Beware of Greeks Bearing Gifts – best friends

What is missing from the dialogue? Currently, the connection between Gabrielle and Athena is physical and the connection between Xena and Gabrielle is emotional. It therefore falls on Xena to be there for her friend.
Troy cost Gabrielle dearly. She hides it well and it only occasionally sneaks out but it is there. This is Xena’s moment, here for the taking. Sadly, she lets it pass. The normal, social interaction between two people is still a mystery to Xena. It is not in her at present to concern herself with others and their needs; the world revolves around Xena, her desires, and her gratification. Declaring love is superficial and not enough – this calls for actions not words.
Gabrielle wants to talk about the Trojan War. No, she needs to. Unfortunately, this is the communication problem that has been there all along. Athena was the party that started the war and ended up involving Gabrielle in it, plus they are dating. Not the topic of conversation to bring up, at least not yet. This leaves her best friend and confidant – Xena.
Xena is happy to take everything the bard gives her: comfort, affection, gifts, and care. She returns little of it and here lies the root of the problem. In certain aspects, Gabrielle is closed off just like Xena; she is a survivor. She is just much, much better at concealing things behind a smile and sunny disposition. Also, she has ways of coping that Xena never developed, who prefers the “shove it down and stoically ignore it” approach. That worked for eleven years until everything unraveled and Xena came apart. Not an approach to emulate.
Simply, Xena should talk to Gabrielle about Troy and impact the fall of the city had on the young woman. It is her responsibility – at this moment she is the best person, and the only one, to handle that necessary task. That does not happen. Instead, she behaves like a selfish ass. When Xena asks what went wrong with her and Gabrielle and why the bard is with Athena, all she has to do is find a mirror and point a finger at it. The culprit is there for her to see plainly. Love is responsibility; for yourself, for the one you love. Discuss in FORUMS.