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Let My Love Open the Door by Jennifer Campbell Originally performed by Pete Townsend
When people keep repeating Chorus When everything feels all over - Chorus - I have the only key to your heart - Chorus - When tragedy befalls you - Chorus - =============================== Thanks to Raye for the lyrics, which I interpreted pretty literally for the story. I love the Grosse Pointe Blank soundtrack (I even watched the movie a couple of days ago). This story borrows a bit of imagery from a story of the afterlife by Dharma Bum (can't remember the title) and from "The NeverEnding Story." None of the characters belong to me, unfortunately. If they did, Joxer would be alive and in the arms of his loving Gabrielle. If you want to archive, please ask for permission and I'll probably say yes. =============================== The City had gone to tartarus, everyone agreed. Before the downfall, the sheer white buildings -- delicate and graceful like river reeds -- spiraled into a perpetually clear sky. Nothing could crack their glasslike surface or tarnish their shine. The City shimmered like a small star, even at night, more divine than anything its residents had seen on Earth. Beauty incarnate. That's what it had been. Before the downfall. People had strolled among the towers on cobbled streets lined with a rainbow of blossoms -- tulips, roses and flowers never seen topside. No one had a care for their life before this, up on Earth with all the pain and grief that came with it. To Joxer, everything before his death faded to a clouded dream, and one hardly worth bothering to remember. Humiliation, inadequacy, injury, rejection. All things of the past. Each day -- although he couldn't be sure whether it was day, seeing as the City had no sun; only an evenness of light that seemed to come from everywhere at once -- he walked around the spiraling giants of shimmering glass, sometimes going inside to marvel at their beauty from another angle. He picked flowers. He talked with other residents, for here, he had no enemies. He felt nothing but a blissful peace, not ever stopping to wonder whether he could feel any other way. Only one word could describe his afterlife: Perfect. Then again, for all the beauty and tranquility, Joxer sometimes felt a nagging emptiness inside, as though he had lost something pivotal to his very existence. It was silly, perhaps, to wish for something the City could not provide. Yet he could not shut out, from deep in his soul, the light whisperings of a name, vague remembrances of lost love. Gabrielle. Those moments came upon him like a feather-light breeze, here one moment and gone the next, while he gazed out his chamber window or contemplated the sky. He caught the fresh scent of her hair and saw flashes of deep green eyes, each vision baffling for the sharp yearning that accompanied it. And afterward, only the emptiness remained. Gabrielle. Except for that, Joxer wouldn't change a thing. Then the downfall came. One morning, as usual, light filtered into his chamber on the fifth level of a glass tower. He woke and rolled out of bed, ready for the start of another blissfully peaceful day. He slipped into a tunic and pants, pulled on his slippers. No need for breakfast because hunger, like pain, had become a relic of the past. He walked through an open archway -- there were no doors in the City -- and into the hall. And the lights went out. Panic suddenly clutched at his insides. In the City, things like this never happened. Even at night, the towers gave off enough light to see, if only a dim reflection of the day. Absolute darkness did not exist here, and it never had. And yet, blackness closed in like a monster, suffocating the City like a physical thing. One moment, the tower had been awash in light, and then next... nothing. Joxer felt along a smooth wall, assuring himself that at least the building was there. He pressed his back against the comforting, solid feel of it. At least, even if he couldn't see his hand before his face, the tower still stood. It was a small reassurance. He cleared his throat, and called out hoarsely, "Ah, is anyone there?" Silence. He called out again, louder this time, "Hello? Hello? Hell-O!" No response came back except for his own desperate cries echoing off the walls, up into the spiral and into the darkness. Joxer's heart thudded, his breath came in short, quick gasps. Something had gone terribly wrong. Things like this didn't happen in the City. Joxer started feeling his way along the wall, his fingers searching for the opening to the staircase. If only, he thought, he could get down, out of the tower, everything would be all right. At least, then, he could find other people. He wouldn't feel so alone and so trapped. If only he could get out... get out ... getoutgetoutgetout! He pounded a fist against the wall, and heard the definite sound of glass giving way. Then, with no more warning than before, the light came back on. Joxer blinked against the sudden brightness and stared at the wall in amazement. The smooth, flawless glass, which nothing could damage, now sported a long, winding crack. He ran his fingertips over the thin line, and small shards tinkled to the floor. One splintered off into his finger, and he yelped. Pain! He gently pulled out the sliver; a small bead of blood formed. Blood. He hadn't seen his own blood since his last day on Earth, when Livia had ... had run her sword ... through... Oh. My. God. With heart pounding faster than before, he raced around to the staircase and out of the tower, fear chasing fast on his heels. How could he have forgotten how he had died? The pain and blood, turning to blessed numbness. Falling asleep on the battlefield and waking here, in his chamber on the fifth level of a tower. How could he have forgotten? In the cobbled streets, circumstances were no better. People ran in all directions, clothes in shreds and eyes wild. Some were screaming. He passed one woman sobbing in a flower bed, tearing viciously at delicate pink pedals. Chaos. Everywhere. Were they all like him, remembering? Wishing they could return to their happy ignorance, forget the pain and go back to blissfully not knowing? The light flickered on and off a few times, stopping people dead in their tracks, before it settled on the half- light of early twilight. Someone yelled behind him, "Look to the tower! Look out!" Joxer spun around, just in time to see a chunk of white, three times the size of a man, topple from the tip of a spiral. It seemed to fall in slow motion, as residents screamed in panic and raced away. One woman, though, oblivious to the warnings, stood dumb at the foot of the tower, as if in a trance. Joxer watched helplessly as the boulder crashed to the street, crushing her beneath it. "NO! he yelled. He ran up to the massive hunk of fallen glass, but he already knew he came too late. He numbly wondered what happened when one's spirit died in the afterlife. Now that the City was crumbling about them, now that a downfall had begun for some unknown and terrible reason, they might all learn the answer to that mystery much too soon. =============================== Gabrielle had to shout over the clamor of the tavern for Xena to hear her at all. A decent meal and an actual bed, instead of stale bread and a blanket on the dirt, had been Gabrielle's idea. She had even insisted on fronting the dinars herself to a fat little innkeeper. This common room, though, smelled like a stable, which might not be too inappropriate seeing as its occupants acted like animals. Dirty men threw mugs of ale against the wall and laughed uproariously at their game. Xena fixated on her platter of meat and vegetables with a scowl, and Gabrielle felt terrible for dragging them into this place. "I'm sorry!" she yelled. "What?" Louder this time. "I said I'm sorry!" At Xena's perplexed look, Gabrielle pointed around the room, plugged her nose and shrugged apologetically. Xena nodded, understanding, then pointed at the door. As one, they rose and headed toward the exit. A particularly stinky bear of a man blocked Gabrielle's way and leaned over to talk in her ear. "Hey, cutie." He grinned in a sickeningly suggestive way. "Want to have some fun? I have it on good authority that the bed in my chamber doesn't even squeak." Gabrielle smiled thinly and nodded toward Xena, who was making a beeline for the exit. "No thank you. I'm already taken, unless you'd like to take on her ..." His leering grin widened. "Oh, I can take you both on at once! I'll -- Oof!" Gabrielle planted her fist from his stomach, watched with a small surge of satisfaction as the oaf doubled over, and then caught up with Xena. Amusement was dancing in her friend's eyes, and the corner of her mouth twitched upward. "You know, if you get lucky, I wouldn't want to stand in your way ..." Xena offered. Gabrielle rolled her eyes. "Ha, ha. Very funny. Let's get out of here." Outside, Gabrielle filled her lungs with a refreshing breath of cool air. The night was comfortable, with only a whisper of a breeze, and better yet, it was silent except for lingering commotion from the tavern. An evening under the stars might not be such a bad idea, after all. It wasn't disappointing when, not much later, she found herself watching Xena across a sputtering campfire, munching on stale bread and relishing every bite of it. "OK, Gabrielle," Xena murmured around bites, "why'd you want to go in there tonight? You know we've had bad luck with that place in the past. You remember that dwarf who -- " "Yeah, I remember." She blushed at the memory. "I guess it was because, well ... because Joxer liked the place. There was that one night we were short on dinars, so he pulled out his lute and performed for our dinner." She smiled softly in remembrance. "He looked so happy up there, entertaining all those people. I remember thinking that I'd never seen him look so at home as on that stage." "That was more than twenty-five years ago," Xena reminded her. "Things change. That tavern certainly changed." "So did Joxer. Married to Meg, and with children.... Xena, I never thought I'd see the day when Joxer would have children with anyone except ..." Her voice trailed off. "Except you?" Xena offered. Gabrielle bowed her head. "It doesn't matter. He's gone now." Xena's voice became soothing, comforting. "He's in the Elysian Fields no doubt, or some equivalent of it. He was a hero, and he died a hero. I would have killed Eve if he hadn't gotten in the way." "I know he's in a better place, Xena," Gabrielle said quietly. "It's just ... I miss him. If there were some way I could get him back and tell him all the things I didn't tell him in life ..." "I know." Xena leaned over and squeezed her thigh in sympathy. Gabrielle nodded, breathed deep and tried to regain control over her emotions. It had been months now, but still Joxer's death weighed heavily on her heart. Then an idea occurred to her. She cocked her head in thought. "Xena, what do you think happened to the Underworld after you killed Hades?" "What do you mean?" Xena asked absently between bites of bread. "I mean, do you think anything happened after you killed the king of the Underworld? Did someone else take over, or did things start to fall apart? You remember that time Hades lost his helmet and we helped get it back for him? The Underworld was in chaos, then. What's it like now that he's gone?" Xena shrugged. "What does it matter? Hades tried to kill us, and he deserved what he got." "I'm not saying he didn't deserve it," Gabrielle replied, her dinner forgotten in her lap. "But it's not just that. Very few people worship or even believe in the Greek gods anymore, so does that affect things? We know people down there. My family, your family. Marcus. Solan. Joxer. Do you think they're OK?" "Oh, sure. They're fine." By Xena's dismissive tone, Gabrielle guessed her friend wasn't thinking about it at all. Then again, Xena never thought much about the consequences of her actions. That had always been the bard's job, and now that Gabrielle had asked the question, she knew it would stick with her until she found an answer. She ate the rest of her dinner automatically, her mind a million miles away, in the Underworld with her lost friends. They were probably all enjoying the blissful peace of the Elysian Fields. Even so, she couldn't rid herself of that one question. It haunted her thoughts all night and for days afterward: Had Xena's actions doomed them all to oblivion? =============================== Chucks of the towers, smooth like glass but hard as stone, crashed all about the streets. They ranged from fragments small enough to fit in the hand to boulders large enough to block whole streets. Their slick surface made climbing impossible, so whenever Joxer encountered a street that had become a dead end, he raced back the way he came, trying to find a way around. Where he ran to, he didn't know. As far as anyone knew, the City had no end, no edge to pass and suddenly be beyond the streets and flowers and buildings. It simply went on forever. Before the downfall, Joxer never considered leaving. Now, it was a matter of survival. To stay here surely would result in his final death. Already, the falling debris had crushed too many. He passed a woman huddled against a tower, sobs wracking her frail frame. He thought of stopping to help her, but then the lights started flickering. Her sobs became screams, and she ran off in panic. Joxer, watching the woman instead of where he was going, tripped over a helmet-sized rock and pitched face first into the street. Blood dripped from his nose onto the broken cobblestones. The world spun, but he knew he dare not stay here until his head cleared. Too dangerous. A hand reached out to help him to his feet, and he took it gratefully. His benefactor, a young man with confident bearing and earnest eyes, steadied him and handed him a cloth for his nose. "Thanks," Joxer mumbled, using the cloth to stop the flow of blood. He had seen too much blood today. "I know you, don't I?" the man asked. "You were best man at my wedding." Joxer took a closer look, and a name floated to the surface of his mind. "Perdicus?" The man smiled and nodded. "I knew you looked familiar. I'm remembering things, but it's coming so slowly. I can't remember your name ..." "I'm Joxer." He struggled through the fog in his mind. "I think I remember that wedding. You were marrying Gabrielle, and she wore that really pretty dress. And her hair ..." "She was beautiful," Perdicus agreed. "But I was killed the next morning, so I never got a real chance to love her." He paused. "You died young, too?" "Oh, no, I was old and wrinkled." Perdicus cocked his head in confusion. "But you're young now." Joxer thought about that, then finally said, "This is how I was when I first met Xena and Gabrielle. It's how I'll always visualize myself, so Hades -- or whoever -- probably picked up on that." "Ah, I see." He winced as a tiny chunk of glass bounced off his head. "We have to get out of here." So they ran, and Joxer talked between heavy breaths. "Um, not to bug ... bug you or anything, but ... where are we going?" "Don't know." Perdicus hurdled a smallish boulder, and Joxer scrambled over behind him. "But I have an idea on how to get out. We were sent here, somehow. So there has to be an exit. A door or something." "There are no ... no doors here." "There's at least one. I remember seeing it once, a long time ago. A big wooden door, at the top of a tower. I tried to open it, but it was locked." Joxer grabbed Perdicus' tunic, pulling him to a stop in the center of an abandoned square. He couldn't keep talking and running at the same time. "The towers are all falling. If there was a door, it's probably rubble by now." Perdicus shook his head. "No, it has to still be standing." "How can you be so sure?" "Because it's our only chance." Joxer had no answer to that, so they started running again. Perdicus moved like a soldier, Joxer noted, flying over the ruined streets with long, confident strides. And while Joxer peered over his shoulder every other step -- worried that some new terror might be drawing up on their heels -- Perdicus never looked back. Forward, always forward. Like a male Xena. No wonder Gabrielle had loved him. Twice they dodged falling boulders that surely would have ended their quest, perhaps even their afterlives. Joxer kept looking around, but for what he didn't know. The towers were in pieces, gaping holes in their once gracefully smooth walls, and some had fallen to rubble completely. How would they ever find a single, solitary door in this crumbling place? In the dim light of twilight, the spirals had lost their brilliant shine, dulling to a flat gray. At one point, a bloodied man ran past them, waving his arms wildly. "Save yourselves! We've angered Hades, and he'll kill us all! We must find the great god and throw ourselves on his mercy!" A crowd of people followed in the man's wake, chanting out to Hades for forgiveness, but Joxer and Perdicus ignored them. They had a different mission. Then Joxer saw it: A flash of solid white against the darkening horizon. He blinked, thinking perhaps his imagination was playing tricks. But no, it didn't vanish. A tower, far in the distance, still standing, flawless and gleaming like a beacon to lost souls. "Wait! Look there!" Joxer pointed. Perdicus breathed out in obvious relief. "That's it! It has to be! That's our ticket out of here." He tugged on Joxer's tunic. "Come on!" They raced toward their only hope of escape. =============================== "I still don't see the point of this, Gabrielle." They were hiking up a rocky, steep hill, and vegetation was beginning to thin out. Shrubs and tiny flowers had replaced towering trees and thick bushes. They had been forced to leave their horses in the forest. That in itself probably irritated Xena, seeing as she now had to carry their water skins over her shoulder. Gabrielle had their food. The lack of natural cover probably also set Xena on edge. In all, Gabrielle was beginning to regret this venture if only because of her irritable companion. "Look, this is the closest Underworld entrance that either of us could think of," Gabrielle explained. "You agreed to come here." "I had forgotten how steep it was." Gabrielle teased, "You're such a baby." Xena confronted her. "Say that again, and you'll be rolling back down the mountain." Gabrielle held her walking stick before her like a staff. "I'd like to see you try." With a snort, Xena ignored the barb and started back up, one foot plodding in front of the next in a slow rhythm. Gabrielle followed. "Xena, I just want to make sure our friends are all right down there. Aren't you the least bit curious? Or worried?" "Nope." "This'll only make us a couple of days late to King Gabriel's court." She paused, then offered, "At least it's summer. We're not hiking in three feet of snow." Xena looked back again. "Enough with the persuasions. Let's just get there and get this over with." Gabrielle took the hint and ceased her chatter, instead contenting herself with admiring the tiny pink and blue flowers along their path. She picked one and tucked it in her hair. She considered doing the same for Xena but then thought better of it. About an hour later, their destination came into a view, a cave atop a 20-foot cliff. Gabrielle had to abandon her walking stick to climb the jagged face, and at the top, she rolled onto her back to rest. "Why does this place have to be so hard to get to?" she asked, not really expecting an answer. "It's an entrance to the Underworld." Xena sounded amused. "If it were easy to reach, then every other person who bumbled onto the place would be stumbling around tartarus. Can't have that." "Good point." After they'd caught their breath, they headed in. The cave was shallow with no curves, which allowed at least a little light to filter to the back. At this time of day, sun shone in indirectly, creating irregular patterns of light and dark on the rock. Along the back wall, Gabrielle remembered, they'd find a narrow, open archway, and on the other side was Hades' realm. Last time, Gabrielle had waited here, bored out of her mind, while Xena had gone on some mission or another. This time, they'd go through together. Yet something strange greeted them at the archway. So unexpected it even took Xena back a step. "A door?" Gabrielle muttered. The wooden construction, solid and well-built, blocked the entire entrance. "That wasn't here before, right?" Xena ran her hands flat along the door, then pushed hard. It didn't budge on its hinges, drilled deep into the rock. "This shouldn't be here," she murmured. "Something isn't right." Gabrielle refrained from saying told you so and instead offered, "Try the knob." Xena twisted the iron protrusion and pushed again, but still the door refused to open. She ran her fingertips below the knob. "There's a keyhole here. A big one." Xena looked back at Gabrielle, eyes bright. "It's obvious that someone doesn't want uninvited visitors." Gabrielle worried her lip between her teeth, then said, "We have to find a way in, Xena. Now more than ever." "I'm starting to agree with you." She took a deep breath. "All right. Let's see if we can gather enough dry shrubs for a fire. We'll make camp and figure something out." She laid a comforting hand on Gabrielle's shoulder. "We'll fix this." "Right." Gabrielle nodded with more confidence than she felt, and Xena walked away. To the door, and more important to those beyond it, she said, "Don't worry. We're coming." =============================== A grassy hill circled around the last standing tower like a protective ring. Joxer and Perdicus stood on its highest point, about a hundred yards from their destination, and surveyed the chaos below. All survivors had found their way here, to this last vestige of the City. They swarmed around the tower like so many ants. Even from here, Joxer could hear their voices rising like the tide. Under the ever-darkening sky, Joxer had to squint to see them clearly. Most simply milled about, but some industrious souls had begun piling rubble along the tower's base, beneath a single lit window, high above. If the tower drew people like a beacon with its brilliant shimmer, then that window was its golden eye -- the ultimate prize. The stacking of boulders, Joxer realized, was an attempt to reach it. "I should have expected this," Perdicus said, resigned and disappointed. "Of course people would come here. You can see the tower for miles in every direction." "It's like a circus," Joxer supplied. "Did you ever go to a circus? I did once. There was this dancing bear, and a woman who was so flexible she could reach back and touch her --" Joxer caught himself when he saw Perdicus wasn't paying the least bit of attention. He cleared his throat, embarrassed, and tried to focus on the problem at hand. "So, um, how do we get past all that and inside?" Perdicus' intent gaze rose to the window, and he pointed. "I bet the door is up there. I remember there being an entrance, just like in every other tower. Let's circle around on the hill to see if we can spot it." "Right." Joxer nodded, all business. "Good plan." So they circled. Hundreds of people packed around the backside of the tower, too, with more joining the crowd all the time. Joxer and Perdicus seemed the only two who stayed on the hill instead of going down. Eventually, they came back around to the window. Joxer huffed. "There's no way into that place. Did you see a way in? I didn't see one." "But it was there," Perdicus protested, his expression confused. "I remember ..." "Well, it's not there now. Seems like our best bet is to help those guys piling up rubble to get to the window." Joxer started down the hill, but Perdicus held him back. "There's no time for that," he snapped. "The City's light is going out, and it'll be completely gone before they even get close. We must find a quicker way." Joxer shuffled his feet, thinking things through, then said slowly, "Well, Gabrielle trusted you, and that must count for something. So I guess ... I guess I'll trust you, too." "Thank you." He sounded relieved. "Maybe we'll find something different up close. Do you think we should ... go down?" "We're not going to get any closer to an answer by staying up here." So down into the swarm they went. Perdicus led the way, and Joxer had to cling to the back of his companion's tunic to keep them from getting separated. He got jostled and knocked over more than once. The roar of voices was deafening. For all these people, though, Joxer also would have expected a hot, sweaty stench. Perhaps spirits, if that's what they all were, had no odor at all. After what seemed an eternity of pushing and weaving, they reached the tower and began forcing their way through the crowd at its base. Perdicus walked along with one hand on the smooth, unyielding surface. Joxer looked for something, anything, that might give them a clue to getting in, although he doubted any chance of success. Still, he had given Perdicus his support, and he would keep that promise. He would do Gabrielle and Xena proud. Ahead, Joxer saw a small square of gold pressed against the white, at about head-height. As they came closer, he realized it was a polished plaque, covered in Greek letters. Perdicus had spotted it, too, and read it when they came close enough. "First test comes unseen They exchanged a confused look. "What does it mean?" Joxer asked. "It's a riddle. My mom used to tell me these things all the time, but they weren't anything like this." Perdicus tapped one finger against his chin in thought. "The first test must be to get into the tower. Unseen ... transparent walls ..." His eyes lit up. "What if it means the entrance is really there, but we just can't see it?" Joxer was dubious, but he decided to play along. "So... that would mean that if we feel our way along the wall, we'll find the way in?" "Only if our hearts are true. The entrance won't be there for everyone." Joxer shook his head. "That doesn't make any sense." Perdicus shrugged. "It's worth a try." He set both hands on the wall, below the plaque, and started sliding them downward to the cobblestones. Joxer followed his lead, pushing against the wall higher up, where Perdicus couldn't reach. It was slow-going, and they got more than one strange look. One shrill woman cursed at Joxer when he bumped into her, and he apologized profusely before moving on. Before that morning, he would have never guessed to hear such language in the City. They had worked about a quarter of the way around the tower, to the point Joxer could no longer see the window high above them. He automatically slid his hands up, down, to the left. And then his lead hand vanished into the glass. One moment, a wall, and the next, he felt only air. He pulled back, and again cautiously pushed his hand against the wall, and through it. "Perdicus, look!" he said, then demonstrated. Perdicus did the same, amazed to watch his hand seemingly slip through. He grinned at Joxer. "Shall we go in?" Without waiting for a response, Perdicus walked straight through the wall, no hesitation in his step. Joxer gulped hard, hoping for nothing horrible on the other side, and followed into the unknown. =============================== Xena had been at it for what seemed hours, poking her dagger into the keyhole and jiggling it about. She bit her lip in concentration, one ear pressed to the door, as she tried to find the release. It was the obvious first tactic - - picking the lock -- but now Gabrielle wished they would have had the foresight to drag Autolycus up the mountain with them. He could have opened the door in 30 seconds. Assuming he was still alive, twenty-five years later. Gabrielle had to entertain the possibility that he, too, was trapped on the other side of the door. Xena wrinkled her nose, like she did only when she got especially frustrated, and threw her dagger into the dirt at her feet. "This is impossible!" "I know," Gabrielle soothed. Of course, nothing was impossible, but Xena didn't need to hear that right now. "No, you don't understand. This. Is. Impossible." She emphasized each word. "There's no catch in that keyhole. No release. I've been feeling for it for hours, and it's simply not there." "But," Gabrielle stammered, "that's impossible." Xena smiled grimly. "Told you so." Gabrielle scrambled to her feet and started pacing the length of the cave. It did no good, but she felt the simple urge to move. "That's so idiotic! Why put a keyhole there if there's no key that can open it? Why play with us like that?" Xena didn't answer, but Gabrielle's hadn't expected a response to her rant. Deep inside her, she knew Joxer needed their help, as did all the others. They were waiting for rescue. Yet the rescuers sat helpless, unable to solve the riddle of one stupid door! She slammed her fist into the solid wood. It jolted her arm all the way to the shoulder, but it made her feel better, cleared her head. With the pain, her rage dissipated, leaving only a gaping emptiness inside her. Gabrielle slowly slid to the ground, her back to the door. Right now, she couldn't bring herself to look at it. "Gabrielle, I think you have to start thinking about the possibility that we're not going to get in." Xena spoke quietly, as though hesitant to say the words. "I don't accept that." "You might have to." Gabrielle pulled her knees to her chest. "We've never given up on anything, Xena. No matter how hopeless it looked. When Eve was rampaging across Greece, as Livia, you refused to stop until you got your daughter back. And when Caesar and Pompey brought their war to Greece, you tricked them into destroying each other's armies, even though any normal person would have just gotten out of their path." "This is different." Xena leaned forward intently. "In those situations, we had an enemy to fight, some action to take. But here, there's nothing. I can't even figure out what's going on." She waved her hand toward the door. "This shouldn't be happening, but I don't know what to do about it." "We'll figure it out." At Xena's skeptical look, Gabrielle repeated with emphasis, "We will find a solution. We're not going to just walk away from this. You know we can't do that." A tiny smile pulled at the corner of Xena's mouth. "You're right. We can't give up." Gabrielle twisted to see the door behind her, set one palm firmly against it. She said thoughtfully, "You know, through all this, I've been forcing myself to remember all the people we know down there. Maybe to remind myself of how important it is for us to keep trying. My parents. Cyrene. Perdicus. But in the end, I keep coming back to one person. To ... to Joxer." Her sad eyes met Xena's. "It makes me feel guilty, that I should put him above all the others." "It shouldn't. That's normal when you lose someone you - -" Xena stopped short, but Gabrielle could guess at what she meant to say. "Someone I love." "Yeah." Gabrielle rested her cheek on her raised knees. "But I loved the others, too. Perdicus. I loved him so much, Xena, but I couldn't save him from a vengeful warrior." She paused, thinking things through. "I guess I lost Joxer the same way, but his absence still weighs more heavily on me than Perdicus' ever did. I feel he should be here, with his silly comments and goofy grin ..." Xena reached out slowly and started smoothing her hair. It reminded Gabrielle of her mother back in Potedia, lying on her lap as a little girl. Safe, comforting. All those warm sensations she had left behind years ago. She felt like crying for the loss of her innocence. Joxer had never lost his innocence, though, which was only part of what made him so special. "I miss him, too." Xena's voice cracked. "You and Joxer and me -- we were a family." A family. The words resonated to Gabrielle's soul, and she knew them to be true. But that family didn't work with one of them missing. Dear Joxer, she thought, I never knew how much you meant to me, to us, until you were gone. With a deep breath, Gabrielle wiped at her damp eyes and sat up straight. If they kept talking like this, she was going to start bawling. She had to do something, to get her mind off her fears and her memories. "Mind if I take a look?" Gabrielle nodded toward the door. "Be my guest." Instead of picking up the dagger, as Xena had done immediately, Gabrielle leaned over and peered into the gaping keyhole. It must take a giant's key, she thought, for she had no trouble seeing through to the other side. She couldn't make out much, only vague objects and a bright, golden light. A room, perhaps, but an empty one. On a whim, she stuck her fingers in the opening. She could reach about halfway back and still have a little wiggle room. As she felt around a bit, she realized Xena was right: It had no catches like in a normal lock. It looked like a keyhole, but it seemed to be no more than a big hole in the door. She withdrew her fingers and peered through again, then drew back in surprise. Movement! Something had crossed her line of vision; she was sure of it. And was that sound coming from over there? Faint, but it could be... "What do you see?" Xena asked urgently. "Shhhh." Gabrielle waved her silent, then pressed her ear to the keyhole. There it was again. So quiet, like a dove's coo, but this time, she was certain of what she heard. She gazed back at her companion in worry. "Xena, someone is ... Someone over there is crying." =============================== Joxer didn't know what to expect beyond the faux wall of glass. A dreaded monster to bite their heads off. A tower crowded with those who had also unraveled the riddle outside. Perhaps Hades himself would pop up and blast them to pieces for daring to enter this sacred place. In any case, as soon as he passed into the tower, Joxer dove for the floor with arms over his head. Better safe than fried or eaten. His nose, already sore from a fall earlier that day, banged against the floor and started bleeding again. He hardly noticed, though, as he was peeking around his arms to see what danger might lurk there. What he didn't expect, though, was absolutely nothing out of the ordinary -- and that's exactly what he found. Amazingly enough, the tower looked just as it should, untouched by the chaos surrounding it. The floor was wide open, with no fixtures or furniture of any kind and, except for Perdicus, not another soul in sight. Only pure, gleaming white, everywhere he looked. A staircase rose from the far wall; it circled the structure all the way into the spiral's tip. He couldn't see that high up, of course, but Joxer suspected their destination lay at the top of those stairs. Perdicus helped him to his feet with an indulgent grin. "Paranoid by any chance?" Joxer huffed. "After all those years traveling with Xena and Gabby, you learn to be careful, you know. Cause it's a dangerous life, and if you're not on your toes, you end up getting skewered by some insane warlord." "You don't have to tell me that." When he remembered how Perdicus died, Joxer bit his tongue. "Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot." "It's all right." "If it helps any, I was killed the same way." "Really?" "Yeah, Xena's daughter went a little nuts and ran me through while I was ..." He gulped hard at the memory. "While I was trying to save Gabrielle." Perdicus' expression softened. "You died for her?" Joxer shrugged. "It's no more than you did. Anyway, I always told myself that if I was going to go, I better make it worthwhile. You know, saving the woman I --" He caught himself, remembered he was talking to Gabrielle's husband, and blushed. "Anyway, what are we wasting time here for? Let's get upstairs." He tried to ignore Perdicus' thoughtful look, as the man studied him closely with those serious eyes. Joxer cleared his throat noisily, still embarrassed for almost telling Perdicus that they loved the same woman, and he headed for the stairs. He beckoned to his companion. "Come on, will ya? We haven't got all day!" Perdicus broke from his trance, jogged over to Joxer and took the lead. He set a brisk pace up the stairs, skipping every other one with his loping stride. Joxer panted as he tried to keep up. Periodically, they passed archways leading into each level, and opposite each opening was a narrow slit in the tower's outer wall. One time, Joxer paused to glance outside, and what he saw stole all his air away. "Perdicus!" he managed to choke out. By now, Perdicus had gotten several steps above, so it took a few seconds for him to come back down. He, too, Joxer noted with satisfaction, was breathing hard. "Is something wrong?" Perdicus asked urgently. "What do you see out there?" Perdicus peered out the slit and shrugged. "Lots of people, milling around the tower. Just like it was when we were out there. What's the big deal?" "Look out farther, in the City." Perdicus obeyed, then gasped. Nothing stood now except for their own tower. The rest looked as though some monstrous hand had swept it all to rubble. No colorful splotches of flowers, as they had grown used to seeing. No streets. Just mile upon mile of broken glass, gray and lifeless. The perpetually crystalline sky had darkened to midnight blue, and occasional lightning bolts flickered in the distance, with no cloud in sight. "We've descended into tartarus," Perdicus whispered, incredulous. "We have to get of here soon, or I fear for the worst." Joxer nodded at the swarm below. "What about all those other people? We can't abandon them here." "I'd like to help them," Perdicus replied, pointing toward the City, "but what can we do against that?" "We can all leave through the door." "First we have to find and open the door. Even then, we don't know what's on the other side. Could be a broom closet for all we know." Perdicus ripped his eyes from the armageddon outside. He whispered hoarsely, "Let's go." It took them quite awhile to reach the top. Joxer felt his lungs would burst, but that was nothing compared to his despair when they found the staircase's end. Their journey came to an abrupt halt at a blank wall. No archway, no door. Nothing but cold, heartless glass. Joxer sat dejectedly on the stairs. "I don't believe this. We get all the way up here for this?" "I don't think so. Remember the entrance into the tower?" "Yeah. So what?" Without a word, Perdicus set his palms flat against the wall and pushed through. He winked at Joxer and walked in. Joxer shuddered; it just looked so unnatural. Still, he felt hope returning to his heart, and he dragged his exhausted body up and followed Perdicus through. On the other side, they found a small, perfectly round chamber. Joxer practically bumped into Perdicus' back as he entered; the young man stood transfixed. It wasn't because of the window or large wooden door on the opposite wall, either. It was the woman crumbled in the center of the room, sobbing uncontrollably. Her long golden hair spilled over her face as she looked up at them, eyes red and puffy, cheeks wet with tears. Still, Joxer had rarely seen such a vision of beauty; only Gabrielle possessed greater power to steal his breath away. Judging by Perdicus' reaction, not even his beloved wife could affect him more than this. "Who are you?" the woman asked, her voice like music. "What are you doing here?" Perdicus made not a sound, so Joxer answered. "Um, I'm Joxer. This is Perdicus. We've been trying to get to that door, so we could get out of the City." She sniffled. "Then your quest is futile, for no one can open that door." Joxer sputtered. "What?" "Go ahead," she said dully. "Read it yourself." Only then did Joxer notice the plaque, fixed to the wall next to the door. Just like the first one, this plaque gleamed with bright gold Greek letters. Another stupid riddle, he thought, but he dutifully crossed the room and read its message aloud. "Love opens the door His brows furrowed in thought. "But how can love open a door? It's not like you can stick your love in the lock and twist it around. And boy is that a huge lock. What kind of kind of key fits in that?" He looked back to the woman for an explanation, but her attention had strayed elsewhere. Perdicus, finally released from his immobility, had knelt at her side. Their eyes riveted on each other in a way that made Joxer want to heave. They didn't have time for this! "What's your name, Lady?" Perdicus asked, taking her hand in his. "Persephone." Perdicus sighed softly, kissed her hand. "I've never heard a more lovely name." "Wait a minute," Joxer interrupted. "Persephone? Daughter of Demeter, goddess of nature, and wife to Hades? That Persephone?" Perdicus drew back as if stung. "Lady, I am so sorry if I offended." She smiled and caressed his cheek. "Not at all, brave Perdicus. My husband, Hades, is dead, killed by Xena. Before he left to do battle with Xena, he closed all the doors to the Underworld, saying he didn't want anyone uninvited here while he was away, and of course he thought he would be back. Only he could open the doors, and when he was killed ..." Persephone nodded toward the window. They didn't need to look outside to know what she meant. "But how are the doors related to what has happened to the City?" Perdicus asked. "The Underworld shares a deep bond with Earth. It draws its essence from the living. When Hades shut the doors, he closed off all connections, and it was like shutting off a room from new air. We could all survive for a while, sustained by what was already here, but once the air runs out ..." "We all die," Perdicus finished. "Yes." She nodded. "I came here to open the door, to save the Underworld from destruction. But only two things can unlock it: My dead husband, and true love." Perdicus looked as perplexed as Joxer felt. "How can true love open the door?" Remembering the riddle, Joxer put the pieces together. Suddenly, everything made sense. "Only through human touch. Two hands, reaching through the keyhole on either side of the door. They meet in the middle, and that unlocks the door. That's the key!" Persephone nodded. "But on Earth, the door opens into a cave, on a mountain, far from civilization. The chance that anyone would come here is small, and the chance that one of our true loves would come is even smaller." "That's why you were crying, Lady?" Perdicus asked softly. "Because you know there is no way out?" Their eyes met again in that love-at-first-sight way that simultaneously made Joxer want to heave and made him yearn desperately for his Gabrielle. If only she and Xena could know to come to that door, if only he could somehow send them a message, maybe they would all stand a chance. Then again, Gabrielle had never loved him like that. Persephone started to cry again, and Perdicus reached out gently to wipe away her tears. "It's hopeless," she said between sobs. "Unless contact with the living is restored soon, the darkness will come. And then the Void." "What's that?" Joxer asked fearfully. Her eyes strayed to the window, and so they all looked. The lightning had drawn closer, flashing all around the tower in eerie silence. Beyond that, Joxer could see nothing. Ink-black darkness had swallowed almost everything in its gaping, terrifying jaws. Persephone shuddered, and Perdicus drew her into his arms. She said quietly, "The Void is the end of the Underworld and everyone in it. It means darkness forever, with nothing grounded in reality. All souls float for eternity through a sea of nothingness. The Void ... is oblivion." =============================== Gabrielle heard voices, murmuring waves of sound, one blending into the next in a frustrating blur. Ear pressed to against the keyhole, she tried in vain to pick out words. No one spoke loudly enough for her to understand. She had no more luck with her vision, as figures moved too rapidly across her narrow view to make out more than basic forms. They were so close! Only a few feet away, on the other side of this infernal door, were those who could help to open it. Yet for all her efforts, Gabrielle couldn't even decipher who -- or what -- she and Xena were dealing with. The fist-clenching frustration was enough to make her want to scream. Xena leaned intently over her shoulder, trying to get a glimpse through the hole. "Any luck figuring out what they're talking about?" Gabrielle rolled her eyes. "What do you think?" "I take it that's a 'no'?" "Maybe I should yell at them," Gabrielle suggested. "You know, try to catch their attention." Xena's voice was low, near to her ear. "I don't think that's a good idea. We don't know what we're dealing with. Those could be Hades' underlings, or something worse. They might be the ones who put up the door." "I don't think they are, Xena." Raised eyebrows, Xena asked, "And how do you know that?" "I -- I don't know." Gabrielle shrugged helplessly, unable to offer much more of an explanation. "I just ... feel it. Like an instinct, you know?" "It was your instincts that brought us here in the first place," Xena replied thoughtfully. "You were right about that, so ... go ahead. Yell at them." "Really?" Gabrielle blinked, surprised. Xena waved invitingly toward the door. "Be my guest." Gabrielle grinned, took a deep breath of cool mountain air, and -- "OBLIVION!?" Gabrielle choked on her own attempt at communication as that single, incredulous word blasted through the keyhole, the first intelligible thing they had heard. She exchanged a frantic, worried look with Xena, and peered through the door. Still nothing to see, but the murmur of voices rose to a roar, as though that one outburst had triggered a flood of conversation. Yet that voice. Something about it sounded so familiar, and comforting, like a soft blanket on a cold night. No matter the negativity behind its tone. Gabrielle's heart started racing, and she didn't know why. Something rattled the door, from the other side, and both women jerked back. The door hadn't so much as budged before now. It rattled again, as though someone was pounding their entire body against the wood, trying to break through. Again. The door trembled, but held firm. Another voice rose above the clamor, this one female. "Stop it! You'll hurt yourself!" Thud. The door shook again. Gabrielle fell back a step, afraid the heavy wood might suddenly collapse on top of her. Xena stood directly behind her, hands tightening almost painfully on Gabrielle's shoulders. They both held their breath, and waited. "We have get out!" the first voice yelled, angry and desperate. "I'm going to break down this door if it's the last thing I --" Thud. A third, male voice chimed in. "Joxer, stop! You'll hurt yourself!" At that, Gabrielle gasped. The tiny sound escaped her lips unnoticed, and blood pounded in her ears. Could it be true? She grasped at one of Xena's hands, desperate for that grounding force, anything to convince her she wasn't dreaming. Xena squeezed her fingers, reassuring her that she was indeed awake. "Did you hear that?" Gabrielle whispered. "Did you hear what they called him?" Thud. "Ouch!" The exclamation came through the keyhole, confirming all they needed to know. Xena answered hoarsely, "I think you should yell at them now. Before he really does hurt himself." "Right. Of course," she said absently as she moved toward the door. All her focus riveted through that hole, to the man on the other side whom she never thought to see again. Despite herself, she smiled as she knelt before the keyhole. "Joxer!" A pause, and then, "Who said that?" "It's Gabrielle!" She could see him now through the hole, at least the middle section of him. Her window of vision ended just below his shoulders, but she recognized the gangly body and couldn't help but grin even wider. She could imagine him, looking frantically around the room for her disembodied voice. "Where are you? I can't see you!" "The keyhole," she yelled. "Look through the keyhole." The form moved, drew close enough to block all light. Then she found herself staring at a pair of wide, shocked eyes. "Gabby? Is it really you? Is Xena there?" Xena yelled from behind, "I'm here, Joxer!" A flash of a grin. "Wow! It is so great to see you guys. I've missed you so much." "We've missed you, too, Joxer." Gabrielle grinned back, then got down to business. "How do we open the door?" "Um, well, there's this riddle, and --" He paused, and the next thing Gabrielle saw was his fingers sticking into the hole. "It takes human contact, and, well, love." "Huh?" Gabrielle answered. "The riddle says that love opens the door, and Persephone says it has to be true love, like what I feel for, um --" He stopped himself, then said, "Just take my hand, Gabrielle." She glanced worriedly back at Xena. "Did you hear that? True love opens the door?" Xena shrugged. "Sounds like a good idea to me." "But I don't think this is going to work," she hissed. "I do love Joxer, but not like that. True love is a much more powerful force. It moves mountains. Xena, I --" Xena silenced her with one finger over her lips. Her eyes danced, probably at Gabrielle's nervous chatter. "Just do what he asks, and see what happens. It might be their only chance." Their only chance. Xena's words made sense, but Gabrielle didn't want Joxer's afterlife depending on her heart. She wanted to fight her problems with weapons in hand, something to kick and punch. In this instance, apparently only love could grant victory. This was one battlefield that had already handed her more than one defeat, and she had no wish to revisit. If they touched, and the door opened, she could no longer deny her feelings for Joxer -- a possibility that made her tremble in fear for both of them. The last man she had loved had been slaughtered. Would the same thing happen again, if she let someone in? Especially someone like Joxer, who had a difficult time getting his boots on the right feet, let alone defending himself. On the other hand, if they touched and the door didn't open ... that option scared her even more. "Come on, Gabby!" Joxer's fingers reached toward her, and she knew her duty outweighed her fear. She was a hero -- at least, she tried her best to fight for the greater good -- and right now, her friend needed her. In fact, the fate of the entire Underworld may rest on her very actions. Millions of souls may hang in the balance. So she straightened her shoulders, steeled her courage and thrust her hand into the keyhole. Their fingertips brushed, warm, yet slick with a nervous sweat. She pushed her hand in farther to hook her fingers around his. His touch, light and gentle, brought thousands of memories unbidden to mind. Sitting around the campfire while Joxer's fingers danced expertly over his lute. Caring for him in a temple as he lay near death, his hand so cold in her's, and she prayed to every god in the heavens that he recover. His fingertips brushing against her cheek, so softly, after Eli had brought her and Xena back from the dead. So many good memories of those hands, not clumsy at all but confident and caring. Holding onto her now through the door, suddenly opening up her heart to all those possibilities she had locked away as impossibilities. In that moment, as their hands caressed, she wished for all the world that the door would open and damn the consequences. Gabrielle closed her eyes, relying totally on touch, and prepared herself for whatever may come. A blinding light, or the splintering explosion of wood. Things like this tended toward the dramatic. Moments passed, and became seconds, stretching into more seconds. Gabrielle measured the time by her rapid heartbeats. Their hands grasped even tighter. Nothing happened. Finally, Gabrielle reluctantly withdrew her hand, her heart almost breaking at the loss of contact. She looked to Xena with hopeless eyes. "I think we're in trouble." =============================== When Gabrielle's hand met with his own, in that moment Joxer forgot the destruction outside, the lightning and absolute darkness creeping across the City's ruins. No matter the hundreds, perhaps thousands, of souls huddling around the last of the towers. None of it mattered because Gabrielle's touch completely filled his universe. Her warm fingers, callused from years of weapons- handling and hard living, wrapped around his own and held tight. Only when her grip loosened and she withdrew her hand from the keyhole did Joxer come back down enough to realize that it hadn't worked. The door still stood. He hadn't considered the possibility that might happen. Frustration replaced bliss in a heartbeat, and he banged his fist against Hades' barrier. It should have worked! His love for Gabrielle could not be any truer. Even in death, he loved her still. Their failure could mean only one thing: No matter how much Joxer loved her, she did not love him in return. A terrible heaviness pressed against his chest as his heart broke all over again. "Joxer?" Perdicus' voice penetrated Joxer's misery. "Are you all right?" He didn't answer. Instead, his gaze drifted, without seeing, across the circular room, to the door, out the window. The shock of the absence of sky snapped him back to himself. More than his own heart was at stake here. Despite his own failure, they still had to stop the void from destroying all -- for the greater good. "Perdicus," he murmured. "You do it." From his place on the floor, where he still held Persephone as though he would never let go, Perdicus' eyes flew wider. Almost in fear, Joxer thought, although that seemed silly. Perdicus had no reason to doubt the love he and Gabrielle had shared. "What are you talking about?" Perdicus' voice trembled. "You were her husband," Joxer explained dully. "You loved each other more than anything. Maybe that's enough to open the door." Persephone gasped. "You're married to her?" "It was long ago," Perdicus quickly answered. "We were married for only a day before I was killed." He turned his attention to Joxer. "I have wonderful memories of Gabrielle, but I don't love her anymore. I'll have no more success than you did." Joxer nodded stiffly and pressed no further. Part of true love was absolute certainty of that love, and Perdicus obviously did not meet that qualification. They could not afford to waste time on another doomed attempt. "Joxer!" Gabrielle's voice drifted through the door. He leaned over to look through at her beautiful eyes. He wanted that sight to be his last before the void overtook them all. "Joxer, I--" Her voice cracked. "I'm sorry. I thought we could do it. I do love you, but I guess it's not in the right way." His eyes began to water, and he choked out, "I'm sorry, too, Gabrielle. I'm sorry we couldn't save all these souls here. I'm sorry I won't ever see you again." He thrust his fingers into the hole, and she met his touch, one last time. "Say good-bye to Xena for me, and Virgil and Meg, if you see them again. And always remember ... I love you." "I know." With the quiet response, she squeezed his hand, then withdrew. Unable to face the door anymore, Joxer turned away. The room's golden light, he noticed, was slowly fading to darkness. Through the window, he could no longer see to the ground. All those people had vanished, and only the void remained. Soon, the end would come, and he would welcome it. =============================== After her last physical contact with Joxer, Gabrielle threw herself into Xena's arms but it gave her no solace. She sobbed into her friend's shoulder, and Xena softly stroked her hair. "Shhh," Xena soothed. "It's not over yet. You're the one who told me we couldn't give up." "But there's nothing left to try." Gabrielle sat up straight and wiped her eyes. "Our only hope was for Joxer and I to open the door, and we failed." Xena bit her lip, deep in thought. "We're missing something here. Something important." "All I wanted was for us to be together again," Gabrielle whispered, brushing her palm against the door that would forever remain closed. Through the keyhole, all was fading into darkness. "I wanted for us to be a family again, like you said. We haven't had that for so long." "Yes, a family." Xena worried at her lip for a moment more, before a slow grin crossed her face. "That's it!" Gabrielle felt a glimmer of hope return. "Xena, what are you thinking?" Eyes bright, she said, "True love happens when soulmates come together, right? But it isn't necessarily only two souls. You, me and Joxer, we're a family. Take one of us out of the equation, and it doesn't feel right. So ..." Gabrielle caught on, getting as excited now as Xena. "It's not Joxer and I who can open the door but all three of us!" "Exactly." Gabrielle laughed delightedly, then yelled through the keyhole, into the darkness. "Joxer, are you there?" "Yeah," came his resigned response. "Put your hand through one more time." "Why? It won't do any good." "Just trust me, Joxer. Do it." A moment later, he did as she asked, but she could barely see his fingers, almost like dark, narrow shadows moving about the hole. Gabrielle raised her hand to Xena, and they pressed their palms together. Then, as one, they slipped their joined hands in. It was a tight fit, but with a little wiggling, they managed to pressed back far enough to meet Joxer halfway. Their fingers wrapped all around, with Joxer's hand sandwiched in the middle. All three hands joined for the first time in what seemed forever, and to Gabrielle, it felt right. As soon as they touched, the door began to flow and shift, as though made of water, and it shimmered with a silvery glow. Gabrielle held her breath as it became more insubstantial, to the point that she could see straight through the entrance. The swirling mass quickly became more and more transparent, and she could see Joxer staring back at them, his mouth hanging open in amazement. She was certain no sight had ever been more welcome. Suddenly, the door was no more, yet their hands still grasped each other. Gabrielle wrapped her other hand around their joined fingers, and pulled Joxer through the opening. She wasn't sure what would happen. Joxer's true body lay buried for months now, and all that stood before her was his soul. Still, his hand felt solid enough. With no hesitation, he stepped though into the land of the living and into Gabrielle's waiting arms. As he wrapped his own arms around her, she pressed her ear to his chest. A heartbeat, strong and sure. They had him back, and she sobbed for the relief of it. Gabrielle felt Xena's arms encircle them both. They stood like that for a while, simply enjoying the reunion. For the first time since she had awoken in the ice cave, Gabrielle felt as though the world was as it should be. The three of them were together again. At last. When they broke the embrace, all eyes returned to the opening, looking beyond and into the Underworld. The golden light had brightened to full strength again, spilling out the window and pushing at the retreating darkness. Before long, Gabrielle could see nothing but crystal-clear blue sky. Movement within the tower drew her attention away from the window, and her eyes fell to two figures on the floor. They held each other loosely and were watching the trio in amazement and relief. Gabrielle didn't recognize the woman, a radiant beauty despite her tear-streaked cheeks. But the man... "Perdicus!" She ran through the opening, ready to jump headlong into his arms for another long-overdue reunion, but then stopped short. By the way he held that woman ... Gabrielle would have to be blind not to know what it meant. After all these years, her former husband had found love again. More tears of happiness threatened to overwhelm her. Perdicus helped the woman to her feet as Joxer and Xena passed through the opening and stopped behind Gabrielle. He looked just as handsome and confident as Gabrielle remembered. "Gabrielle and Xena," Perdicus said softly. "Thank you." "It was nothing, really." Gabrielle grinned as she realized the extreme understatement of her words, and he grinned back. Joxer chuckled. Gabrielle noticed that her ex-husband still held the woman's hand. "So," Xena said, "are you going to introduce us?" Perdicus blushed. "Sorry. Xena, Gabrielle, I'd like you to meet Persephone, daughter of Demeter." He looked lovingly at the woman. "Persephone, these are my friends." Persephone nodded. "Nice to meet you, and thank you. Through your bravery and quick thinking, you've saved the Underworld." "No problem," Xena quipped with a dismissive air Gabrielle had grown used to over the years. She passed them all, going to the window. "Still looks like a mess out there, though. Lots of rubble, and a bunch of people milling around." Persephone quirked a small smile. "Just because the door is gone doesn't mean all the damage is undone. There is much work to be done, to restore all that was." "I'll help you," Perdicus offered, and Persephone rewarded him with a light kiss on the cheek. "I know you will," she said. "So, um," Joxer said, shuffling his feet, "what happens to me now? I mean, do I stay here, or can I go back with Xena and Gabby?" Persephone answered, "As the riddle says, 'body and soul reunite.' You are mortal again, Joxer, and very much alive. Your place is in the world above with Xena and Gabrielle, and I wish you much joy there." "Great," he said, pridefully pulling himself to his full height, "because I have a lot of work to do up there. Warlords to stop and towns to save, and I know there's a lot to be done down here, too, with all the mess out there, but I know you can handle it. It might take centuries, but- -" Gabrielle silenced him with one finger on his lips. "Joxer, I think you should stop with 'thank you.'" "Um, sure. Right. What she said." With that, they said their good-byes, Gabrielle finally giving Perdicus a friendly hug and wishing him the best with the goddess. She supposed now that Hades was dead, Persephone would assume his responsibilities, which meant both she had Perdicus had much work ahead of them. Gabrielle wished them luck, echoed by Xena and Joxer. Then the three left the Underworld. The sun had set, so they set up camp at the cave mouth, finding just enough dry brush for a small fire. At this elevation, the stars looked so much closer and more brilliant, and Gabrielle gazed at them in a peaceful sort of contentment. Too bad such beauty came at a cost, for the cold felt that much more bitter in the mountains. Gabrielle shivered, but Joxer held her against him, and his body heat warmed her. "Thanks again, you guys," he said quietly, the regular bluster gone from his voice, and it seemed to Gabrielle that perhaps his ordeal in the Underworld had matured him a bit. "I had given up, but you saved the day. You really did it." "No, we did it," Gabrielle corrected him. "Yeah," Xena added. "We couldn't have done it without you, Joxer." He gave them both his trademark grin. Right then, Gabrielle felt an absolute sense of peace, greater than anything she had tried to achieve under Eli's teachings. Back then, inner peace had been about achieving a state of nothingness, but this feeling was more filling and satisfying than any she could remember. She knew that after all the adventures, all the suffering and heartbreak, they had finally found their happy ending. "You know, you're right!" Joxer said. "You're so lucky I'm around." The end |