COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER:

Xena: Warrior Princess, Gabrielle, Argo and all other characters who have appeared in the syndicated series Xena: Warrior Princess, together with the names, titles and backstory are the sole copyright property of MCA/Universal and Renaissance Pictures. No copyright infringement was intended in the writing of this fan fiction. All other characters, the story idea and the story itself (with one exception I will explain at the end) are the sole property of the author. This story cannot be sold or used for profit in any way. Copies of this story may be made for private use only and must include all disclaimers and copyright notices.

NOTE: All works remain the © copyright of the original author. These may not be republished without the author's consent.

VIOLENCE WARNING/DISCLAIMER: Sorry, not this time.

SUBTEXT DISCLAIMER:

Yup, a lotta that here, and sex too. This story is Alt-Xena and if the idea of two adult women in a loving sexual relationship offends you or you are under 18, please read something else.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

This story takes place just after the Season 5 episode Chakram, but before the next episode, Succession. There are MAJOR spoilers for Season 4‘s Ides of March and Season 5’s premiere Fallen Angel.

FEEDBACK: Please send any comments, burnt or under-done to [email protected]

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AS WE GIVE THANKS…

Gabrielle walked along beside Xena and marveled. She marveled at the singing birds in the trees, the coolish breeze that ruffled her short blond hair, the sound of late insects in the brush. Most of all she marveled at the sound and feel of her footsteps on the path, a feeling she had thought never to experience again.

"It's life…” she thought, feeling giddy. "We are alive ... by all the gods and Eli ... we are alive ... again."

And a bit uncomfortable. Her boots seemed heavy after the lightness of the sandals she had taken to wearing during their sojourn in India. Of course they were made even heavier than her old boots had ever been by the weight of the metal Sai’s tucked into the top of each one. The hilts of the dagger-like parrying weapons constantly rubbed against her calves as she walked and she hoped she wasn’t in for blisters. The braided brown leather bra-type outfit she had chosen to replace the sack-cloth rags the Romans had dressed her in for the crucifixion had turned out to be a bit hot and chaffed in some places as well.

She looked somewhat enviously at Xena; the Warrior Princess was in a flimsy red top, maroon skirt, pink silky pantaloons and open-toed sandals such as Gabrielle had worn in India. The day was hot, but she looked quite comfortable. The new double chakram knocking at her hip seemed out of place, but she would soon fix that at the next town and get back into leathers of some kind suitable for fighting. Ah, well, never mind, the bard thought. I’ll get used to it; anything is better than what Caesar had planned for us

She looked at her hands and her eyes watered. "Silly girl," she thought blinking almost in anger. "I'm still in ... in wonder at it ALL..." Still in wonder that the cruel holes in her hands and feet were no longer there. That she and Xena were not dead; were not in Heaven wearing wings or in Hell with hooves; were not still fighting against each other (and how much that had hurt her she did not even dare to contemplate) for a cause that was already becoming dim in her mind.

It was all confused now.

Heaven and Hell ... each had seemed to have their own agenda. Each were run by a different being unseen and powerful, with the angels and Arch-Angels like Michael attempting to keep order in Heaven, and the bat winged minions of Hell trying to disrupt things. Yes, Heaven was pure goodness and love, and Hell was pure blackness and evil.

Tartarus and the Elysian Fields seemed simple in comparison. In Tartarus, the god Hades ruled and kept the evildoers in line and doing punishment, and in the Elysian Fields, he kept things sweet and calm and the dead did not even know that they were dead; they forgot that they had died. They just woke up each morning to a sunny day and flowers and lived the same wonderful day over and over and never realized they were doing it.

But I’m damned if THAT doesn’t sound like some sort of Hell to me, Gabrielle thought, sourly. The same day, the same events, the same thing over and over and over? You never feel tired, hungry, sad, sleepy; never want for anything? How do you know you are having a good time and why would you care? What idiot god thought that one up; Hades, of course. And this is for our own good? Well, I suppose if you don't KNOW each day is always the same, year in and year out, it might seem wonderful, but still ... I think I'd choose Heaven over the Elysian Fields, for at least there day by day you have a reason for existing; have a cause, have something to do, like fighting for the greater good of everything.

Fighting for the greater good … Gabrielle shuddered inwardly as she remembered her own brief time as a demon after she had been forced to eat the food of Hell after being kidnapped by Callisto and her demons. Although parched and starving, the bard had managed to resist eating on her own for a long time, but then at the Callisto demon’s command, her minions had held Gabrielle down and forced the food down her throat. The bard grimaced; I was in Hell after all, a place of great evil; what did I expect, fairness? As she had begun to change into her demonic form, for the first time in her life, the bard’s heart was full of rage and fire and a hunger to do harm to anyone and everything. Then when she had been saved by the attack of Xena and the other Arch-Angels, who took her back to heaven and cleansed her of her evil. At this point the bard had become an Arch-Angel herself, and had felt pure and full of hope and compassion for all things … even the evil ones … like Xena had become when she had given up her goodness to save CALLISTO, of all people.

It was Callisto who helped Caesar to catch us, who broke Xena’s back with her own chakram, who got us onto those crosses that killed us … and then even after we were dead, it was Callisto who kidnapped me from heaven, and who had just turned me into a DEMON as Xena and the Arch-Angels raided Hell to save me.

Even after all that … Xena forgave Callisto; redeemed her. The woman whose family, whose village, whose ... LIFE the Warrior Princess had wronged so many years ago in Cirra ... Xena had forgiven her of her sins, and had become a demon in her stead.

Gabrielle shook her head in wonder at the thought. She was always Callisto the lunatic; Callisto the mass murderer; Callisto, slayer of my husband! More, killer of Xena's own son, Solan! The bard was amazed. I managed to forgive Callisto in Heaven when I was shown that she had been made good and pure, but how did XENA find it in her heart to forgive Callisto when she was a demon; was still so evil?

And from somewhere deep inside, in a place the bard had not even realized was still there, came an unbidden thought. “…and don’t forget, that Xena forgave YOU too for Solan’s death. It wasn’t only the evil Callisto that killed the poor child; it was in collusion with your own evil daughter, Hope, that he was slain. Hope, whom you let live to the detriment of the gods only know HOW many lives before she died…” Gabrielle felt a brief stirring of sadness, before she firmly turned away from the thoughts. “No, I won’t walk this trail again. I did what I thought was right with Hope. I was wrong, but I did all that I could to rectify my mistakes and make up for it. Hope has been dead two years now, and she will hurt no one else, thank the gods, and there’s an end to it.”

Dismissing the sadness, the bard returned to her former thoughts. Yes, Callisto had been redeemed, but at what cost to them all; to Xena herself? For even as Gabrielle was becoming an Arch-Angel to fight for good, her soulmate had taken Callisto’s place in hell as a demon. Shortly thereafter, the Xena demon, master strategist and warrior, led the forces of Hell against Heaven itself … and against her soulmate, Gabrielle of Poteidaia as well.

Grimly now, Gabrielle remembered that time just before she and the Xena demon had fought, how the creature who had been her best friend and lover had begged, tears running down her scaled cheeks, "Gabrielle, please, don't let me walk through Hell alone..." and the angel bard had been swayed, had almost given up and gone with the one woman she loved above all others.

After all that they had been through in life; sickness and health, both losing friends and loved ones, standing up to the worst that men and gods could throw at them, each losing a child because of the other and coming through the pain and hatred of that time, staying together at all costs, even until their deaths on the cross at Caesar’s command ... after all that, what were Heaven or Hell to them, if they could but be together no matter what the circumstance?

Yes, the Xena demon had almost won her over ... Gabrielle could admit that to herself now, even if at the time she had dared not contemplate it. She had somehow managed to stand firm against her lover, and they had fought, flying through the clouds, clashing swords and wills as each tried to overcome the other. Even then, in the middle of the fight, Gabrielle felt the compelling tug of love and compassion for her soulmate and had difficulty battling wholeheartedly. In the end, ever focused, the Xena demon had won, carving the winged bard out of the sky and following her uncontrolled plummet down to the scene of the battle for Heaven.

Even then, Xena did not finish her helpless friend off, but picked her wounded body up and jumped off the cliff into Hell's maw, so they could be together. It was only because of Eli and somehow … Callisto, that she did not succeed, as he brought them back to life and into their bodies midway through the downward plunge, and they awoke gasping as if dunked in ice water, with one of his hands on each of their heads.

The bard glanced around and drank in the familiar sights and smells of earth; the trees, birds, grass, sky … Eewww, horse dung on the trail, flies buzzing …"And here we are again...” she thought as she stepped around the busy pile. “Walking the trail back to Greece with Joxer and Amarice as if none of it had ever happened.”

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They continued walking up the trail; the heat of the day was not bad, being early autumn, but it was still warm enough to make them long for a cool drink in the shade. As they went, Gabrielle glanced at Xena covertly. The dark woman was striding along looking at the scenery not for the raw beauty of nature, but as always, scanning for possible enemies or problems she might have to deal with.

She was still wearing the flimsy clothing and open-toed sandals she had picked in the last town, back before she had regained her memory of being the Warrior Princess. The bard felt a smirk crease her lips at the sight. Xena certainly did not look like Xena without her leathers and sword, and the sight of the guarding warrior in the red and pink outfit was incongress to say the least.

Not that she doesn’t look um, hot that way, thought the bard. Oh, yes, those ARE lovely (if naughty) colors on her. She imagined being naked with her arms around her big friend and how the silky clothing might feel between them as they kissed and felt her cheeks get hot. Cool it, bard, she thought with a slight shiver. Remember Joxer and Amarice are right up ahead, and giving them a show isn’t my idea of a good time.

“Gabrielle…” Xena’s low voice startled her out of her reverie.

“Huh, what?”

“You look a little flushed … are you all right?”

“Oh, um, yeah…” The blushing blond looked away and tried to speak calmly.

“Hmmm.” There was a smile in Xena’s voice. She stopped walking and tenderly cupped the bard’s chin and turned her face towards her. Gabrielle swallowed as she gazed up into the deep blue eyes that she loved, and Xena’s smile got wider. The warrior glanced up the path to where Joxer and Amarice were out of sight around a bend of trees, then looked back into the green gaze of her soulmate.

She bent and brushed her lips lightly across Gabrielle’s and murmured, “I haven’t told you yet, my dear one, but I think those new leathers look … good on you. Verrrry good,” she purred.

“Mmmm.” The bard shivered at Xena’s choice of endearment and her eyes fluttered shut. Long ago, the first time they had made love, Xena had called her ‘my dear one’ and to hear it had never failed to make Gabrielle’s heart melt within her. She glanced up the road too, then pulled her lover down for a short but sweet kiss, which made them both tremble. When they broke apart, she gently touched the flimsy material over the bigger woman’s breast and said thickly, “…and have I told you just how well this outfit suits you … my warrior?”

“What, these old rags?” Xena grinned. She spun about so that the pants and top flowed around her, and then hooked her thumbs under the armpits of the red top and pulled the material tight over her breasts. “You are too kind…”

“Xena,” breathed the bard. “I may have said this before, but ‘Your breasts are dangerous.’”

“These little things,” the warrior said, cupping them and looking down at them with a smirk. “How could they be dangerous?” She looked at the petite woman from under her eyebrows and whispered, “They’re so soft and smooth, and the points wouldn’t even penetrate cloth, let alone armor. How could you say they are dangerous…” she pouted.

The bard gazed speechlessly at the cupped breasts being offered like ripe fruits for her inspection, and choked at the sight of taut nipples straining at the red material. Her lips moved but no words came out.

The warrior looked up the trail again, then back down at her lover and her eyes were warm. “I don’t suppose we could, um, ditch those two … and find a quiet spot under a tree or something…”

“Xeeeena…” Gabrielle closed her eyes briefly and groaned in frustration.

“…or by a stream, or under a bush, or hey, right here on the road…”

“XENA! Stoppit,” gritted the bard.

“No, I suppose not…” the warrior grinned.

The small blond punched her friend none-to-lightly in the stomach. “Look you! It’s been a long time … don’t tease.”

“Oof! Okay, okay.” The warrior chuckled, then sobered. “I guess we haven’t been together since before we were dead, when I sent you and Amarice to find Eli when Caesar put the six million dinar reward on my head…” She looked at her hands and she and Gabrielle shivered. “Yeah, we were captured, crucified, went to both Heaven and Hell, were brought back to life and then had to rejoin the halves of the chakram. I guess things HAVE been a bit complicated for us these last few months…”

“You’re damn right they have…” Gabrielle growled, when they were interrupted by a voice.

“Hey, guys! What’s up?” They turned to see Joxer and Amarice striding back towards them. The gangly wanna-be warrior in mismatched armor came clumping up to stop with a slight clanging sound and looked at them grumpily. “So what’s the deal,” he groused. “How’re we gonna get back to Greece if you and Gabby stop every few feet to … to gab?”

Behind him Amarice grinned, and shrugged as if to say this wasn’t her idea.

Xena put her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes, and he hastened to add, “Uh, I mean if yer not in any hurry … heh heh, we can take our time, no problem. Gettin’ tired? I know bein’ dead must take it outa ya … wanna camp early?”

The Warrior Princess looked around, and then seemed to come to a decision. “Up ahead about a mile, the trail splits. The left fork goes to the town of Anastat, about a day from here. The right fork leads in two days to a small farm where I stabled Argo last March; she was too noticeable to sneak into Rome...”

“Anastat…” broke in the un-mighty one with a pleased grin, “I seem to remember that place as havin’ some good taverns…”

The Warrior Princess nodded. “That’s right. Gabrielle and I are going to go get Argo; you two go on and take the left fork; get rooms and wait for us there. We’ll meet you in five days or so with Argo.”

“But, um, ya sure you don’t need us along, for uh, protection,” Joxer said, nervously pulling at his sword hilt. “I mean, suppose Ares shows up again…” He puffed out his chest. “After the last time at the temple, he wouldn’t dare to face my sword, uh, along with your new chakram I mean … and four swords are better than one ya know…”

Xena and Gabrielle looked at each other, then the warrior sighed. “No, it’ll be all right. I’m sure he’s been scared off for now…”

But Joxer went on as if he hadn’t heard. “Or wait, make that five swords with Gabby’s two whatchamacallums, or are those things really swords? Maybe they’re daggers …” he trailed off muttering and counting on his fingers. “So does two daggers make one sword, or a sword and a half … maybe it’s four swords and a half then…”

“I think he’s trying to say we don’t mind coming with you to get Argo,” said Amarice softly over Joxer’s continued murmuring.

“No, thanks,” Xena smiled. “There’s no reason for you two to make a four day detour when you could be relaxing in a town. Besides,” she lowered her voice, “we need a little, um, private time … we’ll see you there. Keep him out of trouble, if possible…”

“All right,” grinned the young Amazon with an understanding wink. “Count on me. See you in five days…” She grabbed the still muttering warrior-wanna-be by the arm and raised her voice, “Come on, Joxer, let’s go…”

The gangly young man protested as she began to pull him away. “Hey, wait a minute, Amarice! Xena and Gabby haven’t been undead … uh, dead … I mean ‘NOT dead’ for very long. They may need the sword of Joxer the Mighty to protect them…”

Amarice rolled her eyes. “Yeah, that’s likely … NOT!”

She continued tugging but he dug in his heels until Gabrielle stepped forward and called, “It’s all right, Joxer. Xena and I need to talk; we’ll see you in five days…”

As the protesting Joxer allowed himself to be led away grumbling, Gabrielle turned back to find Xena looking at her with a strange wistful expression that vanished into neutrality even as she noticed it.

As she approached, Xena appeared to be looking with interest at a sparkling stone on the trail. The warrior stooped and picked it up. “Look; quartz.”

“Rare stuff, huh,” commented the bard with a grin and went on. “Poor Joxer; he tries so hard…”

“Yeah, ‘poor Joxer’. Geeze, after all these years, you’d think he’d buy a clue about us,” Xena growled, shaking her head. She tossed the stone aside. “Amarice caught on right away and we’ve only known her a few months…”

“You know,” Gabrielle said with a gentle smile, “he risked his life to get our dead bodies off of those crosses and take us back to Greece for burial, with no expectation of thanks, just as a duty he felt towards us as his friends. Eli and Amarice did too…”

“I know,” Xena said quietly, “and I love him for it. I love all of them … but I love you too, dear one, and this is a good chance for some time off with you.”

“Mmmmm. Sounds good.” The bard crinkled her nose and spoke in a sultry voice, “so now what, Warrior Princess? Do it right here on the road?”

“My, my…” the dark woman raised an eyebrow. “Aren’t we in a hurry.” She pulled the smaller woman into her and kissed her thoroughly, causing them both to breathe harder, then put an arm through the gasping bard’s and began moving briskly up the trail with her. “No, I had a slightly more, um … romantic idea. A couple miles up that side fork where we’re going is a nice little lake where we can camp tonight … and…” she smiled with love into the bard’s green eyes, “…get to know one another other again…”

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Later that evening, by the side of the lake, Gabrielle watched the smooth mirror-like surface of the water as it reflected the soft dark shapes of close packed trees, the muted glow of their campfire, fireflies hanging in the air, and the myriad stars in the sky. Crickets chirped in the bushes and circling night birds called overhead as they searched for late-night insect snacks.

She heard the familiar step behind her, and spoke without turning. “Xena, it’s really lovely here. This was a good place to camp…”

“Yeah, it is…” At the guarded tone in her friend’s voice, Gabrielle swung around in surprise and concern.

“Xena, what is it?”

The Warrior Princess looked at her with a glum expression. “I did mean it when I said to Amarice that you and I needed some time alone. But when you told Joxer that we needed to talk to one another, it hit me. You were right. A-And I knew I had to tell you … no, t-to THANK you…” the raven-haired woman began, then stopped, looking embarrassed. She glanced about uncomfortably, picked up a small flat stone from the shore and sent it skipping across the calm surface of the water. She chose another, and sent it to follow the first.

The blond looked at her companion silently skipping stones and spoke encouragingly. “Thank me for what?”

Xena glanced at her, then sat down on the shore, and stared out over the water. After a moment Gabrielle joined her and put her head on the warrior’s shoulder waiting for her to continue.

When the words came, they were so soft that Gabrielle had to strain to hear them. “I thought I was doing such a …a good thing, and it turned into such horror for me…”

“What did, Xena?”

“Freeing Callisto from Hell.” The words were harsh and edged with bitterness.

The bard was momentarily stunned speechless. When she found her voice again, she looked into the warrior’s face and said, “Xena, it WAS a good thing! You freed Callisto to be reborn as she would have been before Cirra. She was truly changed; was not even the same woman! I even forgave her for Perdicus! Because of your compassion, she became an angel and rejoined her family in Heaven…”

Xena laughed raggedly. “Because of my compassion? Don’t kid yerself! No, Gabrielle, it was my PRIDE that led me to do it. The downright proud belief that I can do anything I try!” She gazed at Gabrielle and her blue eyes were dull. “Look, I saw Callisto, and yes, I was moved by her suffering; the suffering that I had caused when I destroyed her family at Cirra. And despite what Michael had told me, in my pride I thought, ‘I’ll be the hero one more time and free her from this, and we’ll get out of here together.’”

The troubled bard opened her mouth to speak, but Xena placed a finger over her lips and continued. “So I let my good drain out into her, and her evil flowed into me, and I surrendered myself to Hell and became a demon in her place.” The raven-haired woman grinned humorlessly and shook her head. “ I was so sure that it couldn’t happen to me! That I wouldn’t be affected or that if it did affect me, that I could control it! Be a force for good in Hell! Brother, was that a laugh…” a tear trickled down her cheek and she dashed it away angrily.

“Xena,” the bard spoke softly, holding her hand.

“No, Gabrielle! I couldn’t control it; it swept in and submerged me like an ocean tide and I was swept under! I grew hooves and wings and horns and hatred! I became a demon so fast I didn’t even have a chance to resist. All I could feel was burning evil and jealousy and rage!” Her last words were a shout that echoed around the lakeside and the warrior threw a stone far out into the water where it plunked down sending ripples in ever widening circles from the point of impact that disturbed the peaceful reflections all around.

The petite woman sat silently watching her as the outburst ended. When Xena spoke again, her voice was subdued, a mere whisper of shame. “And finally, as a result of my pride, I led the attack that nearly brought down Heaven and almost ended up killing my best friend … and I almost brought you back to Hell to be a demon with me … would have if not for Eli…”

Her words spent, Xena sat staring out over the water as the tiny ripples from the stone finally lapped softly against the shore.

Gabrielle hesitated, then spoke quietly. “You know, I felt terrible fighting you … even though I knew you were evil … I still wanted to get through to you…”

Xena took both of Gabrielle’s hands and kissed them gently. “I’m glad you did fight me. When I saw you with angel wings, standing on that rock spire … somewhere down underneath all the hate and bitterness, hope came back. Hope for you to kill me. To chop me into pieces and put me out of my stinking misery once and for all…”

The bard stroked her friend’s hair. “Do you know how I would have felt if I had succeeded?”

“Yes … but I was praying for you to do it.”

“I knew you were. Xena, if I could have, I would have, but as usual, you were too … uh, ‘good’ for me.” The bard smiled half-heartedly at her own choice of words and despite herself the unhappy warrior smiled too.

Xena stroked Gabrielle’s hand. “It was a no-win situation, that’s for sure. But you standing up to me allowed me somewhere deep inside the demon rage to resist just a tiny bit. Just enough so that I didn’t kill you when I could have, delayed my blows just enough to keep them from striking full on, held myself back from killing you when I had you down.” Xena shook her head. “Then walking as slowly as I could carrying you to the cliff-edge to jump into Hell together, hoping that Michael could stop me in time … all of that delayed me just long enough for Eli to save us all, and it was because of you, Gabrielle, and the delays that you caused me ... that we are here today and not in Hell planning another attack on Heaven.”

The well-lettered bard of Poteidaia looked at her friend with astonishment and love and could find no words. Xena pressed the hand she was holding to her heart and went on.

“So I want, no, I NEED to say, thank you … thank you …thank you. Thank you for your bravery and your resolve and your willingness to kill me if necessary to spare me from doing any more of the evil that was destroying my soul.” She stood up and pulled the bard with her and they embraced. “It’s just one more time that you saved me from myself and I thank you. I love you, Gabrielle. And I will never leave you; NEVER.”

Tears were running softly down the blond’s face as she choked, “Oh, Xena, I love you too, and I will never leave you, either.” Then they kissed and clung together for a long time, looking out over the surface of the calm lake and the shore. While they were talking, the moon had come up and cast a soft white light over everything, making the water surface look like a silvered mirror. Gabrielle finally relaxed back into the warrior, who wrapped surprisingly gentle arms around her and rested her chin on the top of the blond’s head.

“This place is so lovely,” Gabrielle sighed quietly. “Peaceful and quiet; almost as beautiful as that lake where you showed me those wonderful glowing insects you called ‘lakes’wings’ that time about four years ago…”

“You remember that,” Xena said with surprise.

“Of course I do, my love. It was one of the most wonderful nights I have ever had; full of beauty and surprises … and you made it all happen.”

The warrior sighed. “It seems a long time ago now … gods, how I wanted you that night, but I was so scared to show my feelings…” she shook her head. “It’s a wonder we got together … I was such a fool in those days.”

Gabrielle turned around in Xena’s arms, hugged her and looked up into her eyes. “I know your feelings now, sweetheart,” she whispered, her smiling lips soft against the warrior’s.

“Oh, gods, do you ever…”

Slowly they kissed for a long moment, with tongues and open mouths and Gabrielle felt her arousal building. Thus she was surprised when Xena stepped back away from her, but only for a moment as the warrior slid the straps of the leather bodice down over the bard’s muscular arms and planted a series of small nips and kisses up her neck and down her shoulders and biceps that made her blush.

As the leather slid down further and away from her breasts, Gabrielle gasped and closed her eyes as she felt her nipples standing up in the cool night air. Slowly, working kisses and caresses down her body, the warrior continued undressing her lover and soon had the trembling bard naked before her. Then still fully dressed herself, she effortlessly picked the petite woman up and carried her back to the camp to lay her on the blanket near the fire. Settling down beside her lovely companion, she slowly stroked her hands lovingly over Gabrielle’s bare muscular arms and flat stomach, down her firm legs to her toes and back up the creamy smooth insides of Gabrielle’s thighs, while the bard moaned softly.

Following her hands with nibbles and kisses, Xena whispered, “Mmmmm, Gabrielle … I love the way you feel … and, oh, yessss, the way you taste, my dear one … especially after you’ve been wearing all that new leather…”

The small blond trembled under her ministrations. “Ohhhh, gods, Xena … p-please come down here against me … I’ve been thinking about … t-that r-red top and those pink pants all dayyyy…”

The warrior grinned as she stretched herself down above her naked friend, supporting herself in a pushup position without touching the bard. “Really? Was I in, or out of them?”

“B-Both …” was the choked answer. “Please, Xena. Let me feel you against me…”

“You mean … like this?” The warrior moved so that the loose silky material hissed across the smooth muscled flesh beneath her and was rewarded with heartfelt noises of desire. She moved herself back and forth a few times, until the bard, goaded beyond all patience, lunged upward encircling her with both arms and legs and yanked her tormentor down against her where they engaged in a long, sweet, kiss.

“Ummm, yesss,” she whimpered afterward, nibbling all over Xena’s neck and shoulders, which caused the warrior to tremble in turn. “They are as silky as I thought, but now … now I want you OUT of them!”

“About time….” husked the warrior, kissing her. Then she bounded to her feet, yanked the red top and dress over her head in one swift motion, slid the filmy pantaloons down and was stretched out poised naked above Gabrielle again almost before the bard could blink.

“Gods, I love how you can do those kinds of things…” the bard grinned up at her.

“I have many skills…” Xena grinned back.

“And I love every one of them,” sighed the bard as she stretched her head up to Xena’s chest and her tongue flicked the excited tip of first one nipple and then the other. As her lover hissed in desire, she began mouthing and kissing all over the white flesh. “By the gods, these are soft, so, so soft…” she marveled, cupping and nibbling the firm breasts above her. Xena sighed and sank down upon her soulmate and they both moaned at the feeling as their bodies finally merged into one.

As the bard and the warrior celebrated their love, the cool night breeze across the lake carried the soft sweet sounds of their mounting passions until they merged to become one long song of ecstasy and joy caroled to the wondering moon and stars.

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The moon was high in the sky and turning the land into a white glowing wonderland as some time later, their passions spent for the moment, the two lovers lay exhausted in each other’s arms. Gabrielle lay with her head resting on the dozing warrior’s shoulder and her hand gently cupping one of Xena’s breasts. Feeling the slow beat of her soulmate’s heart through the smooth skin, the bard smiled and nuzzled closer to her love. As she did so, Xena stirred, opened her eyes, cleared her throat, looked down and then covered Gabrielle’s hand with her own.

“Hello there, my love…” she whispered, kissing the blond’s hair.

“Hello there, MY love,” smiled the bard against her neck.

Xena stretched luxuriously and yawned. “That was well worth the wait,” she purred.

“Yes … oh, yes.”

The warrior grinned and played with a lock of the bard’s hair. “I’m certainly glad you love all of my ‘many skills.’ For awhile there, I was beginning to think some of them were never going to get a workout again; glad I was wrong…”

“Well, um, as long as we’re on that…” Gabrielle raised her head. “You know, there’s at least one of your ‘many skills’ I could do without…”

“Huh? Which one…” frowned the warrior.

The bard put her head down again. “Never mind, you’ll just get mad…”

“I WON’T get mad. Come on now, don’t unwrap the cheese and not cut any! Which one?”

“Oh, geeze, I knew I shoulda kept my mouth shut,” the bard groaned. She sat up and ran a hand through her short hair. “All right … you know the one where you bet all comers that you can ‘…recognizably burp the first four measures of any drinking song known to man after two mugs of port.’ That skill I could do without.”

Xena sat up indignantly. “Hey, I win money that way … and it’s entertaining!”

Gabrielle pulled her knees up and folded her bare arms over them. “Yeah, well, let’s just say it’s embarrassing being with you when you feel you just gotta do it in every tavern from here to Athens…”

The warrior snorted. “Huh! I never heard you object when I bought you a drink with my winnings … and by the way, how many more times am I gonna have to suffer through that story about the deaf farmer and the dyspeptic plow horse?”

It was Gabrielle’s turn to be indignant as she got to her bare feet. “Hey, that’s a GREAT story; a funny classic if you must know … and I tell it really well!”

Xena jumped up, naked breasts bouncing. “Funny? Classic? Maybe it is, but no matter how well you tell it, after hearing it for the forty-fifth time, it isn’t funny or classic … it’s just boring!”

As the lovers stood there fuming, a cool flickering light began to bathe them both, and they turned in surprise to face the lake. As they watched in mounting amazement and wonder, their brief quarrel was forgotten as thousands upon thousands of glowing winged insects came fluttering in over the trees to settle on the silvery surface of the lake and the land. Their iridescent wings shown in the moonlight as they flew, creating shivering patterns of light and color like rainbow snowflakes dancing in the air.

In awe and joy, Gabrielle looked at her soulmate and the myriad shimmering lights that bathed her made Xena’s skin look as if she was lit from within. “Xena, oh, Xena,” she cried. “ It’s the lakes’wings, just like before! How can that be?”

The warrior shook her head and smiled. “I don’t know; I thought they might be migratory, but I wasn’t certain. I didn’t know they went anywhere else but that other lake back in Greece. I guess they must be here to mate, it’s about the right time of year…”

“No,” said the bard, putting her arms around the warrior and gazing up into her eyes as their bodies touched warmly. “That’s not why they are here…”

Xena looked tenderly down at the petite woman and hugged her tightly. “All right, my dear one. Why are they here?”

Gabrielle stood on tiptoe, brushed her lips against Xena’s mouth and smiled. “For us, my love … they are here for us. To make this moment ours forever and ever.”

Blinking tears, Xena kissed her soulmate's eyes, nose and mouth and choked, “by the gods, how I love you, Gabrielle of Poteidaia. You are my heart and soul, and I give thanks for you everyday. I swear here and now by all the gods there are, that I will never let you go.”

Wet-eyed and smiling, Gabrielle looked up into Xena’s shining face and her voice was strong as she said, “I give thanks for you too, Xena, Warrior Princess; you are my only dream and desire and love, and come Heaven, Hell or death I will never LET you let me go.”

They kissed once more with joy and love, and then Gabrielle leaned back into Xena’s warm chest, and the warrior wrapped strong arms around her as the two naked lovers watched the glowing gentle insects spiral about in the moonlight over the water in their ancient dance of mating and renewal of life for another year.

The End

Authors note: If you are curious as to when and where Xena and Gabrielle saw the glowing ‘lakes’wings’ mentioned above, it was not on the show or even in one of my stories, but in a lovely and poignant Alt-Xena tale I read a year or so back called “This Little Dare” by the wonderful and talented bard, Zzelami. The color and imagery and love in this tale was such that I have never forgotten it. Do yourselves a favor and check out it and such others as Blind Faith Restored, and Slices of Night by this same bard; I highly recommend them all.

Those by Zzelami and many other great stories by many other bards may be found at the Athenaeum site http://xenafiction.net/index.mv and other sites all over the net. Putting the ‘lakes’ wings’ into my story is my way of thanking Zzelami for a lovely and memorable read.

Sincerely,

WLMcCord, 6-3-2000