Part Seven, early the next morning

A soft, warm weight lying over his heart, daylight, filtering in through the closed shutter on their window, and a strange, sharp, needling sensation on his chest finally woke Hercules. "What in the . . Oww! " he exclaimed. "Gabrielle, what are you doing?"

The bard's soft chuckle answered him from across the room, where she was brushing her golden red hair. "I'm not doing anything, Hercules. But, look down, I think you've made a new girl friend!"

Lifting his head and tilting his neck to one side, the demigod found the source of the warmth and the needle-sharp pain he felt. A varicolored cat about the size of his two fists together was waking up on his chest, stretching and yawning and digging its claws into him. Hercules didn't know that he'd ever seen such a fearless small creature before. The cat made no effort to move from its chosen nap site, but simply looked back at Hercules through heavily lidded, perfectly almond-shaped green eyes. It was beautiful, he considered, its fur like a patterned cloak and hood worn over a milky white gown and boots. And it was clever, having nested into his chest hair, so that any move he made was bound to get him a stab from its needle claws.

"Maybe she's not your friend, after all." Gabrielle opined, when Hercules yelped again.

"What in Tartarus makes you say that? Youch!" Hercules responded.

"Well, she could be a second cousin three times removed of your oldest enemy, the Nemean lion, remember? Maybe she's come to take revenge."

Gabrielle grinned. "She's doing a pretty good job so far!"

"How can you tell she's a she?" Hercules grinned back at the bard queen, noting how the morning light burnished her skin and hair. Gabrielle looked as exquisite as the night before, but she was already wearing her amazon kilt and was beginning to lace up the over tunic. All Hercules really wanted to do right now was pull her back into bed and undo those tantalizing lacings to touch what lay beneath.

"Hercules, please. Didn't you ever sex a kitten? If this adorable little girl cat were a he, there'd only be a little dot just under the tail, but she's a she, so there's a little line." Gabrielle giggled, and reached for the she cat.

Gingerly, trying his best to avoid injuring the kitten or himself, Hercules pulled her up off his chest by the scruff of her neck and handed her to the bard. He couldn't help agreeing with Gabrielle that the small creature was adorable. Actually he felt unable to disagree with Gabrielle about anything, just now; and he wanted to show the bard exactly how adorable he thought she was. Her costume from the night before was discarded across the room. Her finery was nowhere to be seen. Her hair was down to her shoulders once more, with the braiding that he'd seen her wear so many times, holding it in place. Her eyes were green as grass, lively and full of laughter, as they hadn't been in a long while, he suspected.

Gabrielle seemed to be very much her normal self, an animated, witty, happy woman, with a great deal of tenderness for the kitten she held. Hercules was amazed, when he recalled that supposedly he'd come here last night to ease her heart. Instead, he felt as though the bard queen had lifted a weight from his own that he hadn't known was there.

"Hercules," Gabrielle asked, "why are you looking at me that way? Is something caught in my hair? Is there a smudge on my face?" The bard set the cat down gently and reached for a looking glass.

"No, there's nothing wrong with you, Gabrielle. Nothing at all." The son of Zeus answered, pulling on his leather pants. Then he crossed the room to her. "You are absolutely perfect, Gabrielle. And I'm . . . absolutely in love with you."

"Uh-oh." The bard replied, shaking her head "No, Hercules, you're not in love, not with me. Its this charm . . ."She looked down to her waist and then quickly around the room, gasping when she saw the amulet and chain were lying atop the glimmering gown.  In the passion of the night before, one of them had cast it aside. "Aphrodite gave me this gem to wear. Remember I said I had to keep it on, while we were . . . uh . . . together?  She said it would . . . help us . . ." She shook her head and covered her face with her hands.

"But you're not wearing any amulet now, Gabrielle; and I feel the same way I did last night, all night. Please, come back to bed and lets find out if you feel the way you did. Please?" Hercules kept a careful distance. He knew the bard so well now and was so full of love for her; that even less than ever before would he dream of insisting or using his strength to persuade her.

"But, Hercules, you can't. No, I can't. You know that. Trust me, it's a glamour. Have I ever lied to you?"

"Well, no, but. .I . . .but we . . . You don't understand. I never thought I could feel this way again."

"Hercules, I've heard that you said that to a lot of women." The bard insisted, softly but firmly.

"But this time I mean it." Hercules responded, feeling his color rise as he recalled how correct she was.

"Aphrodite, what have you done?" Gabrielle called out, looking upwards with a frown marring her features, arms extended in supplication.

In immediate response, a shower of pink-gold light and fall of rose petals announced the arrival of the goddess of love.

"Just havin' a little fun, bard-babe. Sorry, guess I'd better take care of this, before Xena comes back and beats my big bro to a pulp!" Aphrodite answered.

"Yes, please." The bard replied.

"Hey, can I cook or can't I?" Aphrodite laughed, and turned to face Hercules. "Okay, Hercules, pay attention to me for a sec."

"Oh, hi, 'Dite." The son of Zeus greeted his sister, still looking over her shoulder at Gabrielle.

Aphrodite waved her hands in front of Hercules, with no response.  Groaning, the goddess shook her head and then threw a golden ball of light into her brother's face.

Hercules reacted as if to an explosion, shaking his head and blinking and then blinking again as if he was only now waking up. Looking at Gabrielle again, he blushed to the roots of his hair when he saw the grin she tried to swallow. Then he turned to his sister and frowned.

"Dite, are you keeping tabs on my . . . social life?" Hercules demanded.

"Just the most interesting parts, bro. It's in my JD, ya know."

"Don't you think I can get a date on my own?"

"Sure you can." Aphrodite answered, laughing. "But a little help now and then doesn't hurt anyone. If it did, I'd be unemployed. Besides, this was a special case, remember?"

"Of course I remember. But I thought it was a special case for Gabrielle, not for me."

"It will always need two, big bro. No matter which two or what two or where to. . ."Aphrodite giggled and raised her arms, ready to leave.

"Aphrodite," Gabrielle stopped her, pointing to the discarded finery across the room. "Don't forget your amulet. It seems to work just a little too well."

Aphrodite held out her hand, and the amulet floated to her, resting softly on her palm.  "You don't want to keep it for future reference, bard-babe?  You don't seem to have needed it for long . . ."

"No, goddess," the Amazon responded, blushing to the roots of her hair. "Thanks, but no thanks."

"Great, glad I could give you a hand. I'm outa here." Aphrodite said, and in the usual flash of pink gold light, disappeared.

"Are you all right, now, Hercules?" Gabrielle asked, her face full of compassion, her eyes alight with laughter.

"Oh, I'm fine. But I guess my sister isn't as powerful as she thinks. I still love you, Gabrielle, more than I imagined doing in all the time we've known each other."

"Hercules, no. That's not right. I can't . . ." the bard raised her hands in protest.

"No, that isn't what I mean," he continued, cutting her off. "And I want you to hear this. I . . We got closer than we've ever thought of being last night. We know each other a lot better. That's important. And I'm very impressed with the woman I got to know, her courage, her trust, her tenacity . . . not to mention her stamina." Hercules grinned at the bard, who blushed brightly. "I'll always cherish that, and you, Lady Fair."

"Why, thank you, Kind Sir. Now, there's just one more thing you can do for me?" Gabrielle laughed in answer.

"Anything, Lady Fair."

"Lead me to some food. I'm starving! All that stamina works up quite an appetite."

As they walked down to the main room of the tavern, Gabrielle took his arm and with a conspiratorial look, said "Now, when we get to breakfast . . .

Gabrielle grinned when she saw Iolaus and Xena in the common room of the inn. The hunter and the warrior seemed to be saving seats for their two friends in the time honored fashion, by stretching their legs out along the benches closest to them. In fact, with her back against the warmth of the fireplace wall, Xena was sound asleep; while Iolaus held his fair head in one hand and rubbed at his eyes.

"Rise and shine, everyone!" the bard called out merrily, "Rise and shine!"

Iolaus groaned and regarded Gabrielle and Hercules somewhat blearily, but said nothing. Xena came fully awake, gave the bard and the demigod a considering glance and shook her head.

"I'll rise." she responded. "But I refuse to shine."

"That's all right, Xena." Hercules smiled at the warrior, but then quickly returned his gaze to the bard. "Gabrielle's shining enough this morning to make up for all the rain clouds on Parnassus. Sit down right here, Lady Fair and I'll make sure they have what you wanted for breakfast."

"Kind Sir, I will, but I'm really not very hungry. I'm too happy to eat." The bard giggled, and clung to Hercules' hand a moment longer. Then she sat down next to Iolaus and smiled at him, with a touching concern in her eyes.

"Iolaus, aren't you feeling well this morning?" she asked.

"I'm fine, Gabby. Really. Just a little too much festival, last night, . . I think." The hunter muttered, sipping at a mug of ale.

"Too much of Aphrodite's festival?" Gabrielle asked. "Oh, no, there couldn't be too much of celebrating love, could there?" The bard queen sighed and looked over her shoulder for a moment. Then she let her gaze turn to Xena. The warrior was studying her the way she might a strangely formed arrow or spear, or anything dangerous she'd never seen before. The bard had seen that look before; it was made up of equal parts curiosity and revulsion.

"Isn't it a beautiful morning, Xena? Did you enjoy the festival, too? The music, the singing, . . "

"Not as much as I might have." The warrior answered. "And I'd have to guess not as much as you did, Gabrielle."

"No, I guess not. The truth is, I um . . . we . . . Well, I guess I don't need to go into details. It was a wonderful night. Oh, Hercules! I told you I'm really not that hungry." Gabrielle giggled, as the demigod set a heavy-laden platter on the table between them and sat across from her, next to Xena.

"Well, I'm ravenous!" Hercules answered, grinning. "So I brought enough for both of us, love. What do you want to drink, cider, ale, wine?"

Here Iolaus groaned and looked at his oldest friend. "Nothing for me, Herc, and please, would you not be ravenous quite so loudly?"

"Huh, uh, yeah, Iolaus, sure. I brought this for my lady and me, but I'll be happy to grab something for you, if you're hungry."

"Hercules, are you expecting someone to join us?" Xena asked.

"No, Xena, he's talking about me." Gabrielle answered, smiling brightly.

"Uh-huh . . .What? Excuse me, is there something I should know?"

"Oh, well, Xena, I guess so." Hercules looked from the bard to the warrior and back again, as if helplessly caught between the two women's eyes.

Gabrielle sighed deeply and patted Xena's hand. "Xena, I knew we were going to have to tell you . . . oh, and you, too, Iolaus, of course. Hercules and I discovered last night, well, you can imagine how it surprised us, too . . ."

"Discovered what, Gabrielle?" Xena asked curtly. "How what surprised you, too?"

"We'd been both been denying feelings for years. And we just can't do that any longer. It's not right. It's not honest. It's not fair to anyone, least of all our dearest friends in all the world."

"Your 'dearest friends'?" Xena echoed with a hardening edge to her voice.

"Gabby, are you saying what I think you're saying? Cos if you are, I'll leave now before the fight starts." Iolaus asked. "My head's splitting all by itself, it doesn't need any help."

"Iolaus," Hercules answered for the bard. "She's just trying to say that last night, without wanting or expecting to, we fell in love . . . with each other." He took Gabrielle's hand and held it across the table.

Before anyone at the table could say anything more or even move, a small varicolored creature popped its head up between the bench and the tabletop. Spying the platter filled with sliced meat, bread and cheese, the kitten who'd woken Hercules upstairs pounced on the edge of the platter closest to her, and over balancing, sent the whole thing flying. Chunks of bread, pieces of cheese and shards of meat rained down on the four friends. Next, she knocked into a pitcher of watered wine and it too spilled its contents in all directions.

"Eowyn!" the taverness called out "Eowyn, you errant she-cat, get off that table!"

The proprietress ran up to her food and wine splattered guests, grabbing for the cat and apologizing all at once. Gabrielle looked at her and at herself, finding a piece of bread in her hair and a chunk of cheese in her bodice lacings, and began to laugh out loud. Iolaus looked at her and at himself, finding a slice of meat in his cup, and began to giggle, despite his headache. Hercules looked at Iolaus and at himself, finding a bunch of grapes settled into his leather shirt and began to shake with mirth, until a grin split his face almost in half. Xena looked at the demigod, the hunter and the bard for a moment, her expression saying clearly she wondered if they'd all lost their wits. Then she looked at herself and found the calico cat had run from her owner's grasping hands only to seek shelter under the warrior's long hair, clinging to her armored leathers. A very small smile crossed the warrior's lips, and then she shook her head and her eyes lit with understanding of the mischief afoot.

"Iolaus, Hercules, Gabrielle, you all stay put. I'm going to deliver this little girl cat back where she belongs, and then the four of us are all going to have a sensitive chat. Okay?"

"Sure, Xena." Iolaus replied, cautiously.

"Of course, Xena." Hercules answered her, pulling the most solemn face he was able to at the moment.

"Certainly, Xena." Gabrielle responded, understanding very well that the warrior was not making a suggestion.

"Good. Now don't move a muscle, any of you." Xena was using her command voice, and Gabrielle made it plain she understood, by becoming still as a statue, except for her eyes, which still shone with laughter.

Within a few minutes, the warrior returned with replacements for the spilled food and drink. Showing skills learned early on in Cyrene's tavern in Amphipolis, Xena set a huge platter in the middle of the table where all could reach its contents of bread, cheese, fruit and meat. Before the taverness walking behind her could take another step, the warrior relieved her of the keg and four mugs she carried, and set those on the table as well. Then and only then did Xena resume her place across from Iolaus, next to Hercules.

"Now," the warrior began. "We're going to have a quiet, calm, civilized breakfast together. But before we do that, someone here is going to tell me what that strange little performance earlier was all about. Who wants to start?"

"Not me. " Iolaus demurred, sleepily. "I wasn't clued in on this one, Xena. I was definitely out of the loop. Uh huh."

"We'll see. You had time to plan this last night when you were talking to Hercules." the warrior noted.

"No, I was talking to him about.. . Gabby. Wasn't I, Herc?"

"Uh huh." Hercules agreed. "Iolaus and I never discussed what might or might not happen this morning."

"Ah, then you were the one who decided to come downstairs today playing hearts and flowers all over the place, Hercules? You were the one who thought it would be diverting to tell us you'd fallen in love with my . . . with Gabrielle, even though that was the furthest thing from your mind last evening?" Xena demanded.

"No, but if Aphrodite had kept up with her little tricks, I might have come to tell you that, very seriously." Hercules responded. "And if Iolaus and you hadn't convinced Gabrielle and me to spend the festival night together last night, I might never have known just how lovable your partner is, without it causing long term damage to all of our friendships. Wouldn't you agree?"

"I might." The warrior admitted, warily.

"Xena, Hercules, wait a minute." Gabrielle interjected. "I think I can help here. First of all, it was my idea to mislead you, for just a little while this morning. It was never meant to be taken seriously, and I know it didn't take you more than THIS long—" she snapped her fingers—"to figure all that out. Right?"

"Uh-huh." The warrior drawled.

"Secondly, you know how unsure I was that the plan you came up with for last night was a good idea. But it was, and I'll tell you why, Xena. When I first met Hercules I could hardly even relate to him, beyond 'Gosh Wow, are you really Hercules?!' We hardly ever spoke; I let all the heroic stuff get in the way of getting to know him as a person. Fortunately, Hercules is so used to that kind of foolishness that he tolerated it from me, too. But that's no real basis for friendship or affection. Some kind of underlying trust has to be there, too. Now, I think we probably been building that trust between us, as time went on, but last night. . " Gabrielle blushed brightly, with a grin. 

 "Iolaus," Xena began, turning towards the hunter "I'm convinced, how about . . . ?" Suddenly a grin escaped the warrior's somber demeanor, followed by a chuckle, followed by a throaty laugh.

Hercules and Gabrielle followed where Xena pointed the small dagger she reserved for spearing food towards her mouth. Then the demigod and the bard queen burst into laughter, too. Propped against one of the columns that propped the ceiling of the common room, Iolaus was sound asleep, arms folded across his chest, head down, and fair hair streaming over his face. And perched triumphantly on his strong right shoulder, munching a chunk of sausage almost as big as her entire mouth was a very happy calico kitten, called Eowyn.

                                       C'est finis! 1/26/99

With all due and loving respect to that later age's Bard, this speech comes directly from William Shakespeare's "Hamlet", Act 2, Scene II.