by B L
Miller
part 3 (conclusion)
The next four days continued in much the same fashion, Xena worked on the roof while
Gabrielle kept Cyrene company and entertained guests with tales. She'd start with a story
about Hercules, always a popular one, then would move on to Xena once she had the audience
in her grasp. She worked hard to highlight every good thing the warrior did, downplayed
the violence, and in general made the former Destroyer of Nations into a hero in her
kinsmen's eyes. Cyrene not only enjoyed the stories herself, but also the increase in
business that having the bard performing brought. Xena worked diligently on fixing her
mother's roof, starting shortly after sunrise and stopping only for meals or to eavesdrop
on the golden haired woman's tales. Gabrielle still planned on going to Poteidaia but said
nothing, not wanting to hurt her friend by reminding her. Xena, on the other hand, still
hoped fervently that the bard would change her mind but was afraid to bring the subject
up.
The midday crowd had dispersed, leaving the innkeeper and Gabrielle alone in the tavern
area. That usually meant that the bard would quietly think about her stories and wait for
Xena to come in to eat while Cyrene cleaned up and prepared the room for the evening
crowd. So Gabrielle was quite surprised when the warrior's mother asked her to come join
her at one of the smaller tables.
"Xena will be back soon." the bard said as she allowed herself to be guided
to one of the simple wooden chairs. "Did you want to talk to me about
something?"
"She'll be a while yet." Cyrene answered as she sat down in an adjoining
chair. "Would you like something to drink? Cider, some port? Or eat perhaps? I have
some gruel or perhaps some chicken."
"I'm fine right now. Cyrene, is something wrong?" it wasn't like the quiet
innkeeper to ramble and the somewhat nervous tone in her voice worried Gabrielle.
"You know when Xena was a young child I had so many hopes for her, dreams of what
her life would be like." she reached over and patted the bard's hand. "Perhaps
if you had been her friend then, things might have turned out differently." she
looked down at the table. "Tell me about Solon. Tell me about my grandchild."
"What…" she cleared her throat, which suddenly felt very constricted.
"…what did Xena tell you?"
"I know what she told me, Gabrielle. I want to hear about him from you."
"I don't think I should…there was a lot that happened…"
"You feel responsible for his death, don't you?"
"I think I will have that port if you don't mind." the bard said, pulling her
hand back from the innkeeper's grasp. She heard the scraping of the chair as Cyrene rose
to retrieve the spirit, the gurgling sound as the liquid was poured into the wooden mug,
the gentle sound of soft boots against the floor as the older woman returned to her side.
"Thank you." she reached out and felt the weight of the mug being placed in her
hand. Gabrielle took a slow drink while Cyrene returned to her seat.
"Tell me."
"Cyrene, I don't think I'm the one who should be talking to you about him.
Xena-"
"Xena won't tell me what I want to know. I know how he came to be with the
Centaurs and that he died. I want you to tell me the rest."
Gabrielle took a deep breath and nodded. "He was a sweet boy. Eyes as blue as
Xena's, but different. When we first went to the Centaur village, he thought of Xena as
his enemy." she took a swallow of the port. "It tore her apart, I know it did. I
should have been more understanding of the pain she was at in that time, but all I could
think about was that he deserved to know that she was his mother. She never got to tell
him that…not until it was too late." her head hung down, the loose hair
effectively hiding her face from Cyrene's gaze. "Solon wanted to be a warrior, he ran
around with his father's sword. It was the last thing Xena wanted for him. She did
everything she could to convince him that being a warrior wasn't the right thing for him.
Before we left the first time, she did just that. He threw the sword away and never picked
it up again." she blinked rapidly and drew a ragged breath. "Maybe if he did
have that sword with him that day…maybe he could have…" she rubbed her
forehead. "Did she tell you how he died?"
"You tell me."
"I…I thought I was doing the right thing." she let out a short laugh.
"If I had only listened to Xena, been honest with her from the start."
"Why weren't you? Why did you feel you had to hide the truth from her?"
Cyrene asked, not fully understanding.
"I thought I was protecting Hope. I had to keep her away from Xena. She would have
killed her."
"Why?"
"I was pregnant and gave birth to her in just a few days. Xena believed what the
villagers told her, that Hope was the child of darkness. I knew something wasn't right,
but…Cyrene, you should have seen her." she smiled. "She was just so
perfect, just a perfect little girl…my little girl, my hope. I just couldn't believe
that she was evil, even when the knights died. After the temple in Britannia, Dahok,
Meridian, I…I just couldn't accept that she was anything but what she appeared, a
gentle innocent little baby." she took a long swallow of the port, letting the strong
brew burn its way down her throat. "When Xena told me that she had to die,
well…I couldn't." she reached across the table and gripped the older woman's
wrist. "I couldn't stand by and let her kill my own child, no matter who her father
was or how she came to be. I just couldn't. I ran. I ran as fast as I could. I was
desperate to protect Hope. I didn't know what else I could do. I put her in a basket and
sent her down the river. By the time Xena reached me, I lied and told her that I threw
Hope over the cliff."
"It sounds like you were just being a mother protecting her child. That was a very
hard place for you to be in, to be forced to choose between your best friend and your
child."
"It wasn't just that, Cyrene. I chose Hope. But I know Xena. If she knew that Hope
was alive, she wouldn't have stopped hunting her down. I had to lie." she haphazardly
wiped at the tears on her face. "I pretended that it didn't bother me. I got pretty
good at hiding my feelings from Xena. Then we went to the Centaur village a couple of
months later and Hope was there. I didn't know it was her at first, but when I found out,
I thought I could help her fight her dark side, just like I help Xena."
"The baby made it from Britannia to Greece in only two months?"
"She wasn't a baby anymore. She was older, more like ten or so. I know it doesn't
make sense, but I didn't care. Not a day went by that I didn't think about her, wonder
where she was, if she was okay." she sniffed. "I couldn't talk to Xena about it,
I kept it inside, my own personal Tartarus. The one person I trusted more than anything
wanted to kill my child. It was so hard." a ragged breath. "When I found her at
the village, I really thought I could help her, that I could show Xena that she was wrong,
that Hope didn't have to die." she didn't bother to catch the tears as they fell off
her cheeks and hit the wooden table. "I was trying to protect my daughter and it cost
Xena her son. Can I have some more please?" she pushed the now empty mug forward.
Cyrene took it to the bar and refilled it. "Thanks." Gabrielle said when the
innkeeper returned. She took several gulps before continuing. "Callisto, you remember
her…she was there, she was working with Hope to kill the children. Well, I think
that's what they were doing. Now…now I wonder if it was just to get Solon. I didn't
know, I trusted Hope…I was worried about her. I sent her to the safest place I could
think of, to the same place where Solon was hiding."
"Oh gods." Cyrene whispered.
"I was so wrong. I wouldn't listen to Xena and I led Hope right to him. When I
told Xena what I had done, she ran right over there…" her head hung even lower.
"but it was too late."
"Gabrielle, you were trying to protect your child. You didn't know."
"I suspected. I didn't want to believe. Everything was there, I see that now. But
I wanted so much to believe that there was good in her…that a child born of me
couldn't be capable of such evil." in her perpetual darkness, the bard couldn't see
the mother sitting next to her nod in agreement. "I accepted the truth too late to
save Solon. But I made sure that it wouldn't happen again." she said sadly.
"What did you do?" Cyrene asked, her tone almost fearful.
"I…I took some poison from the healer's hut…" her lower lip
quivered. "I -I took it and I…I…" she sniffled and wiped her face with
the back of her hand. "If there had been enough of the poison left, I would have
taken it too. For days afterwards I wished I had."
"Gabrielle, you mustn't blame yourself. You had no way of knowing what would
happen."
"Cyrene? If you had it all to do again, when Atrius was going to kill Xena…if
you knew then what you know now…"
"Would it have made a difference? Would I have still stopped him?" she
finished for the bard. "You don't know how many times I've asked myself that same
question." she looked over at the bar, fully aware of the sword and chakram stored
behind it on a lower shelf. "My daughter has been responsible for far more deaths
than yours, Gabrielle. More than I think she even realizes. I'd hear.
Neighbors…people who used to be proud to call me friend, they'd come in and tell me
how this village fell to her army and how many innocent lives were slaughtered on her
orders. I won't lie to you, there was a time when I regretted stopping him, when I thought
that I had made a horrible mistake in letting her live. But now…now I know I made the
right decision. Xena has a purpose in this world, just like you do. I was wrong to turn
her away when she came home three summers ago. I was wrong and I thank the gods that you
were there for her. You saw in her what I couldn't see. It takes a very special person to
love someone like her."
"I guess that makes us both special people then." Gabrielle said, reaching
across the table to squeeze the older woman's hand.
Just outside the back door, Xena leaned her head against the frame. She hadn't meant to
eavesdrop on their conversation, but when she heard Gabrielle mention Solon's name, the
warrior found herself frozen to the spot, unable to do anything but listen in. Caught up
in her own guilt and pain, she never stopped to think about what the bard's feelings were
about Solon. Never considered that Gabrielle was only doing what any mother would have
done when she sent Hope to Kaleipus' hut...trying to protect her child or that the guilt
she felt over Hope would cause her to consider taking her own life. Understanding flooded
through Xena, making her see all of the bard's actions in a new light.
She backed away from the door, then returned, making her presence known before she
reached for the latch. When she entered she saw Gabrielle still at the table but Cyrene
wasn't in sight. "Where's Mother?"
"She went to the kitchen to get our meals." the bard replied, hoping that her
eyes weren't as swollen from crying as they felt they were. "Um...do you want to eat
out here or in our room?"
"Doesn't matter. I'll go help Mother with the plates." as she passed the
table, Xena reached out and squeezed Gabrielle's shoulder affectionately. The action
caught the bard off guard and she started for an instant, but before she could find her
voice, the warrior was already out of the room.
"Mother?" she entered the kitchen to find Cyrene busily piling a mountain of
turnips onto one of two plates sitting on the counter.
"I was just getting food for you and Gabrielle." she turned around to see
what her daughter wanted and found herself enveloped in a warm embrace as Xena bent over
and hugged her. The action, so very rare and most certainly unexpected, was nonetheless
welcomed. Cyrene returned it with equal affection, her heart aching when she realized just
how long it had actually been since she had been the recipient of such an act of affection
from her only daughter. The hug she had received on their way back to Amphipolis from the
Furies' temple was for comfort but this one…this hug was that special hug reserved
only for mothers. A hug that Cyrene hadn't felt from Xena since long before Cortese came
to town.
"I love you." the warrior whispered, giving one final squeeze before
releasing her grip and straightening up. They looked at each other for a long moment
before Xena reached over and picked up the plates. "I'd better get back. Gabrielle
will be wondering where I am." she turned and quickly left the kitchen but not before
she heard her mother's voice say those three words back to her.
The evening strolls around the village were routine now, and that night just like the
previous ones found them lying together on the knoll, the bard comfortably nestled against
Xena's shoulder. For a long time neither spoke, simply enjoying the sounds of the night
and the pleasure of each other's company. Finally it was Gabrielle that broke the silence.
"Can I ask you something?"
"You just did." the warrior grinned. "Ooof."
"Oh please, that didn't hurt and you know it. I might as well have poked a stone
wall." the bard said, returning her hand to it's comfortable position sprawled across
Xena's belly.
"Okay," the raven haired woman chuckled. "what did you want to
ask?"
"What would you have done if Vidalus didn't have any Egyptian senna? If you had
been permanently blinded?"
"I didn't have time to think about it." her arm, which was lazily wrapped
around the bard's shoulder, reached down to gently rub the bare lower back. "All I
thought about was finding you."
"But what if?"
"I don't know. I would have figured something out. It wasn't something I concerned
myself with at that moment. Come on, you know I hate hypothetical questions."
"Would you have stayed with me? Let me take care of you?" the bard asked,
refusing to drop the subject.
"Gabrielle…"
"Answer the question, Xena. If you had been permanently blinded, would you have
let me take care of you?"
The warrior took several breaths before finally answering. "No. I wouldn't have
asked you to give up your future to play nursemaid to me." she rolled over, shifting
the bard onto her back. "Gabrielle, it's a different situation. You can't compare the
two."
"Can't I?" she asked, her voice cracking. "Why would it have been all
right for you to leave but you're willing to give everything up to care for me?" she
sat up and turned her back to Xena. "Don't you think I love you just as much? That I
love you enough to spare you that kind of life?" she drew her knees up and buried her
head in her arms. "And I wouldn't have been giving up my future. It just would have
been different, that's all. We would have adjusted."
"Gabrielle…" Xena sat up behind the bard and put her hands on the young
woman's shoulders. "I don't doubt your love. Please don't doubt mine." she
leaned forward, resting her forehead on the top of golden hair and wrapping her arms
around the front of the bard. "I need you." she whispered, mentally cursing
herself for being unable to hide the desperation in her voice. A long silence followed,
broken only by the chirping of crickets and the occasional braying of sheep in the
distance.
Xena would have been content to simply stay like that forever, to hold the bard in her
arms and pretend the rest of the world didn't exist, but one nagging thought continued to
interrupt the peacefulness of the moment. "Gabrielle?"
"Mmm?" she was relaxed, enjoying the closeness.
"I put you in a difficult situation in Britannia." the warrior said quietly.
"I'm sorry."
"Xena…you were doing what you thought was right." she stiffened and
tried to sit up but the strong arms wrapped around her kept her in place.
"No, despite how she came to be, she was still your child. I should have been more
understanding about your feelings." she nuzzled her face deeper into the bard's
golden hair, the gentle scent filling her lungs. "It was my insistence on killing her
that made you put her in the basket and send her down the river."
"I didn't have a choice…wait, how did you know that?" Gabrielle asked
warily. "I never told you."
"I overheard your conversation with Mother this afternoon." she admitted.
"Oh…how much did you hear?"
"Enough…enough to know that you were in pain and couldn't turn to me. That I
was responsible for at least part of that." she squeezed the bard gently. "That
I almost lost you. I'm glad you didn't take the poison." she whispered. "I don't
know if I could live without you. And I don't want to know."
"I don't want to be without you either." she pressed her cheek against the
warrior's arm. "So where do we go from here?" Gabrielle asked, her hand coming
up to caress the muscled forearm that gently rested against her chest.
"I don't know." Xena admitted, letting her fingers draw lazy circles on the
bard's shoulder. She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "I…I just know
that I don't think the strongest tree stands alone anymore."
Gabrielle's heart skipped a beat and she wished more than ever that she could look into
the blue depths that always gave her insight into the reticent woman's thoughts. She
shifted in the warrior's embrace until they were face to face. "Xena…" she
whispered, the tone almost fearful, "Am I…" she reached up and traced the
warrior's jawline, her fingers coming up at the last instant to rest against Xena's lower
lip. "…am I your tree in the forest?" she gasped with the most heartfelt
joy she'd ever known when the lips she was touching turned up into a smile and she felt
the warrior nod.
"You're far more than that." Xena said, pulling Gabrielle close, her lips a
hairsbreadth away from the bard's ears. "I love you." a tear spilled out of the
young woman's eye and the warrior turned her head, the tip of her tongue slipping out to
taste the salty wetness. Taking Gabrielle's face in her hands, Xena placed the gentlest of
kisses on her cheek then, feeling no resistance, followed it with another one slightly
lower.
"Yesss." the bard breathed, her fears and doubts washing away with each soft
kiss. It felt right, so very right. Her own hands wrapped themselves around Xena's waist,
trying to pull the warrior closer as the warm lips moved closer to hers. When their mouths
finally met, it was as if it always should have been that way. Gabrielle was surprised to
feel more than hear the softest of whimpers when she dared to let her tongue slip between
their lips. Encouraged, the bard pressed forward, thoroughly exploring Xena's mouth while
her hands danced over the leather clad back.
The warrior could remain passive for only so long before her own needs made themselves
known. Her fingers sank into the bard's tresses, locking them together as she gently
probed the sweetness of the young woman's mouth. There was no rush, no great hurry.
Without realizing it, they shifted until Gabrielle's back was against the grassy slope,
comfortably held in place by the weight of Xena's body half upon her. The kisses took away
all rational thought, the most blissful of intoxicants. "Gods…" the warrior
husked when she finally broke the delicious contact to give in to the need for air.
"Is this a dream? Are you really kissing me?" Gabrielle sighed, her fingers
tracing the outline of Xena's lower lip.
"If it is, don't wake me up." she replied as her lips returned to what was
now their favorite place. The moonlight bathed them both in its gentle glow as they
exchanged the softest of kisses.
To Xena, the Elyssian Fields had nothing to offer that could possibly compare to the
ecstasy she was in at that moment. "I can't stop kissing you." she whispered,
grinning at her inability to keep her mouth off the bard's.
"Don't fight it." Gabrielle replied, smiling when she felt those soft lips
claiming hers again. Her hands, which had been entwined in the warrior's raven hair, now
moved lower, brushing against the straps of Xena's leathers.
"Wait…" she wanted everything to be perfect, although at that moment she
couldn't imagine anything else being more so. "I never dreamed that this could ever
be." her callused hand gently caressed the cheek beneath it.
"Make it real, Xena." she turned her head and kissed the warrior's palm.
"Make it real for both of us."
"Gabrielle…" she pulled her hand back from the bard's face and let out a
short laugh. "I've never had my palms sweat before." she said before wiping them
on the soft brown leather skirt.
"I guess that's a good sign."
"Oh, a very good sign." Xena corrected, placing her hand just above the edge
of the green top. "Just like the way your heart is pounding."
Gabrielle ran her fingers up the length of the warrior's arm, passing over the muscles
that had saved her life more than once. "I always wondered what it would be
like…to be loved by you, to have more than just your friendship. Love me, Xena."
With infinite gentleness, Xena slipped one hand behind the bard's back and the other
behind her knees, lifting her up easily. Gabrielle's arms wrapped around her neck as their
mouths found each other again. Playful nibbling mixed with loving kisses accompanied them
on their way back to the inn. Xena used instinct alone to find her way back, her attention
solely focused on the treasure in her arms.
Xena used her foot to shut the door to the inn, having absolutely no interest in
setting the bard down until they reached their room. Only then did she relinquish her
hold, even then only to secure their door. It would be the last time she would let go of
Gabrielle that evening. She briefly thought about lighting a candle but decided against
it, preferring to share the experience in the same darkness as her bard.
"Gabrielle…"
"I'm right here." she replied, reaching out to welcome the warrior into their
bed. "I'll always be right here next to you." she smiled as she felt the soft
weight press against her and opened her mouth to accept the warm tongue asking for entry.
While most of her attention was focused on the mouth loving hers, Gabrielle was very much
aware of the large hand roaming over her arm and torso. Her skin tingled wherever it was
touched, pushing her desire higher than it had ever been before. "Gods..."
"So soft." Xena murmured, her lips moving along the jawline to capture an
enticing earlobe. "You're so soft." she captured the skin in question and
proceeded to nibble and suckle it while her hand worked its way under the bard's back to
undo the intricately carved leather belt that held the wraparound skirt in place. Normally
nimble fingers fumbled with the small hooks, causing the warrior to growl with
frustration.
"Let me help." the bard said, trying to roll over slightly to make more room
between her back and the feather mattress. "I can't move with you on top of me."
"Hmm, good point." she replied, but made no effort to change her position.
"Do you want me to move?" she asked, placing a series of tiny kisses along
Gabrielle's jaw.
"No...never." the bard sighed, tilting her head to encourage another kiss,
which Xena was more than happy to oblige. She gave up her attempt at removing the leather
belt, her long fingers finding themselves intertwined with the bard's smaller ones. She
pulled their locked hands up to her mouth and proceeded to gently kiss each of Gabrielle's
knuckles. "That's nice."
"Mmm, very nice." Xena drawled, torn between the soft mouth that beckoned to
her and the delicate fingers that begged to have more attention lavished on them. Refusing
to relinquish her hold on the bard's hand, she leaned up for another kiss, gently nipping
at Gabrielle's lower lip. She brought their locked hands up the bare torso, their
fingertips brushing over the green top.
"Yesss." the bard gasped, disengaging her fingers from Xena's and pressing
the larger hand against the swell of her right breast. The warrior let out a groan of her
own at the feel of the hardening nipple underneath the soft green material.
"Gods..." Xena sighed as she squeezed the soft flesh and locked her mouth
over the pulse point of the bard's neck. The sensations Gabrielle was causing within her
were overwhelming, the soft sighs that caressed her ears, the warm body writhing beneath
hers, the salty taste of the sensitive skin against her mouth. Those things alone
threatened to send the warrior into overload, but coupled with the bard's roaming hands,
the warrior was certain she wouldn't survive the pleasure this night promised to bring.
It was only by sheer will that Xena was able to pull back from the bard's neck and
focus her attention on the barrier between her and the young woman's generous mounds. Her
right hand gently caressed Gabrielle's face while her left hand shakily worked to undo the
laces of the green top. With both women breathing hard already, any thought of patience
was long gone. The instant the material was loose enough, Xena pushed it up and over the
bard's head. "Gabrielle..." she moaned, moving up for another kiss. Her hand,
which had been resting on the bard's ribcage, slowly began to travel, the fingertips
teasingly walking their way up the soft breast.
Gabrielle groaned loudly at the sweet pressure of the warrior's forefinger and thumb
squeezing her hard nipple. "Yes, Xena...yesss." she cried into the warm mouth
upon hers, arching her back in encouragement. Her mind struggled to define the intense
feeling coursing through her but there certainly could be no words to adequately describe
the pleasure. She answered every pulsing squeeze of Xena's fingers with a wordless groan
and an equally intense pulsing far lower. She felt the warrior's head move, the long
tresses gliding over her overheated skin, then it happened...the warm, moist mouth took
the place of the wonderful fingers and sucked her nipple deep within. Gabrielle could do
little more than cry out her lover's name and press her hand against the dark head,
refusing to let it go anywhere. She dimly heard Xena moan, most of the sound drowned out
by her own unintelligible groans. When long fingers began to blaze a trail down her side
and over her pelvic bone, Gabrielle was certain that she would explode long before the
warrior could ever touch her most sensitive area. Her hips, which had begun rocking
uncontrollably some time ago, now bucked and begged for Xena's attention.
"Pleeeasssse..." was the only word that her lips could possibly form.
The tongue and mouth that had so wonderfully obliterated her senses slowly kissed their
way across her chest while the roaming fingers slipped under her skirt and pulled down her
underwear before gliding up her inner thigh and over the soft curls. Gabrielle's hand
gripped the raven hair mercilessly, urging the warrior to end the sweet torture. Her
silent plea was answered a heartbeat later when Xena's lips closed around her aching left
breast at the same time two long fingers slipped between her wet folds.
"Unnnggghhh...oh gods!"
"So wet..." Xena sighed around a mouthful of responsive flesh. "So
nice." the desire in her voice only added to the bard's rapid ascent into ecstasy.
Coherent thought was an impossibility for Gabrielle, all of her senses focused solely on
the dual assault on her body. The motion of the warrior's fingers changed, from long, slow
strokes to the more deliberate action of lightly gliding one back and forth quickly over
the hypersensitive clit.
"Xeeeenaaa..." her thighs began trembling, her head arched back into the
pillow, and the perpetual darkness was replaced with a kaleidoscope of colors as the
warrior increased the speed and pressure of her finger and matched the action with a
similar motion on the bard's nipple. Gabrielle gritted her teeth and her body froze, her
hands gripping Xena's upper arms with a strength neither knew she had. The softest of
cries escaped her throat as the first of many waves crashed over her. Xena's mouth covered
hers, swallowing the subsequent sounds from her as the warrior's fingers continued to
move, drawing out the orgasm. When Gabrielle's arms fell limply to the side, Xena replaced
her hand with her thigh and wrapped her arms around the heavily breathing bard.
"I've got you." Xena whispered, planting gentle, loving kisses on the closed
eyelids. "I love you, Gabrielle."
"Mmm." was all the golden haired woman could manage.
"C'mere." she rolled onto her back, pulling the lethargic bard on top of her.
Gabrielle buried her head into the crook of Xena's neck and sighed happily as strong hands
that only moments before were loving her now gently stroked her hair and back.
Several moments passed before Xena felt the softest of kisses upon her neck. "I
thought you fell asleep."
"No…just enjoying the feeling." Gabrielle murmured, nuzzling the soft
skin beneath her lips.
"You were quick."
"Mmm, couldn't help it. Just felt so good." she reached up and traced the
outline of the warrior's ear. "You're amazing." she lifted her head slightly and
kissed the underside of Xena's jaw. "I've never felt like that…not even when
I've pleased myself." she found some strength in her arms and leaned up to share a
loving kiss. "I just hope I can make you feel as good as you've made me."
"You already have. I never received so much pleasure from loving someone. All I
wanted to do was make you feel as special as you deserve."
"No one deserves to feel as wonderful as I do right now." Gabrielle
whispered, returning to the warrior lips she loved so much. The kiss deepened, throwing
oil on the flames of passion burning within both of them. Xena rolled them over, settling
the bard back onto the bed. She began to kiss her way downward but only got as far as
Gabrielle's neck before she was stopped. "Wait."
"Something wrong?" the warrior asked, concerned.
"Actually…" the bard ran her hands up the leather clad back and tugged
gently on the straps.
"Oh." came the sheepish reply. "I'll be right back." Xena crawled
off the bed and quickly removed her leathers, britches, and boots. "Now it's your
turn." she said, kneeling next to the bed and reaching for the laces of Gabrielle's
boots.
"I forgot all about them." the bard chuckled, moving her leg over to make it
easier. With Xena otherwise occupied, she removed her belt and began to unwrap the skirt.
"I'll do that." the warrior said, her voice husky. Her hands as shaky as when
they tried to undo the laces of the bard's top, Xena slowly unwrapped her present. The
scent of the young woman's passion wafted up to her as the golden curls were revealed and
she was torn between removing the other boot or diving in and stripping away the bard's
senses again. She took a deep breath, which only made the decision more difficult, then
returned to her previous task. A moment later the boot found its way to the floor with a
dull thud. "Now where were we?" she asked as she returned to the bed, crawling
over and straddling the prone woman.
"I believe you were going to kiss me again." Gabrielle said, running her
hands up the length of the warrior's arms. When Xena lowered herself, her swaying breasts
brushed against the bard's, causing both women to moan.
"Gods, you feel good." she husked before claiming Gabrielle's mouth.
Naked bodies rubbed together as their tongues danced from one mouth to the other and
back. Gabrielle felt the wiry, kinky curls pressing against her thigh and without thought
raised her leg to press against the moist warmth. Her action was met with a deep groan and
the feel of the warrior's leg slipping between hers. It didn't take long for the bard's
hips to start pressing upward against the strong muscled thigh. Xena's own passion was
rising thanks in part to the continued pressure against her own wet center but she
couldn't ignore the renewed desire coursing through the young woman. She braced herself on
her elbows and scooted down to visit the bard's heaving breasts. "Oh gods…"
Gabrielle groaned, arching into the welcome touch. Xena shifted until most of her body was
lying next to the bard and let her left hand trail downward until it slipped between the
folds of the young woman's overheated sex. The warrior smiled against the breast she was
loving when she felt the bard's legs spread wide with invitation.
"Mmm, I think you like this."
"Um…very much so." Gabrielle replied, rocking her hips in rhythm to the
warrior's touch. Xena stroked downward at the same moment that the bard lifted higher,
causing her fingers to be poised just outside the opening.
"Gabrielle?" she kept her hand still, her voice betraying her uncertainty.
Xena wanted nothing more than to slide deep within but wouldn't make a move without the
bard's approval.
"Do it…yessss." she gasped as she felt one lone finger slowly enter her.
"Oh gods, Xena, unngh…take me."
Needing to concentrate, the warrior reluctantly raised herself up to a sitting
position, abandoning the perfect breast for the time being. With supreme gentleness she
slowly worked her way deeper inside, groaning in harmony with the bard at the exquisite
feeling. Warm moist muscles clamped around her finger, threatening to never let go. Moving
off of Gabrielle's now damp thigh, she braced herself with her free hand before pulling
back and sliding in again. Her action was met with the most sensual of groans and the
bard's hips rising to meet her. "Gods, Xena...yesss...oooh." Gabrielle planted
both feet flat on the bed and thrust upward to meet the warrior's strokes.
"Yesss..."
The brazen action caught Xena off guard and she eased up, afraid to hurt her precious
bard. "No...please don't stop." the highly aroused woman cried. Her plea was
answered when the warrior thrust in deeply. "Oh gods, yes, just like that." They
fell into a rhythm, Gabrielle's hips bucking to meet each stroke. When Xena felt the time
was right she pulled back until she was just at the edge of the bard's entrance and added
another finger, already well lubricated by the young woman's passion. The action had the
desired effect as she sank in deeply and felt muscles clench around her fingers.
"Feels so good, Gabrielle...you feel so nice inside." Xena sighed, moving in
and out with purpose, blessed each time with a throaty grunt from her beloved. The bard's
arms flailed about until she brushed against the arm that the warrior was using to brace
herself.
"Yes, Xena...more...more..." she gripped the strong arm and held on for dear
life as the raven haired woman pumped in and out of her pulsing sex. "Oh...oh
gods...Xena, don't stop, please don't stop."
That was the end of any rational thought for the bard. Overcome by the need for
consummation, she drove her hips upward again and again, taking all that Xena could give
her and then some. Gabrielle's movements were raw, primal...begging to be taken in a way
that only her warrior could give. And give Xena did, pressing in deep and curling her
fingers to stroke the smooth spot inside while her thumb purposefully rubbed back and
forth across the bard's clit. "Xena...oh oh OH GODS!" her body jerked upward one
final time as she went over the edge. Her body clamped down around the warrior's fingers,
refusing to let them go as the liquid essence of her passion pulsed out around them.
Gabrielle dimly felt Xena's mouth upon hers, planting gentle kisses between murmurs of
love. Her body shuddered with aftershocks as the warrior gently pulled her fingers out and
cupped the still throbbing sex.
"By the gods, that was amazing." the bard murmured, her body lacking the
strength to do anything more than lean limply against Xena's. She felt the hand resting
against her center move slightly and pulled back from the touch. "Oh no, I'll never
survive."
"Guess I wore you out." the raven haired woman chuckled, pressing her lips
against the sweat soaked forehead before moving her hand to wrap around the bard's back.
"I aim to please."
"Good aim." Gabrielle sighed happily, snuggling closer into the loving warmth
the warrior's arms offered. "I could stay like this forever."
"Sounds good." Xena replied, gently stroking the bard's back. They stayed
like that for several moments, simply enjoying the comfort of each other and the glow of
love that surrounded them.
Gabrielle's heart felt like it would burst as awareness returned. "I..." she
ran her fingers lightly down Xena's side. "I can touch you." she said, her voice
full of awe.
"Yes. Anything you..." her voice caught as the bard's hand traveled over her
breast, barely missing her nipple. "Um...anything you want."
"What do you want, Xena? What can I do to please you?" she felt the softness
of the warrior's mouth covering hers and parted her lips to grant access to the gentle
tongue. While they kissed, Gabrielle felt herself being rolled onto her back, Xena's body
carefully straddling hers. The bard's hands roamed across the muscled back, over the curve
of the buttocks, down the sides of powerful thighs, anywhere they could reach. When her
thumbs grazed over the soft skin of the inner thighs, Xena groaned deeply.
"Gab-ri-elle..." the warrior husked as her mouth left the bard's. The golden
haired woman felt the body above her shift upward and then felt a warm softness rest
against her lips. She opened her mouth to accept it and moaned when she realized that it
was Xena's breast. Gabrielle ran her tongue over the soft skin, feeling it harden and
contract instantly. "Gods yesss..." the warrior groaned, the passion and desire
in her voice encouraging the bard. There was no stopping Gabrielle then, the knowledge
that what felt so good to her obviously felt just as good to Xena freed her from any
reservations she may have had about what to do to please her beloved. She wrapped both
hands around the warm flesh and flicked her tongue rapidly across the hardened nipple.
Gabrielle lost herself in the sensation, gaining almost as much pleasure as the warrior
as their mutual moans filled the air. Her lips, teeth, and tongue lavished love upon the
one breast while her hand traveled across the chest above her to the other one, capturing
that nipple between her forefinger and thumb. Her fingers began a pumping action in rhythm
to the flicking of her tongue. "Yes, Gabrielle...just like that..." Xena panted,
spreading her knees further apart. The feel of wet curls pressing against her abdomen
caused the bard to gasp and increase the activity on the warrior's breasts. Soon loving
Xena's mounds wasn't enough, she had to have more. Placing both hands on the scarred
ribcage, Gabrielle kissed her way over to the right breast and captured that nipple in her
mouth before letting her left hand trail down between their bodies until it reached the
top of the warrior's curls. Xena whimpered and lifted up slightly to allow the bard all
the access she needed. Gabrielle gave a sensual groan against the soft flesh in her mouth
as her fingers slipped between wet folds to bathe in liquid passion. "Oh
gods..." Xena rocked against the gentle touch that threatened to send her over far
too soon. "Stroke it...yes, just like that...just like that." Xena sighed, her
hips moving faster. The bard sucked harder in response to the increased motion, the length
of her fingers sliding slowly over the hypersensitive clit. The nonsensical sounds coming
from the warrior's lips caressed Gabrielle's ears, every cry, groan, or sigh filling her
indescribable pleasure. She lost herself in the beautiful noises as the controlled rocking
against her fingers gave way to frantic jerking motions. "Har..harder…"
Xena gasped between gritted teeth.
Unsure to which activity the warrior was referring to, Gabrielle did what any good
lover would do…both. She captured the engorged nipple between her teeth and flicked
it firmly with her tongue while rapidly rubbing her soaked and now puckered fingers across
the center of Xena's passion. "Yesss…just…a little more…almost…oh
gods!"
Gabrielle released the well loved nipple when she felt the warrior's body tremble. A
incredibly erotic cry caressed the bard's ears as sweet pulses coated her hand with
evidence of Xena's pleasure. Gabrielle put her hands on the warrior's hips and guided her
back down onto the bed, covering the larger body with her own and planting loving kisses
on and around Xena's lips. "I love you." she whispered, propping herself up on
one elbow and using her free hand to wipe the sweat soaked strands of raven hair from the
warrior's brow, instinctively knowing they would be there.
They stayed like that for several moments, Xena trying to get her heart and breathing
rates under control while the bard loved her with gentle words and tender kisses. "I
can't move." she whispered.
"Good." Gabrielle replied, nuzzling into the sweat soaked hair and planting a
soft kiss just below the ear. "I love you and I love loving you." she brought
her hand up to caress Xena's cheek, the scent of her lover still evident on it. With a
contented smile, the bard snuggled closer, tossing arm and leg over the warrior's body.
Gabrielle fell into a light doze for a short while, waking to find herself in the same
position, Xena's strong hand gently rubbing her back. "You okay?" she queried.
"Yeah." the warrior answered, giving a light kiss to the bard's forehead. The
early grey of morning filtered into the room. "How are you doing?"
"I feel very loved."
"Good. You should." she continued to absently rub her hand up and down
Gabrielle's back.
"Any regrets?" the hand stopped. "Xena?" the word held with it
unspoken fear. "Do you regret what happened?"
"What, loving you? Never, Gabrielle." she rolled onto her side, bringing her
lips down to the bard's kiss-bruised mouth. "I'll never regret that, ever." she
sealed the promise with another kiss.
"Then…what is it?" the bard asked.
"This." Xena replied, running her fingertip around the edge of Gabrielle's
eye. "More than anything I've ever done in my life, that's what I regret most of
all." she let out a low sigh. "If there-" she was silenced by the feel of a
finger pressing down on her lips.
"Shh. I know that." Gabrielle whispered. "We'll get through this,
together. I know it won't be easy…"
"It never is with you." Xena teased, drawing a smile from the bard's lips.
"Do tell, Miss Easy to get along with." she teased back, enjoying the slight
rumble of the body half beneath her.
"You got a point there." the warrior deadpanned. "I'm not exactly quick
to tell you how I'm feeling most of the time, am I?"
"Hmm, usually its when one of us is in grave danger of meeting Hades real
soon." Gabrielle replied. "Well, maybe a little more often than that, but you
get the idea."
"I do." she found her lips hopelessly drawn to the bard's delicate ears.
"I'll do better." she promised. "Right now…" she couldn't stifle
a yawn. "I think it's time for both of us to get some rest." Gabrielle nodded
and snuggled into a comfortable position, her head resting on Xena's shoulder. Lying in
each others arms, sleep took them just a short while later, less than a candlemark before
the rooster would crow. It would be close to midday before Cyrene would see either one of
them stir, not that she would expect them to. The walls between the rooms weren't that
thick, after all.
The evening found Gabrielle telling stories in the tavern while Xena was off giving the
neglected Argo some attention. The warrior never went near the roof that day, having
gotten out of bed only shortly before dusk. From tickle-fests and playful nose rubbing to
the most serious vows of love and devotion, the day spent in each others arms was a joyous
time of love and healing, in more ways than one.
The dinner crowd gone and the patrons thinned out to just a few, Gabrielle was sitting
at the bar, listening to Cyrene tell a rather amusing and of course embarrassing tale of
Xena's childhood. "…and you just know that she and Lyceus didn't listen to me. I
told them that…Gabrielle, are you all right?"
"Fine…it's just…" she rubbed her temples, her face screwed with
pain. "Gods, it feels like Zeus himself is dancing around in there." she took a
deep breath and then it hit, hard, sharp…intense.
The innkeeper ran around from her side of the bar but was unable to catch the bard
before she pitched forward. "Someone get Xena." Cyrene yelled, kneeling down to
lay a gentle hand on the young woman writhing in agony on the floor. "You, help me
with her."
Xena arrived to find Gabrielle lying in bed, Cyrene tenderly wiping the young woman's
face with a damp cloth. "What happened?" she asked, moving forward to take her
mother's place.
"Hurts…" the bard croaked, her hands pressing against the sides of her
head, desperately trying to ease the pain.
"Okay…I'm here now…" Xena said softly, sitting down on the bed and
taking over the task of massaging Gabrielle's temples. "The headaches are back?"
"Yes." she cried. "Worse."
'Shh…okay now. We'll do something about that right now. Mother, in the saddlebags
is a black pouch with several smaller pouches in it." she never turned her attention
from the bard, not even when Cyrene returned with the requested item. It took only a
little while for the herbs to take effect, sending Gabrielle into a deep slumber. Xena
stayed by her side, refusing dinner despite being hungry because it meant she would have
to stop rubbing the bard's temples in order to eat.
Gabrielle woke in the early morning with the same pounding headache, yet something
seemed different. She picked her head up from the warm body it was lying on and looked
around. Nothing…just pure absolute blackness, then…
"Xena! Xena, wake up!" the bard was so excited that she totally forgot a
cardinal rule…never wake the woman with lethal combat skills up by shaking her. In a
flash Gabrielle was on her back, a wide awake and fully alert warrior standing up with
sword in hand.
"What is it? What's going on?" Xena looked around but saw nothing out of the
ordinary, other than noting by the position of the sun that she had slept in. Gabrielle
sat up and turned her head from side to side, the headache forgotten as a smile crept
across her face.
"Xena…move a pace to the right." the smile grew as a black shadow
blocked the square of dark grey. "There's a window behind you, isn't there?"
"Gabrielle? W-what do you see?" she asked hesitantly, afraid to entertain the
hope.
"Mostly darkness, but just behind you I see light…just a dim sort of grey,
like during a bad thunderstorm." the shadow moved and the bard found herself swept up
in powerful arms. "I think it's coming back, Xena. I'm going to see again." the
arms she had wrapped around the warrior's neck tightened as she drew the raven haired
woman in for a kiss. "I love you." she whispered, her breath caressing Xena's
lips. "Now let's go share the good news with Cyrene."
"In a moment." came the reply as the bard felt herself being lowered onto the
bed. She felt a soft kiss to one eyelid, then the other before the warm lips rested upon
hers. Mumbled 'I love you's and content sighs mixed with gentle kisses and loving
caresses. There was nothing that mortal or god could ever do that would convince the
lovers there could ever be anything more pleasurable than being in each other's arms.
It took a few days before Gabrielle's vision fully returned and a couple more after
that before she wasn't overly sensitive to the brightness of the summer sun. It was an
emotional parting from Cyrene for both of them. Gabrielle had found someone to share her
pain with that truly understood what it meant to have a child become a murderer. For Xena,
it was as if each board of wood she placed on the roof was a plank on the long broken
bridge between daughter and mother. Love helped them forgive, and with that forgiveness
the weight of guilt lessened. The circle was completed the easing of guilt allowed the
love that had been there all the time to break through. They never learned what had truly
caused the temporary blindness, Xena believed it was because of her violent attack on the
bard while Gabrielle believed that it was a result of the deep emotional pain and stress
within her. Whatever the cause, both agreed that in the end it didn't matter.
Epilogue:
"So what do you figure…two more days until we reach Thessaly?"
"We would have been there by now if you didn't keep making us take breaks."
Xena replied, rolling up the blanket.
"*I* make us take breaks?" Gabrielle snorted. "I'm just walking down the
road. You're the one who keeps stopping. Oh look, another grass stain." she wiped at
the spot on her skirt, knowing it wouldn't help.
"Just walking, uh huh, sure, Gabrielle. Walking and making suggestive comments,
you mean." she replied, tying the blanket onto the back of Argo's saddle. "A
warrior can't let a challenge go unanswered."
"What challenge? I just said that I could never get tired of the way you touch
me." she stepped up behind the tall woman and gently hugged her.
"And I was just trying to prove that it's true." Xena said with a wicked
grin.
"Well, I think you just like to show off another one of your many skills, like
when you do your flips."
"Ah yes, another skill that's come in handy from time to time." Xena teased
before leaning down for a quick kiss. "Now let's get on the road before I decide that
I need to practice my skills some more." she tugged lightly on Argo's reins and
headed toward the road.
"Practice your flips? Oh please." Gabrielle said dismissively. "I bet I
can do a flip just from watching you do it. Well, with a staff of course."
"Oh, of course." Xena replied wryly. "You've become pretty good at
handling yourself but I think flips are a bit out of reach. Come on, let's go."
"No wait. Are you telling me that I can't do a flip?" the bard's words had a
challenge to them….
THE END
As always, I'd like to thank Verda and Lunacy for beta reading for me.
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