Chapter Six: Say What?
The silence stretches on for an uncomfortable minute before Xena blinks rapidly, her weapon still in hand. Straightening up she re-sheathes her sword and carefully places her hands on her hips, before looking down with an almost comical expression on her face.
"Say what?"
"What? I'm the one who should be asking you that! Xena whatever gave you the idea that I was pregnant? In case you haven't noticed we're both women and last I checked we need a guy to do that kind of dirty work." She says folding her arms over her chest.
Xena's eyes move left to right as if looking for an explanation. Gabrielle taking Xena's eye movement completely out of contexts jumps to her own set of conclusions.
"Whoa do you think I slept with someone?"
"Huh?"
"Xena how could you even think I would, I just…"With an irritated grunting shriek Gabrielle spins on her heels and marches down the road.
"What? No. Hey wait Gabrielle! That's not what I…"
Throwing both hands skyward Xena mumbles "Women!" before stalking after Gabrielle.
Well that was brilliant! Now she thinks I think she slept with somebody. That couldn't have gone any worse or gotten more contorted in the wrong direction if I had been trying! Where is she? For her size she sure can move…when she wants to.
"Gabrielle! Gabrielle!"
She's not even pregnant! By all the gods how in the hell did all this happen? How could I have been this stupid! Gods, inseminations, and babies! Have I completely lost my mind!
"Gabrielle!" After calling again and hearing nothing Xena slows down, listening intently for any sign of her vanishing bard. A short way down the path, Xena's supersensitive ears pick up a slight noise coming from behind a small outcropping of trees.
Without detection Xena locates Gabrielle sitting on a small rock, her face cradled in her hands.
I just got used to the idea of her pregnant! Oh Gabrielle…
A precarious tone fidgets with Xena's voice as she calls to her.
"Gabrielle?"
Seeing Xena, Gabrielle sits up straight, her voice is flat and without its normal warmth.
"Xena"
A sigh escapes the warrior's lips before she ventures to untangle this botched mess.
"Gabrielle, listen to me, I don't know how you got to your conclusion, but it never entered my mind that you went and slept with somebody else."
A white lie never hurts!
A fiery lance enters Gabrielle's eyes "Oh really? Care to explain to me, how else you imagined I could have gotten that motherly glow?"
…Maybe not
Closing her eyes Xena bites back her impulse to curse and instead speaks through gritted teeth.
"Gabrielle, stop putting words in my mouth, that's not what I meant and you know it!"
"How am I supposed to know what you mean you're the one talking like a crazy person!" She says crossing her arms over her chest before continuing. "Pregnant! Do I look pregnant to you?"
Oh gods! Xena clasps a hand over her eyes before dropping it to her side.
"No you don't look pregnant. It's just you've been acting strange these past few weeks and well your symptoms made sense for…"
She gestures at Gabrielle's midsection; as a look of preposterous disbelief twists Gabrielle's brow.
"Strange? I'm the one acting strange huh? "
"Yes!" She shouts and then proceeds to list Gabrielle's symptoms on her fingers. "You've been tired, moody, queasy, no-appetite, craving sweets and you're breasts were even tender!"
"Xena, pregnancy is not the only thing that can cause those symptoms! I had a touch of a stomach bug last week and then this week I had my monthly period!"
Xena's expression goes blank. "Your period…"
"Yes, you know that wonderful little gift that the gods cursed all females with? I'm sure you're familiar."
A sudden dark shadow closes over Xena's features making Gabrielle's mocking glance falter. "…Xena?"
"I haven't had one since a little after Solan was born. I…I left and trained hard to…forget and I…they just stopped, never came back."
The air of building frustration is broken by Xena's honest confession. Uncrossing her arms, Gabrielle's eyes meet Xena's in sudden realizations as to why some of this misunderstanding happened.
"We never have talked about this stuff have we?"
Xena shrugs slightly "No we haven't. I guess…wait" Her eyebrows knit in question. "How did I miss this? It happens every month! Before we were together is easily understandable but we've been together, together for almost a year!"
A moment of silence ensues as Gabrielle ponders the mystery. Gabrielle's right index finger rises with a plausible theory.
"Well I think I can explain some of them; my time coincided perfectly with your trips to Athens and Pydna last spring. The following two months we were so busy defending those villages near Lamia we didn't have energy for much else but sleep. The month after that we were visiting my family and my father insisted you sleep in the barn, which is why we left after a week!"
Xena nods her head. "And you did say no to my advances the last week of the first few months after we got together." Xena rubs her forehead with her middle and index fingers. "And I thought you were just nervous, I didn't want to push you...it makes sense…now."
"I thought you knew I was…" Gabrielle's voice trails off
"Guess not."
Xena's leather boot scuffs the dirt as both women become lost in their own thoughts; Gabrielle's gentle laugh makes Xena look up.
"What?"
"Oh nothing"
"Come on what?"
A little giggle escapes. "I guess that's explains why you seem like your PMSing all the time.
"Oh hahaha…"
Standing up Gabrielle soothes. "Oh I'm just kidding, come here."
Taking Xena's arm Gabrielle pulls her close, looking up into the bluest of eyes. Xena in turn wraps her arms loosely around the slimmer waist.
"I think we should both try to work on the communication part of our relationship."
Xena chuckles "Yeah just a little"
Their lips meet for a brief but tantalizing moment in mutual unsaid apology.
"Is all forgiven?"
"'Em I guess…" Gabrielle retorts playfully.
"You guess?" Xena's right brow arches in a sultry fashion.
A nudging glance from Gabrielle draws Xena mouth again, longer this time.
"How bout now? Xena asks
"Once more…"
The hands around Gabrielle's waist tighten, pulling her into a long wit robbing kiss.
The electricity from the kiss is intensified by the two weeks of built up celibacy. Xena's leathers feel suddenly hot against her skin as the air becomes almost pliable with their sexual urgency. Xena is the first to recover.
"Wow that was um…"
"Yeah…" Grabbing Xena's face with both hands, Gabrielle attacks her mouth. A long low moan emerges as Xena complies with her bard's demands. Overwhelmingly lost in the exchange between dominance and submission, Xena's tongue purposefully plunders the depths of Gabrielle's mouth with a predatory skill.
Gabrielle's curves scream for Xena's hands and happily she fills the need, molding Gabrielle's ass with her palm. At the contact Gabrielle squirms, waiting for the signature squeezing of Xena's left hand.
"I want you naked." Xena commands.
Their breath mingles in hard pants as Gabrielle's cheeks tinge pink at the blatant request. "Help me"
Xena's hands make quick work of the bards skirt as Gabrielle in turn tosses her top, leaving her as Xena asked, naked and wanting.
Xena's eyes run over her body with a starving appreciation, as Gabrielle's hands, warm and teasing move against her lover's strong thighs.
Catching the dilated eyes, Gabrielle's fingers migrate up; reaching under, she playfully hooks two fingers into the band of Xena's underwear.
"Take me." She whispers as Xena's underwear meet the dirt.
Licking her lips Xena removes her breast plate. "Come here" she says tossing it carelessly, before her hands roughly clasp Gabrielle against her leather clad body.
Gabrielle can't help gasping at the sensual feel of leather against her naked skin. In one fluid motion Xena drops over Gabrielle and nestles between her automatically opening legs.
The dirt is cool and hard, contrasting wildly with the soft heat of Xena's lips, moving busily over her throat. The leather tassels of Xena's skirt tickle painfully over Gabrielle's erect clit, pulling another gasp from her chest. "Lift your hips" Gabrielle says frantically.
Quickly moving her hip, Gabrielle pulls the offending skirt up to expose Xena's ass. Lowering her hips to Gabrielle's, Xena's eyes roll back at the first delicate touch.
"Oh fuck…" Xena moans while arching forward, wantonly her feminine assets are pushed together by the confines of her leathery harness.
Gabrielle's eyes are irresistibly drawn to the heavy breasts inches from her face; her mouth is suddenly dry at the sight of such ripe flesh, meant for her enjoyment. Xena's arms, brace her body perfectly before her, all she needs is to lean forward, slightly.
"Mmmm Gabrie…" Xena bites her lip to stifle further praise as Gabrielle's teeth graze a mimicking path of her tongue.
Wow now that was HOT! There's nothing better than a climaxing cliffhanger LOL ;)
Oh and please review thank you!