Rachel's so mad she could vomit. She can feel the heat choking up the back of her throat, the way her stomach knots up, tight and sick. She's scared, too, and confused, and a little hurt, but mostly she's just mad. She could think of a thousand terrible things to say -- she could spit in his face, she could grab his hair, she could hit him and threaten him and demand how dare he abandon her like this.

But she won't give him the satisfaction. She won't let him see she's scared or hurt. So she tosses her hair and lets her eyes go flat, lifting her chin. "I guess that's what I get for thinking I could rely on you," she sneers, one last jab just because she can't help herself, and she turns on her heel to march away. She's supposed to be Xena, right? She'll show him Xena. She doesn't need him, alternate universe or no.