As if on cue, Gabrielle smiled wickedly as they entered the freeway, her foot slamming down on the gas. At
the sudden acceleration, Xena's eyes grew wide as she was pulled slightly forward, and then slammed back
against the cushioned leather seat. With a slight arch of a brow Xena glanced over at her lover.
For a moment the taller woman had a mental image of the first time her spouse was behind a steering wheel.
While Xena was in the front cranking the old Model T Ford, Gabrielle accidentally had the throttle-lever set at
high at the same time as she had hit the floor shift pedal, thinking it was the brake. When the engine caught, the
car had jumped forward into gear and took off, nearly running over Xena. Thankfully, the warrior managed to
jump out of the way in time to hop into the passenger's side as the vehicle was rolling in first gear. With a slight
smile, Xena remembered the fear in her each time Gabrielle nearly ran them off the road or into a tree.
Thankfully, her lover’s driving abilities had improved considerably. “Of course,” she thought with a fond grin
of remembrance, “as drivers of the Model T had always said: At 5 mph the bumpers rattled, at 10 the
headlights rattled, at 15 the fenders, at 20 the hood, at 25 the windshield, and at the top speed of 30 mph the
passengers rattled!” It wasn't anything like the speed of today’s cars, but coming on the heels of horse and
buggy days, it had sure seemed like it, Xena thought with a smile as her attention came back to the present
with the sound of her lover’s voice.
"Xena, since when do you not like speed? Besides, I know that's not what you were talking about," Gabrielle
mischievously grinned as she easily maneuvered her way past slower cars and trucks, her left foot and right
hand working in unison as she shifted the gears.
"Yeah, you're right, I was referring to the fact that it's cherry red and a two door coupe!" the damp woman
snorted as she leaned her head back on the rest. "What woman doesn't notice you driving around in this babe
magnet?"
"You're just jealous because you didn't think of getting one," Gabrielle shook her head as she made her way
from the bright lights of the city toward the distant mountains. As Gabrielle's concentration was on driving, she
absently sang the words to the song that was playing, her blonde head periodically weaving as she emphasized
the words to the song.
"I'mmmm, so in love with you….whatever you want to do…is alright by meee!" the smaller woman sang
slightly off-key. When she felt the warrior's gaze on her, she cast her a side-long glance, then winked as she
continued to sing. Her fingers tapped out the beat of the song on the steering wheel. "…Loving you
forever…is what I neeeed!" Gabrielle smiled, not at all concerned that she was half an octave off.
Xena only sighed as she listened to her soulmate's voice that always brought warmth to her heart. It never
mattered to Xena what came from her lover's lips. To her, both Gabrielle’s stories and her version of singing
were a comforting presence in the warrior's life. As she remembered all of the times that she had heard
Gabrielle's sweetly melodic, slightly off-key voice, she watched as the blonde continued to sing the song while
her head bobbed up and down.
"…loving you whether, whether…times are good or bad…happy or sad…" Gabrielle's voice belted out the
words as she easily shifted the gears. Feeling Xena's eyes on her, the driver glanced at her for a moment, and
then returned her attention to the road.
"What?" Gabrielle finally asked.
Xena smiled at her lover as the warmth from the heater began to settle into her cold bones. Throughout the
years, decades and centuries together, their love only seemed to grow stronger. With a wry smile, Xena
shook her head.
"I love you, you know that?" She said to the storyteller. Gabrielle's eyes crinkled as she smiled, eyes still on the
road.
"Yeah, I know, but even after all of our time together, it's still nice to hear," the blonde's soft smile could be
seen through the occasional light cast from the freeway light poles.
With a contented sigh, the taller warrior settled herself down for the short ride. Shannon McMahon was just
one of many names Xena had chosen to use whenever she had to go incognito into a dangerous situation. In
the past, her stealth form of conduct always helped to protect her from anyone who was smart enough to try
and trace her true identity. If anyone were able to follow the trail back to her home, she would be forced into
protecting what was most valuable to her. At this thought, Xena glanced over at her lover. She took in the
blonde's beautiful features through hooded eyes.
Gabrielle was not only her lover, but she was her friend and the only family that Xena had left. Throughout
their travels their bond had only deepened as their love grew stronger. With an inward smile, Xena thought
back to the early years with brash blonde. She allowed her memories to wander as images from her past
replayed in her mind. The warrior princess smiled when she thought of the eager young woman, quickly
scribbling down the tales of their adventures together. “And what tales those were!” the warrior princess
silently thought as she opened her eyes to the road ahead of them.
As the freeway disappeared to become a road, she watched the car's headlights shining ahead of them. Just
like their time together, the road seemed like a metaphor of the paths they had walked down together. The
pavement turned and twist around steep mountain rock as it climbed up the mountain to their home. Although
Gabrielle had chronicled their time together, she always managed to use poetic license with her tales.
At this thought, Xena remembered the last story of their adventures that Gabrielle had written. For whatever
reasons, the smaller woman chose to finally set their story aside and write different stories that had nothing to
do with their relationship rather than continue with their tales, and Xena had never questioned her lover’s
decision. Instead, she preferred to wait for the woman to explain the lack of desire to write about a mighty
warrior and her bard. But Gabrielle had never explained her decision to Xena.
Xena turned to her partner, her eyes narrowing as her mind ran over various possibilities. At the intense
scrutiny, Gabrielle glanced for only a moment at Xena, and then returned her concentration to the road as the
queen of rock and roll's voice filled the car.
"What?" Gabrielle finally asked.
"Gabrielle…in all of our time together, you've never explained one thing…" Xena's voice trailed off.
"Yes?"
"How come you killed me off at Higuchi?" the dark warrior asked.
Gabrielle chuckled briefly, then sighed, and shook her head. "By the gods, Xena, are you still upset about
that?"
"Well, yeah!" The warrior was a bit surprised at her own vehemence and continued more calmly. "Um, I
mean, if you were this great story hero who got killed off, wouldn't you be?" Xena asked as she pushed a bit
of the blanket away, her clothes slowly drying in the warmth of the car.
