With You

"And that I really, really hate chariots!"

Companionable silence overtook the pair.

Gabrielle smiled to herself. She had made Xena laugh, even joke with her. And earlier, Xena had apologized to her. What a wondrous day! Whoa!

Xena yanked her hand back when the girl recoiled from her touch.

Reading her expression in a second, Gabrielle laughed a little too loudly. "You just surprised me's all!"

"I almost got you killed!" The warrior princess struck herself in the thigh with her hovering hand. "Just like Lyceus, and-"

"You mean, you saved my life," her friend gently corrected her.

"No, I-"

"Xena, I didn't leave behind a safe, comfortable existence to live a safe, comfortable existence. This is where I'm meant to be. …And I'm the happiest I've ever been."

The admission stopping all the warrior princess's dark thoughts in their tracks, she numbly echoed, "The happiest you've ever been?"

Gabrielle nodded without breaking their sudden eye contact or losing an ounce of radiance from her face. "When I'm with you," she reiterated her earlier assertion.

Xena merely stared for a long moment before lowering her head and continuing on in silence. Me too, she didn't say. Nor did she need to.

Beside her, Gabrielle began to skip.


*Yey. 200 words for episode two.