xena + gabrielle | change and consequences

"X: See how calm the surface of the water is. That was me once. And then-- The water ripples and churns; that's what I became. G: But if we sit here long enough it will go back to being still again. It will go back to being calm. X: But the stone's still under there. It's now part of the lake. It might look as it did before, but it's forever changed." Xena trying to keep Gabby from harm, being in denial when she couldn't and Gabrielle's overall influence on Xena's journey.