The Visit
By Petra Piperno
Copyright 1999
The main characters in this work of fiction belong to MCA/Universal/Renaissance Pictures; they are merely being borrowed, however the character of Lysandra is mine. The story does depict some violence and a loving/sexual relationship between two consenting adult women. If this is illegal where you live, or if the idea bothers you, or you aren't of age, don't read it.
Feedback Welcomed.
I have also included commercial breaks for those of us who love to be interrupted in the most dramatic or inopportune moments during this extraordinary television show. Thanks to K for the idea, but the commercials are mine - I came up with them in the middle of the night when I should have been sleeping. Two bewildered cats can vouch for me.
Xena came in from brushing down Argo and walked up, putting her arms around Gabrielle as she was helping Cyrene wash dishes from the evening meal. They had arrived in Amphipolis earlier that day, hoping for a bit of rest and relaxation after having a run-in with a band of surly thieves in the morning.
"Meet you upstairs after you're done," she whispered into the blushing blonde's ear. "Good night mother," she called out as she left the kitchen.
"Good night, little one," Cyrene smiled as she continued her work. She still liked to call her daughter by that name even though she towered over her. She also liked to imagine the scowl on Xena's face when she said it.
Just as they were finishing up, Joxer appeared in the doorway. "Hi Gabby, hi Xena's mom," he gushed, "can I help?"
"Hello Joxer. No, we're just about done. Are you staying for the night?" Gabrielle knew the only room left was the one next to hers and Xena's.
"Yeah, I heard you guys were heading this way and thought we could hook up and have some fun," he reached into his pocket and pulled out a handful of dinars, "I've got enough to pay for my room."
"Joxer, you know you're always welcome here, you're like family. Put those away," Cyrene had a soft spot for this somewhat odd young man. "I've got one room left, near the end of the hall next to Xena and Gabrielle."
'Well, he's probably going to get an earful tonight,' Gabrielle thought to herself, 'but I can't help liking the guy.' "Come on Joxer, I'll show you where it is. Good night, Cyrene."
Joxer settled in to his room and began humming his signature tune softly as he imagined all the fun things he might get to do with Xena and Gabrielle come morning. All of a sudden, he started hearing strange noises coming from the room next door. He sat up in his bed and strained to hear. There were grunts and moans; it almost sounded like someone was fighting. Then he heard a crash and a curse, and he decided to go rescue whoever was in trouble. Rushing outside into the hallway, he stopped to listen. Upon hearing Gabrielle's voice, "Oh Xeennaaaaa!" he knew he had to act quickly. He clattered to his friends' door, took a deep breath, and ran into it with all his might. He promptly landed on the ground in the hallway. Knowing his friends needed him, he quickly jumped up and tried again. This time the bolt gave way and he stumbled into the room, trying to unsheathe his sword.
"Joxer!" Xena exclaimed, slightly out of breath, while hastily pulling the sheets over her bare bosoms. "What are you doing here?!"
[Opening Credits]
[Commercial break: Leathers To Go, Cy's Used Chariots, ElysianDays Undergarment Liners]
"I'm here to rescue you and Gabrielle," he said, still working on getting his sword. Giving up, he finally looked around and noticed that no one else was in the room. "Hey, where's Gabby? I heard fighting and then a crash. Aren't you guys in trouble?"
Xena arched her eyebrow and quickly cupped her hand over Gabrielle's mouth, who was about to lose it laughing hysterically under the sheets. "First of all, no we're not in trouble. And Gabrielle is…she's…well…" Xena looked a bit perplexed, "she's in…the closet."
"Oh. Okay. Hey, what's all this?" Joxer noticed the remains of a small wooden table in pieces on the floor.
"It's a project I'm working on," Xena stated icily. "That must have been what you heard. Now I think it's time for you to go. See you later," Xena tried her best to maintain her composure, but controlling her passions and trying to keep Gabrielle quiet were taking their toll.
"Well, if everything's okay, I guess I can go. See you tomorrow. Tell Gabby I said goodnight," Joxer eyed the closet warily. "Sorry about the door," he said sheepishly as he left the room.
"Try knocking next time!" the warrior princess yelled after him.
Xena quickly got up and surveyed the damaged door as Gabrielle erupted in laughter. It could close, luckily, and Xena rammed a chair up under the handle. Slowly she turned around with her hands on her hips.
"You knew he was here didn't you?"
"Ah well…" Gabrielle struggled to regain her composure, "yes, I guess I knew. But when I came in the room earlier and saw you lying on the bed in the candlelight, it flew right out of my head." She marveled at the tall, lean, muscular woman standing before her looking somewhat annoyed. "By the gods, you're gorgeous," she blurted out. Then she paused and said, "I'm 'in the closet'? That was the best you could come up with?"
Xena shook her head and grinned. It was impossible to stay annoyed with the woman she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. The candles were flickering and in the warm glow of the room, Xena could see the flashing green eyes beckoning her back to bed. Returning to her bard, her desire welled up anew as she took Gabrielle's head in her hands and leaned over to kiss her sweet lips. Gabrielle kneeled up on the bed to meet her and opened her mouth, inviting Xena in, their tongues exploring inner territory as their hands explored the outside. Xena moaned as Gabrielle ran her hand across her inner thigh, tantalizingly near her overflowing center. In moments, she felt Gabrielle inside of her, rubbing her first gently, then harder.
Her knees began to weaken. "Down…the floor," Xena muttered as she cleared away the debris from the table she had smashed during round one.
"I want to taste you, Xena," managed Gabrielle as she took a much-needed breath of air while relocating to atop her lover.
Commencing kissing and licking her way down Xena's glistening body, Gabrielle heard Xena moan, "Oh Gabrielle, hurry." Just then, she arrived at her target. Gabrielle delved into her lover's juices as if they were the nectar of the gods. Xena raised her hips, making the contact more intense, as she ran her fingers through Gabrielle's hair. "Oh yes," escaped her lips as she felt waves of passion wash over her. She grabbed the leg of the bed, hoping it would remain intact as the moment came. "Gab…ri…elle," Xena groaned in climax. Then 'creak', 'crack', 'snap', and 'thud' all in one fluid event as the corner of the bed came crashing down onto the floor.
Gabrielle came up for air. "Did something just break?" she asked, breathing heavily, peering around the room.
"Ignore it," Xena said as she grabbed Gabrielle and kissed her forcefully, tasting herself on her lover's lips and turning over on top of her.
Just then, there was a knock at the door. "Is everything alright?" Joxer called from the hallway.
Xena leaned over on her elbow and stared menacingly at the door as Gabrielle smirked and thought to herself, 'I'm going to kill him.' "We're fine," Xena began in firm, even tones, "we're working on something. Go downstairs and help my mother close up the inn for the night, and then go to sleep." Xena figured that would at least buy them another hour as they heard Joxer ramble off down the hall with a new purpose.
Looking up at Xena, Gabrielle purred, "Well at least he knocked."
"Mmmm," was all Xena managed as she commenced licking Gabrielle's inviting nipples. She could feel Gabrielle tremble as she ran her hand along the firm abs, down to her sex. Deftly, she entered the moist folds and worked magic on her partner. Gabrielle's hips were rising and falling rhythmically as moans and breaths escaped her lips. Her back arched as her release came, "Oh…gods…oh…Xena."
[Commercial break: Esther's Chicken Shack, Nectarade, Horace's Horseshoes, Cy's Used Chariots]
The two women lay next to each other, spent and content, listening to their breathing return to normal as candles flickered, creating dancing images on the wall.
"Are you okay?" Xena asked sleepily.
"I'm great. And you?"
"Just fine."
Gabrielle looked around. "Looks like we won't be sleeping on the bed tonight."
Surveying the damage, Xena got up and began making a makeshift camp in the corner of the room. "I'll fix these in the morning," she said, glancing at the table shrapnel and the leg of the bed, then remembering the bolt on the door. 'At least that one wasn't my fault,' she thought, smiling to herself.
After an uneventful night, Xena woke up as usual, with her arms around a soundly sleeping Gabrielle. Carefully, she extricated herself and got ready to go downstairs to help Cyrene with the morning chores.
As she walked outside in the early morning light, Xena spotted Cyrene in the garden. "Good morning, mother," Xena began, "would you like some help?"
The worried look on Cyrene's face quickly vanished, but not before Xena noticed. "Good morning, my little one. Did you sleep alright?"
"Fine. Now tell me what's wrong?"
Cyrene thought for a moment, but knew she had to answer the question. "Lysandra is back in town. She arrived a day or two ago apparently, but I just got the news. She had this note delivered by a messenger boy. No one knows she's here. She's staying at her family's old farmhouse just outside the village. Xena, she has asked about you."
The name sent a shiver down Xena's spine and an uncontrollable hint of desire through her veins that she quickly tried to squelch. Her mind raced as to what to do next as the memories flooded back.
"I have to get Gabrielle out of here. Lysandra is dangerous and if it's revenge she's after, she's liable to hurt her to get to me." Xena turned and rushed back inside.
"Gabrielle! Wake up! Get your things packed."
"What? What…did you say?" Gabrielle mumbled as she awoke from her slumber.
"Get packed. You and Joxer are going to Potedeia. I have something I need to take care of here."
"Wait a minute. You can't just send me off like this. What's going on, Xena?"
"I can't explain right now. It would be safer for you to leave. I'll come to Potedeia when I've taken care of this."
"Xena!" Gabrielle exclaimed, exasperated. "Stop! Tell me what's going on. I'm not going anywhere without an explanation."
Reluctantly, Xena gave in and told Gabrielle the story. She recounted how she met Lysandra shortly after returning from Chin with Borias.
"He brought her to our camp one day, against her will, of course. I think he found her in one of the nearby villages on one of his scouting missions and took a liking to her." Xena looked at the ground, then back up at Gabrielle. "I…we…did things with her for our own amusement."
The memory was vivid. Xena could see Lysandra tied to Borias' bed that first night, struggling to break free as Borias had his way with her while she watched. 'Come Xena, join us,' he had snarled, and Xena leapt at the invitation for she had wanted Lysandra from the moment she had seen her. Xena recalled seeing the light in Lysandra's face slowly ebbing as she began to participate more willingly day by day in their wild pleasures. Over the course of the next few weeks, the two of them managed to break the young woman's spirit with their use of her. Borias had tired of her first. 'She's yours, Xena, do whatever you want with her,' he had said with disinterest.
"Anyway," Xena continued as she shook off the memory, "Borias sold her to the slavers soon after that because he didn't want to waste our supplies on her anymore. I found out much later that she was from Amphipolis. She and her family had moved here soon after I had left. They tried to track her down, but it was impossible. They ran into the wrong people and were killed. Lysandra was the only one left. And now she's back, for revenge."
"Xena, you don't know that for sure. Surely there's a chance that she has overcome the past," Gabrielle offered, hopefully. "You should try to talk to her."
"I doubt that talking is what she wants," Xena said as she remembered the last time she saw Lysandra. She remembered the salty taste of the sweat on Lysandra's neck and the touch of her hand between her thighs. She remembered Lysandra whispering in her ear, 'Someday, Xena, I will kill you,' and how that had aroused both of them even more.
"Gabrielle, I know I can't make you go, but it's dangerous for you to be here now."
"I'm not leaving, Xena. The woman doesn't even know me."
"If she's here for vengeance, then she will get to know you."
"Still, you don't know her motives." Gabrielle was adamant. "You can't send me off every time you think I might be in danger."
Slowly, Xena relented. "Yes. I know that's true. But I can't help wanting to protect you and keep you safe."
Gabrielle smiled. "I know what you mean," she said as she held Xena and kissed her gently.
"So you're staying?" Xena asked, knowing the answer.
"I'm staying."
[Commercial break: Sword-Mart, Whips N'Chains, Cy's Used Chariots, Charon's Boat Rentals]
Xena ran into Joxer in the hallway as she headed down to talk to Cyrene and appraised him of the situation. As clumsy and annoying as he could sometimes be, she knew he would protect Gabrielle and the luck of the gods was often with him.
"Be alert and keep your eyes open," she warned. "Stay nearby and make sure you get Gabrielle out of here at the first sign of trouble. I have to go and meet someone."
Cyrene was at the bottom of the stairs as Xena came down.
"Mother…" she began.
"I know," Cyrene interrupted. "You're going to see what this woman wants. You only told me a little of what happened between the two of you, but please be careful."
Xena gave Cyrene a big hug. "I'm sorry for bringing the past back all the time," she said quietly and then left.
The village was alive with the early morning hustle and bustle of shops opening and people tending to their chores. Xena barely noticed all the activity as she hurried through town. Her mind was focussed on the task at hand. As she reached the edge of the village, she spotted the house and placed her hand on her chakram, hoping that she wouldn't have to use it. Carefully scoping out the area, she made her way to the door, seeing no one outside. She knocked three times and stood back as she heard someone approaching. The door opened slowly.
"I wondered how long it would take you to come visit me, Xena." Lysandra had not lost her intoxicating beauty, but her eyes were hard and cold. "Please come in."
Xena cautiously entered the room. There was no one else inside. "I heard you've been asking about me. Well, here I am."
"I've spent years dreaming of seeing you again, Xena. Do you remember the last time we saw each other?"
"I remember." Sparks were flying between the two women, but it was a fire that Xena no longer wanted any part of. For her, they were remnant embers of a violent and destructive love, and a painful reminder of who she used to be. "You said you would kill me someday."
Lysandra turned away from Xena as she fingered one of the daggers she had hidden at her waist. "Yes I did say that. But what I really want now is to thank you. The things I learned in your camp all those years ago saved my life more than once. The slavers and the masters I've had truly appreciated my…creativity. Whenever they had me, all I could think of was you, and you inspired me. You should be proud, Xena, or at the very least, aroused."
As she said those words, Lysandra slowly turned back toward Xena and untied her blouse, letting it drop off her shoulders. Xena's pulse quickened as she lowered her eyes, but she quickly regained her composure and looked back into the cold stare of the woman who Lysandra had become.
"I'm sorry, Lysandra. I'm sorry for what I did to you. There's no way that I can make it up to you, but you still have a choice. The past is just that. There is so much you can accomplish if you just let go of the bitterness that you hold in your soul."
"You self-righteous bitch!" Lysandra screamed as she hurled the first dagger straight at Xena's heart.
"Don't do this Lysandra!" Xena exclaimed as she leapt out of the way. "You can't beat me."
Lysandra lunged at Xena and began punching her as Xena blocked her blow for blow. Grabbing her by the arms, Xena spun Lysandra around and hissed into her ear, "Stop now. You cannot win."
Wrenching herself free, Lysandra ran to the other side of the room, turned, and backed up against the wall. "Then live with this!" she yelled with a crazed look in her eyes as she grabbed the second dagger and plunged it into her own heart.
[Commercial break: Cy's Used Chariots, Weapons Are Us, Crazy Gods Trading Post]
In two giant strides, Xena was at Lysandra's side, but it was too late. Blood was already gushing from the wound as Lysandra collapsed in Xena's arms.
"I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry," Xena whispered as she laid Lysandra gently on the ground and knelt beside her.
Just then, Gabrielle ran in the open door and came to an abrupt halt, seeing the scene before her. Xena looked up at her with a tear in her eye that she quickly wiped away. "I couldn't save her," she said simply.
Gabrielle walked over and put her hand on Xena's shoulder. "Some people don't want to be saved," she offered quietly, but she knew that it was hollow comfort. Xena felt so deeply about her responsibility to others.
"She took her own life, Gabrielle, when she realized she couldn't take mine. I drove her to that."
"Xena, she had a choice. We all always have a choice. We just don't always make the right decisions."
It was the middle of the afternoon when Xena and Gabrielle returned home. They had buried Lysandra next to her family near the woods behind the farmhouse. Joxer was sitting with Cyrene in the kitchen when Gabrielle appeared in the doorway as Xena made her way slowly upstairs.
"We're fine," she began, noting the look of concern on their faces. "Xena I'm sure will tell you about it later. I think she'd like to be alone for a while first. And Joxer, I'm sorry I knocked you out earlier, but when you told me Xena had gone after Lysandra, I knew I had to go and you weren't about to let me."
With that, Gabrielle went and sat down at one of the empty corner tables near the stairs. There weren't many people yet, luckily. The full force of the events of the morning hit her then as she sat with her head in her hands. Nearly two hours had passed when she heard Xena call softly for her from the top of the stairs. Back in their room, Gabrielle noticed that the bolt and bed were fixed, and the table shrapnel was laid neatly in a pile. Xena took Gabrielle's hand and led her to the bed. They curled up next to each other, Gabrielle wrapped snugly in Xena's arms, where they stayed until sleep brought them tranquility.
[Closing credits]
Disclaimer: Joxer was not harmed during the making of this motion picture, but he might have been aroused had he figured out what was going on.