The sun filters through the trees leaving patterns of light and dark sprinkled along the road. I pull my duster tight around me, trying to keep out the cold. Joxer is waving his sword about as he sings his song, trying to come up with phrases that sound more heroic and warrior like. I think Amarice will kill him soon; she doesn't have the years of experience in tuning him out. Her frustration is obvious, and we may have a very dead Joxer on our hands soon.
"Hey Joxer?" He stops, looking back at me in surprise before running up to me.
"Yeah?" His eyes are wide and he has such a hopeful look on his face.
"Why don't you go scout ahead for us? We need a place to stop." I grab his shoulder and he stops breathing with the contact. Joxer finally manages to shake his head frantically, babbling as he takes off down the road. Amarice sighs loudly in relief and Xena chuckles next to me.
"I'm not sure I can stop myself from stabbing him." Amarice grumbles, walking up ahead of us. The trees rattle in the wind and leaves skip across the dry ground. So many things to miss about living and yet so many things I'd be glad to forget.
"It will be nice to go home for a while." While the silence between us is comfortable I still feel a need to fill it.
"Yeah." Xena nods, eyes constantly scanning our surroundings. Grasping her bicep lightly, I force her to stop and look at me.
"Are you ok?" Xena's brow creases slightly as she contemplates her response.
"I'm just not feeling good. It will go away." She smiles somewhat fakely, then turns to move again but I grasp her arm tighter.
"Xena?" She smiles at me again, leaning in a little closer.
"I'm fine." I reach up, brushing her cheek with my fingertips. She twitches at first, before easing into the touch as a soft smile graces her lips. I want to kiss her, but I don't think she'd let me. It's fine to show affection, but for others to see it would expose a weakness that she doesn't like showing. As my hand begins to drop from her cheek, she grabs it between hers, pulling me a little closer. Xena's lips meet mine briefly, just a tease of a kiss, but it tingles through my body all the same.
"You must be sick." I give her a grin as she drops my hand and returns to business as usual.
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Wrapping a fur blanket securely around me, I stare up at the stars. Sometimes I think on cold nights that I can see them even clearer. They sparkle and dance like ice crystals scattered about the ground. Everyone is asleep and snoring, even Xena. She's been getting up later and later; I'm beginning to worry that something is wrong. She of course just brushes me off. A hand snakes up under my fur, sliding along my leg bringing my attention back down to crystalline blue eyes peering up at me.
"You're shaking." She whispers softly.
"I'm cold." Xena's hand leaves my leg, sliding back under her own blanket before lifting it up, offering it's warmth to me. I throw my fur over hers as I lie down, my back to her front, scooting securely into her warm embrace. Xena's arms pull me tight against her body as I feel the heat of her breath on my neck. I'm so at ease when I'm in her arms, so comfortable. I find it easy to lose myself in her embrace alone.
Warm, wet lips pepper the back of my neck with kisses. The lightness of them tickles my skin. As her fingers begin to roam across my body; I can feel the desire wafting off her. Grabbing her hands with mine, I force them to stop their unabashed exploration. The kisses however don't stop; they merely turn into something much more sensual, nearly breaking my resolve.
"I miss touching you." Her lips are moist and sultry against my ear. This time the shivers are not caused by the cold, but by the lust dripping from her. Xena is making this very hard for me, and I'm pretty sure she's meant to be the strong one.
"Not here." I somehow manage to get out between gritted teeth.
"Now." She starts sucking on the skin just under my ear.
"Not here." I'm not going to be able to protest for much longer. Xena refuses to stop the assault on my neck. Her hands break easily from my grasp as she ignores my protests, letting them roam over every sensitive spot she can reach. Suddenly I'm very grateful that we set up a separate campfire from the others. The connection I feel with her is becoming stronger by the second. A tumult of emotions surge in me as I grow desperate for her touch. Xena's fingers make a slow journey down my hip, my skin tingling in their wake.
"Do you feel it?" Xena whispers against my neck.
"Yes." The cord that joins us, pulls us inexorably together time and again. Her very touch washes me in warmth and I can feel the bonds of hearts slowly connecting. The world drifts away as we mend these last few torn threads of our lives.
"You are my soul Gabrielle." My chest feels so heavy with her words. I turn to face the one woman I shall love until the end of time. Her face is awash with conflicting emotions that, I no doubt, reflect back to her. Crushing my lips to hers, I feel an intensity that is overwhelming my senses. Pain chokes me as I try to breathe new life into us. In this moment I need to express just how much she means to me. .
The kiss turns ravenous, desperation clouding all further thought. I grasp at her hair and neck, pulling her as close as humanly possible. Yet still, this is not close enough for me. While we kiss with reckless abandon; our hands are crawling across skin and clothes just to feel the life beneath. We peel away the layers till there's nothing between us, not even the slightest whisper of air. My hands sweep across her, eliciting memories of the last time I was able to touch her like this. Her name drifts in and out with each breath I take, my fingers digging into her back as her lips travel along my body.
Xena rolls lifting herself above me, her hair falling down, encapsulating us in its darkness. Slowly her mouth falls to mine with a softness I can't describe. Tears threaten to spill, as the sweetness of her actions unfold. I could live forever in this moment and never grow tired. But now is not the time for the gentleness I usually desire. The flame inside of me is growing out of control, and I feel I might die.
Pulling Xena down against me, I kiss her with such hunger you'd think I'd never be full. My tongue sweeps into her mouth, tasting the freedom of our love. A hand slides down my stomach, reaching between my legs. Fingers push into me, causing my body to tremble, as electricity burns through my body. Her name catches in my throat. In the vastness of this night, life around us disappears.
A thin sheen of sweat has already covered our bodies, creating a slickness as our skin rubs. My legs wrap around her waist, I need to have her closer. Xena's tongue is exploring every inch of skin she can manage to reach. The pace she sets is fast and hard, my body responding quickly as I rock against her. She's gasping in my ear, grunts and groans accompany every thrust.
My lungs stop working, my vision darkens, my body becomes stiff as this explosion of energy races through every fiber of muscle. Tears come hard and fast because the emotions are so overwhelming. The fact that we are here, alive and touching each other again. This is not something I have ever taken for granted. Before she can stop me, my lips latch onto hers, my hand sliding between her legs. The warmth surrounding my fingers as they slide in is so intoxicating I might die from the sensation. Xena pushes down against them, nearly riding my fingers. I suck on the skin of her breast, marking her with a reminder of this moment. Biting on her bottom lip, a look of pure ecstasy blossoms on her face. If only I can be a part of her. To feel the warmth and the strength forever.
Muscles strain as her body grows taut. Xena gasps into my mouth as I try to kiss her through the waves of the orgasm that rips through her. She falls, collapsing atop me as her arms fail to hold her up any longer. We melt into each other's arms, secure in the fact that we are connected once more.
