three taking 
flight above the group.

"What is it?!" Gabrielle asked.

"That's a Dryad." Xena answered, unsheathing her sword.
The Dryads 
attacked, swooping down at them.

"Watch it, Joxer!" Gabrielle warned.

"All right, Xena! Do something!" Joxer pleaded.

The group scattered, ducking to the ground to avoid the onslaught. 
The Dryads regrouped, coming back in for another pass. Xena fought 
off one, Buffy a second, and the third found another target, the 
scarecrow-bodied Orpheus who screamed incessantly as the creature 
tried to lift him from Argo's back and carry him away. Joxer, who was 
supposed to be protecting Orpheus, stood by screaming in fear like a 
little girl as Orpheus was attacked.

Having no weapon, Buffy was unable to kill the creature that was 
terrorizing her and Willow. Seeing that Joxer was not using his 
sword, she decided to perpetrate a misdemeanor. "Can I borrow this? 
Thanks." The slayer said running past him, swiftly stealing the sword 
from his hands. When the Dryad swooped down again, the slayer 
beheaded it with one clean strike of the sword. It shattered then, 
its bones falling to the ground.

With one down, Xena turned her attention to the next immediate 
threat, the one that was attacking Orpheus. It had the scarecrow body 
in its clutches and was trying to lift Orpheus along with it up into 
the sky. The warrior quickly drew her chakram and let it fly, 
beheading the Dryad, which shattered like its counterpart.

"Thanks." Orpheus said. 

The third Dryad then retreated. "Go on and run! You coward!
Hah-hah!" 
Joxer taunted as the creature flew away. 

"Thanks." The slayer said, handing the sword back to Joxer.

"You're welcome." He replied meekly, suddenly frightened of the tiny 
blonde that he now knew was as lethal as Xena. 'Who is this girl?' He 
wondered. If there had been the slightest physical resemblance, he 
would have sworn she was related to the warrior princess.

"Wow! These Dryad bones are really sharp as nails. No wonder they can 
kill a Bacchae." Joxer commented, picking one up, as Xena and Buffy 
gathered their weapons. "Hey, are you afraid&of this?" Joxer
asked, 
pointing one of the Dryad bones at Xena's chest, testing his theory 
that the warrior was a Bacchae. 

"Should I be?" Xena asked, glaring down at him menacingly as
she 
leaned into his personal space. 

"No." Joxer squeaked, shrinking back from the warrior. Buffy
watched 
the exchange and couldn't help but laugh at the fool. 

"It's just that&Gabrielle thought that you might be a
Bacchae." He 
lied. The warrior continued to stare him down. "OK, maybe I thought 
you were one, too. But you had blood on your neck." He quickly
added.

"Sorry to disappoint." Xena replied, walking away from him. 

"It's understandable. Nothing like stalking a Bacchae to get
the 
blood flowing." Joxer said, following the warrior.

Hearing a growl, Xena looked up. Gabrielle whirled around to face 
them then. She was transforming into a Bacchae right in front of 
their eyes. Her normally soft green eyes were now a disturbing yellow 
and she bared her teeth at them, showing her newly developed fangs.

"Gabrielle." Xena said, overwhelmed. 

"See? What did I tell you?" Joxer said. Xena shoved him aside.

"Gabrielle&it's all right. I can help you." Xena said
softly, trying 
to calm the bard, but Gabrielle was no longer really there. She had 
been replaced by the demon that now controlled her. 

The demon in Gabrielle took hold of Willow and sank her teeth into 
the sensitive flesh of the hacker's neck. Both Buffy and Xena dove 
toward them, but it was too late. Gabrielle took flight. The warrior 
and slayer dropped to their knees out of her path. When they rose 
again to go to Willow, the redhead vamped out and flew away.

"Where are they going?" Joxer asked.

"The catacombs. Get Orpheus!" Xena demanded as she and Buffy
took off 
after them. 

"We can still save them, Buffy." Xena Assured her. "We can't let them 
drink Bacchus' blood. If they do, we've lost them. As long as they 
don't drink, they will be themselves again when we kill Bacchus." The 
warrior explained.

Buffy didn't respond. She had retreated within herself, haunted by 
her thoughts. Despite all that she had suffered in her years as the 
slayer, nothing had prepared her for this. 

Over the previous days, Buffy had just started to come to terms with 
her feelings for her friend. She was in love with Willow. She had 
finally admitted it to herself as she lay awake the night before. The 
feelings were much more than a crush and much more than a phase. What 
scared the slayer most of all&she had never felt this way before.
She 
connected with Willow on a level that she hadn't known with anyone 
else. To call them best friends wouldn't begin to describe the mutual 
understanding they shared - with just one look, seeing into each 
other's souls.

So, the slayer remained silent - lost in a swirl of emotions that 
always seemed to boil down to one thing, regret. In a cruel twist of 
fate, two thousand years in the past, thousands of miles from their 
home on the hellmouth, Willow had been bitten. A demon now lived 
inside of her, where the sweet, young hacker had once been. If she 
drank the blood of Bacchus, Willow would be lost forever, Buffy knew. 
And she would never have the chance to tell her how she feels. 

****************************

The warrior, slayer and Joxer walked in relative silence deeper into 
the catacombs, in search of Bacchus and the hacker and bard. Joxer 
carried Orpheus' head, again in the sack on his back. The group began 
to hear muffled noises.

"Shh! You hear that? Someone's trapped! And it sounds like
it's 
coming from right behind us." Joxer said, turning around to look. 
Xena pulled the sack from his back and opened it.

"Get me out of here! Ah! Not so rough, all right?!" Orpheus
cried as 
Xena pulled him out of the sack.

"Yes?" She asked.

"You're wasting time. We should be in Bacchus' lair by
now." Orpheus 
demanded.

"We're looking for Gabrielle and Willow. They turned into
Bacchae." 
Joxer said.

"There's no time for that. We have to kill Bacchus before
midnight. 
Forget the girls." Orpheus ordered. 

"I can't do that." Xena said. The slayer looked up too
then. Knowing 
that Xena would never give up on Gabrielle, she didn't feel the need 
to say anything. She simply glared at him before turning to walk on.

"I knew I should never have trusted you." Orpheus said to Xena.
"Once 
again, you're selfish desires come first. Don't you
understand? 
Bacchus is using Gabrielle against us. If you try to save her,
you'll 
fall right into his trap." 

"Save your breath." Xena said, thrusting Orpheus' head at Joxer.
"I'm 
going after them." She declared, turning to catch up with Buffy,
who 
had already stalked away.  

"Then Bacchus has won already!" Orpheus called after them.

"Um, are you sure you know where we're going?" Joxer
asked 
tentatively following the warrior.

"It's all right, Joxer, just follow me." Xena said,
annoyed.

"That's right, Joxer, follow Xena blindly to your death."
Orpheus 
warned.

"Don't worry. We know where we're going. What do you
mean, `death'?" 
Joxer asked. Paling at the thought of danger, Joxer stopped in his 
tracks looking to Orpheus for his reply. 

"It's only a matter of time before Gabrielle bites Xena and
makes her 
a Bacchae too. Xena's feelings have blinded her to the mission.
You 
have to take control. The world is counting on you, Joxer."
Orpheus 
advised.

"Joxer&Joxer!" Xena called, seeing that he was lagging
far behind 
them. 

"OK, OK. If Gabrielle or Willow come around again&I'll
know what to 
do." Joxer said to Orpheus, brandishing a Dryad bone, before 
scurrying to catch up with the warrior and slayer. 

"Good." Orpheus replied.

"Keep your eyes open; she's here somewhere." Xena said,
sensing 
Gabrielle's presence, as they walked deeper into the caves.

"Well, don't worry. I'm ready for anything." Joxer 
proclaimed. "Aaahhhhh. Bat." He screamed as a bat flew past his face. 
Xena looked back at him, then continued on. When the warrior and 
slayer were walking away, Gabrielle swooped down from the ceiling, 
landing on Joxer's back. "Aaaahhh! Get off of me! Get off of me!" He 
screamed frantically.

Gabrielle held on as Joxer flailed around trying to shake her. She 
was about to sink her teeth into his neck when Xena managed to pull 
her off of his back. Gabrielle landed several feet away, disoriented, 
baring her teeth at them.

"OH, YOU LITTLE BACCHAE!" Joxer screamed, moving toward her as he 
brandished a Dryad bone, as if he planned to kill her.

"Joxer, don't!" Xena cried, pushing him back away from the
bard. But 
it was too late. He had spooked her and she took flight, seeking 
refuge in the shadows. "Gabrielle." Xena called, hoping to coax her 
out into the open again. The bard swooped down upon them 
again. "Gabrielle!" Xena called as she flew toward them again. 

"Duck!" Joxer warned as the bard flew straight at them.
Diving to the 
ground, they managed to elude her. However, when they looked up 
again, she was gone. There was no sign of Willow as they worked their 
way through the caverns and though no one commented about the 
hacker's absence, both Buffy and Xena were concerned about where she 
might be.

****************************

"Remember, your job is to find the lyre and play it as soon as
you 
can. That should give us time to reach Bacchus." Xena said as
they 
moved toward Bacchus' lair.

"Right." Joxer replied.

"Xena! I&owe you an apology. I guess I was just looking for
someone 
to blame." Orpheus admitted.

"Bacchus must've caused you a lot of pain." The warrior said,
drawing 
her sword from its sheath. "Now, maybe we can bring you some
peace." 
She added, walking deeper into the catacombs.

****************************

"Now, friend of Xena, go ahead, my child. Drink and become
immortal. 
Become one with me." Bacchus bellowed, handing a goblet of his
blood 
to Gabrielle. 

The bard accepted the goblet, wrapping her long black claws around 
it. Entranced by the god, she lifted the drink to her lips. Just 
before she was able to drink, Xena's chakram whizzed into the room in 
front of the bard, knocking the goblet from her hands.

"She's not interested, Bacchus!" Xena ground out,
catching the 
chakram as it returned to her where she stood near the entrance to 
the room.

"Xena! So glad you could join us after all." Bacchus replied.

"Joxer, quick, on Bacchus' throne, get the lyre. Hurry."
Xena ordered.

"You got it." Joxer replied, scurrying toward the ledge.

"Get them!" Bacchus exclaimed, ordering the Bacchae to attack.

The slayer scanned the room for a sign of Willow and her eyes came to 
rest on the Bacchae standing next to Gabrielle at the front of the 
room near the large brass punch bowl that was filled with Bacchus' 
blood. Buffy felt the ache in her chest radiate throughout her body 
as she tried to reconcile the image of this demon mingled with the 
familiar features of the innocent redhead that she knew and loved.

"Willow!" The slayer charged toward her. 

At Bacchus' order, a dozen or more Bacchae had moved to attack the 
slayer and warrior princess. Xena fought them off, kicking and 
punching, before finally dusting one or two with a Dryad bone through 
their hearts. The slayer never faltered in her movement toward the 
redhead at the front of the room, making quick work of slaying the 
Bacchae she encountered along the way.

As Joxer stood on a ledge and pulled the lyre from Bacchus' throne, a 
Bacchae flew up to the ledge, landing next to him, then latching onto 
his back.  

"Let go of me, you little monster!" Joxer screamed. "Orpheus, 
Orpheus! Wake up! Come on! The lyre, yes, the lyre! Orpheus, what 
should I play?!" 

"Anything! Just play!" Orpheus answered.

"Drink! I command you. Drink, and become one of us." Bacchus
told 
Gabrielle, after again handing her a goblet filled with his blood.

"Get off of me!" Joxer cried, trying to shake the Bacchae who
now had 
a firm hold on him.

A Bacchae had landed on Xena's back and another two were threatening 
her from the front. For the moment, she was unable to break free, 
unable to run to the bard as she saw her lift the deadly drink to her 
lips. "Gabrielle! No!" Xena pleaded. "Joxer! Play the lyre!"
She 
ordered, knowing it was the bard's only hope.

At the warrior's order, Joxer strummed the stringed instrument and 
Orpheus began to sing. "La-la-la-la. La-la-la-la. La-la-la-la.
La-la-
la-la." Gabrielle cringed at the sound, dropping the goblet of
blood 
to the floor. Bacchae all around the room collapsed, wincing in pain 
with their hands over their ears. Seeing this, Bacchus was enraged. 
He flew up to the ledge, landing next to Joxer, towering over him. 

"Any requests?" Joxer squeaked out, looking up at the massive
crimson-
skinned God of Wine. Bacchus batted him aside with ease and Joxer 
landed in a heap against the wall, the lyre falling from his hands. 
Xena finally freed herself from the Bacchae that were holding her and 
ran toward the ledge where Bacchus was standing.

"Awake, my Bacchae! It is time to feed! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha.
Ha-ha-ha-
ha-ha-ha-ha-ha." Bacchus commanded as Xena climbed the wall with ease 
and hopped onto the ledge, facing off with the demonic god. "Welcome 
back, Xena." Bacchus greeted her, taking a swing at the warrior. Xena 
ducked his blow and he struck again. The warrior sidestepped this 
attack too and countered with a punch of her own. 

When he lunged toward her again, she thrust the Dryad bone deep into 
his chest. Bacchus screamed and shuddered as he realized what had 
happened and Xena struck again, kicking the god with such force that 
he fell from the ledge and landed on the stone floor below. Several 
Bacchae gathered around him on the floor looking down at him 
uncertainly.

Buffy finally reached Willow's side then, taking the redhead by the 
shoulders. Willow looked up at the slayer, yellow eyes meeting hazel 
with a questioning stare. There could be no greater enemies than a 
Bacchae or vampire and a Vampire Slayer. Yet these two remained 
still, neither one threatening, neither one breaking away. 

In Willow's eyes, Buffy could see both a foreign presence and 
something very familiar, a part of her best friend still evident. 
Bacchae Willow simply stood there conflicted, the instinct to feed at 
war with the urge to protect this person in front of her.  

"No, Xena&" Bacchus said as he rose from the floor, still very
much 
alive. "Don't you know? Only a Bacchae can kill me. And
you're not 
one, yet. Bite her!" He commanded. Gabrielle took to the air, flying 
up to the ledge where Xena still stood. The bard circled the warrior. 
Xena reflexively lifted the Dryad bone in her hands as if to attack, 
but quickly dropped the weapon to the ground, unable to even consider 
harming the one she loved, no matter what the cost. "And now, make 
her one of us." Bacchus ordered. 

Xena stood passively as Gabrielle moved behind her, preparing to turn 
the warrior. "Gabrielle&do it." Xena said, giving in.

Gabrielle brushed Xena's long dark hair aside to expose the creamy 
flesh of her neck, but froze when Bacchus' scream rang out.

"No, it can't be." The god cried, feeling genuine pain this time from 
the Dryad bone that was just thrust into his heart. "Who are you?" He 
asked, looking down at the one who had delivered the lethal blow.

"Oh, I'm Buffy, the Vampire Slayer." He looked questioningly at the 
blonde who held the hand of a young red-haired Bacchae. "What, never 
heard of me?" The slayer quipped as the god fell backward and then 
exploded into dust.

****************************

Xena stood on the ledge watching as the bard reverted to her old 
self. Down below, Buffy similarly waited as the demon presence left 
Willow's body.

"What happened? I feel so strange." Several of the girls
commented as 
they awoke on the floor of the catacombs. At Bacchus' death, the 
remaining Bacchae initiates had transformed, turning back into 
themselves. 

When Gabrielle was herself again, Xena pulled her into a crushing 
embrace. Meanwhile, tears of relief slid freely down Buffy's face as 
she looked into Willow's shy green eyes. Enfolding the redhead in a 
tender embrace, Buffy mumbled a string of incoherent phrases 
punctuated by soft kisses she rained on Willow's hair and face. 

Calming finally, Buffy glanced up at the ledge just in time to see 
Gabrielle pulling the warrior's face down toward her own and planting 
a kiss on Xena's lips. Buffy smiled and turned Willow around in her 
arms so that she too could see the warrior and bard's special 
reunion. 

"Well, that wasn't so bad." Joxer commented, as he got up
from the 
floor. His loud intrusion seemed to break the spell and both couples 
stopped what they were doing and turned to look at the idiot. 

"Oh." Joxer added with a start when he saw Orpheus' body
materialize, 
reuniting with his head. With Bacchus' death, Orpheus had been freed 
of the curse that the demon god had placed on him. "You're a
lot 
taller than I thought you'd be." Joxer commented before Orpheus 
vanished into thin air. "Orpheus? Hmm." 

"Goodbye, Xena&and thank you." Orpheus said, his voice
floating 
through the catacombs as he departed. 

****************************

"Guys! Wait up! Hey&so what's next?" Joxer asked,
running up to Xena 
and Gabrielle who were happily walking away from the town.

"Next, huh?" Gabrielle replied, her mind searching for a way
that she 
could get Joxer to quit tagging along with them.

"Yeah." He said.

"Ah, we&we fight Medusa, right?" Gabrielle lied, hoping
to tap into 
Joxer's cowardice and scare him away.

"Right." Xena agreed, going along with the bard's plan. 

"Well, you know, the, the one with snakes all over her head." 
Gabrielle explained.

"Right." The warrior agreed again.

"And, and&one look, and the mightiest of men is turned into
stone." 
Gabrielle added, putting the finishing touches on the story to make 
Joxer turn tail and run.

"Right." Xena said, continuing to back up the bard's story.

"Stone, huh?" Joxer said meekly. "Oh, hey, listen, ah, um&I
just 
remembered&it's my mom's birthday. And she's getting,
you know, 
the... I, I better get back home, but, um&I'll catch up with
you guys 
a little later." He lied, trying to worm his way out of another
life 
and death battle.

"No problem." Gabrielle assured him, as he turned to leave. Xena 
simply smiled, amused at his retreat. 

Buffy and Willow walking arm in arm next to Xena and Gabrielle 
laughed at Joxer's departure before resuming their exchange of silent 
smoldering looks.

"You know&you almost died trying to save me." Gabrielle said,
looking 
up affectionately into Xena's brilliant blue eyes. Leaning toward the 
warrior as if she might be considering another kiss, the bard 
added, "I really want to do something to thank you."

Her approach was interrupted by Joxer, who called loudly over his 
shoulder with a wave, "Farewell, my warrior chums!" 

"You just did." Xena replied with a flirtatious smile,
clearly 
grateful to the bard for telling the tale that chased Joxer away. 

**************************************************************

Chapter 4 - Questions & Answers


With Joxer gone and all right with the world for the moment, they 
walked happily away from the town and set up camp for the night. It 
was past midnight when they were finally settled around the campfire 
with a basic dinner consisting of bread and cheese. They were all 
famished and eagerly ate the minimal fare. 

Xena leaned back against a nearby rock to relax. "Well, I guess we'll 
need to get into town tomorrow for supplies." The warrior noted, 
looking down at the few crumbs that remained when they had finished 
eating.

"This was much better than bunny stew." Willow giggled.

"Way better." Buffy said, laughing along with the redhead.

"I didn't get to say it before, with everything that's been going 
on&" Xena said. "But I want to thank you for helping us get back 
home. I know your being here wasn't part of the plan, but I've got 
some ideas about how to fix that. We can talk about it tomorrow, 
after we get some sleep. I just wanted to say that I appreciate all 
you've done&including your help today with Bacchus, Buffy." The 
warrior concluded.

"Yes, thank you." Gabrielle said softly, a little teary-eyed. "You've 
been such good friends to us. And&Willow&I'm sorry for today,
for 
biting you." She added, more than a little guilt-ridden ever since 
they told her what she had done.

"It's okay. I know it wasn't you. And I'm all better now. See." 
Willow assured her, smiling a sweet smile.

"I'm just glad that it's over and it all turned out okay." Buffy 
interjected, looking adoringly at Willow. "You don't have anything 
strenuous planned for tomorrow, do you?" She questioned, turning to 
Xena.

"Not a thing." Xena confirmed.

"Good! Cause I don't think I can take any more drama right now." 
Buffy admitted.

"Yeah." Willow agreed with a yawn. "A day off would be nice."

Even Xena laughed at that. Thoroughly exhausted, they soon agreed 
that it was time to get some sleep, said their goodnights, and 
settled into their bedrolls much like the night before. This night, 
however, with the apocalypse averted and peaceful thoughts in their 
heads, sleep came more easily. 

****************************

"Gabrielle?" Xena whispered, leaning over the bard.

"Uhn." The bard groaned. 

"Gabrielle, time to get up." The warrior said playfully.

"What is it, Xena?"

"Come on." The warrior said, pulling the bard to her feet. "Shhh." 
She hushed Gabrielle as they walked past the still sleeping Buffy and 
Willow. Xena led the bard down to the lakeshore. 

"What are we doing?" Gabrielle asked.

"Watching the sunrise." The warrior said.

"Since when are you interested in the sunrise, Xena?" The bard 
chuckled.

"Since now." She grinned, taking a seat on the grass a few feet from 
the water's edge.

Gabrielle sat down next to the warrior and they looked out at the 
sky. "Xena?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you want to kiss me?" The bard asked, leaning toward the warrior.

"Gabrielle&" Xena warned.

"You kissed me last night in the catacombs." The bard asserted.

"You kissed me." Xena corrected.

"Okay, but you kissed me back."

"I'm sorry for that. I was just glad that you were safe. Now can we 
just drop it?" The warrior pleaded.

"No. I want you to kiss me again."

"In order to kiss you again, I would have had to kiss you the first 
time, which I didn't. And I don't plan to." Xena firmly stated. "I'm 
going for a swim." She added, rising to her feet and stripping off 
her clothes before wading out into the lake.

Anyone else might have been offended, might have backed away, but 
Gabrielle knew the warrior. She knew how stubborn Xena could be, and 
she knew that she could be just as stubborn. 'I'm not going to make 
this easy for her by just walking away. That's exactly what she's 
hoping I'll do.'  

With that, Gabrielle stood and began to slowly take off her clothes, 
walking to a nearby tree to hang the outfit. "What are you doing?" 
Xena asked, irritated as she watched the bard prance around the 
shoreline in her birthday suit.

"I'm coming for a swim." She replied innocently. The warrior was not 
fooled. She knew that Gabrielle had some hidden agenda, and though 
she knew not what it was, Xena strongly suspected that it had 
something to do with driving her insane. When the bard waded into the 
water toward her, the warrior swam out toward the other side of the 
lake, pretending to find something of interest there so that she 
could put some distance between herself and the exasperating, 
beautiful, naked bard. 

She was lost in thought when a distinctive cry for help brought the 
warrior back to reality. Turning around, she saw the bard near the 
middle of the lake. Gabrielle was calling her name in panic as she 
flailed about, bobbing up and then sinking back below the surface. 
Xena frantically swam to Gabrielle, pulled her back above the surface 
and helped the choking bard to the shore. She gently laid the 
strawberry blonde on the ground at the water's edge, still cradling 
her in her arms.

She looked down at the bard lovingly to see if she was all right and 
was met with an unmistakable grin. "I knew you'd save me." The bard 
said with seductive sweetness.

"You tricked me!" Xena cried in disbelief, pulling away from the bard 
and wading back out into the water. Gabrielle was right behind her, 
unwilling to let her get away this time.

"I'm sorry that I tricked you." She said, grabbing the warrior's 
arm. "Look at me. I'm tired of playing games, Xena." The bard added 
angrily.

"You? You're tired of playing games? That's all you've been doing for 
days." The warrior retorted.

"What are you talking about?"

"This all started the night you got drunk. I don't know what you're 
playing at, Gabrielle, but I want no part of it." Xena declared, 
holding the bard by the shoulders.

"I've been trying to get you to come to your senses." The bard 
replied angrily. "I'm not playing at anything&I love you, Xena." 
Gabrielle added, tears of hurt and frustration suddenly forming.

It was all too much for the warrior to take. She'd kept her feelings 
for the bard so carefully controlled for so many months, finding it 
harder with each passing day. The soft 'I love you' and the hurt in 
Gabrielle's eyes pushed her over the edge. Xena took her in her arms 
and held her. The bard wrapped her arms around the warrior, holding 
her urgently, and placed a soft kiss at the base of her throat. Xena 
tensed at the contact, but didn't pull away. 

Gabrielle took advantage of the opportunity, running her hands over 
the warrior's back, kissing first her shoulder and then her neck. All 
self-control gone, Xena reached up, taking the bard's face in her 
hands and leaned down to bring their lips together. Tenderly, she 
kissed the bard, pouring all of her love into it; silently telling 
Gabrielle what was in her heart.

Gabrielle clung to Xena, deepening the kiss. They stood there for 
countless minutes, waist-deep in the lake, bodies urgently pressed 
together, kissing like there was no tomorrow.

****************************

With the sun in her face, Willow woke shortly after daybreak. This 
morning she was surprised to find Buffy curled up at her side with 
one leg and one arm pinning her down. Willow very much liked the 
feeling and reasoned that she wouldn't have to be embarrassed if 
Buffy woke up because, for once, she wasn't responsible for the 
illicit cuddles. So the redhead lay there looking at her sleeping 
friend, thinking all sorts of things she knew she shouldn't be 
thinking (with very little remorse), until the sun finally fell on 
the blonde's face, waking her up.

Opening her eyes, Buffy found Willow looking at her with an 
unquestionably mischievous grin on her face. "What?" Buffy questioned 
as she sat up, wondering what was on the redhead's mind that could 
explain the look on her face. 

"What, what?" Willow replied, wiping away the grin and trying to 
forget her pleasant daydreams about the blonde.

"You've got a look." Buffy said, smiling at the hacker.

"Look. What look?" The redhead replied innocently. But she was a poor 
actress, especially with Buffy who could read her like a book.

"The look you get when you're up to something." Buffy pressed. "And 
now you're blushing." The slayer teased.

"Nope. I'm not up to anything." Willow replied. "Hey, where are Xena 
and Gabrielle?" She asked, hoping to change the subject.

"Fine, don't tell me." Buffy said with a chuckle. "But you know 
you're not supposed to keep secrets from your best friend&unless
of 
course it's a surprise for me. Is it a surprise for me?" She asked 
hopefully.

'Oh, I'm sure you'd be surprised.' Willow thought.  "Shouldn't we go 
look for them. You know, make sure they're all right?" The hacker 
suggested.

"Okay. I give." Buffy said, climbing to her feet. "Let's go find 
them."

The slayer and hacker saw no sign of their friends near the campsite. 
They walked toward the lake, with Buffy teasing Willow along the 
way. "What were you thinking about, Willow? Something that was blush-
worthy." She noted, pondering the possibilities. Willow giggled 
nervously, but didn't answer. "You can tell me." Buffy prodded. "You 
wanna tell me, don't you?" She continued.

"Woah. Oh no. Oh no!" The redhead squeaked, stopping in her tracks on 
the lakeshore.

"What --" Buffy stopped mid-sentence as her eyes followed Willow's to 
the sight that had turned her friend's face pure crimson. "Oops." 
Buffy chuckled. "Not again! De javu, only&with more oops this
time."

Willow snapped her eyes shut after being frozen in place for a good 
ten seconds, staring wide-eyed at the warrior and bard, who were 
wrapped in each other's arms kissing passionately, completely 
naked. "Oh, Buffy, I'm blind. I'm blind!" The redhead said 
frantically, on the verge of hyperventilating.  

"You're not blind, Will." Buffy laughed, turning the redhead toward 
her. "You're eyes are closed."

Hearing a commotion on the beach, Xena broke off the kiss and pulled 
away from the bard. Gabrielle wasn't even aware that they had company 
at first. She stared at the warrior, looking positively in shock 
after the kiss they had shared. 

"Gabrielle and I were just taking a swim." The warrior called by way 
of explanation, unsure of what they had or hadn't seen. "Why don't 
you join us? The water's great."

"Oh no. Oh no!" Willow started again, with renewed vigor, shifting 
uncomfortably from one foot to the other. Realizing then that they 
had been seen, Gabrielle shrank down into the water as if to hide, 
turning her back to the beach.

Buffy couldn't help but laugh at Xena's offer to join them and the 
whole new panic it had created in the shy redhead. "Thanks. We'll be 
right in." Buffy called to the warrior, kicking off her shoes as she 
pulled her shirt over her head.

"Buffy! We, w-e can't! You can't&you can't be&serious."
Willow said, 
staring wide-eyed at the blonde who was by then slipping off her 
leather pants.

"You know what they say, 'When in Rome&'. " Buffy chuckled. 

"But&this is Greece." Willow pointed out.

"Come on." Buffy urged, tugging the redhead toward the water's edge.

"But&but, but."

"This is what they do here." Buffy declared. "Besides, I could use a 
bath. You're not going to make me go in alone are you?"

"But I can't&really I can't."

"Sure you can. Come on, take off your clothes and let's go." Buffy 
urged.

Willow was speechless then. She turned away from Buffy, who was 
standing not two feet in front of her wearing only her panties and 
bra.

"Everything all right up there?" Xena called.

Willow made a whimpering noise and started to flee toward the 
campsite. "Everything's fine." Buffy answered, sneaking up behind the 
hacker and sweeping her up in her arms.

"Buffy! W-what are you doing?" Willow shrieked. Parts of this whole 
experience were very familiar to the redhead&things that she
might 
have imagined in some of her more vivid daydreams. But the naked 
warrior and bard were not part of the plan.

"If you won't take your clothes off&you'll just have to go in
like 
this." Buffy decided, carrying the hacker toward the lake.

"You wouldn't!" Willow exclaimed.

"Yes. I would." Buffy nodded as she waded out into the water still 
holding a fully clothed Willow in her arms. 

"You can't!" Willow declared.

"Oh, but I can." Buffy chuckled, dropping the redhead into the lake. 
The hacker sputtered in surprise as she hit the water and went under 
before finding her footing and standing up. Buffy swam a circle 
around her, smiling, obviously pleased with herself.

"I can't believe you did it." Willow said, staring at her scantily 
clad friend.

"Told you I would." Buffy smirked.

"You're gonna pay for that, missy." Willow informed the slayer, 
swimming out toward her.

"Oooh, I'm scared." Buffy mocked, laughing all the while. The redhead 
took aim sending a splash wave right at the blonde, who found herself 
with a mouthful of water. A fierce water fight ensued then and 
continued until the slayer surrendered.

"I give. You win." Buffy said, completely drenched and laughing. 
Willow paused as if to stop. Buffy let her guard down and the 
redhead, unable to resist, soaked her one last time.

"I can't believe you'd shoot a girl after she surrendered." The 
slayer said accusingly as she grabbed the hacker by the arms to 
preempt any further attacks.

"I can't believe you would throw me in the lake with all my clothes 
on." Willow countered with an impish grin.

"Truce?" Buffy offered with a sly smile, unaware that she was pulling 
the redhead closer.

"I don't know. I'm not sure I can trust you." The hacker teased, 
suddenly hyper-aware of being held against Buffy's near-naked body.  

"Sorry to interrupt," Xena said with an amused smile, "but Gabrielle 
and I are going into town to get some supplies. You're welcome to 
join us&unless you'd rather have some time alone."

"Oh&" Buffy replied, letting go of Willow and looking up at the
now 
dressed warrior standing on the shore.

"I'm kinda soaked." Willow said, wondering how she could go to town 
looking like this.

"You'll dry on the way." Xena said smiling.

"Oh, okay." The redhead agreed.

"So&I should probably get dressed then." Buffy said, feeling self-
conscious now being the only one without clothes on.

****************************

Meanwhile back in Sunnydale 1999&

"Hey, G-man." Xander said by way of greeting as he entered the 
library early Thursday morning. "Have you seen the Buffster? Or 
Willow?"

"I was going to ask you the very same thing." Giles replied. "The 
last time I heard from them was Tuesday morning. Willow called to say 
that she and Buffy were taking&a day off. After everything that 
happened with the mayor on Monday, I think they were in need of some 
rest. I was hoping you had heard from them."

"No. I tried to call them both last night, but there was no answer at 
either of their houses." Xander answered.

"I've been trying to reach them too. It seems that Buffy's mom is out 
of town at a conference this week."

"That explains the no answer then." Xander remarked.

"I'm beginning to worry. Buffy is usually very reliable, checking in 
almost every day." Giles noted.

"Do you think something happened to them?" Xander asked.

"I certainly hope not." Giles answered, pacing restlessly. "Yesterday 
I thought perhaps they just took another day to rest. Though it isn't 
really like Willow to miss school, is it?" He reasoned. "If they 
don't check in by this afternoon, I'm going to go to their houses and 
look for any clues as to their whereabouts."

"Planning something a little break and enter-ish?" Xander inquired.

"Well&perhaps&something like that." Giles conceded.

"Count me in." Xander said. "I'll meet you here after class."

"All right, then." The watcher agreed.

****************************

By the time the group broke camp and made it to town, the sun was 
high in the midday sky and Willow had mostly dried out. Xena 
suggested they stop at the local inn for something to eat and 
everyone eagerly agreed. Xena ordered stew and ale for everyone and 
they sat down at a table near the center of the room.

When they had finished eating, Gabrielle took the mugs to the bar at 
the front to get another round of ale for everyone. Xena questioned 
the wisdom of the second round of drinks as she raised an eyebrow at 
Willow who was acting rather giddy after her first mug. 

While Gabrielle was at the bar getting the drinks, a man approached 
their table. Judging by his outfit, leather and armor, they reasoned 
that he was a warrior. Judging by his smell, he hadn't bathed in a 
very long time. He was clearly drunk and not too bright. Foolishly, 
he laid one hand on the table in front of Xena and the other on her 
shoulder, leaning down over her. "Can I buy you a drink?" He asked.

"No thanks." Xena replied, roughly removing his hand from her 
shoulder. Buffy sensed a scuffle coming on and couldn't resist 
smirking at the guy who was stupid enough to challenge the warrior. 
Willow just sat wide-eyed in fear of what was to come. 

He didn't take the hint. "Come on, sweet thing, one drink won't kill 
ya." He said, pushing Xena's dark hair back away from her neck. 

"No, but it might kill you." The warrior replied, grabbing him by the 
arm and twisting it around behind his back until he actually 
whimpered. "When a lady says no, you better learn to listen." She 
added, walking him to the door and throwing him out into the street.

Xena returned to the table with a round of applause from Buffy and 
Willow, as well as Gabrielle who had caught the scene on her way back 
from the bar. A half-hour later, after listening to several of the 
bard's stories about Xena, they finally left the inn. 

"I'm going to the stables to see about getting new shoes for Argo." 
Xena said.

"Oh, can I come and see the horses?" Willow asked excitedly.

"Sure."

"We need to pick up supplies, so I'm going shopping." Gabrielle said.

"Shopping? Sounds like fun." Buffy said hopefully.

"You can join me if you'd like." Gabrielle offered. The slayer nodded 
eagerly.

"All right. Have fun. We'll meet you in the marketplace when we're 
done." Xena said.

Xena and Willow walked toward the stables at the edge of town. Willow 
was a bit unsteady after two mugs of ale and tripped on a rock in the 
road, almost crashing to the ground before the warrior caught 
her. "Thanks." The redhead said with a goofy little smile as Xena 
helped her regain her balance.

"Don't mention it. Are you all right?" The warrior asked, concerned 
at the hacker's apparent intoxication.

"Oh yeah. I feel great." Willow giggled.

"That's what I'm worried about." Xena replied with a lopsided 
grin. "Maybe we shouldn't have had that ale with lunch." 

"I don't usually drink. But that was good ale." Willow proclaimed.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it." The warrior replied smiling down at the 
redhead. "I'm sorry if Gabrielle and I&made you uncomfortable
this 
morning." She added.

"I was just&a little surprised. I mean, its not every day that 
something like that happens, well not to me anyway&although that
does 
make twice since I met you." She babbled. "I don't make it a habit of 
walking in on people when they're naked, believe me&I'm just
sorry 
for interrupting&whatever it was we interrupted. But I'm really
happy 
for you and Gabrielle."

Xena chuckled affectionately at the redhead's babbling. "I was 
surprised at how you ended up in the lake." 

"I know! I couldn't believe Buffy did it." Willow replied, a dreamy 
smile crossing her face as she thought about her friend.

"You took it pretty well." Xena noted. "I thought you'd be mad."

"It's kinda hard to be mad at Buffy." Willow admitted. "Besides, I 
had fun, with the water fight and all. I got her good." The hacker 
giggled.

"Yeah, you did." The warrior confirmed.

When they reached the stables, Xena went to talk to the stable hand 
while Willow walked around petting the horses. "Are you ready to go?" 
The warrior asked when her business was done.

"Uh huh." Willow said, but didn't turn around. She continued petting 
one of the horses and talking softly to it.

"You like this one?" Xena asked, standing next to the redhead.

Willow nodded. "We don't really have horses in Sunnydale. They're so 
beautiful. Bye horsie." She added before turning toward the door.

****************************

Gabrielle and Buffy wandered through the marketplace. Buffy watched 
the bard haggle for everything they bought. "Wow, I'm impressed. You 
know how to get a good deal."

"I try to make the most of every dinar." Gabrielle replied. "So, what 
do you think? We've got all of the supplies, so what do you want to 
look at?"

"I don't know. Why don't you show me what kind of clothes they have 
here?" 

"Sounds good." 

They walked around to several booths looking at a wide array of 
scarves, skirts, and sleeping shifts. "I'm sorry that Will and I 
kinda interrupted you guys this morning." Buffy commented. "We had no 
idea."

Gabrielle blushed. "It's okay. We didn't exactly plan it. If you'd 
come a minute earlier&we were arguing then."

"Well, then, you must've made up in record time cause you seemed 
pretty friendly when we got there." Buffy noted with a suggestive 
smile.

"It was&amazing. I was so overwhelmed&I didn't even hear you
walk 
up." The bard said nervously. "But I think Xena is avoiding me now."

"Don't give up on her." Buffy advised. "She'll come around. Speaking 
of which&here they come." She added, seeing Xena and Willow
crossing 
the street to where they were standing.

"I got to see the horsies!" Willow said with a slight slur, as she 
walked up to Buffy.

"That's great&did you guys happen to stop by the tavern on the
way?" 
She chuckled, looking up at Xena.

"Nope, but that's a good idea." Willow interjected. "I am a little 
thirsty."

"I think you've had enough." Buffy laughed.

"Maybe." Willow conceded, smiling back at her.

"Did you get the supplies?" Xena asked.

"Yeah. We got everything we need." Gabrielle said quietly.

"Good. I've got an idea for a way that we might get you two back 
home. We should get going while there's still daylight left." The 
warrior said.

"Where are we headed?" Buffy asked.

"To see an old friend of mine. Ares." Xena replied, not sounding too 
happy about it.

"You can't be serious, Xena." Gabrielle interjected.

"I am."

"Do you really think that's a good idea?" The bard asked.

"Ares has the power to send them back." Xena said simply.

"What makes you think he'll help us?" Gabrielle argued.

"I don't know that he will, but I have to try." The warrior answered.

****************************

"Did you hear from them?" Xander asked as soon as he entered the 
library after his last class.

"No. No, nothing." Giles answered.

"On to Plan B then. So, what is Plan B again?"

"When last I heard from them, they were at Willow's house. So, we'll 
go there and look for any clues to their whereabouts." The watcher 
replied.

Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at the Rosenberg house. As they 
approached the door, Xander rang the doorbell. When there was no 
answer, he tested the doorknob. "It's locked." He confirmed.

The watcher pulled a small pouch out of his pocket and opened it, 
pulling out the necessary lock-pick tools. Xander watched as Giles 
worked the picks in the lock and opened the door in less than a 
minute.

"Way to go, Giles!" Xander commented as they entered the front door.

As he stepped inside, Giles caught sight of the spell remnants in the 
living room floor. The watcher bent down to inspect the items, 
scanning the candles, the brass bowl with the ingredient mixture, and 
finally noticing the picture on the floor in the center of the 
circle. He picked up the snapshot and stared at it.

"What is it?" Xander asked.

"It's a photograph of those friends of Buffy's&what were their 
names?" The watcher tried to recall.

"Xena and Gabrielle." Xander supplied, looking at the photo over 
Giles' shoulder. "But what does this have to do with them?"

"I should have known something wasn't right." The watcher insisted, 
pulling his glasses off and pinching the bridge of his nose in 
frustration.

"What have we learned?" Xander asked. "Cause I gotta tell you, right 
now I'm lost."

"Magic&obviously Willow was attempting some sort of spell and&
something must have gone wrong. If I've told her once, I've told her 
a hundred times, magic is dangerous and is not to be toyed with." The 
watcher ranted.

"And the picture?" Xander prompted.

"The photograph might have been used as a&representation for the 
object of the spell. Clearly, the spell was supposed to affect Xena 
and Gabrielle in some manner." The watcher explained, pacing back and 
forth across the living room. "However, that does not explain what 
happened to Buffy and Willow."

Xander picked up the picture that the watcher had tossed onto the 
coffee table. "Um, Giles&this may be a stupid question,
but&what if 
Buffy and Willow were in the picture too?"

"What?!" The watcher replied. Xander passed the photo to Giles and he 
saw what he had not noticed before. "Bloody Hell!"

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Xander asked.

"This photo of Xena and Gabrielle&in the background&there is
a 
photograph of Buffy and Willow, here on the mantle." The watcher 
supplied, walking over to the hearth to look at the object in 
question.

"So, ah, whatever the spell was supposed to do to Xena and Gabrielle, 
it could have done to Buffy and Willow too." Xander reasoned.

"Precisely."

"But how do we find out what the spell was for? I don't see any sign 
of a spellbook." Xander said, scanning the spell remnants.

"Perhaps Willow had some&information about the spell in her
bedroom." 
He suggested, moving toward the stairs.

They scanned the room but found no clues regarding the spell. Xander 
paused, looking at Willow's desk. "Maybe Will had the information on 
her laptop." He suggested.

"That might well be." Giles admitted. "We should take it back to the 
school and look at her files. Perhaps we will find something useful."

"My thoughts exactly." Xander agreed. Moments later, with the 
hacker's laptop in hand, they left the Rosenberg home.

****************************

The warrior led the group westward for a few hours before stopping in 
the late afternoon to set up camp for the night. Xena fed and brushed 
Argo, with some help from Willow, while Buffy and Gabrielle gathered 
firewood and started the campfire.

"Before dark, I want to do some fishing. I saw a stream not far from 
here." Xena said. "I should be able to catch something for dinner. I 
hope you like fish."

"Sounds great." Buffy agreed.

Gabrielle, Buffy and Willow took a seat against some nearby trees and 
watched as Xena slowly waded out into the stream.

"How's she going to catch the fish?" Willow asked. "Doesn't she need 
some kind of pole and some bait?"

"Not Xena." Gabrielle chuckled. "She's very resourceful."

"I gotta see this." Buffy laughed.

The warrior stopped when the water was about up to her mid-thigh. She 
bent down as if listening above the water's surface. After a few 
moments, she plunged her hands into the water and pulled out a good 
size fish with a triumphant smile and tossed it up onto the shore.

Willow giggled in surprise. "How'd she do that?" Buffy asked.

"I don't know." Gabrielle admitted. "But she does it all the time."

Buffy got up and walked to the water's edge. "How'd you do that?" She 
asked the warrior.

"Come on in. I'll teach you." Xena offered.

"Are you serious?" The slayer asked.

"Sure. Why not?"

"Okay. I've gotta try this." Buffy decided, kicking off her shoes.

"You should probably take your pants off too. The leather won't take 
the water too well."

"Is this how you get all the girls naked?" Buffy teased. Willow and 
Gabrielle laughed at that. 

"Very funny." Xena said, trying not to smile. "Just get your pants 
off and come here."

"Oh, she's demanding. I like it." Buffy joked as she made quick work 
of removing her pants. Xena actually blushed at Buffy's comment. "You 
guys sure do like to take your clothes off around here." She added, 
wading out into the water to where the warrior was standing. 

"She's so bad." Willow giggled. 

"I think Xena's actually blushing." Gabrielle noted in 
disbelief. "I've never seen Xena blush before."

Gabrielle and Willow watched as Xena demonstrated her fishing method 
to Buffy. Willow looked over at the bard and said, "Sorry about 
earlier&you know when Buffy and I&interrupted&you know.
But I'm happy 
for you. I told you she liked you."

"I don't know what she's thinking. It just kind of happened. We 
didn't really have a chance to talk about it and now she seems&
distant. Maybe I pushed. Maybe she didn't want it."

"It looked to me like she did&not that I was really looking, but
I 
couldn't exactly help seeing&and it, uh, seemed pretty mutual to
me." 
Willow assured her.

"I don't know. I guess I just need to talk to her. This is driving me 
crazy. Just when I start to get close to her, she pulls away." 
Gabrielle confessed.

"I know she loves you. Maybe she's just afraid." Willow suggested.

"Maybe." The bard replied.

"You should talk to her. Tonight after dinner, I'm sure I can get 
Buffy to go for a walk with me and you can be alone with Xena."

"Really?"

"Yep. I think that's what we should do." Willow confirmed with a 
decisive nod.

A shriek from the lake brought their attention back to Buffy and 
Xena. "Look, I caught one." Buffy exclaimed. "Do you believe I caught 
one? Pffft, who needs a fishing pole anyway?"

Gabrielle and Willow laughed out loud as the slayer proudly displayed 
her catch and then tossed it onto shore. "Way to go, Buff." Willow 
called.

****************************

It was nearing sunset when they finished eating dinner. "You should 
get out your scrolls and tell them a story, Gabrielle." Xena 
suggested, knowing how much the bard enjoyed sharing her stories.

"A story? That sounds fun." Buffy agreed.

"Okay." Gabrielle agreed, pulling out her scroll pouch. "Let's see. 
Do you want to hear the one about Xena's twin? Or&" 

"Xena has a twin? This I've gotta hear." Buffy declared. "I can't 
imagine two Xenas. Seems to me the world has enough to do dealing 
with the one." She teased. That got a laugh out of the bard and 
Willow, who tried without success to stifle a giggle.

"It was definitely interesting." Gabrielle admitted. 

Buffy and Willow listened intently as the bard began. "I call this 
one 'Warrior&Princess'&"

She recounted the tale of the princess who looks exactly like Xena, 
though they aren't related, and how the king called for Xena's help 
because the princess' life was in danger. When she told them that the 
warrior switched places with the princess, they laughed out loud. 

"Somehow you don't strike me as the princess-y type." Willow noted.

"Yeah, I fit in real well, frilly dresses and all." The warrior 
said. "Especially when they offered me some strange foods that the 
princess liked that I had never heard of. Then they offered 
me 'Akbash' and I said that I was famished and could use a few bites 
of Akbash. It turned out that Akbash was the princess' pet dog."

"You tried to eat her dog?" Buffy laughed. 

"That wasn't very nice." Willow giggled.

"Xena, you never told me that!" Gabrielle laughed. "You should tell 
me these things for my scrolls. Now I'll have to put that in."

The bard finished her story with a little help from Xena and received 
an enthusiastic round of applause for her efforts. "Tell us another 
one." Buffy suggested. Willow and Gabrielle shared a look.

"We should give her a break." Willow suggested. "Besides, I really 
wanna take a walk. Join me?" The redhead asked Buffy.

"Okay." The slayer said, getting to her feet. "What was that all 
about?" She asked when they were underway.

"Oh, Gabrielle just wanted some time alone with Xena. I told her 
earlier that we would take a walk after dinner. You don't mind, do 
you?" Willow asked.

"Mind? No. It makes sense&after what we saw earlier, I can
understand 
they might want a little time alone." Buffy said suggestively.

"Actually they're just going to talk, little miss mind-in-the-
gutter!" Willow teased.

"If you say so." Buffy conceded. "But we should probably stay gone 
for a while&just to be safe."

"If it means avoiding another scene like this morning, I'll stay gone 
all night." Willow giggled.

****************************

"What was that all about?" Xena asked when the slayer and hacker had 
left.

"What?"

"The two of them taking off like that."

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe they wanted some time alone." Gabrielle 
replied.

"Yeah, maybe." Xena conceded. 

Hearing a noise behind them, the warrior motioned to Gabrielle to 
stay still and she slipped off into the darkness to investigate. She 
could hear the quiet footsteps of someone sneaking up on their camp. 
Hiding behind some bushes, the warrior waited until the figure came 
closer. When the time was right, Xena sprang into action, kicking the 
perpetrator hard in the face. He landed on his back on the ground and 
made no move to get up. When the warrior took a closer look under the 
light of the moon, she quickly recognized the face.  

"Hello, Perdicus. Not the smartest way to pay us a visit."
Xena 
greeted him.

"Perdicus!" Gabrielle said in disbelief. The bard had no idea
why he 
was there. She just knew that his timing was awful.

"I just had to see something." Perdicus said.

"What?" She asked.

"Your face. I haven't stopped thinking about you since the
last time 
I saw you. Gabrielle&we've always been close. You were my
closest 
friend. And, well& Gabrielle, will you be my wife?" 

Xena had left them alone, but as she walked away she heard enough to 
know that this visit from Perdicus would change everything. She sat 
by the campfire alone, berating herself for letting her emotions get 
out of control that morning, for kissing Gabrielle the way that she 
had. For a moment, she had allowed herself to believe that there 
could be something more than friendship between them. 

She knew that Gabrielle would want to settle down some day - get 
married and have children. She could have those things with Perdicus. 
Xena wondered at his timing and was thankful that he came along when 
he did, before anything else had happened between her and Gabrielle. 
It would be hard enough as it was to say goodbye to the person that 
she loved more than anyone or anything in her world, but she doubted 
that she could accept losing Gabrielle if they had become lovers.

****************************

"What have you been doing since you left Troy?" Gabrielle
asked, 
dodging the marriage proposal entirely.

"Fighting. That's all I've been doing, it seems. After
Troy, I&
wandered into another war. One day, I killed three men. I started to 
have dreams about&all the men whose lives I'd taken. I
couldn't stand 
it. One night&I had my dagger at my heart. Then I saw
something." 

"What?" 

"Your face." He answered.

"Perdicus, I don't know if I'm really who you think I
am." 

"Gabrielle&we were to be married once. And you decided that
that 
wasn't to be. And you were right. You were right. I wasn't
ready, 
either. But I am now. I love you&and if you'll take me&I
want you to 
be my wife." 

"I'm sorry. I&just excuse me&OK?" Gabrielle said,
walking back toward 
the campsite to find Xena. She worried about what the warrior must be 
thinking with Perdicus showing up like this. 

"Xena?" Gabrielle called, looking around, but the warrior was nowhere 
to be found. 'She must be checking on Argo.' The bard walked across 
the campsite and down the path where Argo had been tied, but the 
horse was gone. Gabrielle knew something was wrong then. Xena never 
left without telling her, let alone at night. She walked quickly back 
to where she had left Perdicus.

"Perdicus, I'm sorry that you've been so unhappy. I hope you find 
some peace, and someone to love&but I can't marry you." Gabrielle 
explained.

"Why not, Gabrielle? I love you."

"I will always care about you, Perdicus, but I'm not in love with 
you." The bard explained softly.

"I have enough love for both of us, Gabrielle. You could learn to 
love me." He replied.

"I'm sorry, Perdicus, I can't. My life is with Xena now. It's not an 
easy life sometimes, but this is where I belong. There's no place I'd 
rather be."

"I understand&I should probably be going."

"Take care of yourself." Gabrielle said, hugging him. "I hope you 
find what you're looking for. Goodbye, Perdicus."

"Goodbye, Gabrielle."

****************************

"I wonder what's going on back at home." Willow commented. "I hope 
the mayor and Faith aren't causing trouble."

"I know. I bet Giles is totally losing it by now wondering where we 
are." Buffy replied. "It's a good thing your parents are never home 
and that my mom's gone to a conference this week. With any luck, 
maybe we'll be back home before anyone misses us. Except Giles, of 
course."

"I bet Angel misses you too. I'm sure he's worried." Willow noted.

"Somehow I doubt that. I'm sure he doesn't even know. The other night 
after the fiasco with the mayor, we broke up."

"Aww, Buffy. I'm sorry." The redhead said. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Things were just so chaotic and then I guess I just didn't think of 
it." Buffy admitted. "He's planning on leaving town after we finish 
things with the mayor."

"Are you okay?" Willow asked, reaching out to take Buffy's hand.

"Actually, I am. Things haven't been the greatest between Angel and 
me for a long time. After he lost his soul and went on a killing 
spree, our relationship was never the same. Then, you restored his 
soul and I had to send him to hell to stop Acathla from ending the 
world. I was so guilt-ridden for killing him that it took me a while 
to get over it. When I was finally moving on, he came back and I knew 
what he had suffered in hell because of me, so I took care of him. 
But I've been realizing lately that it's been a long time since I was 
in love with him&if I ever was." Buffy admitted.

"I don't know what to say. I really thought you loved him."

"I don't even know anymore if it was love or just some sort of self-
destructive kick. It was the classic bad boy attraction, you know? I 
couldn't date anyone normal because of the life that I lead and Angel 
and I were thrown together because of the slaying, and he was 
forbidden&I was the typical sixteen-year-old girl, attracted to
the 
mystery or the drama or something." Buffy paused, sighing 
heavily. "Besides, misery has a special sort of attraction, 
especially for someone as screwed up as I was. But what did we really 
have in common? Not much except the slaying, and that wasn't 
something we could truly share because I was the slayer and he was 
the one I was supposed to be slaying." Buffy said pointedly. "I will 
always care about Angel, but I know that I shouldn't have been 
involved with him. If I hadn't, Miss Calendar would still be
alive&
along with a lot of other people."

"Wow. I never would have thought you felt this way." The redhead 
replied, nearly speechless at the revelation.

"I didn't really realize any of this until recently. I knew there was 
definitely something lacking with Angel for a while, but I hadn't 
thought much about it until a few weeks ago. Then, the things the 
mayor said the other night kind of hit home and since then&it's
all 
sort of been getting clear." Buffy explained. "You don't have to 
worry. I'm totally of the good." The slayer assured her, squeezing 
Willow's hand. "Which reminds me&you said the other day that
there 
was something you wanted to ask me about the mayor."

"Uh huh. Well, I've just been thinking about the mayor and what 
Wesley said&you could've destroyed the Box of Gavrock and stopped
the 
mayor's Ascension. Gabrielle told me that it was your idea to trade 
the box to get me back. Don't get me wrong, I'm grateful&but I
don't 
understand why you would risk so much&" Willow explained.

"Wes was a real jerk. He made it clear that in the council's eyes, in 
his eyes, I failed in my duty as the slayer, that I made the wrong 
choice. But I'm not just a slayer. I'm a person too. Ever since I was 
called, I've done my duty whether I liked it or not. This time&I
had 
to do what was right for me. I need you, Will. There was no choice 
really. I did what I had to do to get you back."

"What if we can't find a way to stop the Ascension? I guess I'm 
surprised that you would take that chance&just to save me."
Willow 
confessed.

Buffy knew this was it. It was time to stop hiding from it and tell 
Willow the truth, so she began, "You're kind of a captive audience 
here. Nowhere to run, so that's good." She paused, taking a deep 
breath, before continuing. "With all that's happened lately with you 
being captured by the mayor, almost stabbed by Faith,
Bacchus&I've 
realized I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you and 
I hadn't told you that I love you, Willow." Buffy concluded, bracing 
herself for the hacker's response.

"I know. I love you too, Buffy." The redhead replied, looking 
confused. "You're the best friend I've ever had, the best friend I 
could ever have. I don't want to ever lose that."

Realizing that Willow didn't understand what she had meant, Buffy 
gathered her thoughts and tried again. "You are my best friend, but 
you're much more than that to me. And I'm not telling you this 
because I expect something from you&really, I don't. But in that 
moment, when I found out that you were captured, I realized that if 
you died, nothing else mattered. I had to get you back, to tell
you&
no matter what happens&that I love you." To be sure there was no 
confusion this time, Buffy leaned in and whispered again, "I love 
you, Will." And tenderly, lovingly kissed the stunned redhead.

Slowly pulling back, Buffy quickly added, "You don't have to say 
anything. I just needed to say --mmm." Her sentence went unfinished 
as the hacker dove toward her and kissed her with such intensity that 
Buffy ended up lying on her back on the ground with Willow on top of 
her. A moment later, Willow broke off the kiss, looking down at the 
slayer. 

"Are you sure?" Buffy asked.

Willow chuckled. "How can you even ask that? I love you." The hacker 
insisted, entwining her hand with Buffy's. "And I can prove it." The 
redhead said with a mischievous grin.

The slayer laughed. "Oh yeah? How?"

Willow kissed her then with complete abandon, letting three years of 
pent-up love and longing finally flow freely. She held the slayer 
with a tender intensity and let her hands move through the golden 
tresses of Buffy's hair. Their heated kiss melded them together and 
time stood still. Some minutes later when they finally broke the 
kiss, Buffy asked breathlessly, "Wow. Where'd you learn to kiss like 
that?"

"Thinking about you." Willow quietly answered.

"Huh?"

"Mental training." Willow chuckled. "You practice doing something in 
your mind, concentrate and visualize how you want to do it. Athletes 
do it all the time to improve their skills. Of course, most people 
just call it fantasizing." The redhead explained.

"You made that up!" Buffy said chuckling.

"No, really. I swear it's the truth. What do you think I was thinking 
about this morning when you woke up?" The redhead added with an 
impish grin.

"No!" Buffy chuckled.

"Yep." Willow confirmed.

"I can't believe you were taking advantage of me in my sleep!" Buffy 
scolded. Willow rushed to apologize, but the slayer smiled and put a 
finger to her lips. "I mean&you should have woken me up so I
could 
enjoy it."

"I love you, Buffy." The redhead said, tears forming in her soft 
green eyes.

"I'm a lucky girl." Buffy replied, reaching up to touch Willow's 
face. "I love you too."

************************************************************
Continued in Part 3











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Willow: "It's a good fight, Buffy, and I want in."
Buffy:  "I kinda love you."
                     'Choices'

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