Title: The Ares Factor
Rating: M
Author: Ellixer
Pairing: X/G
Disclaimer: Characters and show are owned by Universal and others. The story is mine. I make nothing.
Note: Had a fraction of a dream so this is me trying to flesh that out. It's a first time mixed in with drama.
Suddenly he stops, looking past me with a salacious grin. I turn to see her standing there, shock and pain burning in her eyes.
'I thought you left me?' I ask.
'I'd never leave you.' Her eyes dart past me. 'Till now.' She looks down at an object in her hands before dropping it. She gives me one more look as she turns around, walking away for good.
It's grey, cold, and about to rain enough to drown us where we stand. For some reason though, Xena insists on walking this incredibly slow pace, and I don't even think we're heading the right direction.
'Xena, where are you taking us?' She gives me a grin.
'Don't worry, we're almost there.' A few steps more then she stops.
'How many?' I ask.
'Ten.'
'Oh is that all?' She grins at me.
'You want more?' I nudge her with my elbow. Are most people this nonchalant with being ambushed?
'Look what we have here?' The band of dirty men coming pouring out onto the road from both sides. I'm fairly certain not one of them has ever cleaned themselves, the stench is nearly overwhelming. All of them sneer at us with mouths that are half empty; their teeth having rotted away years ago.
'I'm not sure I want to get any closer.' I say quietly to Xena, slightly leaning towards her while still looking at the ramshackle group in front of us. 'I feel dirty just standing here.' She grins but begins to move forward anyway.
'Have a problem boys?' Her cocky attitude goes into full swing as she pulls her sword out of its sheath. They cackle, all looking at each other in amusement.
'I love it when they fight.' Says a thin one, who must be the leader as he does all the talking.
'Well I haven't got all day.' She flashes her crazy feral smile as she goes into her fighting stance. The men cackle again before the leader urges them forward. I bring my staff up in a defensive position. I just hope we can get this over with before the clouds burst.
Xena's war cry fills the air as she flips into the group of men. No one expects someone to willing come into a situation where you're outnumbered, let alone a woman. She takes advantage of their shocked sluggishness by taking three out with a spinning kick. Their shock is short lived as they descend, but not all have focused on Xena.
Three men turn toward me, leering as they slowly advance. Well here goes nothing. I react out of instinct, the ends of my staff flashing out hitting the men as they come within hitting distance. They don't expect the force with which I swing, hitting a kidney on one, the temple of another. One manages to doge but I twirl my staff swinging it back towards his head before he fully recovers his footing.
As he falls I feel the first few drops of rain hit my skin. Great, it takes forever for my clothes to dry out. Xena's already grabbing Argo's reigns again, walking as if nothing just happened. Of course moments like these are the ones she loves most. You can tell by the smile she has as she swings her sword. I found it creepy at first, but It's just who she is.
'Are you coming or not?' She asks me, looking back with a smirk on her face. I jog quickly, catching up to her just as it really begins to pour.
'Are we nearly there?' I have to shout into the din of the rain. She merely takes us off the road and onto a small trail. The rain is slowed here by the canopy above us, but it has also made it considerably darker. We walk a path that looks barely used and is overgrown with vines and saplings.
'Xena….' Before I can say more she points in front of us. It's a small hut that nearly blends in with its surroundings.
'Go ahead.' She urges as she pulls Argo to what looks like a small shelter just for a horse. I hesitate for a moment then approach slowly. There is no covering for the entryway, aside from a sheet of spider webs. The inside is small but in a cozy way. Everything seems remarkably well preserved but still in a state of decay. There's a small bed, half collapsed to one side. A hearth for cooking and a small table are on the other side. The roof needs a few patches but otherwise seems to be holding. Xena strides in, dropping the saddle bags on the floor.
'How did you know about this place?' She smiles at my wonderment.
'I built it.' Oh one of those places from when she was a warlord. 'Not when I was a warlord.' She grins at me. 'Just a place for solitude once when I needed it.' She begins to look around, assessing the damage; that's when I notice her damage.
'Xena, we need to treat your cuts.' I reach up, touching the skin next to the cut above her eyebrow.
'It's nothing.' I glare at her. 'Ok fine.' As I look through the saddle bag for a cloth and some salve, she sits on the edge of the table. I wet the cloth before stepping up between her legs, dabbing at the cut on her face. She hisses a little and I can't help but smile.
'What are you smiling for?' She narrows her eyes.
'Nothing.' But I can't suppress the smile. She grabs my wrist, refusing to let me finish.
'Gabrielle?'
'You just took on ten men but you can't handle me cleaning a small scrape.' She glares at me a second longer before she lets my wrist go, mumbling under her breath. I'm pretty sure if I was anyone else she would have killed me. I move onto the gash on her shoulder which is a bit deeper.
'I think you got lucky here.' I wipe it carefully. 'I don't think it's deep enough for stitches.' I can feel her breath against my cheek, hot and fast. Clearing my throat I straighten up, looking her in the eye. 'Anything else?' Her face is serious, eyes locked and piercing mine. I can't tell if she's mad at me because I laughed or what it is.
'I didn't mean to make fun of you.' I whisper, unsure of what the problem is. She grabs both my wrists, pulling me closer so our faces are inches away. No, she's not angry, but it's just as intense. My mouth has gone dry so I lick my lips. Her eyes flick to my mouth, watching the movement of my tongue. Umm….
Her movement is slow, barely noticeable till her lips are suddenly touching mine. I'm frozen, no idea what to do, how to respond or how to act. She keeps going, her lips just softly lifting up then coming back down upon mine. My eyes close of their own volition as I feel my body lean slightly into hers. I begin to respond to her small kisses with small kisses of my own.
She seems to take that as her cue, wrapping her arms around my waist and pulling me against her. The kiss evolves from probing gentleness into lustful need. Something has overcome me, I'm not sure what it is but it burns and it feels good. I drop whatever is in my hands, my fingers moving to her back, clawing at her leather.
Our tongue meet, tangle, wrap around each other. Suddenly I'm kissing her like I've never kissed anyone before and it's taking my breath away. Another shock hits me as I feel her hand slide down my abdomen and under the hem of my skirt. In a swift movement I feel her fingers pushing into me, causing me to gasp out in surprise. She stands, one arm still wrapped around my waist, the other moving in and out of my body in slow languid movements.
I can't breath as each time she moves her fingers seems to cause a shock to roll through my body. Her lips move to my neck where she begins to kiss and suck on my skin. I'm overwhelmed in seconds by the most intense sensation I've ever felt. I can't even begin to describe it besides it's a feeling of ecstasy.
Xena's head is buried in my neck, gasping as she removes her fingers. Neither of us say anything, but she stands still, holding me up on my feet until she's sure I can stand on my own. Then she simply walks out of the hut without so much as a word or a glance.
