Thoughts About Life
By Xandra and (someone who wishes to remain unmentioned)
:::watching in the bushes...seeing you walk along with Argo...reins in your hand...grin wickedly...chuckle that insane, mirthless chuckle...stand from the bushes...right into your path...twist a strand of blonde hair around my finger...grin...:::: well hello, my sweet....
I stop..:::Callisto
awww...how sweet..you remember me... :::eyes dark brown...flashing with a hidden burning rage...::: so you should...you made me..
..ice blue eyes, cold bottomless pits....:::so I did....just barely controlling my hate/rage for the evil demon standing in front of me
::walk briskly up to you...stare deep into those ice blue eyes...tip my head on one side...grin...start to circle you slowly...reach out...flick a strand of your raven black hair...::: hmm...Xena dear..you seem to be missing something...or..someone....
:::I involuntary flinch when she touches my hair...I turn to face her as she circles me, always watching what she does...:::what do you mean?....sneer
::chuckle wickedly...stroke your cheek gently with the back of my hand...:::: ohhh..I got your interest now, did I ?...ok Xena..lets play a little game...you are missing something...small...blonde...talks a lot....irritating !
...I move away from her...sudden realization comes over me...:::Gabrielle....gasp....::what did you do to her....
::throw back my head and laugh...clap my hands together...::: ohh..wonderful...y'know Xena...I really never knew what you saw in the brat anyway
...ice blue eyes, hard with hate for Callisto...::where is she callisto...::where is she...I scream with hatred
:::snort derisively...::: ohh..like I'm gonna tell you that ?..no Xena..I'm just here to enjoy your impotent rage as you realize I took the thing you love most in all the world...
..I step back in shock....where was Gabrielle?...last time I saw her was in the last town we had passed where she was going to stay for a few days because her family was there on vacation...she was going to meet me later on.....I turned and leapt on Argo and headed back to the village where I hoped Gabrielle was....
:::chuckle...::: I have her, Xena..you shouldn't leave her...I have her...she's safe...for now...
...Callisto called out from behind me.... I kept going.... after awhile of hard riding I turned off the road into a clearing.... Here cms truble: ::following Xena...sniggering evilly to myself as I think of the annoying little blonde brat that she loves so much...bound and gagged to the wall of an underground cave...water rising..no food...no water...:::
...where was Gabrielle....then I noticed a cave hidden in the growth of plants and at the base of the mountain I was traveling by...I turned and covered my trail, took Argo's saddle bags off her, sent Argo off with her saddle, rider-less, and started to the cave...as I went in, I noticed an incline in the ground and stopped to wonder about that...as I did I noticed the sound of running water, and something else...I took off as fast as I could….
::sneaking in the cave by the hidden back way...walking up to the terrified..wide eyed Gabrielle...grin as I stroke her face lightly...pulling at a strand of her hair...whisper...::: hmmm..she's coming for you little girl...
...I came to a bend in the walkway I was in...and there she was Gabrielle, and callisto...Gabrielle was tied to a pole and gagged...Callisto was perched on a rock...smiling at me....::Gabrielle....I made a move to get her but as I did Callisto said something to me
:::stroke Gabby’s hair...as I move to her side...you see the razor sharp blade at her throat...::: ahh, ahh, ahh...Xena...want to bathe in your little brats blood ??
....I stopped as soon as callisto moved to Gabrielle with a dagger in hand and stopped myself from gasping in terror as she moved it to the bard's throat...:::what do you want Callisto...
: :::playing the blade around under her chin...running it lightly around her jaw line...giggle as I see her breasts heaving...her terrified eyes pleading with you...::: drop your weapons Xena...everything....
...::you let her go first...
:::eyes grow cold...lip curls...yank back on her hair...stick the blade up against her throat...::: not in a good position to call the shots Xena...NOW DO IT ! ::Gabrielle whimpers in fear...:::
...I dropped my sword...my chakram...my boot daggers...everything....
::watching...grin wickedly...::: hmm...carry on Xena...down to your petticoat...don't know what you might have down that leather
...I didn't like her, hated her...I wouldn't have done anything for her but Gab was at the other end of the knife she was holding....I took off my gauntlets...two daggers fall out...
::tip my head...nibble my lip as I smile...turn to gab...whisper into her ear...::: see...she can't be trusted y'know Gabrielle...
....I grimace....I took off my boots...nothing there...I took off my leathers...nothing there either...::alright Callisto....:::I did what you told me to do....:::release Gabrielle
::chuckles again...:: ohh...no, no , no...see those rings over there...with the rope hanging...?...go tie your right wrist to one of them...and tie it tight...because if you don't...I start slitting her throat...slowly...
...I turned and faced the rings....walking over I thought about my choices...not much.....I tied my right hand to the rope...as tight as I could without cutting off my blood circulation
:::run a hand through my wild blonde hair...giggle happily...walk over to you...grasp your left wrist...stretch your arm out and tie that too....grab your chin...kiss your lips hard...:::
....I turn my head....and try to spit out the taste of her....nauseating.....
::slap your face lightly...stand between you...walk to gab and whip off her gab...pulling down around her chin...::: ok...my dears...I'm going to really enjoy this...because..one of you is going to die today..and the other is going to watch...now...who is it to be, hmmm ?
…I think wildly...if Gab dies....her family will never forgive me...if I die...there is no way she can get out by herself...and Callisto would just kill her anyway....there is nothing I can do I thought grimly
:::sitting on a rock...between you...enjoying immensely your anguish...gabs fear...chin in my hands...grinning wildly...:::: ohhh...this is sooooooo perfect
…I look back and forth between gab and the monster holding her...all is lost...I think but as I do, I feel a presence by me....watching the whole situation...I look from gab to her captor...she doesn't seem to notice anything...she's not immortal...I feel his breath on my neck...he's whispering to me...something I can't understand..
:::toying with Gabs hair...run a finger along her lip...eyes dancing wildly as I play the point of the dagger over her cheek...:::see Gabrielle...she's gonna let you die...told you she was a murdering bitch, didn't I ?
...he disappeared...I snarled....rage coming over me...and I couldn't control it...suddenly, what Ares said to made sense...I screamed...::::no...and pulled my arms...the chains/ropes broke and before Callisto knew it I had the dagger and had pushed her off the rock and gab out of the way.....
stumbling backwards...hit the wall of the cave hard with my back...grunt...groan...:::
I threw the dagger into the underground river and walked forward toward where she hit the wall...since she wasn't a god I didn't need the hinds blood I had....I pulled out my breast dagger...:::oops...did I forget this...mocking tone....::::I went to plunge the dagger into her heart...
:::eyes lock with yours as the dagger moves forward...a strange expression in my deep brown eyes...almost relief...:::
I stop...what was that in her eyes??....it look almost like relief....no....but wait...could it be??...no....I stopped and picked the broken rope from my wrists....I turned her around and tied her hands behind her back...I sat her down and tied her ankles...no resisting on her part...I turned and got my sword and put my boots and leathers back on, picked callisto up, slung her over my back and called for gab to follow me...
:::not resisting...laying over your back...quiet now...whisper...::: why Xena ?..why didn't you kill me...end this miserable existence you call life.....I can't live..or feel..or love...why not just put me out of my misery ? "
...I didn't answer...just took her out of the cave...whistled for Argo....when she came I flung you over her back and started leading Argo to the nearest town...about a mile down the road ...gab was still to shocked to talk...
:::laying over her back...lift my head...talking to you...::: thats right Xena...turn me in..you already ruined my life..took the hopes and dreams of a little girl and turned them to ash...but hey..its me that is going to pay for that...you think I ever will stop paying for your crimes ?
...I didn't answer her..we arrived at the town...their patron god-Zeus....stopped Argo in front of the main temple and told Gabrielle to wait with Argo...I pick up Callisto again and walked into the temple....I called for Zeus....he and the god council appeared in front of us....I threw you down and asked the question....::make her a child again....send her back to the past and make it so I never destroyed Cirra....make her grow up like she was going to...before I destroyed her...
:::look up at you...dark brown eyes shimmering with tears...just looking...
...Zeus confers with the council....:::alright Xena...because you have helped the gods in numerous ways....we'll do you this favor....and with that a transformation took place....you shimmered in a white light...then it stopped....the gods disappeared...except one...and you, you stood up...
:::look around me....close my eyes...breathing in deeply...filled with a peace...contentment...see you there...::: Xena ?
.....::::Callisto....I see that you have changed and there is no more hate in my voice or heart...only in my mind for you....
:::reach out to you...smile softly...::: please don't hate me Xena...and...tell Gabrielle...I'm sorry...
....:::I will....I turn....:::I don't hate you....and I walk toward the temple doors...outside to Gabrielle and Argo....grab Argo’s reins and lead her out of the town...telling the bard about what happened.......leaving out Ares....
:::stare after her..kiss my fingertips...wave...tears rolling down my cheeks...whisper...::: bye Xena...be safe
...looking back at you standing in the door I think of how the world can change in a day...that night at camp Ares appeared to me....::why didn't you kill her Xena?? why? you had the perfect chance to....:::she could do better things alive....he left angry with me.....as I went to bed....I thought about the events of the day and thought how the path of my life, and Gabrielle’s change through-out our lives....
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