Tease

When it was, it was grand.
And when it wasn't, it was pain.
Everything in between was just foreplay. Of course, Xena might not see it that way, stumbling and tripping with a warrior's guilt and a woman's sorrow.
And Gabrielle knows about agony. She just chooses to let it go, let it pass through her fingers like water.
There are better things to grip and hold and cherish.

It took them awhile to get back to a sense of who they once were, and then it took them longer to see that they had changed. And, finally, after setting the world right again, there is the familiar jolt to Gabrielle's insides with just a look from those icy blue eyes across the campfire.
It burns along her legs and races to her fingertips and it unleashes the pent-up desire. All the want, held back in the interim, comes forth and it makes the air heavy in her lungs.
It turns every move Xena makes into an invitation.
And Gabrielle intends to take up this unspoken offer, to bridge this last gap, to take back what belongs to her.

The ground feels good upon Gabrielle's palms and knees.
The animal is loose. And those blue eyes, which can be cold and hard, melt to liquid flames.
For Xena is the prey, caught not by a weapon, but by the stalking predator crawling along the dirt.
Gabrielle draws near, never looking away and she can see the warrior tense.
Not from anxiousness, but from anticipation. Gabrielle breathes deeply, taking in all that Xena is.
The sweat and the need... All there, presented like a gift.
She leans forward, dragging her tongue along a bronzed leg, from the top of the boot, to the knee and underneath the edge of Xena's battle skirt, leaving a wet trail.
But Gabrielle does not stop there, lavishing little licks to the inside of her thigh, placing kisses to the leather that covers this woman up as much as the skin does.
Xena is shaking and rapt, giving up and giving in.
Of course, Xena might not see it that way... but by the end of this night, Xena will know she is owned.

Gabrielle shoves eager hands away, settling for holding those strong fists to the side. She bites and tugs at flesh, at the warm bodice, working her way up to the neck and the lips.
She pushes closer and slithers upward, sliding her body against this second skin, hitching up her own short skirt in the process, her strong legs about Xena's hips.
Xena groans and wants to break free, to touch and roam.
Patience is a virtue. Gabrielle knows this all too well, years of waiting and aching and watching this warrior go astray. Gabrielle knows that good things come to those that wait.
And this good thing is hers to have.

"Keep your hands still." She says clearly, letting go and running her fingers along Xena's arms. And the woman complies, the breath from her coming in gasps. Her blue eyes, now so dark with longing, beg for more.
Yes, that is where I want you...
And Gabrielle reaches down, pressing supple leather against straining breasts, nipping at the collarbone and shoulders. She feels the wetness gather and shoves it upon Xena's stomach, coating the tanned hide with her want. Xena shudders and the look given is dangerous.
Gabrielle continues then, a slow grind against Xena's body, watching the woman's muscles tremble with holding back, with denying herself the action of touching, of participating.
It is beautiful. It is all Gabrielle has ever dreamed of, beyond the love and the soul and the heart.
It is sexual and it is ecstasy.
And it is mine.
Gabrielle pulls away with a moan, dropping down to her knees once more and roughly pushes Xena's legs apart, working quick with clasps and buckles until Xena is laid bare to her, open and gorgeous.
She kisses and bites her way to the middle, taking in the delicious scent of this warrior, this hidden woman and this other half of Gabrielle's world, all wet and pulsing.

And Gabrielle looks up, smiling as her breath coasts over fine black hair and sensitive flesh. She flicks her tongue out and feels the bucking reply.
"Tell me you want it." Gabrielle states.
Of course, Xena might not have ever seen it this way, like it is tonight. But the best warriors know when they are beaten, when to give up the field, when to surrender and live to fight another day.
Those blue eyes know what is at stake and they know that this is the last piece of their puzzle... falling into place... at the apex of Xena's thighs and at the will of Gabrielle's lips.
"Please... I ache for you, Gabrielle... always you..."
"You sure?" Gabrielle teases, a glint in her emerald eyes as she pushes her palm against Xena's need, feeling the hot want push back.
"Yes." It is a hiss. "I am yours." It is a growl. "Take me." It is a plea.

And Gabrielle lets that tentative grasp of control go, burying herself in Xena and taking it all for her own, drinking up the essence of this woman while being rode hard, finding a solace long kept at bay.
Finding wholeness in Xena's cries. Finding peace in the wave after wave upon her tongue.

The foreplay is over. Now, it truly begins.

END