Gabrielle sat on the nearby rock and started to unlace her boots. It had
been 2 days since they'd left Aries on Xena's grandfathers' farm and they
had just stopped for lunch. She glanced up at Xena, who was riffling
through the saddlebags. Gabrielle smiled to herself and glanced away.
Xena turned around and caught Gabrielle smiling. "A dinar for your thoughts Gabrielle?"
"What?" Gabrielle grinned and raised her eyebrow.
"You were smiling there a moment ago." Xena said smiling broadly.
"What, a girl can't smile anymore?" She teased.
"Not that kind of smile." Xena said with a little rasp to her voice. "Besides you aren't going to avoid the question so easily."
"What was like, the question again?" She asked, doing her best impression of Aphrodite.
Xena sighed.
"Oh right, what I was thinking about.. Well it will cost you way more than a dinar to find out."
Gabrielle smirked. Gabrielle hadn't noticed when flirting with Xena had become acceptable, it just seemed a natural progression in their relationship. Xena was enjoying the bards act immensely; it wasn't often the warrior felt she could relax enough to play.
"Really? Then how much do you think would cover it?"
Xena asked looking into the bards' eyes from a few feet away.
The bard quickly searched her mind to remember how many dinars Xena carried with her but she really had no idea.
Xena watched as Gabrielle's eyes looked upwards in thought. Xena suddenly hoped Gabrielle's price would be in her range. Gabrielle started to feel the knot in her stomach and new the warning sign, this conversation was getting dangerous and Gabrielle desperately tried to think of a way out of it. Finally she blurted out, "25 dinars."
Xena smiled, she had 20 dinars in her saddlebag. Xena never much cared for bartering that was Gabrielle's specialty, but of course Xena usually didn't care much about what was being bought. Gabrielle saw the smile on Xena's face and the look of determination in her eyes. Gabrielle hadn't seen that look of determination aimed at her since Xena helped her learn how to use a staff oh so long ago and she remembered that Xena always got her way. Xena could always tell what the bard was feeling just by looking at her, her body language was so expressive. Xena almost laughed when she saw the look on her bards' face. She looked like a stag that was about to get run over by a wagon.
"Well I'll give you 5 dinars." Xena offered nonchalantly glancing at her fingernails. Xena was bartering? Gabrielle thought to herself.
"5? Is that all you wager my thoughts are worth? 20 dinars and not a dinar less." This was beginning to get fun again the bard thought.
"20 dinars? Come on Gabrielle those thoughts couldn't have been THAT interesting." Xena was a very good actor.
"Oh really? Well I'll have you know that those thoughts were very," and then Gabrielle paused quickly realizing what she had almost said.
"Nice try Xena."
"Hey it almost worked."
"Well what's you counter bid?" Gabrielle said turning back to the task at hand.
"No counter bid. I'll gladly pay 20 dinars for your thoughts." Xena said, satisfied at the astonished look on the bards' face.
It looks like Gabrielle underestimated how many dinars I had Xena thought to herself.
The bards' mouth hanging open in shock, she may have gotten the price she wanted but now she had to pay up.
Xena got up from her rock perch, which was only a few feet away from Gabrielle and grabbed the pouch that had her money in it. She sauntered over to Gabrielle and dangled the pouch by its strings and dropped it. Gabrielle automatically caught the pouch.
"Deals off." Gabrielle said offering the pouch back to the warrior.
"Trying to get out of a business transaction?" the warrior rasped menacingly as she smiled.
Gabrielle noted the look in Xena's eyes and knew she was cornered, there was no way out of this situation for her and she knew she couldn't lie about what she had been thinking. So Gabrielle decided the only thing to do was fess up.
"Well what I was thinking at the time was, 'I wonder if I'll ever be able to get Xena to wear that dress again.' You know the one you wore on the farm." Gabrielle felt the blush rise to her cheeks but she stood firm and almost dared it to proceed.
Xena lost a little bit of her confidence and asked, "Why would you want to see me in that dress?"
Xena was standing right in front of Gabrielle and started to lean even closer to the bard invading her personal space. Gabrielle backed up slowly, her eyes never leaving Xena's. After a few steps back Gabrielle's back met a tree and there was no where else to go.
"We bargained for the one thought only, not what I'm thinking right now." Gabrielle said noticing her breathing had sped up noticeably.
The warriors' hard ice blue eyes softened and melted Gabrielle's heart as Xena whispered "Gabrielle I NEED to know."
Gabrielle could never deny Xena anything and this was no exception.
"Because it's easier to imagine what's underneath when you're wearing it." Gabrielle replied very quickly knowing if she didn't she'd lose her nerve.
Xena gasped. No matter how many times Xena had hoped for this moment she'd never fully anticipated it. Gabrielle heard Xena gasp and felt as though her heart would collapse in on itself right there as the overwhelming sadness swept through her and she looked away from Xena's face and clamped her eye's shut. Xena realized only then how much it had cost Gabrielle to tell her, much more than measly 20 dinars. Xena tilted the bards' chin so she could once again be looking at her square in the face.
"Open you eyes." Xena said in a soft command. The tears threatened to overcome Gabrielle and she knew if she did open her eye's they would surely spill out.
"Open your eyes love."
Gabrielle swallowed and opened her eyes, amazed at the endearment. The tears did flow but now the only thing she was feeling was trepidation and curiousness. She looked into Xena's eyes and saw the love shining within and her whole body sighed in relief as she let herself relax into Xena's gentle embrace.
"Gabrielle, I'll wear that dress anytime you want me too." Xena said, trying to lighten the moment as well as issue it as a promise.
Gabrielle understood and now all the fear she had was replaced with a great sense of completion and joy.
Her eye's sparkled as she glanced up at the warrior who was still holding her and said, "What about taking it off?"
Xena chuckled and replied, "Anytime."
Finally the attraction was too much and Gabrielle put her hands on the back of Xena's head and pulled her forward in a kiss that sealed their love forever and two halves of a soul became one.
Xena turned around and caught Gabrielle smiling. "A dinar for your thoughts Gabrielle?"
"What?" Gabrielle grinned and raised her eyebrow.
"You were smiling there a moment ago." Xena said smiling broadly.
"What, a girl can't smile anymore?" She teased.
"Not that kind of smile." Xena said with a little rasp to her voice. "Besides you aren't going to avoid the question so easily."
"What was like, the question again?" She asked, doing her best impression of Aphrodite.
Xena sighed.
"Oh right, what I was thinking about.. Well it will cost you way more than a dinar to find out."
Gabrielle smirked. Gabrielle hadn't noticed when flirting with Xena had become acceptable, it just seemed a natural progression in their relationship. Xena was enjoying the bards act immensely; it wasn't often the warrior felt she could relax enough to play.
"Really? Then how much do you think would cover it?"
Xena asked looking into the bards' eyes from a few feet away.
The bard quickly searched her mind to remember how many dinars Xena carried with her but she really had no idea.
Xena watched as Gabrielle's eyes looked upwards in thought. Xena suddenly hoped Gabrielle's price would be in her range. Gabrielle started to feel the knot in her stomach and new the warning sign, this conversation was getting dangerous and Gabrielle desperately tried to think of a way out of it. Finally she blurted out, "25 dinars."
Xena smiled, she had 20 dinars in her saddlebag. Xena never much cared for bartering that was Gabrielle's specialty, but of course Xena usually didn't care much about what was being bought. Gabrielle saw the smile on Xena's face and the look of determination in her eyes. Gabrielle hadn't seen that look of determination aimed at her since Xena helped her learn how to use a staff oh so long ago and she remembered that Xena always got her way. Xena could always tell what the bard was feeling just by looking at her, her body language was so expressive. Xena almost laughed when she saw the look on her bards' face. She looked like a stag that was about to get run over by a wagon.
"Well I'll give you 5 dinars." Xena offered nonchalantly glancing at her fingernails. Xena was bartering? Gabrielle thought to herself.
"5? Is that all you wager my thoughts are worth? 20 dinars and not a dinar less." This was beginning to get fun again the bard thought.
"20 dinars? Come on Gabrielle those thoughts couldn't have been THAT interesting." Xena was a very good actor.
"Oh really? Well I'll have you know that those thoughts were very," and then Gabrielle paused quickly realizing what she had almost said.
"Nice try Xena."
"Hey it almost worked."
"Well what's you counter bid?" Gabrielle said turning back to the task at hand.
"No counter bid. I'll gladly pay 20 dinars for your thoughts." Xena said, satisfied at the astonished look on the bards' face.
It looks like Gabrielle underestimated how many dinars I had Xena thought to herself.
The bards' mouth hanging open in shock, she may have gotten the price she wanted but now she had to pay up.
Xena got up from her rock perch, which was only a few feet away from Gabrielle and grabbed the pouch that had her money in it. She sauntered over to Gabrielle and dangled the pouch by its strings and dropped it. Gabrielle automatically caught the pouch.
"Deals off." Gabrielle said offering the pouch back to the warrior.
"Trying to get out of a business transaction?" the warrior rasped menacingly as she smiled.
Gabrielle noted the look in Xena's eyes and knew she was cornered, there was no way out of this situation for her and she knew she couldn't lie about what she had been thinking. So Gabrielle decided the only thing to do was fess up.
"Well what I was thinking at the time was, 'I wonder if I'll ever be able to get Xena to wear that dress again.' You know the one you wore on the farm." Gabrielle felt the blush rise to her cheeks but she stood firm and almost dared it to proceed.
Xena lost a little bit of her confidence and asked, "Why would you want to see me in that dress?"
Xena was standing right in front of Gabrielle and started to lean even closer to the bard invading her personal space. Gabrielle backed up slowly, her eyes never leaving Xena's. After a few steps back Gabrielle's back met a tree and there was no where else to go.
"We bargained for the one thought only, not what I'm thinking right now." Gabrielle said noticing her breathing had sped up noticeably.
The warriors' hard ice blue eyes softened and melted Gabrielle's heart as Xena whispered "Gabrielle I NEED to know."
Gabrielle could never deny Xena anything and this was no exception.
"Because it's easier to imagine what's underneath when you're wearing it." Gabrielle replied very quickly knowing if she didn't she'd lose her nerve.
Xena gasped. No matter how many times Xena had hoped for this moment she'd never fully anticipated it. Gabrielle heard Xena gasp and felt as though her heart would collapse in on itself right there as the overwhelming sadness swept through her and she looked away from Xena's face and clamped her eye's shut. Xena realized only then how much it had cost Gabrielle to tell her, much more than measly 20 dinars. Xena tilted the bards' chin so she could once again be looking at her square in the face.
"Open you eyes." Xena said in a soft command. The tears threatened to overcome Gabrielle and she knew if she did open her eye's they would surely spill out.
"Open your eyes love."
Gabrielle swallowed and opened her eyes, amazed at the endearment. The tears did flow but now the only thing she was feeling was trepidation and curiousness. She looked into Xena's eyes and saw the love shining within and her whole body sighed in relief as she let herself relax into Xena's gentle embrace.
"Gabrielle, I'll wear that dress anytime you want me too." Xena said, trying to lighten the moment as well as issue it as a promise.
Gabrielle understood and now all the fear she had was replaced with a great sense of completion and joy.
Her eye's sparkled as she glanced up at the warrior who was still holding her and said, "What about taking it off?"
Xena chuckled and replied, "Anytime."
Finally the attraction was too much and Gabrielle put her hands on the back of Xena's head and pulled her forward in a kiss that sealed their love forever and two halves of a soul became one.