A Different Time, A Better Time: Tale Two

by TigerRat

Tale Two: The Beginning of Two Lives as OneThe continuation of Tale Two. Xena and Ulysses start their lives as one bit not without their share of trials and tribulations. In this Series welcome the birth of the Warrior Princess.

1. Chapter 1

A Different Time, A Better Time

Tale Two: The Beginning of Two Lives as One

By: ARS Williams

Disclaimer: Xena and all other characters from Xena: Warrior Princess are not mine, they don't belong to me. They belong to USA Universal Studios and all those other great people. All of the rest of the characters in this story are mine. There are also a few songs in the story, don't worry this isn't a musical. Just special times, like dancing, when a song is being played, so the songs aren't mine either.

Sex Warning: Yes there is some sex between a male and female as well as implications towards sex in this story. It wouldn't be a story with out a little lovemaking. If you're not old enough to read it or if it's illegal where you live then please don't read it and if it's too much for you, then my apologies, I have a very vivid imagination. lol

Subtext Warning: There's a little cursing but nothing to run home and tell mother about. And there is also reference to two women being together. There is no more violence than your regular Xena episode.

Chapter One: New Ways and Understandings

After two weeks on the sea returning from Egypt, Xena and Ulysses returned home and to the beginning of their new life together and also the new way of things. Xena and Ulysses were both surprised when they returned home, his parent's wedding gift to them was their new chambers and they were just as extravagant as the King and Queen's chambers. Xena had her own closet and Ulysses had his, they had a nice bath chamber and sitting rooms not to mention the balcony off of the bedroom. All of their furniture was new, beautiful and comfortable.

Just as Ulysses had previously spoken during a conversation in Egypt, it took a couple of weeks for Xena to get use to things and learn all there was to learn about helping to rule a kingdom. She was a fast learner, so once she had learned the most important aspects of running a kingdom she helped to take care of the kingdom as if she had grown up there, like it was in her blood. She realized that these were Ulysses' people and they were important to him so seeing them happy would make him happy and that was what was most important to Xena. She also made time for her exercising and training with Athena. She hadn't had to go on any missions since she had the one in Egypt. Right now she was just concentrating on her new life as a wife and sort of co-ruler. She had never done either of them before so she worked her best on both.

As Ulysses had told Xena in Egypt, ruling Ithaca would be a busy task but there would be more than enough time for them and he made sure of that. They made time to spend with each other in the simplest ways. In the mornings they both exercised together. They would stretch then do some sit ups and go for a run. When their run was over, Xena did a light drill while Ulysses did some chin ups and reverse crunches. They loved exercising together, strangely enough they had fun doing it, just laughing, talking and joking with each other.

On a particular morning, a morning not so special they had woken an hour before sunrise and went exercising. When they were done they raced each other back to the palace. That was an obstacle in itself because at that time of the morning the palace was bustling with people. For Ulysses and Xena that meant they had to be careful where they ran, which meant they had to choose the right halls that were less traveled. Xena had chosen a hall that she thought would get her back to their chambers quicker and of course Ulysses had chosen another hall. Unfortunately, Ulysses chose a hall where more than a little people were passing. For him, the hall he had chosen had become an obstacle course. He jumped by people to avoid hitting them, jumped over servants carrying a table to another room and so on.

He continued running determined to make his way to the chambers first when he literally almost ran into his parents. "Whoa son, where's the fire?" Julian anxiously questioned afraid that something was going on some where. Ulysses let out a breath then leaned down so that he could catch his breath. "No fire just exercising," he said and his mother looked at him as she shook her head. "That's what outside is for, instead your running through the halls like a ten year old child," she reprimanded her son. Ulysses let out a breath as he stood up straight. "Yes mother," he said in a mocking tone and she looked at him, "and where is your shirt?" She questioned him in a motherly manner and he was about to answer her when he saw Xena enter the hall he was in.

She noticed him and stopped running, "don't tell me you gave up," she said in a bravado tone and he looked at her. "Hardly," he said and she grinned at him as she began walking backwards, "have I married an old man?" She taunted and with that she ran off towards their chambers and Ulysses grinned as he ran after her. "Don't be late," Julian yelled after his son, "I won't," Ulysses shouted back to him and Julian shook his head. "He's going to be late," he muttered as he placed his hand on Marguerite's lower back and they continued on towards the dinning hall.

"That boy reminds me of you more and more everyday," Marguerite said to her husband and Julian grinned. Xena continued running and Ulysses was hot on her heels, "come on old man, keep up," Xena taunted him yet again with a smile on her face. "I'll show you who's an old man once I beat you," he told her and Xena laughed at him. "In your dreams," she said then sped up and Ulysses shook his head as he tried to keep up with her, "damn woman is fast," he muttered to himself. Unfortunately, a couple of minutes later Xena beat him to the room first but she at least had to give it to him that he was just a few seconds behind her.

"I won," she boasted as she began to catch her breath and Ulysses looked at her. "You cheated," he said as he bent over and placed his hands on his knees as he once again tried to catch his breath and Xena laughed at him. "How did I cheat?" She asked as she went to pour herself a glass of water and Ulysses shook his head as he stood up straight. "I'm not quite sure yet but when I find out I'll let you know," he said and Xena grinned at him then smiled as he took her glass from her and drained the rest of its contents. "You know what I think?" Xena said as she walked up to Ulysses who sat the glass down on the table, "what?" He asked as Xena looked into his eyes as she ran her hands over his chest and abdomen while she moved closer to him.

"You're a sore loser," she said and he looked at her, "I am not," he indignantly said and Xena grinned as she leaned in and kissed him softly. "Well maybe a little," he admitted after the kiss ended and Xena smiled at him as she caressed his cheek. "You'll never be a loser in my eyes," she said as she looked into his eyes. When he looked into her eyes he could see as clear as day that he was her world and he didn't doubt that she saw the same thing in his eyes. He leaned in and kissed her softly, tasting her lips, "thank you," he said and Xena grinned as they shared a couple of pecks for kisses. "I'm going take a shower, you wanna join me?" Xena asked Ulysses who grinned at her, "of course," he excitedly said and Xena chuckled at him as she took his hand and lead him to the bath chamber.

Once they were there they rid themselves of all their clothes. Xena was the first to get into the shower and she let the hot water beat down onto her face and hair then her body. She grabbed the soap and began washing herself. Ulysses got into the shower just as she was rinsing off. He stepped up behind her and ran his hands over her shoulders and arms. Xena leaned back into him as he placed a few kisses on her neck and shoulder. "Wash my back for me," she commanded in a seductive purr as she handed him the soap. Ulysses lathered his hands and her back with the soap and began washing or rather firmly caressing her back and Xena closed her eyes as she relaxed from his touch.

When he was done with her back he didn't stop there. He stooped down and began washing her legs, slowly making his way up. He re-lathered his hands with soap again and began washing her thighs, caressing them and as he did that he was ever so close to her need and he could smell her desire. Now he was on his knees and Xena turned around so that he could get the front of her. Ulysses washed the front of her legs then her thighs and this time he was so close to her center that she could actually feel his breath on her. Ulysses looked up at Xena seeing the silent plea in her eyes. She looked down at him and she watched as he took the soap and began washing her there.

When there was enough soap there he began using his fingers to wash first, her outer lips then he parted her lips and cleaned the inside. "Ummm," Xena moaned as Ulysses stroked her with his fingers and he was so into what he was doing. When he was finished he made his way up, washing her stomach then her breasts and finally her arms and neck. "There, you're clean," he said and Xena grinned as she pulled him back into the water with her. "Thank you," she said then tilted her head back as she allowed the water to beat down on her face and rinse her body off. Ulysses watched her for a minute before he leaned in and began kissing and sucking on her neck. He used his tongue to catch the trails of water that rolled down her neck and body and it felt so good to Xena, so sensual and erotic.

As he did that, the water beat down on him. After a while Xena pulled him up and they looked into each other's eyes before they shared a passionate, tasting of lips. The water was now beating down on them both as they continued to kiss as if time was their own to control. When they broke the kiss for air, Ulysses shook his hair back slinging water all over and Xena smiled as she ran her fingers through his hair pushing it back from his face. They grinned at each other as they leaned back in for a kiss but instead of kissing they teased each other back and forth until finally they shared a passionate kiss.

Xena wrapped her arms around Ulysses shoulders and he wrapped his arms around her as they kissed and caressed each other. They stood there for what seemed like forever just kissing and caressing each other in the shower. Finally, Xena took the soap and began washing Ulysses' chest. As she did that she kissed and sucked on his neck. Her mouth and hands were so busy creating such pleasure just softly caressing him. Ulysses felt as if he were floating on a cloud of pleasure. When she was finished washing his body they stood there a while longer kissing before they finally got out of the shower. They dried off and Xena wrapped the towel around her body then grabbed another towel to dry her hair with as she walked into the bedroom.

Ulysses stayed behind in the bath chamber to shave. When he was done he dried his face then dried his hair. Xena went back to the bedroom where she dried her hair then sat down at the dresser and added oil to her hair before she dried it. She then lightly oiled her body then stood and went to her closet to look for something to put on. As she was looking in her closet, Ulysses walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her as he leaned in and inhaled her scent. "You smell good," he whispered seductively in her ear just before he placed a kiss on her neck and shoulder. "Well I just took a shower," Xena reminded him as she turned around and looked at Ulysses.

"You always smell good, even when you're covered in sweat," he said almost as if he was in awe about that. Xena laughed as he leaned in and began kissing and sucking on her neck. She just wrapped her arms around him but they didn't stay there as she caressed his arms and back. "You feel so good, your skin is so soft," he whispered to her, his voice filled with desire. He rose up and looked into Xena's eyes and she grinned at him as she caressed his cheek with her finger before they kissed. The kiss they shared started off slow as a tasting of lips and then it became a passionate, heated kiss. Xena wrapped her arms tighter around Ulysses, running her fingers through his hair and in response he wrapped his arms tighter around her.

After a minute or two, Ulysses closed the closet door with his hand and the next thing Xena felt was her back against the wood. She moaned as he pressed himself tighter against her and he moaned when she rubbed her leg up and down his. When the kiss ended they were both breathless. Ulysses looked into Xena's eyes as he softly caressed her neck, slowly and tantalizing moving his way down until he was caressing the tops of her breasts. He continued to look into her eyes as he undid the towel and let it fall to the floor. It was only then that he tore his eyes from hers to look at the beauty before him. For him, her body was perfect in every way. Her breasts sat there, all soft and milky and her nipples were rock hard calling to him.

He caressed her breasts and nipples and slowly made his way down, exploring her body as if he had never seen it before. All Ulysses could think about was how soft and silky her skin was as he caressed her waist and flat stomach. When he reached the apex of her thighs, her caressed the small patch of hair that she kept cut low and the rest of her pubic area was shaven. He caressed her thighs before he went and caressed her lips then ran his fingers inside and was not surprised at the wetness he found there. Xena's breathing had sped up and Ulysses looked at her. He looked at the passion and desire in her eyes. He leaned in and teased her lips with his own before he actually kissed her passionately.

"Mmmm," Xena moaned as she grabbed his hair and pulled his mouth down tighter onto hers. Ulysses moaned as he returned her passionate kiss while he continued to caress her body. When the kiss ended they were both breathing hard and they just looked into each other's eyes, conveying a need they didn't need to speak with words. "You're going to be late," she told him and Ulysses nodded as he caressed her cheek while continuing to look into her eyes. "I know," he admitted then kissed Xena softly and she moaned at the softness of the kiss. She undid the towel around his waist and it fell to the floor. Xena leaned in and tasted Ulysses lips and he moaned as she sucked on his bottom lip then his top before she initiated another kiss.

"It'll be my fourth time this week," he reminded her as he picked Xena up and she wrapped her legs around his waist, while she ran her fingers through Ulysses' hair as he walked over to the bed and got in. "Won't Julian be mad?" Xena asked before Ulysses kissed her. They were lying in the middle of the bed, Ulysses between Xena's legs kissing her passionately. "Probably," Ulysses confirmed when the kiss ended. They just looked into each other's eyes as Xena caressed Ulysses' face and he caressed her thighs and legs. They leaned in and shared another soft, tasting of lips.

"What's he going to do, fire me?" Ulysses asked with a grin when the kiss ended. He then began kissing and sucking on Xena's neck. "Mmmm," she moaned as she arched her body into his while running her fingers through his hair. "He could," Xena said then moaned again as Ulysses began kissing his way down and he was now paying attention to her breasts. "I'll survive," he told her while he kissed and sucked all over her breast before he sucked on her nipple moaning as he did this delightful task. "Ummm," Xena moaned as she arched into him while slightly grasping his hair.

"Mmmm…all I need is you," he said as he looked up at Xena who grinned at him. "And these," he playfully admitted as he grabbed Xena's breasts and squeezed them then jiggled them before he placed kisses on each. Xena laughed at him, "to survive and I'll be fine," he said and Xena smiled at him. "Come here," she told him and he crawled his way back up and looked into Xena's eyes and she looked into his. "I love you," she told him then kissed him softly and Ulysses moaned then chuckled as Xena rolled him onto his back. When the kiss ended Ulysses looked into Xena's eyes as he caressed her hair, "and I love you," he said just before they shared another soft kiss.

When the kiss ended Xena began kissing Ulysses on his neck and shoulder and all he did was lie back, relaxed and enjoyed the feeling. When she got down to his chest she caressed him and kissed him all over then spent time on his nipples. Ulysses never knew his nipples could be so sensitive when in a woman's mouth. They had of course been in a woman's mouth before but it never really brought him any pleasure. Now when she did it Ulysses could do nothing but moan and arch into her asking her for more, like a child asking for a piece of candy. She did everything to his nipples; licked them, sucked and bit on them and he moaned at every last action. When she was done there she kissed her way down and as she did she found a new tickle spot on his side and she explored it with her tongue, smiling when Ulysses wiggled around.

"You're wicked," he laughed out and Xena smile as she returned to kiss her way down until she reached the spot on his body that craved the most attention. It amazed her sometimes how big Ulysses was. There were times when he was real excited he became extra hard which meant a little bigger in width, this was one of those moments. She stroked his hard member with her hand as she kissed, sucked and bit on his thighs. She then rose up and breathe all on his member, especially his head but she never took him into her mouth. After a couple of minutes Ulysses was no longer able to stand the torture. "Gods will you stop teasing me," he pleaded and demanded at the same time as he banged his head into the pillow and Xena grinned at him.

She flicked her tongue out over the tip of his head but Ulysses didn't let out a breath of relief just yet. He wasn't able to do that until his member was in her mouth and she was slowly sucking him, making her mouth tighter as to create more suction. "Ahhh baby that feels so good," Ulysses moaned as he gripped Xena's shoulders and she moaned as she continued to pleasure him. After a while she sucked his entire member with her lips. She then moved down to his balls where she licked them first before she sucked them each into her mouth, one at a time. "Ummm…shit," Ulysses moaned as he banged his hand on the bed and his head tilted back at the same time.

Xena grinned to herself, loving that reaction so she did it once more before she went back to his very hard member. She stayed there for a couple of minutes more then kissed her way back up and they shared a very passionate kiss. As they kissed Ulysses ran his hands over every part of Xena's body until he rolled her back onto her back. Xena smiled as she opened her legs and Ulysses fell between them. They continued to kiss passionately while caressing each other. Ulysses went and explored Xena's body once more and when he was between her thighs she opened them wide for him to let him explore her to the fullest.

Ulysses pushed Xena's thigh outward just so he wouldn't have to hold her lips open. He then dipped his head down and wiggled his tongue around then licked all over moaning as he tasted her sweetness. He sucked on a couple of area's making the sucking noise and that was just a teaser for him and Xena. When he got down to the serious stuff, he held her thighs and dove in like a thirsty animal would for water. "Mmmm," Xena moaned as she licked her lips and tilted her head back. She then ran her fingers through Ulysses' hair. "Unnngh," she moaned sharply as he sucked on a very sensitive spot.

Ulysses barely came up for air as he enjoyed this delightful task. Soon Xena was rubbing herself into Ulysses' mouth trying to get more pleasure. He denied her as he held her down and he grinned as he raised his head and kissed and sucked on her thighs. "Ulysses," Xena said in a voice that said let's get back to work and he grinned up at her. "Payback's a bitch isn't it," he taunted her and she looked down at him then grinned as she looked up at the ceiling. Ulysses smiled then dove back in once again. Xena closed her eyes tightly as she held his hair tight in her grasp, moaning non stop as he continued to pleasure her.

When he was finally done he kissed down her legs. As he kissed her legs he pushed two of his fingers into her. "Unnngh," Xena moaned as he fingered her while he kissed and sucked on her leg. He moved to the other and all Xena could think was that Ulysses was an amazing lover, she definitely had to give him that. After a couple of minutes he moved back up and they kissed each other passionately. As they kissed Ulysses used his hips to guide himself into Xena and he moaned as he began to enter her. "Ummm…Unnngh," Xena moaned as she broke the kiss and squeezed Ulysses' arm as he stretched her while continuing to push into her.

"Mmmm," she moaned as Ulysses kissed her chin and cheek before Xena grabbed his hair and kissed him passionately. Ulysses moaned as he pushed the rest of the way in and Xena arched into him as they continued to kiss. Ulysses took her arms and pinned them above her head to the bed. When the kiss ended he began kissing on her neck while he developed a rhythm. At times they went nice and slow and at other times they went hard and fast. Ulysses was always amazed that Xena could meet him at whatever he did and he never had a woman be able to do that before.

The sheet covered them somewhat. It mostly just clung to their bodies like sweat was beginning to. They rolled around on the bed constantly, Xena showing Ulysses what she could do and he showed her what he could do. Forty five minutes later Ulysses had Xena's legs in the crooks of his arms and he looked down at her as he pounded into her hard, fast and deep. Xena rose her hands up and grabbed the headboard needing something to hold on to just moaned in pleasure. Ulysses moaned and grunted as he thrust into her. At times he looked into her eyes and other times he titled his head back and just enjoyed the pleasure. One thing Xena could say about Ulysses was that he had a lot of stamina, a whole lot.

After a while he lowered her legs then leaned down and kissed her passionately. Xena moaned as she ran her hands all over his arms, shoulders and backed while she wrapped her legs around his body. Now their pace was set at nice and slow as they kissed and caressed each other. They also took the time to stare into each other's eyes sharing all the feelings that were written in their hearts. Twenty minutes later they both released and they just lay in the bed sharing lazy kisses. They were lying on their sides and Xena smiled as she wrapped her arm around Ulysses' shoulder while she kissed him softly.

"Your father is going to be sooo mad," Xena said and Ulysses groaned and let out a breath as he rolled onto his back. "Yea, I guess I should get up," he said and Xena leaned over him and he looked up at her. "I'm the luckiest man alive," he said and Xena smiled at him as she caressed his chest then leaned down and kissed him softly. "Come on, we both have work to do," Xena said as she patted his chest and Ulysses nodded. "After you," he said and Xena got out of the bed first and Ulysses got out afterwards. "Have you seen Gemini?" Xena asked Ulysses as she put her underwear on, "last I saw, she was running with us, something tasty probably caught her attention," Ulysses said as he put on his pants.

Xena's job in Ithaca was helping Ulysses with all of the security on Ithaca and on Paxos. She also had duties as Athena's chosen with seeing to Athena's other temples. Since she was in Ithaca she saw to the needs of the other temples at the temple in Ithaca in the main city which she lived in. When she wasn't doing either of those things, she trained and drilled with Athena and the elite archers and she often went to the training grounds and sparred with the men there. On those days she wore leather pants or shorts, depending on the weather and a shirt along with her boots. On other days she wore one of the many dresses that had been made for her along with many of the shoes. She had never in her life had so many clothes and Ulysses made sure to provide her with the jewelry to go with those clothes by surprising her every now and then.

There were times however when she felt more comfortable in a pair of pants or shorts than she did in the dresses. With the person that Xena was, she wore what made her comfortable and Ulysses had no problem with that. However she knew a few of the other noblemen talked about her but she didn't care. She had been talked about all her life but being talked about wouldn't change who she was. Xena was going to the temple so she dressed in a dress and shoes. She pulled her hair back into a pony tail and the only jewelry she would be wearing this day were her wedding ring and band and the necklaces she and Ulysses both wore around their necks as a sign of their connection, which they never took off.

Ulysses dressed in his regular clothes, clothes that were regular for a prince anyway. Xena was finished dressing before Ulysses and sat on the edge of the bed and looked at Ulysses as he put on his long sleeve shirt then buttoned it. He tucked it in his pants then pulled it out some. He then buttoned his cuffs and grabbed a brush from his chest and brushed his hair. Ulysses was a good looking man, with or without clothes and he dressed neatly and kept himself trimmed in that same manner. There weren't a lot of men you could say that about. Ulysses looked in the mirror as he brushed his hair and he caught sight of Xena looking at him.

"What?" He asked as he sat the brush down then turned around and Xena grinned as she stood and walked over to him. "You're a handsome man," she said as she ran her hands over his arms and Ulysses grinned at her. "And you're a beautiful woman, no a gorgeous woman," he corrected himself and Xena smiled at him. Ulysses picked up her hand and placed a kiss right above her rings. "We make a great couple," he announced as if he were announcing it to the entire island. Xena grinned as she leaned into him, "yes we do," she said and then they shared a soft, passionate kiss.

When the kiss ended Ulysses placed a kiss on her forehead. "Shall we?" He questioned as he held his arm up to her and Xena grinned as she placed her hand on his arm and they left the bedroom and walked into the sitting room, where Ulysses grabbed his keys and they left the room. "Are you going to the temple today?" Ulysses asked Xena, "yea, I have a lot of petitions to look over," she said. "If you don't mind I'd like to walk you there," he said and Xena grinned at him. "It would be my pleasure," she said and Ulysses nodded. Hand in hand they left the palace and headed to the temple. During their walk they enjoyed the day as well as talked to one another.

When they reached the temple Ulysses walked her in then kissed her softly. "I'll see you for lunch?" Ulysses asked and Xena grinned as she nodded. "Of course," she confirmed the obvious before she leaned in and kissed Ulysses. "Mmmm…sometimes I wish we were still on our honeymoon," he confessed as he leaned his head against hers and Xena grinned as she brought her arms up to rest on his shoulders. "Only sometimes, I wish it all the time," she said and Ulysses grinned. "Well I didn't want you to think I was a sex addict or anything," he said and Xena chuckled as she kissed him. "Now why would I think that?" Xena asked and Ulysses hunched his shoulders as he grinned. They shared another kiss and this one was definitely more passionate than the last.

They stood there for a couple of minutes lazily kissing until they were interrupted. "Excuse me my lady," one of the priestesses said and Xena turned and looked at her. "Lassa told me to tell you to meet her in the courtyard when you arrived," she informed Xena who nodded. "I'll be right there," she answered and the priestess bowed her head then left. "I gotta go," she told Ulysses who nodded. "I'll see you later," she said as she began to back up and Ulysses grinned at her. "Count on it," he told her in an almost arrogant way and she smiled at him before she pulled her hand free then turned around and walked away. Ulysses grinned to himself as he turned and left the temple and headed back to the palace.

On his walk back he prepared himself for his father's onslaught because he just knew he was going to be angry. When Ulysses reached his father's office he let out a breath before he opened the door and walked in, closing the door behind him. "You're late," Julian stated without looking up and Ulysses nodded. "I know, I know," he said as he sat down on the sofa and looked at the stack of papers on the end table. Ulysses looked at his father who was reading a scroll. "What?" Julian asked feeling his son staring at him. "You're not going to lecture me on being late and responsibilities?" Ulysses wondered out loud and Julian looked at Ulysses. "Would it do me any good?

You don't listen, you never have and I don't think you're going to start now," Julian said and Ulysses thought about that. "Besides, I know how it is to be newly married and you just want to be with your wife all day every day," Julian said and Ulysses nodded. "And I'm sure it doesn't help that you guys didn't really have a honeymoon," Julian said and Ulysses nodded doubly at that. "I'm glad you understand dad," he said and Julian nodded. "I do but I'm only going to let this go for so long. I'm giving you one more week and then it's really time for work," Julian said and Ulysses nodded. "But if I were you I wouldn't do too much, your work is going to start piling up on you," he counseled his son and Ulysses nodded in appreciation then went to work.

Time passed and Ulysses couldn't wait for lunch. It wasn't that he was hungry, he just couldn't wait to see Xena. All he could do was think about her all day. When lunch time arrived, Ulysses had finished half of the stack of papers on his desk and he was pacing around the room waiting for his father to finish writing a document so that they could go. "How much stuff are you writing?" Ulysses asked and Julian shook his head at his son. "I'm almost done, why don't you sit down," he suggested and Ulysses let out a breath and sat down. However, as soon as he did there was a knock on the door and he jumped up to answer it, hoping beyond hope that it was Xena. When he opened the door it was just his mother.

"Oh, it's you," he said in a sulking manner as he walked into the room and Marguerite walked in as well. "Is that any way to greet your mother?" She asked and Ulysses looked at her. "Sorry mom, I was just hoping you were Xena," he said then began pacing around the room once more. Marguerite looked at her son then walked over to Julian and placed a kiss on his cheek. "What's wrong with him?" She asked and Julian looked up for a moment and shook his head as he continued writing. "The gods only know. He's been like that for the last two hours. I think he's missing Xena," Julian said with a grin especially because he knew Ulysses heard him. "Oh that's so cute," Marguerite said with a grin and Ulysses looked at his mother.

"Mom, please," he said and she looked at him. "What? I think it's cute that you miss your wife, it shows how much love you have for her," she said and Ulysses nodded his head. "Done," Julian said, "finally," Ulysses replied as he walked over to the door and opened it. Julian signed the bottom of the document then placed his seal next to it before he rolled it up and walked over to the door, Marguerite in front of him. Once they were out of the office, Julian locked the door and they headed to the dinning hall. First Julian made a stop at the archives to drop off the document he just wrote to have it transcribed.

On their way to the dinning hall they ran into Virgil and then Camilla, everyone but Xena. "Where have you been all day?" Ulysses asked Virgil who let out a breath, "my father found a million things for me to do today. I thought I was supposed to be your second hand, not his." Virgil complained and Ulysses hunched his shoulders. "I suppose you're both," he commented and Virgil continued to talk to him until they reached the dinning hall. When they walked in Ulysses saw Xena talking to Marina and she looked up just as Ulysses walked through the door.

"Go, I'll see you later," Marina said and Xena grinned and nodded before she left and began walking over to Ulysses and he met her half way. "Hey," Xena said as she took Ulysses' hand and he grinned at her, "hey," he replied back and Xena smiled as she walked up closer to Ulysses. "I missed you," she said as she placed her arms on his shoulders. "No I missed you," he said as he placed his hands on her waist and Xena continued to grin as they leaned in and kissed. "There they go again," Camilla commented as though she were disgusted by their actions.

"Leave them be Camilla, one day when you're married you'll understand that feeling," Marguerite said. She then grinned as Julian kissed the back of her hand before they shared a kiss and Camilla just rolled her eyes at them. 'Maybe, one day' Camilla thought to herself. She looked at Virgil who happened to look up at that exact moment and their eyes connected. They looked at each other for a moment and Camilla was the first to break that trance. However she couldn't help but look back at Virgil who was looking else where but he could feel her eyes on him.

When Xena and Ulysses were finished their kissing they walked hand and hand over to the table where Ulysses pulled out Xena's chair and she smiled at him as she sat down and he sat down next to her. They talked between themselves until lunch was brought out and then everyone talked amongst themselves. When lunch was over they had a small desert and while everyone else had a fruit salad, small apple dumplings were brought out to Ulysses. "I left the temple a little earlier and made these for you," Xena said with a grin as she picked one up and fed it to him. "How is it?" Xena asked and Ulysses grinned at her, "delicious as always," he said and she grinned as she sucked the sugar off of her thumb.

"Here," he said as he picked up one and fed it to her and Xena looked into his eyes as she cleaned off his thumb and forefinger and Ulysses smiled as he and Xena met half way for a kiss. "Ugh…get a room," Camilla said as she rolled her eyes at them. Ulysses and Xena continued to feed the pastries to one another until they were all gone and by then they had worked themselves up. "Walk me back to the temple," Xena asked but her eyes demanded. She stood and Ulysses obeyed as he nodded as stood. "Sure," he said draining his glass before he left.

"Ulysses," Julian called to his son. "Yea, yea I know, don't be late," Ulysses said. "Actually I was going to say have fun," Julian told his son. Ulysses looked at his father who winked at him and Ulysses grinned as he left the hall. "So why are we heading to the temple?" Ulysses asked Xena as they exited the palace. "Well I thought we could spend a little time together and it's less likely that we'll be disturbed there," she said as they walked at a medium pace to the temple. Once they were there they went in through a side door and headed to a room in which Ulysses had never been in. On their way there they stopped and shared a few passionate, heated kisses, which served to get them more worked up than they already were.

"Where in tartarus is this room?" Ulysses asked in a breathless voice as Xena was pushed back against the wall. She pulled him to her and kissed him passionately. Her breath was stolen away before she could even think about answering and they both moaned as they shared that kiss. Xena began pulling Ulysses' shirt out of his pants and he pulled the strap to her dress down some as he kissed her shoulder. "I'm going to take you in this hall if we don't get to this room," he whispered breathlessly in her ear. "We're here already," she said as she walked to the door they were standing next to. She placed her hand on the door then leaned her head forehead as she felt Ulysses behind her, caressing her and kissing her.

They both placed their hands on the handle and opened the door. They walked into the room and Xena's body against the door closed it. From that point on they began stripping off each other's clothes as they made their way over to the bed in the corner of the room. Ulysses pulled his shirt over his head and threw it somewhere and Xena grinned as she did the same with her dress. She then pulled Ulysses to her by his pants as they shared another passionate kiss. As they continued to kiss Ulysses grabbed Xena's thighs and picked her up. She wrapped her legs around him as she moaned and deepened the kiss. From there they fell onto the bed and when the kiss ended Xena began to undo Ulysses' pants.

"Are you sure we can do this here?" Ulysses asked just before Xena kissed him and sucked on his lips. "I mean this is a God's temple," Ulysses said after he was able to catch his breath. "Don't worry about it," Xena said once she flipped Ulysses onto his back which was a better position to get his pants off of him. "Athena doesn't watch us, so it's fine," she explained to him as she began pulling his pants down his legs. When they were at his ankles Ulysses kicked them off. Ulysses rolled Xena back onto her back, settling himself comfortably between her legs as they shared yet another kiss. "But…" he began but Xena placed her finger against his lips, which stopped him from talking.

"She's not going to care, so stop talking and make love to me," Xena told him and Ulysses grinned as he looked into her eyes. "Yes my Queen," he said with total devotion and with nothing else said he did what he was told and what he wanted so desperately to do. Nearly an hour later Ulysses and Xena were totally covered by the covers on the bed. Moans and groans could be heard coming from under the covers as they continued to make hot passionate love. They were sharing a deep, passionate kiss and when it ended Ulysses used his arm to throw the covers back allowing some air to reach them and it felt good on their hot, sweaty skin.

Xena pulled Ulysses down for another kiss as she rose up to meet his thrusts. She rubbed her legs up and down his as she ran her nails over his back and dug her fingers into his shoulders. When the kiss ended he began to kiss and suck on Xena's neck and she gripped his neck holding him there. "Harder…unnnghhh…deeper," Xena moaned in Ulysses' ear as she planted her feet flat on the bed and opened her legs wider allowing Ulysses to go deeper. He rose up on his hands and did as he was asked and when he did he moaned loudly and Xena let out a high pitch cry between a moan and a scream. She brought her hands up to grasp the pillows, feeling as if she needed something to hold onto.

Ulysses initiated the next passionate kiss and as they kissed he caressed her thighs and legs before he brought his hands up and intertwined his fingers with hers. They held each other's hands tightly as he continued to thrust at a medium pace. "Unnnghh…you feel so good," Ulysses moaned as he rested his lips against Xena's cheek while continuing to thrust into her and his moans were driving her wild. Xena was working up as much of a sweat as Ulysses was working up since she met him thrust for thrust and he loved that about her. After a couple of minutes Ulysses stopped thrusting and began kissing and sucking his way down Xena's body, he loved to pay her body attention, he basically worshipped her and didn't have a problem with it.

A while later when he was done, she pushed him down onto his back and did the same thing. When she was done, she guided his member into her and began riding him. She placed her hands on his chest and rode him hard and fast, bouncing up and down every now and then. She was driving Ulysses wild and crazy with passion and all he could do was moan loudly as he held on tightly to her waist. He often bit down on his lip and banged his head into the pillow to keep from crying out. The pleasure was just that good and was as good if not better for Xena who was moaning non stop as she rode her husband as one would a horse. After a while she leaned back on her hands and rose herself up and down. Ulysses couldn't believe what he was seeing. This was something new, something he hadn't taught Xena.

This was turning him on and he looked at Xena as she shook her hair back and continued to raise and lower her hips. Ulysses held onto her thighs just before he opened them wider so that he could get a better view and he loved seeing himself move in and out of Xena. In fact he could see her clit, large and pulsing with the blood flowing through it, he brought his hand down between her legs and began rubbing it and Xena almost hopped off of him. He held onto her tightly with his other hand as he rubbed her and now he was hearing nothing but cries from Xena and he moaned as he felt her renewed wetness and the way she pulsed around him, squeezing him tightly and releasing him, it was driving him wild.

Xena placed one of her hands on Ulysses' chest and she tilted her head back and moaned. Ulysses raised his hips to meet hers. After a couple of minutes he grabbed her hand and pulled her back up then down where they shared a kiss and as they kissed he rolled her back onto her back and continued what he was doing. Fifteen minutes later, Ulysses let out a loud groan as he continued to thrust into Xena who cried out Ulysses' name as she wrapped her arm around his shoulder. They were both breathing hard and when they caught their breaths they shared a soft kiss before Ulysses fell on the bed on his back and let out a breath and couldn't help but grin as he did so.

"I have been waiting to do that all morning," Xena confessed as she moved into Ulysses' arms. He grinned as he placed a kiss on her forehead. "I'm glad I wasn't the only one," he said and Xena smiled at him then let out a breath as her body began to relax. "Are you sure Athena's not going to get mad at us for this? I don't want her to do something like forbid us from making love ever again," Ulysses worried after ten minutes of silence and Xena laughed at him and her laughter was music to his ears even though he was mostly serious about the question. They laid there for a while and talked until Ulysses thought it was time for him to head back so he began to get dressed.

With the sheet wrapped mostly around her body, Xena lay on the bed long ways as she ate from a bowl of fruit. "Did Julian fuss at you this morning?" Xena asked Ulysses as she watched him get dressed and he shook his head. "No which was surprising. What was even more surprising was that he told me he understood where I was coming from and gave me a week to come to work late and slack up on things before he really meant business." Ulysses said and Xena nodded, "that was nice of him and definitely unexpected." She mused and Ulysses nodded as he put his boots on.

"My father is a great guy, sometimes he just needs to relax," Ulysses said and Xena nodded then grinned when she felt Ulysses place a kiss on her shoulder then her back. "So that means for another week I'm going to beat you at racing," he wished out loud and Xena smiled at him. "In your dreams," she said then turned her head and kissed Ulysses softly both of them moaning from the softness of the kiss. "I love you so much," Ulysses whispered as he looked into her eyes and Xena looked back at him. "And I love you with all my heart and soul," she whispered back then rubbed her nose against Ulysses' before they kissed once more. "I gotta go," he said as he stood and ran his fingers through his hair.

He looked in the mirror to make sure his clothes were straight before he walked over to Xena and gave her a peck on the lips. "See ya later," he said and Xena nodded her head as she grinned and watched him leave the room. When the door closed Xena continued to grin as she rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling as she thought about Ulysses. "This isn't Aphrodite's temple you know," Athena stated as she appeared in the room and Xena looked at her. "You weren't supposed to be watching," Xena said as she sat up, holding the sheet to her chest. "This is MY temple," Athena reminded Xena as she looked at her chosen. "I watch everything that goes on in my temples but I gave you your privacy in spite of that fact," Athena said and Xena nodded.

"Thank you," she said as she stood and went to pick up her dress. "I see married life agrees with you," Athena said as she noticed the glow about Xena. However she didn't need to see that to know. She felt what Xena felt so she knew she was extremely happy. "I never thought that this would be the life I would be living but here I am and I am so deeply in love with Ulysses," Xena said and she said it with a smile as she shook her head. "It's good to see you happy Xena," Athena mused out loud and without another word she left. Xena grinned to herself as she began to get dressed and went back to work. Days began to pass and those days turned into weeks. Before anyone knew it those weeks had turned into months until she and Ulysses had been married for six months and life was good for them.

The only thing she could really complain about was that for the past week and a half, Ulysses had been working really hard lately and he worked long into the night. Often times he wasn't at dinner and she fell asleep before he got back to the room. She didn't enjoy that, especially since she had become so use to him being there at night mostly holding her. Not to mention he hadn't the time or energy to make love or even cuddle for that much. He explained to her that this was a busy time. Treaties needed renewing, some needed to be discussed amongst Julian and the advisors. They also had to meet with those whom with the treaties were with.

He also had to deal with matters concerning Paxos. The new kingdom under their rule done so by the bad decisions Dartanion made. She asked if there were anything she could do, more than she was already doing but he told her that he and his father had it under control. For the time being though, she took over security for Paxos and Ithaca which was a great help. Night had fallen and Xena was sitting at the dresser brushing her hair as she prepared for her night with Ulysses. It seemed as if his work load was starting to get a bit lighter since he started coming back to the room a little sooner. She admitted that she had to get use to Ulysses spending so much time working but he often made up for it. She also had to understand that seeing to the kingdom was more than a job for Ulysses, it was his right, his honor and responsibility.

Much like she considered being Athena's chosen was to her. So they didn't argue or fight. Xena simply did the things a wife does to make her husband's life more comfortable after he came home for work. Even though the palace was filled with maids, Xena took it upon herself to make sure that their rooms were kept clean and straight. After all, she wasn't raised to let other people do work that she could clearly do herself.

So even though the maids saw to making up the bed, cleaning the floors and such, Xena saw to smaller things like keeping the room straight when she and Ulysses were there. For the past week he had been coming back to the room late. None the less he often came to the room to his sleeping clothes laid out and the sheets turned down on the bed. He didn't ask but he often needed the massage of his shoulders that Xena gave him every night with a few healing kisses and words of encouragement. To Ulysses the best thing of all was Xena telling him I love you and holding her for the rest of the night when he didn't come back too late. It was the end of the week and being the loving wife and fantastic woman that she was, she prepared a little treat for Ulysses.

He would come back to the room at a late hour like he usually did but he would come back to a very romantic night. She had enough candles lit in the room so that the atmosphere was romantic, and she also threw a couple of rose petals on the bed. Once the room was ready she took a nice, long, hot bubble bath where she washed her hair. When she was done she oiled her body down in oil that smelled of Orchids. She found that her natural body scent brought it out nicely and Ulysses loved it; it was a gift from Marguerite.

Once she was done she then tended to her hair adding round wooden objects so that her hair would have some curl to it. Letting the objects stay in her hair for a while she then dressed in a sexy outfit she knew Ulysses would love, especially since it was red, he loved the color red on her. By the time she was done with making herself beautiful and delectable, it was a couple of minutes around the time Ulysses would be coming back to the room. She took the objects out of her hair throwing them back into the drawer that they came from. She then ran her fingers through her hair loosening up the curls.

She had just finished slipping her shoes on when she heard Ulysses opening the door. She walked over to the door to the bed room and leaned against the door frame. She ran her fingers through her hair as she watched Ulysses walk into the room. He was tired she could see that by the way he walked. When he walked into the room he closed the door behind him and locked it. He threw his keys on the end table that sat by the door. He let out a breath as he walked over to the sofa and flopped down. He ran his fingers through his hair then leaned all the way back, closing his eyes as his body began to unwind and relax.

Xena watched Ulysses for a couple of minutes then let him know that she was there. "Tired my lord?" She asked in a soft, silky voice. Ulysses opened his eyes and looked at Xena and what he saw made him sit up so that he could get a better view. Xena put on a sultry, sexy grin as she slowly walked over to Ulysses who ran his eyes over her body. Xena wore a sheer nighty that stopped at the top of her thighs, with splits on the end. It looked as if Xena were poured into the outfit. The fabric clung to every curve of her body especially her breasts. He ran his eyes down Xena's legs and all he could do was swallow hard as she moved closer to him. He raised his eyes and looked into the blue depths of his love. "My lord," she seductively spoke as she held out her hand to him and without hesitation he took her hand as he stood up.

She walked up close to him as she took his other hand and he looked at her then closed his eyes as she leaned in and kissed him softly. She placed her hand on his cheek as she tasted his lips. Ulysses placed his hands on Xena's waist as he tasted her lips. When the kiss ended, Xena looked into Ulysses' eyes as she continued to softly caress his cheek. "You have been working so hard lately and so long," she said. "I know and I'm sorry…" he started saying but Xena placed her finger against his lips stopping him. "I know what you have been working so hard to do is important," she said as she continued to look into his eyes while running her fingers over his forehead and slightly into his hair. "I'm not upset, I just thought that since you have been working so hard that you could use a little treat," Xena finished with a grin and Ulysses grinned as he looked at his wife.

"And what would this treat be?" He asked and Xena grinned. "You'll see," she said and as she still held his hand she turned and gently pulled him with her towards the bedroom though he needed no more prompting. When they were in the room Ulysses closed the door behind them then looked around the room as Xena continued to pull him. "You did all of this?" He asked and Xena grinned and nodded. "Unhuh," she mumbled as she pulled him until they stood in the middle of the room. "So is this the surprise?" Ulysses asked and Xena looked at him as she pulled his shirt out of his pants then began to unbutton it. "Well that depends," she stated. "On what?" He asked as she stepped closer and Xena bit down on her lower lip in a way that Ulysses found so adorable. "If you prefer this room over your gorgeous wife," Xena said and Ulysses grinned as he leaned in brushing his lips slightly against Xena's in a teasing way.

"It's such a hard decision," he said and Xena grinned as she stepped closer. "Really?" She asked and he nodded as he pushed a lock of Xena's hair back. "Well let me see if I can convince you," she said then leaned in and kissed Ulysses softly. The kiss they shared was a soft tasting of lips that soon progressed to a passionate tasting of lips. As they kissed Xena ran her hands over Ulysses' shoulders and up the back of his neck running her nails over his scalp at the nape of his neck and that movement sent bolts of fire through Ulysses' body. He moaned as he pulled Xena closer and began to deepen the kiss. They broke apart for a couple of seconds for air but their lips stayed locked as it would continue to do throughout the night. "Ummm," they both moaned as they tasted each other's lips while their tongues caressed. "I chose you," Ulysses confirmed in a breathless voice and Xena grinned.

She had both of her hands on the side of Ulysses' face as she brushed her lips against his. "Mmmm…I knew you would," she said then kissed him passionately. "Ummm…mmmm," Ulysses moaned and Xena moaned as well as she ran her hands over the back of Ulysses' neck then down to his shoulders. They stood there for a couple of minutes just passionately kissing each other. Then Xena ran her hands over Ulysses' chest and as she came up she began pushing his shirt off of his shoulders and down his arms. Ulysses moaned as he let his shirt drop to the floor. He then pulled Xena tight against him, his hands splayed against her back.

As much as Ulysses was enjoying this he was just too tired to really enjoy it or give Xena the attention she deserved. "As much as I am enjoying this and loved this surprise I'm just too tired and I have to get up early in the morning," Ulysses said in an apologetic voice. Xena looked at him and nodded, trying not to show the disappointment in her eyes. "Alright," she said and began to walk away when Ulysses grabbed her hand. "Another time though," he stated, regret showing plainly in his eyes. Xena grinned and nodded. "Sure," she said and Ulysses nodded and kissed the back of her hand. Xena went to change her clothes and Ulysses did the same.

Xena was the first into bed and she let out a breath as she lay on her side facing away from Ulysses. He turned down all the lanterns in the room and got into bed, lying on his back. He let out a breath as he relaxed and thought about all he had to do tomorrow. He looked over at Xena and felt bad that she had gone through all that trouble to prepare that surprise for him and they couldn't really take advantage of it. All he could think to do was scoot up behind her and tightly wrap his arm around her. He placed a few kisses on her shoulder and neck as a sign of an apology. He then settled himself down to go to sleep. Xena acknowledged his regret and kissed the back of his hand before she too settled down and let sleep take her.

Morning came and when Xena woke she found that she was in bed by herself, something that was becoming all too regular these days. She let out a breath as she sat up in bed then went about her morning as she usually did. Exercise, shower, something to eat and then she went to work. The day was passing by fairly quickly and when lunch came for Xena she didn't see Ulysses and she was disappointed about that but she dealt with it. A little after lunch she had a break and decided to go and pay Ulysses a visit to see if he wanted to take a break with her or to at least see if he would be joining her for dinner. Ulysses still hadn't had an office of his own yet but it wasn't as if he were really pressing his father on the issue.

The place to find Ulysses was at Julian's office so that's where she went. When she got there she knocked on the door and entered when given the answer. "Hello Julian," she bid her father-in-law and he grinned at her. "Afternoon Xena," he greeted her. Xena turned and looked at Ulysses who was hard at work. "Ulysses," she called, "yea," he answered but he didn't look up as he continued to read. "I was wondering if you'd like to take a small break with me?" She pondered to him and Ulysses shook his head. "Nah, I'm too busy right now," he answered, still not looking up at her and Xena let out a breath. "When aren't you busy?" She mumbled under her breath but loud enough for him to hear her. However he didn't answer her, basically ignoring her as he continued to work.

"Will I see you for dinner?" She asked and he hunched his shoulders, still not looking at her and Xena was becoming frustrated and upset with this situation. "Well if I won't see you for dinner will you at least be back at the room at a reasonable hour?" Xena asked and again Ulysses hunched his shoulders as he continued to read the parchment in his hand. "Ulysses," she yelled at him as she pushed him on his shoulder, clearly beyond the point of frustration. "What?" He asked in that same tone of voice as he finally looked at Xena. "Do you not here me talking to you?" She asked him, her eyes now showing that she was angry with him. "Yea I heard you and I answered you," he yelled at her.

"You hunching your shoulders at me is not an answer," she yelled back at him and he looked at her and let out a breath. "It's highly unlikely that I'll see you for dinner and I will probably get back to the room late. There, happy?" He asked and Xena just looked at him. "Does it look like I'm happy?" She said and Ulysses looked at her, letting out a frustrated breath of his own. "Look, what do you want from me? I'm busy alright and I'm sorry that I can't take a break to go walk around with you or whatever it is you want to do but I have work to do," he shouted at her. "I want my husband to spend time with me, instead the only time I see you is at night when you come to the room exhausted and I barely see you then."

She said and Ulysses nodded as he stood up, "do you see this pile?" He said as he pointed to the one on the table. "And that one and that one and those?" He questioned as he pointed to another pile of parchment on the sofa then two more on the side of the sofa. "I have to read all of those, determine which ones to keep and make adjustments to others. All this has to be done in a couple of days. So forgive me if I don't have time to look at flowers with you but I have a lot of work to do. So I would appreciate it if you would get off my back," he said to her and Xena looked at him and nodded.

"Fine, I'm sorry for wanting to spend a little time with you," she said, hurt showing clear in her eyes. Ulysses closed his eyes and let out a breath as he realized what he just said and did. Before he could do anything Xena left the room, slamming the door close behind her. Julian had been sitting there the entire time reading or at least trying to. He looked up when Xena slammed the door and Ulysses kicked the wall a couple of times. "I'm an idiot," he berated himself as he sat down on the sofa and brought his hands up to cover is face and groan into them. "Yes but this is something new for you so you are expected to make some mistakes," Julian counseled his son and Ulysses looked at his father.

"How do you do it dad? How did you juggle work with being a husband and father?" He asked and Julian looked at his son. "Well it wasn't easy, it was definitely a challenge but I always had your mother at my side helping me. When I explained things to her about work she became more understanding and suggested some good things. Things like having my head advisor help me with the bulk of the work and you should use Virgil in the same way. That's his job to help pick up where you may slack and help you when needed. Sometimes you mother would help me but I had to push my stubbornness and pride aside and ask for myself. Asking for help isn't as easy as it sounds but when you love someone you try your hardest to make things work."

Julian told his son and Ulysses nodded, "you also have to be careful not to neglect Xena or your duties as a husband. You have to make time for her as she does for you. Your marriage can not be one sided," he told Ulysses who brought his hands back up to his face. "You need to go and apologize to her," Julian said and Ulysses nodded. "I will, just as soon as I finish these couple and then I'll go," Ulysses said and Julian nodded. Meanwhile Xena left Julian's office angry and upset with Ulysses. She didn't feel like exercising or working her anger away so she went to the kitchens. When she got there Marina was in the kitchen cooking along with a couple of the other cooks.

"Xena, what a wonderful surprise," Marina happily said and Xena nodded. "Marina can I use your private kitchen?" Xena asked and she looked at her in a way as if she were trying to read her. "Is everything alright?" Marina questioned with concern in hr voice. Xena looked at her as she shook her head. "I had an argument with Ulysses and I just want to work off some of the anger," she said and Marina looked at her and nodded. "Of course, go straight back and turn to the right and my kitchen is back there," she said and Xena nodded. "Thank you," she said then headed that way and into the kitchen. At times like these when she was upset she found that keeping her hands busy helped her think and released her anger. So she cooked and she hadn't cooked in a while so it was something for her to do that she enjoyed.

Xena grabbed a pot and added some water to it then placed it on the stove under a fire. She then began cutting up some seasoning, then looked up as Marina walked into the kitchen. "Do you want to talk about it?" Marina asked being motherly to Xena in her own way. Xena let out a breath as she continued chopping away, "he's been working so much lately that we haven't been able to spend any time with each other. Last night I had planned a surprise for him. I knew he had been working hard and long and I just wanted him to come home to something that would relax him, you know?" Xena said and Marina nodded. "He said he was too tired and he just wanted to go to bed. We went to sleep and when I woke the next morning he was gone, no note, nothing."

Xena said and the frustration and sadness could clearly be heard in her voice. She brought the chopping board over to the pot and dumped the seasoning in. "I Didn't see him at breakfast this morning or for lunch and I missed him. I went to ask him if he wanted to take a break with me, he said no he was too busy. I asked him if I would see him for dinner, he hunched his shoulders. I asked him if I wouldn't see him for dinner would he at least be coming back to the room at a decent hour? He hunched his shoulders again. It made me mad that he was answering me that way. It was as if he was disregarding me, like I wasn't important enough to get an answer from him." She continued and by then Marina had taken a seat at the table and continued to listen to Xena who continued to go around the kitchen adding things to her pot.

"I told him how I didn't appreciate that, he started yelling at me, telling me how busy he was. I yelled back at him, saying I just wanted to spend time with him. He said he didn't have time to walk around and look at flowers with me and to get off of his back. That really hurt, that he didn't want to spend time with me and he dismissed me the way he did so I left," Xena finished. By then she was sitting at the table cutting up some carrots and shelling peas. "I understand that he's really busy," Xena said as she looked up at Marina. "But I just want to spend a little time with him, I miss him," Xena said and Marina nodded.

"Its understandable and I'm sure Ulysses didn't mean those things he said. He's just under a lot of stress and pressure right now. And if I know Ulysses he's probably beating himself up right now for talking to you and treating you the way he did," Marina told Xena who hunched her shoulders in confusion. "Maybe, right now if he wanted to apologize I wouldn't let him. I just need some time to myself right now to work through the anger and hurt and I just don't want to see him right now," she told Marina who nodded in understanding. "That's understandable," she said then stood. "I have to get back to work, you're welcome to use anything in here, so enjoy yourself and relax," Marina said and Xena grinned at her and nodded.

"Thanks Marina," Xena said and the cook nodded then left. Xena went back to her cooking and she thought about she and Ulysses and the way things were. Ulysses had to leave his father's office for a while to go to the archives to check on some things will he made adjustments to a couple of treaties and things of that nature. A couple of hours later when he was finally done with those parchments he headed back to his father's office where his father and his mother were having a late lunch. "Ulysses, what can I do for you?" Julian asked as he wiped his mouth with a napkin and Ulysses waved his hand which held important documents. "This is the last of it?" Julian asked and Ulysses nodded as he walked further into the office. "Yep, the last of that stack I was working on earlier anyway, I just finished it a while ago." Ulysses said as he placed a kiss on his mother's cheek then pulled up a chair and sat down.

"I was beginning to wonder if I had a son, I hadn't seen you in so long," Marguerite said as she looked at her son and Ulysses grinned at his mother. "I can imagine, I'm sure Xena is wondering if she has a husband," he thoughtfully said as he sat the documents on his father's desk. "Your father told me about your argument with Xena. We all go through these little arguments, I, myself, was beginning to wonder if I was married also," she said and Julian grinned at his wife. "Believe me I know sweetheart," he said. Julian looked over each and every document adding his signature above Ulysses' on the ones he approved. He questioned Ulysses about some of the changes or lack there of.

"However, as busy as your father may be and even at times when I may be busy, your father and I make time for each other. Right now we're having a late lunch and even though this is not a lot of time, it's better than none," Marguerite said and Ulysses listened to his mother as she shed some of her wisdom about being married. Marguerite winded up finishing her lunch, then kissed Julian goodbye telling him she would see him later. Ulysses and his father spent yet another hour going over everything, talking back and forth about some changes Ulysses had made until finally Julian's signature was on every document. When they were done Ulysses left and headed to the scribe's office which entailed of many rooms to hold the many tables and scribes so that they could work.

They would make two copies of every document that was brought to them, unless instructed to do otherwise, no matter the length. The original held the two most important seals which were the King's and Ulysses'. The originals were placed some where secure, which was behind lock and key. One of the copies would go in the archives and the other in another secured place where they drew in the seals. The room was guarded by two guards to make sure no one got a hold of very important documents. The scribes didn't know it but they were watched always. At the end of every day or when they left the room they were searched to make sure they didn't have something they weren't supposed to have.

Once Ulysses was done there he headed straight to where his wife would be which would be the training grounds. Unfortunately when he got there, Xena wasn't there and he learned from one of the men that she hadn't been back for a while. So Ulysses began to look for Xena and finally he learned from one of the servants that she was in the kitchens with Marina so that's where he went. When he got there he found Marina but not Xena. "Hello Marina, how are you?" Ulysses asked and Marina grinned at him. "I'm well and you?" She replied back and he let out a breath at that as he shook his head. "I messed up Marina and Xena's really angry with me," he said and Marina nodded.

"She's in my private kitchen," she informed him. Ulysses nodded already knowing the way to Marina's private kitchen. When he reached the door, he let out a breath and thought about what he was going to say before he walked into the kitchen. When he walked in he saw Xena at the counter filing a pan with some dough. She had an apron on, her hair pulled back into a ponytail and flour and pieces of dough covered her hands. Xena looked up when the door opened and she grinned when she saw Ulysses. No longer angry with him having had time to think about what Marina said. "Hey," Xena said and Ulysses couldn't believe she was smiling at him. When she did it stole his heart and made him sad at the same time, sad that he had treated her the way he did earlier.

"Hey," he said as he walked over to the counter and watched as Xena made dents in the dough for the crust. "You look like you're having fun," he commented and Xena grinned. "I am," she said as she wiped her hands on a towel then went over to a pot and stirred its contents. "I haven't cooked in a while and surprisingly it's soothing for me," she said and Ulysses nodded as he walked a little closer to her. "Why is it a surprise?" He questioned, trying to break the ice and make his chances for Xena accepting his apology better than he thought they were.

"Cleaning, cooking, being a waitress and tending to other's needs, was something I despised for a long time. I felt like I was being molded only that mold was right for me," Xena tried to explain to her husband. "No, you were meant for so much more," he told her as he looked at her and she smiled at him before her attention went back to what she was doing. "I fought it tooth and nail. I became good at it and now I find it soothing," Xena said as she worked. More strange than surprising I guess," Xena commented and Ulysses just listened. "I wanted to say I'm sorry," Ulysses said after a couple of minutes of silence. "Here, taste this," she said as she scooped some of it up in a spoon and held it up to Ulysses so that he could taste it. When he did taste it he moaned at the great taste and his face showed his surprise at how good it tasted.

"Mmmm…what is that?" Ulysses asked, "You like it?" She asked him. "I love it, you've made some great deserts before but this one is by far the best, whatever it is." He commented and Xena grinned as she went back to stirring the pot. "It's the filling for my apple pie. I learned how to make it from my mother. I just added my own little touches," Xena told him and Ulysses nodded. "Well it's great," he complemented her and Xena nodded. "Like I was saying, I'm sorry I shouldn't have…" he begun then stopped when Xena walked away to go and tend to something else that she was cooking.

"When you came by earlier I shouldn't have talked to you…" he tried again and again she walked from the counter to the stove to stir another one of her pots. "Damn it Xena will you be still, I'm trying to apologize and you moving all over is not making that easy," he shouted to her in a frustrated breath and Xena looked at him and nodded. "Alright," she said as she wiped her hands on her apron as she walked over to the chair and sat down. Ulysses let out a breath as he walked over to Xena and stooped down in front of her. He looked into her eyes and began to apologize for his behavior. "I'm sorry about earlier, I had no right to talk to you that way.

It's just that I'm so swamped with work and I'm stressed but I didn't mean to take that out on you and I want to spend time with you, never doubt that. I always want to be with you and…" he continued apologizing until she placed her finger against his lips stopping him. She looked into his eyes seeing that he was truly sorry. Without saying a word she leaned down and kissed him softly. Ulysses closed his eyes and relished the kiss and Xena's sweet lips. When the kiss ended she caressed his cheek as she continued to look into his eyes.

"It's okay, I know that you're real busy and I shouldn't have come at you like that. I just wanted to spend time with you, I missed you. I was angry earlier but I thought about the fact that you were under a lot of stress and I also thought that instead of putting more stress on you I should have been helping to relieve it not add on to it." She spoke to him in a gentle and understanding voice. Ulysses looked into her eyes then took her hands and kissed them before he looked up at her. "I don't deserve you," he said and Xena grinned at him as she stood with his hands in hers so that he stood with her.

"When do you have to go back to the office?" She asked, "In about two hours, I took some time off to spend with you," he said and Xena grinned at him. "Well, then you can help me finish cooking," she said and Ulysses grinned at her. "I'm not much of a cook but I'll give it a try," he said and Xena grinned as she pulled him over to the counter. "To start off with I'll give you something easy," she said the grabbed a bowl nearby with some dough in it. "Grab the bowel with the flour in it," she instructed him. "Now sprinkle some right here," she said pointing out to a spot on the counter and Ulysses followed her instructions.

She then took the dough from the bowl, placing it in the flour. She moved behind Ulysses, took his hands and placed them on the dough. "Now knead the dough like you're giving a massage," Xena said as she used Ulysses' hands to knead the dough, her hands on top of his. "What's the flour for?" Ulysses curiously questioned. "So that the dough doesn't stick to the table," she said and she continued to knead the dough with him for a few minutes more. "Keep going," she told him as she walked over to the stove and checked on her other pots. "That smells great too, what else are you cooking?" He asked and Xena grinned as she added pinches of a couple of other different spices.

"Deer steak smothered in gravy, herb potatoes and green beans smothered in onion," she said and Ulysses shook his head as he continued to knead the dough. "My favorites," he murmured more to himself than he did to Xena who nodded as she walked over to him. "Oh and those potatoes mashed the way you like with peas in them and carrots on the side," she said as she leaned on the counter next to him and he looked at her. "Are you trying to make me feel guilty?" He asked and Xena shook her head as she caressed his cheek. "No, when I came in and started cooking I was still very mad at you. I just wanted to keep my hands busy and before I knew it I was cooking all of your favorites," she said and Ulysses stopped kneading the dough then kissed Xena passionately.

"Mmmm," Xena moaned as she wrapped her arms around Ulysses, their tongues dueling in a kiss. Ulysses turned Xena around and pushed her against the counter as they continued to kiss, leaving little cracks here and there for air. Ulysses placed his hand on Xena's thigh and began pushing her dress up so that he could caress her thigh. As they kissed a fire ignited so deep in him for Xena that he couldn't, no he wouldn't go another second without making love to her. When the kiss ended his hand was on her cheek and they were both breathless. He looked into her eyes as he caressed her cheek, "I want you so much…it's been a while," he said and Xena nodded.

"Two weeks," she mumbled against his lips and Ulysses shook his head as he tasted her sweet lips. "I've been neglecting you, I've been neglecting us," he said when the kiss ended but he rubbed his lips against hers. "It's okay," Xena said as she ran her hands up and down his arms and Ulysses shook his head. "No it's not but I'm going to make up for it," he said then kissed her again and before either of them knew it, things started getting heated. Xena's straps to her dress were on her arms and Ulysses' shirt was out of his pants and almost all the way unbuttoned.

"Wait, wait, we're going to do it here in the kitchen?" Xena asked Ulysses when she ended the kiss and he walked over to the door and locked it. "It's the private kitchen, no one will come in," he said then leaned back in and kissed Xena passionately once more and his kisses had a dizzying effect on her. "Gods, you make me feel so much," Xena passionately whispered as she ran her fingers through his hair. "And I wanna make you feel so much more," he answered in a whisper just before he placed a kiss on her forehead and they shared another kiss. "Mmmm…wait," Xena said as she ended the kiss and placed her hand on Ulysses' chest.

"What?" He asked because her kisses and her touch were having that same dizzying effect on him. He wanted to feel a whole lot more as well as create those feelings in Xena. "The food," she instantly remembered as she pushed Ulysses out of the way and went to stir the pots. Since all the food was done she cut everything off and the only thing that was left was the apple pie. She grabbed the pot with the apple filling and brought it over to the pan and began pouring it in slowly. She had a process as to how to put the filling in the pie.

When she was done she sat the pot to the side and began rolling the dough flat to cover the pie. Ulysses moved up behind her and nuzzled her hair, inhaling her scent and it amazed him how good she always smelled. As Xena placed the dough over the filling, Ulysses began kissing and sucking on her neck and shoulders. "You're so sexy," he whispered in her ear then ran his hands down her body, undoing the tie in the back. "I don't know how I've gone two weeks without making love to you," he said and Xena bit down on her lip as he made her feel so much.

By the time she cut the excess dough from around the pan Ulysses was on his knees caressing Xena's legs. "I am the luckiest man on earth to have such a beautiful, caring, sexy woman like you," he whispered to himself and began kissing his way up. Xena made the imprints on the pie; cut three slits in the top then went to put it in the oven. While she did that Ulysses quickly stood and took off his shirt. He stooped down and folded his shirt to form a makeshift pillow and just as he was about to stand, Xena walked over and kneeled down on the floor with him.

She looked into his eyes as she took his hands and placed them on the straps of her dress. Ulysses looked into her eyes as he pushed the straps further down until she was able to pull her arms out of them. He then leaned forward and kissed and sucked on her neck slowly making his way down, pulling the dress down as he went. Xena closed her eyes and began drowning in the feeling and that became even more so as he laid her down on the floor. As time passed they began to make slow, passionate love to one another exploring each other's bodies as if this were their first time together. There was a picnic blanket on a nearby shelf and they used it to cover up their lower halves.

With the oven on the kitchen was hot even though the windows were open. Xena was on top riding Ulysses nice, slow and deep, feeling him penetrating her with every rock and twist of her hips. Ulysses was moaning and groaning as he caressed her thighs and held on to her waist. After a while he sat up and kissed her passionately, "Unnnghh," Xena moaned as she continued moving while Ulysses kissed her neck and shoulders moving his way down to her breasts which he loved so much. After a couple of minutes Xena pulled him up for a passionate tasting of lips and when the kiss ended they were both breathless, sweat covered their bodies as they looked into each other's eyes.

She placed her hands on Ulysses' face before she leaned in and kissed him passionately and he moaned at the gentleness of the kiss and from all the love he could feel in the kiss. They stayed that way for a while and then Ulysses laid Xena back down and took it from there. Marina was coming to the kitchen to get one of her special herbs and to see how things were coming along with Xena and Ulysses, but when she tried to open the door she found that it was locked. She started to knock but she leaned into the door, placing her ear against it and listened, thinking maybe they were having a conversation and they didn't want to be interrupted but she found that it wasn't the case.

She heard moans and cries coming from the other side and she pulled back quickly as if the door was on fire. After she had a moment to let it sink in she grinned to herself, glad to see that they had at the very least made up. She went back to the kitchens and left Xena and Ulysses to their privacy. "Un…un…un…Unnnnngghhhh," Ulysses grunted then moaned as he thrust hard and deep into Xena as he fell over the edge taking her with him. "Aahhhh…unnnnghhh," Xena moaned as she held onto Ulysses' sweaty back and he looked into her eyes and she looked into his. She brought her hand up and pushed his hair back before she met him half way for a soft kiss.

They smiled at each other when the kiss ended and Ulysses leaned down and placed soft kisses on Xena's neck. She grinned as she tilted her head back allowing him more access. In a matter of minutes Ulysses was aroused yet again and ready to go. Xena felt his erection against her thigh and she grinned as she pulled him up for a kiss, where she tasted his lips. "You're ready for more already?" She questioned him or more precisely teased him with a grin and he smiled back at her as he caressed her thigh. "I can never get enough of you," he said and Xena smiled as she leaned back in and kissed him again, moaning as Ulysses pulled her thigh tighter around him. He moaned as she began to caress his thigh with her foot, that very action setting him on fire once again.

When the kiss ended they just stared into each other's eyes. Ulysses brought his hand up and caressed Xena's hair while she ran her hand over his chest then over his arm, over his tattoo that reminded her of how much he loved her. "Dangerously in love," Xena read and Ulysses smiled at her as he took her hand and kissed the back of it. "I'm beginning to think that's an understatement," he said and Xena smiled at him as she kissed him once more. "You want to check on your pie first?" He asked and at the thought of her pie she hopped up and went straight over to the oven to check on her pie. The pie was just right so she grabbed some towels and pulled the pie out of the oven, brought it over to the widow and sat it on the seal.

Once that was done she went back over to Ulysses who was lying on his back. She smiled at him as he held his arms open and she took his invitation. An hour later Xena and Ulysses were both dressed with the door open and Ulysses was sitting at the table eating a sample of what would be his dinner. Xena walked up behind Ulysses and ran her hands down his chest. "How is it?" She asked him and he nodded, "merry good," he mumbled with his mouth full of food and Xena grinned as she placed a kiss on the side of his head.

She went and sat down at the other end of the table and sipped on her glass of wine and watched as Ulysses enjoyed his late lunch. "Is it safe to come in?" Marina asked as she poked her head in and Xena grinned at her. "Yea," she said and Marina walked into the kitchen and looked at Ulysses who was still eating. "So I take it you guys made up?" She assumed and Xena smiled and nodded. "Yea, that we did," she said. "Well it smells wonderful in here," she said. "It's Xena's cooking," Ulysses said as he gulped down some of his wine. "Do you mind if I taste some?"

Marina asked and Xena shook her head. "No, help yourself, I made enough," she said giving her permission. Marina nodded and walked over to the stove and tasted each thing Xena had cooked and she moaned at each one's deliciousness. "Ulysses you've got to make her angry more often, this is amazing," Marina said and Xena grinned at her. Ulysses nodded as he used a piece of bread to sop up the left over gravy. And when he was done he downed it all with a glass of water. "That was great," he said then stood up. "Yea I think you should come and cook with me in the kitchens. You can teach some of the other cooks a thing or two," Marina stated and Xena smiled at her as she walked up to Ulysses and handed him a cloth with a piece of apple pie in it.

"A snack as you work," she told him and Ulysses grinned as he shook his head while he wrapped his arms around Xena. "I hate to eat and run but I have to go," he said and Xena nodded then leaned in and kissed him softly. "I'll send some dinner to you," she said and he grinned at her. "Thank you for being so patient and understanding," he said and Xena looked into his eyes as she caressed his cheek. "What kind of wife would I be if I weren't," she said and Ulysses just grinned at her and gave her one more kiss. "Thanks for lunch and the desert before lunch," he mused with a smile then winked his eye and Xena smiled at him. "You're very welcome," she said and her smile got larger as Ulysses kissed the back of her hand.

"I'll see you later, goodbye Marina," he said to them both then left the kitchen.

"So you guys talked it over?" Marina asked and Xena grinned. "You could say that," she said with a smiled then chuckled to herself. "Yea, he apologized and I told him I understood and that I shouldn't be adding to his stress, especially when I thought about what you said. It was stress and pressure that made him act that way and I shouldn't have been stressing him out more. I should be helping to relieve the stress, try and help him make more time for us instead of complain," Xena said and Marina nodded as she watched Xena go around the kitchen cleaning up. "How did you get so wise?" Marina asked and Xena looked at her. "I guess being on the outside all the time let's you see what other's don't, you're able to put yourself in other's shoes."

She said and Marina looked at her, "well you have a great mother, spending the time with her that I did when she came to help with the wedding. She's a wise woman herself and its plain to see where you get your cooking talents from," she commented with a smile and Xena grinned back at her. "Yea, my mother is a great woman," she thought out loud and then she thought about how she missed her mother, her brothers and Corrinna. Ulysses walked back to his father's office with pie in his hand and a smile on his face. When he walked into his father's office Julian looked at his son then grinned. "You and Xena made up, I see," Julian guessed and Ulysses smiled as he sat down on the sofa.

"Oh we made up alright," he said in a suggestive tone and in his mind images of their love making flash through his head. "Well I hope you got something to eat, because we're going to miss dinner," Julian informed his son and Ulysses nodded. "Yea, Xena fixed me something, she fixed all my favorites actually," he bragged as he began to get back to work and Julian just grinned as he shook his head at his son. "She's spoiling you," he said and Ulysses hunched his shoulders as he began to read a parchment. "Maybe, I just call it love," he said and with that they continued working. As they worked Xena stayed on Ulysses' mind all the time and about two hours later he ate the pie and was moaning and shaking his head at how great it tasted.

"Here, let me taste a piece of that pie that you're making love to over there," Julian said. Ulysses stood with the pie in his hand and his mouth full as he brought it over to his father. Julian broke off a piece and ate it and he looked at Ulysses with a look of surprise on his face. Ulysses grinned and nodded as he sat back down and ate the rest of the pie. As Julian said they worked well into dinner and just as Xena said she sent some dinner to Ulysses and she even sent some for Julian. "Xena made this?" Julian asked in disbelief as he ate the food and Ulysses nodded as he cut a piece of meant with his knife then ate it.

"She has a lot of talent," Julian stated the obvious to Ulysses who grinned and nodded as he continued eating. "She sent us pie," Ulysses said and Julian let out a breath as he leaned back in his chair. "I'm so full I can't even think about eating that pie right now," he said and Ulysses grinned. "Well I'm going to stay another hour or so, then go. I'll take some of this back to the room with me and I'll be in around mid day tomorrow," Ulysses said and Julian nodded. "I have no objections, just as long as you get the work done," he told his son and Ulysses nodded. So as he planned, he stayed for another hour and a half and by then he and his father had eaten their pieces of pie.

When it came time for him to go he had finished the stack for that day and placed them under the lock and key until they were to be taken to the scribes tomorrow. He then picked up half of the stack he would be working on tomorrow and took it with him. "Goodnight dad," he said, "goodnight son," Julian replied. "Don't stay up too late, mother needs her husband as well," Ulysses reminded his father and Julian grinned at his son as he nodded his head. "I hear you son," he said and Ulysses nodded as he walked out of the door, closing it behind him. When he was outside the office he found Gemini there waiting for him. "Did your mommy send you here to wait on me Gemini?"

He asked the wolf who just looked at him before she pushed his hand with her nose. Ulysses grinned as he rubbed her for a couple of minutes. "Let's go home," he told her and they walked back to the room. Once there Ulysses unlocked the door then walked into the room locking it behind him. "Xena," he called as he walked into the bedroom and placed the documents in his hand on the desk. "Why are you back so early?" Xena questioned as she walked into the bedroom wearing only a short, light green nightgown. "I figured it'd be nice if I came back at a decent hour," he said as he walked over to her pulling her into his arms. She grinned at him then closed her eyes as they shared a soft but passionate kiss.

"I'm gonna go take a shower," he said and Xena nodded. "Your pajamas are in there waiting for you," she said and he kissed her once more. "You're so good to me," he whispered to her and she grinned at him. "Well I try," she said and he smiled as he sat down and took of his boots then went into the bath chamber and took a shower. By the time he was done, when he walked into the bedroom, all the lanterns were turned down and Xena was already in bed. "It's beginning to get chilly," Xena stated and Ulysses nodded as he walked over to his side of the bed.

"Yea, it can start to get cold here quick, just because we're around so much water and there's so much wind," he said and as he said that he was taking off his pants and he got into bed. "How cold does it get here?" Xena wondered out loud as she turned her head and looked at Ulysses who was lying on his side looking at his wife. "We haven't had a bad winter here in a while. The mountains are what usually gets coldest around here but when we have a bad winter then it snows down here and there's blizzard's and snow storms," he said.

"Are you worried about staying warm?" Ulysses asked and Xena grinned at him. "No, I have you for that," she said and Ulysses grinned as he began moving toward her. "Do you now?" He playfully and seductively asked. Xena grinned and nodded as Ulysses positioned himself so that he was lying between her legs and Xena grinned as she ran her hands over his back. "Always underdressed," she told him and he smiled at her. "Always," he said then leaned down and kissed her passionately. In time the kiss progressed to more, a whole lot more. An hour and a half later the room was filled with moans, whimpers and cries as Ulysses thrust fast and deep into Xena who caressed his sweaty back and rubbed her legs against his while she moaned non stop in pleasure.

"Un…un…unnngh…unnn," Ulysses moaned as he looked down at Xena while continuing to thrust into her. He felt himself getting closer and closer to the edge. So he leaned down and kissed Xena. He then kissed her on her cheek where he stayed and inhaled her scent. "Oh baby…you feel so good," Ulysses moaned in Xena's ear and her response was a whimper. "Oh…oohh…oohhhhhhh," Ulysses groaned as he released and Xena just grabbed Ulysses tight as she grinded into him and she fell off the edge with him crying out her release in his ear. "Oh," Ulysses let out a tired breath. He moaned as he kissed Xena and she returned the kiss with much ardor as she rolled him onto his back.

When the kiss ended she sat up and ran her hands over his chest. Ulysses looked at her as he ran his hands over her thighs. "I want to go for a ride," she told him and he grinned at her. "Let's go, show me what you got," he said and Xena smiled then leaned down and kissed him and she indeed showed him what she had. Xena took him and herself for a nice ride so much so that Ulysses was going insane with pleasure. She did everything from rocking back and forth, twists to bouncing up and down. "Ssss…ooooo," Ulysses moaned, as he wrapped his arm around Xena's waist. He then sat up and kissed her. When the kiss ended they looked into each others eyes. Xena bit down on her lip in pleasure as she continued to moan while she bounced up and down on Ulysses.

He was so hot for Xena at that moment that he didn't know what to do. So he leaned in and began sucking on her neck, moaning as she caused him and herself great pleasure. Since Xena was doing the majority of the work it was beginning to show with sweat running down her back. What she was doing felt so good that she was working up a frenzy as she brought her hands up to her hair, grabbing it as she cried out in pleasure. "Oohh…you're so deep in me," she cried and Ulysses just moaned as he held onto her waist.

"Take me harder baby…I want to feel you deeper in me," Xena moaned to Ulysses after she kissed him passionately and Ulysses moaned and initiated another kiss. "Hold on to me," he told her when the kiss ended and Xena held on tightly to his arms. He wrapped his arms tightly around her and without anything else he pounded into her hard and deep. Xena's mouth and eyes opened wide in surprise and in pleasure. "Oh yeah…yeah," Xena moaned and Ulysses just kept going until they both cried out their releases. "Oh shit…oh," Ulysses moaned as the after shocks ran through his body and Xena's hand just clenched Ulysses' shoulder and she smiled as her body shook with the force of her release.

"You can take me for a ride any day," Ulysses said as he fell back on the bed and Xena grinned as she fell down on top of him. "I love when we make love, it just feels so right, so natural, so…" she started and Ulysses finished for her. "So damn good," he said and Xena chuckled at that then let out a breath. They laid there in silence for a while, just softly caressing each other. "So you want to go again?" Ulysses asked after a while, "I thought you'd never ask," Xena said as she got off of Ulysses and on to her hands and knees. "So that's how you want it, huh?" He asked her and Xena looked back at him with a grin and lust and passion in her eyes.

"Give it to me hard and fast, I want to feel you everywhere," she told him and Ulysses grinned at that. "Your wish is my command," he said. Another hour later Ulysses was pounding into Xena hard and fast, just like she wanted it. She was crying out at every thrust and Ulysses held onto her waist as he often tilted his head back in pleasure. Ten minutes later when they released Ulysses fell back in the bed sweaty and tired but very sated and Xena did the same. "Tomorrow night we're going to try three other positions," Ulysses said as he caught his breath. "Sounds good to me," Xena agreed in a muffled voice as she hugged her pillow. They fell asleep that way but wouldn't wake up that way.

Morning came as did sunrise and neither Xena nor Ulysses were awake. A ray of sunlight shinned into the room and onto Xena who had her head lying on Ulysses' chest. When the sun shinned into her eyes it woke her up and the first thing she noticed was that Ulysses was still in bed and asleep. He hadn't told her that he was going in later on that day so she assumed that he was late. "Ulysses wake up, wake up," she said in an urgent voice as she shook him a couple of times before he woke up. "What, what?" He asked as he sat up and looked at her. "You're going to be late," she said and he looked at her as he ran his hand over his face.

"Late for what?" He asked. "What do you mean for what, for work," she said and he looked at her. He then looked at the window trying to gauge what time it was but he couldn't tell since the drapes were still closed. He groaned as he got out of bed and walked over to the window butt naked. He pulled back the drape to see the position of the sun. When he saw that it was just an hour after sunrise he let out a breath. "I'm not going to the office until mid day," he said as he walked back over to the bed and got in. "I brought some work back to the room and I'll get up in a couple of hours," he said and Xena looked at him. "Come back to bed," he said as he pulled her arm. "Well I don't have much to do today so I guess I can sleep in a little late," she convinced herself and Ulysses grinned as Xena laid down in his arms.

He pulled the cover up over their bodies and let out a breath as they dosed back off to sleep. About three hours later they got up, took a bath and grabbed something to eat. Xena saw to the things she needed to do and Ulysses went to work on those documents he brought back to the room. When Xena was finished she went back to the room and found Ulysses hard at work and as he worked she went around the room and picked up after them. "Ulysses do you want some help with those?" Xena asked and he looked up at her. "Sure," he said which surprised Xena but she went over and helped him none the less. "What are these?" She asked as she looked through the parchments. "They're reports on businesses and things all over the island.

Every year we get reports on how businesses on the island are going, what repairs need to be made and things of that nature. The junior advisors go out and report on these and we make changes where ever changes are needed. Usually things are not this busy but since we've taken over Paxos it's doubled our work load in a lot of ways. So I'm seeing to all of Ithaca and my father is seeing to all of Paxos. Lucius is helping my father and Virgil should be helping me but Lucius has him doing other things," Ulysses said and Xena just read over some of the parchments.

"Some of these places aren't doing so well," she said and Ulysses nodded. "Those are the hard ones because then the decision needs to be made of whether or not their business should keep going. For businesses like those we let them come and plead their case, try to give them a little help and if there is still no improvement then we're forced to have to close them down. There are also treaties and agreements among other things in this pile and I have to look at them all," he said and Xena raised her eyebrow at that. "No wonder you were so stressed out," Xena said and Ulysses grinned at that. "Well maybe with you here I won't be so stressed out, I could really use your help," he admitted and Xena looked into his eyes and nodded.

"No problem, that's what I'm here for, to help take some of the pressure, the load off of you," she said and Ulysses nodded and they both went to work. Xena had to stop every now and then to ask Ulysses a question mainly because she wasn't familiar with some things. He found that with Xena's help he finished that half of stack with him fairly quickly. However he still had to look over the ones Xena did just to make sure that everything was done right. As he looked over those documents Xena stood behind him and massaged his shoulders which he was grateful for.

He actually closed his eyes and leaned back for a couple of minutes moaning as Xena worked on his tense shoulders. "Did I do alright on those?" She asked him and Ulysses nodded as he went back to looking over them, "you did pretty good actually. I'm going to start bringing my work home more often." He said and Xena nodded, "well I aim to please, plus it helps me get more associated with rules and policies. For instance, why do you guys shut down businesses that aren't doing so well. One would hope that they would get out of it themselves if it's not working but if they don't then that's their own responsibility," Xena said.

"True, but for one, we do it to keep down on the stealing, violence and lies. When things get that bad for people it puts them into situations where they begin not to think straight and a multitude of things can start happening. No kingdom is run perfectly but we're trying to keep poverty down here. Yes there are people that go hungry here on Ithaca and there is killing and we're trying to make that as less as possible. When we have businesses that have gone down like this the owners do criminal things to get the place up and running again and we don't want that. So we first try to help them and in six months to a year, if there is still no improvement then we're forced to close them down. On the bright side we do find other places where they can work."

Ulysses said then let out a breath as he stood and Xena thought about that as she took Ulysses' seat, crossing her legs as she played with the quill. "You guys are definitely not like most kingdoms, you actually care about your people and I suppose other rulers care about their people but not to the extent that you guys do." She contemplated and Ulysses grinned at that. "Yea well, it certainly keeps you busy. Ithaca isn't a very big island but we have many cities and we monitor everything that goes on in every city." He said, "Not to mention you have Paxos now," Xena added and Ulysses nodded his head. "But you know what, I find all this caring and hard work very, very sexy," Xena said as she looked at Ulysses and he grinned as he turned his head and looked at her.

He placed his hands on the arms of the chair and leaned in so that he was looking into Xena's eyes and she grinned as she toyed with his shirt. "If I take you up on that look then I will be late," he said with a grin and Xena just looked into his eyes as she caressed his cheek. "I love you, you know that," she said and he smiled at her. "I had a clue," he replied then kissed Xena softly. "I have to go," he said then stood up straight and grabbed the parchments off the desk. "I have to drop these off to the scribes but how about you meet me in the garden for lunch," he suggested and Xena smiled at him. "Sounds good," she said and he nodded then placed a kiss on her cheek before he left.

Xena sat there for a couple of minutes then went to the kitchens to prepare a lunch basket for her and Ulysses. Ulysses went to his father's office and picked up the other documents he had finished and brought them all to the scribes so that copies could be made. The others would be sent to the people that they concerned and some of them would be appearing on the day of court. He then went back to his father's office and since his father wasn't there, no doubt out doing something, he sat at his father's desk and went to work on at least ten documents because he knew he was meeting Xena in the garden.

Just before he left he pulled out a piece of spare parchment and began writing. As he wrote, he thought of Xena and just wrote what he felt. When he was done, he folded the parchment and placed it in his belt than fixed up his father's desk. Instead of taking half of another stack of documents, he took the whole thing and went back to their chambers where he placed them in the locked drawer of the desk. He then went to the garden to the spot that he knew Xena liked since it was by the water. He smiled when he found Xena resting against the tree looking out at the water. He thought she was just so beautiful as the sun shined down on her. She was the most beautiful woman that he had ever seen or would ever see in his life.

He walked over to her and sat down on the blanket under the tree. "Have you been waiting long?" He asked her and Xena shook her head as she grabbed the basket and began pulling the food out. "Nope, just came from the kitchen," she said and Ulysses nodded. "Well I was trying to get a little work done before I came," he said. "I figured as much," she said and they began eating the sandwiches she made and she also brought some chicken that had been left over from dinner that night. "It's so peaceful out here, I love to come here and think and relax," Xena said and Ulysses nodded as he cleaned a chicken leg.

"Have you heard from your mother or brothers lately?" Ulysses asked and Xena nodded. "Yea, mom writes me every now and then, telling me how things are going. Lyceus writes me often telling me what really goes on," she said with a grin and Ulysses chuckled at that. "You must miss them terribly," he said as he looked over at Xena who hunched her shoulders as she ate a strawberry. "At times I do, I miss my mother because she's my mother, I miss Lyceus because he's my best friend. I could talk to him about anything and I miss Toris being the over protecting, bearing, big brother that he is." She said with a grin on her face as she thought about her family and Ulysses watched her and he could tell that she missed them.

"Maybe in a month we can go and see them," Ulysses said and Xena grinned as she looked over at her husband. "That would be nice," she said and he nodded. "When are you going on your next mission?" Ulysses asked and Xena hunched her shoulders. "I don't know, I've just been training lately. I come into play when situations get really bad. And by bad I mean wars, her priestesses being kidnapped and things like that." She said and Ulysses nodded as he ate on a peach, "so what does she do for the smaller problems?" He asked, "Well, assuming that she doesn't handle them herself, which she doesn't. I don't think they're supposed to interfere with us mortals," Xena said and Ulysses almost choked on what he was chewing as he began laughing at that and Xena grinned at him.

"I know, I know," she said knowing as much as he did that most of the time the Gods didn't follow that rule. "Anyway she uses her Elite Archers," Xena said. "So are you over them?" Ulysses asked and Xena nodded. "I'm Athena's right hand is the best way to put it. As she commands all of the armies that are loyal to her, so do I," Xena said with confidence and pride in her eyes and voice and Ulysses smiled at her. "What?" She asked, "You're incredibly sexy when you talk about the power you have and what you can do," Ulysses said and Xena smiled at him.

"So, is fighting skills all you get from this deal?" Ulysses asked and Xena shook her head. "No, over time as I gain more experience I'll gain more abilities. Also, I have Athena's help and counsel when needed; she and I are connected in a way. As you know I have the allegiance of all those who are loyal to Athena," she said and Ulysses nodded. "It'll definitely come in handy just in case we have another altercation like we had with Dartanion," Ulysses said. "True but your soldiers seem efficient enough," Xena said and Ulysses nodded his head then stopped when he caught on to what she said.

"Wait, why efficient enough? You don't think they're capable of handling whatever comes their way?" Ulysses asked and Xena raised her eyebrow at that. "No offense sweetheart but if the Athenian infantry came here, you guys would be in trouble. You would be in trouble if Persians came here," she said. "Don't get me wrong, your soldiers have skill but they're lacking a certain order and a certain skill and determination to help them really win a battle." She said and Ulysses sat up at that as he listened and became genuinely interested in what she had to say. "Okay, tell me in what ways they're lacking and what would you do to improve that?"

Ulysses said and so Xena began telling him what she saw the times that she's over there on the training grounds. She also told him ways, pretty impressive ways Ulysses had to admit, that would help them build up their skill and beef up on the security. "Well, I'm impressed," he said and Xena just hunched her shoulders as she began packing things back up into the basket. "They're just some observations I made," she said. "And good ones at that," he complemented then took her hand. "Come here," he said as he pulled her towards him. Xena sat down next to Ulysses and he looked into her eyes before he kissed her. Xena closed her eyes and placed her hand on his cheek as she deepened the kiss a little.

"Mmmm," Ulysses moaned as they tasted each other's lips and when the kiss ended they just looked into each other's eyes. "I have something for you," he said then went to his belt and pulled out the parchment he had been writing on earlier. He handed it to Xena and she looked at it then at him. "It's just some thoughts I had running through my mind," he said and Xena looked back at the parchment before she unfolded it and began to read what he wrote and as she did she began to smile.

My Dear Xena,

It's is said that you've never really lived life until you've loved. I began living the day that I looked into those beautiful blue eyes of yours because it is that very day that you stole my heart and I fell in love with you. I use to wonder how it was that people who were in love acted so crazy, walking around smiling as if they had a secret that no one else did. I didn't know the secret that they had was love. It's amazing to me how my heart skips a beat every time that you walk into the room. Hearing your sweet, silky voice is like being intoxicated on the best wine, I can never get enough and even when I'm sated, I could never be too full. I can't even begin to describe how you make me feel when you touch me. Your kisses make my lips quiver and when you touch me my whole body shivers. Whether it's a caress of love and caring, one to sooth or relax me, or one to arouse and please me, you always seem to touch my heart and on more than one occasion, you have touched my very core, my soul. You don't know what you've done to me. I never thought I need you or anyone endlessly.

This love, our love, is so new to me yet in my heart it is so old and strong. What I admire about you most my love, is your heart, and your great capacity to love. Every time I'm with you I feel like I'm floating on clouds; when I'm not with you, I'm thinking about you and even when I am with you I'm still thinking about you. Thinking about how much I love you and how lucky I am to have your love. I don't know about every body else who has loved but I believe in this life, the greatest thing we'll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return.

I never knew another human life could have the power to take over mine; but I'm glad that you have. How I feel will remain the same because you're my baby, my soulmate. When the world starts to stress me out, where I'll run is to you my love, with out a doubt. You're the one who keeps me sane and I definitely can't complain. Though it may seem strange, you're like the blood flowing through my veins, keeps me alive and feeding my brain. I can say it many times and in many ways, I love you Xena of Amphipolis and our love is a love that will last forever.

All my love,

Ulysses

When Xena was finished reading the letter Ulysses wrote to her she looked into his eyes. "I love you, Ulysses of Ithaca, mind, heart, body and soul." Xena said then leaned in and kissed him softly. When the kiss ended she looked into his eyes as she caressed his cheek for a moment. "This was absolutely beautiful," she told him and Ulysses grinned at her then looked down for a moment before he spoke. "I'm not a great poet or a fantastic bard. I just wrote down the way I feel about you deep down and I really wanted you to know." He said then brought his hand up to Xena's cheek as he continued to look into her eyes. "I know that lately we haven't spent much time together but I wanted to let you know that I love you and that I do appreciate you and all the things you've done for me. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, the very best thing," he confessed as he continued to look into her eyes while holding her cheek.

"I hope you don't mind, I hope you don't mind that I put down in words…how wonderful life is, now that you're in the world," Ulysses sung to Xena. Xena always loved when he sung to her but since their wedding day when he sung that song for her, she was now turned on by his singing. She smiled at him then moaned as he kissed her softly but passionately. When the kiss ended Xena looked into his eyes. "I love you," she whispered to him then leaned in and kissed him again. Ulysses moaned as he wrapped his arms tightly around her and he moaned even more so when she pushed him down to the ground and proceeded to make love to him.

Forty-five minutes to an hour later Ulysses was rushing back to his father's office and as he did so he buttoned his cuffs and straightened out his shirt not to mention run his fingers through his hair. He hadn't expected Xena to react that way but he sure wasn't complaining. "So we take two hour lunches now?" Julian questioned his son as soon as Ulysses walked through the door. "Sorry, I got distracted," he admitted then looked at Virgil who was sitting on the sofa and Lucius was sitting in a chair. "We having a meeting?" Ulysses asked as he sat down. "No we're working, ever hear of it?" Julian sarcastically asked and Ulysses rolled his eyes at his father.

"Nope," Ulysses answered in that same tone and Virgil chuckled at his friend. "Virgil, my head advisor, have you finally come to help me with this?" Ulysses asked, "I suppose so," Virgil said as he took half of the stack and they went to work, the same as Julian and Lucius did. The day passed by slow for Ulysses as he read and read all day when what he really wanted to be doing was whatever Xena was doing, he just wanted to be around her. Xena on the other hand decided she wanted to get some sparring and drilling in so she called for Athena who took her to her private training grounds and they went to work. "Pick up your feet," Athena told Xena as they sparred. Whereas Xena was sweating, Athena hadn't even begun to break a sweat.

The good thing about sparring with Athena was that she was fighting a Goddess and that helped to build up her strength and stamina. That was necessary so that when she came in contact with a strong opponent they wouldn't catch her off balance. After about another twenty minutes of that they took a break or so Xena thought. As she was getting a drink of water thirty or so highly trained soldiers appeared and began to attack Xena. One actually got the chance and took it to kick her in the back sending her into a roll in the dirt. "Always keep your guard up," Athena yelled as she stepped back and watched how Xena handled the situation. When she came up from the roll she was forced to fight with her hands against guys who had swords since her sword was lying on a bench that was currently out of reach.

Xena fought hard and with the skill of Athena's chosen and for every guy that she knocked unconscious they disappeared until there were no more. Xena had just kicked the last guy down to the ground and watched as he disappeared. She then let out a breath of relief that it was all over but she let out that breath too soon. Athena came up behind her bringing her sword down for a strike but Xena had learned from before and she turned around and brought her sword up to block Athena's attack. "I learn from my mistakes," Xena said and Athena nodded. "Good, now let's test your endurance," she said and with that they begun a drill that hadn't ended.

Almost three hours later they were still going at it and Xena was kneeling on one knee as she tried to catch her breath for a minute and Athena looked at her. "Had enough?" She asked and Xena looked at her then shook her head because even though she knew she was tired she knew being Athena's chosen meant going above and beyond what was expected of her. "Bring it," Xena confidently said as she stood. Athena grinned as she brought it, hard and fast and Xena was able to block and counteract every move. As she fought Athena, she calmed her body and just let the moves come as natural to her as breathing did. Athena nodded when she saw that improvement because that was what she had been waiting on Xena to do, to get past that barrier in her mind and to just let it come natural to her.

They went for an hour more and when Xena kicked out and actually kicked Athena in her stomach that's when they stopped. "You're finally realizing your real potential," Athena told her. "Now that you have broken through that barrier that tells you that you have limitations we can begin the real deal." Athena said then sheathe her sword. "You're beginning to see what it means to be my Chosen," she said. "But everyone has their limitations, mortals anyway," Xena mused wondering what made her different and Athena nodded. "True but I chose you because you had the potential to go beyond those limitations. You can do anything Xena, anything, once you put your mind to it," she told her, bringing her fingers up to her head.

"It's your mind that stops you from doing the unthinkable, you have barriers up everywhere in your mind telling you don't do that because you can't possibly succeed or that's impossible to do. But if you can break through those barriers and go with what you feel and not all the time what you think, then your skills can become unlimited," she explained to Xena with a grin on her face and that left Xena with something to think about. "Every God has a chosen for a different reason Xena, but I want my Chosen to understand and grasp that anything is possible. I don't just want you to have power, anyone can get power but I want you to have the skill beyond the power to know how to control and manipulate that power."

She explained then let out a breath, "anyway, we'll talk more about it, you've earned your rest for a while," she said with a grin and Xena nodded her head. "Athena before you go, can you tell me when you might send me on another mission," Xena requested of her and Athena looked at her. "Is it that you want something to do?" Athena asked and Xena shook her head. "No, I just want to be prepared. To be honest with you I'm enjoying just being Ulysses' wife right now and helping out around the kingdom," she said and Athena nodded. "I know that, that's why I haven't given you anything to do. I feel what you feel Xena, you need to remember that," Athena reminded her and Xena nodded.

"My archers can handle things for a while; unless something comes up that I desperately need you. I won't be calling you for a while; I figured I let you have one wedding anniversary before your life became more challenging." She said and Xena smiled at her. "Thanks," she said and Athena nodded. "But we'll still train at least a couple of times a week," she said and Xena nodded. The next thing she knew she was in her room at the palace and she let out a breath. She smiled as she realized she didn't have to worry about going on missions. She had over six months to just be a wife and that thought appealed to her more than anything.

Continued in Part II