Gabrielle, Goddess of the
Heart 

As Xena and Gabrielle huddled together under a blanket, the
thunderstorm raged on, soaking them to the skin. They flinched with
every lightning strike that seemed to hit a little closer than the
one before. And were startled with each terrifying clap of
thunder.

"You know, we could be warm and dry in some rundown,
flea-bitten tavern somewhere," Xena grumbled, as much to
herself as to Gabrielle.

"No one's stopping you," Gabrielle answered
sullenly.

Xena was silent. She knew trying to reason with Gabrielle was
useless.  For almost a month she had tried to talk
Gabrielle into leaving the  lake they were camped next to.
For almost a month she had tried to find some way to pull
Gabrielle out of the depression she was in. Nothing
worked.   It was all Xena could do to get her to eat even
one meal a day. The only way Xena could get her to bathe was to
threaten to throw her into the lake.

Xena had talked to her until she had run out of words. 
After losing her powers in her battle with Dahak, Gabrielle only
wanted to sit by herself and wallow in self pity. Nothing Xena said
made a difference.

So many times in exasperation Xena was tempted to ride out,
leaving Gabrielle alone with her misery. But she knew in her heart
she would never leave her; could never leave her. But how
could she get through to her? Gabrielle was convinced that without
her powers she was useless, that without the power to Heal she had
no purpose in life. Gabrielle wanted to stay hidden from the world
– how could she look into the eyes of those who were sick or
dying, knowing there was a time when she could have ended their
suffering? How could she tell them she couldn't help them, that
they were just going to have to endure their illnesses, suffer with
their pain, or were going to die?

Eventually the storm passed them by, and Xena began to clean up
the debris left behind. She rebuilt the campfire, spread out their
clothes and extra blankets to dry, and tended to the horses.
Gabrielle continued to sit with the sopping wet blanket still
around her shoulders, oblivious to the chill and dampness.

Xena finished cooking supper, ate her fill and left a plate next
to Gabrielle, knowing it would still be there in the morning,
untouched. As the sun set, Xena took the wet blanket from Gabrielle
and wrapped a dry one around her. In the east, a bright, full moon
was beginning to rise in the clear, rain-washed sky.