"You Gods, why is it always like this?!" Gabrielle paced back and forth, face flush with frustration. Merlina, assisted by Gunther, had spent the past five hours attending to Wolf and Xena. That left the bard with Erik, Thor, and Ares, who had arrived only moments ago.

The bard continued her vent, "And YOU," she looked harshly at the god of war, "If you had stood up to Callisto in the first place instead of teaming up with her..."

"She was very persuasive," Ares said, trying to defend himself, "Besides that was years ago and it all worked out for the best right?" He smiled weakly, "I don't really think that has anything to do with what's happening now."

"Xena hasn't been the same since then, you idiot! She's lost some of her control. The old Xena wouldn't have done what she did."

"Don't blame her shortcomings on me little girl," Ares face grew dark. "Xena is power, dark power, and sometimes even you, little miss happy sunshine, can't keep it in check." Ares lowered his voice and growled, "Don't you forget that, no matter how much you want to."

"Enough!" Erik's face was tense with worry, "Now is not the time to bicker over the past. We have more pressing problems to deal with now."

The bard spun around violently, "That reminds me," she said harshly, "where was Wolf when Hope and Callisto had their fun with time travel huh? She sure wasn't standing up to Dahok then."

"She was elsewhere with Merlina," Thor replied, avoiding the question.

"Sluffing like all of you northern gods," Ares said under his breath.

Thor's blue eyes flared with electricity, "She and Merlina were engaging Dahok in another realm he is attempting to acquire . We lost several good people on that mission, and it set Wolf back several months in her healing." Thor pierced Gabrielle with his eyes, "As Xena goes, so goes the world. Your daughter said that once. She meant all worlds involving Dahok, including ones which mortals will never see. There's more at stake here that just this realm and the land of mortals. Wolf has other places to defend as well. The scope of Dahok is far greater than your puny minds can imagine." The god of thunder got up and left in anger and disgust.

Gabrielle stood stunned for a moment. She hadn't expected Thor's response to be so revealing, yet it left her with even more questions. She turned to Ares who merely shrugged his shoulders and leaned back into the plush chair he was sitting in. Erik didn't even acknowledge her as he starred vacantly at the far wall. Gabrielle was about to go after Thor when Merlina entered through the opposite enterence. Her face was drawn and pale, her hair was matted and clumped. Her clothes stained with drying blood. Gabrielle has seen that look before and prepared herself for the worst.

Merlina looked compassionately at Gabrielle, "Xena will live. She has some pretty severe head injuries, along with some broken ribs and various cuts and bruises. I've called in a couple of favors to help ease her pain and make her heal faster."

"Thank the gods," Gabrielle said softly. Ares shook his head at the irony in her statement.

"Wolf also lives, but her injuries go deeper. Not only has she been physically hurt, but she has been psychologically defeated. She lost her will to survive. I'm afraid even I can't pull her back this time." Merlina's eyes misted over.

Erik was at her side in an instant and helped her to a nearby chair. Merlina broke down into fierce, choking sobs, "She woke up about an hour ago. I asked her how she felt and all she said was 'Father's won' over and over again. Her eyes are clouded over with insanity. I tried talking to her, but all she'd do was smile, take my hand and repeat those two cursed words." Merlina collapsed into Erik's arms.

Gabrielle kneeled at Merlina's feet, "Is there anything we can do to save her?"

"Ask Xena," Merlina said bitterly, "she's the chosen one. She's the one who put my beloved there. Let her be the hero for once and make a real sacrifice." Merlina looked away from Gabrielle. The bard rose and quickly strode out of the room heading for the bed chamber she and Xena shared. When she reached the door, Ares was there waiting for her.

"Get out of my way, I have to see Xena." Gabrielle spat.

"Hold on there brat, we need to talk first." Ares crossed his arms and leaned against the door. "Don't you want to check things out first? I mean, the Greek gods may not always be the most helpful, but we've always been on the up and up. What you see is what you get. Now these Norse gods on the other hand, all they've been is deceitful. First they tell you Dahok forced his way into their turf, now we find out he was invited. Wolf is a child of the gods, but not Odin, oh no, she's the child of Dahok."

Aries leaned down and spoke in a whisper to Gabrielle, "But the biggest trick of all is this; three guesses who is missing from Tarturus right now, unknown to Hades or any other of the Greek gods."

"Not her." Gabrielle's throat went dry.

"Oh yes. Someone sprung her. Someone who has so much power that they could do it without anyone noticing."

Gabrielle said warily, "Then how did you find out?"

"I had a hunch, so I checked it out, and it was true." Ares leaned back and raised his voice to it's normal, smug level, "Just something to think about before you go running to Xena to get her to help Wolf again. Now if you'll excuse me, there's a thunder god who I've been meaning to speak with." And with a poof, the god of war vanished.

Gabrielle steadied herself and pushed the door open. She was surprised to see Xena up and sitting in a high backed burgundy chair. A pillow supported her head and back as she looked out the open window at the moonlit night. Xena's short sleeved sleeping gown revealed several large bruises on her arms and legs, but her face had completely healed, although her hair was somewhat shorter.

"So they had to cut some of it off? Are you going to be okay with that?" Gabrielle asked, trying to lighten the load on Xena's brow.

"Easier to work on my back and head is what Merlina told me. I think is was all a ploy. Soon I'll have that fuzz that Wolf's got." She chuckled softly.

Gabrielle shut the door and cautiously approached her partner. The bard knew what is was like when Xena came for your head and shuttered inside at the memory. This time, there was no magical fairy land to fix the problems.

Xena continued to look out the window as she spoke, "I always have liked the night. I've spent a lot of time trying to figure out just why it appealed to me so. Because it's cooler, because it's easier to hide, because when it ends, a new day, another chance, is given to me? At certain times in my life, those have been the reasons, but not now, not anymore."

Xena looked up at Gabrielle, "I am the night Gabrielle. Everything it is, it holds, it's in me. Good and bad, dark and light, serious and fun, mystery and truth, I'm all of those things, just like the night."

She turned back and looked out the window again, "It's why I attacked Wolf. She is also the night, and I couldn't see that until now. All I saw was the blackness, the tricks the night can play on you, and I was angry. I felt betrayed, like I had been lying to myself all of these years. She had truly embraced the night, all of it, and used it to her advantage. I was the novice who thought I was the master, when she was it all along."

Gabrielle began to stroke Xena's hair and the Warrior Princess continued, "I'm still mad at her though for lying to me about Dahok, her heritage, and why we're here." She sighed, " we can't worry about that now, we have other things which are more important. Dahok must lose once and for all. The door must be slammed shut and his children have to be there with him---all of them."

"Xena you don't mean...."

"Yes I do," Xena replied calmly, "When Dahok is finally defeated, Wolf must die as well because she has been the door which has allowed Dahok to keep entering this realm. Her presence draws him here. She has to go to the Void and never return."

Gabrielle continued her caress as her mind whirled. "You may get your wish sooner than you think."

Xena looked up questioningly at Gabrielle, who continued, "Wolf is dying Xena, Merlina say's that she's lost the will to live. Only you can bring her back."

"Me? Why would I want to? If she dies, we'll be free of Dahok that much sooner."

What's with her, the bard thought. "I don't think that will make a difference Xena. Dahok already has too much of a foothold in this realm. You need Wolf to help you fight. Who else can lead you through his land?"

"I'll come up with something."

Gabrielle knelt down next to the chair. Pleading, she said, "Then promise me this, talk to Wolf, help her come back from the brink to help you defeat Dahok. Once that's done, then the two of you can have it out. Promise me you'll wait, so you can be sure."

Xena thought for a moment, begrudgingly, "Okay, I'll wait. I don't want to kill her, but I will."

Gabrielle smiled, "Good. Now let's get you off to bed. All this excitement isn't good for someone in your condition."

"Gabrielle, I'm not hurt that badly."

"I'm not talking about that," the bard replied with a devilish grin, "I'm talking about that bad haircut. You need all the help you can get."

Gabrielle ducked as a pillow moving at high speed whizzed by her head.

The day dawned sparkling and bright, just as every day did in the place somewhere in between the land of the gods and the dead. Never too hot or cold, the sky always blue, the grass always green, it was paradise. To Wolf, lost in her own land of remorse, sickness, and despair, the day was black.

Xena was tough and her blows combined with what she had sustained in the battle had greatly weakened the lone hero. I've been in worse shape than this, Wolf thought in a brief moment of lucidity, I came back from the Void! She looked around her favorite room, the den, and smiled to herself. "I'll come back from this as always," she said softly to herself, trying to build up her confidence. Then the memories of the past few days began to filter in, and the madness began to take over. "Who am I kidding," her voice sounded frantic, "my secret's out, I drank from the stream. I can't live the lie any longer! I must die! Evil must be destroyed by the real hero, the heir, Xena!" Wolf began to scream hysterically. Merlina crossed the room and sat on the bed, holding Wolf. She rocked her gently, stroked her matted, sweat soaked hair and hummed lightly. After a few moments Wolf quieted down and relaxed. Merlina sighed and laid her lover back down on the bed. Wolf just stared at the ceiling, unknowing, unfeeling.

"How long has she been like this?" Xena asked Merlina.

Tired violet eyes responded, "Since the night of the battle. Physically she's almost healed, but as you can see, emotionally...."

"Yes," the Warrior Princess replied softly. Xena had come by Wolf's room several times for three days in a row, but was unable to enter. The demons in her soul had stopped her each time at the door. Merlina knew each instance that Xena had come by, and silently cried each time she left. At first Merlina had been hurt that Wolf cried out Xena's name in the night, not hers, and felt the pangs of jealousy dig deep. In Wolf's fifth day of insanity, however, all she cared about was getting the woman she loved back in her life.

Wolf's twin saviors took stock of each other for a moment, then Merlina silently returned to her chair in the corner by the window. Xena looked down at one of her first and most important teachers and sighed. What am I supposed to do now, she thought. The warrior pulled a chair closer and sat down next to the bed, she's delirious and probably won't even know I'm here. Xena wrung her hands, and I'm not sure that I want the old Wolf back.

"So you finally got up the guts to come see me," Wolf's voice was raspy and soft. "You've come by so many times these past few days I'd resigned myself to your never coming in here."

Xena, surprised by Wolf's sudden clarity, stumbled for words, "Well...I...I...I had some things to work out."

"Like whether you were going to kill me now or later?" Wolf asked with light sarcasm.

"Something like that," Xena replied, a little defeated.

"Don't worry," Wolf smiled and patted Xena's leg, "I'd do the same thing. Your teacher lied and betrayed you and is indirectly responsible for you love's greatest woe. I have willingly worked for entities you hate for centuries. I don't blame you a bit."

Xena watched as Wolf's eyes began to grow wide with a wild look in them. Wolf's body began to shake as she struggled for emotional control. After a short time, Wolf was back with her.

"You should blame me Wolf," Xena said evenly, "I flew off the handle. There was no reason for me to go out there and attack you. You would have told me eventually."

"Hell no I wouldn't have."

Xena grasped for calm, found it, and continued to talk, "Wolf, why are you making this so hard? I've come to make peace and help you get better. Every moment we delay Dahok grows stronger. Soon it won't matter where we face him--we'll lose either way."

"It does matter," Wolf's eyes looked sternly at Xena. "Remember what I said about pops on the Immolation, about how he can read you like a book? Even I can see how much you hate me Xena and I'm now certifiable, remember? Let's not play games, okay?"

"What do you want then, for me to kill you? Will that solve all our problems?"

"I'm going to resist taunting you this once Xena, but not again," Wolf coughed, then continued. "Dahok will use this against you, against us all. He saw that I was vulnerable and hit hard at that soft spot. I felt him in my mind, Xena, and you are looking at the results. We have either make peace or at the very least, you have to push that animosity you feel towards me way down deep. So deep that he'll never sense it. Otherwise he'll use it against us. You still need me Xena, and the world really needs you."

"And how will that help you get better?" Xena asked doubting the validity of Wolf's words.

"It will give me a piece of mind to build on. I'll never be the same as I was before. I'll be emotionally unstable until I die---or until you kill dad, which ever come first." Wolf paused and with more clarity than Xena thought was Wolf was capable of, said, "Don't worry about me Xena. I'm old hat at this crap. I won't bring you down."

For the first time in months, Xena actually felt like she understood what was happening. She now had control of the situation, Wolf had just subtly given it to her.

"Do you think you can work on that insanity thing there?" Xena asked Wolf in the spirit of their old banter.

"Sure," Wolf replied smiling.

Merlina let her breath out. There's still a lot of bad blood there, she thought, but at least they've grown up enough to put it behind them. I hope this truce holds.

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