AN: Ok, so, remember when I asked for random numbers and you guys gave me some? This is one of them! :D This is number 111, 'How can you sleep?', which was given to me by naounicorn! I kind of like how it turned out, so I hope you do too!

Disclaimer: I do not own Xena. I wish I did, but sadly I do not. Maybe one day.

Xena was generally a good sleeper. A holdover from her warlord days, she was often out within a minute or two of settling in, sleep quickly taking her. It was a good skill to have and cultivate, especially when sleep was never guaranteed, and the few moments of rest that did exist couldn't be wasted on crowded minds that kept others awake. Her quick asleep, quick awake policy had kept her alive more than once, and it was an ability she was thankful to have that had served her well.

Gabrielle, on the other hand? Xena was sure, between the stories running amuck in her mind and the sheer amount of energy that always seemed to hit right after dark, it was a blessing from the gods that she got any sleep at all. It was only the long days on the road, leaving her utterly exhausted, that allowed both of them any kind of rest at all. On the rare days when they stayed in a town or a campsite for more than a single day, Gabrielle was the worst person to try and get to sleep.

It was like having a two year old, Xena couldn't help but imagine, especially when the next day was the festival.

Gabrielle had been begging for months for them to go to Athens during the City Dionysia, for even the chance at being able to sit among the masses and watch one of the plays being put on for the competition. While Xena couldn't see the appeal (in the story, sure, she understood that, but why sit in a small, crowded space when the open theatres in the smaller towns told it just as well, and with some elbow room?), she had ever so slightly adjusted their course. Athens, at the time, had been quite a while away, and there'd been no rush. The scenic route got them there, and with the added bonus of it surprising Gabrielle when they stepped out of the forest before the gates into the city.

And ever since they entered that afternoon, Gabrielle had been a non-stop blur.

Though the real competition wouldn't start until tomorrow, Gabrielle had found more than enough to keep herself entertained. Markets had popped up all across the city, selling everything from weapons to writing materials to food and pets and food for your pets, a chaotic sprawl Xena had been lucky to navigate. Gabrielle, though, seemed to have no issue, slipping into the gaps between the patrons and coming back before Xena could figure out where she had gone, her hands full of whatever she had run off to buy. They couldn't afford much (the life of travelers, even with Gabrielle bringing in a steady stream of dinars with her tavern performances, left them with little to spar on luxuries), but it was still fun to look at the clothes and gems and foreign creatures. And they made out well at a sweets stall, Gabrielle bartering with the old man so two handfuls of candy only cost them a few of the rabbit furs Xena had recently finished tanning. While they weren't tannery levels of professional, having been done on the move, they had been soft and well done, and worth the trade as they continued their walk, their tongues sweet from the hardened pellets of boiled honey and cinnamon.

It'd been a pleasant afternoon, and even into the night they had continued on, exploring the entirety of the city as best as they could. It was only when the drunkards started stumbling from the taverns that they made their way back to the inn, glad for the room they had been lucky to snag. Xena, tired from a long day of traveling and people, had settled quickly into her side of the bed. She expected Gabrielle would want to be up the moment the sun rose (a first for her) so they could get the best seats in the theatre. So, sleep would be short, and she was determined to get as much of it as she could.

Sleep was also going to be short not because of time, but because Gabrielle couldn't stay still.

She tried, that was clear to see. She shifted and squirmed, trying out all manner of positions to twist her body into to see if they would help her rest. She had even tried to physically hold herself still, her body rigid as she stared up at the ceiling, trying to force the sleep that refused to come. But she failed. Miserably.

"How can you sleep?" Gabrielle finally asked, her voice laced with annoyance as she turned in bed, her head resting against her hand, propping her up. "I can barely close my eyes, yet you'd probably have been asleep the second you laid down if it wasn't for me. How do you do it?"

"Practice." Xena tried to keep the annoyance out of her voice, she really did, but she couldn't help it- ever moment spent awake was a moment not asleep, and Xena knew Gabrielle would be upset if she fell asleep during any of the performances. So every moment not asleep was that much more of a danger to her ability to stay awake the next day. "Stop trying to force it," she continued gentler. "Just relax for more than five minutes, and it'll come to you soon enough."

She couldn't exactly catch what Gabrielle mumbled next, though she had to imagine it was something not too flattering by the tone of her voice. Probably mocking, thought she did try to take Xena's advice into count. She resettled herself into bed, shifted her pillow so it was its most comfortable, and tried. Her breathing evened out, her limbs stayed still, and soon enough she relaxed.

For about two minutes before she growled and shifted in bed once again, a distressed, angry noise as she realized just how much she'd miss of tomorrow if she accidently slept in.

And with that Xena flipped herself, rolling from her back onto her side, one arm wrapping around Gabrielle's waist and pulling her in close, practically pinning her with the upper half of her body. When it seemed like Gabrielle was going to protest, Xena just shushed her, placing a quick kiss against her temple to silence her.

"Good night, Gabrielle."

Unable to move with Xena's weight on her, forced to relax so her constantly twitching muscles wouldn't disturb the warrior half laying on top of her, Gabrielle, eventually, did fall asleep. And once she was out, Xena allowed herself to sleep as well, comfortable with her new pillow.

And if either of them thought it strange when they awoke the next morning to Xena curled around Gabrielle and Gabrielle snuggled into the crook Xena's body had made for her, definitely not a position they had fallen asleep in the night before, neither of them mentioned it, not after having had their best sleep in a while.