I have the feeling that Gabrielle thinks I had planned on making love to her, then leaving before she could reciprocate. Nothing could be further from the truth.
It’s true that I wanted her to reach her fulfillment first, for more than one reason. The foremost one was because I felt she deserved to reach her pleasure first. She had been amazing the last month or so, constantly being there to support me as I began a new relationship with my daughter.
Emotionally, Eve was rather unstable, and I was constantly concerned about her state of mind, and what it might lead her to do. Guilt was a heavy burden, and right now, she was dealing with a huge amount of it. I can’t explain how I know, but when I had opened her bedroom door, she was sitting on the end of the bed, her arms wrapped around herself, shivering.
I poked my head inside. “Eve?”
She looked up at me, her chin quivering, and held her arms out toward me. I gathered her up, and held her close, rocking her body against mine, and humming the same lullaby I had sung to her when she was a child.
Eve didn’t want to talk about what brought on her anxiety, and I didn’t pressure her to tell me. I just let her draw comfort from me, until she grew sleepy, and then I tucked her into her bed. She blinked up at me, her face forming a half-smile.
“Thank you…” she said softly. “I thought I could handle a night by myself, but I guess I was just fooling myself.”
I brushed the hair back from her face. “It’ll get easier,” I told her. “Just give it time.”
She nodded. “How did you know I needed you?”
I shrugged. “It was just a gut feeling.”
She yawned, and snuggled in a little more closely to me. “I’m sorry I interrupted your time with Gabrielle.” She gave me a look that was full of sadness and regret.
I tired to disguise the distress I felt at that comment. Gabrielle’s tone of voice when I had left her alone in the bedroom was one I was unfamiliar with. There was frustration in it, sorrow, and more than just a hint of anger. I hoped that Gabrielle would understand why I just up and left her in the middle of the night, but I wasn’t too sure that she would..
“It’s all right,” I told Eve gently. “She just didn’t understand what you were going through tonight.”
“I’m not inexperienced in pleasures of the body,” Eve said then, her face flushing slightly. “I know you left Gabrielle before you had time to errr…finish.”
Her gentle statement pretty well confirmed that she was on to the nature of the relationship between Gabrielle and myself. I gave her a half-smile. “It’s not the first time we’ve been interrupted,” I replied.
Eve’s expression didn’t change. “I’m sure that’s true, but you guys haven’t had much time to yourself lately.”
She wasn’t telling me anything I didn’t already know. In fact, I didn’t like to think about that any more than I had to.
“It’s all right,” I said finally. “We’ll get it worked out.”
“I’m glad to hear you say that,” Eve replied, her voice little more than a whisper. “Could you stay here with me tonight?” she asked tentatively.
I had been hoping to get her to sleep, and then return to Gabrielle to apologize and finish what we started. Even if my Love was asleep, I’m sure she wouldn’t mind if I woke her up, especially if I did it in some erotic way.
But I put all of that out of my head for the time being. I stretched out on the bed beside my daughter, and slipped an arm around her shoulder. I was fully dressed, and laying out on top of the covers, but Eve seemed to find comfort in my presence and was asleep in no time.
There was a single candle burning on the mantle, and it gave a bit of light onto her troubled face. I often laid awake at night, studying Gabrielle’s face, and now, I did the same to my daughter. Even during their most stressful situations, Gabrielle relaxed her facial features at night. The utter calmness that would take over her would always serve to be a calming influence on me.
I could have used some calming down right now. Laying here, with Eve asleep, I felt every nerve ending in my body reawakening. I had taken the time to run a washcloth between my legs to soak up some of my arousal, and had donned a fresh pair of breeches, in an effort to disguise my arousal from both Eve and me before leaving Gabrielle and my bedroom. I didn’t want to share too much with Eve.
Now, laying on her bed, I was able to take inventory of my body. Loving Gabrielle a short while ago had brought me to a very ready state, and the letdown had been physically painful and was still noticeable.
And despite the fact that my nipples and clit were still throbbing from desire, I felt another sensation that was more demanding. It was a nagging emptiness I was feeling in my heart.
The signals I should have been receiving over the last few days began to sink into to me. Gabrielle seemed to be talking as much as ever, but I had noticed she wasn’t smiling very much, and her normal exuberance was lacking.
Eve probably didn’t notice anything was amiss, as she didn’t know Gabrielle nearly as well as I did.
Eve sighed heavily in her sleep, and I directed my attention to her again. Even in sleep, I could see her eyelids twitching rapidly, telling me she was dreaming. An occasional whimper told me she was thinking about what was distressing her. Her brow was wrinkled in the look of someone in deep concentration. Tension radiated from her body in waves, the total opposite of Gabrielle in slumber.
I was up first in the morning, and after hesitating a couple of times, I walked the short distance back to my room and Gabrielle.
I hadn’t locked the door when I left last night, and trying the knob, it turned easily. I pushed the door open, and stuck my head inside the room.
I was surprised to see the bed was empty, and for a moment, thought Gabrielle might not be there, but then I saw her sitting in the rocking chair looking out the window. She had one knee drawn up, and her hands wrapped around it. It was a position she often took when something was weighing heavily on her mind, as she was surely experiencing now.
“Hey…” I finally found my voice.
It took her a second to react, and she was looking up startled.
“Hi, Xena,” she said quietly, after a few seconds.
I slowly approached her, and sat on the low chest of drawers across from her. After another interminable silence, I gave her a half smile.
“Did you sleep at all?” I asked.
She shrugged. “A few hours.”
I could tell by looking at her that she had been up for quite a while.
She hugged her knee even tighter to her. “I was sort of hoping you’d come back to bed,” she said with a plaintive tone.
Her strangled voice effectively took my heart and wrenched it into a crumpled mess.
“I wanted to,” I responded, knowing it sounded lame. “I really did…but…”
“Eve needed you…” She completed my statement, and it was more than just a little bitterness I could hear in her voice.
A little bit of anger suddenly flared up in me. I loved Gabrielle with all my heart, but all I could hear was jealousy and opposition in her voice. It angered me and saddened me at the same time.
I was able to bite back an angry retort though, and tried for another approach.
“After Hercules and I had parted ways, and before I met up with you, I had some up and down times. The lowest point was when I rode close to a small village that the men of my army had pretty well torn apart a couple of years earlier. Trying to walk the right path was still all new to me, and I was upset that I didn’t know how to convince the people of the village that I had changed.
“I did have one friend that lived in the village. Her name was Ambra, and we knew each other from Amphipolis. She went out with my brother Lyceus a few times. She invited me to stay in her house, and even snuck me in so I wouldn’t rouse any suspicions or be recognized.
“I spent the night at Ambra’s house, in her spare room down the hall from her bedroom. Ambra told me if I needed anything to just call on her.
“I lay in bed that night, having nightmare after nightmare about what I had allowed to be done to the village. We had killed many of the men in the village, because they put up such a great resistance against us. And since we were pretty low on a lot of supplies, we had pretty well looted the town for all we could. Far beyond what we needed, in fact, just because we were bigger and stronger.
“The guilt started weighing heavily on me. The violent reception I had received in this town wasn’t much different than any other town I’d been in since I started traveling alone. The more I laid there and thought about it, the move convinced I was that the world would be better off without me.”
Gabrielle had been listening to all this open-mouthed, and she suddenly shook her head. “Did it really get that bad?” she asked me.
I nodded somberly. “It was during that period of time when I really hadn’t focused my life on good yet. I was still focusing on not doing evil at that point, just like I discussed with Eve. Suddenly though, I became very tired of the daily struggle.”
“So what did you do?”
“I remembered what Ambra had said about her being there for me. I wasn’t ready to give up entirely.”
“Did Ambra help?”
I gave her a wry smile. “I walked down the hallway to her room, and was going to knock on her door, when I heard the unmistakable sounds of Ambra fucking her husband in the room.”
“What did you do?”
If the situation hadn’t been so serious, I would have teased Gabrielle for the eager look on her face. It wasn’t often that she got to hear a story from me.
“I turned around and went back to my room. It made my despair worse. In my mind, Ambra didn’t even care about me enough to resist her husband’s charms for a single night.”
My voice trailed off and I lowered my gaze, in thought of how depressed I had been. Gabrielle lowered her knee, and reached out to take my hands in hers. She knew how hard this was for me.
“Go on,” she said gently.
I took a deep breath to steady myself before continuing.
“I decided the best thing I could do was well…it wasn’t a wise choice, but you can probably figure out what it was. But I didn’t want to do it in Ambra’s house. Despite what had just happened, she had already done so much for me. So I packed up my belongings, and got ready to leave.”
“What changed your mind?” Gabrielle asked.
“As I was leaving my room, I passed by the bedroom of Jonas, Ambra’s little boy. He was only about four or five, and had taken a shine to me. I wasn’t even going to say goodbye, but as I passed by his room, I heard him cry out.”
“He was having his own bad dream?” Gabrielle guessed.
I nodded. “I started to walk on past, but the little guy had been so friendly to me, I just couldn’t do it. When I entered his room, I found him huddled up at the head of his bed, shivering.”
I stopped talking again for a minute, as I reminisced about what had happened that night. Jonas had been very glad to see me, telling me had been dreaming about a creature that had taken up residence in his closet. I spent some time pretending to search his room, and making an evil threat to the open air that no monsters better appear in his room tonight or any time in the future. Then, on a whim, I gathered Jonas up in my arms and sung him back to sleep.
Gabrielle was smiling softly at me. “I take it that while you were taking care of Jonas, you forgot about your own troubles?”
“For a while at least,” I nodded. “Just spending time with someone who didn’t want anything in return, other than a little companionship, made all the difference to me, and I decided I might have at least a little worth after all.”
“I’ve got you,” Gabrielle replied after a pause. “I know what you’re saying.”
“Do you?” I had to ask.
“Yes…do you think Eve was feeling that bad last night…that she might have tried to hurt herself?”
“I don’t know if she was that bad off,” I answered, honestly. “But…when I was with you…well…I had this
image of taking my pleasure from you instead of being there for someone who
needed me.”
Gabrielle’s smile faded, and she leaned back in the chair. She was frowning again.
“What?” I asked her, trying to keep my irritation from being too obvious in my voice.
She crossed her arms and shook her head slightly. “I understand what you’re saying, Xena…I really do.”
“But…” I supplied.
“But…” she sighed. “Why you’re so worried about Eve, you’re neglecting us.”
I nodded. “I realize that you feel that way,” I replied. “And I hate that it has to be like that”
“Do you really, Xena?”
I didn’t think I’d heard her correctly at first. “Huh?”
“Do you really hate it?”
I stared at her. “Of course, I do!” I exclaimed. “Gods, Gabrielle, don’t you think I’m dying to really make love with you…to spend the whole night with you in my arms?”
Gabrielle stood up then, her expression suddenly dark and angry. “Oh, I’m sure you feel the physical need, Xena. But…I just wonder…if emotionally…you’re rather spend your time with Eve.”
That was about the last straw for me. “I can’t fucking believe you,” I
retorted. “You are so ate up with
jealously over my relationship with my daughter. Do you have any idea how childish that sounded?” Inside I was chastising myself
immediately. My response made me sound
even more childish than I was accusing her of being.
Gods, I hate it when I make her cry, and I could see the tears welling up now.
“I can’t help it, Xena,” she snapped back, her tears making her even angrier. “I’ve just had all I can take of being ignored.”
I ran my hands through my bangs, not believing what was happening. Gabrielle and I would disagree from time to time, but we never fought like this…saying things that would probably come back to haunt us later.
But I wasn’t about to back down now. “Are you giving me an ultimatum?”
“No!” And she began to cry even harder. “I’m not…I’m just telling you…something’s gotta give.”
“Well it sure in Tartarus ain’t gonna be me,” I snarled. I was livid with her, and I left the room then, knowing the situation was only getting to get worse.
I stuck my head in Eve’s room long enough to tell her I was going for a ride. The look on her face told me she had heard at least a good bit of what Gabrielle and I had been arguing about.
“I’m sorry…” she said.
I held up a hand. “Don’t be,” I told her. “The problem is between Gabrielle and me, so don’t feel guilty over it.”
She nodded, but didn’t look very convinced. “You will be back, won’t you?” she asked.
I smiled and nodded. “Of course,” I answered. “I just need to get a little time to myself…to clear my head. Staying here and arguing with Gabrielle isn’t going to solve anything.”
“So you’re trying to avoid saying something you’ll regret?” she asked.
I had to give a wry grin. “Somethin’ like that,” I winked. “See you later.”
“Bye.”
It was going to be an overcast, rainy day, I noticed. That would fit in perfectly with my mood. I saddled Argo, who seemed surprised to see me by myself, but when I told her we were going out for a ride, she quit asking questions.
We rode for several hours, with Argo getting her exercise, and my doing a whole lot of thinking.
I just couldn’t get it out of my head that Gabrielle was jealous over the attention I was showing Eve. It was true, whether or not she would admit it.
Once I got over that, however, I started thinking about other things. Did Gabrielle have a right to be jealous? It didn’t take me long to figure out the answer to that one. Yes, she most certainly did have the right, at least to a certain extent. Even when Eve had been just a tiny newborn, I had managed to juggle my time between her and Gabrielle pretty easily.
But now, when my daughter was full-grown, and should have been independent…NOW I was having trouble making time for my bard and her.
Eve WAS demanding a lot of my time; I couldn’t deny that. But Gabrielle seemed to think it was an unreasonable amount, and perhaps it seemed that way, but I knew just how much help my daughter needed.
Gabrielle’s accusations that I didn’t want to be with her though were just plain ludicrous. Gods, didn’t she know by now that I’d go through Tartarus for her? I had been missing spending intimate time with her, of course, but was going to be okay until this morning. Now I felt totally deserted.
Gods, I DIDN’T want to go there in my mind, but I couldn’t help it. My brain was traveling back to two years ago, when Gabrielle went through her horrible time with Dahak, and soon after that, the birth of her daughter Hope.
We had gone through the worst time in our relationship, and a lot of it was because of the way I had reacted to Hope and declared her an abomination. It didn’t really matter that Hope really was evil. I suddenly realized that a lot of the problem now was Gabrielle was probably drawing a comparison between Hope and Eve. It HAD to hurt a lot, seeing me go through all I had to keep Eve alive and safe when she herself had committed some atrocious crimes.
I finally stopped Argo near a stream so she could get a drink, and I sat down on a rock at the water’s edge. I didn’t feel any better now than when I’d set out this morning, and if anything, was feeling like the situation was even worse. I seemed to be very good at giving Gabrielle all kinds of reasons to hate me.
Argot nudged my shoulder, and I stroked her nose without thinking about it. She continued to push her nose into my neck, letting me know that she was a little upset with everything too.
She was a great friend to me, even if people found that odd. She and Gabrielle were the only two I could always count on.
I thought about that single thought. With Gabrielle angry with me, would I still be able to rely on her for me?
Within seconds, I realized the answer was a resounding “yes”.
I took a deep breath and it helped clear my head. I realized that no matter what, Gabrielle loved me as much as I loved her. And because of that, we would be able to get through this.
In a matter of minutes, I was back in the saddle, headed back toward my daughter and my woman.
It took just as long to get back there as it had to get away though, and the sun was already down by the time I got back. I saw Gabrielle’s horse in the stable and felt a little relief knowing she was still in town.
“You want me to brush your horse down good, too?” the stable boy asked me.
“Too?” I repeated.
“Yes’m. I’m almost finished with your friend’s horse.”
I glanced over at the young stallion that had sort of adopted my beautiful bard. He looked freshly brushed but when I looked a little closer, I saw the remnants of a rough day’s travel on his hooves.
I gave the stable boy a terse smile. “I won’t let you groom my horse if you’re going to leave her hooves in that condition,” I said, gesturing.
The boy looked deeply offended. “I was just coming back with the scraper to finish,” he protested, holding the tool up in his hand.
“I see,” I replied with a nod. I patted Argo’s neck. “Take good care of her,” I said.
“Yes’m…I will.” The boy smiled brightly, as I handed him a dinar and left the barn.
Behind me, I could hear Argo snort with derision, but she’d be okay.
I was highly curious where Gabrielle had gone that day for her horse to pick up so many leaves and rocks. I hoped she and Eve hadn’t gotten into it further, after I left, making Gabrielle also feel the need to run.
I entered the dining room of the inn we were staying in, and spotted Gabrielle right away. She was sitting at a corner table, and gave me a little wave and an even bigger smile when she saw me.
But she DID wave and DID smile, and that encouraged me enough to go join her.
“HI,” she said, when I sat across the table from her.
“Hey,” I replied, in my most idiotic manner.
For a minute, we both sat there unmoving or untalking. A barmaid came over to take our order. Gabrielle ordered the beef stew for two, and when I gave her an odd look, she smiled. “Eve told me to go ahead and order for her,” she volunteered. “She should be down at any minute.”
Well, it was good to know they were still talking, at least.
I ordered the same, and the barmaid left our table, saying she’d be right back with our drinks.
“Gabrielle, I’ve had some time to think,” I said suddenly, before I lost my nerve.
“Me too,” she answered quietly.
I nodded. “I think it helped a lot,” I continued. “I wasn’t really putting myself in your boots.”
“That’s because you have bigger feet than I do,” she grinned at me, wrinkling up her nose.
I gave a half-chuckle and she sobered immediately. “What did you learn?” she asked.
“That I’ve been acting like a real centaur’s ass,” I replied.
Gabrielle was just picking her jaw up from the table when the barmaid appeared with our drinks.
We stopped talking until she had left us again.
“You were saying?” Gabrielle asked with a mischievous grin, when we were alone again.
I shook my head at her, but offered her a half smile. “I said I’ve been acting like a jerk…not thinking about your feelings. I just expected you to accept Eve as I have, not really thinking about what you must be going through.”
“And now you have?” she asked, looking surprised.
I nodded. “Yeah…I spent most of today thinking, and it helped me realize how selfish I’ve been. I never stopped to ask you what you thought…I just expected you to go along with me.”
She nodded sadly, then spoke up. “Xena, that makes me feel worse than I already did. You shouldn’t have to ask me what I think about things like this…I should be there for you.”
My head was suddenly reeling. Was she trying to apologize to me? I was supposed to be the one saying she was sorry!
She looked at my confused reaction and broke into a laugh. “It’s not that bad, Xena…I just think we’ve both been very sensitive lately, and haven’t been listening to what the other one is saying.”
“I think you’re probably right,” I admitted.
She took my hand and smiled at me, then beamed up at Eve, who was now approaching the table. “We’ll put a stop to that,” she whispered.
Gods, I never would have thought a few hours apart could make such a difference! Gabrielle acted like a totally different person at supper, and I suspected I did too, just because there was such a sense of relief in me.
Gabrielle and Eve seemed more at ease with each other as well, and we found plenty of subjects to talk on. Time flew by, and soon, it was time for us to think about getting some sleep.
Eve surprised me a little bit when she told Gabrielle and I that she insisted my bard and I spend this night alone. Both Gabrielle and I asked her about it more than once, but Eve assured us she would have a rougher night living with her guilt if she kept us apart tonight, as she had done on the previous evening.
Gabrielle and I just grinned at each other, finally realizing it was true. There was nothing that could keep us apart on this night.
Once that fact had been established, I found it difficult to concentrate on any real conversation over the dinner table. As time went on, it became obvious that I wasn’t the only one having speaking difficulty, the lapses of silence were growing longer and longer.
Finally, Eve stifled a huge yawn, and stood up. “I’m exhausted,” she said, with a silly grin at both of us. “I’m sure you two are as well. I’ll see you both in the morning.”
She grinned at Gabrielle, and patted my shoulder, then surprisingly, gave me a kiss on my cheek, before she disappeared upstairs.
Gabrielle and I watched her go, then turned to look at each other. I suddenly felt a little nervous, which was hysterical because we’ve been together so long. That very thought made me burst out laughing.
Gabrielle must have been entertaining similar notions, because she was laughing too. She reached out for my hand at the same time I was reaching for hers, and oblivious to whether or not we attracted any attention among the other patrons, we turned and started up the steps.
One would have thought after all the delays and difficulties we’d had sharing our love over the last few days, that tonight might have gone off without a hitch. We still had a long way to go however.
We decided a bath was the first thing in order when we returned to our room. All the riding we had done that day, had created a none too pleasant scent, that wasn’t exactly conductive to lovemaking. There was already a tub in the room, and we took a few trips to the back part of the inn’s kitchen to retrieve the buckets of water kept hot for this very purpose.
I insisted Gabrielle take her bath first, and while she did so, I went back to the stables to make sure the stable boy had taken as good care of Argo as he had promised he would. I wouldn’t have felt right not making sure she was well cared for, especially with the way she had been so supportive of me that day.
The boy had done a very good job, especially for someone so young, and after I slipped him another dinar, I returned to our room. I had harpies swooping through my stomach, and laughed again at my own nervousness, before reentering our bedroom.
My golden-haired bard was still in the tub when I reentered, and smiled up lazily at me. “Everything okay?” she asked me.
“Yep…just fine.” I crossed the room, and started to remove my weapons, the whole time watching her out of the corner of my eye. I don’t know what we were being so hesitant with each other, but it was kind of fun. Somehow, it reminded me of the days when we had just become lovers. We both desired each other a lot more than we would ever admit to the other or ourselves.
But letting the other know that was easier said than done, and we often hemhawed the issue until the tension was so thick between us, you could have cut it with my sword. Then one or the other of us would inevitably give in, and we’d tumble to the nearest sleeping surface with all our qualms suffocated for the time being.
“I’ll be done in just a minute,” she told me, rubbing soap into her shoulders. Her hair was already soaked, telling me she had already washed it.
I smiled and nodded, and sat down and removed my armor, leaving me dressed in my leathers and my black shift. Sitting down at the end of the bed, I rested my weight back on my hands to watch her and wait for my turn.
All was pretty well right in my world just then. There was only one thing that I wasn’t totally comfortable with, and that was the curiosity as to where Gabrielle had ridden her horse that day. For a minute, I debated whether or not I wanted to ask her.
Finally, I decided not to. We had been at odds so much the last few days, I didn’t want to risk making her angry again. If she wanted me to know, she’d tell me. It might not be today, but she’d tell me eventually.
When she was done bathing, she stood, the water sluicing off her body. The moisture glistened in the firelight, leaving her body lusciously soaked and ripe looking.
I stood and immediately stepped toward her, not even caring I still had my leathers, shift, and breeches on.
Gabrielle must have recognized the gleam in my eye, for I heard her giggle and she tried to side-step me. “Xena…at least let me dry off,” she laughed, but I wasn’t about to be deterred.
I growled and tackled her, wrapping my arms around her as we bounced down on the bed. My clothes were soaked, which would make them a perfect match with certain other parts of me.
We were both laughing as we rolled around on the bed with each other, and I have the feeling she was being just as cautious as I was, eager to think we could finally be together, but still not ready to totally accept that idea. There had been too many false starts, too many interruptions, too many miscommunications.
Our merriment faded quickly, and we were soon looking deeply each other’s eyes.
Gabrielle’ were suspiciously bright and huge, and I saw a slight glistening there. I reached my hand up and gently touched the corner of her right one, where a single tear was lingering.
“Is it okay, Xena?” she asked in a hushed voice.
I thought I might know what she meant by that, but I wanted to be sure.. “Is what okay?” I asked her.
She sighed. “Are we okay?”
I understood suddenly, and gave her a soft smile. “Yes, we are very okay,” I answered. “And tonight, I want to show you how sorry I
am for treating you so unfairly the last few days.”
She was shaking her head before I had finished speaking. “You don’t need to apologize, My Love,” she replied. “We were in a situation we’ve never faced before. We just didn’t handle it as well as we could have.”
The way she said it made me laugh again. “Oh, my sweet bard,” I said, stroking softly over the side of her face with both of my hands. “My generous Amazon Queen…the Love of my Life…always the Peacemaker”
“Is that a bad thing?” she asked, blinking up at me.
For a moment, I just stared back, trying to decide whether or not she was being serious. How could she misconstrue everything I had just said when it had been nothing but positive?
She giggled up at me. “Oh, I know you didn’t mean anything bad by any of that,” she said. “But you left out the part about me being a fantastic cook, a kick-butt warrior…and an unbelievably skilled lover.”
This time, I caught the wink in her voice, and knew she was in the process of teasing me. “You are all those things,” I told her, “On top of being a first-rate actress. Now, if you could just stop spending so many dinars…”
She knew I was teasing her right back, for she was constantly saving me money with her relentless bargaining with merchants.
“Yeah, right,” she giggled. I was still cupping her face in my hands, and now she was placing her hands over mine. I was drawn into her spell for the millionth time, and lowered my mouth to hers.
Hungrily, our mouths met in a clash of busy lips and tongues, each of us reacquainting ourselves and no doubt trying to seduce one another in our passion. It worked for both of us, at the same time it was working on both of us.
“I want you inside me, Xena,” Gabrielle whispered, when we separated long enough to gasp for air. “I want you deep inside me.”
“Mm hmmm…” It sounded pretty good to me, and I reached for the fastening of my leathers at the same time she did.
“Please…let me…”
I obliged, rolling to my side so she could get at the lacings of my battle dress. The wetness I had absorbed from her had soaked through the leather straps, making it difficult to get them unfastened.
After what seemed like an eternity, she finally managed to get the laces undone, and was able to pull my leather dress from me. Next was my shift, which was also fastened by laces, but Gabrielle made quick work of that. I wiggled out of my breeches, and was soon as naked as she was.
“Gods, yes,” I heard her mutter, and we were kissing again, our arms wrapping tightly around each other.
It felt wonderful to just be able to press my body to hers, to feel her excitement grow even more as we touched breasts, our hardened nipples reaching for each other. Most of the bathwater had disappeared from Gabrielle’s body by now, but I could feel another moisture, the slick, sweet moisture that radiated from her womanhood toward mine. She opened her thighs, and my own scissored between hers, so that our cunts were pressed against each other.
We groaned simultaneously, loving the sensation of heart and wetness mingling with our own. Our cunts slide easily against each other, building up a delicious friction again my clit that I’m sure Gabrielle was feeling as well.
“Gods, Xena, that’s good,” she gasped, throwing back her head as her lower half continually humped against mine..
“Very good,” I managed to respond, feeling my arousal build unbelievably fast. Looking down at her open mouth, her eyes glazing over in rapture, I could see she was going through the same feelings I was…it wouldn’t be long for either of us.
I propped myself up on an elbow, and changed my motion slightly, so I was pressing toward her harder. My clit, swollen beyond reason, began to bang into hers with every stroke.
“That’s it, Xena!” she exclaimed, and I could hear the sound of our pussies slapping together grow even more audible.
“Mm yeah…that’s it…” I was ready to drop off the cliff to the point of no return, and I sucked in my breath, as I began my rapid descent.
“Gods yes…I’m coming…” I heard myself say, but I’m sure she knew that already. I had to throw my head back as my hips spasmed out of control, slapping my clit into hers with a loud clapping sound.
“Right behind you,” I heard her pant, and she was reaching her fulfillment at the same time.
Gradually, our motions subsided. The combined wetness of our excitement tickled down our centers, and was creating a wet spot on the bed.
“That was incredible,” I heard myself saying. “I can’t tell you how much I’ve missed that.”
“Probably almost as much as I have,” Gabrielle replied with a slight laugh.
I pulled my legs from between hers, shivering at the way our flesh seemed to linger together. The wet sound that filled the air as we finally separated was about as sensual as you can get. When Gabrielle’s cunt was no longer touching mine, she smoothly rolled to her back, her thighs spread invitingly. “Please, Xena, I want you inside me now,” she growled.
“With what?” I asked, wanting to be absolutely sure there no further miscommunications. “My fingers…my tongue…a phallus?”
“A phallus…” she replied. “THE phallus. I want you to strap it on and fuck me hard.”
I nodded, more than willing to fulfill that desire. Glancing around, I saw the saddlebag we kept it in near the edge of the bed.
I had to half-roll on my side to retrieve it, and apparently, made myself into a tempting target for Gabrielle. I heard her make a little sighing noise, then felt the moist heat of her mouth closing in on one of my butt cheeks.
It felt incredible, and caught me off-guard at the same time. My arms flailed out, and the saddlebag hit the floor.
Gabrielle realized what had happened, and released my ass with an erotic popping sound. I hated losing that unexpected contact, but really didn’t mind THAT much. I was more than eager to be inside her, giving her a long overdue fucking.
I hung off the edge of the bed, and noticed the saddlebag had come open, and some of our belongings had tumbled out. I shoved my medicine pouch and the spare ties for Gabrielle’s shirt back into the bag, and picked up Gabrielle’s latest scrolls, also with the intent of replacing it in the bag.
Something felt odd to my fingers. The scrolls seemed to be made up of unusually heavy paper. I just figured Gabrielle had spent a little more money than usual, and started to put the scroll away.
I heard Gabrielle give a slight gasp when the scroll sort of fell apart in my hand. I glanced up and saw she had turned a vague shade of green.
If it hadn’t had been for her response, I probably never would have given the scroll a second thought. But she looked SO uncomfortable, I suddenly felt the need to investigate.
“What’s this?” I asked, pulling a scroll from the scroll. There were two scrolls rolled up together. By just looking at them, one would have never been able to tell there were two of them.
My bard sat up on the bed, looking unbelievably nervous. I could tell by her expression that I wasn’t supposed to see this scroll, and, of course, that made me even more curious to see what it was all about.
Unsure, unable, impossible,
How do I let her know?
I am frightened of so many things,
My inability, my weakness, my lacking,
Yet, I must speak.
I read the first few lines, and more than a few things struck me. This was most definitely NOT Gabrielle’s handwriting, and unless I was quite mistaken, the scrawl the words were written in was very definitely male.
I glanced at Gabrielle. She had gone from green to a blush so dark, I was afraid she was going to turn purple from a lack of oxygen very soon.
Looking back down at the scroll, I continued to read:
You are, of course, already taken,
Your heart has already been stolen,
Your words promised to someone far more worthy,
Yet I cannot…will not…cast my thoughts aside…
I se us together taking every step,
Sharing far more than just intimacy,
Sharing spirits, souls, our very essences…
Come to me,
Ride with me,
Teach me,
Take me,
For I am yours.
V.
I read the words, feeling a little anger rise, but it was obvious they were written by someone smitten by my girl. It certainly wasn’t the first time that had happened, and it was certainly very understandable.
I read briefly over the words again, feeling something nag at me. The handwriting looked vaguely familiar to me, as though I might have briefly seen it before. The “V.” pretty well confirmed it for me.
“Virgil, huh?” I asked, holding up the scroll and trying to give a casual look.
She nodded, the blush not leaving her face.
I nodded in return. I read over the scroll one final time. “He reminds me so much of his father sometimes,” I said with a laugh.
“What do you mean?” Gabrielle asked.
I held up the scroll. “He’s in love with you just like Joxer was…and in his own way, he bumbles around, only instead of following you, he writes you.”
I expected her to at least nod her agreement with me, but she didn’t. She just looked at me, and although her face was still reddened, somehow, I could tell it was no longer from embarrassment. or shame.
“Virgil is very different from Joxer in a lot of ways,” she said tersely.
“Oh, I’ll admit he’s a lot better looking,” I replied. “And he’s certainly got a fuckable enough body…but come on, Gabrielle, even you have to admit he’s not the brightest guy to …”
My voice trailed off as I stared at my lover in surprise. The look on her face was one of pure displeasure. “Xena, why are you picking on Virgil?” she asked me.
“I’m not,” I replied, giving her what I hoped was a charming smile.
“Yes, you are.” She wrapped her arms around her chest, which was NOT a good sign. “And there’s absolutely no reason for it. Virgil is a wonderful man.”
I eyed her. Part of me was saying I should just give in and agree with her, but unfortunately, the stronger, more stubborn part of me wasn’t feeling nearly as cooperative.
“Come on, Gabrielle,” I said, trying to sound persuasive. “He’s a nice enough guy, but he isn’t worth wasting your time on.”
She glared at me, angered once again. I shook it off and continued. “When did he give you this, anyway?”
She didn’t answer me right away.
“Gabrielle?”
I don’t know why I was so thick-skulled up to this point, but suddenly, I saw things in a whole, new, and extremely disconcerting light. “Where did you go today, Gabrielle?” I asked.
She smiled at me, but it wasn’t her usual bright smile. It was more akin to a wicked smile of victory. “I went to see Virgil,” she answered.
I tried not to let her bother me. “You did that…why?”
She reached over and took the scroll from me. “Honestly, Xena, I don’t really think you want me to answer that.”
I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself. It was obviously she was trying to get a rise out of me, and she was frighteningly close to being successful. Why…” I insisted.
She sighed and gave me another long lingering look. “He wanted to see me.”
“So he could give you the scroll?” I asked, trying to disguise at least part of the hope in my voice.
She nodded. “That was part of the reason,” she replied.
“What else?” I asked.
Suddenly, Gabrielle got up and started pacing beside the far side of the bed. “Xena, if I tell you the truth, it’s going to get you very upset with me.”
“It’s too fuckin’ late,” I replied, making sure to keep my voice even. “So you might as well just tell me.”
She nodded, not looking intimidated at all. “Xena, you haven’t been here for me,” she finally spoke. “I have needs, you know…”
By the gods, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing! She was telling me she’d gone to Virgil’s to get fucked!
I felt white hot anger surging through me, a sensation I hadn’t truly allowed to encompass me in a very long time. Not since I had turned my life to good, I realized.
Finally, I seemed to have some effect on Gabrielle. She was caught up by my gaze, and for the first time, I saw a bit of doubt in her eyes.
“You slut!” I hissed. “You were mad at me because I left last night, so you went out and fucked Virgil, knowing he wouldn’t turn you down!”
She smirked at me, despite the glimmer in her eye. “Well, since I wasn’t getting it from you…” she replied.
As my blood continued to boil through me, I considered my options. She had offered me a challenge I could handle in any number of ways. In the state of mind I was in, I began to search out the most painful ways I could retaliate.
I sat up on the bed, leaning against the headboard.
“Virgil’s a dead man,” I said casually. “But you already figured that out, didn’t you?”
She reacted immediately. “No, Xena, you can’t do that…it wasn’t his fault.”
“I don’t give a fuck whose fault it was,” I growled. “The point is…Virgil and everyone have to learn that you’re off limits. NO one can touch you and live to tell the story.”
I knew she wouldn’t like that. “Are you serious?” she asked. “No one owns me, Xena…no one! Not Virgil…Not you…Not anyone!”
“You can believe whatever you want,” I replied, my voice even, “but Virgil is still a dead man.”
She shook her head, as thought she was still not believing that. “Then what’s in store for me? I’m just as guilty as Virgil. In fact…I went to him which makes me even guiltier than him. Are you going to kill me too?”
I couldn’t disguise the feral smile. “Oh no, Gabrielle…I’m going to punish you much worse than that.” I paused a second, and added. “Now come over here and lie down.” It wasn’t a request…it was a command.
Gabrielle was studying me warily, and then suddenly, her expression totally changed. No longer did she look haughty or afraid. She suddenly looked…defeated…and almost distraught.
“Xena,” she said, coming to kneel beside the bed. “Xena…My Love…Do you honestly believe I think so little of my relationship with you that I would just give it all up at the first opportunity to cheat on you?”
My head seemed to be spinning. What exactly was she saying?
I didn’t answer her. Instead, I just continued to sit on the bed and looked intently at her.
She reached out and took my hand, stroking it softly. Once again, I was taken by the sincerity that filled her expression.
“Xena…I DID go to Virgil’s today, but not so I could have sex with him. Eve asked me to talk to him…to apologize for what she had done. I went to help her out.”
I considered all she was saying, then spoke finally. “And what happened?”
She gave a little shrug, and then a very small, faint smile.
“I’m not going to lie to you, Xena,” she replied. “He DID try to express his feelings for me.”
“And what did you do?” I didn’t have to ask what the feelings were that he was trying to tell her.
She looked at me with the plaintive stare that answered the question non-verbally. “I told him that he had no chance,” she replied. “That I was hopelessly devoted to you, and would never leave your side, no matter what.”
I nodded. “And…”
“And…he said he understood. I think he did, but when I got back here, I discovered the scroll in my saddlebag. I honestly don’t know if he put it in there before I told him or afterward, but it doesn’t matter...he knows how I feel.”
I considered all she had said, and knew that it made sense. It certainly a lot more sense that her telling me she had snuck off with the sole purpose of fucking Virgil. But still……
“Why did you lead me on?” I had to ask her.
She shrugged again. “I was angry that you were angry,” she answered. “And I guess I felt a little insulted over the whole situation.”
“Insulted?”
“That you didn’t seem to think I would find someone else.”
I shook my head in disagreement. “That wasn’t ever a consideration,” I told her. “Not at all.”
“It wasn’t?”
“No, never.” I shook my head slightly again. We both had a stubborn streak that was a league wide, and occasionally, we clashed in regards to how we felt.
Despite that, I felt much better about the situation now. I still had a hold of her hand, and now, I gently pulled it so she was lifted toward the bed. Soon, she was on her knees at my side.
I reached for her other hand, and she gave it to me. “I’m sorry again,” I told her gently. “I seem to be saying that a lot to you today. It wasn’t hard for me at all to think that Virgil would be more than willing to want to have you. It’s my fault for doubting that you would remain faithful to me. After all we’ve been through, I should have known that I could always trust you.”
Gabrielle was shaking her head. “It’s just as much my fault,” she responded. “I led you on, not telling you the truth.”
I grinned at her. “I don’t blame you in the least,” I said honestly. “I was accusing from the beginning.”
She was slowly, in increments, moving her head toward mine. “I love you, and I’m sorry I misled you,” she whispered.
“I love you, and I’m sorry I accused you,” I said back, just as softly.
Her head continued to approach, and finally, once again, our lips met.
I moaned first, but she quickly echoed the sound, as our bodies continued to apologize. I reached for Gabrielle’s shoulders, and pulled her closer, so once again, we were pressing our bodies.
Just as quickly as the argument had flared up, it had calmed down again. I don’t know how Gabrielle felt, but I was tired of fighting…tired of having negative feelings toward her. They were unjustified toward her, as they usually were. She was so very pure of heart.
Once again, the guilt of what I’d put her through began to weigh heavily. I felt the need to give her some extra-special care, even more so than I had last night, and this time, I wouldn’t be running off on her halfway through.
My little bard was being very aggressive with me, and I could feel her winding her fingers through my hair, staking her claim.
Despite her hold on my head, I slid my mouth from hers, so I could suck in one of her nipples. Gods, it tasted so good!
The flavor was further enhanced by the scent of her body, particularly the tangy fragrance of her pussy which was growing stronger as time went on. I finally left her breasts, and headed in the direction of the source of the mouth-watering scent.
Her hands were working in tandem with me, urging me to move but willing to linger when I wanted to. I don’t know why, but I had a sudden desire...
“Turn around,” I told her. She glanced curiously at me, probably wondering what I was up to.
“For me…please?” I repeated, going for the soft touch. “Turn around, Gabrielle.”
I expected more of an argument out of her, but she pirouetted for me. Perfect.
I pressed my legs forward, so I could get her to legs to open as wide as I wanted them. I still intended to get my fill of her…I just didn’t want to take the most direct route, at least not yet.
“Tell me what you want,” I urged, hoping she’d express the exact same thing I was aching for. Gods, I couldn’t get her close enough! I began fucking her with a couple of fingers, but I didn’t think it was going to be enough, as I urged her again to tell me.
My slowly moving fingers, which were stretching her opening and sawing in and out seemed to be having a bigger effect on her than I thought. I finally heard her whisper…”Xena…I want you. Just you. You inside me…filling me.”
It seemed like a long time ago that I had been moving toward the saddlebag to retrieve our toy “Do you still want me to get the phallus?”
Somehow, I wasn’t surprised when I saw her shaking her head. She told me she’d want it later, but right now, she just wanted me.
Oh yeah, I could deal with that request. Her cunt was creating an abundance of juices, and it was very easy for me to add a third finger to her vagina. It was only natural that my other hand get into the act, and it centered itself at the apex of her crotch.
I really expected her to let me bring her to orgasm in just that manner. Even without my mouth on her body, she was groaning and twitching like a very powerful climax was imminent.
However, I was surprised when I felt her hand cover the one that was stroking her clitoris, trying to get me to slow down a bit. I heard her say my name.
“What do you want?” I asked her, sensing she had something very specific in mind.
When she put her hand on my other one, trying to still my movements, I gave up on what I was trying to accomplish, and reluctantly slid my fingers from her depths.
“What’s wrong?” I asked her, wondering if I was somehow disappointing or upsetting her.
Her words reassured me at first, then took me by surprise. “Nothing…Baby…nothing. This just feels so good, and I want to lie down. I need to feel your body over me…your hand inside me.” She had turned around before telling me, and she took that opportunity to give me a searing, sucking, searching kiss.
I let her go, and she settled back on the bed, holding her arms out for me and asking me to join her.
I couldn’t say no, and crawled to lay half on top of her, picking up where her kiss had left off. All this teasing and moving around was getting to me, as I felt my own clit quiver with a massive influx of blood, and my nipples grow itchy from wanting to be touched. I dragged my nipples up over her stomach, and shimmied them into her own breasts, as our mouths pleasured each other’s.
Finally, I pulled my mouth free. “Tell me what you need…I want to make love to you. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you.”
My little bard managed to shock me then. Generally, I was the one catching her off-guard, but I felt a thick stream of arousal gush from me, when she murmured, her eyes locked into mine, “I want your hand…all of it.”
I really thought I had misunderstood her at first. Or perhaps, she was just teasing me, but a single glance in her eyes showed me she was being sincere. She had a hungry expression that I know my own face would show when I was desiring the same type of intrusion in my body.
Still, I couldn’t help but hesitate, “Gabrielle…my hand is too big. I know I’ll hurt you.”
She was shaking her head . “No, you won’t.” Just as quickly, she changed her tune. “I don’t care if you do. I can’t help it. I need you inside me.” I was desperately trying to think of an alternate solution when she added the words I couldn’t say no to. “Please, Xena?”
My mind immediately went to the other times we were in the midst of lovemaking, when I had moved to fist her, only to stop at the last second.
Usually, it was when I was playing her mistress, and I was the one threatening her with it, but this time, it was very different, because SHE was the one wanting it.
All right. I decided to see how ready she was. I started kissing her again, my fingers not hesitating to begin touching her sex once more.
I was a little taken back when I felt her doing the same thing to me. I knew she would feel plenty of lubrication, for just the thought of burying my fist in her had me going strongly.
Her hand left my body soon enough, and then I felt her rubbing over the back of my hand, especially the widest part of it and my knuckles. I know I gave her a look of disbelief.
“Just being sure we have enough lubricant,” she said softly, but happily.
Gods, she seemed so eager for it, it made my own vagina clutch in anticipation. I lunged forward and swallowed as much of the nearest breast as possible.
Gods, she was giving me every indication that she still very much wanted it. I began to touch her pussy again, my mouth watering at how wet she was. I would have loved to have drunk it all up, but knew she would need as much lubrication as possible for me to accomplish my task.
It wasn’t long before I had worked my way up to four fingers. I had done that to her many times before, and usually minimized it as much as possibly by squeezing the digits tightly together into a wedge shape.
This time, I didn’t have my fingers quite so tight, and left them spread out slightly more into a fan shape. I was trying to test her readiness, seeing if I thought she could take more without something ripping.
It was an extremely tight fit, gods, it was deliciously tight. I swallowed hard as I realized she might indeed be able to take my hand, but there was no doubt she was going to feel a greet deal of discomfort, and just possibly a good deal of agony if I entered her completely.
She either didn’t realize it, or was looking forward to it, as I felt her fingers reaching to rub along her own swollen wet cunt lips, this time using her own secretions. Once again, she rubbed it into the back of my hand, particularly around my knuckles.
I couldn’t believe it when I felt her take a good strong hold of my hand, pushing it within her.
It was going to be too tight. “I don’t want to hurt you,” I told her again.
He words and expressions were virtually pleading with me. “Xena…please. I need you. Gods, but I need this! Please, Baby. Don’t you want to do it? Doesn’t it turn you on?”
I couldn’t lie to her.
“Gods yes, it turns me on,” I had to reply. I looked her in the eye. “You turn me on.”
I should have been trying to distract her, but unbelievably, she was taking my mind off the situation when she pressed her tongue into my mouth again.
At the same time, she was grinding her pussy harder into my hand, which was steadily making progress into her body.
It was time. I narrowed my hand as much as I could by tucking my thumb against my palm. My own hand still looked huge to me. I flashbacked to past experiences, times when it was my idea to penetrate a bedmate in such a manner. It didn’t matter whether or not it was welcome. No, that wasn’t exactly true. I preferred it when it WASN’T welcomed.
But Gabrielle…I didn’t want to bring her pain…just the closeness she was craving so much. I began twisting my hand back and forth slightly, creating a screwing motion that helped me ease my way in.
I was hurting her. Her bright green eyes had grown huge, and now I could see a hint of pain in them. I watched her closely, waiting for a sign that she wanted me to pull out. I didn’t see it.
So intent was I with studying her face, I was surprised to look down and see the wide part of my hand was completely submerged in her. The last little bit was easy going, and we both let our breaths we’d been holding for a while now.
It felt incredible…the warm slickness of her vagina encompassed my hand, giving it a haven it had never felt before. Her inner muscles were clutching me, but I could tell I hadn’t pressed her beyond capacity, once I was inside. I continued to twist my hand within her, pushing it forward and back some, knowing she was feeling it in a whole different light. She began wriggling her hips in synch with my buried arm.
“All of you, Baby,” she whispered, sounding amazed. “I’m taking all of you.”
I grinned at her nodding, extremely proud of her courage and her resiliency.
She was suddenly arching her back, offering me a further presentation of her body by thrusting her hardened nipples toward my mouth. “Suck me, Xena…I need your mouth on my chest…”
Gods, she was so on fire for my touch, which created an answering flame in my own tits and cunt. I fulfilled her wish by sucking her nipples, at the same time mounting one of her lower thighs so I could press my pussy into it, and rub it hard.
We fed off the building excitement of each other. I was finding it necessary to pound her cunt harder with my fist, tugging harder at her nipples in turn, and the whole time I was convulsively rubbing my clit against the hard muscle of her leg. She wound her fingers in my har, and pulled at it in her excitement, raising my arousal higher.
“Gods, Xena…I’m close.” She was gasping for air. “I’m gonna come…I can feel it coming…”
Music to my ears, which until now, were mainly full of the sound of rushing blood. I was SO ready for it. “That’s it…come for me Gabrielle…give it to me…” She began to take on the jerky uncontrolled movements of a woman on the verge of a massive climax. “You’re mine!” I felt the urge to remind her. “Only mine.”
Something in the way she screamed out my name as she finally reached her pinnacle grabbed hold of my clit, and I soared the skies with her, panting for breath.
My vaginal muscles took up the staccato beat her own was using around my fingers, leaving me perfectly in tune with her. We coasted through the heavens together.
Eventually, my breathing began to return to normal, and I knew I had to free my hand from her body. I used the twisting motion again, and the slippery, thick liquid her pussy pumped out helped make the release slightly easier.
I watched her pussy hole rapidly contract in size as my fist was pulled free. “Are you okay?” I asked. “Did I hurt you?” I suspected I already knew the answer to that, but I had to hear her say it.
She smiled sweetly at me, and accepted the soft kiss I gave her. “I’ll be fine, Xena. You were perfect. I love you with all that I am. You know that, don’t you?”
I did, but it made me feel better to hear her say it out loud. Especially with what we had gone through tonight.
I laid back on the bed, sated for now, and Gabrielle curled up half on top of me, touching her head under my chin. She reached for my hand, which was still soaked in her juices, and then pressed it to my mouth. “You earned it,” she said with a sweet smile.
“Share it with me,” I said, and she did. We licked the flavorful liquids away, and shared one last intimate kiss, before succumbing to Morpheus.
It was only an hour or so, when we woke up at virtually the same time, and this time, I knew she’d want me to be inside her with the phallus. I filled her up, determined to never let my daughter come between us again.
Gabrielle's Scroll
The Xena and Gabrielle XXX Scrolls Page 4
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