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Legal disclaimer: Xena, Gabrielle, Cyrene, Solan, Rafe and Argo are characters of Xena:Warrior Princess and are the sole property of MCA/Universal and Renaissance Pictures. No copyright infringement is intended.
The remainder of the story is pure fiction created by the author.
It may not be used without the author's consent.
Content advisory:This story contains some violence, unprotected sex, and a few dead fish. It is intended for general audiences.
Story synopsis: Xena has a chance meeting with Rafe and they spend the night together. Later on she discovers she is carrying his child. She makes the decision to quit her "warrior ways" and return home to Amphipolis.
"TAKING CHANCES"
by J. L. Raymond
(C) 1998
Part one
"BLAME IT ON THE RAIN"
Xena and Gabrielle enter a small village. Xena, leading Argo, ties the reins to a post outside a tavern...they enter.
XENA: ( at the bar ) "Two wines!"
GABRIELLE: "Oooohh no, make that, one wine...one water!"
Xena, resting an elbow on the bar, turns when she hears a familiar voice in the crowd. She walks up to a table where four men are playing cards. ( one of them is Rafe )
XENA: ( standing behind Rafe ) "Hey fellas, is this a man's game or can a woman play?"
RAFE: ( looking very surprised ) "Xena?" ( he stands up and turns to her ) "It's so good to see you!"
At the bar, Gabrielle is taking it all in. She knows that sparks might fly between them.
Grabbing the wine, not the water, she gulps it down....
Rafe and Xena leave the tavern. They take a stroll through the village under an overcast sky. Rafe, talking endlessly, fills Xena in on the the adventures he's been through since he's seen her last. They come to rest at an old well. ..Xena, like a sponge, absorbs every word. Deeper than the well, she falls into his eyes.
Suddenly...a clap of thunder and the sky breaks open. The rain pours down on top of them! Rafe grabs Xena's hand...
RAFE: "Come on!"
In the blinding rain, they run down the street looking for cover. Rafe spots a stable door...
RAFE: "Let's go in here!"
The stable was very small. It housed only one old mule, some tackle and a few piles of hay.
RAFE: ( brushing off his wet clothes ) "Just my luck, stuck in a smelly stable with one ( looking at the old mule ) jackass and one ( now looking at Xena ) beautiful woman!"
Xena, thinking Rafe might be referring to himself as a "jackass"...
XENA: ( grabbing Rafe's left earlobe ) "Oh, I don't know, the ears might be a little big...but you're no "jackass"!"
He laughs...
Rafe, taking his hand, wipes the wet bang from Xena's eye. Tracing the silhouette of her cheek, his hand glides down her ashen locks. His hand meets hers and their fingers interlock. He leans into kiss her...she responds.
It's as if the room is spinning around them, faster and faster. The kisses are getting deeper and deeper!
With their lips still locked, Xena removes her sword and tosses it to the ground. Rafe begins to unhook her armor. Xena grabs her chakram and hurls it across the room. It flies over the head of the old mule...he groans!
It provokes a thought from him..."These people are animals!!"
Xena breaks off the kiss and steps back from Rafe. With a "naughty" grin on her face, she pushes Rafe back on to a pile of hay. The hay went flying....Xena, went flying!...right on top of Rafe!! (sorry, this is rated PG )
"TAKING CHANCES"
by J. L. Raymond (C) 1998
Part Two
"A SECOND CHANCE?"
A few months pass...
Standing in the middle of a pasture, Xena is ransacking the food pouches strapped to Argo's back.
GABRIELLE: "Xena, I'm telling you, there's nothing left!!...you've eaten every crumb!"
XENA: ( brainstorming ) "I know Gabrielle, we'll make camp downstream and I'll do some fishing!"
GABRIELLE: "Whatever!"
Later...
At the campsite, Gabrielle is busy building a fire. Meanwhile....knee deep in the stream, Xena is playing "cat and mouse" with the fish, tossing them back on to a pile. Gabrielle comes over to inspect the pile. ( 3 or 4 dozen fish!! )
GABRIELLE: "Hungry, are we?!"
Later on...
Sitting over the fire, Gabrielle watches as Xena takes pleasure in devouring the fish...all the fish!
GABRIELLE: ( dangling a fish bone in front of Xena's face ) "Hey, you missed a bite!"
Xena, still with an appetite, grabs it and looks it over.
The next morning...
Gabrielle is saddled on top of Argo, waiting at the side of the road. Coming from the woods you can hear Xena hurling up her guts... Minutes later she emerges. ( wiping off her mouth )
GABRIELLE: ( with a "I told you so" expression ) "Xena, green just isn't your color."..."I guess we won't be eating fish tonight!"
Just then, Xena turned and headed right back into the woods....More hurling!
Nightfall...
Gabrielle lies on her bedroll with a crackling fire between them.
GABRIELLE: Xena?...are you alright?"
Xena, lying faced in the opposite direction, stares out into space....
XENA: "Yeah...go to sleep Gabrielle." ( placing a hand on her stomach )
GABRIELLE: "Goodnight Xena."
XENA: " 'Night, Gabrielle."
Daybreak...
Gabrielle gathers up all their belongings. Kicking dirt on the fire, she takes notice of Xena who is not acting like herself. She walks up to her and rubs her on the back...
GABRIELLE: "Xena...now I know there is something wrong!...what is it?...please tell me!"
XENA: ( looking a little drawn ) "Gabrielle, I think I'm going to have a baby."
GABRIELLE: ( caught off guard ) "A baby?!"...Xena!!!..."How far along do you think you are?"
XENA: "I think...I'm guessing, about two months."
GABRIELLE: ( putting on her thinking cap ) "Umm...two months?...two months ago we were in...Rafe!...it had to be Rafe!!"
XENA: ( having flashbacks of that night ) "Blame it on the rain...."
GABRIELLE: "What are you going to do, Xena?"
XENA: ( taking her time to answer ) ...She's thinking about Solan. She sees his face...his beautiful face! Remembering holding him in her arms for the last time. Would this be...could this be her second chance?...
"Gabrielle, I'm going home!"
On the ground, Xena places a blanket and spreads out from end to end. She takes her sword and daggers and tosses them on to the blanket. She unhooks her armor, removes her wrist and armbands...throws them down.
Taking her chakram, she gives it one last look...throws it on the pile...Now in her "street clothes", Xena, "THE CIVILIAN", heads home to Amphipolis.
"TAKING CHANCES"
by J. L. Raymond ( C ) 1998
Part Three
"AGAINST ALL ODDS"
After one days journey on the road, Xena spots trouble up ahead. Three men are attempting to rob an old man and woman. Holding the reins tightly, Xena kicks her heels...
XENA: "Go Argo!!...git!"...ah yiiiiii....
Arriving at the scene, she bolts off Argo.
XENA: ( recognizing one of the men ) " Well, if it ain't Tellis, the one-armed bandit!"...
Tellis stood well over six feet. He had a scar under her right eye that met the top of his lip. He had a soul as ugly as his face! Missing was his right arm....
XENA: "Always sticking your hand where it don't belong!!"
Tellis just laughed, but his expression soon turned to a snarl!
TELLIS: ( motioning to the two thugs ) "Get her!!!"
Gabrielle came running, staff in hand. Thug # one came charging toward her. Swinging her staff, left and right, Gabrielle throws a kick or two!
XENA: ( motioning with her hands ) "Come on!...come and get me!!"
Thug # two came running towards her in a full charge. "Yiiii....Hah!", she flips him right over her head!
Tellis, in a fast gait, is quickly approaching. Spotting a thick branch on the ground, he flips it into his hand with his foot!..
Thug # two rises to his feet and comes up behind Xena. She reacts....raising a fist above her head, she nails him square on the nose!! Just then...Tellis swings the branch and strikes Xena across the abdomen! She bends forward and winces in pain. Clutching her stomach, she looks up at Tellis..."Yaaahh!!!!"...she strikes Tellis across his face with the back of her hand. Before he knew what hit him, she threw a kick right to his knees!...
He fell to the ground.
Xena, winded from the battle, bends over, placing her hands on her knees. Thugs one and two came running, picking up Tellis, they dragged him into the woods making their escape.
A little later...
OLD MAN: "Please...is there something...anything I can give you to repay you for your kind deed?"
XENA: "It's enough knowing you're all right!"
Gabrielle, eyeing the juicy apples in the back of the wagon, taps Xena on the arm....
GABRIELLE: "Pssst...Xena!" ( pointing to the apples )
The old woman took notice and filled a sack with the apples and placed it in Gabrielle's hands...thenhugged her.
Two days later...
Xena, riding Argo and Gabrielle walking along side, reach Amphipolis.
The market place was bustling with merchants selling their wares. Cyrene, Xena's mother was shopping for fruit when she heard a villager cry out..."Xena!!...It's Xena!"
CYRENE: "Xena?"
She turns to look and then runs to greet her. Through the crowd Xena could see her mother running towards her...
XENA: ( In a faint whisper ) "Mother?!"
Xena leaps off Argo and runs into her mother's arms...they embrace! Cyrene steps back to look into Xena face,
just then, Xena collapses and falls to the ground.
"TAKING CHANCES"
by J. L. Raymond (C) 1998
Part Four
"KNOWING THE ODDS"
Xena, lies in her mother's bed. Her face flushed with fever, her forehead beaded with sweat. She moans faintly as her head thrashes from side to side. Gabrielle and Cyrene tend to her, Cyrene wipes her forehead with a damp cloth. As the hours pass, Gabrielle tells Cyrene about the baby and Xena's decision to return home to Amphipolis. It would be a long night....
Suddenly!....Xena doubles over in pain and cries out! It was not to be...there would be no second chance...
The baby is gone!
Three days later...
Gabrielle is strolling through the market place when she feels a tap on her shoulder. She turns around....it was Rafe!
GABRIELLE: ( looking very surprised ) "Rafe, what are you doing here?!"
RAFE: "You wouldn't believe my luck! On the road I ran into an old man and woman. They told me this giant tale about a dark haired woman and her blonde friend and how they saved them from three thieves!! I knew it had to be you two! They told me you were headed this way."
GABRIELLE: "Yeah right...small world."
RAFE: "So, where is Xena?"
GABRIELLE: ( hesitating ) "Xena?...Xena is resting at her mother's...she's nursing a few wounds!" ,
"But she'll be right as rain in a few days!" ( Gabrielle can't believe she said the word "rain" in front of Rafe! )
Xena is fast asleep when Rafe enters the room. With his hand he brushes her cheek. He can't help but notice the dark circles under her eyes. Could this be the same woman her rolled in the hay with, only a few months ago?
He places a kiss on her forehead....she awakes.
RAFE: "There's those big blue eyes..."
XENA: ( still sleepy ) "Hello jackass." ( she curls up and goes back to sleep )
Later on...
Rafe enters Cyrene's tavern. Standing behind the bar, Cyrene is looking very disturbed. Gabrielle comes through the back door and stops in the doorway...eavesdropping.
RAFE: ( grabbing Cyrene's hand ) "Cyrene, I can see that something is troubling you...what is it?'
Cyrene, becoming angrier does not reply...
RAFE: "Please tell me, I can help you!"
CYRENE: ( nodding her head in the direction of a table where two men are sitting ) "Those men over there, seem to know alot about the man who is responsible for my daughter lying in that bed." ( Cyrene stops herself short and holds her tongue about the baby )
Gabrielle, breathing a sigh of relief, goes to see Xena. Meanwhile...
Rafe bolts over to the table where the two men are sitting. He grabs the one man and slams him up against the wall!
RAFE: "Tell me where I can find this man, Tellis!!"
DRUNKARD: "Aw right, aw right, I'll tell ya!"
Rafe was told he could find Tellis in the marketplace hawking his stolen goods. He spots Tellis down an alleyway and calls out to him...
RAFE: "Are you the man they call, Tellis?!!"
TELLIS: "So what if I am?!!!!"
RAFE: "So....I'm gonna kill you, that's what!!"
Meanwhile....
Xena is sitting up in bed. She tossing grapes into a basket at the foot of the bed. Just as Gabrielle enters the room, a grape lands right in her cleavage. She removes it and tosses it aside....
GARIELLE: "Feeling better are we?"
XENA: " I'm fine, Gabrielle!"
GABRIELLE: ( sitting on the bed ) "Xena, I was just at your mother's tavern and overheard her talking to Rafe."
XENA: "To Rafe?...what about?"
GABRIELLE: "Don't worry she didn't mention anything about the baby, but she did tell him about Tellis.
Xena swings her legs over the bed and reaches for her clothes...
GABRIELLE: "Where to you think you are going!!"
XENA: "Gabrielle, Rafe is no match for Tellis, even with two arms!!"..."Are you going to help me or not?!"
Back in the alleyway, Tellis is full of rage. Rafe pulls out a long knife and waves it in his face! Tellis, laughing at him, grabs it out of his hand and tosses it behind him. He grabs Rafe by the throat and raises him into the air!
Suddenly!...the sound of a cracking whip! Like a snake, it curls around Tellis's neck. Still holding onto Rafe...Rafe starts to turn blue. A voice from the back...
XENA: "Let go of him, you miserable slimeball!!!!"
Hand over fist, Xena tugs on the whip until she reaches the back of Tellis.
XENA: "I said....let go!!!!"
Tellis flinched and lost his grip on Rafe. Gasping for air, Rafe fell to the ground.
Xena put Tellis in a headlock and turned his head back to meet her face...
XENA: ( very angry ) "Go ahead, make my day!"...SNAP!!...she breaks his neck!...his eyes rolled back in his head and his body slams to the ground... Rafe, still on the ground , watches in disbelief.
Xena falls to her knees and tears begin to fill her eyes....
Time for good-byes...
Xena and her mother embrace....
CYRENE: "Oh my dear one...I;m going to miss you terribly."
XENA: "I know, mother...but I'll come back...I promise!"
Xena turns to Rafe. Rafe is looking puzzled...
RAFE: "I don't understand, Xena...I thought you wanted to be with me that night?"
XENA: ( grabbing hold of his arms ) "It's not about what I want...or what I need."..."It's about making this world a better place!"...."You, of all people should know, that life is about taking chances....sometimes you win...sometimes you lose."...." I have a debt to pay and I intend on paying it!"
RAFE: ( surrendering ) "Do me a favor?"
XENA: "What's that?"
RAFE: "If you ever see a jackass, will you think of me?"
XENA: ( smiling ) "You, bet!"...she leans in to kiss him...The last good-bye?
Place your bets please!...
THE END
