#and then make someplace supposedly safe for them *shrug*

[yourlocalmissingtexture]

Oh cool, a server for queer people in my area, seems inclusive based on the tags so that’s great! I don’t join servers but I’ll check it out! Who’s the person running this thing anyway?

*checks their profile, “men dni”*

Oh.

[scenes-in-between]

Nothing Important Happened Today II - Post-episode

(post-episode)

Shaking their pursuer is not as easy as Mulder would have liked. The gray sedan is no match for the motorcycle in terms of agility and versatility, yet Agent Crane manages to find them again after not one, but two attempts at off-road evasion. The third attempt leaves them almost hopelessly lost, themselves. When they finally emerge from the woods somewhere in eastern Oklahoma, they are hungry, exhausted, and nearly out of fuel, but they are also alone.

Mulder won’t go so far as to assume it will stay that way, but for now, he will take the wins where he can get them. It has been a difficult few days, to say the least.

In the short time they’ve known each other, Mulder has learned only two things about his long-haired rescuer -- his name is Michael, and he’s a friend of Gibson Praise. He seems afraid to tell Mulder exactly where they’re headed; his only answer to that question is the slightly ominous “somewhere they can’t follow us.” They’ve been tracking south and west since they left the Vermont rest area, though. This is a significant departure from Mulder’s original plan, which was to travel by bus as close as he could get to the Canadian border, then find a place to cross in some sleepy New England border town where his fake ID wouldn’t be scrutinized too closely. Getting out of the country, at least temporarily, seems like the safest option, but when he asked Michael if they were headed to Mexico instead, the boy shook his head mutely and refused to elaborate further.

They limp the bike to a gas station, coasting in on fumes. Mulder goes inside to buy them some food while Michael fills the tank. They retreat back to the cover and safety of the woods to eat, rest and regroup, and Mulder tries again to draw some more information out of the boy.

“How did you find me, anyway?”

“I followed you,” Michael says with a shrug. “Gibson told me where to go.”

Mulder frowns. “Gibson knew I’d be at a bus station in Syracuse, New York? Hell, I didn’t even know I’d be there.”

“No, before then. When you got in the taxi outside your partner’s house.”

Outside your partner’s house. He’s been following since the very beginning.

This revelation hits Mulder like a truck, and his brain starts racing to connect the dots. If Michael if he saw him get in that taxi, then he must have been sitting outside Scully’s apartment for a while. He feels a cold sweat break out on the back of his neck, anxiety spiking at the idea that Scully’s place was being surveilled. (He won’t admit in the moment that he is more upset that it was being surveilled and he didn’t notice.) Why in the hell would Gibson Praise, of all people, have sent someone to sit and watch them? It doesn’t make sense.

“You mean you were watching us in DC before I even left? Are you telling me Gibson sent you to spy on us, to spy on Scully? I’m supposed to believe that?”

He’s been taking this boy at his word that he knows Gibson, but what if that’s all a lie, and his real intention is to draw Mulder away in the wrong direction so that Scully and William are left unprotected? 

“No!” Michael’s eyes go wide, and he shakes his head emphatically. Because I caught him in his lie? “Look, he just said you might be in trouble, and he couldn’t come himself to check on you, because then he’d be in trouble too. So he asked me to go. He gave me two addresses, and there wasn’t anyone at the first one, and when I got to the second one, that’s when I saw you leaving. So I followed.” 

“You followed.” The derision drips from his words, and his volume begins to escalate. “You followed, through six states and two bus changes before you finally got around to giving me this ‘warning’ you were supposedly sent to deliver? Or was that ‘warning’ just a lie to make me trust you after I caught you tailing me? Why don’t you cut the bullshit and tell me what’s really going on and who you’re really working for?”

No wonder Agent Crane has been able to find them again every time they have tried to evade him. This boy is working for him. It all makes sense now.

“You don’t understand! That’s not how it was!”

Michael bursts into tears and shrinks away from him, which snaps Mulder out of his spiral. He blinks, shame settling over him like a pall, as he watches the boy fight to keep his sobs in check and realizes how very unhinged he sounded just now.

What the hell is wrong with you? He’s just a kid, for god’s sake, not some criminal mastermind.

“Okay.” He takes a shaky breath, then another, still wary, but determined to try and keep his cool, hear the kid out. “You know what? You’re right, Michael. I don’t understand, but I’m trying to. Can you help me understand?”

Michael is quiet for a while, rubbing at his eyes and sniffling occasionally. Mulder passes him another SlimJim and waits, opening a bag of sunflower seeds for himself. He lets the familiar bite of salt on his tongue, the crack of the hulls between his teeth, help him regain his equilibrium.

Finally, Michael speaks up again, haltingly. “I thought… I thought you knew. About the danger. I thought you were going someplace safe, and if I just followed you there, then I could tell you what Gibson said, and it would be okay. Then if you wanted to go with me you could, but if you were safe where you were, then that would be okay too.”

“But you weren’t the only one following me,” Mulder adds quietly.

“I was at first. Pretty sure, anyway. But then that car started following your bus somewhere in… Massachusetts, I think? I don’t know how they found you, but… when they stuck with the bus all the way into Vermont, I knew it had to be the bad guys Gibson warned about.”

Mulder sighs again. He must have gotten picked up by a security camera in the bus station, even though he tried to keep his face down. Once Crane knew where he was and which bus he was boarding, it would have been trivial to grab a flight to some point ahead on the route and just wait for the bus to pass. 

“And Scully?” he asks, his voice tight. “Are the bad guys after her, too? Are they after the baby?”

“I don’t think so. At least, Gibson doesn’t think so. He only said they wanted you.”

It’s consistent with what Kersh told them, he has to reluctantly concede. But it still doesn’t make any sense.

“Did Gibson tell you how he knew about this danger?”

Michael hesitates, taking a drink of water and looking around nervously. “You know how he… hears things? I mean, that other people are thinking?” Mulder nods, and Michael continues. “About six months ago, he started being able to hear people who were really far away. But just certain people. People who used to be… human. But now they’re not.”

The returned abductees. The replacements. Billy Miles and the rest of the so-called super soldiers.

“And he heard these people thinking about wanting to hurt me?”

“That’s what he said,” Michael says with a shrug. “Something about how you were supposed to be like them, but it didn’t work, and so…”

He trails off, and Mulder waits for more, but nothing comes. This conversation has been, by far, the longest he’s had with Michael since they met, and the toll it has taken on the boy is clear. (Not to mention the toll Mulder’s outburst has taken on him.) He startles when Mulder lays a hand on his shoulder, eyes wide and scared.

“Thank you,” Mulder says. “I mean that. I’m sorry about getting upset with you, before. You did the right thing.”

Michael nods, distrust still clear on his face, but he doesn’t pull away.

“Why don’t you get some rest? I’ll keep watch.”

The boy shakes his head, moving to stand up. “I’m okay. We should keep going, before that man catches up again.”

Mulder groans inwardly at the thought of getting back on the motorcycle, particularly since he doesn’t know how much farther they have to go. 

“And you still don’t want to tell me where we’re headed?” 

Michael looks around nervously. “Gibson told me not to say, because you never know who’s listening, and if they know where we’re going, they can get ahead of us and catch us.”

It is a sensible, if frustrating, answer. “But we’re in the woods, Michael. No one’s listening.”

“He said not to count on that. They have ways of hearing things that regular people can’t.”

“You mean like Gibson can hear things?”

“Sort of. I don’t know, he didn’t really explain it.”

Mulder sighs. “Can you at least tell me why you said that they can’t follow us where we’re going?”

There is another long pause, and Mulder is about to give up on getting an answer when Michael finally says, in a near-whisper, “There’s something in the ground. It won’t hurt us, but… if the bad guys go there, they die.”

[starrywinters]

missing — an ong seongwoo fic

requested by @sweetpoisonousmilkshake 

genre: slight horror??? idk, mystery? thrill? yo holY this is just a mess & a flop

based off of this post by @tokyo-coffee 

a/n: happy 300 to me :0 honestly, thanks guys!😫🎉💕 i don’t think i deserve these 300 followers but ((((’: and MERRY EARLY CHRISTMAS!🎄

also, legit hope you guys enjoy???? because i don’t like this,,,, no matter how many times i’ve edited this to make it sound better, it just doesnt????

“where are you guys?”

“i’m so lost

.

.

what is happening”

saturday - december 23rd

“breaking news, following after the missing cases of 9 other boys, 22 year old kang daniel has been reported missing after a 24 hour waiting period of no response.”

-zip- closing the tv, seongwoo cannot believe it.

what is happening, the missing 10 people are all his friends

who is behind this and what is their purpose.

for the past two weeks, one of his friends would be reported missing every day of the week, weekends aren’t touched,

guess every criminal needs their breaks too.

-

day 1 - ha sungwoon

december 11th

a group of 11 boys met up at the center of a mall. the best of friends, enjoying themselves around the mall, until…

“hey, guys, i’m going to the restroom, i’ll meet up with you guys in a bit”

“meet up at the food court when you’re done, sungwoon hyung”

“don’t clog the toilet in there HAHAH”

the day goes by and the clock hits 6pm, sungwoon still a no-show

he doesn’t pick up his phone, the boys split up to look in every restroom in the mall

still no sign of sungwoon,

-ding- seongwoo looks at his phone, it’s a message from sungwoon

“1 down, 10 more to go.”

frantically, he dials sungwoon’s number, the person on the other end picks up

“HEY WHERE’S SUNGWOON HYUNG, WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DO YOU WANT”

and the person hangs up.

day 2 - bae jinyoung

december 12th

“okay everyone, you guys need to stay safe. be on the lookout for anything suspicious,” mother yoon jisung orders

“especially you maknaes, don’t go anywhere without an adult. or walk in crowded places.”

bae jinyoung, a child of mischief, does not listen. he feels like he can protect himself as he’s taking boxing lessons from jihoon,

he leaves his house at the usual time of 4AM, an early head start to school, his only source of light are the street lamps

a white van driving at, probably, 5mph was following him closely from behind,

creeped out he starts walking faster, the van starts driving faster, at this point he’s sprinting to school,

the van zooms by and stops a yard in front of jinyoung. the door slides open and three people steps out, taking bae jinyoung with them.

-ding- “9 more”

day 3 - hwang minhyun

december 13th

“ultra fast delivery? hm” the thing that has caught hwang minhyun’s eyes is an iRobot Roomba 880. issa a vacuum cleaner

the option of it being delivered right away caught his attention as well, placing his order, he expects the vacuum to arrive in 30 mins max, but

a minute later his doorbell rings, “wow i didn’t expect ultra fast delivery to be this quick,”

opening the door, he comes face to face with a masked man, his eyes look somewhat familiar, or am i picturing things

minhyun didn’t even get a word out before the guy places a cloth over his mouth, gasping which is not a good idea minhyun pls, chloroform.

“8”

day 4 - yoon jisung

december 14th

walking home from work, enjoying the fresh air of the night, he doesn’t notice someone suspicious following him.

even though he was the one who told his friends to stay cautious

going on his phone to check up on the news of his missing friends, no luck

no one can find them, the criminals didn’t leave any clues, what smart people.

“i just want my friends back, i want life to be normal again.”

the suspicious person took this opportunity to strike and attacks jisung,

hitting him at the back of his neck i’m sorry jisung ;-; he drops to the ground, unconscious.

dragging jisung away, all that’s left is his phone with a message sent to seongwoo

“7 more”

day 5 - lai guanlin

december 15th

the stress of not being able to communicate well with others as he’s a foreigner has finally hit him.

he feels left out and wants to collect his cool before he bursts out at his friends, thinking going to the beach will satisfy him, he did just that

spending an hour max at the beach swimming and screaming to his heart’s content, has allowed him to calm down

he feels more motivated to learn korean better, to be able to have fun with his friends too.

swimming back to shore, he didn’t notice how far he swam out, stranded in the middle of the ocean he didn’t know where to go

an incoming big wave crashes into him and he drowns, but a boat passes by and saves him

however,

he never makes it home.

“6”

day 6 - park woojin

december 18th

he went to the park where he heard there was a hurdle tournament going on,

saw some online ad and wanted to participate.

he didn’t bother considering it to be a scam since all that was in his head was winning the grand prize of $1000

the event takes place at the time of 6PM and ends at 8

woojin ends up going and upon his arrival, doesn’t see anything set up for a hurdle race

“scam? i was really looking forward to this too,” kicking some nearby rocks, he pouted.

he saw an ice cream truck parked by the park and thinks why not treat himself and make his day better with ice cream?

after getting his ice cream, he turns around, takes a few steps and bumps into someone, “ah sorry”

his ice cream fell in the process, “hey it’s ok why don’t i get you another ice cream?” dragging him to some place unknown, woojin is confused as he’s walking in the opposite direction of the ice cream truck

“i know a really good ice cream place, let’s go”

woojin never gets back home and worries his dorm mates

“5, halfway there.”

day 7 - kim jaehwan

december 19th

jaehwan started out busking as his hobby which soon became his way of living.

the many years of his field of work has never had anything serious happen, sure some delinquents would try to steal his money but he’d find a way to get it back

never in his life has he ever dealt with what’s about to happen to him

a person who self-claims as a manager from a big music entertainment walks up to jaehwan, hands him a card and tells him to go audition,

looking at the information presented on the card, “YMC huh, this sounds a bit sketchy sir,” when he looks up the man had already left

“guess i’ll give it a shot” and shrugs.

after busking, he makes it a mission to go home and rest early to go audition tomorrow, but as he walks home, some guy walks up to him and knocks him out

his guitar falls to the ground and he is taken away to someplace where his other friends are presumably taken to as well.

“4”

day 8 - lee daehwi

december 20th

worried about woojin’s disappearance he went to look for him at the same park that woojin went to,

he unknowingly meets the same guy who took woojin and asks if he’s seen a boy about “yay tall and sounds like a dolphin when he screams”

the guy doesn’t respond and keeps staring at him, wth this guy is so creepy????

“ah i’m guessing you haven’t i’ll take my leave now, thank you for your time.” turning around to leave, he feels a hand take hold of his wrist

“i know where he is,”

“AH REALLY? CAN YOU TAKE ME TO HIM, PLEASE MISTER”

the guy smiles mysteriously, leads daehwi to where woojin is supposedly at and daehwi never ever came back either

“3”

day 9 - park jihoon

december 21st

tired after his boxing competition in london, he packs his bags and waits for his manager to finish whatever he’s doing.

knowing how long this manager usually takes, he finds a place to sit in the lobby of the hotel he resided in, and closes his eyes for a small little nap

a black figure slowly creeps up to him and is about two seats away, reaching out

“hey jihoon-ssi, hey, wake up.” waking up to someone tapping his shoulders, he sees his manager in front of him, “let’s go we’re almost late for our flight”

the black figure has hid behind a newspaper so he wouldn’t get caught,

heading out and arriving at the airport, the manager leaves to go check in for them first, letting jihoon take his time walking

lost in the crowd of people, the same black figure was following jihoon, feeling something was suspicious he walks faster and looks for a restroom to wash his face and clear his mind, thinking he was imagining the feeling

walking into the restroom he unexpectedly gets jumped and gets knocked out by a chloroform cloth, the same black figure getting up and cleaning the ‘dust’ off his hands and pants,

“2”

day 10 - kang daniel

december 24th

coming back from his b-boy practices, he feels a little hungry, going to the convenience store down the street from his house, he buys a few snacks and drinks

walking out of the store with his phone in hand dialing seongwoo’s number, to check in on him and to just chat, he almost crashes into a guy

taking the faster way home, he walks by an alleyway right as seongwoo picks up, and gets dragged inside,

struggling to be set free, he turns and sees the face of his kidnapper,

and finds out who it is as his eyes widens, dropping his phone and his bag of snacks,  

“You- mmph”

“hello? daniel? are you there?”

and he hears a muffled voice speak into the phone,

“1”

-

seongwoo feels frantic, all his friends have gone missing

what will he do now, what if something happens to them, is this all a dream?

is this a christmas prank? this is a cruel prank then

seongwoo, not knowing what to do, wants to cry. not being able to sleep two nights in a row in worry of his friends’ safety.

day 11 - ong seongwoo

december 25th, christmas day

getting up out of his bed, he heads to his living room,

his house looking like a caveman ransacked his place in search for food, he grieves over his friends’ disappearance,

he receives a letter from an unknown person; inside it, in cutout letters from magazines, was spelled out

“0, you are next.”

thanks for reading!♡ omg plus, winter break is almost here, bless. im ready to watch the downfall of my grades throughout this week, ugh finals week im ready to fail every test given to me ((’:

[9r7g5h]

Remember All - P12

Fandom: Xena: Warrior Princess

Overall Rating: T+ (Rating subject to change)

Genre: General

Summary: Given another chance, left with her memories of their first time through, Gabrielle knows there’s only one option for her- let Xena live. Whatever she had to do, whatever she had to change to make sure that would happen, Gabrielle was willing to do it.

Words: 4,237

AN: Updates might be a little bit slow for the forseeable future. I'm trying to figure out where the plot goes from here, and while I have some major things planned, I need to figure out how to jump to them, you know? But I am actively working on it, and will hopefully figure things out soon. Until then, please bear with me and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Xena.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, ???

They stayed for another week. A week of celebration and excitement, of feasts and drinking and merriment- though nowhere near to the levels the Romans had been, everyone still on tense guard for any who might wish to do them harm. But still they celebrated, just glad for the first official win they could call their own.

With Londinium theirs, fully stocked and easy to defend, Boadicea had already begun planning. It wouldn't take long to move her entire army into the safety of the city, finally forsaking the caverns for now. From the city, they would easily be able to begin sending out raiding parties, coordinating and organizing strikes that would slowly, over the course of many months, begin to drive out the Romans. There was still a long road ahead of them, but with the largest, best fortified fort now theirs, it would be possible.

She tried to convince them to stay, offering Xena command of half the army- she had earned it, earned it and Boadicea's trust back, after so long of it missing. She had offered them a home, someplace not safe, no, nor an easy life to live, but one that would allow them to fight the Roman bastards, perhaps even with a greater chance at Caesar. While there was no guarantee, Boadicea was sure he would return, especially once he heard about the death of his friend.

Xena disagreed.

"He'll be angry," she pointed out that first night, after Boadicea had had the bodies removed from the commander's lodging and the blood as well washed from the wooden floors as was possible. Which it wasn't- still a large stain coated the floors from where the wood had absorbed his blood. A stain they all did their best to ignore, but still, Gabrielle could feel everyone's eyes flicker to her whenever they were first drawn to the stain. Even after she had cleaned up, changed into a spare set of clothing one of the women had been able to offer her while her own clothes were cleaned- a soft shirt, a long skirt, so close to what her mother used to wear, Gabrielle had almost felt young again- she knew what they were all imagining.

Already the kinder soldiers were beginning to hail her as Andarta, Andraste, different names for their goddesses of war and victory falling from their lips whenever they saw her. Because none of the others knew it wasn't her blood that had covered her, believing the illusion of her slit throat, but still she lived, and they had won without a single casualty of their own.

The more fearful named her Ankou, claiming their god of death had taken female form to walk among them, just bidding her time before she dragged them all into their graves. Because who else could walk away from death so easily?

For those who did know, still they stared. Stared and wondered at the girl standing before them, wearing borrowed clothes as she stayed close to Xena's side, trying to figure out how she had managed to defeat Brutus, supposedly one of the Roman's greatest swordsmen, with only a nick.

Even Xena seemed unable to focus entirely, her gaze constantly finding Gabrielle, constantly drifting to the bandages that had been wrapped around her throat, everything about her tensing with rage whenever she did. It was clear she wanted to fight something, do something to fix the fact that Gabrielle had gotten hurt, but there was no one to fight. The Romans had been locked away, awaiting interrogation, and the person Xena truly wanted to get her hands one was already dead, his body already moved to the giant pyre the soldiers had built for the dead Romans outside the city.

But as if feeling Gabrielle's discomfort with the stares, Xena tried.

"He'll be angry to have lost Londinium," Xena said again, drawing everyone's attention back toward her, "but Caesar will believe this to be Brutus' loss, not his own. As far as he'll see it, his destiny is to continue on to the rest of the world, and come back to Britannia when he has the council's favor again. Until then, it's safe to say he won't be back; there might be someone else, but not Caesar. As for Brutus..." She gave a little shrug. "To Caesar, alive he was a piece to be ransomed. Dead, at least we don't have a prisoner to bargain with."  

"It's too bad we don't," Boadicea said with a sigh, shaking her head. "I know you did what you had to do, girly," she continued, addressing Gabrielle, "but someone like him would have been worth his weight in dinars, or at the very least information. It's good the rat bastard's dead, but it's too bad his worth goes with him."

All Gabrielle could do was shrug. She wasn't going to apologize, wasn't going to look ashamed of what she had done- she had done it to keep Xena safe, and her mission had been a success so far, even with its setbacks. Brutus' blood was on her hands, but she could live with that.

"Oh well," Boadicea finally sighed, giving a small shrug of her own. "At least we have the city. And you two are sure you don't want to stay? It might not be Caesar, like you said, but there's sure to be a long line of Roman bastards that would look pretty wearing a souvenir from your chakram there, Xena." She nodded at the weapon hanging from Xena's belt, as if mentioning it would be enough to convince Xena to stay.

Instead, Xena just glanced over at Gabrielle once again and shook her head, an understanding light on Boadicea's face, even if it was clear she disapproved of her response.

"It's been a long time since Gabrielle and I were home," Xena replied verbally, making it clear to everyone else listening what her decision was. "It's time we paid some friends a visit."

"Fine," Boadicea said, giving her head a little shake, though the small smile she gave Xena was real. She was annoyed at losing their help, but clearly she understood. "I would suggest you stay at least a few more days, until we can clear a path to the nearest port town. There'll be Romans crawling all over the countryside, and while I'm sure the two of you can handle yourselves, a few more days wouldn't hurt."

Xena agreed, if slightly reluctantly, and so they stayed. Stayed for another week, taking part in the celebration that marked the beginning of the Roman's fall, at least in the minds of the soldiers. There was still much to do, much more to come, but the first battle they actually stood a chance at winning had been won. For most, that was enough.

For them, it was a chance to rest, for Gabrielle's wound to heal, and for them to avoid talking about everything going on their lives.

Xena tried. By the gods, did she try, and try persistently. Despite these kinds of conversations- ones that were deep, that actually discussed their thoughts and feelings and fears- not being her forte, she tried. Tried to talk to Gabrielle about the fact that she had just killed someone, tried to offer comfort and support and love. Tried to bridge the gap currently between them, that Xena could feel, even if that wasn't Gabrielle's intention.

Because she wasn't pulling away, not intentionally. No, Gabrielle was well aware of what Xena was trying to do, well aware of what her intentions were, and Gabrielle appreciated them, as much as she didn't need it. Xena thought her bothered by the blood that covered her hands, by the first life she had had to take; believed that was why Gabrielle often separated herself from everyone else, wasn't sleeping as much, was spending more and more of her time quiet. While part of that was true- she had a new name on her list, a new face that haunted her nightmares, as rare as said nightmares were, and while she didn't regret killing Brutus, she did regret that he had had to die in this life- for the most part it wasn't.

She was already used to the kill, already knew what it felt like to have someones’ life end because of your own actions. In this life, she had just been waiting. Waiting for it to crumble, for the illusion of innocence she had been able to build for this life to shatter. Now that it had, she found herself unbothered by it, even if Xena believed otherwise.

No, the explanation for her withdrawal, for her silence, was so much simpler: much like Boadicea, she was planning.

Callisto, the northern Amazons, the Vikings, and Japa. Lao Ma had laid out right before her exactly what needed to be changed, what needed to be fixed, before Xena began to forgive herself of the worst of her sins. Everything else could come with time- those had been on a larger, less personal scale, fighting and killing and hurting people Xena never knew the names of. Those would have to be fixed with kindness and love, helping and protecting those who remained from those who wished to follow in Xena's former footsteps. Those would be sins that would hover for as long as they lived, unable to be fixed with a single action that would right the former wrong committed.

But those four, those four Gabrielle could plan. She could manipulate, reorganize, use her knowledge of the future to ensure the best possible outcome came about. So, for that week, Gabrielle planned.

They would go to Greece- she did miss home. She had tried to be better in this life, sending more letters and copies of her scrolls to Lila and her parents, keeping them in the loop of what was going on with her life better than she had last time. But even still, she had barely been able to receive a letter in return, her and Xena's movements never steady for long enough for one to reach them, and she was curious as to what was going on. A few days of rest with them would be nice. And she knew Xena missed Cyrene just as much as she missed her own family, so a few days in Amphipolis as well.  

A visit to the Amazons was also in order- while Ephiny was more than capable of ruling in her stead, Gabrielle couldn't help but worry. Ephiny had died at Brutus' hand, and while Brutus was dead, dead and turned to ash, she still couldn't help but worry. Would Brutus' death here be enough to push an early invasion into Greece, thus putting her friend and people in danger? Or would it delay it, Caesar unwilling to push forward without his biggest supporter? She wasn't sure, so she wanted to find out. A rest among the Amazons would be nice, and would be a great help to calming her fears.

And Solan. She knew he was alright, knew, now, he would live happily among the centaurs, but still she wanted to see him. Wanted to confirm with her own eyes that he was alright, that he was safe and sound and no harm had come to him. She wanted her own sins to lift, and seeing him would do wonders to help with that.

They would have to stay for a bit, at least until after the Persian invasion had been turned away, until after Tara had been set straight. They would end up in Rome, would face Caesar (though whether or not it was safe, Gabrielle had to wonder. Caesar knew, he would remember the last time they had been in Rome and its consequences, so Gabrielle wasn't sure. Perhaps some form of preventative measure, keeping them all safe? Something she would need to spend more time thinking about), and they would save the peace statue before it could be melted down and sold. Adventures that had gone well in their last lives, friends she was excited to remeet- it would be simple and easy, at least for a little while.    

But after Greece, they would go north. The Vikings would be the easiest of Xena's sins to confront and fix: Grindl would still be young, Grinhilda not yet so far gone as to try and use the ring again, both of them still contained within the caves and just waiting for something to change; it would, theoretically, be easy. Not simple, no- they would still have to convince Grinhilda to believe in herself, to refind the humanity she thought she had lost, to win back her previous form from the ring. They would have to root out the evil that had grown among the Valkyries, and they would have to return the ring to the Rhein Maidens.

It would be hard, but she already knew. She already knew what they would have to do, what they would have to go through. And, perhaps, it could be done without losing more time. Without lost memories and sleeping spells and years spent waiting for a return unknown if it was going to come.

It was, perhaps, the sin with the least number of variables. Not much would need it change; it would all just take place a couple decades earlier. It would be the easiest of the sins still to come.

But after Greece. They were both tired, both ready for a short visit home, both ready for a chance to rest.

By the time the week was up, Gabrielle was settled. With a plan in mind that at least addressed the near future, she was ready. Ready to leave Londinium, ready to face the future that stood before them, a future she had the knowledge and will to bend into a shape she saw fit. She was ready for what might come.

And it showed. Her mind set, the future a plan laid out before her, it was easier to focus on the now. To slide her hand into Xena's and lean into her side, a movement that took Xena by surprise- after the first few days of Gabrielle shutting down any conversation she tried to start, Xena had let her be, just checking to make sure she ate and at least got a few hours of sleep. Unwilling to force Gabrielle to talk, she had thrown herself into helping Boadicea plan her takeover, her reacquisition of her home. But now she just smiled and tugged Gabrielle close, releasing Gabrielle's hand to wrap her own around her waist instead to hold her near.

Held her near as they stood with Boadicea in the commander's room, a large fur rug covering the floor a few feet away, as they examined the map that would show the cleared route to the sea.

"This is one of our biggest port cities," Boadicea explained, tracing the line with her finger. "If we can get and keep this route, we'll be able to bring food, weapons, men, everything we need to make sure we can survive and get back our home. We've cleared it out as much as we can, but I can't say how much longer it'll stay clear. It would do you good to leave soon."

Xena said something- Gabrielle wasn't sure what, her gaze instead focused on the trail Boadicea had drawn for them to follow. A familiar trail that Gabrielle recognized, a trail that went by a crudely drawn square in a forest surrounded by hills. A square that she knew would be ruins, information she had gotten from Boadicea herself.

Ruins that, now that they were going to be close, she had to see for herself.

It didn't take long for them to set off; they were already packed. Gabrielle had been ready to go for a while, ready to go back home and rest. Their bags filled with some of the supplies the Romans had had, her clothes returned to her cleaned, knives- not her sais, for neither Boadicea’s army nor the Romans had anything like that, but still knives that, for now, worked well enough- tucked into her boots, she was ready.

All they needed was to ready Argo, and they left with Boadicea's thanks, left heroes to her men.

They both road; Xena wanted to cover as much ground as she could, always on high alert for any Romans that might show up. The faster they could get to the port city, the faster they could be free of this island, the better. But...

"Xena?"

For a moment Gabrielle thought Xena hadn't heard her, not over the sound of Argo's hooves keeping up a steady canter, eating away at the miles. But, after a few moments, Xena pulled on the reigns, bringing her down to a trot- slow enough for them to hear each other, to have an actual conversation. Glancing over her shoulder, Xena raised her eyebrow in question, an answer to her call.

"That temple, the one Boadicea said was destroyed? I want to go there."

"Why," Xena asked, turning back to stare into the forest before them. It was getting towards noon- they had been traveling for a while, having left at early dawn. They would need to stop soon, give Argo a break; she wasn't used to traveling with two, and while she had yet to falter, her breathing had become hard. Her head turned slightly to stare into each new part of forest, searching for a good place to stop. "I thought you were glad it had been destroyed?"

"I need to see for myself. Xena, I... I just need to see it."

"A vision," Xena asked, once again falling into their normal dance and game, Xena trying to figure out what Gabrielle knew without having to press too hard for the future.

"A dream." And perhaps it was the sheer relief in her voice, but Xena, soon after, pulled Argo to a stop. Without a word she slid off the horse and held out her arms, a gesture Gabrielle accepted- she slid off the saddle into Xena's arms, resting her head on Xena's chest as Xena's arms folded around her, held her close.

"Gabrielle..." Xena said slowly, her one hand coming up to run her fingers through Gabrielle's hair. She stayed quiet for a long moment- and Gabrielle knew exactly what she wanted to say. Knew she wanted to broach the perceived gap between them, wanted to mend the supposed wound she felt had formed.

Gabrielle instead lifted her head and kissed her, a long, slow kiss that left them both breathless.

"I'm alright, Xena," Gabrielle said, laying her head back on Xena's chest, Xena's fingers once again running through her hair. "Killing Brutus shook me, but..." She let the words trail off, taking a deep, almost shuttering breath before continuing. "My visions told me I would do so. I've always know that's where our paths would meet, and I accepted the consequences of our lives together a long time ago."

She didn't tell Xena that yes, in her “vision” she had killed Brutus, but she had killed him what would have technically been years from now. That she had killed him not here, in a room in Britannia, but instead far from here, on a ship in Egypt. That she had killed him after he had killed Ephiny, after he had helped to destroy Caesar, after he had decided to continue to expand Rome beyond Rome's borders, making him a threat.

That world was over, so what was the point?

Instead she just held Xena closer, because right now Xena was alive, and that was good enough.

"I've been thinking about the future," Gabrielle eventually said into the silence around them. "About where we should go next. We should go home for a while. To see our families, the Amazons. Then maybe we can go north. I've heard about lights, rainbows that dance in the sky. Could we go see them, after we go home?"

For a moment Xena stiffened- and for a moment Gabrielle felt guilty about her trickery, knowing exactly what was running through Xena's mind. But a moment later she relaxed, the hand that had been running through Gabrielle's hair stilling, instead just pressing Gabrielle closer.

"Of course," Xena said, bending down to place a kiss on the top of Gabrielle's head. "Of course. Anything."

They continued to stand there for a long moment, holding and being held, until Argo reminded them of her existence, nickering and nudging them. She wanted to move on, move on or officially rest, neither of which could be done just standing there.

Xena kissed her one last time before they climbed back into the saddle, once again setting off at a steady canter.

For two days they traveled, constantly on watch for any who posed them harm, sleeping in shifts for nowhere near long enough, traveling as fast as they could push Argo without harming her. They didn't talk much- there weren't many words they needed to say. Little conversations that filled those few empty hours- about the north, about what of Gabrielle's visions she wanted to share, about how glad they both would be to be home. But nothing too deep- they were saving those for when they were safe, when they were home.

For two days. And at the end of the second day, they camped just a half mile away from the temple.

"We'll go in the morning," Xena promised as they settled in. It had already been dark by the time they found the clearing, and while it was close, Xena didn't want to take any chances. There could be any number of dangers waiting, and she waited to approach it in the light. "Are you sure you want first watch?"

Gabrielle just nodded. She nodded, didn't say a word, and the moment Xena slipped into sleep, slipped away.

It was just like Boadicea said- rubble scattered the ground, only the slightest impressions of a foundation left. Everywhere she stepped, stone and mortar shifted under her feet, crunching slightly as she tried to avoid the worst of it, avoid cutting her skin or tearing her clothes on the sharp edges that jutted from the ground. There was just enough light- the destruction of the temple had cleared the surrounding area as well, trees torn out and bushes removed, leaving the arena open, nothing to block the quarter moon above her.

The stairs were still there, cracked but stable as she climbed them. Climbed them into the open area that had once been walled, into the arena that had once been the temple of Dahok. Pillars had been toppled, creating new corridors for her wander, but it wasn't enough. Wasn't enough to change the place that had haunted her nightmares for so long, that had tortured her for so many years. That had spilled into her waking moments back in that other life, that had turned her life into hell.

It only took a few moments longer to reach what had once been the center. To reach that larger inner room, where, in her last life, everything had fallen apart.

It was gone. A mallet had been taken to the alter, scattering shards across the floor, leaving nothing but powder, few pieces large enough to truly understand what it had once been. The alter she had found herself sacrificed upon was gone.

She wasn't sure when she fell, nor was she sure how long she just knelt there, staring at the destruction that had been wrought around her. Stared in the silvery light, her fingers almost mechanically playing with the dust, just watching. She didn't think- she couldn't find the words, even within her own mind. She just sat there and stared, absorbing the absence of evil that had once permeated this place.  

It was almost beautiful.

Gabrielle started as something skittered behind her- some creature that had come to call the destruction home. She wasn't sure what it was; even though she had turned at the first hint of noise, it had quickly hidden behind one of the pillars, leaving only an impression of something unfamiliar in the almost impossibly quick glimpse she had caught. Wiping her cheeks- when had they become wet? When she had started to cry?- Gabrielle pushed herself to her feet, shaking away whatever spell the loss of this place had cast over her. The moon was high- Xena would be awake soon, expecting to take over for her watch. She would have to get back before she did.

Gabrielle stood- and paused as something caught her eye. Even though the alter itself was gone, still the raised platform it had once stood upon was there, ever so slightly obscuring the other side. Where something was.

Gabrielle stepped forward, her head tilted ever so slightly to the side as she peered around the dais-

And froze as the skittering sounded behind her, close this time. Froze as she stared at the skeletal hand that laid on the ground before her, a skeletal corpse wearing an outfit- blue, even in the moonlight, even partly decayed and dyed with blood, still parts of it were blue, held together on the corpse with the golden rope wrapped around her- an outfit she remembered so so well.

Froze as a soft, rasping voice whispered "Hello, Mother."