This chapter is NOT for babies. Go play with your tonka trucks and barbies.
Wow, sometimes I actually keep my promises! I am just about ready to be done torturing these two characters, and in the spirit of not making you want to cry this chapter, I have resulted to porn. Yay! I wasn't going to go there in this story; was not going to make any sort of romance go beyond what was showed us in the tv show. I wasn't even planning on officially differentiating between whether this was a X/G or a J/G fic. But, what the hell is the fun in that? I have no idea if this is any good, and I must apologize to those of you who still thought this was going to be a Joxer/Gab fic, because I'm about to squash that shit.
In case you're impatient and skipped that paragraph, this chapter has explicit femmeslash content. If that's something you find offensive or makes you uncomfortable, then don't read this, because I don't want to hear about it.
Ready... Go!
When she woke again, it was pitch black but for a deep red glow coming from the embers of the fire. Xena was in bed beside her, sound asleep. The other bed in the room had become a catch-all for their belongings, as the women were too used to sleeping next to one another at night to be comfortable alone. Plus, Gabrielle thought, Xena was still feeling overly protective of her and maybe even guilty about what had happened. She kept Gabrielle close so she could watch her. Gabrielle steeled herself for what she was about to do. It was now or never.
"Xena," Gabrielle's voice was small and hushed. When the warrior didn't answer, she turned slightly and watched her sleep for a moment. Her courage waxed and waned with each breath. Finally she touched her, pulling a piece of her raven hair out of her face and trailing her fingertips down her shoulder, arm, side and hips. She could remember well the last time she'd done this. It had taken all her courage, and weeks of preparation, but she had finally managed to kiss the warrior lightly while she slept. Xena had woken up and been so scared, she practically shoved Gabrielle out of the bedroll, saying the bard was too young and something about not wanting to hurt her. And then the warrior armored up and disappeared into the woods claiming she was getting breakfast. It had been years, now, since that night, and Gabrielle had not asked again. She knew it was a risk, that Xena might push her out of bed and leave again, but she had to take the chance. She needed this. Before it had been for a thrill. Now, well, this was completely different.
When the warrior didn't wake up, Gabrielle repeated her motion, tracing the edge of the warrior's silhouette in the dark. She leaned in and whispered again, "Xena," her voice sounded stronger this time.
The warrior's eyes opened slightly, illuminating in the moonlight against the shadow over her face. She was very still for a moment as Gabrielle's fingers made their slow, light journey over the dip of her waist, and then her eyes met the bard's, with concern spread across them. "What's wrong?" She asked.
Now, faced with the cobalt of Xena's eyes in the dark, Gabrielle's courage left her completely. How do you ask this question? What was she supposed to say? She didn't realize her hand had stopped, nor that it had begun to tremble; she searched and searched for words, for breath, for something, but it had all gone.
Xena's head came up off the pillow, her concern deepening. "Gabrielle?" She let the bard's hand rest where it was, trembling on her hip, as she reached up and pushed Gabrielle's hair back off her forehead, trying to get her eyes to focus again. "Gabrielle, are you alright?"
How could she answer that? She had no idea if she was alright. But Xena's hand on her face had reminded her to breathe, and that was helping. The bard looked into Xena's eyes and realized she could not wait any longer for her courage to return. She leaned forward carefully, tentatively, and pressed her lips to Xena's. Knowing it was all too likely that she would pull away and leave, Gabrielle held her ground as long as she could.
The moment the bard had begun to close the distance between them, Xena had sucked in her breath. The warm, light touch of her friend's lips on hers sent hot electric fire through her veins. Her skin came alive and her palms ached just a little. Her heart was thundering in her chest. Afraid to move and break this fragile moment, she closed her eyes and wouldn't breathe.
When Gabrielle realized Xena wasn't pulling away, but that her hand had gone from her forehead to tangle in her hair, she kissed her harder and brought her reanimated hand up to her shoulder, letting her palm travel down her arm, down her side, to her hip, where she squeezed lightly. Xena finally pulled away, out of need for air, and exhaled a question. "What's happening?"
Gabrielle looked far into the warrior's eyes, her emerald orbs cutting dark and gentle into the warrior's jumpy blues. "I need you," she answered.
The warrior's breathing had begun to deepen, and a slight flush crept over her cheeks, but she began to shake her head, her eyes growing more and more fearful. Gabrielle pulled the hand down that had lingered in her hair, insisting.
"I need you to touch me." She said, and pressed her lips to the warrior's aching palm.
Xena shook her head a little harder, swallowing as the bard's lips sank into her palm. "Gabrielle, I --"
"Xena, I need you to kiss me." Gabrielle continued, running her lips over Xena's knuckles.
"I can't...I..."
Gabrielle wouldn't let her continue. "I need you to make love to me," she pushed on. "I need you to erase every touch my rapists put on my body out of hate and anger and replace it with your love and desire. I need you to re-claim me, Xena, and I need to be able to believe this child is yours."
Xena had never seen the bard like this, calmly demanding, blatantly seductive. She didn't know how to respond. "I don't own you, Gabrielle."
"No," the bard said, not breaking eye contact. "You love me." Unbeknownst to its owner, Xena's hand began traveling down the bard's body. Gabrielle looked at it and back at Xena, who looked at her hand in surprise as well, and a look of guilt spread across her face before she could do anything about it. The bard captured Xena's lips again in a bold, brief kiss, and then rested her forehead against Xena's. "Xena don't make me beg."
The warrior would not stand for that. She brought her lips to Gabrielle's haltingly, still unsure if this was a good idea or not, still unwilling to let herself go. Finally she kissed her fully, pressing her torso flush against the blonde's, but broke away almost immediately, remembering Gabrielle's injuries. "I don't want to hurt you." She breathed.
"You won't." When Xena hesitated a moment too long, Gabrielle kissed her cheek softly and then said, "It's okay. I won't force you, I'm only asking. I'll stop and go back to sleep if you tell me you don't want me."
Xena's eyes lost their hesitation and she leaned in to brush her lips over Gabrielle's ear. Her hand traveled up the blonde's ribcage as she whispered hotly, "How could I not want you?" She kissed her with all the desire in her as she slowly pushed Gabrielle's head down to the pillow, letting her hand finally feel the shape of Gabrielle's breast. Gabrielle gasped at the contact, and Xena pulled away. This time, though, she wasn't stopping. She sat up, smiling a little, and pulled at the ties to Gabrielle's night dress. Gabrielle managed to sit up enough to allow Xena to pull the warm fabric over her head. She then reached up and unclipped Xena's shoulder strap. The warrior leaned down and kissed her as Gabrielle unfastened the leathers deftly, pulled them off and discarded them on the floor. She could not help but reach for the warrior's exposed breast, running a testing thumb over an already hard nipple. The warrior hissed in surprise, and swore. Their mouths reconnected and she slid her tongue in to the bard's mouth, who moaned softly and arched her back, brushing her nipples against the warrior's.
The energy made a noticeable shift as Xena stopped kissing Gabrielle and began to notice all the bruises and cuts on Gabrielle's body. She let her fingertips trace a line down the very middle of her stomach; this was about the only place she could see that wasn't scarred. Gabrielle was so beautiful, and what they did to her...
The bard watched her lover quietly for a moment, and then said ever so gently, "I won't break."
That snapped Xena from her thoughts and she pressed soft kisses to her friend's fair cheek, and neck, and chest, letting a few silent tears mingle with her kisses as her hand explored her body, feather-light. Her soft dark hair caressed her aching skin like silk as she covered each cut with her mouth, soothed every bruise with her lips. Gabrielle slowly closed her eyes, letting Xena's caresses overtake her, swimming in the feelings she evoked. The warrior's slender hand swirled lower and lower, grazing Gabrielle's thigh, then moving back up to her breast. Her skin was humming loudly under the attention, her desire pooling in her lower abdomen like hot metal. When Xena's fingertips finally brushed her core, Gabrielle nearly went through the roof. Xena was surprised to find her so incredibly wet. She came back and covered Gabrielle's mouth in a tender kiss as she slid a finger inside.
Gabrielle cried out instantly, both because she wanted Xena so badly, and because she had overestimated how well she'd healed. It hurt like a son of a bitch, but at the same time, it was the most wonderful sensation in the world. Xena pulled out and looked at her, startled. "Did I hurt you?"
Gabrielle caught her wrist before she could bring it up very far. "No." She growled. "No, by the gods you can't stop now."
Xena cracked an adoring smile and kissed her softly, twice, and then took her mouth with all the warmth and desire she had in her, before she slid a finger deep into Gabrielle's center. She felt the bard flinch, so she let her finger stay very still for a moment before she pulled out slowly and pushed back in. Gabrielle groaned into her mouth and arched her back as Xena started a slow, aching rhythm. The warrior dragged her lips down Gabrielle's neck and nipped gently at her collarbone, intermittently kissing her full lips, and breasts, and closing her mouth over her nipples as she fucked her. Xena's own skin was vibrating as she watched the woman beneath her writhe in ecstasy. Every little sound Gabrielle made sent surges of liquid heat through Xena's veins. Her muscles clenched and released in tandem with the walls of Gabrielle's core, and as she brought the blonde closer and closer to the edge, she wondered if it was possible to have an orgasm without anyone really touching her.
Their rhythm picked up speed as Xena felt Gabrielle's walls begin to close tighter and tighter around her fingers. It wasn't long before Gabrielle's whole body shook and she tipped her head back and gasped for air as Xena brought her to climax. The warrior closed her mouth over Gabrielle's exposed throat as waves of ecstasy shook through her own body, rattling her harder than anything ever before. She whimpered into Gabrielle's neck as she brought the bard down slowly from her orgasm. Falling to her side, exhausted, she flipped her dark hair away from her hot neck and tried to catch her breath. Gabrielle turned and looked at her, just as breathless, and when they noticed they were both trembling, they shared a big smile.
"I love you," Xena whispered.
Gabrielle touched her cheek softly. "I know." She watched as Xena rolled back onto her, supporting herself with her elbows on the matress on either side of Gabrielle's hips. The bard idly fussed with the dark silky locks fanned about her. The women's eyes locked softly and they listened to eachother breathe for a few minutes before Xena spoke.
"We're keeping the baby?"
Gabrielle smiled at the word 'we' in that sentence, and nodded. The relief that poured over Xena surprised her. She smiled back at Gabrielle, then dipped her head to press her lips to the place where there would soon be a growing bump.