Episode Three
It took 4 hours of walking to find a tavern in which Gabrielle could show her face. Once they did they ordered a bottle of whiskey and a glass each and sat down at the bar. After what felt like an eternity of mindless conversation about training drills and the weather the conversation finally turned to Xena.
"I should've been there for her. If she'd called me I could have saved her. And those souls"
Gabrielle almost choked on her drink at this comment from Ares.
"The god of war wants to be a hero now! Saviour of the souls of Japan! Jeez Ares you must be really drub-nk"
"Yeah, I'm the one that's 'drub-nk'"
Gabrielle observed her rapidly refilling glass with a quizzical expression, "yeah I see your point" She put down her glass. Ares looked at her funny with an odd smirk on his face.
"What?"
"Nothing, I'm just wondering how you got into her pants when I never could. Well not after Hercules turned her around anyway"
"You know there was more to our relationship than me making her scream right?"
"So there was screaming. Whenever I asked her she'd never say one way or the other."
"well it's not like she can get mad at me for talking to people now is it"
"So tell me, when did you first know you loved her?"
"When did you?" Gabrielle wasn't going to divulge such sacred information without a promise of the same from the God of War.
"Fine, I'll tell, but you first"
Gabrielle downed the rest of her glass and began…
"I guess I always loved her….but the first time I …The first time I really knew I loved her was after she stopped a warlord and a giant on the same day."
"Yeah I read about that in one of your scrolls"
"Right, well there were a few things I left out……………………"
Gabrielle could remember she was bitching about the frying pan and trying to hit Xena with her staff for some reason and that night she must've let her get her. They tried to sleep for a while but Xena wouldn't quit wriggling…
"Xena would you let me take a look at your nose already?"
"No I'm fine"
"Really you don't seem fine to me. I didn't break it did I?"
"I don't think so, it's not bleeding, just go to sleep"
"Well I would if you'd lie still for five minutes!" Gabrielle joked. "Let me see!"
"No! It's fine!" smiled Xena as Gabrielle playfully tried to move Xena's hands from her nose and moved so she was straddling her lap, trying to pin her hands down. After a minute or two of laughing and tickling Gabrielle realised just what position she was in on top of Xena and her face started to turn bright red. She smiled as if to say 'oops', but caught Xena's eye and didn't look away. The gaze between the two warrior women became more and more intense and they leaned in to kiss each other.
Ares broke Gabrielle from her reverie and asked "Was that your fist kiss?"
"No. I can't believe I'm telling you this, but our first kiss was on my wedding day!"
"Your wedding day? Right that Perdicus guy. Yeah he had to go."
"Right. Well everyone else had left the chapel and we were sort of saying goodbye. It wasn't really a full on kiss but we both knew exactly what it meant. We'd had feelings for each other for a while but I never really thought Xena and I would be together, that's why I married the guy. I mean I was young and barely even knew two women falling in love was possible and after meeting Xena I was so confused, all the time, except when I was with her."
Gabrielle started to choke up again thinking of it. "and now she's gone, the confusion, and the pain and the uncertainty are all back."
"If it helps I could see it."
"See what"
"How much she loved you. I feel bad admitting it but I did everything I could to win her back. She never gave an inch. She was faithful to you to the very end"
Gabrielle beamed with pride, her face wet from tears. Ares lifted his glass." To Xena, a lost love and a true friend" He and Gabrielle sipped their drinks, placed their glasses on the bar and stood up to leave.
"Thank you" said Gabrielle as she hugged Ares.
"For what?"
"For listening. You know for all the evil you've done…." Ares interjected
"Hey!"
"Come on, you know it's true."
"Well ok"
"I was just gonna say you can actually be a nice guy when you wanna be"
Ares smiled and pulled Gabrielle back into a hug. Gabrielle for the first time could sense what Xena had once seen in him, and remembered the few times where she herself had seen the sexier side of the God of war.
Eli had just been murdered; anger was flowing through Gabrielle's veins as Ares came up behind her. Gabrielle's over arching desire was to beat the tar out of him. Instead he was being charming, trying in his own special Ares way to console her. He had come over to her and showed her the most amazing sensations of power and lust and what it was like to have everything you ever desired. The feeling of it was utterly overwhelming and Gabrielle had to stop herself from jumping on Ares right there and then to sate the desire he brought on without even touching her. He started to walk away and she slumped back against the tree, trying to regain her breath and figure out how she'd let herself be attracted to a man she had inwardly sworn to hate.
Gabrielle looked into Ares steely gaze and felt that spark again. Ares picked up on this and kissed her hard. Gabrielle didn't pull away for a good few seconds. When she did all she think to say was,
"Ares what the hell are you doing!"
"Mourning a friend." Was Ares' calm response.
"Oh" was all Gabrielle could muster and barely realising what she was doing she let Ares kiss her and lead her, willingly, back to his temple.
What followed next was an experience Gabrielle would never forget, but would always regret.
With Perdicus, she was so young, barely knew who she was and could have fooled herself a little longer that she could learn to enjoy the touch of his hand, or the way the roughness of his two day old beard felt against her cheek. Granted Ares was more experienced than Perdicus had been, and the experience had been completely different, but all Gabrielle could feel was loneliness, isolation and despair as Ares moved around inside her. The lower she sank, the more she pushed Ares, making him think she was enjoying the experience, encouraging him deeper, harder when really all she was doing was punishing herself. With a heavy heart Gabrielle found her release and Ares followed straight after, collapsing on her for the briefest moment before rolling off of her and regaining his breath. Gabrielle used every ounce of control she could muster to stop herself from crying. She eventually drifted off to sleep as she was sobering up enough to start feeling her hangover and dreamt of her first time with Xena.
It had started out as a fairly ordinary day for both Xena and Gabrielle, they had saved some passing travellers and were chasing after the bandits that attacked them and followed them into a cave.
"Gabrielle get down!" screamed Xena as she tackled Gabrielle to the floor of the cave and a crossbow bolt narrowly missed her head. Xena was right on top of Gabrielle, her thigh between hers, looking towards the entrance of the cave for any signs of the attacker. When she was satisfied he was gone she looked down at Gabrielle. When she did her lips were mere millimetres from Gabrielle's and the bard seemed to be breathing heavily. Xena hadn't realised how close together they were, perfectly pressed against each other, and separated only by thin layers of fabric and leather.
Xena stared into her eyes and started breathing heavily herself. Any movement, any sound or flicker and their resolve would crack like a twig. Neither flinched and so after a highly charged half a minute or so Xena slowly got up and offered her hand to Gabrielle to help her up. She accepted and they walked out of the cave, slowly and in total silence
Later that night in camp they laid their bedding rolls out next to each other as usual but the atmosphere was highly tense. They said a polite good night but neither could sleep. After a while Gabrielle spoke up.
"Xena?"
"yeah"
"Earlier in the cave, did you? I mean was that?…..did it feel…… weird."
"How do you mean?"
"I don't know. Forget I ever said anything"
"Alright" said Xena and she rolled over and pretended to try and go to sleep while all the time Gabrielle's words were echoing on her head. After an hour Xena was still not asleep and could tell that Gabrielle wasn't either. She turned onto her side and faced Gabrielle. Gabrielle opened her eyes and was immediately staring into Xena's.
"Was it weird?" said Xena. Gabrielle didn't reply but kept staring into her eyes and Xena could see lust begin to fill them. "Gabrielle?" She questioned, and then Gabrielle pulled her into a long and passionate kiss. Gabrielle had always been tactile with Xena, and yes they'd kissed before but relief or joy had always brought it on. It was just enough to fool each other into thinking it was just a chaste kiss between friends. This definitely was not.
Gabrielle broke the kiss and looking into Xena's eyes again she slowly placed a hand on Xena's breast
"It wasn't weird, it was nice." Was Gabrielle's response.
Xena was urged on by this and placed an arm around Gabrielle's waist and pulled her as close to her body as she could, kissing her again. Gabrielle kissed her back with equal passion and slid her hand under the straps of Xena's leathers and gently pulled them down, trailing her fingers along Xena's arm as she did so before reaching around her back to undo the zipper that was keeping Xena clothed.
With a small tug the zipper came down and Gabrielle was rewarded with the sight of Xena's perfectly round breasts before sitting up and pulling off the garment all together. Xena fiddled with the lacing around Gabrielle's tight green top before finally removing it and taking a firm young breast in her hand and squeezing pleasurably. Gabrielle moaned as Xena gently laid her down and started to kiss down the side of her neck to her chest and between her breasts.
Gabrielle's hands roamed up and down Xena's back and all over her ass before coming back up and lodging themselves in Xena's hair as she kissed her.
Xena worked her way down Gabrielle's body and her hand reached behind her waistband and pulled off her skirt and underwear in once smooth motion.
Xena's hand moved back up over Gabrielle's now toned abs and the began to move down towards their ultimate goal. She cupped Gabrielle between her legs before looking in her eyes one last time and……….
"Shit!" Gabrielle awoke with a start, breathing heavily. Luckily Ares was still sleeping soundly next to her. Gabrielle frantically searched for her clothes and put them on as quickly and quietly as she could before leaving the room and closing the door behind her. Once she was outside Ares' temple she broke into a dead sprint and ran as far and as fast as she could.