It was a cool day, despite the brightness of the sun overhead, as Xena and Gabrielle traveled forward to the next town. There wasn't a sound save for Argo's hooves pressing against the earth and Gabrielle's footfalls, although Gabrielle couldn't help but fear that Xena could hear her heart beating rapidly. She bit her lip, occasionally stealing glances of the warrior out of the corner of her eyes without even the slightest turn of her head, nervous. Minutes went by, all in silence, until the curious vibes between the two became too great to endure any longer.
"Gabrielle, what's the matter?" Xena asked, her eyes trained on the ground ahead of her. Her voice was low and even, and had the small blonde beside her not known her mannerisms and intonations as well as she did, she might have mistaken Xena's tone for a cold, unemotional one. But she knew better. Instead, she tensed at the sound of a voice, and not just because it was Xena's, and stumbled on her words.
"I… Nothing's the matter. It's a beautiful day, the sun is shining, the birds are… well, the birds are actually surprisingly quiet today but they're still pleasant, and Argo seems to be-"
"Don't screw with me, Gabrielle. What's the matter with you?" Xena stopped her horse with the slightest movement and turned her head down towards her friend. Gabrielle made very brief eye contact, Xena's piercing blue gaze too intense for her in that moment. Instead her eyes fell to her feet, a giveaway that she was hiding something.
"Nothing. Really. I'm fine-" The blonde felt a wave of air pass over her and she flinched, but Xena was only dismounting the horse. She wrapped the reins around the horn of her saddle and turned to her friend. Reaching out gently, her fingers touched the underside of Gabrielle's jaw and she drew the shorter woman's face up towards hers. But Gabrielle was stubborn, and her eyes roamed to her extreme left.
"Look at me," Xena said, her voice gentler now. Gabrielle's eyes swiveled slowly until they met Xena's. The woman's gaze was soft and warm, concerned. She withdrew her hand and rested it on her friend's shoulder. "What's wrong?" Gabrielle hesitated, her mouth opening only for a moment before she swallowed her words. She shook her head, disturbing her bangs.
"…. I don't know, Xena, I just….." She stalled again, not wanting to say what was really on her mind. Her heart started to beat faster like it had been before, and she was sure that if Xena hadn't heard it then, surely she could hear it now that she was this close. Still, she didn't want to give up what she knew she had to say. It was too soon… but then again, there probably never was going to be a "right" time for something like that. Argo blew air out of her nose and shifted her footing impatiently, and Xena turned her head to give her horse a look. Argo walked away. Gabrielle searched her head frantically for a lie, anything to keep from saying what was really going on. She suddenly too was uncomfortable with Xena's touch, and she discretely pulled away from it. Xena's hands fell to her sides and Gabrielle drew in a breath, praying to the Gods that the black-haired woman before her might believe her lie. "I just feel bad about what happened the other day… I should have been there to protect you." Xena smiled slightly and raised her eyebrows all before truly thinking about what Gabrielle was talking about, after which her expression changed to suspicion. She studied Gabrielle's eyes intently, not quite believing her.
"You've already apologized to me for that, which you really shouldn't have done in the first place. I understand that the circumstances were less than ideal, especially for you… I don't hold anything against you for that day. But we've already discussed that…"
"I know we've talked about it already," Gabrielle said, trying not to smile about Xena buying her lie, "but I just still feel guilty. That's all." Xena took a step forward, no longer buying into Gabrielle's lie even in the slightest, but smiled anyway, and pulled the blonde to her.
"Don't worry about it," she said. "You did just fine." Before pulling away, the taller woman kissed Gabrielle on the top of the head, and not without the blonde's sudden tensing. She whistled for Argo and the horse appeared seemingly from nowhere. Gabrielle put her hand to her chest, willing her heart to stop beating so wildly. She knew Xena's expressions better than most, and there was no doubt that the warrior was on to her… It was all just a matter of whether or not she knew the specifics. "Come on, let's go," Xena said, and they were once again on the move.