A Delicate Fire
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“So serious,” Xena whispered. “I remember you smiling more.”
Gabrielle bit her lip, trying to ignore the stinging pain in her chest.
“That was before,” was all she could say.
---Starting during s05e02, Chakram, Gabrielle and Xena begin to deal with the tumultuous events of Ides of March and beyond.
This and other stories in this series have chapters that start during episodes: I'll try and be as clear as I can about where and when.
Note that future chapters (and stories) will go to some darker places. I'm writing Xena and Gabrielle as the flawed, wonderful, messy humans they are; they'll fight, they'll make up, there will be sex, occasional swearing, mistakes, tears, and joy.Series title is a quote from a Sappho translation.
Series
- Part 1 of A Delicate Fire
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“What do you need me to do?” Gabrielle’s voice was shaking.
“Look me in the eye?” Xena tried softly.
Gabrielle shifted her feet, then lifted her eyes to meet Xena’s. Her face was pale.
“I wish you’d told me in private.”Set before and during episode s05e04, Animal Attraction; Gabrielle is grappling with Xena’s news.
Series
- Part 2 of A Delicate Fire
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“You should speak of what burdens you, young Queen,” Chi’ah intoned. “Or it will begin to burn you.”
Gabrielle shook as a sudden flash of rage shot through her. She didn’t bother to ask which hidden truth Chi’ah spoke of.
“Even when saying it out loud would hurt the person I love?”
Chi’ah met her angered gaze with calm resolve. “Love deserves truth.”——-
Beginning during episode s05e05, Them Bones, Them Bones, and then beyond to episode s05e09, Seeds of Faith.
Being back among the northern Amazons brings back bleak memories for Xena; for Gabrielle, everything she’s trying to lock away under the surface is getting harder to contain. As time moves on and her anger and paranoia grows, Gabrielle finds herself falling into a very dark place.
——
Ok, strap in - we’re expecting some turbulence! Gabrielle is going to behave a little out of character; I hope the previous stories in the series give enough context as to why. Bottling things up gets dangerous…
Series
- Part 3 of A Delicate Fire
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Worried about Gabrielle’s erratic behaviour, Xena surprises herself by seeking relationship advice from her mother.
Starts just after s05e10: Lyre, Lyre, Hearts on Fire*, but not paying too much attention to the episode plot; they attended an annual festival dedicated to Terpsichore and ran into Cyrene.
(*if you're here for some of the light-heartedness of the episode, this is part of a series exploring a more angst-ridden take on Xena and Gabrielle's relationship in S5).
Series
- Part 4 of A Delicate Fire
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Gabrielle shifted onto her side, stilling Xena’s hand. “I don’t need you to write me a poem,” she said quietly. “There’s poetry in the way you kiss me sometimes.”
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In spite of everything, Xena can’t let Gabrielle’s birthday slide by unnoticed. She’s trying to make it perfect, Gabrielle’s trying not to have expectations…they arrive somewhere in between.Set between s05e11: Punch Lines and s05e12: God Fearing Child. A single chapter for a single day: a moment of breathing space before the birth of Xena’s baby.
This can be read as part of the Delicate Fire series but it can also stand on its own.
Series
- Part 5 of A Delicate Fire
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“I’m glad you’re with me,” Xena whispered, pulling her back into reality. Her eyes were almost closed. Gabrielle offered a soft smile.
“Where else would I be?”
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Fearing the storm the Gods will create after the death of Zeus, Xena and Gabrielle take refuge in a remote cave with Eve, trying to maintain their fragile peace as they adapt to the reality of being parents. On venturing back into the world, amidst ambushes and battles, secrets are brought to the surface.Starts directly after s05e12: God Fearing Child, and continues beyond Eternal Bonds and Amphipolis Under Siege.
Series
- Part 6 of A Delicate Fire
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As the dust settles after the siege, Xena is itching to move on from Amphipolis. The obvious next destination is Poteidaia, but Gabrielle isn't so keen.
Series
- Part 7 of A Delicate Fire
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With baby Eve now initiated into the Nation, Xena and Gabrielle are forced to confront the difference in their attitudes to Amazon life.
Or - Kindred Spirits, but an alternative telling - with more domestic drama and no 'creepy Joxer' sub-plot.
(This story diverges from canon mid-way through an episode so might get a wee bit confusing, but I’ll make it as clear as possible in the notes!)
Series
- Part 8 of A Delicate Fire