Two days. Two days since the resurrection of Xena after she had died saving that little girl only a year and a half into their travels together. Gabrielle and Xena had been staying just outside the Amazon village much to the warrior princess' disdain though it was better than staying in the actual village. But after all that had happened and the fact that by rights the bard was now the queen of the Amazons, it really was for the best that they had stayed put. There had been discussions with Ephiny about her acting as regent so that the petite blond could continue her travels with the raven haired warrior.
The days had been spent with the Amazons either in meetings or training. To Gabrielle's surprise, Xena had willingly taken on all challengers. Part of the bard wondered if her warrior was not trying to make a point that as her Champion, there were none among the many female warriors that could last that long against the chakrum wielding warrior. It was not that they were not good in their own right it was just that the warrior princess had these unique abilities that so few could even come close to matching. They were just a few of her many, many skills.
Of course Gabrielle realized something. She was just a little biased. As she checked on the fish that were cooking nicely in the frying pan, she chuckled at the thought. The cheerfulness of her mood quickly faded as it had been ever since…The bard was ecstatic that Xena had once again somehow defied everyone and everything and overcame the impossible. But there was a part of her that was frightened. Both now knew how the other felt.
Hades, before Xena had taken over her body, the bard had not even truly admitted it to herself that she was in love with her warrior princess. The reaction that she had had to what she perceived was the first time that the former destroyer of nations had died would have caused her, one would think, to realize just how much she loved the woman. Perhaps it was not having to admit it to herself because no one had seen her take her devastation out on the tree with her staff.
Perhaps it was the fact that she was terrified that if she admitted the feelings, she would then attempt to act on those feelings. At the time, she only thought that Xena had kept her around out of some sense of obligation. Although it had been a while since the warrior princess had attempted to send her home or leave her somewhere. But still, it would have been a crushing blow had her best friend not returned the feelings of deep love.
And now she knew for sure. Gabrielle turned the fish to keep it, just, from burning. It was not like her especially when she was right by the fire to even come close to burning their food. She checked on the travel bread that was one of the few things that had been allowed by the Amazons to contribute. If nothing else, Xena was proud that she could take care of herself and now the bard. Now the petite blond knew that it was not just out of feeling responsible, the warrior princess wanted to take care of her.
Gabrielle sighed as she moved the fish further away from the flames to keep warm. Not that Xena had spent a lot of time around the fire before, but now it seemed each night that she was off drilling or hunting or whatever it was she was doing. It was not what she normally did. How, the bard knew she was not sure but she could sense that. The petite blond resigned herself to keeping the dinner warm and busying herself with her scrolls once again.
What she really wanted to do was finally get up the courage and talk with Xena. She really wanted to voice the feelings that she had been struggling with basically since their initial meeting. But never having a clue about love or life, it was all a mystery to her. Oh there had been a boy here and there and she had even married Perdicus but it was not even close to what her feelings had been at the time for her warrior princess. And in that year and a half expanse of time, her feelings had grown even more.
Before she could unroll her diary, Gabrielle sensed before she heard the soft footfalls of the tall warrior. It brought a smile to her face as she remembered the first few moons of traveling with Xena. The raven haired beauty could always sneak up on her and scared the sheep dung out of her. But the past couple moons, and especially since the combining of their souls into one body, she had a sense of her best friend like she had never had before.
Xena silently made her way over to the fire. Though the temperatures and therefore the water were cool, she had obviously just come from the nearby river. Her silky long black hair was still dripping with water and her skin beneath her leathers was still being kissed by little droplets of water. Gabrielle stopped in mid motion as she took in the sight of the sleek woman whose tanned skinned was highlighted ever so nicely by the flickering of the flames of the campfire.
A dark eyebrow rose in question and that was enough for the petite blond to snap out of her staring at her best friend. Gabrielle resumed dishing out the fish and bread. There was an unusual silence in the camp, not that Xena usually contributed a lot to the conversations. The only sounds were the crackling of the fire, the occasional scraping of wooden silverware on wooden bowls, the gentle breeze ruffling through the leaves and of course the ever present sound of Argo either cropping grass or her tail whipping in a restless motion.
Green eyes finally looked up from across the fire. That was different as well. It wasn't long after they had begun traveling together that they had begun to eat side by side. They even had begun sharing a bedroll but of course the warrior insisted it was because the bard was always cold and that she was closer to her best friend to easily defend her from a surprise night attack. Whatever the reason, Gabrielle's body had come to crave the heat from the raven haired beauty.
Unbeknownst to Gabrielle, almost the entire time that she had been picking at her food she had been stared at. Xena could sense that there was something her best friend wanted to talk about. It was probably the same thing that the warrior had been wanting to discuss since…The raven haired beauty's outer façade never changed. However her internal struggles were like a war inside. She had felt what the bard had felt while controlling the younger woman's body.
Having sensed those feelings had been distracting. Looking back on the fight with Valasca, it was obvious that her head was not totally into the confrontation. Partly it was just having to get used to a different body than her own. The smaller and slightly weaker body was different to wield. And at the same time Xena could feel just how much her best friend had grown and not just emotionally since they had met. It was a bit of pride that the warrior had felt at that thought.
Love was not something that Xena had ever thought she would allow herself again. On the few occasions that she thought that she was in love, she had ended up getting used and in some cases physically abused. After Borias' death, she had resigned herself to living life alone not that she was ever truly in love with the man. And even if she had thought she had found love again, being a warlord made it difficult at best to trust anyone especially with your heart.
When she had met the sweet innocent Gabrielle, Xena finally realized what true love really was. It went beyond just love, but she wasn't sure just what that meant. But she wanted to find out. At least a part of her wanted to further their relationship so that she would know exactly what was so special about having found someone you could not live without. Having been able to feel for herself the depth of the emotions that the bard had for her, she knew it went beyond just being in love which mirrored almost exactly what the warrior was feeling.
But to find out what it was Xena would have to put her heart on the line. Worse, she would have to put Gabrielle in danger. Just accompanying the ex-warlord as her traveling companion/best friend was enough to put a constant target on the bard. If they were to ever move their relationship to the level beyond best friends and it was to become common knowledge, the young somewhat innocent woman's life would constantly be in danger.
That was why, even though still part of her loathed the ideal, a part of the warrior was glad that Gabrielle had taken up the staff. It was a great defensive weapon and was suited to her compact size. As good as Xena was in a fight, there had already been times when she had almost not gotten to the bard in time. Knowing that she could at least on a basic level take care of herself made it a little less distracting and allowed her to go more all out.
It was time to tell the woman how she felt. Xena knew after her last experience that life was short. While she would hate for Gabrielle to go through the kind of pain once again that she had if she died again in the near future, perhaps at least knowing what true love was and that in her heart she would ever reside would hopefully bring the bard comfort. The warrior wondered if the same could be said for her. Already having lived through the bard's death, it had been a constant nightmare.
But had it been a nightmare because things were left unsaid? Xena managed a bit of a smile and she saw the questioning look upon her best friend's face. That was exactly why the brief death of Gabrielle had affected her so…There were no words really to describe how hard it had hit her. It was like a piece of her soul had been ripped violently from her body that day. Her eyes involuntarily grew wide at how she had described how the death had affected her.
Soulmates. Now green eyes were questioning her and she knew what was going to happen next. Sure enough, Gabrielle put down her half eaten fish and quickly was sitting so that their legs were touching. Her hand involuntarily went directly to the cool bare knee. Xena could feel the slight trembling and wondered if it was because of the coolness of the night or because of nervousness. Looking into the emerald eyes, it was because she was nervous.
For once, Xena decided that it was her turn to start one of these sensitive chats. Speaking of feelings and emotions was not something that she was comfortable and doubted that she ever truly would be even if what she had thought turned out to be true. But her bard had an effect on her like no one in the known world ever had, not even her brother Lyceus. "So…" Her hand covered the smaller one on her knee. "I think we've been avoiding something. Talking."
Gabrielle smiled sheepishly at her best friend. "It's ironic as you know how good a talker I am." There was that full smile that caused the adorable nose to crinkle causing the warrior's heart to skip several beats. Being this close to those lips, she thought about the kiss and how amazing it felt. I hope you think I was a good kisser too, even if it wasn't my body. "I think we both know…" The bard could not maintain the intensity of those blue eyes. While never actually vocalizing her emotions, the petite blond had become very aware at just how much, at least to her, those eyes screamed what Xena was feeling. And right now there was such love and desire it had rendered her speechless.
Xena's eyes never lost their intensity. In fact, there was a noticeable darkening of her eyes. Between the firelight and the desire, those sapphire eyes were now a dark violet. Without any hesitation, the raven haired beauty leaned in. When their lips were almost grazing, she breathed the words against Gabrielle's delicious looking lips. "If we do this, even just kiss, we are going to cross a line. It's a line that will be dangerous to you on so many levels. Are you ready for that?"
The bard had to lean back just a little so that she could clearly look into those blue eyes. Along with the love and desire there was also now fear. Was it fear of getting hurt emotionally? Was it fear of Gabrielle getting hurt either physically or emotionally? The petite blond smiled and knew that it was for her. Xena would always put her feelings and her safety first and foremost. "I guess I can ask you the same question, warrior princess. I get the feeling that I'm not like the others."
It was terrifying and disconcerting just how easily the younger woman could read the warrior so easily. It was true. There was no one in the known world like Gabrielle. There would never be anyone like her just like there had never been anyone like her. The connection that she felt to the bard was…Xena smiled at the thought. It once again went back to one thing. "I don't think I have more than one soulmate. So, no you are nothing like the others."
The petite blond could not even think for a moment. Her mind was a blank for the longest moment. Then it hit her what Xena had just said. Soulmates. Wow! She actually thinks we are the other half of each other's souls. But I thought that too. Even before we shared a body I knew. I'm just glad that she feels the same way. Now what? Do we… "I've felt like that for a while now, us being soulmates." There was a shyness that was not unique to the bard, but one that had not surfaced around Xena in a long time.
Xena's breath was still so close that it was tickling her lips. After staring into the darkened eyes of the warrior for a few more moments, the bard knew. Gabrielle knew that her warrior was not going to be the one to cross that line. It was not because she didn't feel the same and wanted to cross the line. No, it was because she wanted to leave it up to the younger and less experienced woman. One side of her lip curled up in appreciation for just how much the raven haired beauty thought of her and so clearly loved her.
There was no hesitation when Gabrielle reached a hand up and entangled her fingers with the still dampened raven haired locks. Blue eyes blinked and the warrior's breath caught. The bard's body seemed to be mimicking the woman that she loved so much that attempting to express it in one of her scrolls…It just lost something in the translation. "I am so in love with you, Xena." Now a corner of the warrior's lips curled mimicking the expression on the young woman's face.
The words were all the permission if not the begging that Xena required. "I'm more in love with you than I thought was humanly possible." Though she knew that Gabrielle wanted to continue as much if not more than she did, still the warrior princess hesitated. This was her bard. This was someone that was a gift from the Gods to have even been born. This was someone that she wanted more than anything to spend the rest of her life with.
The gentle pressure of the delicate hand on her scalp was enough for the raven haired beauty to finally give in to what had been building up for the last almost two seasons. It was hitting a fiery inferno hence why she was all wet. Even after having been gifted with the knowledge of the bard's love, Xena never thought she would deserve this. That she would be able to accept the love that was so clearly being given her by someone so sweet and innocent.
This time when their lips met, it was their lips. While Xena had been in Autolycus' body at the time, forever would it be to the bard her warrior that she had kissed just a couple days ago. That was what her mind saw and that's what it would always be. Of course this was amazing as now there was so much emotion behind the simple act. The first kiss was a promise. It was a promise that no matter what, they would find a way to be together.
This kiss was something more. Again the words to describe all that this one simple act and what it was about to lead to were inadequate. In the back of the bard's mind, she was just barely able to think that she might have to start making up words just to be able to express what one little look let alone touch of the warrior princess was capable of doing to her. Of course the physical side of their love was just beginning to be explored and she was terrified.
Not terrified of Xena touching her in that intimate of a way. That was something she had looked forward to for so long that it was with anticipation. What terrified her was that she would not be able to respond in kind. Again, not because she wasn't attracted beyond words to her best friend but because she had little to no knowledge of physical love. Though loathe to actually let it enter her conscious mind, Gabrielle was not that naïve to think that the woman she was about to make love with hadn't had her share of lovers.
Their tongues were doing a Tango, a Waltz and every kind of dance in between in the mouths of the new lovers. There was this animalistic side that was pent up in Xena. It had been so long since…Not since she had had sex. Unfortunately she had given into lust with Marcus. But that's all that it was. This was making love. And it needed to be sweet, it needed to be slow and above all it needed to be special. Out in the middle of a forest most would think would not be special. But this was how they spent their lives. It was as much a part of who they were as were the words that Gabrielle spun so well or the fights that the warrior almost always seemed to be able to win easily.
Finally they broke apart definitely needing oxygen. Gabrielle felt an arousal that the likes that she had never felt before. Her thighs were already flowing with her sweet nectar. "Oh my!" The bard felt the words were far from adequate to explain exactly what she was feeling. All that she knew was that she wanted more. No, it went beyond want now. She needed for her warrior to make her a woman. To take her to a place that she had never been before. "Please…?"
Xena almost had to chuckle. Never had she had someone asked her to make love to them in such a sweet way. They had begged usually or she had used sex to get her way. But never had she actually had someone say 'please' and in such an innocent and pleading tone. "Do you know what you are asking?" Green eyes gone almost hazel they had darkened so with desire blinked and then there was that smile that just about made the warrior princess reach her release right then and there.
The raven haired beauty took her time kissing the petite blond. This time it was the intensity of the first kiss. It was just a tender exploration that started with those luscious lips. A searing trail was made to first one ear and then the next. Another hot trail was left scorching the soft pale skin of the neck of her new lover. Xena took her time to nip and lick the length of the collar bone. Soft gasps were encouraging her every move. Never before had she felt like she just knew what would please her lover. Before it was what pleased her would have to be good enough for her conquest.
But Gabrielle was not a conquest. She was a treasure that Xena would give her life to protect. Before continuing any further, the warrior princess gently picked up the bard. Her movements were so quick that the petite blond could not even register a complaint at the loss of contact. Now they were lying next to each other on their shared bedroll. "I wanted to make you as comfortable as possible. I always want every time we make love to be special and to be pleasurable. If I hurt you in any way, please let me know."
This was nothing like her one lone experience with sex. It could never be called love making and she was not sure they had even had sex. Perdicus was a sweet young man but he was literally clueless when it came to sex. In just the few gentle touches that Xena had already bestowed upon her, Gabrielle's body had felt almost a lifetime of experiences. At the thought of more times to come to explore Xena's curvaceous body and to have the favor returned just about caused a wave of something to crash over her. "You'd never hurt me if you could help it. Please?"
There was that pleading again. So sweet and so…Xena sighed not knowing just how to describe everything that she was feeling. So, she decided to show her lover just what she was feeling. The green top was removed easily exposing soft round breast that were simply perfect. As her hand that was slightly roughened from years of wielding a sword touched the sensitive nipples, they puckered up so inviting that the warrior could not resist.
Making sure that there was constant pressure from her hand, Xena took her time licking, sucking and nibbling on one young breast and then the other. Gabrielle was trying so hard to keep her eyes open to watch and learn just what it was that her lover was doing to her that felt so good. But the sensations flowing through her body were just too much to handle. "Oh sweet Aphrodite!" That was elicited when the warmth of the warrior's tongue was dancing across her ribs and then her taut stomach muscles.
When Xena got to the top of the skirt, she skillfully removed it along with the under wraps beneath. Both hearts were pounding so hard that it blocked out all sound. Their breathing was ragged. The warrior just as skillfully removed her own offending clothing. She needed more than ever to feel the nakedness of the petite woman against her own overheated skin. "Not even close." Gabrielle managed to open her eyes and hold her head up.
It shocked every sense that she had seeing Xena like she was. That was odd because it wasn't the first time that she had seen her new lover naked. But it was the first time that she had seen her body reacting to her own body in such a matter. The fire caused the sweat to glisten off the tanned skin. Her mouthwatering breasts were moving almost wildly with the rhythm of the warrior's heavy breathing. Never had the raven haired woman looked more amazing.
Xena positioned herself so that she had her thigh between Gabrielle's. A slight moan escaped her when she felt her soulmate return the favor. It was the bard's turn to let out a surprised gasp when she felt the slickness that had spread from the warrior's womanhood to her thighs. It was a new experience on so many levels for the petite woman. Little was she aware of just how much it was new as well for the warrior princess.
Slowly Xena lowered herself the rest of the way, careful to keep the majority of her weight on her elbows. Their bodies were gliding painfully slow against one other. The couple maintained eye contact as they found a very pleasurable speed. "I love you." It was as if the other was reading the other's mind as they spoke in unison. As good as all of this felt, the warrior needed more. The intoxicating scent of her young lover's arousal caused a need to taste her.
A whimper came from the young bard at the loss of skin on skin feeling. But it was soon replaced by a growl as Xena had her head in between her legs kissing first one thigh then the other. Gabrielle's legs were suddenly over the shoulders of the warrior and hands were once again on her breasts. The smaller hands of the petite blond were on top of the stronger hands needing to feel her. Needing to tell her that it was exactly what she wanted.
Gabrielle made a gurgling sound when she felt Xena's strong long tongue enter her for the first time. Every time that the bard thought the sensations could not getting any more intense, her lover proved her wrong and in such an astounding way. The warrior took her time feasting on all the juices that her lover had to offer her before she settled into a steady rhythm. Somehow one hand managed to entangle in dark locks which added fuel to the already smoldering fire.
"Xena!" The shout was so loud that the warrior princess was sure that the entire Amazon Nation was able to hear it. Normally the warrior would care but not tonight. All that she cared about was making Gabrielle feel good. Making it known just how much she loved her. By the look on her new lover's face, she had done that and more. It was not smugness that Xena felt so much as relief. Relief that she had been able to do what she set out to do and that was to make her bard feel loved.
The warrior now had Gabrielle wrapped in long and loving arms. It had almost been too much for Xena. Never had she felt the intensity of emotions as she had when loving her bard for the first time. Part of her wondered if it would always feel like this. Mostly she just wanted to do it again. And again. And again. "Xena?" Her name broke her out of the lusty thoughts to look down in unsure green eyes. "I want…But I'm not sure…"
Xena smiled at her young lover. She knew what Gabrielle was attempting to convey. She wanted nothing more than to reciprocate but was unsure of how to go about it. There was always the first time of tasting the treasures that was a bit unsettling if only because of the unsureness of how to go about it. "You don't have to." The warrior leaned down and kissed her bard on the top of the head. "We have a lifetime to get to know one another."
Gabrielle knew what Xena was attempting to do. It wasn't that she didn't want to. And after watching and feeling what her lover had done to her it wasn't even that she was unsure of what to do. It was actually the fact that she was so exhausted. Since the warrior's death, the bard had not been sleeping much. At first it was because of grief. Then it was because of worry over whether they could or should move to the next level. "It's not that exactly…it's just that I'm so tired. You wore me out just now."
That caused the warrior to chuckle. "You wore me out too." When the hand began to wander over her sweat slickened body, she was no longer tired one bit. In fact, Xena's body was on full alert now. Though still exhausted, Gabrielle had to feel the other woman. She had to find a way that her tired body could give her soulmate the same kind of pleasure. So her hand wandered over every inch that was exposed of the naked body she was lying against.
Butterfly kisses along the exposed neck and collarbone joined in with the ever moving hand. First one breast and then the other got her full attention. Then the hand wandered down to legs that automatically parted. Cupping the pulsating mound, Gabrielle gasped at the heat and the slickness that had grown even more. It was easy for her digits to slip inside causing a moan from the warrior. The bard managed to prop herself up so that she was looking down into violet eyes.
Their lips met as somehow Gabrielle just knew what to do. It was like they had made love many times even though it was their very first. Having been so aroused by the fact that her pleasuring of the bard had gone so well, it wasn't long before Xena found herself falling from a cliff. Only instead of landing on rocks, she found that she was engulfed in the softness and the sweetness that was her soulmate. Once Xena was able to catch her breath she said, "No one has ever made me feel that way. Ever. I'll love you forever."
Any further emotional declarations were quickly cut off because of the rustling that even Gabrielle heard. With a swift motion, Xena had them both covered. As always, she couldn't care less if anyone saw her but she would be damned if anyone ever got to see her sweet lover in all her glory. The bard was pressed up tightly against the warrior princess as Ephiny emerged from the foliage. When she took in the sight before her, her gaze quickly met the ground. "Forgive me, my queen. But the ceremony will be ready in the morning."
Without waiting for an answer, the Amazon Regent made her way back into the foliage. Both warrior and bard burst out in laughter. Gabrielle was a tad embarrassed and at the same time she knew that it would spread like a wildfire once the regent made her way back to the village. And that was all right with her. In fact as she felt sleep taking over her she could not help but think eat your heart out ladies. This here is my warrior. Forever.
()()()()()()()()()()()()
There was a knock on the door that slowly brought Gabrielle out of her wonderful dream. It had been the first time that they had made love. When she felt the steady heartbeat under her ear, she let out a contented sigh. When the knock happened again, she groaned knowing that someone was attempting to disturb her peace. Emerald eyes fluttered open and found that blue eyes were already open and were looking deeply into her soul.
"That's probably Eve." Xena hugged her soulmate close to her body. "I don't think she liked how I escorted her out of here last night." That got a soft chuckle out of the bard. "She's our daughter and I want to reunite with her almost as badly as I did you." She gently pulled the petite blond up against her so that she could easily reach the inviting lips. They kissed for a long moment hearing yet again the knock on the door. "She's as stubborn as you are."
That got the warrior princess a playful little slap on the stomach. There was still so much that they both needed to discuss. It wasn't going to be easy to just pick up where they had left off. Making love was a good start as it was a way to express things that go beyond words. Their love was more certain today than it was when they had first met even with Xena not allowing the ashes to bring her back to life. "I know a certain warrior princess that can be quite stubborn too. But you're right. She's not going to give up."
Gabrielle groaned as she felt the strong arms loosen their hold. Deep in her heart she knew that they would have time for making love. Although as she had been reminded just recently, you might not have all the time in the world that you think you do. Sighing at the thought, the bard reluctantly got out of bed and quickly got on her usual leather outfit. She tossed the leathers that had been thrown across the room by the petite blond to her soulmate.
Xena snagged them effortlessly. With efficiency she had her leathers on sans the armor. The warrior quickly made her way to the door. As soon as the door was opened, a familiar figure stepped by the raven haired woman. Eve looked at her mother and smiled as arms opened wide. The messenger made her way into arms that she had missed having around her when she was a child. Oh, they had held her when she was a baby but that was beyond her memory. "I missed you, mother."
"I missed you too." Xena felt the movement before she felt her soulmate standing beside her. Suddenly she found herself the recipient of a warrior sandwich and it made her feel…Blessed. It was something that she never thought that she was going to be able to feel again if only because she had made the biggest mistake of her life. "Sorry about last night, Eve. I just had to…" For once the warrior princess felt a little unsure of herself.
Eve could not help herself. The laughter was contagious as the bard joined in with her. Xena began to mock pout which only made the pair laugh even harder. "I understand. Although you didn't have to cover my mouth with your hand, whisper to keep quiet and escort me out of the room. You could have just asked me to leave you two alone." She was now leaning on her mother's shoulder and Gabrielle was on the other side doing the same.
"You did that?" At Gabrielle's inquiry, Xena wriggled her eyebrows. "You haven't changed one bit." And that thought suddenly gave the bard a wave of comfort. Part of her was worried about the fact that both of them had changed too much because of the death. Of course they had changed, the bard most of all. But after making love last night and now having her soulmate speak and act the way that she had, it all made her relax that much more.
The warrior princess shrugged. "What can I say?" She looked from her daughter to her soulmate. "I love you both so much but…" The words needed to be just right. Her attention now turned fully to her daughter. "But your mom is the other half of my soul." Another pause attempting to get the words just right. "Even though I was in the Elysian Fields, half of me was missing. Even though I was there with your Grandmother, your uncle and your brother I just could never be happy. There would always be a pull that was bringing me back to my own personal Elysia."
"Wow!" Gabrielle could not help the word that escaped her. It was usually the little ways that her soulmate showed or told her how she felt instead of with such heartfelt words. There was the lamb that she had gotten for Christmas. There had been nearly going blind just to save her. How many times had she attempted to leave her somewhere so that she stayed out of danger? Even changing how she was running a campaign just to make the bard feel better. Of course there was the poem for her birthday. But actually words that were this power packed?
Xena was about to respond when her body stiffened. In an instant Gabrielle knew what that meant. Part of her wanted to go for her sias but they wouldn't be any good against the visitor they were about to have. So instead the bard simply tightened her grip on the warrior princess. In a matter of moments, Ares form took shape as he was walking toward the trio. All three sets of eyes were wary as they took in the familiar leather clad form.
Ares looked each one in the eye before he settled on Xena. "I see you got your family back. Is that anything like getting your groove back?" It was noticeable when the warrior princess' posture straightened. Both her hands seemed to be twitching to reach for a weapon that she did not possess at the moment. In fact, she was simply in her leathers staring down the God of War. "You can thank me anytime." He was now standing with a cocky smile on his face his arms crossed against his chest.
It was a little surprising when it was Eve that made her way to stand in front of the menacing form of the God of War. They had a past. They had a deep past in fact. While it was the Romans that had taught her to fight, it was Ares that had turned her into a ruthless killer. He was the one that had led her on the marches. He was the one that taught her…Her mind shut off the endless trails of memories that as the messenger she tried to keep at bay. "Thank you."
The leather clad man looked down at his former lover and protégé. "That was one thing that you had that was just like your mother. You had such spark. You had such fire. Don't you miss gutting someone and screaming out with pleasure?" Ares laughed thinking that he was going to get the better of all three women. When they just stood there staring at him he could not understand what was going on. "Boy, have you three gotten boring."
"Hardly." Eve was slowly moving so that she was within inches of the God. "We still know how to have a good time." That got an eyebrow raised. "You should have seen the parties we shared with the Amazons." Ares groaned and he shook his head. "What? I thought you'd like the image of all those scantily clad female warriors." Now there was a growl that escaped the very agitated God. "We've got enough problems to deal with. Why don't you leave us alone?"
"Actually, that's why I'm here." Ares looked past his former lover and directly into blue eyes. Even though he was a God, he had to flinch with the look that his former chosen was giving him. It was as if she could sense what he was going to say. "The lady Egyptian Goddesses tell me that their war sib is not so happy." Xena rolled her eyes. "Hey, I didn't have anything to do with it this time. I'm just here warning you that you've got an Egyptian God or two on you like flies on dung. Not to mention whoever else has been after Eve and her followers. There, you owe me another favor." With the snap of his fingers he was gone.
"Can't even have a day before the Gods are interfering." Gabrielle smiled sheepishly. She knew that this time around they did owe everything to the Egyptian Goddesses. If it was time to pay that debt then it was time. "Not like we haven't fought beside Gods before or against them for that matter." She looked deeply into blue eyes. "It's just that we both have to be very careful. Neither of us can go through anything like that ever again." The unspoken words implying they still needed to have those long chats practically screamed from the bard's green eyes.
Xena tipped her head back. Gabrielle was right. They had a debt to be paid in full. She just hoped that they weren't like the Greek Gods who always seemed to think that just because they were Gods that they were always the superior beings and that they should be bowed to. And to top it off, they had always though that you owed them a favor. Well, there was one exception to that rule. But if this was about war, Aphrodite would have no say. No, this was for an ex warlord, a battling bard and a messenger of peace.