DISCLAIMER AND AUTHOR'S NOTE: All Xena stuff is the legal property of MCA/Universal and Renaissance Pictures. No copyright infringement was intended in the writing of this fiction. All other characters that appear belong to me. This story cannot be sold or used for profit in any way. Copies may be made for private use only and must include this copyright notice and disclaimer. This story has been inspired by the movie Hijacked - Flight 285.

And Deep Within…
By Kristjan Brezovnik

The King's dreams were pleasant until they were rudely interrupted. He opened his eyes and was about to be very pissed when he suddenly noticed a beautiful face grinning at him. He quickly noticed that that face belonged to the body whose right arm was pressing a dagger at his neck. He also noticed his daughter at the end of the other arm.

"Ma…" he started, but quickly stopped when the dagger pressed even closer. "What… What do you want?"

"That's simple, Xena."

The King stared at the intruder, confused.

"Xena? She's not here."

"I know that, stupid. I want you to send someone to get her."

"I will."

"Good," the woman warrior said and removed the dagger.

"What about my daughter?"

The woman pretended to think.

"If Xena doesn't come in one week, she will die," she said and grinned. "Otherwise, it depends on the winner. Sweet dreams."

She knocked out the King and turned to the girl, who had shrieked.

"One more sound and I'll kill you. Got that?"

The girl nodded, still covering her mouth, and the woman led her out of the palace.

When they reached the Callisto's horse, Callisto mounted it and then pulled up the girl.

"You can talk now," she finally said, "but I suggest you keep it quiet." She paused. "What's your name?"

The girl hesitated.

"Marina," she finally said in a quiet voice.

"Well, Marina, I am Callisto."

"Why did you hit Papa?" Marina asked.

Callisto was a bit surprised by the sudden boldness.

"I didn't want him to make the mistake and warn the guards. He'll be fine," she added after a short pause.

When they got to the camp, the guards let her pass. Theodorus immediately came.

"Theodorus, I have brought a guest. She will be staying in my tent. If she tries to escape, kill her."

"Yes, Callisto."

"And send someone to the castle, will you? I want to know what that old idiot is doing."

"Yes, Callisto."

Theodorus left and Callisto dismounted and took off the girl. Then she took her to her tent.

"You will be staying here. You can leave the tent, but if you try to escape, you will be killed. Do you understand?"

Marina nodded, scared.

"Good. If you have a problem, let me know."

Marina nodded again and Callisto left the tent.

"Theodorus."

"Yes, my Queen?"

"Any word from the scouts?"

"Not yet."

"Damn," Callisto swore and left.

After an hour or so of practicing, she returned to her tent. She was surprised when she saw that the girl was sleeping on her bed. She stared at her for a few moments and then left.

"Theodorus, I need someone for escort, I'm going shopping."

Theodorus quickly assigned one of the new recruits and he and Callisto left. The recruit seemed to be honored to be allowed to go with Callisto, but she completely ignored him.

When they returned several hours later, the recruit was carrying the provisions, mostly fruit and vegetables and also some cheese and bread. The recruit was confused, Callisto was doing the shopping? What he didn't know was that Callisto had bought the provisions for herself. She didn't mind what she ate, but she knew that proper food was important for health and health was always important to her, except when she was in a suicidal mood.

Callisto heard her men's laughter and she was curious as to what was so funny. When she and her escort got closer, she saw that the men were teasing the girl. She stared at them and at the girl for a few moments.

"That's enough!" she then ordered and the laughter stopped.

Marina immediately ran to the tent.

"But…" one of the new recruits wanted to object and was stopped by a dagger in his throat.

"Don't ever question my orders," Callisto said to the new recruits and then turned to her escort. "Take it into my tent."

"Yes, my Queen," the man said and left, a bit scared.

"Callisto."

"What?" Callisto hissed and turned to Theodorus, who was approaching her.

"The scouts are back."

Callisto's anger dissipated a bit.

"And?"

"There will be a war soon."

"How soon?"

"The scouts estimate two days."

"Good." She thought. "We'll send out a raiding party tomorrow. Pick the men and proceed as planned."

"Yes, my Queen."

Callisto then went to the tent. She noticed that Marina was scared, but she didn't care. She picked an apple and sat on her bed. She felt a bit uneasy and she was confused as to why. She soon discovered that it was the fact that she wasn't alone in her tent that disturbed her. She looked at Marina and noticed that she was looking at the food.

"Are you hungry?" she asked and Marina jerked.

Marina hesitated for a moment and then nodded. Callisto got up and left. When she returned, she was carrying a piece of meat and a goblet of water.

"Here," she said and gave the meat and the drink to Marina, who was a bit confused, never having eaten like that.

Callisto then cut off some bread and also gave it to Marina. Then she sat back on her bed and continued to eat her apple. She observed the girl for a while and then left the tent.

At night, Callisto was having a nightmare. Marina woke up at the sound of Callisto's moaning and listened. She was confused to hear a warlord like Callisto sob. She listened for a while and then went to Callisto. She hesitated for a moment and then gently shook her.

She froze when Callisto woke up with lightning speed and put a dagger on her throat.

"Don't ever do that again," Callisto hissed, her eyes full of rage.

Marina didn't move, terrified. Callisto stared at her for a few moments and then put the dagger away. Marina still didn't move.

"Go back to sleep," Callisto said and returned to sleep herself.

Marina didn't move for a few more moments and then slowly backed off.

The next morning, Marina was avoiding Callisto and Callisto also avoided her, except when she brought her food. When Callisto came back to her tent in the afternoon, she noticed that Marina was trying to brush her hair with her fingers, but wasn't doing too well. Marina stopped when Callisto entered and they stared at each other for a few moments. Then Callisto went to her saddlebags and took out a brush.

"Come here," she said and sat on the bed. "Come," she repeated when Marina didn't move.

Marina slowly approached her.

"Sit," Callisto ordered.

Marina did and Callisto started to brush her hair. They were both quiet. It felt strangely familiar to Callisto and she couldn't quite decide why. She finally remembered that her mother used to brush her hair and she stopped for a moment. She stared at the hair and then focused on the rest of the body. She heard that the King was a widower.

"What happened to your mother?" she asked.

The girl, jerked, surprised.

"She's dead."

"I know that. How did she die?"

"At my birth."

Callisto was surprised. She wondered how she would feel if her mother had died at childbirth. She had never imagined a life without her mother, her family, not until Xena came and killed them.

"Do you miss her?" she asked Marina.

Marina didn't immediately respond.

"I never knew her," she said and paused. "I often wondered how it is to have a mother."

They were quiet for a while.

"And your mother?"

Callisto stopped, astonished.

"What about her?"

Marina didn't immediately respond, scared by the hostile tone in Callisto's voice.

"What is she like?" she finally asked.

"She's dead."

"I'm sorry."

They were quiet for a another while.

"She was the most kind and gentle woman I have ever known," Callisto finally said.

"Did she brush your hair like you brush mine?"

"Yes."

"Do you have a brother or a sister?"

"No."

Callisto was annoyed by the conversation, but she found it strangely comforting to talk about her family.

"I had a sister," she said. "She died with my parents."

"I'm sorry."

During the next two days Callisto started to like being around Marina. It annoyed her at first, but then she accepted it. She even went back to the palace and got her some dolls. Sometimes she lay on her bed, pretending that she was staring at nothing, and observed her playing. Then she finally joined her. Marina was confused at first, but then she started to enjoy having a partner and forgot about her fears. Callisto also seemed to forget about her fears when she played with Marina, but little pieces of the game kept bringing back the memories of her childhood.

"Callisto," Theodorus intercepted her as she was returning to the tent the third day.

"Yes?"

"The scout from the palace came. The King was killed by assassins."

Callisto stared at her second-in-command for a moment.

"Tell him to go back."

"Yes, Callisto," Theodorus said and left.

Callisto returned to her tent, sat on her bed and observed the sleeping Marina. It seemed useless having her around now that her father was dead. She considered killing her and putting her out of her misery, but for some reason she didn't want to and it disturbed her a bit. She finally decided to keep her as bait for Xena.

When Marina woke up, she noticed that Callisto was staring at her.

"Are you okay?" she asked as she sat, noticing the strange look in her eyes.

Callisto stared at her for another moment.

"Your father was killed tonight," she then said.

Marina didn't immediately react.

"Did you kill him?" she asked.

"No, the assassins."

Marina lay back and cuddled like a fetus. Callisto knew the feeling. She stared at her for a while and then left. She walked around the camp, inspecting the guards, but she didn't really pay attention. She finally returned to the tent.

Marina was still cuddled like a fetus, and Callisto noticed that she had been crying. She stared at her for a few moments and then kneeled beside her bed. She hesitated for a moment and then started to caress her. Marina sobbed from time to time. Callisto finally took her in her arms and held her. Marina leaned her head on Callisto's shoulder and her sobs slowly subsided.

"Do you want to go out for a walk?" Callisto asked after a while.

Marina nodded and they got up. Callisto put on her cloak and they left the tent. The men avoided them, having experienced that Callisto was very protective of the girl. They had thought that she had become weak when she took care of the girl, but Callisto quickly proved them wrong when she killed the greatest fools. Theodorus then finally decided to tell the new recruits to never ever get on Callisto's bad side. She might seem weak and fragile at times, but she was always deadly.

Callisto took Marina out of the camp and the girl held her hand, afraid that Callisto's men would tease her. She had experienced how Callisto dealt with those that overstepped their boundaries and she had protected her, but the fear was still there.

They walked for several hours and Marina slowly forgot about her father's death and wasn't so sad anymore. They met several people along they way and they all thought they were mother and daughter. Callisto liked the way she felt and it scared her a bit because she knew that she would have to give Marina up in a few days. She decided to enjoy every moment she still had with Marina because they would be the last happy moments of her life.

The next day Callisto decided to take Marina shopping. She usually went on foot, but this time she decided to go by horse. They rode to one of the villages in the neighborhood and did some shopping. Callisto knew that Marina had many clothes, but she had none to wear in her camp and Callisto wanted to make her life a bit easier.

Marina curiously observed the people and their customs, especially the children and Callisto even let her play for a while. Callisto smiled bitterly at the illusion of family, her being the mother, Marina being the daughter. When the children were called home for lunch, they moved on and also bought some fruit. Then Callisto took Marina to a tavern for a lunch. For Marina it was a new experience since she had always eaten in the palace so far.

After the lunch, they went to the horse, so they would return to the camp. Suddenly people started to scream and yell. Callisto looked and saw riders approaching. She felt her throat tighten. She was confused for a moment, realizing it was fear, but then she realized that it wasn't fear for herself but fear for Marina. She knew it was too late to ride away.

"Hide behind that barrel and don't move," she told Marina, took off her cloak and drew her sword.

The riders swarmed through the village and some of the villagers tried to mount a defense. Callisto ignored them and waited to be engaged. She didn't have to wait long when one of the riders thought that a lonely woman would be an easy prey. He quickly found out that he was wrong when Callisto killed him. Other soldiers came running after the riders and they attacked her. Callisto fought back and ruthlessly disposed of the lot that dared attack her. Their comrades noticed that and wanted to revenge, but they weren't too successful.

Suddenly Callisto heard a scream. She looked and saw that a soldier was about to kill Marina. She threw her dagger at him and killed him. Then she disposed of the rest of the soldiers.

"Are you all right?" Callisto asked Marina.

Marina nodded and got up. Callisto noticed that the look in Marina's eyes suddenly changed as she saw something behind her back. She turned around and saw that archers were about to fire their arrows. Callisto instinctively jumped to protect Marina. She threw herself over the girl, but was still hit by two arrows, one through her left arm and one in her right shoulder. She quickly got up and broke the arrow in her arm. Then she pulled it out.

"Tear a piece off your dress," she said as she got up to defend herself.

She threw her chakram and Marina tried to tear off a piece of her dress. The chakram wreaked havoc among the archers and Callisto concentrated on the new lot of soldiers. It took her a bit longer to dispose of them, but she finally did. She looked at Marina and noticed that she was holding a piece of her dress in her hand. She kneeled beside her.

"Tie it around my arm," she instructed her.

Marina did and then Callisto got up and nearly fell down again. She stood still for a few moments to steady herself. Then she looked around and noticed that the soldiers were reorganizing. She looked and saw another army approaching. She immediately recognized the figure in charge. She quickly removed the dagger from the soldier who tried to kill Marina and then mounted her horse.

"Hide behind the barrel," she told Marina.

"Where are you going?" Marina asked, scared.

"Away. Xena will take care of you."

"No, I want to go with you."

"No," Callisto said and spurred her horse.

"Mama!" Marina screamed.

Callisto looked back, feeling very strange. When she saw that some soldiers were approaching Marina, she turned her horse and rode to her. She scooped her up and then they rode out of the village.

"Look, Xena, isn't that Callisto?!" Gabrielle asked from behind her friend's back as they rode to engage the enemy army.

"Yes!"

"What is she doing?!" Gabrielle asked when she saw the strange maneuver.

"I don't know!"

The army quickly reached the village and engaged the enemy.

Callisto rode directly to a small pond near the village. She knew that Xena would probably expect her to go straight to her camp, but there was still the possibility that she would track her down. A part of her preferred the second option, but another part preferred the first one.

When they reached the pond, Callisto helped Marina off the horse and then almost fell down herself. She knew she wouldn't be able to remain conscious for long. She crawled to the pond and dipped her head into the water to clear her head.

"Marina," she then called in a weak voice.

The girl was already there.

"Push the arrow until it looks out on the other side. Then break it and pull it out. Don't stop, even if I lose my consciousness. After that, bandage the wound."

Marina was scared and she didn't quite know how to proceed.

"Do it," Callisto said and arched her shoulder.

Marina hesitated for a moment and then started to push. When nothing happened, she pushed as hard as she could and the arrow started to move. It hurt Callisto like Tartarus, but she didn't say a word. Marina pushed as hard as she could and when Callisto lost her consciousness, she stopped, scared. She hesitated for a while, but then she remembered Callisto's instructions and started to push again.

After several long minutes, the arrow finally got out on the other side. Marina broke it and pulled it out. She saw the blood gushing from the wound and she quickly looked at her dress. Then she remembered that there were more dresses in the saddlebags and she ran to the horse. She pulled out the first dress she got her hands on and returned to Callisto. She tried to tear the dress, but it was well sewn. She considered what to do and then remembered Callisto's dagger. She pulled it out from under Callisto and started to cut up the dress. Then she bandaged the wound as best as she could, but it was harder than the wound on the arm. When she was done, she sat beside Callisto and cried.

She was scared. Although Callisto had taken her away for her father and was rude to her at first, she started to like the warrior and the warrior obviously liked her. Marina felt as though she got a chance to meet her mother and she didn't want to lose her.

Although Xena had immediately wanted to go after Callisto, she was forced to stay with the soldiers, so they would contain the group that attacked the village. It wasn't until the next morning that she and Gabrielle left the soldiers and followed Callisto. Xena knew that Callisto was wounded and she figured that she wouldn't go straight back to her camp. She soon discovered that she was right. She followed the trail and soon saw a horse, which was still saddled.

"Get off," she told Gabrielle, and the bard dismounted. "Hold Argo," Xena said and gave the reigns to her friend.

Then she started to approach the horse. She soon noticed that someone was lying near the pond. When she got a bit closer, she realized that it was Callisto and a little girl, covered with a cloak. She carefully approached them and removed the cloak with her sword.

Nothing happened, only the girl cuddling next to Callisto stirred in her sleep. Xena noticed that Callisto was bleeding through her makeshift bandages. She realized that it was the girl who had bandaged the blond warrior. She stared at the child and the warrior for a few moments and then waved to Gabrielle to come closer. Gabrielle did and the footsteps and the neighing of the horses woke the girl.

When Marina noticed a warrior staring at her, she screamed and grabbed Callisto's dagger. Xena was surprised by the girl's reaction.

"Xena?" Gabrielle asked, confused.

"Xena?" Marina asked.

"Yes."

"Can you help her?" Marina asked with tears in her eyes.

Xena looked at Callisto.

"I'll see what I can do," she said and turned to Gabrielle. "Get the herbs, cloths and bandages."

Gabrielle started to rummage through the saddlebags and Xena removed the bandages. She took what was left of the cut dress, wetted it and started to clean the shoulder wound.

Marina sat near by and observed as Xena and Gabrielle took care of Callisto. She knew that Callisto hated Xena for killing her family, but she also knew that Callisto trusted Xena to take care of her. She didn't understand it, but she trusted Callisto.

When they were done, Xena took the saddles off both horses and Gabrielle cleaned up the mess. Marina sat next to Callisto and observed her. She felt safe with the blond warrior and she knew that the warrior would always protect her. She also knew that she was a princess and she hoped that Callisto wouldn't leave her.

When Gabrielle was done with cleaning, she looked at Callisto and the girl. She noticed that the girl was concerned for Callisto and it confused her. She felt deep down inside that Callisto wasn't evil by heart, just hurt, but it still surprised her that someone would actually care for her. A part of her felt glad for Callisto.

"And deep within, a little girl hides," she murmured.

"What?" Xena asked.

Gabrielle jerked and looked at her friend.

"Nothing, just a poem I'm composing."

"Oh."

Gabrielle went to the girl, who looked at her.

"Hi," she said and kneeled beside her, "my name is Gabrielle. And what is yours?"

"Marina."

"Princess Marina?"

Marina nodded and looked back at Callisto.

"You care for her?" Gabrielle asked after a while.

Marina nodded.

"Does she care for you?" Gabrielle asked after another short pause.

Marina didn't immediately respond.

"I think so," she finally said.

Gabrielle hesitated for a few moments and then took Marina's hand. Marina looked at her and Gabrielle smiled.

"She will be all right," she assured her.

"Thank you," Marina said and looked back at Callisto.

They sat next to each other while Xena took care of the horses, especially Callisto's, which had been saddled the whole night.

"Are you hungry?" Gabrielle finally asked.

Marina looked at her and nodded. Gabrielle got up and went to the saddlebags. She took out some dried meat, some bread and some cheese and took them to Marina. Then she went to Xena.

"How's the girl?" Xena asked.

"She's fine. She is Princess Marina."

"Good."

"She cares for Callisto," Gabrielle said after a pause.

"I know."

"What are you going to do?"

Xena thought.

"I don't know. Depends on what Callisto will do." She looked at Marina. "Perhaps we should let the girl decide."

Gabrielle also looked at Marina.

"I'll talk to her when she finishes."

Xena nodded and returned to brushing the horse.

When Marina ate up several minutes later, Gabrielle went to her. She sat beside her.

"Do you know who Callisto is?" she asked after a few moments of hesitation.

Marina nodded.

"You know what she does?"

Another nod.

"Do you know why she's after Xena?"

Yet another nod.

"Would you like to stay with her?"

Marina looked at Callisto and then back at Gabrielle.

"Yes."

"And if she doesn't want you to?"

Marina looked back at Callisto and didn't respond. Gabrielle observed her and she noticed that she was scared.

"Look, if Callisto decides to stay with you, Xena will leave her alone. We'll stay here until she wakes up and then we'll see. Okay?"

Marina nodded and Gabrielle caressed her.

Callisto regained her consciousness the next day and when she saw Marina's face staring at her, she smiled, happy. Then she noticed that there were two horses and she knew them both. Her smile faded as she looked around and saw Xena and Gabrielle sitting at the fire.

"Mama?" Marina asked, and Callisto looked at her, surprised.

She stared at her for a while and then looked at Xena and back at Marina. She realized that she was at a crossroads. She could either let go of Marina and fight Xena or she could let go of her revenge and regain her life by allowing herself to care for Marina. Only her hatred for Xena made life bearable for her since her family's death and she had almost forgotten what it's like to love and be loved and now Marina, who was to be only a bait for Xena, brought out the side of her she thought was dead. As much as she enjoyed it, it also scared her, she was afraid that she would lose it again.

She looked at Marina again and saw that the girl was also afraid. She realized she didn't want to hurt her. She finally smiled.

"Yes," she said and Marina hugged her, happy.

The End