My Wedding

The next morning I awoke to a knock on my door. I was tired, dehydrated and I knew I just looked a mess. I had been crying much of the night, then spent the rest of it angry with myself for crying over a man.

I opened the door, and there he was in the early morning light. I was breathless as I saw him stand there with his white tunic shirt, his rippling torso peeking at me from under it. "I love you too," he said to me

Confused I blinked, "Huh?" I said through a scratchy throat.

"I love you too, but there is something about Romy," He said, "I guess I like it that she needs me so much."

"What makes you think that I don't?" I asked sitting down on the bed.

"Xena," he said sitting next to me, "You don't need anyone."

I looked down at my lap. He reached his hands out to me and held my hands, His large hand swallowing mine in their warmth. Slowly, he brought one of his hands to my chin and lifted my lips to his. We kissed a long and sensuous kiss. Not passionate but a gentle probing that reminded me that this would be the last time I'd get to do this.

There was another knock on the door, startling us apart, "Xena, Gabrielle told me you would be in here, can I come in?" It was Andromeda.

"Just a minute," I said looking at Hercules, "Just so you know Hercules, you're wrong, I will always need you." I said then stepped outside of the room leaving Hercules alone inside.

"Oh my gods!" Andromeda said, "Did you get into a fight or something?"

I smirked, "I had a rough night Romy, I will be ready in a little bit."

"Xena, I'll come with you, so we can dress together." She said signaling the dress she had draped over her arm.

"Fine, let's go." I said as I knocked at the door of our room.

Gabrielle opened the door and let us in. "Good gods, you look like sh..."

"Yes I do. I had a rough night." I said conveying my meaning with my eyes. She started to smile, but then she noticed my frown.

"We're gonna get dressed for the wedding." Romy said.

"Okay," Gabrielle said as I picked up my dress, "I'm going to get some breakfast."

"I'll be at Romy's if you need me," I said following the bride to her lair. This was going to be a long morning.

Atlantica was bustling as the wedding guests started filtering to the courtyard at Romy's house. Romy had a total fit when she saw what Gabrielle and I had done to the dress, but when she saw it on me she was speechless.

When it came time to walk down the isle, Romy was very excited, as a bride should be. She practically pushed me out on to the courtyard. I walked down the isle and I saw Gabrielle sitting in the front and I smiled at her. Then I looked over at Iolaus and Hercules.

Hercules devoured me with his eyes. Our eyes made contact and my knees almost buckled with the memory of this morning. As I walked, I didn't notice that Hercules was moving closer to me until his arms wrapped around me, and he was kissing me.

"I want you for me," he whispered just as there was a scream inside the house; Andromeda had turned into this gorgon. "Just in time for the party," Hercules said

"You chose her over me?" Romy said, "You have ruined me."

"Romy you almost had me," Hercules said not daring to look directly in her eyes. "Thank the gods Xena came when she did."

The guests took cover keeping away from the gorgon's gaze

"I just wanted to be loved," she said weepy, then turned her angry gaze at me.

I flipped out of the way as she advanced towards me, but she caught me by the hair and threw me on to the floor. "Ah..." I said as my pelvis hit the ground.

She held my head down and I closed my eyes as she moved closer to me. "Xena, you betrayed me."

I attempted to release her grip on my hair but it didn't work. "Betrayal would mean there was a compromise in trust," I said, "You never trusted me."

Just then Hercules pulled at her hair pulling her eyes back and away from where she could get me. I reached for my chakram and threw it at a boulder nearby. It bounced off of it then off of the stone archway that we had been standing under. Then it sliced clean through the gorgon's neck severing her head. I caught the chakram on the rebound from the other side of the archway, as I fell with the weight of Romy's body pulling my head back.

"On second thought, the fact that you don't need me all the time is kind of a turn on." Hercules said as I worked to untangle the dead gorgon's hand from my hair.

"That's what I'm saying." I said reaching out for his hand. He pulled me up and into his arms.

We looked at each other for what seemed like an eternity. "Marry me." He said just as the magistrate that was going to perform his wedding was stepping away from the altar.

"Any time," I answered, and Hercules reached out to stop the man from leaving.

"How about right now?" Hercules asked. I smiled and followed him as he led me back to the altar.

We were married there, just as we were covered in gorgon's bloods, and just as the sun began to set, under a brilliantly colored twilight sky we became man and wife.