Iolaus ducked behind a vendor's stall. The trio of women were finished talking to Gabrielle, one of them giving her a touch that looked a little too familiar for his tastes. They turned and sauntered away, giving the blonde a parting look that he had given a tavern serving girl once in a while. Iolaus got a creepy feeling watching Gabrielle tip the skin back once, then turning around and staggering for where the infirmary was. He eased his way through the crowd, barely making a disturbance in the throng of people. His stealth had been honed on the streets of Athens and the trails networking Greece. Gabrielle, even though she rode with Xena and had probably picked up a trick or two, still was the innocent farm-girl from Potedia. She opened the door to the make-shift hospital, then swayed into the dark room.

He crept to the open door, venturing to peek his head around the door frame. Fortune was with him, Gabrielle's back was turned to him and she was muttering loud enough for him to hear without risking being seen.

"...gonna tell her where to shove these rags. Nah, she'd get off on that", another long swallow from the skin, "Thinks I love having my elbows covered in blood? Thinks I like watching men and women die? Bitch. Why can't we just have some quality time to ourselves? Is it too much to ask for a day in a field, just the two of us without having to worry about killing or dying or anything like that? Gods, why me?" Gabrielle's breath hitched once, making her sputter into the ever present wineskin. Iolaus frowned as he eased himself into the room, pushing the door slowly shut.

How long has she been carrying this around? Why can't she just say something? I mean, if Herc and I have a problem with each other, then we just say it and be done with it, he thought. Then a voice that sounded a lot like Hercules came echoing in his mind.

We're not sleeping together. Iolaus nodded in agreement. Gabrielle was gentle and caring to her friends. She would never want to hurt anyone if she could avoid it. Apparently, she didn't want to hurt Xena, so she merely kept her mouth quiet about these matters and hoped that somehow, Xena would pick up on the vibe or something like that. Iolaus shook his head -- here was the Amazon Queen, who had an army of followers at her whim and she was cowed by her own heart.

Gabrielle sniffled, letting her head rest on a pile of bandages. Her words had changed into a thin keen as she laced her hands behind her head. Iolaus walked softly behind her. He knew what it was like to always be in someone's shadow, to feel left out of the congratulations and only second best. Gently, he laid his hand on the back of her head.

Iolaus felt the shock of the blow before his brain registered anything else. Gabrielle's eyes, dripping with tears, were afire with rage. Holding his stinging cheek, he staggered a step back.

"You fucking little rat! How dare you eavesdrop on me! You want something to listen to?" Gabrielle reached for her staff, shrugging on the wineskin quickly, "I'll GIVE you something to listen to!" She brought the staff down with a fury that he had never seen from the bard. Luckily for him, she was too drunk to connect the blows to him. What she had lacked in grace, she made up for in angry desire. This wasn't going to be a couple of blows to knock some sense into him. Gabrielle was going to beat him to death.

"Gabrielle! Wait!" he sidestepped a swing, then hopped over another one aimed at his feet, "Gabrielle! Listen! I can--" a second too late and he would have had to scoop up his teeth from the dirt floor. He dtarted to make his way out. He needed more room to manuver. Gabrielle pressed onward. her swings were still coming fast, but they were now starting to come closer to Iolaus. She's either sobering up, or she's compensating. Either way, I've got to get her to Xena. Maybe she can--

The sun flared right in front of his eyes when Gabrielle's staff connected with his forehead. Pain and nausea washed over him, sending him to the ground. A voice in the back of his head told him to get up! UP! UP! He shook away the dizziness and looked ahead, only to see Gabrielle, her face screwed in a mask of bitter and triumphant rage, raise her staff up to thrust it into his chest. Iolaus swept his right leg across. Gabrielle dropped to the ground with a huff. The few seconds that she took to untangle her lims gave Iolaus enough time to jump to his feet.

"COME BACK YOU BASTARD! I'M NOT THROUGH WITH YOU!" Gabrielle stumbled to a stand. She pitched herself forward, moving in a straight line and knocking over people if they were too slow to get out of her way. Iolaus ventured a look over his shoulder as he sprinted for the square. Gabrielle was three strides behind him, close enough so that he couldn't dart into the crowd and lose her, but far enough away so that she couldn't use her staff to trip him up. The square was zooming close to him, but it still seemed to stretch away teasingly. He saw Xena and Hercules talking to each other, paying no heed to what was happening.

He heard Gabrielle take a skipping step behind him, then something broke on the back of his head. His knees gave out under the threat of unconsciousness. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw red shards of pottery rain around him. The momentum he had built up from running carried him into the square, skidding on the ground. Another piece of pottery crashed, but it was only inches above his head. He flinched, then looked up to see Xena's flashing blade. Strong hands picked him up as he looked at Hercules' face.

"I'm going to take it things didn't go well between you and Gabrielle?" he asked.

Painfully, he nodded.

"Gabrielle! What the hell are you doing?" Xena marched forward sheathing her sword. Gabrielle only snarled and took a swing with her staff. Xena easily ducked the blow and grasped the bard's wrist. She pressed into the edge of the wrist. Gabrielle's hand released the grip on the staff slowly. Gabrielle tried to swing the staff at her with her other hand, but Xena batted the staff aside onto the ground. She grabbed Gabrielle's shoulders, trying hard to hold her still, but not enough to hurt her. "What has gotten into you?"

Gabrielle shoved Xena back, "Why should you care? Huh? Just get away from me." Her voice became strangled by sobs. Xena looked over her shoulder to Hercules and Iolaus, who was holding the back of his head carefully. Hercules walked forward, raising his hands in a non-threatening gesture. Gabrielle sagged to the ground, letting her body shake with the tears that were forcing themselves out of her eyes.

"Gabrielle, hey. It's Hercules. Come on, let's get you to your room. You'll feel better after you've taken a bath and a nap. Up we go," he picked her up easily, but all the care of a parent holding their sleeping child, "Xena, could you and Iolaus meet me at the tavern in a few minutes?"

Iolaus gave Hercules a thumbs-up while Xena was examing the back of his head. Hercules could see that the warrior was trying to look detached from what had happened, her mind was spinning wildly. He turned around and carried the sniffling bard through the crowd towards where the pair was staying.

"What was all that about, Iolaus?" Xena gasped. She had neer seen Gabrielle like this. Her mind played out every scenario she could think of to explain the last few minutes. Nothing she could devise rang true, and it scared her. It meant she was powerless to help the one woman who meant more than the world to her.

"I -- ow! -- think I can explain it. She was -- ouch! Xena! That hair's still attached! -- talking to some women in purple robes and they gave her a wine skin. She's been drinking from it ever since."

Xena grimaced, "No, she never drinks more than a cup of wine, and even then all it does is makes her sleepy. Where are these women? Have you seen them before?"

"No, just saw them today, but if I see them again, I'll point them out to you."

Xena nodded as she scanned the crowd, "You see them here?"

Iolaus looked up hesitantly, "No. They're not here."

"Did they say anything? Do anything?"

"I was too far away to hear anything."

"OK, I need you to go get Hercules and have him help the village set up their defenses. I'm going to talk to Gabrielle." Xena pursed her lips. Iolaus gripped her arm as she walked away.

"Take it easy on her. She's... she's a little hurt. Maybe you should give her a chance to cool off."

Xena gently took her arm out of his grasp and walked for the tavern.