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. 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. This story is set just after the Xena - Warrior Princess episode Sacrifice 2. Hmm, it's not actually a story, just a scene. A long one.

The Passage
By Kristjan Brezovnik

Callisto smiled, grateful and happy, after Xena had stabbed her with the dagger covered with Hind's blood. Finally, she was going to cease to exist. No more pain, no more memories, only oblivion. Finally.

"Welcome."

Callisto jerked and realized that her eyes were closed. She opened them and looked around. She was furious. She was supposed to cease to exist. She noticed a young girl, who was watching her.

"Who are you?" she demanded. "Why am I not dead?"

"You are dead."

"Where am I?"

"You're in the Passage."

"Passage?"

"That's what people like to call it."

"Who are you?"

"Me? I'm the universe, but you can call me anything you want."

"What am I doing here?"

"You're passing through. You see those two portals?"

Callisto looked and saw two portals appear.

"The left one leads to oblivion and the right one to anywhere and anytime you want."

"So?"

"If you choose oblivion, you will cease to exist."

"Good," Callisto said and started to walk toward the left portal.

"Wait!" the girl called.

Callisto ignored her and continued to approach the portal, but she couldn't get closer to it.

"What's going on?" she demanded, furious.

"Wait until I'm finished."

Callisto screamed and attacked the girl, but a moment later she screamed and collapsed, in pain.

The girl kneeled beside her and caressed her. Callisto gasped as the pain disappeared and took a deep breath.

"Are you ready to listen?" the girl asked softly.

Callisto looked at her murderously and then nodded.

"Good. Look at the right portal."

Callisto looked and froze.

"Mama," she whispered.

"Yes," the girl said. "Look."

The image changed and Callisto saw herself, only she wasn't a child, but as old as she was when Xena had killed her.

"Do you have her memories?"

Callisto was confused for a moment, but then she realized that she remembered things she knew never happened to her.

"What is going on?" she asked, confused.

"You have her memories. Look again."

Callisto looked and saw herself again, only a bit younger.

"What do you remember now?"

"The same," Callisto said.

"Not the same," the girl corrected her. "You don't know what will happen next. You knew that when you saw an older version of yourself."

"Why are you showing me this?" Callisto asked, not seeing the point.

"You see the universe, me, consists of many different smaller universes, which in turn exist in many alternate realities. You can choose any one of them. For example, if you choose this reality, then you will live your life as she does. Once you enter a reality, you will not know how your life will turn out, the way you do now."

"You mean I can have my family back?"

"Yes."

"And Xena won't kill them?"

"No."

Callisto looked at the portal again.

"You can became her," the girl said, "or her."

The image changed and Callisto saw a bit older version of herself.

"You can be old or young. You can retain the memories of your past life or you can forget them. If you don't like this reality, you can choose another, just think about it." The girl got up. "I will return when you are ready."

The girl disappeared and left Callisto to her own thoughts.

Callisto stared at the portal and remembered the memories she never had. She reviewed only the older versions of herself, so she would know how her life would turn out. Strangely, she could retain all the memories, even though the realities changed.

She soon lost track of how many realities she had reviewed or how long she had been reviewing it, but she knew that time was not important where she was at the moment. She finally stopped reviewing the realities when she realized that they didn't matter because the reality could be whatever she wished it to be.

"Hi."

Callisto jerked and looked around. It was the girl.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"You have made up your mind."

Callisto stared at her, confused, but then she realized that she had, in fact, made up her mind.

"Yes," she said.

"You can enter the portal now."

"Wait. What will happen after I die?"

"You will go to that reality's version of the Elysian Fields."

"That's it?" Callisto asked, disappointed.

"No, of course not. After that reality expires, everything becomes a part of me again. Oblivion."

"Oh."

Callisto looked at the portal again and got up. She took a deep breath and started to walk toward it. This time it didn't move away. She hesitated for a moment when she reached it and then stepped through.

It was a sunny day in Cirra. Callisto sat in the kitchen and helped her mother clean the vegetables. Suddenly she felt great fear sweep through her.

"Mama!" she called and got up. "Mama!"

She ran out of the kitchen to find her mother.

"Mama!"

"I'm here, Callisto!"

"Mama!"

Callisto ran to her mother and hugged her tightly.

"What is it, Callisto?" Arleia asked, worried, and hugged her back. "You're trembling."

She started to caress her daughter and tried to soothe her.

"Shh, it's all right, Callisto, I'm here," she said, caressing her.

Callisto kept hugging her mother for a while and her eyes got wet. Finally she calmed down and let go of her mother.

"What is it, Callisto?" Arleia asked and wiped her daughter's tears.

"I don't know, Mama, I just felt afraid that something terrible might happen to you."

Arleia smiled softly and caressed her daughter again.

"Well, nothing happened. Come, let's go inside."

Arleia took Callisto's hand and took her inside.

"Are you still going tomorrow?" Callisto asked when they got to the kitchen.

Arleia nodded.

"Yes."

"Can I come with you?"

"It's a long trip."

"I know. I just need to be with you."

Arleia smiled.

"Okay."

Callisto smiled and wiped the rest of the tears.

The End