The Cuddle

Post-Episode 122

By Jinxie

Disclaimer: See the main story disclaimer, it applies

Content Warning: See the main story warning, it applies

Goal: See the main story goal, it applies

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End of Episode 122 (S6, E10):

Xena and Gabrielle are leaving Ares behind to stay at the farm and live out his mortality. As they leave, dust is kicked up from their horses causing the air around them to cloud. Gabrielle looks to Xena, "How are you feeling?"

"I've learned something since coming back here. You can't look for peace in the world around you. You've gotta find it in your own heart. I was happier when I was a kid here 'cause I was loved and I felt like I belonged. I was lucky then and I'm lucky now." She smiled at Gabrielle.

The blonde smiled back as she looked at the warrior. "Me, too."

xxxx

Gabrielle continued, "I learned something too. Having a home to come back to is really nice. However, I think that you and I will always need adventure."

In Xena's mind she began to picture herself chasing around their future kids. One little blonde girl in particular, looked just like Gabrielle. It put a smile on her face. "Yup."

"You agree? Why are you smiling?" she reached out and tapped Xena on the arm. Xena just smiled then kicked her horse into a gallop.

xxxx

The sun was setting behind them as they approached a crossroads. "We aren't far from home." The bard stated, looking down the road that led to her childhood home. She looked back at Xena, "Can we go see Lila and Sarah?"

"I was planning on it. If we keep riding, we should get there before it's completely dark." They pushed their horses into motion down the dirt road, riding quickly to beat the setting sun. There was only an ounce of light coming from the moon above them when they arrived to Gabrielle's home.

They took their horses to the barn and gave them hay and grain for the night. After knocking on the door twice, Lila finally answered. She looked tired, as if she had been sleeping. "Lila!" Gabrielle said with excitement. "I hope we didn't wake you."

"Gabrielle!" she stepped out and pulled her older sister into a hug. "You did, but that's ok. Come on in. Hi Xena." She moved aside to let them in then hugged the warrior as well.

"I'm sorry we woke you. We were in the area and wanted to come see you both. Is Sarah here?" Xena was quite eager to see how Sarah was since the Gurkhan fiasco. She and Gabrielle both sat near the fire to warm up. Xena found one last piece of wood and threw it on the flames.

Lila sat next to them, stretching her hands toward the heat. "She is here. She has a friend in her room though."

Blue eyes met green in question. "Friend? Like boyfriend?"

Lila shifted uncomfortably as she heard a door open from the back room. Sarah came out, eyes sleepy and hair a mess. "Aunt Gabrielle?"

The bard was off her feet quickly, throwing her arms around her niece. "I'm so happy to see you. I'm sorry we woke you up. We can catch up in the morning if you wish." She watched her niece as she sat next to Xena.

"It's alright." She looked up at her mother, an uncomfortable look, then over at Xena. "Hello Xena. It's good to see you. Is everything alright with you both?"

"Of course. We wanted to stop by and see how you both were. I've missed you." The bard felt like something was being unsaid but didn't want to push anything. "You two should head back to bed. We can catch up in the morning. Xena and I will sleep on the floor out here."

Getting no argument from either woman, they stood up, hugged her goodnight and walked out of the room. Xena sighed as she looked at her girlfriend. "Tough crowd."

xxxx

The next morning, they awoke to the sound of someone in the kitchen making tea. Gabrielle started to get up, only to be pulled down by Xena. "It's not someone we know." The bard looked at Xena in surprise then looked towards the kitchen to see if she could see someone.

"How do you know? I can't see anyone."

"Have you ever known either of those women to get up at this hour? They are like you. Besides, I can tell by the way she walks." Xena put a finger over Gabrielle's lips to keep her from trying to reply. The person in the kitchen walked back into Sarah's room.

"She?" the blonde got out of bed and went into the kitchen to see if there was any tea left. Luckily there was. "Hey can you get a fire going? It's cold in here." She shivered as she reached down and took the blanket off Xena. She threw it around her shoulders and curled up on a chair.

"Excuse me, bard. That was my blanket." She sat up and glared at her lover. The look she received back was a dare to do something about it. "Fine. I'll go get some wood."

xxxx

The movement and talking in the other room woke Lila. She grumbled about the hour, but decided to visit with her sister. She never knew how long she would be around. After donning her robe and slippers, she walked out into the cold family room. Her sister was curled up on a chair drinking tea. "Morning. Where did you get tea?"

Gabrielle smiled at her sister, "Someone made it. There is more if you want it."

Lila walked into the kitchen and poured herself a mug. She took a deep breath of the steam and sighed. "I love tea." She strolled to the other room and sat next to her sister. Gabrielle put one arm around Lila and pulled her into a side hug.

"So who is the mysterious stranger in Sarah's room?" She asked softly, sensing that it was a sore subject. The door opened, blasting them with a wave of cold air. Xena walked in, her arms full of chopped wood.

"Morning." She nodded at Lila as she walked past to put the wood next to the fire. She got down on her knees and began to build the wood in the pit so that they could have a fire going. "It's cold out."

Deciding not to let the question get lost in morning chitchat, Gabrielle pushed on. "Xena, you walked in just in time to hear about the stranger in the other room. So Lila, who is it?"

Lila tensed a little. "Well, it's a friend of Sarah's. Her name is Adonia. I guess they were both wives in that palace."

Xena looked over at Lila, "So why are you so tense about this 'Adonia'? Is everything ok?" The fire began to roar to life, so she moved over to sit beneath Gabrielle. She felt a hand run through her hair, lightly scratching her scalp.

"Mom is not comfortable with a stranger in the house." Sarah said from behind them. They all turned to see her walk in, alone. "Or is it something else mom?"

"What's going on?" Gabrielle asked as she looked between mother and daughter. "Lila?" she stared at her sister, making her squirm.

"Nothing is going on."

"No, don't pull that shit with me. Mom use to do that all the time and I couldn't stand it. Now spill it."

Lila stood up and grabbed Gabrielle by the hand dragging her out the front door with her. They walked to the barn and Lila broke down crying. After a few minutes of uncontrollable sobbing, she finally could speak. "I think they are lovers."

Gabrielle's mouth was ajar with surprise. "What's wrong with that?"

"Nothing is wrong with it, but she refuses to acknowledge it. She lies to me straight to my face and all I want is an open relationship with my daughter." She began to chew on her fingernails, a habit she had since they were kids. "She can't even be honest with me."

Gabrielle looked towards the house and watched as the smoke rose from the chimney. Wow, this is interesting. Looks like I'm going to have to do my sensitive chat thing. "Maybe I can talk to her, see what's holding her back."

Lila looked at her sister with hope. "Would you really?"

"Of course. But you need to be prepared for her to not want to open up to you. Think about how we were with mom. We didn't tell her everything! She also needs to adapt to your relationship with her and her new living situation. I'm sure this has been hard for her." Gabrielle pulled Lila into a hug and stroked her hair.

"She's had a few hard days, but I think she is dealing with it well. Then this woman shows up and I feel like… I'm not needed anymore. This girl does so much for her, it's crazy." She sighed, "I guess I was expecting to have more time to ourselves. She's been gone for so long."

"We'll figure it out, I'm sure."

xxxx

Inside the house, Xena stared into the fire. She wasn't sure what to say or do. She heard Sarah plop into Lila's chair. "Xena, did you ever just want your mom to butt out of your life?"

This statement caused Xena to blurt out a laugh, "Who hasn't?" she turned around and looked at Sarah. "So what's going on here?"

"Adonia came to live with us after she tried to go home to her family. Turns out that the slavers that took her in the first place had killed them all. I don't think mom likes her very much. But she is great. She is so amazing, constantly making sure that she does chores and anything she can to help mom out." Lila's voice was filled with a deep fondness as she spoke about the woman.

"Maybe your mom doesn't feel needed. Sometimes I feel that way with Gabrielle." Xena offered.

Just then Gabrielle walked in the door and motioned for Xena to come outside. They walked to the barn together. Xena pet Argo as she walked by her stall. "Alright, I'm listening."

"Lila thinks they are lovers and Sarah won't admit to it."

"Where is Lila?" she looked around the barn and couldn't find her.

"She took a walk. The biggest issue is that my sister feels like she didn't really get a chance to be a mother. She thought they would have that chance now, but instead Sarah has someone else to take care of her." Gabrielle sidled up to Xena so that she could pet Argo as well.

Sarah stepped into the barn. "Mom thinks Adonia is my lover?" the surprised look on her aunts' faces was priceless. She smiled, "Sorry I was coming out to find my mom."

Gabrielle walked over to her niece and touched her hand to her arm. "Is she?"

Sarah appeared a little nervous, not sure whether her mother should know the truth. "Promise not to tell mother?" the look on her aunt's face said that she better spill the beans. "Yes, we are. I don't want mom to know."

"Why?" Xena stepped over to them, putting her arm around Gabrielle. "There is nothing wrong with love."

"It's not that…I'm not ashamed. I am just afraid she won't like me to have someone besides her." Her voice grew quiet at the end, demonstrating her worry.

"Well that's happening whether you tell her or not." The bard reasoned with Sarah.

"I guess you are right. It's kind of back firing on me." She laughed nervously. "Why does this have to be so complicated?"

Gabrielle looked at Xena and without words the warrior knew it was her cue to leave them alone. She kissed the bard on the cheek and walked away. Gabrielle smiled as she walked the love of her life walk away, a cute sway to her gait.

"Gabrielle?" Sarah waved her hand in front of the green eyes that were now staring into empty space.

The shorter woman shook her head and refocused. "Sorry. Look, it's really not that complicated. I think that if you talk to your mom, she will understand. But you will need to understand that living in her house may require you to still let her take care of you in ways. She wants a close relationship with you, but keeping things from her does not help that."

"I don't want her in all my business."

"I understand. She doesn't have to know details, but knowing about a child's love is important to a mother." She spotted Lila walking back to the house, "She's back. Why don't you just talk to her?"

xxxx

Three hours later, Xena, Gabrielle, and Adonia were still sitting outside waiting for the 'talk' to end. None of them could believe how long it was taking. Lila had kicked them all out of the house so that she and her daughter could really talk. Adonia had been pacing back and forth the entire time; only answering their questions with one-word answers.

The pacing was driving Xena crazy. She stood up and began to walk away towards town. "Xena!" Gabrielle chased after her girlfriend. She caught up and stole a glance back at Adonia. "Where are you going?" she whispered.

"She is driving me crazy. She paces, hardly says a word, broods…"

"Ha, just like you." Gabrielle elbowed the warrior in the side.

Xena stopped in her tracks and put her hands on her hips. She looked up at the sky and sighed, "Wow. You are in trouble now." She quickly bent down and threw Gabrielle over her right shoulder. The bard kicked and screamed for Xena to release her, to no avail. "Hold still." She carried Xena over to the local restaurant and set her down once they were inside the door.

"What are we doing here?" Gabrielle said, after she had playfully pinched Xena's arm.

"I'm starving and since Lila won't let us in, I figured we could eat here." They took a seat at the only open table.

To their surprise, a male waited upon them. Usually it was a woman that helped them in places like this. Xena had just cracked a joke as the man walked up, so Gabrielle was looking at Xena and laughing. She did not pay attention to him as he approached. He set down two mugs of ale. "Gabrielle?" The man questioned, as he looked right at her.

She looked up from the blue eyes of her lover to the gray eyes of the man at their table. "Yes?"

"It's me, Jonas." The name didn't seem to faze her, so he continued, "Perdicus' little brother." His eyebrows rose as he saw the befuddled look on her face.

She couldn't stop looking at him, shocked that he was still around this town after 26 or so years. She stood up and hugged him, "I didn't recognize you. The last time I saw you, you were just a small boy."

"I was eight. I thought you would look a little older." He looked her up and down, "How is it you look like you have only aged a few years?"

"That's a long story." She sighed then looked down at Xena, who had a bored look on her face. "Jonas, this is Xena."

"The warrior you left here for? The Warrior Princess?" He was in shock, not sure what to think. "I heard she died."

"'She' is right here." Xena stated. She smiled at him then continued, "And I'm hungry."

"Of course! I'm so sorry. I got carried away here. What can I get for you both?" He looked eagerly to Gabrielle instead of Xena.

The blonde sat back down and looked at Xena, who just rolled her eyes. "I'll have the stew. Xena will have the same."

"Right away, Gabrielle." He hastily made his way back to the kitchen, wanting to get their food as soon as possible.

Xena stared at Gabrielle with an annoyed expression on her face. Their eyes met and Gabrielle just smiled and shrugged. The warrior shook her head and downed the entire mug of ale. After a couple of silent minutes, Gabrielle spoke up, "Upset at something Xe?"

"Nope, I just" she was interrupted by Jonas bringing their food.

"Here is the stew. It's my favorite. I hope you like it." This he said to the blonde. "Gabby, since you are back in town, maybe we could spend some time together and catch up?" The way he said it made it clear that he was interested in her.

Xena rolled her eyes. Gabrielle tried not to laugh, "Unfortunately I will not have time. We are leaving town tomorrow." She made up this excuse because she wanted to spend all her time with her sister and niece. Maybe it was selfish, but she didn't care at this point in her life. Her partner just raised her eyebrow and hid a smirk.

"Oh, where are you headed off to?" He did his best to hide the hurt.

Seeing Gabrielle squirm for another fib, she decided to help her out. "We are going up north to fight a warlord. In fact, we need to get an early start, so we need to eat and get out of here to pack up."

Gabrielle's eyes grew wide, "Uh, yeah that's right. I forgot how early we need to leave."

At that, he bid them farewell without much of a fight. Gabrielle had apologized quite a bit about not being able to spend time with him, but he had understood.

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As they walked back to Lila's, it was growing dark and chilly. Gabrielle buried herself into Xena's side to get warm. She felt the warrior's strong arms wrap around her. The stars above them glittered and winked, no moon in sight; the perfect type of night.

Lila's house looked warm and inviting, smoke rising from the chimney. They took a deep breath before they entered, not sure what to expect. Adonia was no longer outside the house, which was a good sign. Inside, Lila, Sarah, and Adonia were all sitting around the fire laughing and talking.

Gabrielle smiled at the sight, thankful that there were no arguments happening. "Hi everyone."

"Hey! Where were you two?" Lila asked as she rose to greet her sister. "Do you want something to eat or drink?"

"We ate." Xena replied as she tossed two pillows on the ground so that she could sit. In order to get into a comfortable position, Xena leaned up against the wall and opened her legs for Gabrielle to sit in between them.

Once settled, they looked around the room at all the faces staring at them. "What?" Gabrielle asked as she smiled. She looked over and saw Adonia holding Sarah's hand, bringing joy to her heart.

"You two are cute." Adonia said to them, not completely understanding that no one called these two warriors 'cute'. It was quite the sight to see the famous Warrior Princess cuddling. Xena rolled her eyes and everyone laughed. The night ended in good humor, love and happiness.

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Beginning of Episode 123:

An Amazon woman is running through the woods, running from something dangerous. She trips on a trap and sets it off. An arrow whizzes by her head, barely missing her. As she lands on the ground, her hand lands in an animal trap.

A man approaches her and stands above her as she pries her fingers from the trap. "Oh, and you Amazons have such a reputation." She springs towards him and hits him giving her a chance to run. He takes out a triangular weapon and throws it at her. It hits her in the back of the leg and boomerangs back towards his waiting hand.

The woman yells at him as he grabs her face, "If you're gonna kill me, just do it!"

"Oh, where's the fun in that? Before you die- you'll deliver a message for me." He pushes her hand into the ground as she screams.