Chapter Six

Gabrielle entered the Amazon Village, her eyes scanning the grounds for the red headed warrior she was searching for. She made her way quickly towards Alexandria's hut, her heart beating wildly in her chest as she contemplated everything she wanted to say to the woman.

Tell her you can't live without her. Tell her that the sun is nothing compared to her smile, her eyes are more beautiful than the ocean, and that the stars dull in comparison to her beauty. Tell her that you long to feel her muscles ripple under your fingertips, your body aches to slide her smooth skin along your own. That the fire in your heart only flares when you see her face. Tell her how you tremble under the slightest caress of her hands, how fast your heart beats when she whispers your name. And tell her how you can forget about everything when you are in her prescence, and that when you look at her, you don't see anyone else.

Tell her that you love her.

I can't, She thought to herself in frustration. I can't tell her that I don't see anyone else. When I look at her, I see Xena, I see the same pain in her eyes, I see the way her lips turn upwards in a smirk, I see the way she raises her eyebrow at me. In everything she does, from the way she swings her sword, to the way she eats her breakfast, I see Xena.

But she's not Xena, and even though you will always love Xena, because she's your soulmate, you love Alexandria too. You love Alexandria because she didn't leave you, and because she's always stood by you, even in the middle of the desert when you were screaming so loud from your nightmares that they could surely hear you in Rome, she didn't leave you. She's never been cold to you, or tried to turn you away from her, or told you to shut up when you talked too much. She's only ever walked besides you, listening to you talk about Xena, and your life together, and how much you love her. She's always held your hand, and comforted you when you hurt, and embraced you when you cried.

But she doesn't love me! Gabrielle argued with herself, not even noticing she was standing in the middle of the village, several pairs of eyes gazing at her in confusion and worry. Just like me, she loves another. She's only stood by me, because she doesn't have anyone else, and because she pities me. She's too good a person to leave me, she knows I'd be broken without her company, and that's the only reason she has stayed.

Oh, shut up. If she wanted to find someone, she easily could have by now. More than half the Amazons throw themselves at her everyday, and even when you travelled together, women and men were begging for her attention. She may love another, but the one she loves is dead, and instead of crying about it to half the known world, she's been by your side, listening to you moan about how horrible your life is. She wants to be with you, no matter what else she says, she cares about you. You just need to make her see that you care about her too, and NOT because she reminds you of Xena, but because she's what you been searching for since Xena died. She is your peace, and you know it.

She's my peace, Gabrielle's lips quirked into a smile at the thought, her hearting beating impossibly fast and she started moving once more. She quickly broke into a run in her desperation to find the red headed warrior, blindly turning corners until her eyes landed on the woman in question standing in the doorway of her hut. And her heart jumped into her throat at what she saw.

Alexandria and Varia, locked in an embrace, their foreheads resting together, and staring deep into each others eyes with what she could only assume was love and affection.

All the things she had wanted to say left her thoughts immediately at the sight of the two women. She felt the green monster of jealousy rage in her chest, claws ripping at her heart.

She strode towards them, her eyes flashing in anger as she got closer, her hands clenching and unclenching unconciously at her sides.

"Alexandria," she growled once she was only a few steps away from the women.

She watched as both of them turned towards her, shock displayed on their features. Varia hurriedly stepped back from the red headed woman, averting her eyes from her Queen and looking towards the ground.

"I...My Queen, its..." Varia stumbled over her words nervously, looking around desperately for an escape from the angry Queen that seemed to be radiating danger.

"Leave," she growled menacingly at the dark haired woman, who quickly nodded before turning and trying to depart from the awkward situation.

"No, Varia," Alexandria said, gripping the woman's arm desperately, not wanting to be left alone with the blonde. "You're coming with me."

"With you where?" Gabrielle replied for the brunette, stepping forwards as she gazed at Alexandria's hand resting on Varia's shoulder. "Are you leaving me too?"

Alexandria looked up into the hurt green eyes of her friend and felt her heart ache at the sad expression on the blonde woman's face. All traces of anger had dissapeared and turned into a pathetic heartbroken expression.

"I'm not leaving you, Gabrielle," Alexandria said softly. "I just need to leave the village for a few days. I won't be gone for long."

"Why are you taking Varia?" Gabrielle asked, her voice breaking as she looked between the two women, noticing that Alexandria's hand was yet to drop from the Amazon's arm. "Oh. I see."

Alexandria looked towards Varia in confusion before quickly dropping her hand to her side and chuckling nervously.

"Gabrielle, it's not what it looks like."

"Oh really?" Gabrielle replied, her anger starting to build once more. "You tell me that you love another, but swear it's no one I know. No one that even lives anymore. But here you are, with Varia," she spat the Amazon's name as her anger rose even higher.

"There's nothing going on between Alexandria and I, My Queen," Varia tried to reassure her leader, stepping away from Alexandria. "I assure you."

"Oh, shut the fuck up, Varia," Gabrielle growled, causing the other two women to flinch at her tone. "The Gods know I shouldn't trust anything that comes out of your mouth since our battle with Mavican."

Varia dropped her head in shame at her Queen's words, her shoulders slumping in defeat. Alexandria on the other hand, felt her control slip with the last of Gabrielle's words.

"Varia," she said, her deep voice laced with danger. "Leave us, now."

Varia looked up into Alexandria's blue eyes, darkened with rage before resting her hand on the woman's shoulder, squeezing it and giving the woman a reassuring smile, recieving a strained one in return before turning and leaving the two women alone.

The two women gazed into each others eyes, battling silently as they tried to stare the other one down. It was Gabrielle who looked away first, a soft sigh escaping her lips.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly, not daring to look up at the obviously angry woman in front of her. "I had no right to-"

"No, you didn't have any right," Alexandria cut her off angrily. "You had no right at all to speak to Varia like that. She has done nothing wrong."

"You lied to me!" Gabrielle suddenly yelled, shocking both of them, but the blonde regained her control quickly and continued. "You told me there was no one else. I saw you with her. I watched you hold her as if she was the dearest thing to you on this Earth."

"She is very dear to me," Alexandria replied, not taking her eyes off the woman in front of her. "I love her."

Gabrielle felt her heart shatter in heart chest. Her throat closed up as she tried in vain to stop the tears that threatened to fall.

"She is my best friend," Alexandria continued, her voice low. "She's stood by me for years, always questioning every move I make but never straying from my side. She has listened to the deepest secrets in my heart and never once judged me. She loves me regardless of my past and the descions I have made, and I love her. But we are not in love."

Gabrielle swore that what remained of her hurting heart stopped beating for just a moment, before it sped up quickly.

"You're not lovers?" She asked in confusion as she gazed at the red headed warrior who just shook her head.

"No, we are not."

Gabrielle's emotions spiralled out of control and crashed over her like a waterfall and she couldn't contain herself any longer. She threw herself at the red headed woman, feeling Alexandria's arms wrap tightly around her before hurriedly leaning up and catching her lips. The kiss was different to the last one they had shared, it was passionate and hungry, and Gabrielle found herself instantly craving more. She tangled her fingers in her companion's dark red locks and pulled her closer, feeling the strong body mold into her own, extracting a moan from her lips.

She felt Alexandria start to pull away, but she would have none of that this time. Using all her strength, she held on to the beautiful woman, opening her mouth and pressing her tongue persistantly against the perfect lips she was conquering. She felt the body pressed up against hers tense before relaxing, as Alexandria gave herself over to the small blonde and parted her lips. Their tongue's danced together passionately, each fighting for dominance, and Gabrielle whimpered as she felt herself being lifted from the ground and pushed back against the door to Alexandria's hut.

She wrapped her legs around the woman's slim waist, pulling her even closer as her hands ran over ever bit of skin she could find. It was so soft, and she smiled against her companions lips as she felt goosebumps rise on the warrior's skin. She ran her fingers through short deep red hair, dragging her blunt fingernails along the woman's scalp and feeling the warrior shiver. She ripped her mouth away from Alexandria's, immediately missing the soft lips before attaching her own to the perfect neck in front of her. She could feel the rapidly beating pulse beneath her mouth and she smiled before biting down on the delicious flesh, elicting a soft groan from her soon to be lover.

With one hand still buried in the red tresses, her free hand moved behind her own body to hurriedly open the door to the hut. She felt Alexandria stumble a bit as the door swung open, before striding into the room, and kicking the door closed behind them. Gabrielle pulled back, staring into the midnight blue eyes of her friend, as her hands cupped the woman's cheeks before she leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips.

"I may not know the deepest, darkest parts of your heart," she mumbled against the soft lips. "But I accept you, not matter what you've done, or who you were before. All I know is the woman holding me now, the warrior that somehow managed to find what was left of my own heart and take it from me."

Alexandria let out of a soft whimper at the blonde woman's heartfelt words, before quickly carrying her over to the bed in the corner of the room and laying her precious cargo down carefully.

"What are you saying?" She whispered as she looked down at the beauty lying in the middle of her bed.

Gabrielle smiled warmly, reaching up and pulling the woman down ontop of her, moaning softly as their bodies pressed together deliciously.

"I'm saying, that I don't want to wake up another day without the only thing that shines light into my life," she said softly, looking up into the deep blue eyes that stared down at her.

Any self control that Alexandria had possessed immediately disspeared as she leant down and captured the soft inviting lips of her lover. She ran her hands over the smooth skin of Gabrielle's neck and down her chest before gently massaging the woman's breasts, hidden underneath the soft Amazon leathers.

"This just has to go," Gabrielle muttered, reaching down and unlacing her top, pushing the straps from her shoulders before pullung it from her chest, exposing her her lightly tanned breasts to the cool air, her rose coloured nipples hardening instantly. She ran her hands down her stomach, feeling Alexandria's gaze watching her every move as she pushed her skirt and breeches over her hips and down her legs before kicking them off the bed.

She smiled at the sharp intake of breath from her companion, and she looked up into the dark eyes, almost black with desire as the woman stared down at her body.

Alexandria's eyes searched the perfect body underneath her, as her fingers traced every curve, a memory running through her head of when Gabrielle had asked her if she was a Goddess. She now wondered the same about her small friend. She ran her fingernails down the toned abdomen, feeling the muscles ripple under her slender fingers, and bit her lip against the soft moan that caught in her throat. She felt small, smooth hands gently start removing her own armor and leathers, but she paid them no attention, as she continued to run her hands over firm muscular thighs before raking her fingernails back up the insides of them and feeling the small body underneath her shudder.

She felt herself being pulled down and her lips were once more engaged in a passionate kiss. Her hands continued their discovery of the soft skin as smaller ones ran through her hair, gripping it gently. She felt a thigh push its way between her legs and moaned at the contact against her center, grinding unconciously against the hard muscle. Gabrielle whimpered as she felt the hot liquid coat her thigh with ever thrust of the red headed woman's hips and ran her fingers down the warriors back before grabbing her firm ass and grinding the woman's center against her even harder.

Gabrielle couldn't think about anything except the hot skin pressed against her own, the soft lips that were kissing along her jaw, and strong hands gently massaging her breasts. She ignored the voice in the back of her head screaming at her, ignored the images in her mind of her making love with Xena. She thought about Alexandria, nothing else mattered except for the intoxicating woman ontop of her. She closed her eyes as she felt her need for the woman grow impossibly stronger until she felt almost drunk with desire and pulled one of Alexandria's toned legs between her own, thrusting up against the smooth skin and moaning loudly.

Alexandria's hand left it's spot on her lovers breasts and made it's way between their writhing bodies, pressing her forehead into her the blonde woman's shoulder as she ran her fingers through the soft wet hair in between Gabrielle's legs.

"Please," Gabrielle whimpered, pushing herself into the hand that gently cupped her pussy and opening her legs wider, exposing herself to her lover. "Gods, Alexandria, please. I wanted this to last, but I can't wait. I need you. I need to feel you, all of you."

Alexandria needed no more encouragement as she ran her fingers through her lover's wet sex, moaning at the amount of sweet liquid that covered her fingers. "Fuck, Gabrielle. You're so wet."

Gabrielle groaned as the fingers lightly slid over her opening before two slender fingers pushed their way inside. She cried out in pleasure as Alexandria's fingers buried themselves deep inside her, before slowly pulling out and adding a third finger before pushing back inside, even deeper than before.

"Fuck, Alex," she moaned, throwing her head back and she gripped the woman's strong shoulders. "Oh, Gods."

Alexandria pressed a soft kiss to her lover's neck as she slowly started thrusting in and out of her companion's center, pushing deeper and harder with every stroke. She groaned softly as she felt the velvet walls surrounding her fingers spasm and tighten with her every thrust. She felt Gabrielle's hands make their way back to her ass and grip them tightly, grinding her against the thigh still pressed against her own wetness.

The moans were now coming from both woman constantly, and they grinded against each other, their pace speeding up until they were thrusting against each other wildly, their cries echoing off the hut walls. It was like nothing either of them had imagined it to be. They had expected their first time to be slow, as they discovered each others bodies. Gentle caresses, whispered words, and soft kisses were replaced with urgent, almost rough touches, vulgar thoughts slipping from their lips and conquering tongues. The need they felt was too urgent, and the emptiness inside both of them screamed to be filled with each other. Alexandria thrust her fingers inside her lover as deep and hard as she could, her thumb rubbing Gabrielle's aching clit furiously as she fucked her. Gabrielle met every thrust with her own, continuing to grind Alexandria's pussy against her thigh roughly as she saw a bright light flash in her vision, before her back arched and her body tensed up. She screamed out her lover's named as she descended over the cliff and into climax, the walls of her vagina clenching tightly around the fingers deep inside of her, and she felt the body ontop of her tense also, as Alexandria came with her.

Gabrielle collasped limply on the bed, feeling the comfortable weight of her lover ontop of her and smiled as the bright colours started to fade from her vision. She wrapped her arms weakly around the heavily breathing body entwined with her own and pressed a kiss to Alexandria's sweat matted hair, as she tried to slow the frantic beating of her heart. They laid their for a few moments in silence, catching their breath before Alexandria stirred. The red headed woman leaned up on her elbows and looked down at her lover thoughtfully, before opening her mouth to speak.

Gabrielle quickly covered her companion's lips with her finger, shaking her head gently as she stared into the blue eyes before her.

"Shh," she whispered gently, removing her finger and gently guiding Alexandria's head back down to her chest. "We don't need to talk about this tonight. It's okay. We're okay."

She felt Alexandria's body become rigid, then slowly relax under her soothing hands, before the woman turned her head slightly and pressed a soft kiss right over her heart. Gabrielle smiled and closed her eyes, tightening her arms around the warrior, and was lulled to sleep by the feeling of her lover's heartbeat pressed against her abdomen, beating in time with her own.