PLANTING THE SEED
BY: PAYMASTER
DISCLAIMER: The characters in this story are ALL the property of Universal/MCA Studios. The storyline is mine. You will find a little violence and a lot of consensual sex between two women within this story. If that offends you, maybe you should read something else.
Zeus had become very annoyed with the ongoing feud between the two goddesses. Their incessant chatter was getting on his last nerve. When he could tolerate no more, he called for Callisto and Aphrodite to appear before him.
"I've grown impatient with both of you. If the two of you wish to squabble as vain mortal women...then mortal you shall become! As of this day, you are both banned from Olympus. You will live as mortal women until this matter is resolved. Use any means you feel necessary to solve it...but do so hastily. You will be allowed to return only when this is settled. Now, off with both of you...the sight of you disgusts me!" With a wave of his hand, Callisto and Aphrodite disappeared.
Callisto had no intention of remaining mortal for one minute longer than necessary. After all, she had already "been there, done that" and she much preferred the life of a goddess. Being the more skilled warrior of the two, she decided that disposing of Aphrodite would be the easiest thing to do. Zeus had said to "use any means you feel necessary", and Callisto felt it necessary to rid Olympus of any goddess that could be considered more beautiful than herself.
*************************************************
It had been a long but beautiful day. The sky was crystal clear and there was a light, cool breeze blowing. Gabrielle had been chattering all day and Xena was very appreciative of the current silence. She took the time to let her mind wonder and relive the events of the past few months. The couple were on their way to Poteidaia to tell the bard's family the news. They had become one in the Amazon Joining Ceremony just two months ago. It had taken years for the two women to finally trust their love enough to reveal their feelings to each other. Both had been afraid of how the other would react and neither could bear the thought of losing the other if the feelings weren't reciprocated. Then came the event that would be the catalyst that changed their lives forever.
Gabrielle had been captured and wounded by Ceasar. Ceasar had beaten the bard mercilessly in a futile attempt to get her to betray the mighty warrior. Xena, with the help of Boadicea and her army, had rescued her severely injured bard and burned Ceasar's palace to the ground. Never had Xena felt such hatred as she did for Ceasar because of what he had done to Gabrielle.
After the battle with Ceasar, Xena had taken Gabrielle to the Amazon village to provide safety and time for the bard to heal. It was during the bard's recuperation that Xena realized how close she had come to losing Gabrielle forever. She decided that she could no longer stand the thought of having to love her bard from afar. The thought of not being able to touch, hold, kiss and make love to this woman was unbearable. Xena had restrained herself from revealing her true feelings until Gabrielle was almost back to normal.
It had taken several weeks for the bard to regain her strength, but the night had come when Xena felt that Gabrielle was ready to hear her confession. They had been sitting on the floor of the hut, warming themselves by the fire when Gabrielle began to shudder. "Xena, I can't seem to get warm.", the bard had told her. Xena had moved closer to Gabrielle and engulfed her in her strong arms. Gabrielle noticed that Xena was trembling also and asked if she was cold. Xena took a deep breath, swallowed hard and began to speak. "No Gabrielle. I'm not cold, just a little nervous." "Why Xena, what's wrong?", Gabrielle had asked with a look of concern. "Gabrielle, please don't interrupt me until I'm finished with what I have to say. If I don't get it all out now, I probably never will. There is something that I have wanted to tell you for a long time now. I've held back because I wasn't sure how you would respond to this...in fact, I'm still not sure. But, I can't hide this from you anymore Gabrielle."
Xena paused to try and calm the thumping in her chest. "When I found you in Ceasar's dungeon, you were almost dead. It made me realize that I have wasted alot of precious time because I've been afraid to tell you how I really feel." Xena loosened her grip on the bard, touched her precious face and cupped it into her hands. She looked deep into Gabrielle's emerald eyes and sensed a look of understanding and love. Cautiously, she
proceeded. "Gabrielle...I've been with many lovers, both men and women. It's not a fact that I'm proud of but...none of them have ever made me feel the way that you do. Just being close to you makes my blood boil. You're my reason for living Gabrielle. You're the source of everything good that I have become. You have taught me what it means to love someone with all my heart and soul. I would rather die than ever lose you. What I'm trying to say is...I love you Gabrielle and I need you to love me too. I need to show you how much I love you."
There was a long pause and Xena had feared that she had made a mistake by revealing herself to her love. Then she noticed the tears streaming down Gabrielle's cheeks. The bard choked back the elated screams that were trying to escape from deep within her. "Xena...is it my turn now?" "Yes Gabrielle. I guess I'm done."
"Xena, I have loved you from the moment I first layed eyes on you. Gods, how I've prayed that this day would eventually come. I can't tell you how much I've longed for the feel of your caress, the touch of your lips to mine. If I'm dreaming, please don't wake me."
"You're not dreaming my love."
The warrior and her bard had made passionate love until sunrise. The next morning when they awoke, both women knew that they had been made for each other and that they were destined to be together. It was Gabrielle who spoke first that morning. "Xena, I love you with all my heart and soul. I want us to be together forever...Xena, will you marry me?" The warrior had not hesitated in her response and they were joined a week later, on
Gabrielle's twenty-second birthday.
***************************************************
"Xena?...Xena, snap out of it. There's a storm brewing. We've got to find shelter." The sound of her lover's voice brought Xena out of her reminiscing. She had been so deep in her own thoughts that she hadn't noticed the wind beginning to whip the branches of the trees along the road. The sky had become dark and thick black clouds were swirling above their heads. Argo stopped dead in her tracks before rearing and then pawing at the ground. "Gabrielle...this is not your normal afternoon thunderstorm. Hurry...we need to get away from this.", she said as she tugged on Argo's reins.
Before they could reach the edge of the road, a lightning bolt struck the middle of their path. As the smoke cleared, so did the sky and the wind became calm. On the path before them stood two fair haired beauties. Xena immediately recognized one of the women as Callisto. The other woman had her back to the warrior and she was unsure of her identity.
Having had many run ins with Callisto herself, Xena knew that the unidentified woman was in for trouble. Yet, there was something strangely different in Callisto's appearance. She wasn't hurling her usual balls of fire and she looked somewhat weak in comparison to their last encounter. Xena and Gabrielle watched as Callisto drew her sword and started her attack on the other woman. She swung the weapon wildly at the former goddess. Aphrodite jumped backwards in an attempt to escape the blow but Callisto's sword came crashing down on the defenseless woman. Callisto roared with laughter as the blood began to flow from Aphrodite's forearm.
Xena could stand by and watch no longer. "Come on Gabrielle. I'll take care of Callisto. You help the other woman." With that, Xena leapt into the air and landed firmly between the two women. "Ah, Xena...we meet again.", Callisto said with hatred. "Callisto...why don't you pick on someone your own size?", the warrior quipped as she drew her sword.
By this time, Gabrielle had reached the injured Aphrodite and was leading her to safety. The two warrior women raised their swords and the true clash began.
They battled furiously but Callisto, as a mortal, was no match for the warrior princess. Xena raised her sword high above her head and put all of her strength into her swing. As the sword descended upon the has been goddess, Callisto lost her footing and stumbled into the blow instead of away. The tip of Xena's sword struck the former goddess by her temple and sliced it's way down to her jawline. The sword that Callisto carried fell from her hand as she dropped to her knees. She brough her hand to her cheek and drew it back in horror when she saw that it was covered in bright red blood. The wound on Callisto's face was gaping but Xena still stood over Callisto with her sword drawn, poised to attack. The warrior princess wondered what kind of trick Callisto was playing. "XENA!!! What have you done? How can I possibly claim the title of 'Most Beautiful Goddess of Olympus' after you have marred my face?" Aphrodite, seeing that the battle was finished, approached Callisto. "It's over!", she said. "And you have lost...so go back to Olympus!" "My battle with you Aphrodite, may be over. But the one with you Xena, has just begun." Callisto spat out the words with vengence. The clouds parted, the hand of Zeus reached down, and in an instant...Callisto was gone.
With Callisto out of the way, Xena turned her attention to Aphrodite.
"What in Tartarus just happened here?" she asked the restored goddess. Aphrodite explained the story to Xena and Gabrielle. She told of the jealously, the squabbling and the subsequent banning from Olympus and how Zeus had condemned both she and Callisto to life as mortals until an agreement was reached. "I want to thank you Xena, and you Gabrielle, for saving my life and preserving my title. In appreciation, I will grant you one wish. But, there is a catch. It is one wish between the two of you...not one for each. This means that you must be in total agreement for the wish to come true. This is not something that you must decide upon today. The offer stands until you are in one accord. Take your time and consult carefully with one another until the choice is made. I must leave you now to return to Olympus, but when you are ready to present me with your wish, simply call upon my name and I will appear before you."
With that being said, the goddess looked toward the heavens and said, "Zeus...I'm ready now." In a cloud of smoke, she vanished.
******************** 2 YEARS LATER ****************
"Xena, how long have we been together now?", the bard asked.
Xena cocked one eyebrow and gave her bard 'the look'. "Well Gabrielle, that depends on what you mean by together. Are you asking how long it has been since we met, or how long we've been joined? And why are you asking me that question? You're the one that keeps up with things like that better than me." Xena paused for a split second, searching her brain for an answer. "Is this a trick? Did I forget our anniversary or something?", Xena asked. She knew that there was no way that she could have forgotten such an important day. The warrior remembered vividly the day that she and her lover were united in the Amazon Joining Ceremony. It was Gabrielle's twenty-second birthday so there was cause for a double celebration. "Out with it Gabrielle. What's really on your mind?"
"Xena, have you ever thought about having a child?"
"What kind of question is that? I had a son...Solan, remember?"
Gabrielle could see the pain in Xena's eyes and almost wished that she had never asked. She pulled her lover close and lifted Xena's chin to look into her steel blue eyes before she spoke again. "Xena...I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to sound like that. Of course I remember Solan. If it weren't for him, we wouldn't be together today. We never would have made it to Illusia and we never would have forgiven each other or ourselves. You probably would have killed me back at the Amazon village. We both owe Solan for the happiness that we share today." The warrior's expression softened and her body relaxed a bit. Gabrielle had a way of calming her with a mere touch. But, Xena's curiosity was beginning to seize hold of her. She couldn't imagine why Gabrielle would ask such a thing.
"To answer your question...No, I guess I haven't thought about it. Why... have you?"
"Xena...I've thought of little else lately. I want a child so badly, I ache. But this time, I want a child conceived from love. I finally came to realize that Hope was not really my child. Yes, I gave birth to her but she wasn't a child...she was Dahak incarnate. I want to create a child from the love that I feel within me." As she spoke, Gabrielle noticed
Xena's expression change. It became one of saddness and dispair.
"Gabrielle, don't you love me anymore? Don't I make you happy?" The tears were forming in the warrior's blue eyes and starting to spill down her cheeks.
"Xena! How could you ever doubt my love for you? You don't understand what I'm saying my love. The child I want is YOUR child. I want him or her to be a product of our incredible love for each other."
"Gabrielle, what you're asking is impossible. You know that I would give you anything within my power, but you are asking for something that I'm not capable of giving. I would love nothing more than to be able to give you a child my darling, but not even the gods can help us with this."
"That's where you're wrong Xena. The gods can help us. Remember when we saved Aphrodite from Callisto? She said that she would grant us one wish but we had to be in total agreement on what that wish was to be. We haven't cashed in on that wish yet. She can help us Xena...I know she can. Please...if you want this as much as I do, let's call for her."
"Gabrielle...I do want it my love, but this is a tall order...even for the goddess of love and fertility."
"Xena, what do we have to lose by trying? Please...", the bard pleaded.
Xena gently took her mate into her arms, bent down and kissed her on her forehead. She took Gabrielle's hand into her own and said, "Here we go!"
As the couple stood hand in hand, Xena called for the goddess to appear. "Aphrodite, Gabrielle and I are ready to be granted our one wish. Are you ready to hear our request?" The clouds parted, a ray of light came from the heavens and the goddess stood before them.
"Xena, Gabrielle, it has been a long time. So...the two of you have finally come to a decision?", Aphrodite asked.
"Yes...we have." It was the bard who spoke this time. "We want a child. We want it to be our child, mine and Xena's."
The goddess had a look of astonishment on her face and she struggled with her words. "And Xena? Is this what you want also?", she asked.
"More than you could ever know.", was the warrior's response.
"This is a highly unusual request and I can not grant it without certain promises. First...the life that you two lead is not one that is good for child rearing. I will not have you wandering all over the countryside with an infant. Are you both prepared to settle down and make a home for this child?"
The warrior and the bard looked into each other's eyes and saw the answer. "Yes...we are.", they answered in unison.
"Second...do you both promise to teach this child of love and peace, not war and hatred. Do you promise to love and protect this child as much as you love and protect each other?"
Again, a unifed "Yes...we promise."
"Then your wish is granted. But you must plant the seed, if you know what I mean.", the goddess said with a grin and a wink.
"Oh don't worry. We can handle that part." The warrior cocked one eyebrow and looked at her lover hungrily.
"My debt to you is paid.", said the goddess. "But, trust that I will keep a watchful eye on both of you. Do not disappoint me or make me regret granting this wish." The clouds parted and once again the ray of light shone down. Aphrodite ascended into the sky.
*************************************************
As the warrior princess and her bard walked along, the path before them began to change. They were walking into a magnificent canyon. Wildflowers began to spring up along one side of the path and fruit trees along the other. Both pairs of eyes scanned the canyon and they spotted a small log cabin at the far side. There was a crystal blue lake with a gorgeous waterfall located directly behind the line of fruit trees. A voice from the heavens called down, "This is my gift to you my chosen one." Gabrielle recognized the voice to be that of the goddess Artemis. "I couldn't let Aphrodite have ALL the fun", the goddess continued. "Thank you Artemis", was the reply from the gracious lovers.
"Xena, can you believe this? Isn't this the most beautiful place you've ever seen?"
"Yes Gabrielle. It's the perfect place for us to conceive a child."
The two women continued down the path toward the cabin. As they drew closer, they could see smoke coming from the chimney. There was even a little barn behind the cabin. Xena instructed Gabrielle to go on inside while she got Argo settled into the barn for the evening.
When Gabrielle entered the cabin, she thought that she had died and gone to the Elysian Fields. There was a roaring fire in the fireplace and the interior had a glow from all the lighted candles placed throughout. There were fresh flowers placed in vases here and there. The entire cabin smelled of jasmine. The table was completely set with a feast of meat, cheese, fruit and bread. Wine was already poured into two glasses. In the far corner of the room was a bed with huge pillows and a down blanket. 'Artemis has thought of everything', Gabrielle mused.
Gabrielle stood in awesome silence as she drank in all the sights and smells of the room. She had not even heard Xena enter the cabin. Xena walked up behind her bard and gently slipped her strong arms around her waist. "I'm not really hungry right now...at least not for food. Dinner can wait...I have far more important things to attend to." "Ohhh,
and would those 'more important things' include me?", Gabrielle asked. Without answering, Xena lifted her lover into her arms and carried her toward the awaiting bed. She paused at the edge of the bed and lowered Gabrielle to her feet. "You are WAY overdressed for the occasion, my love." Xena worked diligently until she had removed all of her bard's clothing and Gabrielle stood naked before her. "Gods, you are beautiful",
Xena exclaimed as she began to remove her own clothes.
"Oh no you don't. You are not going to deprive me of the pleasure of doing that for you.", Gabrielle said as she reached out to remove her lover's armor. When she had totally undressed Xena, Gabrielle admired the warrior's firm breast, taut stomach and muscular thighs. "Ummm." The sound that the bard made was more of a grunt than a word but the
warrior knew that it was a sound of approval.
Xena gently laid her lover down on the bed and slipped in beside her. The temperature was rising in both women as they began to passionately kiss and caress one another. Gabrielle tenderly placed herself atop her warrior's strong body and began nibbling at Xena's earlobe. She made her way down her lover's jawline, neck, and paused to draw an already erect nipple into her mouth.
"Gods, Gabrielle! You've got me on fire. Please, I need you my love." The warrior's breath was coming in short gasps now. Xena was arching her back, pressing her wet mound into Gabrielle's stomach.
"Do you want me to put out the fire, Xena? I promise love, I will...but not before I make it rage and totally consume you." The bard continued her assault on the warrior's fevered body. She licked her way down Xena's stomach to her lover's throbbing nub.
"Gab...ri...elle........Ple....ase...!" Xena was trying desperately to hold back the orgasm that was about to explode within her until her lover actually entered her. The bard knew that it was time. She lowered her head between her lover's thighs and began to explore with her tongue. "Yes Xena. Cum for me, my love."
Xena could hold back no longer. One more thrust of the bard's tongue inside her and the warrior princess reached her apex. "OH...GODS...YES!", she cried out as the volcano within her erupted. Gabrielle hungrily lapped at her lover's flowing juices.
In a surprisingly swift move, Xena had rolled Gabrielle onto her back and was hovering full length above her lover. She covered the bard's mouth with her own and was surprised to find that her lover's mouth was full of Xena's juices. Instantly, the warrior knew what must be done. She could taste the results of her climax in her own mouth now. She moved swiftly down Gabrielle's body and entered her lover with her tongue.
"Xeeeeeeenaaaaa!", escaped from the bard's throat as her body shook from the magnitude of her orgasm.
Xena held her lover tight while Gabrielle's quivering subsided and her breathing returned to normal. "I love you so much", the bard said. "The Gods know...I love you too Gabrielle."
"The seed has been planted.", came a voice from the heavens as the two lovers drifted off to sleep in each other's arms.
TO BE CONTINUED!!!!!