~~~~~
Gabrielle deeply inhaled the clean scent of the early dawn. The first songs from the morning doves began a melodic tune
in the branches overhead. Somewhere off in the distant meadow, she heard Argo’s slight sounds as she nibbled on the
lush grass. Since leaving Athens, they slept out in the open and it didn’t take the storyteller long to realize that in the past
year of travels, she had become spoiled. When she wasn’t in the comfy bed on Zara’s ship, or at the residence of Arjun
or the Moroccan’s home, they stayed in places that had comfortable lodging. Not even the Egyptian desert felt as
uncomfortable as the hard ground of Greece.
The ground was hard and for part of the night she slept on a small rock. Finally she woke up in the middle of the night and
reached under the bedroll to fish it out. For the rest of the night an insect continually buzzed around her ear. After a few
failed attempts at swatting the mosquito, she gave up and pulled the bedroll over her head. But once she did this, she had
to contend with the smell of Xena’s gas and slight giggles that the warrior released in her sleep right after each gassing.
Between contending with the insects, hard ground and her lover’s bodily functions, the blonde managed to fall asleep
somewhere in the early morning hours.
As the Amazon feigned sleep, she felt her lover stirring behind her. Xena wrapped her arms around her. The warrior’s
taller body spooned the storyteller. With slow, deliberate touches, the dark haired woman ran the tips of her fingers over
the blonde’s firm abdomen as her lips softly kissed, then licked the healer’s ears.
“Gabrielle,” Xena whispered softly as her exploring hand moved lower.
The storyteller kept her eyes closed, but released a smile as she parted her legs for her soulmate’s wandering fingers. At
the feel of her lover’s gentle caress, the smaller woman released a groan of pleasure. Sensing her mood, the warrior’s
pelvis began to grind against the blonde’s bottom.
“Gabrielle,” the dark haired woman whispered again.
“Ummmm….” was all Gabrielle could reply.
“Sweetheart… I love you…” Xena whispered. Her voice grew tender as her lips gently tugged on her soulmate’s
earlobe. “Honey, wasn’t last night good?” she whispered again.
Gabrielle felt a smile break free at the reminder of their night of love. Ever since her soulmate was brought back to life,
their lovemaking intensified. It felt like Xena’s time in the spirit form made her appreciate the sensations of touch, and the
dark warrior did not hold back.
“Ummmm, Xena… every night has been good,” the blonde smiled as she reached up and brushed her fingertips over her
lover’s soft cheek.
“Ahuh… and… sweetheart…” the warrior princess’ words came in between her soft kisses. “Don’t you think that… after
these past few days…. maybe… it’s time to let me… ummm… have my chakram back?”
At her lover’s words, Gabrielle’s fingers grew still. Her body froze under her soulmate’s touch. With a slight frown, she
opened her sleepy eyes and glared at Xena. Seeing the storyteller’s anger, the taller woman gulped, then looked away.
“I-I … just thought…”
“No Xena, you didn’t think which is why the chakram, and all your property belongs to me,” Gabrielle said softly, careful
to school her voice. Turning toward the warrior, she smiled up at the dark haired woman. Her fingers brushed through
the taller woman’s long, dark locks. “Awe Xena, you’ve got to know how much it’s tearing me up inside to do this, don’t
you?”
The warrior averted her gaze, before releasing a sigh as she moved into Gabrielle’s arms. “How much longer are you
going to be angry with me?”
“Sweetheart, I’m not angry, honest,” Gabrielle wrapped her arm around her soulmate and held her close. “Xena, I love
you. You are my soulmate and best friend. Losing you… Xena, it was the hardest thing I ever had to live through and
when I think about it, I realize that neither one of us had to go through it. If you had only talked with me when we were at
Higuchi, maybe together, we would have found a way out of the problem,” she explained tenderly. She felt the warrior
sigh deeply as she seemed to bury herself into the blonde’s embrace.
“Gabrielle, I know what I did was wrong, I know that! By the gods, I’ll never forgive myself for not…. not including you
in what was happening. And you’re right; sometimes I’m just so… so…”
“Pig headed?”
“Well, I was going to say resolved, but…” the warrior sighed again as she pulled away and looked down at her. “I guess
you’re right. I was pretty pig headed back at Higuchi.”
“Yes Xena, you were. You know, I may be younger than you, and maybe I haven’t been out traveling the country as long
as you have been, but sometimes I can think through a problem, too. Xena, you fell back on what you always do, not
trusting me and running into danger… into death.” Gabrielle was reminded of the pain. She closed her eyes against the
tears that threatened to spill, then opened her eyes when control returned and looked up into her lover’s blue gaze.
“Xena, I feel like I’ve got to find some way to make you understand that what you did was wrong. It not only affected
you, but it also affected me too, a-and… it affected another person, too. Xena, think of what Zara had to go through, and
she wasn’t even with us at Higuchi. She went through so much, risked so much all because you willingly gave up your life
when you didn’t have to. No Xena, I don’t know what else to do to get you to understand that you can’t take your life
into your own hands like that. I won’t stand for it, not anymore. No more running off to get yourself kill, do you
understand me?” The storyteller gazed into her lover’s misty blue eyes.
“I understand you Gabrielle, a-and… I am sorry. I promise, no more battles, no more fights. As soon as we get home,
we begin our life of domestic bliss,” the dark haired woman’s voice was filled with contrition.
The blonde smiled at her lover, the sincerity of the warrior’s words warmed her heart. “You know, Warrior Princess, I
think you’ve earned a little reward.”
“A repeat of last night?” Xena wagged her brows as a seductive smile crossed her lips.
“I was thinking more of giving you your sword back…” Gabrielle smiled.
Xena’s brow furrowed, “But I already have my sword.”
“You got to carry it up until now, but it was still mine. Remember Xena? That was the whole purpose of you showing me
where you buried it after Higuchi, so that I would inherit your property after your death?” Gabrielle gently reminded her
lover, then continued, “Well Xena, from now on, it’s really yours again.” The blonde paused and smirked, “And a repeat
of last night sounds good, too!” At her words, her tall Greek warrior smiled broadly.
“Oh boy! I get to keep my sword and make love again!” Xena exclaimed as she moved over the smaller body. Her
excited movements let the storyteller know that on this morning, they would not be breaking camp any time soon.
