Kimberly Carlson is the current reincarnation of Gabrielle, the bard, warrior, and devoted partner to Xena. Though she lives a modern life, echoes of her past have followed her for as long as she can remember. Fragments of memories, dreams that felt too real, and emotions tied to places she had never visited lingered in the background of her life. For years, none of it made sense. It was just something she quietly carried.

That changed when she met Lana.

Kimberly first met Lana during a year long work study program in Greece through her university. Greece felt familiar to Kimberly in a way she could not explain, and meeting Lana only deepened that feeling. Their connection was immediate, intense, and a little overwhelming. At the time, Kimberly convinced herself it was just a fleeting romance shaped by travel and circumstance. Something meaningful, but temporary.

After returning to the United States, Kimberly tried to settle back into her normal life. She eventually became a professor at Loyola Marymount University, building a career rooted in literature, history, and storytelling. Still, the sense that something was unfinished never quite left her.

Then, against all odds, she ran into Lana again in Los Angeles.

What Kimberly once dismissed as a fling quickly revealed itself to be something far deeper. The pieces of her past life began to make sense in Lana’s presence. The familiarity, the pull, the feeling of having known someone across lifetimes became impossible to ignore. Kimberly, who identifies as bisexual, embraced both her identity and the truth of what she felt.

Their relationship moved quickly, much to the confusion of friends and family. They married not long after reconnecting, following instinct rather than expectation. To outsiders, it seemed rushed. To Kimberly, it felt like finally coming home.

Nearly twelve years later, Kimberly and Lana remain deeply connected, their bond steady and enduring.