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. The idea came from Della Street's Toward the Sunset. There is some subtext here, so, if this kind of stuff is illegal where you live, if you're under 18 or you find the notion of two women being in love offensive, then you have my sincere sympathies.

Mortal Love for an Immortal
By Kristjan Brezovnik

Callisto was lying naked in the shallow water, enjoying the sensation. Suddenly, she felt ripples. Someone was in the water. She grabbed her knife and slid into deeper water. Then she looked around and saw someone on the other side of the pond. She swam towards the person and soon noticed that it was a woman with strawberry blond hair. Callisto waited in the bushes and observed the woman.

The woman finally turned and Callisto stared at her face, astonished. Gabrielle, came to her mind, but she realized that Gabrielle was long dead. She observed the woman until she got out of the water. She was taller than Gabrielle and prettier. Callisto shook her head and swam back to her side of the pond. There, she dried and dressed herself. She still wore her old armor, but she also wore a long cloak over it to hide it.

She went to her horse and looked at its hooves. She shook her head. New shoes were definitely in order. She checked her purse and shook her head again as she discovered that she needed a few more dollars to be able to pay for the horse-shoes. But, since that didn't matter to her, she started walking toward the nearest town, leading her horse by the reigns.

She had almost reached the town when she heard a horse approaching from behind. She turned around and saw that it was the woman from the pond. She stared at her for a moment and then continued to walk.

The woman soon reached her and slowed down. Callisto glanced at her.

"Hi," the woman said and then paused when Callisto ignored her. "Are you going to town?"

Callisto looked at her.

"Yes. Do you know where I can find a blacksmith?"

"Yes. I'll show you."

Callisto didn't respond.

"Ah, my name is Lucy," the woman said hesitatingly.

Callisto studied her for a few moments.

"Callisto," she finally said.

"Nice name. It suits you."

Callisto was surprised.

"You speak Greek?" she asked.

"Not much."

Callisto rose her eyebrows.

"How come you travel alone?" Lucy asked.

"I like it that way."

"Oh." Lucy paused. "And what do you do for living?"

"Nothing."

"Nothing?" Lucy was surprised. "Then where do you get the money?"

"I take it from those who dare to attack me."

Lucy was confused and Callisto grinned.

"Easy girl," she told her horse and patted it, "you'll get new shoes soon." She turned to back to Lucy. "And what do you do for living?"

"I'm a teacher."

"Oh."

"Hello, Miss Graham," a gentleman said as he passed them by.

"Hello, Mr Stewart," Lucy said and nodded back. "Look, the blacksmith is over there."

Callisto looked.

"Thank you," she said.

Lucy followed her to the blacksmith.

"Patrick," she called when they got there.

The blacksmith came out of his smithy.

"Miss Graham! What can I do for you?"

"Nothing for me, but she needs your help," Lucy said and pointed at Callisto.

The blacksmith looked at Callisto and then at her horse's hooves.

"New shoes?" he asked.

"Yes."

"I'm afraid you will have to wait for about a week, I ran out of iron. I can take the old shoes off and you can leave your horse here."

"I don't have that much money."

"I'll pay," Lucy said.

Both Callisto and the blacksmith looked at her, surprised. Callisto shrugged.

"It's your money," she said and looked at the blacksmith.

"Fine with me," he said.

Callisto took off the saddle and the saddlebags.

"Can I leave the saddle here?" she asked.

"Yes."

Callisto threw the saddlebags over her shoulder and started to walk. Lucy, who had dismounted, followed her.

"Were will you stay?" she asked.

Callisto looked at her.

"Somewhere in the forest."

"In the forest? Why don't you go a hotel?"

"I don't have the money."

"Oh." Lucy thought. "You can stay with me and my aunt."

Callisto stopped and stared at Lucy for a few moments, surprised.

"You don't even know me."

Lucy blushed.

"I like you."

Callisto thought. She never cared much about company, but this woman was a teacher and maybe she could teach her something or give her some books. Not to mention her looks, a stray thought crossed her mind and she shuddered.

"Okay," she finally decided.

"Great! Come."

Lucy led the way and Callisto followed her to her house.

"Aunt Jane!" she called.

"What is it, Lucy?" a woman's voice came around the corner and was soon followed by a good-looking middle-aged woman.

"Aunt, this is Callisto. Can she stay here until her Patrick makes new horse-shoes."

The aunt gave Callisto an appraising look and Callisto put on her best innocent look.

"Sure," the aunt said.

"Great!" Lucy said and turned to Callisto. "Come."

Callisto followed her to an empty room.

"You can stay here," Lucy said.

Callisto looked around the room.

"Thank you," she said, put down the saddlebags and took off her cloak.

Lucy dropped her jaw, astonished. Callisto grinned.

"Do you have a dress I could borrow? A simple one, if possible. And some shoes."

Lucy nodded, still astonished, and left. Callisto grinned again and took off her weapons. She went to the window and looked through, assessing the situation.

Lucy quickly returned with a simple dress and some shoes. Callisto examined the dress and found it satisfactory. Then she took off her boots and tried the shoes. They fit.

"It will do," she declared.

Lucy left and Callisto took off her armor and put on Lucy's dress. Then she looked at her mirror image appraisingly and was satisfied.

Lucy was just talking to her aunt when Callisto came in. Lucy took a deep breath and even her aunt was impressed.

"Wow," Lucy finally said. "You look great."

Callisto smiled.

"Thank you," she said sweetly.

"Lucy," Aunt Jane said, "why don't you show her around the house and I'll prepare the lunch."

"You don't have to cook for me," Callisto said.

"Nonsense, girl, I will make lunch for all of us."

"No, you misunderstood. I'm not being modest, I just don't eat. Never."

Lucy and her aunt were both confused.

"Never?" asked the aunt.

"Never. I wish I could, but I can't even take a single bite."

"Why not?"

"It's one of the curses of being im… I simply can't."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Okay. But let me know if you change your mind."

"Come," Lucy said and took Callisto's hand.

Callisto's first instinct was to smack Lucy, but she restrained herself and followed her. As Lucy was showing her around the house, Callisto silently observed her. She looked so pure and innocent. Not to mention pretty. Callisto shuddered at the thought, slightly annoyed with herself. She did remind her of Gabrielle, but she was much prettier. Callisto shuddered again. Okay, so she looked good. So what? Many women did.

Callisto was so annoyed with herself that she seriously considered whether she should leave, but she decided that she won't run from anything, including her own emotions.

"It's a nice house," she said when they got back to the main room.

"Thank you."

"Can I borrow some of your books to pass the time?"

"Sure."

"Thank you. I'll go check up on my horse."

"Can I come with you?"

Callisto was surprised.

"Okay," she said.

Lucy smiled and followed the startled Callisto.

"So, where are you from?" Lucy asked outside.

Callisto tensed.

"Greece," she said after a while.

"Greece?" Lucy was excited. "I heard it's a beautiful country."

"Yes," Callisto confirmed indifferently.

"Which town are you from?"

Callisto bit her teeth.

"Cirra."

"Cirra? Never heard of it. Where is it?"

"It doesn't exist anymore."

"What do you mean?"

Callisto stopped, extremely annoyed and angry that the woman was reminding her about home. She shuddered.

"It's been burned down," she said in a tone that made it clear that she didn't want to answer anymore questions on that matter.

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"So am I," Callisto said and continued to walk.

Lucy quietly followed her.

"I just came to check up on my horse," Callisto told the blacksmith, who nodded and continued to work.

They went to Callisto's horse and Callisto saw that her saddle was also there.

"Hello, girl," she said and patted the horse. "You'll be okay soon."

She patted the horse a little more and then left. Lucy followed her.

"Hello, Miss Graham," a passing drunk said and approached them. "You really should come to work in the hotel. And your friend also. I would be willing to pay any price," the man said as he got very close.

Callisto grabbed his neck and squeezed.

"Keep your hands away from here or I'll have the pleasure of changing you into a woman," Callisto said with an evil glee. "Is that clear?"

The man nodded, terrified. Callisto let him go and he collapsed on the floor, catching his breath. Callisto moved on and the surprised Lucy followed her.

"Thank you," she said, still impressed by the way Callisto handled the drunk.

Callisto didn't respond. She was confused and she felt that she had overreacted. She didn't know why, but she instinctively tried to protect Lucy. It was disturbing.

When they got to the house, a gentleman was just leaving and Callisto noticed that Lucy was blushing and that she felt very uncomfortable.

"Can I look at your books?" she quickly asked, making sure that the man heard her.

"Sure," Lucy said and Callisto saw that she was grateful.

"Hello, Lucy," the man said.

"Hello," Lucy replied and quickly went past him.

The man wanted to say something, but when he saw Callisto glare at him, he changed his mind.

Lucy took Callisto to her room and showed her the books.

"Who was he?" Callisto asked as she examined the books.

Lucy jerked and blushed.

"He… He wants to marry me."

"Do you want to marry him?"

Lucy blushed even more.

"No," she said quietly.

"Hmm," Callisto murmured as her fingers lingered over a romantic novel.

She took it out and quickly read a couple of random pages. Then she took another and then yet another.

"What a load of crap," she finally declared, disgusted, and took a book on biology. "I'll take this one."

"Okay," Lucy said, avoiding Callisto's eyes.

Callisto went to her room, lay on her bed and started to read. She was reading for a while when she heard Lucy run to her room, crying. She felt a strange urge to go there and soothe her. She fought it for several minutes, but finally got up. She went to Lucy's door and knocked. There was no response, so she knocked again.

"Come," Callisto heard a weak voice from the room and she entered.

She noticed that Lucy had been crying.

"Are you okay?" she asked and went to her bed.

Lucy nodded and blushed when Callisto rose her eyebrows in disbelief.

"What's wrong?" Callisto asked.

Lucy hesitated.

"My aunt wants me to marry Mr Franklin."

"The guy we met?"

"Yes."

"But you don't?"

Lucy shook her head.

"No."

"Does he know that?"

"Yes."

"Then don't."

Lucy stared at Callisto surprised.

"I can't just say no."

"Why not? It's your life and your future."

"That's what Aunt Jane also says."

"Your aunt wants you to marry him, because he's rich?"

"Yes."

Callisto thought.

"If you want, I can take care of the problem," she offered.

"How?"

Callisto grinned.

"I'll just spread some indecent rumors about this Mr Franklin."

Lucy blushed.

"I don't want you harming his reputation."

"So far I haven't heard anything decent about him. He wants to marry you and he's using his power to get you." She smiled. "Where can I find him?"

Lucy hesitated.

"He lives outside the town on a big ranch."

Callisto grinned thoughtfully.

"I'll take care of him," she promised.

Lucy smiled shyly.

"Thank you," she said in a quiet voice.

Callisto smiled. She hesitated for a moment and then caressed Lucy, who stared at her, surprised. Callisto felt herself blush.

"I'll take care of it tonight," she said and left, angry at herself for caring so much.

She returned to her room and started to read again, but she couldn't focus. She decided to go practicing. She changed into her armor and put on the cloak. Then she went to Lucy's aunt.

"Mrs, ah, Graham?"

The woman turned.

"Yes?"

"I'm going exercising. I usually go later at evening, but today I'm going earlier."

"And when will you be back?"

"Probably after dark. You don't have to worry about me getting inside, though." The woman gave her a suspicious look, so she quickly continued. "I also go exercising early in the morning, at dawn."

"I see."

"I just wanted you to know, so you won't be worried about me."

"Oh."

"And thank you for letting me stay in your beautiful house. It's really most kind of you."

The woman's pride showed.

"Yes, the Grahams have always been a generous family."

"I have no doubts about that," Callisto agreed. "After all, you have managed to bring Lucy up so well all by yourself."

The woman was very flattered.

"Yes, indeed," she said proudly.

Callisto put on a cute smile.

"I'll go now, if you'll excuse me."

"Of course, of course," the woman said and Callisto left.

"Old cow," she murmured as she left the house.

She went out of town and practiced for the rest of the afternoon, trying to put Lucy out of her head. She couldn't do it completely, so she stopped from time to time and let herself think about the woman and then continued again with a bit clearer head.

When it was getting dark, she went to the pond, bathed herself and then returned to town to sour Mr Franklin's life.

Next day, when she returned home after her morning practice, she saw that Lucy's face was shining. She saw that she wanted to tell her the good news, but that she restrained herself, because her aunt was there. Callisto smiled.

"Good morning, Mrs Graham," she said.

"Ah, Callisto," the woman said, visibly upset.

"Is something wrong, Mrs Graham?"

"Ah," the woman said, "you have no idea what kind of disaster nearly hit us." She paused to gather her strength. "The man Lucy was to marry, we discovered that he was married several times before to rich woman which all mysteriously died."

"No," Callisto said, pretending to be shocked. "What luck that you have discovered that and prevented such a terrible disaster."

"Yes," the woman said, glad to hear a compliment.

Callisto turned to Lucy.

"Lucy, can you help me with biology?"

"Sure, Callisto."

They went to Callisto's room and there Lucy hugged Callisto. Callisto was surprised at first, but then she hugged her back.

"Thank you, Callisto," Lucy said.

Callisto realized that that was probably the first time someone thanked her. It sort of felt good.

"You're welcome," she said.

"How did you do it?" Lucy asked after she let go of Callisto.

"I made sure some old ladies and some drunks heard me."

"Really? Wow."

Callisto smiled and took off her cloak. Lucy stared at her and she felt her heart beat faster.

"Were you exercising?" she asked.

"Yes," Callisto said and took off her weapons.

"Ah, I'll go now. Oh, do you need my help or was that just a ruse to get me away from my aunt?"

Callisto wanted to say that it was a ruse, but she didn't want Lucy to go. She found it strange.

"Both," she said.

"Oh."

"Wait, I'll just change my clothes."

Lucy blushed as she watched Callisto take off her armor and put on Lucy's dress.

"Why do you wear a knife?" she asked when Callisto was done.

"It's a dagger."

"Oh."

"It comes handy many times."

"I see." She paused. "So, where do you need my help?"

Callisto jerked and quickly turned, hiding her blush. She fetched a book and then went to the small round table. Lucy followed her. Callisto opened the book and started asking questions that seemed very sophisticated, but were essentially very easy and she knew the answer to most of them. While Lucy answered her questions, Callisto thought about the new emotions which she had been experiencing lately. It was so strange, but yet so familiar. She realized that she had felt those emotions a long time ago when her family was still alive. She bit her teeth, remembering their deaths, and suppressed a shudder. Then she realized that those weren't quite the same emotions, they were similar, but not the same. She was surprised and then shocked when she realized that she was falling in love with Lucy. She shuddered.

"Callisto?" Lucy asked.

"Nothing, nothing," Callisto said and pointed at a picture. "And this one?" she asked and Lucy resumed her explanation.

Callisto bit her teeth and remembered her own words from so long ago about love being a trick of nature to get us to reproduce. She smiled briefly as she realized that in her case reproduction wasn't an issue. She looked at Lucy and took a deep breath. She liked her smell and her looks. She pulled away, angry for allowing herself to just drift away. For a while, she stared hard at the picture which Lucy was explaining. Finally, she allowed herself a glance at the woman beside her and she realized that she was attracted to her. She took a deep breath and returned to the book.

During the week, Callisto often caught herself thinking about Lucy. It annoyed her at first, but then she just stopped whatever she was doing and allowed herself to think about the person who made her feel alive again. It was strange at first, but then she realized that she actually enjoyed being alive. She wasn't bothered by the fact that she was attracted to a woman, but it surprised her that she was attracted to anyone at all. Soon, she realized that she wasn't just attracted, but that she was in love. She wanted to suppress her feelings a couple of times, afraid that Lucy, such a pure and innocent woman, might not love her, a ruthless warrior, back, but each time she saw Lucy, she could see in her eyes that she did love her back.

Lucy, on the other hand, was disturbed by the fact that she was in love with a woman. She had regularly gone to church and the thought of two women together never crossed her mind, but ever since the gorgeous blond warrior had come into her life, church didn't matter anymore, only her heart and her love for Callisto. She tried to hide it, afraid that Callisto, a warrior, wasn't interested in her, a simple teacher, but every time she saw Callisto look at her, she could see something change in her eyes, like the sun chases away the clouds and the day becomes sunny.

They both enjoyed each other's presence and they spent as much time together as possible, but they were both afraid to admit their feelings to one another. Callisto had even gone to church, just to be with Lucy. She found the whole experience pathetic, but there was something about the idea that made her think. Lucy noticed that Callisto had something on her mind and when Callisto told her what it was, Lucy explained the basics of her religion. Though Callisto didn't really care for the do-gooder stuff, she thought about it nonetheless.

One day, Callisto was enjoying the swim, but her mind kept showing her the picture of Lucy, who was bathing on the other side of the pond. Although she had accepted the fact that she was falling in love with Lucy, Callisto still fount it annoying when she found herself glancing over to Lucy. She dived a couple of times to clear her mind, but it only worked for a short time.

One time, when she resurfaced again after several minutes underwater, she heard screams. Lucy! She looked through the reeds to the other side of the pond and saw a group of soldiers trying to rape Lucy. Callisto's eyes became ice cold. She dived and started swimming to the other side.

In the meantime, the soldiers were trying to decide who gets to be the first. They finally decided that the soldier with the highest rank should have priority. The man spread Lucy's legs and kneeled between them while two other soldiers held her arms. The man just undid his pants when a war cry suddenly pierced the air. They looked around for the source and saw a naked woman flip out of the water.

"Hello boys," Callisto said, smiling sweetly. Her smiled quickly faded and her expression became demonic. "Good bye, boys."

The men were so stunned that Callisto killed six of them before others finally reacted and tried to defend themselves. The fight was over within seconds and when Callisto killed the last man, she stopped and looked at them, feeling the old sensations come back to her.

Suddenly, she remembered Lucy. She turned and saw the shock on Lucy's face.

"Are you all right?" she asked and started to approach her, but Lucy backed off.

Callisto stopped and looked at her own naked body. It was covered with blood. She knew that Lucy was terrified, not just because of the dead men, but also because of her. She smiled briefly.

"You're safe now," she said.

Then she went to the pond and swam to the other side.

Lucy stared after her for a while and then looked at the men. Finally, she went into the water and cleaned herself. Then she dressed up and quickly returned back to the town.

Callisto also dressed herself and returned to the town.

When Callisto returned to Lucy's house, she noticed that Mrs Graham was worried.

"Is something wrong?" she asked.

The woman turned.

"Ah, Callisto," she said hopefully. "Lucy seemed very distressed when she came home. Do you perhaps have any idea why?"

"I'm afraid not."

"Oh," the woman said, disappointed. "Can you at least talk to her?" she asked after a few moments.

Callisto bit her teeth, but quickly put on a smile.

"I will."

Callisto went to Lucy's door and knocked. When there was no response, she knocked again.

"Lucy, it's me."

There was still no response, so she opened the door. Lucy was inside and Callisto saw fear in her eyes. She took a deep breath and entered. She slowly approached Lucy's bed.

"Lucy," she started when she got to the bed, but stopped when Lucy backed off.

Callisto bit her teeth.

"I'm sorry, Lucy," she said. "I didn't mean to frighten you. For the first time I…"

Callisto stopped and gulped, she wasn't ready for a confession like that.

"I'm sorry," she said again, "I will tell your aunt that you saw the remains of a horse and that the sight upset you."

Callisto flashed a smile and then quickly left. Outside, she stopped for a moment and took a deep breath, realizing that her heart was beating fast. Then she went to Mrs Graham.

"Mrs Graham," she said, sporting a cute expression.

"Did you talk to her?" the woman asked, concerned.

"Yes. She said she saw the remains of a horse and the sight upset her. She should be okay soon."

"Oh," the woman said, relieved. "I'm glad it's not something serious."

Callisto smiled and left.

Several hours later, Callisto went to see her horse. Lucy stared after her through the window, sad. She was still shocked from nearly being raped, but more than that, she was disturbed by the sight of seeing Callisto kill so ruthlessly, almost with pleasure.

When Callisto disappeared form her view, Lucy sighed and decided to go to school and do some work there. She was just crossing the street when the army came. Lucy stopped and observed them. The regiment stopped and was soon surrounded by a crowd.

"Attention, everyone! I am Colonel Burns!" the Colonel said. "We are investigating the murder of fourteen of our men which happened at the pond! Anyone who knows anything about it should come to me!"

Burns dismounted and so did the regiment.

Lucy's mind was a mess. She knew that Callisto was guilty, but at the same time she also knew that Callisto was protecting her. But the sight of those slaughtered men and the look in Callisto's eyes were still too fresh. She approached Burns.

"I know who did it," she said.

Burns looked at her, surprised.

"You do?" he asked with disbelief.

"Yes. It was…" Lucy paused for a moment when she saw Callisto walk across the street. "She did it."

Burns looked at Callisto and so did Lucy. Callisto noticed Lucy and stopped.

"She?" he asked, not believing.

"Yes. Those men tried to rape me and she saved me."

"Look, Miss, those were United States soldiers, they don't rape."

"But…"

Burns ignored her and turned to one of his aides.

"Bring me that woman," he ordered.

"Yes, Sir."

"But, Colonel," Lucy objected, "they…"

"Enough, Miss, I'll take it from here."

"Colonel!"

"Enough!"

Lucy took a step back, startled.

Callisto saw the four men approaching and she waited for them.

"Miss, come with us," their leader said.

Callisto smiled.

"And if I don't?"

The soldiers looked at each other, surprised.

"Then we'll have to use force."

Callisto laughed.

"Go home to your mothers, boys, army's no place for you."

The soldiers were even more confused.

"Okay, Miss," their leader said. "Take her, men."

The moment the other three soldiers laid their hands on her, Callisto stepped into action. She kicked the middle man in his balls and hit the other two with her elbows. She considered her options and decided to run and get her gear.

"Shoot her!" the Colonel ordered.

Callisto ran as fast as she could, but still several bullets hit her and she fell.

"No!" Lucy screamed.

Callisto got up and tried to run, but her legs still hurt.

"Fire!" the Colonel ordered again.

Another volley was fired and this time more bullets hit Callisto. Before she got up again, she was surrounded by soldiers. She started to hit around, trying to free herself, and even managed to kill two soldiers with her dagger, but there were too many soldiers and they tied her up like a sheaf of dry grass.

Callisto looked for Lucy as she was being taken away. When their eyes met, Callisto gave Lucy a murderous look.

"You found a piece of my soul and you destroyed it. You will pay for it," she said coldly.

Lucy stared after her, suddenly realizing what a big mistake she had made. Tears came into her eyes and she ran home. She lay on her bed and cried. She was angry at herself. She loved the blond warrior, but she was afraid of her at the same time. And what was worse, the warrior had loved her too.

She lay, desperate, for a while and then went to Callisto's room. She picked up Callisto's things and took them to her room. She hid them, because she knew that her aunt would want to get rid of them. She, however, didn't want to, because their owner meant so much to her.

Several days later, someone woke Lucy up in the middle of the night. Lucy opened her eyes, confused, and blinked her eyes.

"Callisto," she said excitedly when her eyes focused.

Callisto was confused for a moment, for that was not the reaction she had expected. Lucy wasn't afraid, she was relieved.

"I thought you were dead," Lucy continued.

"You wish," Callisto said and the fire in her eyes brightened again. "Get up," she said and grabbed Lucy's arm. "You so much as squeak and I'll cut out your tongue right here."

Lucy's face paled and she got up.

"Get dressed," Callisto ordered.

Lucy obeyed and she felt Callisto's eyes on her body while she changed clothes. Some other time she would have found this very exciting, but not now.

"Come," Callisto said after Lucy was done and grabbed her arm.

She took her outside where Lucy's own horse was waiting beside Callisto's. When they got to the horses, Callisto hesitated for a moment and then hit Lucy on the head. Lucy collapsed, but Callisto broke her fall. She put her on the horse, fastened her and then mounted her own.

When Lucy woke up, her head hurt. She moaned and tried to move, but she couldn't. She opened her eyes and saw that she was tied to a tree. It was already late morning and she saw that she was alone and naked. She was confused for a moment, but then she recalled what had happened.

"Callisto!" she called.

There was no response. She tried again for a couple of time, but again there was no response. She took a deep breath and waited.

"Hello," she suddenly heard a soft voice say into her ear.

She jerked and turned her head.

"Callisto," she said, relieved.

"It's a nice day to die, isn't it? The animals will have your corpse picked clean in no time."

Lucy gulped.

"I'm sorry, Callisto," she said.

"Sorry?!" Callisto paused. "You will be," she said with an evil glee. She took her dagger and ran it across Lucy's body. "Afraid?" she asked.

Lucy gulped.

"Good," Callisto said and smiled. "Now, let's see. First I'll take off the skin from your arms. Yes. But before I do that, I'll let you bleed and starve for a couple of days."

She made a few precise cuts all over Lucy's body and Lucy screamed.

"This hurts?" Callisto asked innocently and then grinned. "Wait till you're skinned."

Lucy started to cry and Callisto went to the fire which was behind Lucy's back.

Callisto listened to Lucy's sobs. Somewhere deep inside she didn't want to hurt Lucy, but she was hurt deeply when Lucy had betrayed her. Her eyes kept glancing at Lucy and with every glance her anger seemed to diminish. Finally, she shuddered and took a long walk.

In the afternoon, Callisto repeated the procedure without saying a word to Lucy and then left again.

During the night she was awoken by noise. She listened carefully and discovered that it was coming from Lucy. She was confused. She got up and went to her prisoner.

When she got to the tree and heard what Lucy was saying, she was astonished. Lucy was having a nightmare and Callisto discovered that Lucy was deeply regretting what she had done. Callisto also discovered that Lucy cared for her a lot. She recalled her own dreams about her family and shuddered.

"Callisto!!" Lucy suddenly cried and woke up.

Callisto jerked. She stood motionless and listened to Lucy cry. It hurt her, being betrayed by Lucy, because for the first time in over two millennia she had cared about someone. She wanted to make Lucy pay, but hearing her cry over what she had done calmed Callisto's wrath. She knew Lucy still cared for her and she felt that she also cared for Lucy. She didn't want to lose her. She wanted to forgive her, but she didn't know how. For the first time she felt lost.

Suddenly, she remembered Gabrielle's words to Xena and she made a decision. She cut Lucy's ties and broke her fall.

"Callisto," Lucy whispered with tears in her eyes.

Callisto picked up the shuddering body and took it to the fire. She took another blanket from her saddle and the cloak. She wrapped Lucy into the cloak and then into the blanket. Then she lay next to her and covered them both with her blanket.

"Callisto," Lucy whispered.

"Shh," Callisto said and put her arm over Lucy's body. "Sleep now."

When Lucy woke up in the morning, she was confused. She was wrapped up in a blanket and a cloak and wasn't tied up anymore. Then she remembered that Callisto did that.

"Callisto," she weakly called.

"Right here," a response came from behind her back.

Lucy turned.

"Callisto…"

"Let's get you washed up first, we'll talk later."

Lucy gulped and nodded. She tried to get up, but Callisto picked her up and carried her to the river. There she undressed her and took off her own boots. Then she carried her into the shallow water and started to clean her wounds. Lucy watched her, but Callisto avoided her eyes. Callisto tried to concentrated on the wounds only, but she just couldn't help herself from throwing glances at the rest of Lucy's body.

When Lucy was clean, Callisto dried her and dressed her wounds. After that, she gave her a dress.

"Put this on. It's not much, but it will have to do."

"What happened to my clothes?" Lucy asked.

"I cut them up," Callisto said as she put on her boots.

Lucy gulped and put on Callisto's dress. Callisto helped her and then helped her get up.

"Can you walk?" she asked.

Lucy tried and nodded. Callisto escorted her to the fire and gave her something to eat. Then she packed her stuff and returned to the fire. She sat down near Lucy.

They were both quiet until Lucy finished eating. Callisto waited.

"Callisto," Lucy finally began, barely holding back her tears, "I'm sorry." She paused. "I… I… Don't leave me. Please."

Callisto stared at Lucy, astonished. Her instincts told her not to trust the woman, but she didn't want to lose her either. She realized that if she wanted to remain friends with Lucy, she would have to trust her. And forgive her. She didn't want to be alone anymore. Immortality was okay at first, but after a couple of centuries it became a torture to her. She felt empty and she wanted to fill the emptiness. She gulped.

"I won't," she finally said.

Lucy was surprised for a few moments and then came closer and hugged her. Callisto was surprised and she felt uncomfortable at first, but she realized that she missed being hugged and she hugged Lucy back.

They remained hugged for a couple of minutes and then they stared at each other, not sure how to continue.

"I'm sorry, Lucy," Callisto said.

"No, Callisto, it was my own fault."

They were quiet for a while.

"So, you want to stay with me?" Callisto finally asked.

"Yes."

Callisto took a deep breath, afraid to tell Lucy the truth. She didn't want to lose her, but Lucy had to know if they were to stay together.

"There's one thing you should know." She paused, reluctant to continue. "I'm immortal," she finally said and carefully observed Lucy.

Lucy was stunned and didn't immediately respond.

"Immortal?" she finally asked.

"Yes."

"I don't understand."

Callisto sighed and took her sword.

"Don't be afraid," she said and impaled herself.

"Callisto!!" Lucy cried, worried and shocked, and moved toward Callisto, tears in her eyes.

Callisto pulled the sword out and showed it to Lucy.

"See? Not blood."

Lucy stared at the sword and then at her, stunned. Callisto put the sword away and then reached toward Lucy to wipe her tears. Lucy pulled back and Callisto pulled her hand back.

"Do you still want to live with me?" Callisto asked.

Lucy didn't immediately respond.

"How… I don't…"

Callisto smiled.

"I was born in Greece over two thousand years ago. My village was burned and I swore revenge. When I was old enough I went after the warlord who burned it down." She paused. "I wasn't very successful, but I did gain immortality."

"How?"

"Oh, I had some dealings with gods and when I was stripped of godhood, I managed to keep immortality."

"Gods?" Lucy asked, totally confused.

"Yes. You know, the Greek gods, Zeus, Hera, Ares, Hades and the rest of the bunch."

"But they're only a myth."

"I'm here, aren't I?"

"Yes."

"Then I guess they aren't only a myth."

Lucy thought it over.

"True," she admitted, still confused.

Callisto smiled.

"So, do you still want to be with me?" she asked.

Lucy thought.

"So, I would age, but you wouldn't?"

Callisto bit her teeth.

"Yes."

Lucy considered. She wanted to be with Callisto, but this immortality stuff was all so strange to her. Then she realized how hard it must be on Callisto. She was willing to stay with her and watch her grow old and die.

"I do want to stay with you, Callisto, but do you want to stay with me?"

"Yes," Callisto said firmly and smiled. "The question is, how are we going to live, my immortality aside? I can live your way, but it's pretty boring. You, on the other hand, can't live my way."

"I can learn," Lucy said enthusiastically.

Callisto smiled.

"But I don't want you to learn."

Lucy's enthusiasm faded a bit.

"Why not?"

"Because it's dangerous. Not to mention that I'm a wanted person."

Lucy thought.

"We can go to Canada! Nobody will look for you there and we can settle in a small village. You can ride around there and you will have a home to come back to."

Callisto jerked at the word home. She thought about the idea and decided that she liked it.

"What about your aunt?"

"I can send her a letter."

"And your stuff? You have nothing, not to mention that we don't have any money."

"Oh." Lucy thought. "We can return and steal it from my aunt's house."

"You would steal from your own aunt?"

Lucy blushed, ashamed. Callisto grinned.

"Why don't you go home and I'll visit you as often as possible."

"But you'd only come at night and we'd only be together for a short time," Lucy objected.

"But she'd be alone."

"Oh, don't worry, she has other nieces and nephews to command."

"I still think you should clear it with her."

"She won't let me."

"At least she'll know that you want to leave. You can pack your stuff and leave."

Lucy considered.

"Okay. But what do I tell my aunt? And these clothes."

"Don't worry, I'll break into your house and get you some clothes that will hide the bandages. You can tell your aunt that some bandits kidnapped you, but you haven't seen their faces. I'll deliver a ransom note to her. You can tell her that you had escaped when no one was there."

"But they'll want to know where they kept me."

"Don't worry, I'll show you a suitable place and we'll prepare it."

"Okay."

"And then we'll go to Canada."

Lucy smiled.

"I just can't wait," she said, excited.

Callisto smiled back.

"I'll leave tonight and deliver the ransom note and get you some clothes. Tomorrow, we'll prepare the place and the day after, you will escape."

"Yes."

Callisto stared at Lucy for a few more moments and then sat beside her and put her arm around her. Lucy did the same and they sat quietly for a while. Lucy was happy that someone cared for her and didn't keep telling her what to do. Callisto, on the other hand, was happy that she had a family again and, soon, home.

The End