"Looking for something, Xena?" a voice asked. Xena's eyes narrowed and she pivoted on her heel, turning around. There was a man, yes, one man, standing opposite her with Gabrielle's fighting staff strapped to his back and a huge blade gripped in his hand. He was dirty, lawless, and obviously in the mood to lose a fight… Among other things. Xena didn't even grace him with a lip-curled smile, and instead kept a cold face.
"Today is really not the day to screw with me," she said. "Especially over that." She motioned to the fighting staff. The man didn't seem to take Xena seriously, though, and grinned in a way that suggested some of the light upstairs had blown out years ago.
"Well, if it's a bad mood you're in, don't worry. I can put you out of your misery real soon- And then make a fortune off of you and you're little buddy's stick. That's be the extra kicker. Hey, what's her name by the way, you're girlfriend, I mean?" Xena's face twitched, her eyes glaring.
"Why don't you just give me that staff and I won't kill you. I won't get any fairer than that."
"Fair? Ha! You think I'm concerned with being fair?" The man paused for a moment, thinking on the matter. Xena's patience was long gone. "Oh that's right, I don't!" The man roared with laughter, charging the warrior princess with his blade in both hands above his head. Xena's reflexes were lightening fast, however, and she unhooked and hurled her chakram right at the man's throat, severing his head from his body. The round blade changed directions three more times, cleaning itself, before returning swiftly to its owner. Catching it without blinking, Xena stepped forward, snatching Gabrielle's fighting staff from the dead thug lying on the ground beneath her.
"Thanks," she said, and turned away. She ran at Argo and leapt into the saddle, turning the horse around towards Artanes, Gabrielle's staff in her left hand. "Yaaah!"
Xena returned to the guest chambers, finding Gabrielle standing up, her hand stabling her balance against on of the four bedposts. The blonde's head turned upon hearing the door open, and her eyes lit up when she saw who was standing it its opening.
"Xena," she said, and in her excitement she let go of the post and moved towards her companion at a pace she couldn't yet handle. She stumbled, gripping her stomach first because of the sting, and then her hands went out to brace her fall to the floor. She didn't have a chance to hit the marble, though for Xena had taken a few quick strides that allowed her to catch the blonde just in time. Gabrielle smiled, embarrassed, and tried not to blush. Xena only gave her a parenting look, like that of a mother who just saw her child do something that the both of them knew was moronic. She softened the look with a small smile then and lifted Gabrielle away from the floor, up into her arms. The bard squealed, surprised, and wrapped her arms around her friend's neck in fear of falling. "You've got to warn me when you're going to do that!" she said. Xena smirked.
"But if I warn you it doesn't have the same effect, now does it?" Gabrielle rolled her eyes.
"Well, no, but… You found my staff I see. So I don't need much help getting around anymore." Gabrielle looked at Xena for a moment, and then her eyes swiveled back and forth a few times between the woman and the floors. "So, can you put me down now?"
"I don't know," Xena said, beginning to pace about the room with Gabrielle secure in her hold. "I kinda like this… You know, I may never put you down."
"Xena." The warrior sighed at Gabrielle's refusal to play with her before releasing the blonde gently onto her feet. She went to grab the fighting staff from the floor where she had dropped it to catch her friend, knowing that Gabrielle couldn't bend over without risking hurting herself. "Thanks," the blonde said. She put her weight on it, standing up a little straighter. "Where'd you end up finding it, by the way?" Xena blinked and shook her head, taking a few steps.
"Some random guy had it. He ambushed me on the road where you were shot- He was by himself, though, which I thought was odd-"
"And stupid. Did he have a death wish?" Xena chuckled at this and a smile broke through.
"I don't know, but if he did I granted it for him." Xena caught Gabrielle's judging stare. "I tried to be fair, Gabrielle, I did. But he wanted to play, so we played… And he lost. It's not my fault."
"Uh-huh."
"Oh, don't you give me that. I got you your staff back, didn't I?"
"…. Alright," Gabrielle said. Then there was a pause, a brief one, before she spoke again. "You know, if you want to get back on the road again-"
"I want to give you a few more days' rest before we do that. We're going to run into trouble out there and the last thing I need is for you to get snatched again by some power-hungry warlord or a thug." Gabrielle smiled warmly at this statement, causing Xena to cock an eyebrow. "What?"
"You. You take such good care of me," the blonde said, walking over to her friend. She looked up into a brilliant sapphire gaze. "You're like my guardian." Xena looked down at Gabrielle's face, reading her easily. There was so much warmth and love radiating from the blonde and she felt as if she didn't deserve it. "And none of the rest matters, Xena. As long as I have you I can handle everything else." Xena smiled gently, quietly, and bent down a few inches to lay a kiss on Gabrielle's lips. The blonde did not allow her to pull away when she tried, though, and brought her hand up to hold the brunette's face to hers. The kiss deepened quickly, then, Gabrielle fluidly stepping all the way into Xena. The warrior took a hold of the fighting staff and she felt hands in the curve of her waist. Xena's fingers curled gently around the back of Gabrielle's neck and in her hair and she stepped forward, her leg slipping between both of her companion's. Gabrielle vocalized her approval of the motion and moved her lips to Xena's jawline, and then her neck. The brunette allowed herself to be absorbed in the sensation, but only for a moment.
"Gabrielle," she said, pulling away. Gabrielle opened her eyes slowly. "We can't. Not now, you're injured-"
"It's alright. I'll be alright, you can just be on-"
"No, I can't." Xena's voice wavered slightly but she was firm in what she was saying. "And you won't be fine. We'd be reversing some of what's been healing and I can't do that to you." The blue-eyed woman brushed hair from Gabrielle's face and leaned in one more time for a chaste kiss. This plan, of course, backfired however, and the kiss deepened once more, faster this time. Gabrielle was intelligent and knew better then to move slowly in a situation where Xena's mind was almost completely made up, and so she found the hollow of the woman's throat easily, her hands moving up to the leather of her dress just below her breastplate. The taller of the two inhaled, unable to keep from smiling, and lulled her head back slowly. Gabrielle took the opportunity to move in, reaching up to unhook the breastplate from the shoulder guards. Xena assisted, eventually holding the whole armor set in the same hand that held the fighting staff. She brought Gabrielle's lips to hers, kissing her fiercely and eventually gave up and let their gear fall to the floor. The warrior scooped her friend up in her arms again, the kiss breaking only for a moment, and carried her to the bed. She laid the bard down on her back gently, careful not to move her midsection in a way that would injure her, and pulled away. She stood up straight, trying to hide her uneven breathing, and turned away.
"Xena, wait. Where are you going?" Gabrielle's voice was slightly panicked with a heavy lustful undertone, her eyes reflecting the second of the two feelings. Xena refused to look behind her as she approached the door, knowing that she'd be sucked back to the bed if she saw any part of Gabrielle at all.
"I'm calling for a cold bath for you," she said. "…And I'm going to find one for myself, too."