At the continual silence in the room, Gabrielle thought over her soulmate’s words. Taking her silence for dissatisfaction of her
explanation, Xena exhaled as she glanced up at the ceiling. With a shake of her head, she closed her eyes, then continued in a
soft voice.
"Honey, after the battle with the pirates, when I saw how upset you were by Zara's condition, about almost losing her, I knew
I had to help. But again, my helping by merging and taking over Zara's healing, the link already formed was fortified again so
that now I feel every intense emotion, from pain to… to p-pleasure," she explained, then continued in a solemn voice. "I-I
don't know what we did, but I can see through her eyes… f-feel her intense emotions like they were my own."
The healer remained silent as she examined her ghost lover closely. She watched as Xena fidgeted while looking away. The
fear and nervousness were easily seen in the warrior's face. With a slight smile, Gabrielle leaned forward and lightly touched
the tip of her fingers across Xena's icy cold hand. At the instantaneous flood of grief, the storyteller pulled away as she
lowered her eyes. When control returned, she smiled weakly as she looked up at her soulmate with tear filled eyes.
"I sort of figured something like that had happened," the healer sighed as she leaned back and glanced down at the
Moroccan. In an absent manner, she wiped away the tears of grief that were streaming down her cheeks.
"Y-You knew?" Xena's voice was laced with shock and confusion.
"I… I didn't know, Xena. But that time, before the stop at Arjun's home, it didn't feel right. No, that's not the right word. It
didn't feel like Zara," the blonde explained as she looked at her ghost lover.
"So…" Gabrielle hesitated with the next question, almost afraid to discover the truth. When courage returned to her, she
looked into Xena's eyes and asked the question directly. "How long have you been able to experience what Zara feels? Were
you there with us at Arjun's place the whole time?"
With a slight smile, the warrior princess shook her head. "Gods, Gabrielle, no! I wasn't there with you two!" Xena chuckled
softly as she glanced down at the sleeping Moroccan. "But the only reason why I wasn't is because of the magical protections
that Arjun had around his place. Between that Durga and her tiger, there wasn't any way that I was able to enter until Arjun
let me in. Even then, I wasn't able to feel anything and I'm sure it has a lot to do with Arjun's gifts." The warrior grew silent as
she glanced down at the ill woman.
"Sweetheart, this is why I'm not sure if it's right for me to help Zara again. I mean, do I have a right to take possession of her
again, knowing that each time I do this, we…" the warrior shook her head, her brow creased as if trying to find the right word
"What if the link between us becomes stronger than before? Is it fair to her that I do this? But if I don't, then will her infection
get worse? D-Do I have the right not to do all I can to help just because I'm afraid of the outcome?" With a deep-set frown,
the ghost warrior stared at the tips of her boots, the worried expression etched across her features, then she released a tired
sigh.
"Gabrielle, what should I do?" Her voice was pleading as she gazed at the smaller woman, distress showing in the crease of
her brow.
The Amazon only watched her ghost lover in silence. When Xena looked up at her with pleading blue eyes, Gabrielle smiled
as she blinked away her own tears. With a shake of her head, she turned away from the warrior princess as she wiped the
moisture from her eyes.
"Thank you, Xena," Gabrielle's voice was barely a whisper.
"For what?" Her partner looked at her with confusion.
"For finally being honest with me. For telling me the truth and for… for asking me my opinion," the storyteller smiled slightly.
At her soulmate's words, Xena visibly relaxed. With a nod, she sighed as she glanced down at her spirit hands. "I guess I'm
not too good with communication, am I?"
"No, you aren't, but this is a really good step forward. Can we agree to keep trying to have this type of communication open
between us?" Gabrielle asked as she ran her fingers through her short blonde locks.
"I promise, honey, I really mean it." Xena smiled weakly as she gazed into the blonde's green eyes. "So what should I do?"
Gabrielle smiled as she glanced down at Zara's sweat drenched form. She bit her lower lip as she contemplated the situation,
then sighed as she reached for the wet cloth and wiped at the sweat on the Moroccan's forehead. With a slight moan, the
dusky woman's brow furrowed in her sleep as her face grimaced in pain.
"I think I'm going to stop giving her the potion to sleep and then, when she comes to, we can ask her the question and let her
decide what she wants to do. What do you think, Xena?" Gabrielle suggested.
The warrior princess smiled at her lover as she nodded acceptance. "I think that's a good idea," was all she said as she turned
her attention once more to the Moroccan captain.
~~~~~~
Zara dreamt that she was submerged in an ocean of fire. Each time she tried to swim her way to the top, something dragged
her under, pulled her further into the depths of the fiery sea. After what felt like an eternity, she saw a light pulling her nearer,
beckoning her to rise from the heat of the flames.
With an incoherent groan, she slowly opened her eyes and stirred to rise. As she did, she felt instant pain in her shoulder and
backside. Grimacing at the agony, she closed her eyes, then slowly opened them to the diffused light of the ship's cabin.
Although no longer in the depths of a fiery ocean, she felt the heat of the room surrounding all of her senses.
Zara felt the small woman's body next to her, lying by her side as her fingers gently ran through the Moroccan's long, thick,
sweat drenched hair. At the foot of the bed, she heard the slight humming emanating from the darkness. In the diffused light,
she gazed at the ceiling, staring at the slight shadows that the candle cast.
"G-Gabrielle?" Her throat was dry and scratchy. She blinked away the sweat that dripped into her eyes.
"Shush, honey. I'm here, save your strength," Gabrielle whispered softly as she turned away, removed something from the
nightstand, then turned back and held a cup of cool water. At the quenching liquid, Zara closed her eyes and drank until her
throat was relieved. When the healer pulled the cup away, she turned and retrieved a cool cloth.
"I-It's… hot," the captain managed to whisper.
"You have a fever, honey. We need to talk. Xena and I, we need to know what you want to do," Gabrielle's voice was soft.
"Xena, do you want to explain it?"
Zara felt an oppressive heat all around her. In her fogged state of mind, she listened to the warrior's words. If she had been
coherent, she might have gotten offended, or at least upset at the ghost's invasion of her privacy. But she did not. Instead, she
closed her eyes to the words as she tried to understand what Gabrielle and the ghost were asking her. Filled with a sense of
futility, she grimaced as she tried to shake the fog from her thoughts.
"What? Zara, don't be angry with Xena, she thought she was helping," the healer spoke softly as she wiped a cool cloth over
the captain's sweaty forehead.
"No… I-I… w-what…?" The Moroccan's voice was barely a whisper as she tried to focus her eyes on the blonde.
"Zara, honey, please, listen carefully. Xena can help you, like she did before. But you need to know that it may deepen the
link you two already share, do you understand?" Gabrielle spoke softly.
The Moroccan closed her eyes as the words settled in. With a newfound understanding, she remembered the last times that
she felt the warrior within her. Her thoughts, her deepest desires and pain that was once hidden had been laid open for the
ghost to see. Although she would have preferred to keep her secrets private, Zara had to admit that if it hadn't been for the
ghost, she would have died during her battle with the pirates. Just when the captain felt her last strength give out, she
surrendered herself to death. But at the moment of her surrender, she felt the warrior's strength enter her, consume and
control her until the dusky woman couldn't tell where her soul ended and the warrior's began.
"Xena… y-you… t-took me…" She gasped, then stopped as a cough racked her. Afterward, she laid breathing heavily with
her head spinning.
