CHAPTER 7: ABOUT THAT POEM
A week of being home, Xena was still happy. She was quite surprised that she wasn't feeling like she wanted to gouge her eyes out with a spoon. Time had been spent doing repairs and helping in the inn. Cyrene and Eve were becoming as thick as thieves. Xena was hammering an eave on the roof of the inn and Cyrene and Eve were kneading some dough in the kitchen. Gabrielle was folding some linen that she'd just removed from the clothes line. When Xena had completed the eave, she dusted off and joined her Mom at the kitchen. Xena's and Eve's eyes lit up at the sight of Gabrielle entering the inn. This did not go unnoticed by Cyrene, who resolved to bring up the subject soon.
"You should see Argo and Amber happily eating some hay. You would think they were in horse heaven," Gabrielle said while joining them kneading the bread. Gabrielle turned to Xena and smiled while placing her hand on Xena's, patting it lightly before reaching for a drink of cider. To this, Xena felt a smile inching and a familiar lightness in her stomach. She mused at how easily Gabrielle's smile seemed to soothe her. Xena fell deep into thought. "We have everything else that a couple has, what more could we need? We just don't..um.." It soon became very hot in Xena's armor. Glimpses of Gabrielle's bronze skin and abdominals flashed before Xena's thoughts. "Wow, I need to get a grip." She whispered to herself. She reasoned to herself that everyone's ideas of them being together was forcing these new feelings to the forefront.
Xena was well aware that Gabrielle was a beautiful strong woman. That goes without saying. Intimate relationships just hadn't been on the priority list for Xena for quite some time. After her last love, Marcus passed, she closed off that part of her. She couldn't take losing another person she loved. The only reason she had let Gabrielle as close as she was, was because there was no getting rid of her. She chuckled to herself. She thought for a moment about those times she had given Gabrielle a kiss. Once when she had died and the other when in the ring of fire. Both times she felt the kiss had been full of love and innocence and was a fitting way to greet her. She wondered if maybe there could be more to it if allowed more time for discovery. Could there be passion? Did friends want to greet friends in that manner?
Studying Gabrielle while deep in thought, Xena had a flashback of Gabrielle's birthday in which she presented Gabrielle with a poem from Sappho. "There's a moment when I look at you. And no speech is left in me. My tongue breaks. Then fire races under my skin and I tremble. And grow pale for I am dying of such love. Or so it seems to me.-Sappho" On the cliff that day, Xena was confused when she heard the poem for the first time. When she had asked Sappho to write it for Gabrielle, it wasn't exactly what she had expected. Little did she know that Sappho was inspired by what she saw in Xena's eyes when she talked about Gabrielle. Xena on the other hand, had thought Sappho had jotted one of her old poems down for a quick turn around. Xena was quite embarrassed at the contents of the poem and had rushed to get Gabrielle's mind off it by taking her for a flight with Hades' helmet. At this very moment however, deep down, Xena suddenly was understanding the true meaning of Sappho's words and how much it accurately defined the potential of her feelings for Gabrielle.
"Xena?" Gabrielle said while waving her hands in front of Xena. "Known world to Xena? Did you hear anything I just said?" Gabrielle repeated. "Huh, what was that?" Xena faltered. "I was asking if you would like to join me for a swim when I go to fetch some water." Gabrielle giggled. Cyrene shook her head in mild humor at the scene before her. "Yes daughter, you look a bit hot under the collar, maybe you worked a little too long under the sun. You should go cool off." Cyrene suggested. "Oh okay sure, I am feeling a bit parched." Xena remarked as she stood and followed after Gabrielle with another water bucket leaving Cyrene amused at her discomfort.
**Authors Note: I do realize that the 'Many Happy Returns' and the the Norse Trilogy episodes happened in season 6 after Eve was all grown up, but lets just pretend it happened in this time-line eventually as well, while Eve was still a baby. I'm invoking author's liberties lol. I just wanted to flesh out some of Xena's expressions and thoughts about the poem and the ring of fire kiss. Also the poem is Sappho's and does not belong to me. :D**
