Unicorn

by

Kira

Note, the following story takes place immediately after the events depicted in the story called Redemption of An Immortal. Though I tried to make each story stand on its own, it would probably be better if you read that first, otherwise, Callisto's character in this story makes absolutely no sense. Having blatantly plugged my other work, I now return you to our previously scheduled story. As far as real(?) time lines, these stories were written after A Necessary Evil and before Callisto's next appearance, whenever that may be.

"There's a really big world out there to discover. And we've got all of eternity to do it in."

-Quinn

Born a simple child in a small village, reborn in fire a vengeful warrior, born yet again with a taste from the Tree of Life to become an immortal, the woman known as Callisto had never learned to live. Not until she was removed from a womb of hardened lava. It was only then the woman created by madness and hatred was taught to love.

Now she was held by the one responsible for her new freedom, cradled gently in the strong arms as outside the turret in which they sat, a storm howled, battering ineffectively at the stone with wind and rain. Quinn was a dark-skinned, compactly built woman dressed in leathers and buckskin, a sword strapped on her back. She was smaller than the slender, blond Callisto, having lived more centuries that she let on; certainly more than enough to know how to tame the wildness that had been all the other had known.

Callisto sighed, reaching up to kiss the other on the neck. She fingered the laces binding Quinn's leather vest suggestively, smiling as her hand was captured and brought to the other's lips.

"I think we should get back to the others," Quinn suggested.

The "others" were the Warrior Princess, Xena and her companion, the red-headed bard, Gabrielle. They had come to this island to battle a sorceress who had disposed the resident warlord; a warlord positively benevolent in comparison to the sorceress who turned out to be sightly more than they could handle. The immortal creature had turned the surviving inhabitants of the island into her mindless followers, creatures who did her bidding and little else. They captured the two women, Shonrha intending to sacrifice them a week later on the Night Of Terrors, in order to consolidate her power which would have resulted in the enslavement of all humanity.

Quinn was informed of the existence of the sorceress, recognized from the description an old enemy called Shonrha whom she was determined to destroy once and for all. She rode off to confront her, leaving Callisto at their home, but was captured by Shonrha. Callisto followed later and rescued all three from their inky dark cells in the hidden structure beneath the warlord's old castle and together, the four attacked the monster, succeeding in decapitating it with a sword dipped in the blood of an innocent namely, Gabrielle's. However, an immortal is much more difficult to destroy than that and currently, the head was stuck on a metal pike outside in the hopes that the same storm that prevented them from returning to the mainland would provide the lightning bolt which would finish the job.

"Oh, I don't think so." Callisto started in on the laces once more, using her other hand. "You see, I sort of put them in a position of discovering their feelings for each other," she explained, working at the complicated knots Quinn favored. "If I figure right, they might not appreciate having company at the moment."

"Indeed?" Quinn laughed. "And why would you do that?"

Callisto paused for a second, then gazed into the deep green eyes that sparkled with amusement. "You know how I feel about you," she said softly. "If I can lead them to the happiness I found with you, then maybe I've made up a little for all the horrors I perpetrated on them."

Quinn softened, reaching up to stroke an elegant cheek, brushing back the blond hair that flowed without restraint about those elven features. "It would make up for a great deal, I think," she said. "Love can do that."

"I know," Callisto said and leaning forward, kissed her lover ardently. She finally managed to free the rawhide bindings, pushing the vest off the shoulders along with the sword and sheath straps. Quinn laughed, and gave in graciously. She knew when she'd been bested. She did have an objection to the location however. The dank turret room with the cobblestone floor was not her idea of a nice place to make love.

"Wait," she insisted. "There's a room I came across while I was exploring the castle. It's a lot more...appropriate than this."

"Will it take long to get there?" Callisto asked, kissing Quinn's bare breasts, nuzzling the smooth, soft skin between them.

"No, and it will be more than worth the trip," Quinn promised, trying to control her breathing. "It has the biggest bed I've ever seen."

That caught Callisto's attention and she drew back, looking at her lover curiously. "Ever?"

"In all my life," Quinn assured, pulling her vest back over her shoulders though she left the laces undone.

"Lead on," Callisto said, rising to her feet and reaching down with a hand to haul the dark woman up.

Quinn led her down one flight and then down a long hallway. She paused to get a torch to light their way. She stopped before a set of heavy double doors, the wood varnished with a fine sheen that glowed in the torchlight. She threw them open and revealed what must have been the warlord's bedchamber and it did indeed contain the largest bed Callisto had ever seen. She paused, her jaw dropping.

"Gods, you could sleep a whole village in that," she said.

"Who said anything about sleep," Quinn offered impishly. She slipped an arm around the slender blond and kissed her ear. "Listen, I wouldn't mind jumping you right now, but if we take our time and make a few preparations, this could really be great."

"What kind of preparations?"

"Check out the chest at the foot of the bed," Quinn said. "I'll look for some candles."

Callisto did as she was bid and found to her delight that it was full of clean linens, still fresh from the herbs and cedar inside. She quickly stripped the musty bedding, tossing it out the nearest window and remade the bed. As she did, Quinn was lighting several candles and starting a fire in the large hearth. Soon the room was warm and cozy and the wine found in another small chest topped it off. Callisto found some glasses and looked at Quinn who had discarded her clothes and slipped into bed.

"You were right, this is so much better," Callisto allowed, pouring some wine and handing it to Quinn. "Although you didn't wait for me."

"Well, I wanted to see you undress," she admitted as she took the glass. She smiled slowly. "Did I mention how sexy those leathers are?"

"No, I can't say you have," Callisto allowed. She looked at the small woman huddled in the blankets and smiled. "You know, I was never this sort of warlord, the big lavish castle and luxuries. It seemed....weak somehow. And I never took prisoners. Not for this. Now I wonder if I was missing something."

Quinn raised an eyebrow, judging the playful look in the blond's eyes. She leaned back in the bed and raised her glass. "I am your prisoner, oh great mistress," she said. "What do you intend to do with me."

Callisto lowered her voice and looked threatening. Or at least, demented. She was very good at it. As long as she kept a straight face. She put her glass down on the table and dropped her sword and daggers onto the same table, casting a warning look at the woman in the bed who struggled to keep the smile off her face. Then she walked to the bed and held out her arm, displaying her gauntlet.

"Undress me," she commanded coldly.

"As you wish," Quinn said meekly and tried not to snicker. She put her wine safely on the shelf at the head of the bed and began to unbuckle the gauntlet, leaning forward and gently kissing the blond's palm. Callisto's breath caught as she felt the lips on her hand, the kisses that trailed up the inside of her arm as Quinn removed the armband, tossing it on the floor.

"Hey, be careful of my armor," Callisto growled.

"Oh, you terrify me," Quinn said, trying to cringe.

That's when Callisto started to laugh and Quinn soon joined her, pulling the blond down into the bed and gleefully tearing off the rest of the leathers which she tossed all over the room as Callisto giggled helplessly. Finally the dark woman had her naked and was straddling her, looking down with interest as she caressed the small breasts.

"This isn't very prisoner-like," Callisto complained.

"Depends on who the prisoner is," Quinn offered.

"Oh," Callisto allowed. Her dark eyes glowed as she stared up at her lover. "What do you intend to do with me?"

"What do you want me to do with you?" Quinn asked curiously.

"You did mention a reward in the armory," Callisto reminded hopefully.

Quinn threw her head back and laughed, slowly stroking Callisto's chest and belly. "I did, didn't I," she said, bending down to capture the blond's mouth.

***

Gabrielle finished her supper and looked at Xena who was painstakingly cleaning her armor of the gore and dirt the day had wrought. She looked at the leftovers, the amount of food too much even for her, and Xena had long since finished her more meager rations.

"Do you suppose they will want any?" she asked curiously.

Xena looked up, dressed in only her leather shift, blue eyes shining dark in the firelight. She favored the bard with a small smile and shrugged. "I don't think they eat," she offered.

"Oh," Gabrielle said. She looked around restlessly. Xena was well occupied and Gabrielle had no scrolls to record the days events. She had tried to organize it in her head in preparation for writing it down but the storm raging outside distracted her. That and the words spoken earlier by Callisto to her during a small game of Truth or Dare.

Callisto had asked her why she had married Perdicus. In truth, Gabrielle didn't know. She did love him, believed it at the time and believed it now. But it was as her enemy had said, she loved Xena as well. Not in the same way, though.

No, not at all. Gabrielle bowed her head so that no tell tale sign would escape her features. Perdicus had been kind and gentle and so wounded. Her heart had gone out to him and she had thought she could help him, help him heal. And it seemed in him she had found someone who wanted and needed her. That had been intoxicating. Especially when it seemed like Xena could never want or need her at all. Wasn't that the real truth? Perdicus had been safe and loving. The aching desire and soul deep love she felt for Xena was frightening. She felt if she hid it long enough, it would disappear. And it certainly didn't seem as if Xena shared her feelings. The last thing the bard wanted to do was to make the warrior princess uncomfortable or make her feel that she had to get away. Gabrielle's deepest fear is that Xena would one day find a reason to leave her behind.

"I'm going to...un, nature calls," she said, getting to her feet abruptly.

Xena looked up, frowned at the way the bard seemed somewhat disquieted but nodded as the bard went off towards the stairs. There was a water closet some distance down the hall that was still functional.

Gabrielle tried not to run from the room and the warrior, afraid that her thoughts would be given away in her face. After doing her business, she hesitated in the hall, not wanting to return to the hearth room right away. She decided to find the other two, discover what they were up to.

She discovered what they were up to within a few moments, simply by following the sounds which she didn't immediately recognize, much to her embarrassment. Quickly she slunk away, hoping she hadn't been heard though in fact, the two immortals had sensed her immediately. Bemused and not a little envious, the bard returned to her companion who pretended not to notice her flustered appearance even though the Warrior Princess dearly wanted to know why Gabrielle was so agitated.

Finally, annoyed by the constant pacing, Xena drew the bard down beside her and got her to tell her a story which is how the two immortals found them the next morning, snuggled together beneath the same blanket, the dark-haired warrior lying on her side, the bard cuddled against her front, arms wrapped around her. They had been asleep, but Xena woke as Quinn and Callisto joined them.

Callisto checked out the leftovers and snagged herself some salmon and vegetables. She always wanted to eat after making love. It was something Callisto didn't understand but indulged nonetheless.

Xena frowned as she disentangled herself from the bard, careful not to wake her.. "I thought you didn't eat," she said.

"I don't," Callisto agreed. "But I never said I didn't enjoy eating."

As a matter of fact, as an immortal she had discovered all her senses had been significantly enhanced, and eating had become a sensual pleasure to be savored like smelling flowers or listening to birdsong or making love. Especially making love. Smiling, she reached back with a morsel and offered it to Quinn who had curled around her, drawing the blond back against her chest comfortably. The older woman gently nipped it from her fingers, lingering in a kiss to the tips.

Xena cleared her throat, obviously not yet comfortable with the presence of her long time enemy despite all the evidence of her transformation. Or perhaps it was the affectionate love-play going on before her. Callisto couldn't decide and she flashed the Warrior Princess an impertinent smile, as she rested her hand suggestively on the smooth buckskin clad thigh at her side.

"So, Xena," she offered. "Now you know why I kept her around."

Xena merely narrowed her eyes as she got some food for herself. Callisto laughed as Quinn nudged her warningly and went back to her breakfast, washing it down with cool, fresh spring water. Gabrielle did not stir, slumbering blissfully in the dawn and Callisto glanced at her curiously once in a while, amazed that she could sleep so easily in her presence.

As immortals, of course, Quinn and Callisto did not get tired but they did benefit from an hour or two of REM sleep every night to maintain their mental stability just as mortals did. It was a habit Quinn enforced. It was her mastery of psychology that had enabled her to break through the walls of hatred and fury Callisto had erected. It had taken months to help her reach this level of peace and she knew it was an on-going process. So it was without protest at Quinn's bidding that the blond warrior lay down and curled up on the bedroll, resting her head on the other's leg.

She performed the sleep-inducing methods Quinn had taught her and before long, the slender blond joined the bard in slumber.

Quinn waited until she was sure Callisto was unconscious and not having any nightmares before gently easing her leg from beneath the sleeping head. She rose to her feet and made her way to the turret room, aware that Xena had also rose and was silently following her. She waited until she had reached the first landing and pressed herself against the wall in the split second she was out of the other's sight, stilling both heartbeat and breathing as she made herself move outside the awareness of mortal senses. Unaware, the dark-haired warrior continued past her and Quinn then followed her up the stairs. Xena got to the top and looked at the empty turret room in bafflement before starting abruptly as Quinn tapped her on the shoulder.

"If you wish to speak with me, child." she said conversationally, "don't try to sneak up on me. Believe me when I tell you, I've been alive longer than you could possible imagine and there isn't any mortal, no matter how skilled, who can get the drop on me."

Xena nodded, observing her warily.

"Sorry, I wasn't trying to sneak up on you."

"Not even a little?" Quinn smiled gently and resumed her trip towards the door leading to the roof battlements. "I'm going to check on our bodyless wonder. Why are you here?"

"I want to ask you a few questions," the warrior replied, following her.

"About?"

"Callisto."

"Why don't you ask Callisto," Quinn offered. She opened the door, the blast of wind and rain putting the conversation on hold. Quinn stuck her head out just long enough to see the monster's head was still there and apparently, untouched, as the string of obscenities that Shonrha cast at her testified to. "As always, a pleasure to see you too," Quinn shouted and drew back inside where it was dry, slamming the door shut. Xena still waited within. "What kind of questions?" she said finally, realizing the Warrior princess wasn't going to leave.

"I want to know that Callisto's really changed," Xena said.

Quinn sighed. "Nothing in this life is absolute, either for mortal or immortal," she informed her, finding the remains of a wooden chair and turning it upright to straddle. "I believe I have succeeded in helping her reach the person she always was as opposed to the monster she thought she should be. Whether that will remain the case depends on many things. The trauma of seeing her mother and sister die horribly in a fire before her eyes significantly twisted her emotional and mental stability."

"I never meant for that to happen," Xena insisted tiredly, leaning back against the wall and sliding down until she was sitting, arms wrapped around her legs. "It was an accident."

"I'm sure it was," Quinn allowed easily. "That's irrelevant. In any event, a similar trauma could send her back over. It's hard to say. Callisto's only constant in her life was her belief in your responsibility for creating this monster she became. Her whole existence became one of revenge and hatred. It was the only thing that kept her going. Now her constant is me. She believes that I am responsible for her transformation. That will remain so until she realizes that she chooses all the paths she takes, not just the evil ones. The saddest thing is that at any time, if the conditions had been right, she could've found this path. It was to her own misfortune as well as many others that there was no one there capable of helping her."

She noted the young woman's stricken expression and reached out a hand to forestall whatever Xena had been about to say.

"No," she reassured her gently. "You could not have been the one to help her. You were her fixation and the absolutely last being that could have reached her. I have been occasionally curious as to what would have resulted if she had indeed killed you. I suspect she would have found a way to kill herself shortly after. Her hatred for you was the only thing that kept her alive and coming back for so long. She came back from the dead itself. So perhaps, in a way, you were her salvation after all."

Quinn leaned forward and rested a comforting hand on Xena's bent head. "Xena, you have your own demons that you must tame. Callisto is coming to accept and understand her own. She's trying to break the circle of hate and revenge. Whether you accept that or not is up to you."

"And if I can't?" Xena said, her voice muffled in her arms, not yet willing to concede.

"Again, irrelevant," Quinn informed her. "To her at least, if not to you. If you wish to continue this fight, I'm sure that she'd be more than glad to oblige you. I suspect she really doesn't like you all that much. But this time, you'd be the one continuing the hatred." She smiled again, but this time it didn't reach her eyes. "Also don't forget, you'd be fighting two immortals. I'd be at her side. Is that what you really want?"

Xena raised her head, looking back at Quinn steadily, more than willing to meet the challenge implied. "What if she goes back to her old ways," she insisted.

"You must realize, Callisto is not cruel by nature. Her acts were deliberate and carefully planned for the maximum effect. They were not acts of casual evil. Otherwise, she would indeed, be unreachable. Her mother reached her in Tartarus, I reached her here. However, if I'm wrong ...." Quinn's expression was suddenly bleak. "Then I shall be responsible," she promised. "I freed her from the grip of the volcano. I will see that she is destroyed before I unleash an evil Callisto on innocents." Her gaze came back from where it had stared beyond the horizon and returned to Xena. "And what of you? Who is responsible for you if you return to your old warlord ways."

"I won't," Xena said positively.

Quinn smiled. "You mortals are so sure of yourselves," she said. She tilted her head slightly as she regarded her for long moments. Xena was silent as she allowed the scrutiny.

"Xena, your soul is dark and in tatters, just now being mended by the light that is the bard's. There's no question in my mind that had you not met her, you would already be back creating more problems than solutions. What if something happens to her?"

"I gave my word to her," Xena said calmly. "I would not dishonor that or her."

Quinn nodded after another moment of study. "I know you believe that," she said. "And perhaps it would be true. Not my problem in any event."

Xena raised her head higher, anger flashing in the deep blue eyes, then dipped her head in acceptance. "And what of you? Who are you to be able to change Callisto or even want to in the first place?"

"I'm someone who loves a good challenge," she said cheerfully. "And Callisto has provided one; more than even I anticipated."

Xena shook her head, still unsatisfied. "It just doesn't seem right that she goes on unpunished," she said.

Quinn barked a snort of laughter. "Unpunished?" she said. "Shall we go over this, Xena. The first time she went after you and committed crimes, she went to prison where she suffered torture at the hands of the guards. The second time, I believe she actually died. The third time, she was forced to face her guilt and was cast supposedly for eternity into Tartarus. The fourth time when encountering Hercules, she was trapped in a pit. Then, in reward for aiding you and Gabrielle defeat the Amazon, she was dumped into a lava flow. I'm not saying she didn't deserve her punishments but just exactly how much punishment do you wish her to face and for how long?"

Xena had no answer to this. She suddenly wondered if she ever would.

A sudden crack of thunder exploded about them, knocking them to the floor and shaking the very foundation of the castle. "Well, I guess that's done it," Quinn commented as she picked herself up and opened the door once more. Behind and below, she could hear the raised voices echoing from the sleepers and the running footsteps that heralded Gabrielle and Callisto's arrival in the turret room. Outside, the driving torrent blinded her and she was forced to wipe her eyes before she could see the blackened remains of the metal pike melted into slag on the wall. A few blocks of stone had been knocked loose and streaks of soot made a tell-tail trail where the bolt of lightning had struck and grounded down the outside of the castle wall. Of the head, there was no sign.

With satisfaction, Quinn shut out the gale and turned to the others who were waiting expectantly. "Shonrha is gone," she informed them with a relieved sigh. "Out with a bang."

"So it's over?" Gabrielle sighed in relief and leaned against Xena who slipped an arm about her shoulders and led her back downstairs. Callisto stayed, looking after them for a moment before turning to Quinn, replacing her sword which she had drawn when awoken so abruptly. She spent a few seconds gazing at the darker woman with narrowed eyes.

"What was Xena doing up here with you?" she asked suspiciously.

"She wanted to talk about you," Quinn answered. "I guess she was not convinced of your apparent change of heart."

As always, Quinn's easy and direct honesty threw the blond for a moment. "What did you tell her?" she queried.

"That it was up to her to accept the change or not," she said. "Either way, your life is yours and how you live it would probably not affect her one way or another in the future."

"Oh." Callisto seemed nonplused and unable to formulate more questions though she clearly had something on her mind.

"You didn't think we were up here in some sort of tryst or anything?" Quinn grinned at the suddenly embarrassed Callisto. She gathered the leather clad warrior into her arms. "I have my hands full handling one ex-warlord," she said, nuzzling her ear. "What on earth would I do with two."

"I could think of a thing or two," Callisto grumbled sullenly.

"Oh, how kinky," Quinn noted and nipped at the earlobe, getting the other's attention.

"That's not what I meant," Callisto said, relaxing then and allowing Quinn to coax a smile from her. "I guess I....I don't know." She shook her head, frustrated at her inability to come up with the words.

Quinn pulled back for a moment, reaching out to take the small chin between thumb and forefinger, tipping Callisto's head up until she was looking into the troubled brown eyes. She studied her intently, finally sighing and hugging her close once more.

"Xena took everything away from you once," Quinn offered gently. "There's still a part of you that's afraid that she could do it again." Carefully she kissed her, lips moving softly over her mouth, palm cupping her cheek. "She can't. And she won't," She promised, holding her tightly. "Not unless you let it."

She could tell the younger woman was not totally convinced. That would only come with time. But she could show her how she felt and with conviction, and not a little enthusiasm, proceeded to do so.

***

The storm raged on throughout the day and gave every indication it was here to stay for only the gods knew how long. Callisto and Quinn made another foray to the outside grounds to gather what supplies of food they could for the other two who were still recovering from their time in Shonrha's cells. Orchards provided some fruit, abandoned gardens, some vegetables amongst the weeds and a small deer was sought out by immortal senses, killed quickly and butchered in the blowing rain. The two bent almost double as they carried their bounty back to the castle, entering the sheltering walls of stone with relief where they handed over their burden to Xena and Gabrielle.

While Xena took the food to the kitchen, Gabrielle led them to a bathing room where much to their surprise and great pleasure, they found that the bard had filled a large tub full of steaming water for their return. They stripped off their cold, sodden clothes and sank into the scented water with all gratitude expressed to the redhead.

"It was the least we could do since you were hunting dinner," Gabrielle said as she sociably perched herself on the edge of the tub. "So what are you going to do now?" she chirped curiously, dangling a hand casually in the water.

"I'm going to wash behind her ears," Callisto said, shooting her a strange look. Quinn smiled and relaxed under the blond's gentle hands as she scrubbed the curly hair with soap root.

"I mean, when the storm ends and we get back to the mainland," Gabrielle continued without pause.

Quinn shrugged, looked back at Callisto. "Hadn't really thought about it," she said. "What about you?"

Callisto shook her head, seeking out some fragrant oil and working it into her lover's scalp. "We can always go home, check out the lava pit. See if Valesca's made it to the edge yet."

Gabrielle froze, much as a rabbit in the light of a torch. "Valesca?" Her voice shook slightly as her mind went back to a time when the rogue Amazon had destroyed a village in pursuit of her. She had never been a target before that and it had been something she never wished to face again.

"Come on, Gabrielle," Callisto grinned at her. "You should know by now that us villains never stay dead and gone forever."

Quinn elbowed her lover in the ribs and smiled reassuringly at the suddenly discomforted bard. "Gabrielle, even if the rock trapping Valesca has made it to the edge of the lava field by now which is highly unlikely, then someone still has to pick it up, figure out there's actually someone in there and then spend a month or two chipping her out." She shot another look at Callisto over her shoulder. "And if Valesca is anywhere near as obnoxious as Callisto was when I finally freed up her mouth, then I can't see anyone bothering to finish the job at all."

"I didn't think she was so bad," Callisto offered.

"Well, at the time, you wouldn't," Quinn pointed out. "You were trying to kill Xena, she was trying to kill Gabrielle. You had all sorts of things in common. You were both homicidal maniacs."

Callisto casually dunked Quinn's head beneath the water which heralded a splashy struggle that Gabrielle prudently absented herself from, dodging the water thrown her way as she left in search of Xena to tell her about Valesca. Alone once more, the other two soon turned their play into something more sensual. Since their very first night together which had been initiated while sharing a bath, it was very difficult for them to limit themselves to just washing when presented with a tub. Especially since everything was so slippery and wet and the heat from the water could barely match the heat they generated all on their own.

Finally satisfied and somewhat clean, they put on their now dry clothes which Gabrielle had thoughtfully hung by the fire and went out to the hearth room. The deer had been dressed and spitted in the large oven in the kitchens, sending out savory odors throughout the castle.

Xena looked up from where she and Gabrielle had been talking. "Is Valesca a danger?" she demanded as they entered.

Callisto laughed. "Scared, are we, Xena?" she said.

"We'll check when we get home," Quinn promised. "I find it highly unlikely she's been released." She frowned and found herself a seat by the fire. Callisto joined her, sliding an arm about her waist. "However, you did not destroy her and immortals have an unpleasant way of popping up when you least expect it as Shonrha proved. Still, I wouldn't worry."

"Easy for you to say," Gabrielle grumbled.

Callisto grinned at the bard. "Even if she is out, the first thing she'd do would be track down some more ambrosia to regain her powers. You'll probably be dead of old age before she gets around to you."

"How would you know?" Xena glared at her balefully. She took threats to her companion very seriously indeed.

"Because it's what I would've done," Callisto responded without heat. She looked over at Quinn and smiled one of those heartbreakingly sweet smiles. "If Quinn hadn't talked me out of it, that is."

"We'll take care of any rogue immortals," Quinn promised.

"I wish that made me feel better." Gabrielle sniffed as she went back out to the kitchen to check on the roasting meat. Xena looked after her, concern for her friend darkening the blue eyes.

Quinn leaned back and suppressed a sigh. Mortals spend so much of their limited time worrying about what might happen or what had happened rather than living in the present. By the time they realized life was something to be cherished each and every day, they were usually too old and crippled to enjoy it..

"I wonder how the town is standing up to this storm," she said thoughtfully just to change the subject. "I'd hate it if anything happens to the horses."

Callisto responded, glad to have a chance to show off her knowledge for a change. "They always get these storms this time of year," she said. "I'm sure they know how to batten down for it. Look how well this castle was built for example."

"What about....did you see a big mare, light with white mane and tail when you stabled your animals?" Xena asked Quinn anxiously.

"Argo's fine," Callisto informed her. "I left enough money for the stable man to take care of the horses for the next two weeks if need be. Argo too."

"Thank you," Xena said to Quinn, not looking at the blond.

Quinn shrugged. "Callisto's idea," she said. "I didn't even know you had a horse." She got up and wandered off to the kitchen leaving Xena and Callisto alone together for the first time since this all had started.

"Um, thank you," Xena said with difficulty.

Callisto nodded briefly. She eyed the warrior princess with a mingled sort of dismay and anticipation.

There was a silence, then both tried to speak at once.

"I want you to know.."

"I don't know..."

Callisto held up a hand, nodded for Xena to go first.

"I don't know if I'll ever be able to trust you," Xena said quietly. "There's too much gone on."

Callisto nodded. "I know. And just because I'm not trying to kill you anymore doesn't mean I forgotten what you did to my village or that you caused the deaths of my mother and sister."

Her voice grew distant as she controlled her emotions. "My actions made it easy for that to be forgotten, I know. It was easy for you to be the hero while I did the horrible things I did. But I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I hadn't been so crazy with rage and grief. If I had just looked you up and demanded you meet me on a field somewhere in honorable combat. Who would have been the hero then? Who would have answered for their actions then?" The words were without heat or anger, spoken matter-of-factly as a sort of abstract evaluation.

Xena was silent for long moments as she considered that. "I think....you would have been the hero in the piece," Xena said soberly, her expression clear that this scenario made her quite uncomfortable. "And Gabrielle might be writing about your exploits."

Callisto cast her a glance from beneath lowered lids.

"Xena," she said finally. "I don't trust you either. And I don't like you. Two years of good deeds isn't going to make up for what you've done to me. I know we're never going to be friends. So why don't we just leave it at that. I go my way, you go yours."

Xena nodded. "That would be best," she said. Then, as Callisto turned to go, the warrior princess reached out and snagged her arm, halting her in her tracks. Xena's face was stern as she loomed over Callisto in her best threatening manner. "Know that I will be there if this transformation turns out to be false."

Callisto smiled, not intimidated in the slightest, freeing her arm and moving closer until their faces were mere inches apart. "It works both ways now, Xena," she said with cold glee. "You're no blood innocent. You know what happens if you go back to being your old self? I get to do it right. So just give me an excuse to be the hero and bring you to an end. As it is, I will get to see you die eventually. I'll just go on and on. I can be satisfied with that now." She flashed her another devilish smile and moved out of the room to find Quinn.

Leaving behind a warrior princess very unsatisfied by the exchange and unsure as what to do next.

***

The storm finally blew itself out that night, the calm greeting them when they rose the next morning. The rowboat drawn up on the beach by Callisto had been reduced to splinters but the small sloop Xena and Gabrielle sailed here had ridden out the winds and waves in the sheltered cove it had been anchored in. Quinn, of course, had swam there. There was just enough room for all four of them, Callisto and Xena studiously ignoring each other. They set sail for the mainland, making landfall before mid-day.

To find an unpleasant surprise awaiting them.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU THEY'RE GONE!??!"

Since Callisto had her hand around his throat and had lifted him a full foot off the ground, it somewhat precluded an answer from the stable master who was turning a remarkable shade of blue. She looked at Quinn pleadingly.

"I know you don't like me killing mortals, but I really, really, REALLY want to do him," she said, the whites of her eyes beckoning back to her wilder roots.

From her expression, it appeared Xena too, was, for the first time, in full agreement with her long time foe. It was left up to Quinn and Gabrielle to restore some sort of order. At the older immortals gesture, Callisto dropped him in the dung where he wheezed and coughed, trying to draw air past his tortured throat.

"What of the money she left you?" Quinn's glacial tone was in its own way, as disturbing as the suggestive way Xena kept fingering her chakrum and Callisto's wanton glare.

"Gone," he managed to sputter.

"Gone? Where?" Gabrielle prodded him with her staff.

There was a silence and the bard poked him again.

"I gamble," he explained sullenly. "I used it to pay off these guys I owed. The horses made out the balance."

Quinn and Callisto exchanged a look, then suddenly the blond was on him again, kicking at him wildly before Quinn was able to subdue her. Xena took over, hefting him to his feet and glaring into his face.

"I don't think you know who you're dealing with here," she said ominously.

"Hey," he whined. "They were gonna kill me right then. Besides, I didn't think you'd be coming back. No one else ever has from that island. Not even when Merticus was warlord there."

Quinn exhaled slowly, trying for a modicum of calm. "When did they leave?" she asked.

"I sold them that night she left," he replied, motioning to Callisto with her chin.

"Which way did they go?"

"They headed north, but they ain't known for sticking to the main roads," he said. "That's all I know," he blubbered. "Please, don't kill me."

Xena silenced him with a punch in the head, dropping him unceremoniously once more in the dung. She turned to face the other three. Quinn raised an eyebrow.

"They're three days ahead and Creator only knows in what direction." she said.

"What are we going to do?" Gabrielle looked from one to the other.

"We go after them," Xena said, and started out that second. Gabrielle rolled her eyes and took off after the long striding warrior.

Callisto looked at Quinn. "What about us?"

Quinn shrugged. "We have plenty of money. We can buy some more horses in the next town," she offered logically.

Callisto considered that for a moment. "Is that what you want to do?" she asked hesitantly.

"Hades, no. I invested a lot of training in Dana," Quinn said, referring to the sorrel mare who had been her mount for a few years now.

"Me neither," Callisto said. For a long time, horses had been just a mode of transportation for her, she cared little beyond doing what needed to be done to keep them healthy and able to carry her where she wanted. That had changed since her release from the lava. Quinn had presented her with a black gelding that she had learned to love and she did not intend to give him up easily. "I don't want to loose Fox. I had just gotten him to do that playing dead trick."

Quinn made an 'after-you' gesture and they took out after the other two who had already disappeared over the rise.

***

They picked up the faint traces of a trail two days later after utilizing some immortal senses to get the general direction their mounts were in. Xena's tracking skills did the rest, following the hoof prints in the forest floor for the next day and a half, pushing themselves unmercifully in order to make up the time. It of course, did not bother Quinn and Callisto to get by on only four hours of sleep a night but Gabrielle was starting to suffer and even Xena knew she herself could not keep it up much longer. Fortunately, their quarry was unaware of the pursuit and seemed to be traveling at a casual pace, stopping frequently whenever it struck them. It was the waning of the afternoon when they finally caught up to their prey though not in the manner they thought.

"This is not good." Quinn looked around at the scattered remains of the nomad party.

Xena and Callisto were grim as they walked amongst the bodies which showed every evidence of a messy and unpleasant end. Gabrielle leaned weakly on her staff, white-faced with shock at the slaughter and exhaustion from the past few days efforts.

"Who...what did this," she asked, swallowing hard as she tried to avoid looking at the blood stained ground, concentrating on the trees instead.

Quinn shook her head. "Looks like they ran into a raiding party that needed some horses," she offered off the top of her head.

"Quinn."

Callisto was gesturing her over to where she and Xena were kneeling next to a body. From the garments and fleshy build, this apparently was the leader of the band. Callisto pulled back the shirt to reveal gaping wounds. Imbedded in one was a white, boney type fragment that they had first identified as the broken tip off a sword. Closer examination had changed their minds.

"What do you make of that?" Xena asked. She certainly had never seen anything like that unique spiral design before and was hoping Quinn's greater experience would shed some light on it. She was not disappointed.

"Odd, this looks like unicorn horn," Quinn said. "But I thought they were all extinct."

"Unicorn?" Xena looked at her skeptically, one eyebrow raised.

"What's the matter, don't you believe in unicorns?"

"I thought they were myth."

"Hey, given enough time, this whole place and everyone in it will probably considered a myth," the woman smiled, teeth gleaming white against her dark skin. Then she sobered and looked around. "Are there any bits and pieces missing?"

"Of bodies, you mean?" Callisto was looking at her oddly.

"Yeah, only not showing up elsewhere on the ground," Quinn elaborated. "Like they've been eaten."

Both Xena and Callisto looked at her sharply at that, then there was the sound of hoof beats and they all whirled, drawing their swords from the back sheaths with a metallic rasp that echoed in the sun lit clearing. There was a rattling in the bushes and suddenly, a dark shape crashed through and galloped up to them.

"Fox!" Callisto greeted the gelding enthusiastically, throwing her arms about his neck as he nuzzled her hair.

Quinn noted Xena looking at the bushes expectantly and she put her hand on the warrior's arm. "It only let Fox go because he's a gelding," she explained. "It needs the mares."

"It?"

"Yeah, it's a long story," Quinn said and looked at the sun's position in the sky. "I think we'd better clean this place up and make camp for the night. There's no way I'm going after this thing in the dark."

"Are you afraid?" Xena wasn't mocking, she was merely surprised.

"Just prudent," Quinn noted.

They spent the rest of the day stacking the bodies in the center of the clearing and making a funeral pyre for these unknowns who had came to such a horrific end. Then they found another place to make camp upwind, the air of death too fresh for them to want to be close to the nomad's place of demise. Bordered by a respectable creek on one side and a rock face on the other, a thick cluster of needle thorn bushes on the third, Quinn pronounced it suitable for the night. A wide open field gave them a unobstructed view to the west and a large bonfire held back the night as they huddled around it.

"So talk," Xena ordered Quinn after their supper had been finished and they were settled for the evening. As usual, Quinn and Callisto were wrapped around each other, leaning back against a log while Gabrielle rested up against the dark-haired warrior's side though not as close as either wished and believed the other did not.

"Why a unicorn?" Gabrielle queried. "From everything I heard unicorns were mystical creatures that appeared on the night of the full moon to virgin maidens."

"And did what, exactly?" Quinn said, giving her an odd look.

"I'm not sure," Gabrielle said. "The stories never really went into that part. Sometimes they gave them rides, sometimes they led them to treasure, it varied."

"Well, I know what it did," Quinn said. "It ate them."

The other three's faces scrunched up in a mixture of disgust and dismay, even Callisto who remembered her childhood bedtime stories of wonderful snowy unicorns who appeared and made wonderful dreams come true for the virgin maidens. Quinn shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"I'll be damned if I know where those stories came from," she said. "Unicorns were real, they weren't particularly mystical although they sure as Hades were bad tempered. They were carnivores and weren't too fussy about how intelligent their meals were. But like I said, I thought they had all been wiped out. As more and more humans spread across the land and the unicorn's choice of range brought them into direct contact, humans decided that it was them or the unicorns. I hadn't heard tell of a unicorn for over four hundred years."

"But you think one killed those men and stole the mares," Xena pressed.

"I can't explain the horn any other way or the fact that the mares were taken and not the others," Quinn said. They had come across two more horses, one stallion and another gelding, clearly the ones the outlaws had been riding. They were now tethered with Fox in the meadow, Quinn trusting that the equine scent would mask theirs from the unicorn.

"Do they...eat the mares," Gabrielle asked, aware of Xena stiffening beside her.

"No, all unicorns are stallions," Quinn explained. "They breed with horses, unfortunately for the horses."

"Why 'unfortunately'?" Xena queried.

"Hey, you ever try to give birth to something with a horn on it's forehead?"

Callisto and Gabrielle, who had never given birth, tried to imagine it while Xena, who had, visibly winced. Quinn noted her reaction with interest and made a little mental note to file away. "Yeah, it usually rips up the birth canal," she added. "Most mares don't survive the birthing."

"How were these things caught and killed?" Xena asked, all business and grim-faced. Argo meant a lot to her.

Quinn poked the fire and relaxed back against Callisto who hugged her tightly. "We build a pit, cover it over, lure the unicorn into running over it. When it falls in it, we fill the thing full of arrows."

"That seems fairly easy," Xena frowned.

"I said they were nasty," Quinn said. "I never said they were smart."

"How could one survive all this time?" Callisto asked. She was still trying to wrap her mind around the "400 years" remark that her lover had made so casually.

"Maybe they've learned to keep to the wilds," Quinn responded. She caressed Callisto's legs wrapped about her with gentle hands. "And even if a human survived an encounter with one, who'd believe them since the creatures are considered mythical?"

"Do we really have to kill it?" Gabrielle was still having difficulty accepting the benevolent animal of her childhood tales were actually a monster.

"If you have another suggestion?" Quinn prompted easily.

"Can we just capture it?"

"And hold it how? And are you offering to look after it? I know I'm not in the market for a two thousand pound man-eating pet at the moment."

"Maybe we could set it free?" Gabrielle mused, "Somewhere far away from people."

Quinn's skeptical expression softened as she regarded the gentle-hearted bard. "We'll do what we must," she offered evenly. "In the meantime, it would be best if you got as much sleep as possible. We're going to have a full day tomorrow."

***

The four of them looked down at the clearing where a small herd of ten mares grazed, the burly white form with the unmistakable spiral horn glinting in the sun circling protectively. The unicorn was similar to the horses even with the horn but the body structure was just a little off, deeply muscled and the neck slightly more serpentine. It raised it's head and made a sound totally unlike a whinny and they were able to see the pointed teeth of a carnivore, two curving canines that curled like those of a big cat.

"Get a good look," Quinn whispered. "You're not apt to see anything like that again. Not much wonder they're almost extinct. A carnivore that requires herbivores to propagate the species. How odd. And kills the female in birth. They're more like parasites than an independent species."

The other three really didn't understand most of what she was saying, but they were profoundly affected by the sight. The unicorn was magnificent, radiating a sleek power and menace as it kept in constant motion.

"Are you sure you can get Argo to come to you?" she asked.

Xena nodded. "She'd run through fire if I whistled," she assured.

Gabrielle, who had seen it, nodded in agreement.

Quinn, knowing the fear of fire that horses naturally exhibited was suitably impressed. "All right," she said. She looked at Callisto. "You ready?"

The slender woman nodded and carefully slid down the grassy ridge they had been perched on. Quietly she made her way over to where Fox waited and mounted, guiding him with knees to the trail in the woods. She trotted up the path to the clearing, controlling the gelding as the unicorn caught sight of them and screamed defiance. She rode close enough to get his full attention and then bolted away as the creature plunged at them. She kept a tight rein on Fox as they galloped through the woods, their route carefully planned to draw the unicorn away for the brief moment Xena needed. She was careful not to get too far ahead, teasing the creature into maintaining the chase. Then, she heard the whistle through the trees and she gave Fox his head. The unicorn had been getting uncomfortably close and she just had to trust that Xena had managed to get Argo. The unicorn who was interested only in chasing away the male and not really aware of the human on its back gave up the pursuit and turned back to return to its herd.

Callisto rode back to their campsite, gratified to see the golden palomino being led by Xena into the meadow from the other direction. Quinn, who was riding one of the other horses with Gabrielle behind had already reached their camp.

"How much time do we have?" Callisto asked as she dismounted, patting Fox on his neck and giving him a treat she had been saving for him. He had performed well.

Quinn tied her mount to the tree and looked back. "We have time," she said. "It'll know that one of its mares is missing but it won't know where it went and it won't go too far from the others in order to look. And it will know Fox had something to do with it. He won't forget the gelding's scent. For now, as long as we're downwind and it doesn't get Argo's scent, we're fine. I don't know about her getting his scent though."

She nodded at where Xena was having a little bit of difficulty tethering the mare who was tossing her head in agitation.

"What's wrong with Argo?" Gabrielle asked as Xena joined them finally. "Doesn't she realize she's safe now?"

"That's not exactly the problem," the warrior woman said dryly.

Callisto snorted laughter. "She's in heat," she informed the bard who was a little embarrassed at her own denseness. "She doesn't know we saved her from an awful birth. She just knows we took her away from her mate."

"It's possible she hasn't been covered yet," Quinn said to Xena who nodded at the attempt to reassure her.

"I'll know in a few months," she responded without enthusiasm. If Argo had already been bred, there was little they could do.

"What now?" Gabrielle asked.

"Now, the second part of the plan," Quinn said.

"Can't we let him go?" Gabrielle looked from face to face. "I mean, we got Argo back. Isn't that enough?"

Xena put her hand on the bard's shoulder. "And let the next group of travelers who come through here with mares be attacked and killed?" she offered gently. "We can't, Gabrielle. I'm sorry." She turned to the immortals. "Ready?"

"I think Fox has got his wind back," Callisto said and she went over, remounting the big black gelding. Quinn followed her, resting her hand on the bridle as Callisto bent down to her.

"Don't risk yourselves," she said. "It's not worth it. We can always try another day."

"I won't," Callisto promised. "Give me an hour to get into position." She reached down and placed her hand on Quinn's cheek. "You be careful, too."

The smaller woman smiled and stood on her tiptoes to allow Callisto to kiss her on the mouth, lingering for a sweet second before straightening and riding away. She had to work her way through deep forest, careful to keep downwind of the herd she was stalking.

The plan was fairly simple. Callisto was to once more lure the unicorn away from the herd but this time, she really had to keep his interest until they had reached the place where the pit dug earlier that morning awaited. Argo would be tethered behind it and it was hoped that the unicorn would be so caught up by the scent of the mare, it would go straight for her, ignoring it's footing until it was too late. Of the horses they had, only Fox was well trained enough to maintain his attention to his rider as a unicorn pursued him. Not to mention the final dangerous stunt.

Callisto drew him to a stop at the edge of the clearing once more. The unicorn was once more circling his herd but now he was much more agitated, baring his teeth at regular intervals. She could tell her wasn't going to let the herd stay there much longer. It was now or never.

She drew her sword, the rasp of it leaving its sheath loud in the summer quiet and with a scream of fury, she dug her heels into Fox's flanks. The horse obediently plunged forward into the meadow, racing across the grass toward the animals milling about in confusion at the sudden noise. The unicorn was not confused and this time it was very aware of the rider, howling it's fury as it raced out to meet the challenge.

Horse and rider held their line until the very last second, then veered away, Callisto sweeping down with her sword to clash with the spiral, silver horn. The impact jarred her arm and sparks flew, then they were past, hoofs seeming to barely touch the turf as the unicorn skidded to a stop behind them, whirled and thundered after them.

Callisto realized the unicorn had not really been serious the first time. Fox was going all out, sweat already darkening his hide as they raced down the path, the unicorn gaining with every stride. Before long, it was almost to them, it's horn sweeping high in a deadly arc to try to bring the rider down. She actually felt the breeze stir her back as she hunkered down as close as she could to her mounts back, the deadly spear cutting the air above her in a wicked slice. Then there was sharp, burning pain as the unicorn changed its tactics, coming to the side to slash her leg, thrusting up in an effort to unseat her. She cried out and unbelievably, Fox managed to put on a little burst, pulling slightly ahead. She did not dare trying to use her sword to try and block the horn, fearing that any movement on her part beyond just riding would throw Fox off his stride. They needed every bit of speed they could.

Then suddenly, they were there and Callisto saw Argo standing in the meadow, Quinn off to one side, Xena on the other. She gathered Fox in and as they reached the invisible line marked by Quinn and Xena's position, she signaled Fox with her legs.

And this is where all his training came in. He saw no obstacle before him, no fallen tree or barrier of any kind. Only flat, grassy turf. But he believed in his rider, trusted her implicitly and when she drew her knees together, he did exactly what she asked and jumped as high and as far as he could, having absolute faith that this was what she wanted and he would do his utmost to obey her, even with a carnivorous unicorn at his butt.

Callisto drew him to a stop and reined him around, praising him lavishly, as he heaved, shuddering as sweat and foam dripped from his sides. Swiftly, she dismounted and began to walk him around, cooling him down and caressing him intensively, her voice full of approval and love. He didn't understand the words. He didn't even understand what had happened to the unicorn which had suddenly seemed to disappear. All he knew was that he had pleased his mistress and that was more than enough for him. He was content.

Quinn and Xena skidded to a stop at the side of the pit, Gabrielle arriving just shortly after. They looked down to see the unicorn on its side at the bottom of the pit, thrashing helplessly as it attempted to gain it feet and unable to due to the shattered front legs. Gabrielle put a hand over her mouth to stifle her cry, a moan of horror and sympathy as she turned away. Xena and Quinn strung their bows grim-faced, drawing their arrows back. The unicorn was no longer the threatening monster killing at will but just an animal, pitiful in it's uncomprehending pain and struggles to live. It was without any sense of victory or pride that they carefully aimed their arrows at the head and heart, hoping to make a quick end to its suffering.

"Hold!" The voice was imperious and seemed to come from everywhere.

Startled and aggravated, they lowered their bows, well aware of what that portended. Below, a sparkle of light coalesced to form the forest clad form of Artemis who knelt beside the stricken animal which quieted at her touch. She touched the legs and they healed and she gently urged it to its feet. There was another burst of light and they disappeared to reappear in the meadow just behind them. They raised their bows once more, defensively and even Callisto left off Fox's cool down to draw her sword once more.

The Goddess of the Hunt, the moon and the forest was livid. It appeared their problems had just gotten more complicated.

"This is mine," she seethed. "How dare you harm it."

Xena and Callisto backed away slightly while Gabrielle didn't know what to do. As a princess of the Amazons, Artemis was her patron goddess. That the unicorn was the goddess's was bad enough. That she had a hand in trying to kill it despite the provocation meant trouble beyond belief.

"What was it doing loose?"

Quinn had not backed up and while she had lowered her bow, she had actually moved towards the goddess and the unicorn. Much smaller than the other, she was forced to look up pugnaciously and had the situation not been so positively fraught with danger, the sight of the contrast between the two would be almost laughable to the others.

"I assume it's a pet of some sort," Quinn continued without pause. "How did it escape and what are you going to do about it? It killed several mortals and could've killed more."

Artemis was so taken aback, she wasn't quite sure how to respond. She was not used to being spoken to in that tone, least of all by mortals. Except of course, Quinn was not mortal.

"You challenge me?!?" Disbelief warred with fury in the goddess's voice.

"Are you challenging *me*?" The reply was spoken in glacial fire.

Artemis opened her mouth to speak, then took a closer look at the woman before her. There was a long silence as she studied the compact female. Then she nodded, a short brief jerk of her head. She straightened and turned to the others, in particular, the bard.

"Thank you for saving my pet, daughter," she said with deliberate politeness to a flabbergasted Gabrielle. Then, placing her hand on the unicorn, the two faded away.

"What just happened here?" Xena was shocked and very disturbed, looking at Quinn with new eyes, eyes that weren't sure if they should be frightened or impressed or what.

Quinn shrugged and was calmly unstringing her bow, seeming oblivious to the stares being cast her way. "You heard her," she said, resting the bow on her shoulder and heading back to camp. "She lost her pet and we found it. Another day's work done."

And the rest could only stare after the diminutive figure in total befuddlement.

***

"How well you did today," Callisto crooned as she groomed Fox, his black coat almost gleaming in the moonlight that streamed down in the night air. "You're such a good boy."

It was late, Xena and Gabrielle long asleep. As for Quinn...Callisto shied away from that thought. She had studiously avoided being alone with her since they had returned to camp. She had been profoundly disturbed by the days events. She realized she knew very little about the woman she loved, but how little became glaringly apparent today. She could have sworn that Artemis had almost paled when looking at Quinn. And the Olympian couldn't disappear fast enough. The implications of that were almost more than she wanted to consider.

Fox whickered with pleasure. She had been grooming him for two hours straight now and there was not an inch of him that had not received caring attention. If this was the result, he was going to get chased by unicorns every day. He did sense her disquiet and wanted to help, reaching around to nuzzle her hair as she reached down to do his ankles for the tenth time.

"Callisto?"

Fox snorted. Quinn always managed to appear unannounced and the animals had managed to adjust by now. Callisto didn't think she ever would.

"I'm just finishing Fox," she explained shortly.

"Hmm, I'm surprised he has any hide left to finish," Quinn said evenly, patting the horse on his shoulder. From her tether, Dana nickered at the sound of her mistress and the small woman took some time to pat the sorrel too, assuring her that the mare's temporary defection to the unicorn was not being held against her.

Callisto closed her eyes and leaned against Fox's warm side, wondering what she was going to say. She was aware of Quinn returning to the gelding's head, rubbing his nose gently. She did not say anything, merely waited patiently. Callisto knew she'd wait there all night if need be. She opened her eyes and looked at the green eyes which regarded her so calmly.

"Are you a god?" she asked. That wasn't what she wanted to say exactly. But then, she really didn't know what to say.

Quinn smiled briefly, looking down for a moment. Bashfully?

"No," she replied. "Just another poor fool trying to make her way through this world the same as everyone else."

"Artemis isn't afraid of everyone else," Callisto said harshly.

"This bothers you."

"I don't know who you are," Callisto said. She swallowed. She felt like crying. Or laughing. She didn't know which. "I don't know what you are."

Quinn gazed at her steadily. "I'm just a person, Callisto," she said gently. "A person who loves you."

"Do you?" Callisto shuddered. "Can you?" She remembered her brief taste of godhood, the power that burned through her, dwarfing the pitiful emotions of rage and hatred that had sustained her for so long, making them seem petty and insignificant. She could not imagine even caring about a mortal let alone worried about how they felt. What would it be like to be like that all the time.

Quinn reached out a hand, hesitated, did not touch her. There was silence for a long moment as she searched for words.

"I do," she said. "I really do. Maybe I didn't realize how much until just now." The blond looked at her, wanting so much to believe her. Quinn raised her head and disbelievingly, Callisto saw the glint of moisture in her eyes, the moonlight glistening off the tears sliding silently down those high cheeks. Callisto could not believe she was actually seeing the dark woman cry. Shaking, she reached out a fingertip and caught one of those teardrops.

Callisto searched for something to say, couldn't find anything. She just reached out and gathered the older immortal into her arms, feeling overwhelmed and unable to express it. For a long time, she just held her. There were no sobs, no shudders, just the moisture that soaked her shoulder, the warm wetness sliding down her neck to trickle down her chest.

"Oh, Quinn," she said finally. She drew back slightly and looked into the deep green eyes. "I love you too," she whispered. "I wish you knew how much."

"I know," Quinn responded. She sniffed once, mightily and smiled as she wiped her face with her shirt sleeve. Callisto thought she'd never looked so appealing. Or approachable.

"Artemis did not know what I was," Quinn went on with a deep breath. "She couldn't figure out what she was sensing. That's why she was afraid. One always fears what is unknown."

"You don't have to tell me this," Callisto said softly. "It's all right."

"You deserve to know," Quinn insisted. She looked up, and with her head beside Callisto's, she pointed up into the starlit sky. "A very long time ago, so long ago that it seems a dream, I came here from very, very far away. That far away. You see that little star off to the right, that's my home. Was my home."

"You came from a little light?" Callisto was fascinated.

"Not so little," Quinn said. She lowered her arm but did not look away from that distant point in the heavens. "And not from the light itself. You see, every one of those light is a sun, just like the one that gives this world life. They're just so very far away, they only appear small. In fact, they're so far away that the light you see actually took thousands of years to reach your eye."

"Really," Callisto said. Now her tone was getting skeptical and Quinn knew she had reached the limit of allowable astronomy knowledge.

"Anyway," she continued with a smile. "Around some of those lights are worlds just like this and I came from one of them."

"How?"

"In a ship, just as you'd cross a sea." Quinn looked into Callisto's raptly attentive face. "We didn't intend to come here but we were....um, shipwrecked. No way to repair our ship. We were stranded."

"We?"

"I'm the last," Quinn said. What she did not add was that she was the last only because a lightning bolt had finished off the only other survivor a few nights before.

"So you're all alone?"

"I hope not," Quinn responded gravely, reaching out and stroking Callisto's cheek. "I don't want to be. I've been alone too long. When you came into my life, I didn't feel alone anymore. It was a good feeling. One I don't ever want to lose."

"Me either," Callisto whispered. She wrapped her arms around Quinn's neck and hugged her tightly. "I don't care where you came from," she said fiercely. " I don't care if you terrify every god from here to Mount Olympus and beyond. I don't care if you go back to that world because I'll go with you. The only thing that scares me is that you won't be here for me."

"I will always be here," Quinn promised intently. "As long as you'll have me."

They clung to each other tightly. Callisto was surprised at the depth of feeling that swept through her. Never before had Quinn seemed so real to her. Now she knew the other immortal could be hurt, that she was vulnerable and Callisto had that power, the only one in the world who could harm the small, cool woman. And unlike the old Callisto, this did not inspire anything but a fierce sense of protectiveness and love. She wanted to hold her forever, keep the world away and never let anything or anyone hurt her again.

Finally, with a rueful sigh, Quinn loosened her grip, drawing back slightly to look up into the warm brown eyes.

"You need to sleep," she said. "We both do."

Callisto kissed her, possessing her mouth with tenderness and an aching desire. "I think that can wait a little while," she proposed without moving away, her lips brushing so gently against her lover's.

And Fox maintained his training, keeping his feet carefully placed as he shifted to accommodate the two bodies in the grass beneath him. Even though horses positively hated having anything get near their legs for any period of time. And this took a great deal longer than his grooming had.

***

Quinn drew Dana to a halt as beside her, Callisto did the same, looking back at the other two. "Well, I guess this is where we part," she said, dismounting to stand in the crossroads.

Gabrielle also got down from one of the horses they had salvaged from the herd. The rest had been sold in the village previous. Since that had produced so much revenue and they had so many, she had decided to see what it was like to have her own mount for awhile as opposed to doubling up on Argo or trailing behind on foot. Judging from saddle sores and her stiff muscles, she had pretty much decided it was a failed experiment though she would be sorry to part with the little bay mare that had attracted her eye when they had driven the horses back to the village.

Callisto and Xena also dismounted and the tall dark-haired woman strode across to clasp Quinn's arm in a warrior's salute.

"It was...interesting meeting you," she said.

"You have a good heart, Xena," the dusky-skinned woman said in return. "Just remember to let it rule rather than letting walls be built to contain it."

Gabrielle and Callisto were standing off to the side, Callisto staring uncomfortably at the ground. "Take care of yourself, bard," she said coolly.

Gabrielle was staring at her thoughtfully. "I think...I'm actually going to miss you, Callisto," she said.

The other raised her head, shock and delight written in her elven features. "Now, I believe I've heard everything," she said. "Are you sure you haven't been riding in the sun too long, Gabrielle? Maybe you should get a hat."

With a gentle smile, the bard reached out and touched the slender blond tentatively on the arm. "Please, look after yourself, Callisto," she said warmly. "I like you a lot better than that other one I used to know."

Callisto allowed her face to relax, that heartbreakingly young and yearning look replacing the controlled expression she normally displayed. "I like her a lot better, too," she responded. "I hope...um, maybe we'll see each other again."

Impulsively, Gabrielle hugged her, the other too surprised to do anything in return, then the bard had drawn back and was saying good-bye to Quinn which left Callisto to face Xena. The two stared at each other for long moments then slowly, Xena reached out and clasped Callisto's arm in the same salute she had offered Quinn. Callisto returned it, somberly.

"I never thanked you for helping me against Valesca," Xena said. "Or for saving my life."

Callisto smiled wryly. "We both know I had my own reasons for the former," she said. "As for the last..." she shrugged. "It seemed like....the right thing to do."

Xena nodded. "Take care of yourself," she said.

Callisto did not say anything but her eyes glowed and Xena released the salute returning to where Gabrielle waited. Together, the two strode off to the west into the setting sun, leading the horses, just two mortals that gradually diminished until they disappeared in the distance. But two mortals that would change history. Together.

Callisto watched silently, the light breeze gently stirring the blond strands around a face which did nothing to reveal her feelings. Quinn stood at her side patiently, looking at her intently until the taller woman finally shook herself as if clearing away something mentally and gazed back, smiling as she saw her lover's scrutiny.

"Home?" she asked, referring to the dwelling near the waterfall where Quinn had first chiseled her out of the lava where she'd been trapped. And freed her in so many other ways as well.

"Unless you have someplace else in mind," Quinn responded.

"No," she said. "Where ever you go. That's where I'll follow."

"Not follow, Callisto," Quinn said. "We go together. Side by side."

And they mounted their horses, turning them northward, just two immortals that would see history unfold.

Together.