A Different Time, A Better Time

By: Adrienne

Disclaimer: Xena and all other characters from Xena: Warrior Princess are not mine, they don’t belong to me. They belong to USA Universal Studios and all those other great people. All of the rest of the characters in this story are mine. There are also a few songs in the story, don’t worry this isn’t a musical. Just special times, like dancing, when a song is being played, so the songs aren’t mine either.

Sex Warning: Yes there is some sex between a male and female as well as implications towards sex in this story. It wouldn’t be a story with out a little lovemaking. If you’re not old enough to read it then don’t and if it’s too much for you, then my apologies, I have a very vivid imagination. <lol>

Subtext Warning: There’s a little cursing but nothing to run home and tell mother about. And there is also reference to two women being together. There is no more violence than your regular Xena episode.

Chapter 15: The Honeymoon to Egypt

Part I

When morning came Ulysses woke up and he looked around the room before he looked down into his arms. He smiled as all the memories from yesterday came flooding back and he looked down at his hand where he saw the thick, gold band that was his wedding band on his finger. “I’m a married man now,” he thought to himself with a smile on his face then looked down at Xena as she continued to sleep. He caressed her arm then leaned down and placed a kiss on her shoulder, slowly moving his way up. “Mmm,” Xena moaned then smiled as she was awaken in a delightful way. “Good morning,” she said as she turned over onto her back some and looked into Ulysses’ eyes and he smiled down at her, “good morning,” he said then leaned down and kissed her softly.

“Mmm…my wife,” he said with a grin and Xena smiled at him as she ran her fingers through his hair. “My husband,” she said then chuckled as they shared a kiss that soon became passionate and Ulysses settled between Xena’s legs. As they kissed Xena ran her hands all over Ulysses’ body and he pulled the sheet out of the way so that he could get to her soft flesh, he wanted to taste every last inch of her, making passionate love to her until she was begging him to stop and that was exactly what he was going to do. Xena also had it in her mind that she was going to drive Ulysses insane, this would be the best honeymoon ever for both of them. Three hours later after they had gone through three rounds of lovemaking and were just finishing up their last round of lovemaking for the time being.

Xena kissed Ulysses passionately one more time before he fell back on the bed with a huge smile on his face and Xena grinned as she laid on her side and looked at him, while she ran her fingers over his sweaty chest. “That was amazing,” Xena said and Ulysses grinned and nodded, “yes it was,” he said then picked up Xena’s hand and placed a kiss on it before he leaned over and kissed her softly then let out a breath as he looked into her eyes and she looked into his. “I love you,” he said and Xena smiled at him, “I know, how many times did you cry it out,” Xena said with a grin and Ulysses chuckled at her. “Some of the things you were doing were wicked,” he said and Xena smiled, “well I do try,” she said and he grinned and nodded.

“I don’t recall teaching you that,” he said and Xena grinned, “what? I can’t have an imagination?” She asked and he raised an eyebrow at that as he grinned and nodded. “Yes you can but I wonder, does your imagination have any limits?” He asked and Xena smiled, “wouldn’t you like to know,” she said then kissed him softly and Ulysses moaned as he caressed her cheek. “Your lips are so soft,” he said then leaned back in for another kiss and Xena moaned as she ran her hand over Ulysses’ shoulder and arm. When the kiss ended Ulysses leaned his forehead against Xena’s and looked at her, “I’m hungry, are you hungry?” He asked and she grinned and nodded, “yeah, I could eat some fruit or something,” she said and Ulysses grinned as he placed a kiss on her forehead then got out of the bed as naked as the day he was born and looked around the room for his pants.

When he found them he slipped them on as well as a shirt, “I’ll be right back,” he said and Xena nodded and just when Ulysses opened the door and was about to walk through it she said three words that made his heart skip a beat. “I love you,” she said and Ulysses grinned then headed out the door where he proceeded to the mess area or on this particular ship, the kitchen and went to see if he could get them something to eat. While he did that Xena laid in the bed and she stared up at the ceiling, she was so happy at that moment that she didn’t know what to do at that moment. Gemini jumped up on the bed and Xena rubbed her then she settled at the foot of the bed.

After a while she looked down at the rings on her finger, “I’m married now, I’m Ulysses’ wife,” she said to herself and she held the sheet to her chest as she sat up in the bed. She sat there thinking about that and how happy she was until Ulysses walked back into the room with a tray in his hands, closing the door with his foot. She smiled at him and he smiled at her as he walked over to the bed and sat the tray down on the bed, “well I got an assortment of fruits and cheeses, some cider to wash it all down with as well as some toast,” he said and Xena nodded as she listened to him talk and his voice was like music to her ears and all of a sudden she was no longer hungry or she was but just not for food.

“It looks like a pretty day up top and…” the last of his words got stuck in his mouth as Xena leaned in and kissed him softly but passionately. When the kiss ended she looked into his eyes as she caressed his cheek, “not that I’m complaining but what was that for?” He asked and Xena grinned as she took the tray off of the bed and sat it on the floor then moved closer to Ulysses until she was sitting on his lap, looking into his eyes as she ran her fingers through his hair. “Because I love you,” she said then leaned in and kissed him passionately, “mmmm,” he moaned. “I love you…isn’t that reason enough,” Xena asked after the kiss ended and Ulysses grinned and he placed Xena’s hair behind her ears, “more than enough,” he said and Xena grinned then leaned back in and they shared another passionate kiss.

Ulysses parted the sheet and caressed Xena’s body and Xena moaned as she continued to kiss Ulysses and they just sat there for a while passionately kissing. After a while they began to make love again and this time Xena showed Ulysses just what she could do, what she was really capable of. An hour Ulysses, sweaty and exhausted, fell back on the bed with a smile on his face then ran his fingers through Xena’s hair as she placed a few kisses on his chest. “I think you’ve been holding out,” he said with a grin and Xena smiled as she leaned down and kissed him softly then let out a breath as she fell back on the bed.

“I can’t show you all my hidden talents,” she said with a grin and they laid there for a while in silence until Xena remembered she was hungry and Ulysses had brought food. She reached over Ulysses and he grinned as he placed his hand on Xena’s back and helped her bring the tray onto the bed. “You could have just asked,” he said and Xena grinned at him as she sat the tray between them. “Where is the fun in that?” She asked with a grin then began eating and Ulysses joined her, after they ate they laid in bed and talked for a while then dosed off to sleep.

The first couple of days on their honeymoon they spent just with each other, the only time either of them left the cabin it was to go and get something to eat. On the fourth day, they stopped at a town and Xena wanted to go shopping so Ulysses took her, he would do whatever it is that she wanted to do, buy her whatever she wanted. They walked hand in hand down the streets of the busy town looking at different things, trying different foods and he delighted in seeing her smile. When the day ended they always ended up in each other’s arms.

The next day, they were back on their way to Egypt and Xena and Ulysses spent most of the day lounging around in bed, talking to each other, clowning around and their most favorite activity, making love. They fell asleep in each others arms and when they woke it was two hours before midnight. They got up, dressed then headed to the mess area for a late meal.

They sat there for a while after they ate then headed up deck where Ulysses asked Jarvin if he could take the helm of the ship. Jarvin was fine with that especially since he was eager to take the break and it wasn’t like he was going to tell Ulysses no. Jarvin went to get some sleep while Ulysses steered and Xena talked to him for a while before she went about doing things on the ship. They stayed up all night with Ulysses showing Xena how to steer the ship and she smiled as she took the helm and he stood behind her showing her how to steer but mostly because he wanted to be that close to her, he wanted to feel her against him.

“I think you’ve got it from here,” he said and Xena grinned as she nodded then moaned as Ulysses leaned in and kissed her passionately, his arm still tightly wrapped around Xena’s waist. When the kiss ended they grinned at each other and Ulysses stood close by for a while and they talked for a while before he did a few things on the ship. When morning came they watched the sun rise together and by then Jarvin took the helm while Xena stood at the railing and Ulysses stood behind her holding her in his arms. Together they watched the sun come up and Jarvin watched as they shared a passionate kiss, a kiss that showed two people very much in love.

It took them a week and three days to reach the outskirts of Egypt and Xena and Ulysses enjoyed each and every one of those days. They made love often and they also found themselves teasing each other which kept them wanting. They talked often about any and everything, they joked and laughed. They just spent time with each other and they enjoyed it more than anyone could really understand, more than just the good love making brought them closer together. It was the fact that they talked about their wants, dreams, goals and anything that was on their mind, they were getting to know each other on a deeper level. They reached the outskirts of Egypt on the third day and it would be two hours before dinner when they reached land. Ulysses and Xena had been lounging around that day and were getting ready.

By the time their ship made dock, the sun was just beginning to set Xena and Ulysses were ready to go. They wanted their honeymoon to be a personal affair so they hadn’t informed Cleopatra that they were coming to Egypt and their banners weren’t up on the ship. Ulysses wore his usual black leather pants with a white sleeveless shirt with blue trimming on the sleeves. He ran his fingers through his hair then smiled and turned around when he felt Xena’s hands on his shoulders. He looked over her and grinned, “my gorgeous wife,” he said and she smiled. She wore a plain yet eloquent red dress that fell down to the middle of her legs.

The straps were thin and the dress hugged her many curves highlighting them in many ways. Her hair was in a ponytail and she wore sandals with a nice heel to them. “My handsome husband,” she said and he grinned, “well you know I try but I don’t come close to you,” he said and she grinned at him as she ran her hands up his muscled arms. “So I’ve been putting this off until we got to Egypt,” she said and he looked at her. “What?” He asked and she looked into his eyes, “how much do you love me?” She asked and he grinned as he looked at her, “how much do you love me?” He asked back pushing him with her body as she grinned, “point taken,” she said. “What I want to know is how much you plan on spoiling your wife on our honeymoon?” She asked with a smile and he grinned at her.

“Well I hadn’t planned on spending any money on you at all,” he said pretending to think about it and she grinned as she pushed him. “You better buy me something,” she said as she grabbed his shirt and he grinned as he looked into her beautiful eyes, “is that a demand my Queen?” He asked and she looked into his eyes as she ran her hand over his cheek, “you bet it is,” she said and he grinned as he leaned down and met her half way as they kissed. “Just so you know I had planned on spoiling you until you begged me to stop,” he said when the kiss ended. “Never,” she said then kissed him again. They shared a few passionate tasting of lips before they headed back up deck.

When they got there they were just docking and when the platform was let down an emissary from Egypt was waiting for them. Ulysses looked at the man as he bowed his head, “Prince Ulysses I presume?” The man asked and Ulysses looked at him, “depends on who’s asking,” he said and the man looked at him and took a step forward. “My name is Hotep, one of the head advisors to Queen Cleopatra,” he said and Ulysses let out a breath when he realized that their presence had not and would not go unnoticed. “How can I help you Hotep?” Ulysses asked and Hotep looked at him, “first, on behalf on Queen Cleopatra I welcome you to Egypt.” He said and Ulysses nodded, “secondly, my Queen wishes to speak with you and your wife,” he said as he looked passed Ulysses to Xena who was still on the ship.

“How did she know we were coming here?” Xena asked and Hotep looked at her, “Egypt has its ways,” he said and Xena rolled her eyes as she let out a breath. Ulysses looked at Hotep then at Xena, “well?” He asked and she let out a breath, “we can’t be rude,” she said and he looked at her, “yes we can,” he said and she grinned at him. “Ulysses,” she said in that knowing tone and he let out a breath as he turned and looked at Hotep. “Fine but we’re not staying,” he said and Hotep bowed his head. Ulysses shook his head and looked at Xena who had walked down next to him, “what do you suppose Cleopatra wants?” Xena asked and Ulysses hunched his shoulders, “maybe she wants to congratulate us on getting married,” he said with a grin and then looked into each other’s eyes.

“I don’t think so,” they both said at the same time and they laughed at each other. Xena wrapped her arm around Ulysses’ shoulder and he wrapped his arms around her as they looked into each other’s eyes. “Whatever it is we won’t let it ruin our honeymoon, this is our time,” Ulysses said and Xena nodded as she ran her fingers through his hair. “Exactly what I was thinking,” she said then leaned in and kissed him softly. They stood their sharing a soft, passionate kiss until Jarvin cleared his throat. “My lord?” He asked, wondering what they were going to do, if they were going to stay or leave. “You can settle in Jarvin,” Ulysses said and Jarvin nodded as he bowed his head. Ulysses and Xena headed down the docks following Hotep until they came to a carriage that would take them to the palace.

Hotep got in first then Ulysses helped Xena in and he got in behind her. Instead of horses taking them to the palace it was men carrying this large loft on their shoulders. The Egyptian way to travel Ulysses assumed. “So what does Cleopatra want to see us for?” Xena asked and Hotep looked at her, “the Queen wishes to speak with you, about what I do not know.” He said and Ulysses and Xena both nodded but they figured he knew something about what Cleopatra wanted to talk to them about. It took them fifteen minutes to reach the palace and when they were there they looked around once they were off of the moving pallet. The land was indeed beautiful Xena and Ulysses both thought as they looked around. They followed Hotep into the palace looking casually looking around as they walked down the many halls.

“Wait here,” Hotep said as when they stopped and they looked at him as he walked into a room. Hotep walked into the main hall and Cleopatra sat up in her chair, “Hotep were you successful?” She asked and he bowed his head, “yes my Queen I was,” he said and she stood and walked down the stairs that lead to her throne. “Well where are they?” She asked and he looked at her, “my Queen my I introduce the Prince and Princess of Ithaca,” he said then moved to side. Ulysses walked into the hall with Xena at his side, Xena’s eyes went to Cleopatra and she sized the woman up as she was sure Cleopatra was doing her. Cleopatra was younger than Xena thought but she was just as beautiful as she had heard.

“Prince Ulysses,” Cleopatra said and Ulysses looked at her, “Queen Cleopatra it is indeed an honor.” He said as he bowed his head a little and she grinned at him then looked at Xena. “Ah Athena’s Chosen,” Cleopatra said and Xena gave her a small smile, “Xena,” she said then slightly bowed her head, “Queen Cleopatra,” she said. “Cleopatra I don’t mean to be short but you asked us here for a reason?” Ulysses asked and Cleopatra looked at him, “yes. I found out you were near and headed this way so I thought I’d invite you to the palace.” She said and he looked at her, “that’s nice of you and we are deeply honored but as I’m sure you’ve heard, we’re on our honeymoon,” he said and she nodded.

“I had indeed heard, the prince of Ithaca married to Athena’s Chosen. Who hasn’t heard?” Athena asked and Xena looked at this woman who ruled over such a great country and kingdom. “Is that important to you, my being Athena’s Chosen?” Xena asked as she walked up to Cleopatra who looked at her, raising an eyebrow at Xena’s brazen and bold ways but she was intrigued none the less. “Could possibly, Athena is the main god that we worship here in Egypt,” she said and Xena nodded and before Cleopatra and Ulysses’ eyes she became Athena’s Chosen. Her appearance didn’t change as so much as the way she held herself and began to talk and move.

“I do know that,” she said then walked up closer to Cleopatra. “Here I stand before Egypt herself,” Xena said. “I am indeed in awe,” she said and Cleopatra looked into her eyes, where she saw such strength, power and warmth. “And here I stand before the second hand of a God, it is I who is in awe,” Cleopatra said and Xena looked into her eyes and grinned. “I’m just Xena right now,” she said then turned and walked over to Ulysses smiling as he held out his hand and she placed her hand in his. “Wife to Ulysses,” she said as she caressed his cheek before she moved to the side and looked at Cleopatra. “And we are looking to enjoy our honeymoon without any problems,” Xena said.

“I understand but regrettably I need your help with something,” she said and Ulysses let out a silent breath as he looked down. “Cleopatra please understand that it’s not that we don’t want to help you but we’ve been dealing with our problems and other people’s problems for a while now. We were just married two weeks ago and we came her because we thought Egypt was a great place to come and have our honeymoon, a place where we could enjoy ourselves, relax and not have to worry about anything.” Xena said as she ran her hand up and down Ulysses’ arm. “I understand and I was reluctant to ask for your help but when I heard you were coming here I could not pass the chance to ask for your help up.”

Cleopatra said then looked directly at Xena because she was asking more for her help, the help of Athena’s Chosen than she was of Ulysses’ help. “You are Athena’s Chosen, it is said you help people in need Xena,” Cleopatra said and Xena nodded, “it’s true I do but…” she said but Cleopatra interrupted her before she could finish. “Then please, I need your help, I wouldn’t be asking you if I didn’t really need it.” She said and Xena let out a breath and looked up at Ulysses who looked at her. “Will you please think about it besides, name a better place to have a honeymoon than in the great Egyptian palace,” Cleopatra said and Ulysses looked at her then at Xena who let out a breath then looked at Cleopatra.

“Why don’t you two stay for the night? Have dinner with me tonight where we will have a good time while we get to know each other and I’ll tell you what my problem is so that you may have some time to think about it. In the morning over breakfast you’ll give me your answer and if you agree to help I will be forever grateful and find a way to repay you. If not then I’ll thank you for listening and you may spend the remainder of your time here in the palace and I assure you, you will not be disturbed.” She said then looked at them with hope in her eyes, Ulysses looked at her then at Xena who looked at Cleopatra. “We’ll take you up on that invitation,” she said and Cleopatra smiled at them.

“Excellent,” she said then raised her hand signaling a servant over. “This is Shianna, she will show you to your quarters where all of your things have been brought.” Cleopatra said and they nodded, “if you’ll excuse me I have a few things to see to before dinner tonight,” she said and they all bowed their heads as she turned to leave. When Cleopatra left Shianna walked up to Ulysses and Xena, “you can follow me,” she said and they nodded and began following her. She led them down the hall and they were quiet as they followed her until she came to a stop.

She pulled out a key and unlocked the door then opened it; she walked in and they followed her looking around the spacious room. They looked around at the beautiful furniture as well as the beautiful craftsmanship of the walls. “The key,” Shianna said as she walked up to Xena handing her the key, “thanks,” Xena said and Shianna bowed her head. “Dinner will start in two hours,” she said and Xena nodded and watched as Shianna walked out of the room closing the door behind her. “Hey Xe come see this,” Ulysses called from another room and Xena walked into the room to see it was the bedroom that held a huge bedroom with a huge bed with many pillows. There was a huge fireplace and in front of it was a rug made from a tigers pelt, there was also much furniture in the room and another door that held double doors.

“Where are you?” Xena asked not seeing Ulysses in the room, he stuck his head in the room and she looked at him. “You have to come and see this,” he said and Xena walked over to where he was. She walked through the double doors that were already open onto a very large patio; she walked further onto the patio until she was by the railing. Her eyes looked over the spectacular view, “wow,” she said and he nodded. “Egypt,” he said and they could see all the land for miles and the Nile flow. “It’s beautiful,” she said and he nodded as he agreed with her and with the sun getting ready to set the sight was even more impressive. They looked at it for a while then Xena grabbed Ulysses’ arm and he looked at her, “what?” He asked and she grinned as she walked into his arms then leaned forward and kissed him passionately.

He moaned as he wrapped his arms around her, “Ummm,” she moaned as she wrapped her arms around him moving closer as the kiss deepened. “Mmm,” he moaned as the kiss was brought down to a passionate tasting of lips. His fingers tangled in her hair as he held her and his other hand ran over her back moving down until he was holding her lower back. The kiss ended and they looked into each others eyes. When the kiss ended she ran her hand over his cheek, and he grinned as she took his hand and lead him back into the bedroom. Ulysses closed the doors then walked over to Xena who was standing by the bed; she grinned as she pulled him to her and he smiled as he leaned down and kissed her. Meanwhile back in Cleopatra’s quarters Shianna was reporting, “did all go well Shianna?” Cleopatra asked and Shianna bowed her head then looked at Cleopatra. “It did my Queen, I have put them in the room you requested,” she said and Cleopatra stood and nodded.

“Do you think they will help us?” Shianna asked and Cleopatra let out a breath as she walked over to a window and looked out at her kingdom, her home. “I think they will, Xena will if only because she has an obligation to us,” she said. “She is younger than I expected, are you sure she can help us?” Shianna asked and Cleopatra grinned at her. “When I looked into her eyes earlier, I saw that she had a lot of strength, don’t let her age fool you or have you think that she is incapable of helping us. No one is made Athena’s chosen, there has to be something very special about them to gain the attraction and such love, devotion and loyalty of a God, especially Athena.”

Cleopatra said and as she said those words she thought about that, she wondered what was so special about Xena to make Athena choose her but not only that, what was it about her that Ulysses wanted. Even though he was just a Prince, he was a prince none the less and Cleopatra knew little of Xena’s assorted past but she knew enough to know that Xena was a peasant, so what was it about her that made everyone want her so. “Make sure all the dinner preparations are being done correctly, I want everything to go off without a problem. Oh and Shianna I don’t want to be disturbed until its time for the dinner,” she said and Shianna bowed her head then turned and left Cleopatra’s quarters. Cleopatra stood there and thought for a minute before she walked over to a wall. She pushed on two stones on the wall as the same time and the section of the wall next to it slid open. She walked through it then pressed a brick to close it.

Now that she was in the secret passage she walked the way to the room that had been given to Ulysses and Xena. She had not yet appointed a spy to listen to them so when she got there the chair that the spies used was empty. She sat down then slid the piece of wood that was covering the medium size slit in the wall up. She moved a bit closer so that she could see and hear. She saw Ulysses and Xena standing by the bed sharing a very passionate kiss. As they kissed Xena pulled Ulysses’ shirt out of his pants then began undoing it. He pulled her closer as the kiss deepened and Xena moaned taking her attention from his shirt for a moment. She brought her hand up to Ulysses’ cheek and it slid into his hair where she gripped it and pulled him closer. Ulysses moaned as he ran his hands over Xena’s back then brought his hands up and started pulling down the straps to her dress.

When she felt him do that she went back to working on his shirt; when she got it open she pushed it off of his shoulders and pulled it down his arms. Ulysses shook the shirt to the floor and pulled Xena closer loving the feel of her hands on his skin. She moaned as she ran her hands over his muscled, chest, arms, shoulders and back. Ulysses brought the kiss down to a passionate tasting of lips and when he ended it he sucked on her bottom lip then top before he kissed her again. “Umm,” Xena moaned as he kissed her again. When the kiss finally ended Ulysses started kissing and sucking on her neck as his hands pulled down the straps to her dress. Cleopatra watched from her hidden spot as Xena wrapped her arms around Ulysses and tilted her head back as she moaned in pleasure.

She watched Xena moaned and run her fingers through Ulysses’ hair as he continued to kiss and suck on her neck. She then saw Xena smile as Ulysses whispered something in her ear, “this dress is really in the way,” he whispered to her and Xena grinned. She pulled Ulysses up from her neck then kissed him, when the kiss ended she pushed him down on the bed. She walked up to him then placed her foot on his leg, he looked at her and grinned as he ran his hands over her leg then down to her sandal where he undid it then pulled the shoe off of her foot.

As he sat the shoe down on the floor he leaned forward and placed kisses on her leg. Xena grinned then let out a low moan as his hand caressed her thigh as he continued to kiss and suck on her leg making his way up. She ran her fingers through his hair and let him continue for a minute more before she pulled his head back. She grinned at him as she lowered her leg then placed her other on his other leg. He smiled as he went to work and Xena closed her eyes and wondered for a moment if Ulysses knew the effect his touch had on her. When she opened her eyes he lowered her leg down then grabbed her dress pulling her to him. When she was between his legs he looked up into her eyes and she ran her fingers through his hair as she looked into his eyes.

“I love you,” he said and she smiled at him, “I love you too,” she said and he grinned as his hands finally pushed the straps all the way down her arms and she pulled her arms out. They kept eye contact as the dress fell to her waist; he ran his hands over her arms then tore his eyes from hers and looked over her beautiful breasts. He ran his hands over her upper chest then down to her breasts where he softly caressed the globes and then her nipples. “So beautiful,” he said and Xena looked at him as she reached her hands behind her and undid the belt that pulled her dress so that it showed off most of her curves. When the belt was undone the dress fell to the floor and Ulysses ran his eyes and hands over the rest of her body.

She stood in front of him wearing only her red thong underwear; he leaned forward and placed a kiss on her stomach making his way down to her panty line. He only stopped because she pulled his head up as she leaned down and kissed him passionately. When the kiss ended she got down on her knees in front of him and began undoing his boots, when she had them off she sat them to the side then looked up at him. She ran her hands over his stomach then chest leaning forward to place a kiss on his hard muscled chest. He had his fingers in her hair with his eyes closed as he luxuriated in her kisses. While she kissed him she undid his belt throwing it and his sword into a nearby chair. She continued to kiss his chest as she rubbed the bulge in his pants that was straining to be free. He moaned then pulled on Xena’s hair so that she would look at him, he wanted to look into her eyes and see the love and desire she had for him.

She looked into his eyes as she began to undo his pants; when she had them undone she began pulling them down and he raised his hips so that she could get them off. His very large and erect cock was happy to be free and Xena looked at it as pulled his pants the rest of the way down. She looked at Ulysses as she ran her hands over his thighs and he looked at her as he pulled her hair back. Keeping eye contact she leaned her head forward and flicked her tongue over the head of his cock. He continued to look at her as he held her hair with one hand and used the other to hold his cock. He leaned it forward and she grinned as she caressed just the head with her tongue, she knew he wanted her to do more by the gentle pull in her hair. She continued to run her tongue all over then let her lips caress him. She did it again this time doing a light suck and he let out a breath.

She decided to stop teasing him and took his head into her mouth and sucked on it, he closed his eyes and moaned as she sucked on just his head. She used her hand to stroke the rest of his shaft while she sucked and when she was done she looked at him. He pleaded with his eyes for her to take the whole thing she grinned and kept eye contact as she leaned down and ran her tongue over his entire shaft. She placed a few kisses on it then finally took him completely into her mouth, “Ummm,” he moaned as he tilted his head back and moaned. Xena sucked him deep and easy into her mouth driving him crazy and he was loving it.

He placed his hands on the bed and leaned back some as he let her have her fun which was his pleasure. His eyes were closed and a smile appeared on his face and he let out a laugh then a moan as she pulled one of her wonderful tricks with her mouth and teeth. “Ooh yes,” Ulysses moaned and Cleopatra continued to watch them her breathing coming a little faster and though she knew she should leave and give them their privacy she couldn’t tear her eyes away. Xena continued to suck Ulysses for five more minutes and by then his hands had left the bed and was in Xena’s hair or caressing the back of her neck and shoulders. When she was done she rose up and ran her hands over his chest as she looked into his eyes then moaned as he kissed her passionately.

As they kissed Ulysses stood up and pulled Xena up as well. Xena moaned and ran her hands over Ulysses’ back down to his tight butt where she pulled him closer. He moaned and ran his hands over her back and butt laying a smack to one cheek, Xena moaned and smiled into the kiss. While they continued to kiss he picked her up and Xena smiled as she grabbed his strong, muscled arms before wrapping her arm around his shoulder and the other ran through his hair as she continued to kiss him. Her legs wrapped around him and Ulysses caressed her back as he turned around then placed one knee on the bed before he just fell down. Xena ended the kiss with a smile as she and Ulysses moved up to the head of the bed, “you’re so clumsy,” she said with a smile and he smiled back.

“Am I?” He asked with a grin as he laid between her legs, “mm,” Xena answered as they kissed passionately. As Cleopatra continued to watch them she leaned back in the chair and her own hands began to wander. She pulled her dress up and caressed her thigh while her other hand caressed her breasts. She watched as they shared passionate kisses and caresses with some loving comments in between. After a bit Ulysses started kissing and sucking on her neck before he began making his way down. Xena closed her eyes and moaned as Ulysses sucked on her nipple, raking his teeth across it. She grinned as he bit down on it lightly then pulled on it with his teeth, “you’re so...so bad,” she said and he grinned then continued to suck on her nipple. While he sucked on that one he pinched and pulled on the other and Xena continued to moan and her back arched off the bed.

When Ulysses was finished with that breast he kissed his way over to the other and applied the same attention to it. When he was done he began kissing his way down kissing and sucking all over her stomach until he got to her underwear. He looked up at Xena and smiled as he kissed and sucked on her thighs. “You’re such a tease,” she said and he chuckled at her then bit down on her thigh and sucked on it. “If I am, I learned it from you,” he said and she was about to say something but her words got stuck in her throat when Ulysses leaned forward and lick the crease where her thigh and pelvis met. “You were about to say something?” He asked with a grin and that grin turned into a smile when Xena shook her head and pushed his head back down. He did that once more then continued kiss his way down.

He ran his hands over Xena’s thighs as he kissed and sucked on her calves then made his way down to her feet paying special attention to them too. He smiled at Xena as he made his way back up then got up on his knees. She smiled at him as he grabbed the band of her underwear and began to pull them down. Xena raised her hips helping Ulysses out until he had them down to her thighs. He pulled them down her legs and over her feet dropping them to the floor; Xena placed her feet flat down on the bed and opened her legs wide for Ulysses. He looked at how wet she was and his automatic reaction was to lower down between her legs so that his face was close to her center. He placed one hand on the outside of her thigh and the other he use to push her other thigh outward and watched as she opened liked a flower. ‘Gods she’s dripping wet’ he thought as he saw a drop of that wetness roll down her lips. ‘Bet not let it go to waste’ he thought then leaned forward inhaled her glorious scent then ran his tongue through her lips. When he got that one taste he couldn’t help but dive in for more. Xena closed her eyes tightly and moaned as Ulysses ate her out as only he could.

Cleopatra had to bite down on her lip to stop herself from moaning. She had pulled down her underwear and her fingers were tending to the fire between her legs watching Ulysses and Xena had created. She watched as Xena brought her hands up and gripped the pillows as she moaned and cried out while her back arched off the bed. “Unnnngh...Ulysses,” she heard Xena cry out and Cleopatra let out a low moan as she watched Ulysses’ open Xena’s legs wider so that he had total and complete access to her. “Unngh...yes,” Xena moaned then brought down one of her hands and it went straight into Ulysses’ hair. “Unngh...don’t stop,” she moaned as she pulled him closer. He moaned as he tasted her sweetness that she was overflowing with. After a bit Xena’s other hand went into Ulysses’ hair pulling him and holding him where he was. He grabbed her hands and pinned them to the bed, “relax my love,” he told her then kissed her thigh before he went back to his much loved previous activity.

“Ummm,” Xena moaned as she turned her head to the side. Ulysses lip, teeth and tongue seemed to be every where and it was driving her insane. He was sucking on some of her most private places and nipping at the most sensitive while his tongue drove inflamed her more than she already was. Eventually his hands caressed the sides of her thighs then moved up to hold her waist holding her down. Cleopatra’s fingers were wreaking havoc in her own body as she continued to watch them. When Ulysses was finally finished to the point he nearly drove Xena completely insane he kissed his way back up and looked down at her grinning face. She looked into his eyes as she ran her hand over his cheeks then rose up meeting him for a passionate kiss. As they kissed Ulysses settled himself between Xena’s legs and as the kiss became deeper he pushed into her.

Xena moaned into the kiss as Ulysses stretched her. She pulled him closer deepening the kiss and as they continued to kiss he pushed in more. He continued to push until Xena let out a sharp moan as she ended the kiss, “am I hurting you?” He asked in a breathless voice and she looked at him wither her hand still in his hair. “Yes but don’t stop,” she said then kissed him passionately. He was so excited that he was real big and stretching Xena to the point she was feeling a little pain. Her other hand caressed his back as she moaned loudly into the kiss as he pulled out and pushed back in developing a rhythm. Time passed and Xena was used to Ulysses now, the silk sheet covered and clung to their sweaty bodies. They passionate tasting of lips and passionate kisses as they rolled around on bed.

As the time passed Xena rolled Ulysses onto his back then sat up and gave him one of the best rides of his life. She had her hands on his chest with her head tilted back as she bore her hips down hard adding a little twist to it. He had his eyes closed, head pushed back in the pillow and his hands gripped her waist as he held on. After a bit she ran her hands over his arms then pulled him up. She ran her hand over his cheek as she looked into his eyes both of the breathing hard; she leaned forward and kissed him softly making him moan. She wrapped her arm around his shoulder the other gripping his upper arm. When the kiss ended they looked into each others eyes and Xena started moving against him. She let out a breath then licked her lips as she felt the pleasure. Ulysses ran his hand over her hair as he looked into her eyes then kissed her and as they kissed she moved harder and faster. When the kiss ended she looked at Ulysses then placed her head in his neck as she moved harder and faster against him. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her shoulder and neck as he moved.

“Oh baby,” Xena moaned in his ear and Ulysses pulled her closer causing her to cry out in extreme pleasure. They stayed this way for about ten minutes then Ulysses stopped moving and pulled back to look at Xena. Sweat ran down his back and hers, her hair was a little damp and he caressed her cheek as he looked into her eyes then kissed her softly. She whimpered from the tenderness of the kiss and the love she felt through it. When the kiss ended he picked Xena up along with himself and they laid on their sides facing each other. He caressed her cheek as he leaned in and kissed her again. As they kissed Xena pulled the sheet up then ran her hand over his shoulder and back. Ulysses began to thrust into Xena as they kissed and they both moaned. After a while Ulysses started kissing and sucking on Xena’s neck.

Cleopatra was about in the same state as Xena as she continued to watch them make passionate love. She watched as Ulysses kissed and sucked on Xena’s neck while he continued to thrust into her. Xena tilted her head back and moaned; her hands ran over Ulysses’ body, over his thighs, butt anywhere her hands could reach is where they went. One of her hands went into his head holding him to the current place where he was driving her insane, “Ummm...Unnngh,” she moaned as he sucked on one of her erotic spots while thrusting into her. Cleopatra watched as Xena ran her hand over Ulysses’ back caressing him then she ran her nails over his back as she came back down to his shoulder. Twenty minutes later Ulysses rolled Xena onto her back and kissed her passionately as he continued to make love to her.

“Ummm...baby go deeper,” she moaned in his ear as she opened her legs wider. He kissed on her jaw as he rose up on his hands and went deeper. “Unnngh,” she moaned loudly in his ear then pulled him to her for a kiss. Cleopatra leaned her head back and closed her eyes as she ran her hand down her neck while her fingers continued to pleasure her. Her moans mixed with those of Ulysses and Xena’s and she was in her own world as she felt herself getting closer and closer. She had pushed first two fingers into herself then three moaning loudly as she stretched herself since she was a small woman. She squeezed her breast then pinched and pulled on her nipple as she continued to pleasure herself. “Aaaahhh...Unnnngh...yes,” Xena cried out and Cleopatra opened her eyes and looked back through the slit.

Ulysses had Xena’s leg in the crook of his arm as he thrust deeply into her. One of Xena’s hand flew up in search of something and she grasped the sheet while the other grasped Ulysses’ sweaty. “Umm...you feel so good,” Ulysses moaned to Xena then closed his eyes as though he were in pain. “Unnn...so...so good,” he moaned as he continued to thrust into her. Xena’s nails dug into his back and she started moaning and making noises as if she were crying and would have been because the pleasure was just that good. Ulysses let Xena’s leg down and turned her face towards him and kissed her passionately.

His hand went to her arm she had thrown up and he caressed her arm up to her hand were he held her down. The kiss came down to a passionate tasting of lips and they both moaned. Ulysses let Xena’s hand go as he rose up and thrust deeper and harder into her. She ran her hand over his arm as they continued to kiss but it would have to stop soon since they were becoming low on air. Ten minutes later they had become low on air and Ulysses’ lips rested against Xena’s cheek as he continued to thrust into her. Cleopatra continued to watch them moving her fingers faster and faster until she let out a moan. Her hand other hand gripped the side of the chair as her release rushed through her body.

She kept her eyes open as she continued to move her fingers and watched them milking her orgasm for all it was. “Un...Un...Un...aaahhhh,” Ulysses and Xena moaned together as they released at the same time. When all the tremors were gone they were both breathing hard and Ulysses looked at Xena and she looked at him. She ran her hand over his sweaty forehead removing some of the sweat; he leaned down and kissed her softly. Cleopatra leaned back against the chair as she caught her breath when she had she fixed her clothes then leaned forward and looked at them. She saw them kiss and Xena placed her hand on Ulysses’ cheek and when the kiss ended they looked into each other’s eyes. “I love you,” she said and Ulysses grinned at her. “I love you too,” he said then placed a soft kiss on her lips before he laid down on the bed on his side.

Xena turned on her side and Ulysses scooted up next to her wrapping his arm around her and placing a kiss on her shoulder. They shared a small passionate kiss and when the kiss ended they just lay there and held each other. Cleopatra saw that there wasn’t going to be any more action talking or otherwise so she replaced the piece of wood then stood and walked back to her room. When she got there she opened the passage then closed it back. She walked to her sitting area and sat down then laid down on the sofa and let out a breath ‘I didn’t think I would see that when I went to spy on them. I must say I enjoyed the show’ she thought to herself with a smile on her face.

Cleopatra didn’t realize how fast time had passed while she had been watching Xena and Ulysses until her servants came to prepare her bath. She took her bath relaxing in it for a bit before she bathe herself, when she was done she got out of the tub and there was a servant waiting with a towel in hand. When Cleopatra was dried off her servants tended to her until she was ready for dinner. She wore a white sleeveless dress that fell all the way down to her ankles. There was a spilt on both sides coming all the way up to the beginning of her thigh. The dress covered up to the middle of her back and it was straight but it clung to all the right spots. She wore sandals then sat down and oiled her skin before it was time to go.

Cleopatra smiled as she walked into the dinning hall and one of her advisors stood and pulled out her chair for her which was at the head of the large square table. Cleopatra’s other three head advisors were also sitting at the table, two men and one woman. “My Queen,” they said as they also stood and bowed their heads; when Cleopatra sat in her large, comfortable chair the others sat as well in equally comfortable chairs. Dinner was still being prepared so they talked amongst themselves. A while later Xena and Ulysses walked into the hall and they said hello to everyone then sat down in the seats that were them.

“So Ulysses, tell me do you like your woman to be controlled?” She asked and he looked at her, “not really, if I can control a woman than she’s can’t be too exciting,” he said and Cleopatra grinned at him. “Is that answer because your wife is sitting next to you?” She asked and he grinned as he looked at Xena who grinned at him as she raised her eye brow. “Ulysses is a man of his word, he doesn’t say what I want to hear but what he feels is true,” Xena said and Cleopatra nodded. “Can’t argue with that,” she said then picked up her glass and took a sip. “Well Xena, I am an honest woman and to be honest with you I asked you both here because for one I needed your help and for another I’m interested in you both, of course for reasons I’m not going to tell you but I felt you should know,” she said and Xena grinned at her while Ulysses sat there and thought about that.

“Of course, who isn’t interested in a peasant marrying a prince and also turning into Athena’s Chosen. Who isn’t interested in the prince who chose to marry a peasant?” Xena said and Cleopatra grinned to herself, she wanted to say more but knew that it wouldn’t be proper at that time. Cleopatra leaned back in her chair crossing her legs so that one of her splits fell open to reveal the soft, silky flesh of a leg and a little thigh and at that exact moment Ulysses happened to glance over to see it and he cleared his throat as he turned his head and looked at Xena. “You alright?” She asked as she reached out and caressed his cheek and he nodded as he took a sip of wine, “yeah, something just got caught in my throat,” he said and Xena nodded then happened to look at Cleopatra who was talking to her advisor and Xena looked over her body and saw what Ulysses saw but she turned her attention from it and started up a conversation with Ulysses.

Cleopatra watched as Ulysses put his arm around Xena’s shoulders and his fingers caressed her arm. She found her mind drifting to when she watched them and that wasn’t good, not while she was at the table with others around. “Xena, Ulysses let me introduce you to my three head advisors, I’m rude for having not done so before. You’ve already met Hotep,” she said and Hotep stood and bowed his head. Xena and Ulysses looked at him, “yea we’ve met him,” Ulysses said. “This is Dagun who is my Head war advisor,” she said and Dagun stood and bowed his head. “It’s nice to meet you, I’ve heard much of you both.”

He said and they grinned at him and nodded and when Dagun sat down Cleopatra introduced her last head advisor. “This is Amonette, she’s head advisor for shall we say, people relations. She helps me see to it that my people have all they need,” she said and Amonette stood and bowed her head. “I believe you have someone in my position in your kingdom as well,” she said to Ulysses and he nodded. “My people are first and foremost,” he said then looked at Xena, “almost anyway,” he said with a grin as he looked back at Amonette who grinned at him. “Yes, my father and I do see to their needs and occasionally their wants,” he said then picked up his glass and took a small gulp. Dinner was soon brought out and they all ate and talked amongst themselves while Cleopatra’s musicians played some gentle music.

The evening continued as planned with everyone mingling with each other, Cleopatra talking to both Ulysses and Xena but mainly Xena, she had an interest in the warrior that even she could not yet identify. Xena was talking to Amonette while Ulysses took a seat next to Cleopatra and talked to her, “are you going to tell me what this problem is?” He asked then took a gulp of wine which he thought was pretty good.

“You’re in a rush to leave my company so soon?” She asked and he grinned at her, “no, I am enjoying your company and your hospitality but as I said when we were brought here, Xena and I are on our honeymoon.” He said and she nodded, “with a gorgeous woman such as Xena I can see why you would prefer to make love to her than spend your time helping me.” Cleopatra said with a grin and Ulysses grinned at her, “you have no idea,” he said as he turned his head and looked at Xena. ‘I think I do’ Cleopatra thought to herself as she looked at Ulysses look at Xena. “I can see that you two are very much in love,” Cleopatra said and Ulysses looked at her and nodded. “She is my world,” he said as he looked at Cleopatra then took a gulp of wine. “And does she feel the same way about you?”

She asked and Ulysses looked at her and nodded, “I have no doubt in my mind that she doesn’t love me as much as I love her.” He said and Cleopatra nodded, “you seem so sure,” she said and Ulysses grinned and nodded. “There is much about Xena many don’t know,” he said and she nodded, “I agree with you there,” she mumbled under her breath but Ulysses heard her any way and he grinned as he looked down and after a minute he looked at Cleopatra. She turned and looked at him a smile appearing on her face, “what?” She asked and he grinned, “I’m just wondering what makes the Queen of Egypt tick,” he said and she grinned at him and watched as he took another gulp.

“What makes any woman tick,” she said and he grinned as he leaned back in his chair, “women are complicated I don’t even try to figure them out.” He said and she grinned, “but that’s half the fun,” she said as she picked up her glass and took a gulp. “True,” he said, “I do love trying to figure what pleases a woman such as yourself.” He said and she grinned then let out a breath, “if only you weren’t happily married,” she said and he laughed. Ulysses and Cleopatra talked for about ten more minutes then Xena walked over placing her hands on Ulysses’ shoulders sliding them down to his chest as she placed a kiss on his neck. Ulysses grinned as he took Xena’s hand, placed a kiss on it as he pulled her around and she sat down on his lap wrapping her arm around his shoulder.

He wrapped his arm around her waist as he drained what had to be his fourth glass and he was beginning to feel a little buzz, but signaled the servant to pour him another glass none the less. “So what’s this problem that you need our help with?” Xena asked and Cleopatra grinned at her, “I guess I should tell you now that it’s getting late.” She said, “My brother Ptolemy is stirring an uprising. He has wanted my throne every since I can remember and has tried any means necessary of getting it. He has gone so far as to try and have me killed but when his assassins failed he tried himself. He was caught, tried and banished to the far outskirts of Egypt.” She said, “why wasn’t he killed? I know he’s your brother but I know trying to kill you is the worse crime someone can commit. Death is the penalty,” Xena said and Cleopatra nodded. “Yes and many people were pushing for his death especially when executions and assassinations were the Egyptian way for a long time and on an occasion still can be. However times have changed as has Egypt’s ruler and also as you said, he is my brother.

However a sentence in the far outskirts of Egypt is a death sentence, there’s nothing but sand out there for miles and miles. No water to be found anywhere and fierce outsiders that kill anyone who steps into their territory.” She said, “but somehow your brother managed to survive,” Ulysses said and Cleopatra nodded. “My spies informed me that he has gathered a very large band of these outsiders. They’re not nearly large enough to come up against Egypt’s forces but they can cause many problems.” She said, “so what? You want us to stop them?” Ulysses asked and Cleopatra shook her head. “Not necessarily, I can take care of that but Ptolemy has another part of his plan that I don’t yet know about.”  She said and Xena looked at her, “I see and you want us to find out what this plan is?”

Xena asked and Cleopatra nodded, “I’ve sent my best spies in but so far they’ve come back empty handed. I was told that you were good at these things,” Cleopatra said and Xena looked at her then at Ulysses who was taking a gulp of drink. “What do you think?” She asked and he looked at her then at Cleopatra, “let us sleep on it,” he said and she nodded. “Of course,” she said then looked at them as they stood and headed over to the sofa. “Will they agree to help us?” Amonette asked and Cleopatra looked at her then back over to Xena and Ulysses, “I think so.” She said then looked back at Amonette, “but things still must go as plan. Just in case they say no,” she said and Amonette nodded.

“You know you taste so good,” Ulysses mumbled against the flesh of Xena’s neck and she grinned. “I think you’ve had too much to drink,” she said with a smile. “Because I’m hungry for you I’ve had too much to drink?” He asked and Xena let out a breath as he sucked on a particular spot on her neck. “If that’s the case then I’m drunk all the time. I crave you like I crave water, food, air,” he said then turned her face towards him and kissed her deeply and passionately. When the kiss ended Xena placed her hand on Ulysses’ cheek and looked into his eyes where she saw that he wasn’t drunk. He might be a little tipsy, very little but he knew full well what he was doing. “What?” He asked and she shook her head as she leaned down, “nothing,” she whispered then kissed him. She kissed him so passionately that he let out a low moan and when the kiss ended he was a little breathless. He brought his glass up to his lips but didn’t get a chance to drink any since Xena took his glass and drained it.

“Hey,” he said and she looked at him once she was finished, “what?” She asked and he grinned at her. She leaned in and kissed him softly but passionately and when the kiss ended she looked at him. “I’ll be right back,” she said then stood and walked over to Cleopatra. She leaned down and whispered to Cleopatra who smiled and nodded. Xena walked back over to Ulysses and he looked at her, “what did you tell her?” He asked as Xena took his hand and pulled him off of the sofa, “that we were leaving so that you and I could make wild, passionate love long into the night.”

She said and he looked at her, “you didn’t tell her that,” he said and Xena grinned as she pulled him with her. “Did you?” He asked with a grin and Xena turned around and grinned at him, “would it surprise you if I did?” She asked and he grinned and shook his head, “no but it might excite me though,” he said and she grinned as she leaned in and kissed him softly. “I told her,” Xena said and Ulysses grinned as he pulled Xena to him for a kiss. Cleopatra and Amonette watch Xena and Ulysses over by the door as they kissed and then Xena took Ulysses’ hand and he happily followed her out of the hall to their room.

“I wonder what its like to be that in love,” Amonette said and Cleopatra looked at her, “I wonder as well my friend.” She said and then they went back to their conversation. Meanwhile as Ulysses and Xena walked back to their room Ulysses stopped Xena and pushed her up against a wall where he proceeded to kiss her passionately. Xena moaned as she ran her fingers through Ulysses’ hair, “you do know that we’re in a hall?” She asked and he grinned at her, “then I guess we ought to get to the bedroom.” He said then took her hand and began leading her and they walked a few feet before she pushed him against the wall and kissed him passionately. “We should not be doing this,” Ulysses said with a smile and Xena smiled back. “I know,” she said then kissed him passionately again.

They finally made their way to their room having many stops in between. When they got to the door Xena leaned against it as they kissed and Ulysses ran his hand over her thigh. “Where’s the key?” She asked in a slightly breathless voice and he grinned, “I don’t know. I guess you’ll have to search me for it,” he said with a smile and she grinned at him as her hands started searching. As she searched she leaned forward sticking her tongue out to lick his lips before she kissed him and they both moaned. She ran her hands down to his butt grabbing both cheeks and pulling him closer, “its not there,” he said with a grin and she smiled as she kissed him back. As they kissed she ran her hands over his chest and down to his crotch where she felt the bulge. “Its not there either,” she said and he shook his head as he leaned in and sucked on her neck. “No but keep searching around that area,” he said and she grinned as her hand continued to stroke the bulge in his pants while her other hand went into his pocket and searched for the key.

She dug deep down in his pockets reaching for the key, “Ummm,” she moaned as he bit down on her neck then sucked. When she found the key she pulled him from her neck and kissed him deeply. When the kiss ended they were both breathless and Xena turned around to put the key in the lock and Ulysses wrapped his arms around Xena as he moved her hair to the side and started in on her neck again. Xena moaned as she turned the key until the lock unlocked. She removed the key then turned the handle and opened the door, they stumbled in the room closing and locking the door behind him. Once they were in the room nothing held them back as they started stripping off each others clothes. By the time they got to the bedroom they were naked and Ulysses had Xena thrown over his shoulder as he carried her into the room. He dropped her down on the bed and she looked at him with a grin on her face as he made his way up to her.

They smiled at each other just before they kissed passionately and that night they made wild, passionate love until an hour after midnight. When the sun rose they were still very much asleep with no movement as to wake up. Ulysses lay on his back the sheet thrown over his waist his legs spaced out; Xena lay in his arms as usual her head more in his neck than on his chest. Her leg was between his her hand on his chest and the sheet covering her breasts down to the middle of her thighs. Ulysses moaned and threw his arm over his eyes as the rising sun began to shine into their room and on the bed and on them. Xena moaned and pushed more into Ulysses so that the sun didn’t bother her. They slept for fifteen more minutes until there was a knock at the door. Ulysses groaned as he tried to ignore it and from the slight headache he had. “It’s too early,” Xena moaned as she pushed into him and he let out a breath when he didn’t hear the knocking. However that was just a pause and then he heard the knocking again, he let out a breath then eased himself from under Xena and sat up on the side of the bed.

He yawned and ran his hand over his face then through his hair before he stood and stretched. He looked around for his pants but couldn’t find them so he went over to his bag and pulled out a pair of his pajama pants and a shirt. He put the pants on then headed for the door, “alright, alright,” he said as he put his shirt on but didn’t button it as usual. He looked around the room seeing their clothes scattered everywhere, he picked a few things up and sat them down on the sofa before he answered the door. “Good morning,” Cleopatra said and Ulysses looked at her, “it would be if you weren’t knocking so early.” He said and she grinned at him, “late night?” She asked and he looked at her, “as a matter of fact,” he said. “Can we come in?” She asked and he looked at her then at Amonette before he hunched his shoulders and walked away from the door.

They walked into the room Amonette closing the door and they looked at Ulysses who was picking up the remainder of his and Xena’s clothes. “So what can I do for you?” Ulysses asked as he leaned against the table and she looked at him, “I brought you what information we have concerning Ptolemy.” She said and Amonette walked over to Ulysses handing him the documents, “I don’t recall agreeing to anything.” He said and she looked at him, “well did you at least think about it?” She asked and he looked at her, “ah,” he said as he ran his fingers through his hair. Then Xena walked into the room with the sheet wrapped around her body, “have you see my…” she started to say but he pointed to a pile of clothes on the sofa.  “As I was about to say we were kind of busy last night,” he said and Xena walked over to him taking the papers out of his hand.

“What are these?” She asked, “the information that they have on Ptolemy,” Ulysses said and Xena looked over it then at Cleopatra. “We didn’t agree to anything,” she said and Cleopatra nodded. “I know but I was hoping you would help,” she said and Xena looked down at the documents. “Look breakfast is in an hour so why don’t you take a nice, hot relaxing bath. Think about it then tell me your decision over breakfast,” she said and they looked at her. “Good? Yes? Alright,” she said not giving them a chance to answer as she began ushering Amonette out of the room. “We’ll see you in an hour,” she said then walked out of the door closing it behind her. “That is a very persistent woman,” Ulysses said and Xena nodded. “Grab our clothes will you,” she said as she walked into the bedroom holding the sheet with one hand and reading the documents with the other.

Ulysses let out a breath as he picked up their pile of clothes and walked into the bedroom where he dumped them on the bed. There was another knock at the door and Ulysses let out a breath as he headed to answer it. When he opened the door there were two servants who stood with their heads bowed, “we were sent to prepare your bath and see to anything else you might need,” the older of the two girls said. Ulysses looked at them then allowed them in closing the door behind them. They walked into the bedroom Xena was sitting on the bed and she looked up as they walked in and headed for the bathing chamber.

She looked at Ulysses who looked at her, “servants to prepare our bath,” he said and she nodded and continued reading. “I wonder who this Arsinoe is. The name sounds familiar,” Xena said and Ulysses nodded as he walked over to the window looking out at the beautiful city of Alexandria. “You know I was thinking we could take a look at some of the pyramids maybe do some camel racing,” Ulysses said and Xena nodded. “Sounds good,” she said as she continued to read and Ulysses looked at her, “I take it you want to help,” he said and she looked at him. “I’ll tell you when I’m finished reading,” she said and he nodded and let out a breath as he leaned on the window seal looking out at the beautiful city and thinking of all the wonderful things he and Xena could be doing, all the fun they could be having.

“Your bath is ready,” one of the servants said and Ulysses turned and looked at her then at Xena, “you coming?” He asked and she nodded, “I’ll be there in a minute,” she said and he looked at her then let out a breath. Things were not going like he wanted them to, “take your time,” he said as he passed by her and headed into the bathing chamber. She nodded and continued reading about the things Ptolemy and his allies had been up to. Just from reading this information she could get an accurate picture of what was going on but she wondered if Cleopatra saw it. Of course if she and Ulysses decided to help it would mean they would have to go and find out the information that Cleopatra’s spies couldn’t get. And she also knew she had a duty to help Cleopatra, Egypt.

“Yes you do,” Athena said as she appeared before Xena who looked at the goddess. “Are you making this an assignment?” Xena asked Athena who looked at her before she walked over to the window. “Yes and no,” she said and Xena rolled her eyes, “what does that mean? You know what, can’t this wait Athena? I’m on my honeymoon, I just got married two weeks ago,” Xena said and Athena nodded as she turned and looked at Xena. “I know, that’s why I told you yes and no. No, this can not wait Xena, I wish it could but it can’t. I had planned on sending you here in a month but things have progressed a lot quicker than I had intended. I need you to take care of this,” Athena said and Xena looked at her then let out a breath as she stood there and thought about that.

This was who she was, who she wanted to be. She had chosen this life to help those who could not help themselves. Given that this was not the opportune moment she couldn’t turn down Athena even if she wanted to. “Alright,” Xena said and Athena nodded, “be careful Xena, there are Romans here and where ever there are Romans there is bound to be trouble,” Athena said and with that she was gone. Xena let out a breath and continued reading over the material Cleopatra had provided them and even though she had already made up her mind, when she was done reading she was convinced even more so to help Cleopatra, now the tricky part would be to get Ulysses to agree.

She sat the documents down on the table then unwrapped the sheet from around her body throwing it to the bed. She put on the red silk robe that had been laid out for her then walked into the bathing chamber stopping when she saw Ulysses. He was in the large square shape tub leaning on the side with his arms crossed and his head resting against his arms as one of the servants who wore practically nothing massaged his shoulders, neck and back. She walked over to him stooping down in front of him, “having fun?” She asked, “mmmm,” he answered then raised his head resting his chin on his arms, “she’s doing a pretty good job though I would rather you be massaging my shoulders.” He said while looking into Xena’s eyes where he saw that familiar look of possessiveness in her eyes.

“You could’ve waited,” she said and he nodded, “I could’ve but I didn’t know how long you would be. You were really into your reading,” he said making a point and she looked at him. “Ulysses I was just looking over what Cleopatra gave me so that I could tell what kind of situation she’s in.” She said and he nodded as he looked into her eyes, “I can see that you’ve decided we should help her,” he said and Xena looked at him. “Yea, also Athena has made it a priority,” she said and he looked into her eyes then let out a breath to keep from getting frustrated or upset, “harder,” he told the girl then leaned his head back down. Xena stood and looked at him, “so are we going to help?”

She asked and he looked at her, “why not? You’ve already decided that we should, I mean what ever was on that parchment convinced you that we should help her, not to mention Athena has said that you have to help so it’s not like you have a choice.” He said and then all was quiet for a minute, “damn it Xena we’re on our honeymoon, couldn’t this have waited?” He asked and Xena let out a breath, “I asked Athena that and she said no, she said that things are moving more quickly that she anticipated. She had planned on this waiting until we got back but as it is…” she said and he just leaned his head back on his arms as the girl continued massaging his back.

Xena looked at Ulysses and she could see that he was becoming upset. “Ulysses,” she said in a soft tone and he let out a breath, “forget it. We’ll help her it’s what we do, it’s what you do,” he said in a defeated tone and Xena looked at him. “Ulysses you knew this is who I was when we got married, I told you when you proposed,” Xena said and Ulysses looked at her, “I know that Xena and I don’t have a problem with what you do, I told you that but for god’s sake, this is our honeymoon, this is our time before we go back home and get back into everything. I did not expect what you do to interfere with our personal life and I don’t accept it,” he said and Xena was about to say something when he spoke again.

“And you shouldn’t ask me to, that’s like my work at home, there’s work and then there is us. Those two things have to be separate, otherwise how can we have a marriage, tartarus how can we have a life?” Ulysses asked and Xena thought about what he was saying and realized that he was right. “You’re right,” she said, “and I understand how you’re feeling and believe me when I say I feel the same way but I just have to do this, I have to,” Xena said and Ulysses looked at her, looked into her eyes and nodded. “Alright,” he said and Xena let out a breath of silent relief. “Thanks,” Ulysses told the girl and she looked at him, “you were doing great but I have a feeling that nothing will relax me right now.” He said then walked over to the stairs of the tub taking the towel from the other girl and dried his body off some before he wrapped the towel around his waist and headed into the bedroom. Xena let out a breath and followed.

“Sweetheart please don’t be mad,” Xena said as she walked over to Ulysses and he looked at her, “I’m not mad just disappointed,” he said then walked out onto the balcony looking at all the people starting their day. She walked out on the balcony on over to him, she stood next to him then placed her hand on his arm before she leaned forward and placed a kiss there. “Please, please don’t be mad at me, I can’t take that not right now,” she told him and he let out a breath as he looked down for a minute. “I’m not mad at you Xena. I could never be mad at you for doing what you do,” he said then looked at her. “Helping people is what you’re good at, it’s what you were meant to do.”

He said as he caressed her cheek and looked into her eyes, “I seemed to be trapped with that same fate. I was just hoping that we could have some time for us. Have some fun, live a little other than what we do at home. I love our friends and family but I wanted to be alone with you. Spend some time alone with you, have fun, do whatever that came to mind,” he said with a grin as he wrapped his arm around Xena and she placed her hand on his shoulder. “We can still do that Ulysses, we can make the most of this,” she said as she brought her hand up to caress his cheek as she looked into his eyes. “We can have loads of fun, like the fun we had last night,” she said with a grin and he grinned back. “Last night was fun,” he said and she nodded and smiled, “and wild,” she said and he smiled as he leaned in and kissed her. “Passionate,” he said when the kiss ended and she smiled and nodded as she wrapped her arm around his shoulder.

“Very,” she said before they kissed again and as they kissed Xena ran her hands over Ulysses’ lower back and stomach. “How about we take that bath, meet Cleopatra for breakfast then see what trouble we can get into.” She said and he nodded, “sounds good,” he said then leaned in and kissed her softly once more. When the kiss ended Xena grinned as she took Ulysses’ hand and lead him back to the bathing chamber where the girls were still. Ulysses removed his towel and got back into the still slightly hot water. He looked up at Xena and she looked down at him with a grin on her face as she undid the belt to the robe then let it fall to the floor. Ulysses grinned as she stooped down then slid into the water in front of him, she smiled as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders. They stared into each other’s eyes and Xena ran her wet fingers over Ulysses’ cheek, they leaned in as if they were about to kiss but Ulysses pulled back and grinned.

“Teaser,” she said with a grin and he smiled as he leaned in and just as their lips were about to touch Xena grinned. “I can tease too,” she said then pulled back. He smiled and nodded before he pushed her back against the tub and his hands caressed her body under water. He leaned forward until she could feel his breath on her lips. He even went so far as to let his lips caress hers, “stop teasing me,” she said in a breathless voice and he grinned as he ran his hand over her cheek. “You like it,” he said as he leaned in and she looked at him, “I do but by all the Gods I want you to kiss me so much.” She said then moaned as he kissed her passionately, she was unprepared for the kiss so she took in some air through her nose. She ran her fingers into Ulysses’ hair pulling him closer as they shared a very passionate kiss. They continued to kiss that way for a while breaking every now and then for air and to share short comments.

After a bit Ulysses pulled Xena with him to the middle of the tub where he dunked them both under the water. When they came back up Xena laughed as did Ulysses and then she splashed some water at him. He splashed back and before they knew it they were having a water fight splashing water all over the place. “Give up,” Ulysses said after he pulled her into his arms and she smiled as she ran her hands over his arms, “never,” she said and they both grinned as they leaned and kissed. The kiss was a passionate tasting of lips and then it became more than that; as they continued to kiss Xena moved closer to Ulysses. He wrapped his arms around her waist and picked her up with one arm, “Ummm,” Xena moaned as she was impaled on his big, hard shaft which pushed deep into her.

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders pulling herself closer as they continued to kiss and when the kiss ended Xena licked her lips as she looked into his eyes. Ulysses looked into her eyes as he pulled out then thrust back in, “Unnngh,” Xena moaned and Ulysses looked at her as he did it again. She held on tight to him as she felt the immense pleasure and Ulysses moaned as well loving the wonderful feeling of being inside of her. He leaned forward and pressed his lips against her jaw, “you feel so good,” he told her. “Ummm,” Xena moaned as she held on tighter to him and then he kissed her passionately. Suffice to say when they were done they took their baths, got out, dried off then got ready for breakfast.

Ulysses wore his usual and Xena put on her black leather pants, black boots and blue sleeveless shirt. Since they were going to do some sneaking around they wore their weapons with the many hidden daggers. Xena grabbed the documents Cleopatra gave them and headed out the door with Ulysses closing and locking it behind them. When they got to the main hall it was just Cleopatra and Amonette sitting there eating and talking since breakfast had just been brought out less than five minutes ago. “Good morning,” Xena said with a smile as she sat down and Cleopatra grinned at her, “it is but not as good as yours. I didn’t have a wonderful man like Ulysses making, wild passionate love to me all last night and probably this morning.”

She said with a grin as she looked at both Ulysses and Xena who grinned at her, “can’t deny that,” Xena said and Cleopatra chuckled as she sat forward. “I’m interested to know Xena how much you’re willing to pay for such an extraordinary man and I think it’s safe to say extraordinary lover.” She said and Xena chuckled, “you know flattery won’t butter me up for accepting the job if that’s what you’re trying to do.” Ulysses said with a grin as he picked up his glass of juice. Cleopatra smiled at him then looked at Xena, “one night name your price,” she said in half joking manner and the other half she was serious. “Well,” Xena said as she looked at Ulysses, “his body alone is worth a fortune and his talents…” she said then looked at Ulysses who grinned. “There isn’t enough money in the world to pay for all of his wonderful talents,” Xena said as she looked at Cleopatra who grinned as she hunched her shoulders as she leaned back in the chair.

“Well it was worth a try,” she said to Xena who smiled and nodded. “I’m sorry to disappoint but I am a one woman man,” he said looking at Xena who grinned as she leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips. When the kiss ended they began eating breakfast, “so I looked over the information you brought me on Ptolemy,” Xena said and Cleopatra nodded. “And?” She asked and Xena let out a breath, “well we have some questions,” she said and Cleopatra nodded. “Okay,” she said, “who is Arsinoe? The name sounds really familiar to me,” Xena said and Cleopatra nodded.

“It should, she’s our sister and at one time she flew to Athens to one of Artemis’ temples.” Cleopatra said and Xena nodded, “seeking protection from you,” Xena said and Cleopatra nodded. “After what she and Ptolemy did to me,” she said then shook her head, “I had to fight to regain what I have today,” she said and Xena nodded. “Well she hasn’t learned her lesson because she’s helping Ptolemy along with this guy named Pothinus.” Xena said and Cleopatra looked at her, “Pothinus is Ptolemy’s second hand. When our father gave power to both Ptolemy and myself we were supposed to share it together but it was Pothinus who put the idea in Ptolemy’s head to get rid of me.

Their plan was once that I was gone Ptolemy would have sole rule and Pothinus would act as power behind the throne. I had thought he was dead since when Ptolemy was captured he was no where to be found.” Cleopatra said, “Well if he was the one to put ideas into Ptolemy’s head about getting rid of you he’s probably behind what’s going on now.” Ulysses said and Xena nodded in agreement, “you don’t have much information here but from what I could figure out he’s planning to come after you but how, when and where I don’t know.” Xena said and Cleopatra looked at her, “so will you help me?” She asked and Xena let out a breath and nodded, “yes but we’re only going to get you the information you need and that’s it. However should you lie to us or purposefully keep things from us we will no longer help you and you will be on your own.”

Xena said and Cleopatra nodded, “so it brings us to the question is there anything you are keeping from us?” Ulysses asked and Cleopatra looked at him, “you know all of what I know. However I do know that there are Romans here, one powerful Roman to be exact, I believe his name is Pompey. I don’t know why he’s here, he’s been here a couple of times, saying he was just coming to visit but I highly doubt that. My spies have been keeping a close eye on him but haven’t found anything out as of yet but I think it has something to do with Ptolemy.” She said and Xena nodded, “well you should know that Athena has a personal interest in this matter also, so I’m no longer just here for you.” Xena said and Cleopatra nodded, “whatever way you are here I appreciate your help, both of you,” she said and Xena and Ulysses both nodded.

“Alright,” Xena said and they continued to eat breakfast, “excuse me I have a few things to see to,” Cleopatra said as she stood and they stood until she left the table then the hall. “So Amonette do you happen to know any of Ptolemy’s and Pothinus’ old hang outs?” Ulysses asked and she looked at him. “There’s one place just outside of Alexandria, the worst criminals and the most powerful people hand out there. We had a spy in there but he’s seen no sign of Ptolemy or Pothinus.” She said and Ulysses nodded, “what about Arsinoe? Where did she like to go?”

Ulysses asked and Amonette thought about it, “well, she didn’t really go anywhere she’d rather have people come to her. When she did leave there were often a lot of guards with her but there were times when she preferred to go on her own with Ganymede.” She said, “who’s he?” Xena asked and Amonette looked at her, “Arsinoe’s mentor,” she said and Xena nodded. “Anyway she often went deep into the forest area close to the river that ran through there. The river dried up some time ago,” Amonette said and they nodded and got whatever other helpful information they could get from Amonette before they left. “Where to first?” Ulysses asked and Xena looked at him, “I’m thinking the place where Arsinoe went. I think there’s something there, something no one found,” Xena said and Ulysses nodded.

They were able to get two horses so that they could travel to the forest part that Amonette was talking about. They left the horses some miles back so no one would know where they were headed. They went on foot walking into the forest and after they got so far the way was blocked by a wall of branches and veins. “No wonder why they don’t think she’s here, it’s a jungle in here,” Ulysses said as he pulled his sword. “Don’t disturb too much,” Xena said as she pulled her sword and Ulysses nodded as he started cutting veins and branches. It took them an hour and a half to reach the place where the river used to be.

They let out a breath now that they had a light sheen of sweat on them with leaves and pieces of dirt stuck to them. Xena unstopped the water skin taking a few deep gulps before she handed it to Ulysses who took a couple of gulps as well. “Well this is the place Amonette spoke of,” Ulysses said and Xena nodded then went to take a look around. Ulysses let out a breath and began looking around as well; Xena walked over to a hill where she used her acute listening as she heard running water. “Hey,” she called lowly and Ulysses looked at her then walked over to her as she waved him over. “Listen,” she said and he listened but wasn’t sure of what he was hearing so he stooped down and listened more closely.

“Is that water?” He asked and Xena nodded, “it must’ve been where it drained into the lake.” Xena said then looked up the tall steep hill, “the water’s coming from up there,” she said and Ulysses looked up and let out a breath. “You have got to be kidding,” he said as he looked at the tall hill covered in trees, veins and most of what they had just come through. “Our best bet is to go up that hill,” Xena said as she looked at Ulysses and he looked at her then let out a breath. “So help me Athena we better find something,” Ulysses said as he began walking up and Xena grinned as she followed him. “You know this is not what I pictured us doing when I pictured us sweaty,” Ulysses said two hours later as they continued to chop and climb. “Well at least we’re getting some exercise,” Xena said and Ulysses let out a breath as he stopped and looked at Xena.

“I hope you know by the time we’re finished and we get back to the palace I won’t have energy for anything else,” he said and she grinned at him. “I doubt that,” she said as she placed her hand on his cheek then leaned in and kissed him before she continued up the hill. Ulysses let out a breath as he continued behind her, “you’re lucky I love you,” he said and she smiled at him as she slashed out at a vein. “So when we tell the story of our honeymoon, its going to have climbing a mountain and doing some gardening work in it,” Ulysses said and Xena smiled at him. “Or we could just embellish the story and said that we were helping the great Queen of Cleopatra keep hold of her throne,” Xena said and Ulysses chuckled at her.

“I do love the way you look at things,” he said then let out a breath as he continued slash out at the veins and branches and as he did so he watched Xena, he watched the way she moved, worked and held the sword in her hand with such skill and expertise. She had pulled her hair back into a pony tail and the hair that fell to her back was shinning from the sunlight along with green specks from the veins. He smiled to himself as well as shook his head at himself simply because he knew he was so in love with Xena, it was hard to believe himself and at times it was even harder to believe that he was married, that he was in a place in his life that he thought he would never get to, a place he once believed didn’t exist for him only for others. Yet here he was, in love and married to what he thought was the perfect woman and no one or any circumstance could or would ever change that.

“Why are you staring at me?” Xena asked as she continued to move, so gracefully Ulysses thought. Xena stopped, turned and looked at Ulysses. “I’m not staring at you, you’re in front of me where else am I supposed to look?” He asked with a raised eyebrow, really trying to seem innocent even though he had been staring at her. Xena looked at him with knowing eyes and raised her own eyebrow and they looked at each other starting a staring contest which of course Xena won and Ulysses grinned and shook his head as he looked down. “Now, are you going to tell me why you were staring at me?” Xena asked and Ulysses looked at her and continued to do so as he closed the gap between them.

He wrapped his arm around her waist as he continued to look into her eyes, he brought his hand up and ran his fingers through her hair then placed his hand on her cheek. “I was staring at you because I was thinking to myself what a lucky man I am and much I am totally in love with you. I have never love another like I love you and I never will,” Ulysses said then leaned in and kissed her softly but passionately. “Mmmm,” Xena moaned as she wrapped her arm around Ulysses’ shoulder and they stood there for a minute or two, passionately tasting each other’s lips. When the kiss ended they looked into each others eyes and Xena was at a loss for words so she did the next best thing and kissed him softly once more and when the kiss ended they continued to look into each other’s eyes as Xena caressed Ulysses’ cheek with her thumb.

“At the moment I can’t find the words to tell you how I feel but later on when we’re done with this I’m going to show you how I feel,” Xena said with a grin and Ulysses smiled at that. “I look forward to it,” he said and Xena chuckled. “Come on, lets get back to work, the sooner we’re done, the sooner you can get to showing me how you feel,” Ulysses said as he started slashing again and Xena chuckled at him as she continued as well. They continued working until an hour later when they reached nothing but rock. “Great,” Xena said as she looked around then pressed her ear to the rock still hearing the flow of water but it was getting louder.

“What now?” Ulysses asked and she looked at him, “this way,” she said and they began walking along the cliff which held enough rock for a walking path. They continued walking until they came to a ledge and when they looked down there was a nice place that seemed like a small paradise with a nice pond. “Down?” Ulysses asked and Xena let out a breath and nodded, “down,” she said and he went first followed by her. They climbed their way down and when they were close enough they jumped down. They looked around to see where to go to next when Xena spotted two guards so she got down behind some bushes then pulled Ulysses down next to her.

“You could’ve just asked,” he whispered and she held her finger up to her lips then pointed. He looked over the bushes at the two guards who were talking as they walked, “follow,” Ulysses mouthed and Xena nodded and went behind him as they began to follow the guards. They followed them until they came to a series of caverns. They looked all around at the many entrances and decided it was still best to follow the guards. They walked up a slope to the caverns on the second layer since they had caverns up to a third layer.

They went into the middle cavern being very careful as they followed the guards and soon they began to hear voices. The closer they got the louder and clearer the voices became. “Look things are becoming too complicated,” a female voice said. “Arsinoe you need to calm down. They think we’re still in the outskirts, they have no clue that we’re here,” the male voice said. Finally Xena and Ulysses were close enough to put faces to the voices. “Ptolemy, Cleopatra is bringing in outside help, she’s means to stop us before we even begin,” Arsinoe said. “She has a point Ptolemy; Cleopatra isn’t by far a stupid woman.

However as long as we stay hidden and don’t take any unnecessary chances we should be fine. No one would think to look here and if they did, they would think twice once they saw how they’d have to get up here. Only an idiot would risk it,” said another man. Xena and Ulysses looked at each other thinking they were idiots. “What of the Romans Pothinus?” Ptolemy asked Pothinus looked at him, “the one called Pompey is supposedly on our side but we will soon see, the one known as Caesar could be a problem,” Pothinus said as he stood and walked over to a table looking over a map. “With his help we should be able to overrun Cleopatra before she knows what’s happening,” he said then looked up as another man walked into the cavern from another opening. “Everything is almost ready,” the man said to Arsinoe and she looked at him, “Ganymede tell me, what have your spies found out.”

“Nothing but Cleopatra has recruited two more people. I don’t yet know who they are but when I find out they will be taken care of.” He said, “do these two people pose a threat?” Ptolemy asked and Ganymede looked at him, “I’m not sure. Originally they came to Egypt for a vacation but she asked for their help. My inside source tells me however that Cleopatra doesn’t trust the Roman or the people she just asked for help, she’s having them all watched though I don’t think it’ll do much good. She has her own plan stirring up against us and if we don’t move soon she’ll crush whatever plan we have.” He said, “contact Achillas and see if they’re ready. Cleopatra won’t know what hit her when we attack,” Pothinus said. “When exactly is that?” Ganymede asked and Pothinus looked at him, “I won’t know until we meet with the roman tomorrow.” He said and Ganymede nodded and left the way he came.

“Arsinoe, when do you meet with our person on the inside?” Ptolemy asked and she looked at him, “in four days,” she said and he nodded. “Good, then everything’s on schedule as planned,” Ptolemy said and they all nodded. “Egypt will be ours.” Arsinoe said with a grin on her face as she thought about what she was going to do once she was in power. Xena and Ulysses decided they would hear all they could so they decided to go exploring. Carefully they looked into the other caverns and some were living quarters which were currently empty so they went looking around. Xena found a messenger pigeon so she picked up a piece of parchment with the seal on it to see if it meant anything.

They moved on until they came to another living quarters with maps and scrolls all over the place. They looked over some things and while Xena read a few scrolls Ulysses grabbed some parchment and a piece of charred wood then made a sketch of the map he was looking at. “Xena come here,” Ulysses said in a hushed voice and Xena walked over to the table and looked at the map, “is that what I think it is?” He asked and she looked at it, “Greece,” she said then walked over to the pile of scrolls looking through them until she found the one she wanted. She read over it and when she saw that it was information that she really needed she put the scroll in the back of her pants. “Its time to go,” she said and Ulysses nodded and folded the parchment placing it inside his shirt. They made their way to the third level of caverns and saw it was filled with weapons.

They looked over some of the different weapons they had both shaking their head and the weapons of destruction they had. They made their way down to the first level where the caverns were filled with Ptolemy’s men, from the looks of it the caverns on the first level went as far back as the eye could see and even further and men filled them all. “We really should go now,” Ulysses said knowing if they got caught they would be in serious trouble. They looked around in the area with the pond and saw that they indeed had an easier way of getting up here. “A bridge,” Xena said but they wouldn’t be able to use it since it was heavily guarded. “I’m sure we could take on those guards but then our element of surprise would be gone not to mention it’s highly unlikely we would make it down that hill, to our horses and back to the palace before we were caught or killed.”

He said and Xena looked at him and nodded, “not up for the challenge?” She asked with a grin and he grinned at her. “I sometimes wonder about you,” he said and she grinned. “Let’s go back the way we came,” she said, he nodded and that’s the way they went. The hard journey they made up they now had to make down, but it would be easier since they had created somewhat of a path. “We are going on a vacation after this,” Ulysses said as they walked down the hill and Xena chuckled at him. It didn’t take them as long on the way down as it took on the way up, when they got to their horses they gulped down water then got on and made their way back to into Alexandria and to the palace. When they got to the palace the horses were taken and they walked up to one of the guards, “we need to speak to Cleopatra,” Xena said and the guard looked at them, “the Queen has been expecting you.”

He said then turned and Ulysses looked at Xena, “she’s been expecting us,” he said in a soft voice as they followed the guard and Xena nodded, her mind beginning to turn as well. They passed the Dinning Hall then walked up a few stairs and down a hall stopping in the middle at the door. The guard knocked on the door and when it opened it was Shianna, “yes?” She asked, “Cleopatra wanted to see us,” Ulysses said and she looked at them then opened the door allowing them to come in. When they walked in they stopped a bit off into the room then looked at Shianna who looked at them, “come this way,” she said and they followed her while glancing around. They followed Shianna to the bathing chamber where they saw Cleopatra in her tub the water up to her chest and she was writing something on a parchment.

“Wait here,” she told them and they watched as she walked over to Cleopatra stooping down to talk to her. Cleopatra nodded then rolled up the parchment and handed it to on of the guards waiting near by. She then turned around leaning against the tub, “were you successful?” She asked and Xena looked at her and at Shianna who laid down on her side behind Cleopatra, “yes and no,” she said. “Well it looks like you’ve been busy,” she said as she looked at the state they were in. “Your people didn’t look close enough, we found some of the information you needed in one day and it was in a place your people didn’t look in to too well.” Ulysses said as he looked at Cleopatra unfazed at the fact that she was naked and in the tub. She moved in the water over to the other side so that she was closer to them, “what have you found?”

She asked and Xena let out a breath, “we found Ptolemy, Arsinoe, Pothinus and some guy named Ganymede,” Xena said and Cleopatra looked at them with surprise shown on her face. “Ganymede is Arsinoe’s mentor and I often wonder lover,” she said and Xena nodded. “Well they are planning to take Egypt from you and no doubt kill you in the process and they have the means to do just that.” Xena said and Cleopatra looked at them, “what kind of means?” She asked, “weapons, factions some where in the outskirts ready for orders, and at least 200 or so men where they are hiding.”

Ulysses said, “and we believe they will also have the alliance of Pompey,” Xena added and Cleopatra looked at them then turned and headed for the stairs of the tub Shianna, who was anticipating this, was waiting there with a robe. Ulysses looked down momentarily until Cleopatra passed by them headed into a small sitting room that she had, small compared to the larger one any way. They followed Cleopatra as she walked over to the table that held the maps and she unrolled one looking over it, “this is Alexandria,” she said and they looked at the map. “These are the outskirts,” she said pointing to the area around Alexandria but far enough away from it to be called the outskirts.

“My sources tell me the most trouble occurring with the outskirts is happening over here,” she said pointing to the west. “So will they come from the west?” She asked as she looked up at them and Xena shook her head, “it’s hard to say. They’re getting a lot of help including inside help. Probably someone close to you and Arsinoe is meeting with this person in four days.” Xena said, “also we basically figure that Pompey isn’t here on good terms but intel suggests that he’s also here for personal reasons.” Xena said and Cleopatra looked at her, “what personal reasons could those be?” She asked and Xena looked at her then walked up to her, “have you been contacted by Caesar?” Xena asked and Cleopatra looked into her eyes, “dealing only with matter of the state I assure you,” she said and Xena slightly nodded as she looked at Cleopatra, “I doubt that.”

She said, “I know about the Triumvirate,” Cleopatra said and Xena looked at her with a raised eyebrow. “Julius Caesar, Pompey the Magnus and Marcus Crassus, three very powerful men who are distinguished military and political leaders. The three of them dominate the Roman republic through a political alliance called the First Triumvirate.” Cleopatra said, “you’re not the only one with good sources of information,” she said and Xena nodded. “I don’t doubt that but did the information you received inform you that the Triumvirate is basically a power struggle among the three of them, one can only rule Rome.

At the moment Caesar and Pompey are allied together against Crassus, who is slowly but surely losing the battle. After his death, Pompey and Caesar will become rivals, disputing the leadership of the entire Roman state which will become a civil war.” Xena informed Cleopatra and indeed she had not known that, her face showing some surprise but not much, “Pompey isn’t by far a dumb man, he knows what is about to occur and he is preparing for it,” Ulysses said and Cleopatra looked at him. “His alliance with Arsinoe and Ptlomey,” she said and Xena nodded. “If he helps them in their battle against you and they win, he will look for their assiantance in his battle with Caesar.”

Xena said and Cleopatra took in this information, “don’t you see Cleopatra, Caesar has more of an interest in you than just business, he has to get close to you to assure that Pompey doesn’t gain control of what will help him take Rome, an army, money and power,” Xena said. “If that’s so, then why isn’t Caesar here competeing with Pompey?” She asked, “perhaps he’s planning a different way to earn your trust or maybe he’ll just sit back and see how things turn out. We don’t really know,” Ulysses said. “You’ve found out quite a bit and I thank you,” Cleopatra said as she stood and walked over to them. “We’ll have more for you by the end of the week,” Ulysses said and she nodded. “I appreciate that,” she said, “if you don’t mind we’d like to go back to our room. We’re in desperate need of a hot, relaxing bath and a soft bed.

Getting to where they are hiding was not by any means a small task,” Xena said and Cleopatra nodded. “Of course and I’m sure you’d rather have dinner in your room,” Cleopatra said and they nodded. “It will be done and if there is anything else you need let me know,” she said and they nodded then turned and left her room. They went back to their room and just as they had walked through the door there was a knock and Xena answered it. She looked at the servants letting them in and they went straight to the bathing chamber to prepare their bath. Xena closed the door then walked into the bedroom looking at Ulysses who was laying down on the sofa. She walked over to the sofa and Ulysses with his eyes closed raised his legs allowing Xena to sit down and when she did he placed his legs on her lap.

“You know, I get the feeling that we stepped into a messy situation,” Xena said and Ulysses grunted as he nodded. “Well, we’re only providing her with information, I’m not about to engage in a battle on foreign soil,” Ulysses said and Xena nodded as she rubbed Ulysses’ leg while she ran her fingers through her hair as she thought to herself. Ulysses pried one of his eyes open and looked at Xena who was quiet, “we are only providing Cleopatra with information?” Ulysses asked and Xena looked at him, “as far as I know,” Xena said and Ulysses nodded then closed his eye and went back to relaxing. “You know, when I thought about my honeymoon, this isn’t at all what I pictured,” Xena said and Ulysses.

“Really? And here I thought you were having a fantastic time,” he said and Xena hit him on his muscled stomach and Ulysses chuckled at her. “Ulysses I’m serious, I know who we are makes our lives a bit hectic but I wanted this part of our lives to be normal. I mean our wedding was normal and great and I wanted our honeymoon to be the same,” Xena said and Ulysses sat forward and looked at Xena. “A goddess married us, our wedding was far from normal,” Ulysses said and Xena softly hit his arm. “You know what I mean,” she said and he nodded, “yea I do,” he said as he placed a lock of hair behind her ear. “But Xena, you are by far a normal woman, you are at the least to say, interesting and most of the time your life, our life will sometimes be interesting, complicated, exciting and far from normal.”

Ulysses said as he looked into Xena’s eyes and she looked back at him, “and unfortunately you married a man who at times is not normal and whose life tends to be the same as yours,” Ulysses said with a grin and Xena grinned back as she toyed with Ulysses’ fingers, turning the thick gold band on his finger that she had designed for him. “I just…” Xena said then let out a breath as she thought about things, “I just wanted this part of our lives to be great,” she said as she looked up at Ulysses and he nodded. “And it will be, as you pointed out to me earlier, we will not let this ruin our honeymoon, we will still have a great time,” he said and Xena smiled at him.

“You actually listen to me,” she said and he smiled at her, “I always listen to you,” he said. “Even when I nag you about things?” She asked with a grin and he grinned back at her, “especially then but you never nag me about anything or if you do I’ve never noticed,” Ulysses said and Xena chuckled at him as she caressed his cheek. “Your laughter is music to my ears,” he said as he looked into her eyes, “hmmm,” Xena hummed with a grin as she began to lean in for a kiss. “And I could live on your smile,” he said and Xena’s grin turned into a smile just before her lips and Ulysses’ met for a kiss. The kiss started of slow and passionate and slowly began to progress to a very passionate tasting of lips.

“Mmmm,” Xena moaned as she wrapped her arm around his shoulder and Ulysses’ placed his hand on her back as they continued to kiss. “Mmph…mmmm,” Ulysses moaned as he fell back onto the sofa and Xena moved so that she was lying on top of him and the kiss deepened. They continued to kiss until one of the servants cleared their throat, the kiss ended and Xena looked up at the girl. “Your bath is ready,” she said and Xena licked her lips and nodded as she felt Ulysses run his hand up her shirt and over her back, caressing her flesh with his hands and they felt so good. “Thanks that’s all we’ll be needing,” she said and the girl turned to call the other servant and they both bowed then headed for the door and left the room.

Xena looked down at Ulysses and he looked up at her, “where were we?” She asked with a grin then leaned down and resumed their passionate kissing. As they kissed she began to unbutton Ulysses’ shirt and when she had that done she pulled it out of his pants and opened it so that his chest was bare. She caressed his chest with her hands for a bit while they still continued to kiss and when the kiss ended she began kissing and sucking on his neck, slowly making her way to his chest. Ulysses’ heart rate picked up and he looked up at the ceiling before he closed his eyes and moaned as she licked his nipple.

She licked, sucked and bit on his nipple for a bit then went to the other and applied the same attention to it. When she was done she continued to head south, kissing and sucking all over, her hands caressing the parts of his chest and abdomen she couldn’t reach with her mouth. When she got to his navel, his stomach was rising and falling with his quicken breathing and Xena grinned as she looked up at him. Just when he thought she was going to go further than that, she stopped and he looked at her and she looked at him as she stood up. “Why don’t I go get in the tub and while you go make sure the door is locked,” Xena suggested.

“That way we’ll be able to finish this conversation without any interruptions,” she said with a grin as she began to undo her own shirt to the point Ulysses was able to see her navel. “Sounds good to me,” he said and Xena grinned and nodded then headed to the bathing chamber. Ulysses watched her leave then laid there for a minute to calm himself and gain some control of him body. “You are so whipped,” he said to his lower half, speaking to the evident bulge in his pants. After a minute he got up and headed into the living area where he made sure the door was locked and the room was secure, he did the same in the bed chamber as well.

He kicked off his boots in the room and threw his shirt into a near by chair and began working on his pants as he walked into the bath chamber. By the request of Cleopatra, the servants had prepared a milk bath with rose petals, so when Ulysses walked in he didn’t see Xena in the tub but that was because she was under the water. He figured she was in the changing area and began to take of his pants when he heard she swosh of water. He looked up in time to see Xena emerge like a goddess from the water. She tilted her head back and ran her hands over her hair pushing her hair and some of the water back so that it wasn’t falling into her eyes.

Ulysses looked on as rivulets of water ran from every place imaginable on Xena’s body and at that particular time he wish he was that water, he wanted to run his hands, lips and tongue over her body just as the water was doing at that precise moment. “That felt great,” Xena said then felt eyes on her so she opened her eyes and looked at Ulysses who was standing there naked staring at her. She smiled at him and he was mesmerized even more, his heart was pounding so hard it felt as if it were trying to pound its way out. “You are….so beautiful,” he said and Xena smiled at him. “Are you going to stand there and stare all night or are you going to join me?” Xena asked and he didn’t need more of an invitation than that. He slid into the water and moved over to Xena who grinned as she grabbed the sponge and soap.

“Will you wash my back for me?” She asked as she held the soap up to Ulysses and he took it from her then watched as she turned around and her back was now facing him. He poured some of the liquid soap onto the sponge, squeezed it a couple of times until it lathered up and he began washing her back. Xena leaned her head forward and moved her hair out of the way so that Ulysses could get to the base of her neck. When he had washed her entire back he rinsed her off, “all done,” he said. Xena smiled as she turned around and looked at Ulysses, “thanks, now I’ll wash your back,” she said, motioning with her hand for him to turn around and Ulysses grinned as he did so.

As she washed his back she noticed all of the dirt and pieces of leaves in his hair. “You have more dirt and leaves in your hair than I had in mine,” she said. “Well, gardening is a dirty job,” he said with a smile and Xena chuckled as she pushed his shoulder. “Dunk, so I can wash your hair,” she said and with no questions asked he did just that and when he came back up he ran his hands over his hair pushing the water back from his eyes. Xena poured some soap into his hair and began washing it, she used her finger nails to get down to his scalp then used the tips of her fingers to gently massage his scalp. Ulysses closed his eyes and relaxed into the wonderful feeling and he wondered how it was that when he washed his own hair it never felt this good.

“Why is it that your hands are good at everything they do?” He asked and Xena smiled at him, “special hands I guess,” she said. “Special hands indeed,” he said and she continued to smile as she washed his hair. “Rinse,” she said after she was done and he was disappointed that the pleasure had ended but little did he know that a greater pleasure was waiting for him. When he came back up, he did the same action as earlier then opened his eyes and looked at the beauty in front of him. “Feels good doesn’t it, a clean head?” She asked and Ulysses grinned at her, “yea it does,” he said and Xena continued to grin at him. “Now I’ll wash your hair,” he said and Xena smiled as she raised an eyebrow at him but turned none the less to let him wash her hair.

“Mmmm…it seems like I’m not the only one with special hands,” she said and Ulysses grinned as he massaged her scalp. “I am to please,” he said then placed a kiss on her shoulder before he continued washing her hair. When he was done she rinsed the soap out. They both began to bathe themselves, talking about minor things in between to help the time pass and the lounged about in the hot, milk bath. Ulysses was finished washing before Xena and he just leaned against the tub and relaxed as he watched Xena and he was just so entranced by the way she moved and everything she did. When Xena was finished she looked at Ulysses who looked back at him and the love that shined back at her through his eyes was enough to make her want to cry.

She moved over to him and handed him the sponge, “here, wash my feet for me,” she said as she leaned back against the tub and raised her foot out of the water. Ulysses grinned as he moved so that he was holding her foot and he began washing it. “Your feet don’t look dirty to me,” he said as he washed and Xena grinned and moaned as she tilted her head back and relaxed as Ulysses sort of massaged her feet. “They just needed your special hands on them,” she said and Ulysses grinned as he continued his current task, working on one foot for five minutes then moved to the other. “I am your willing servant,” he said and Xena chuckled at him, “mmmm…is that so?” She asked as she opened her eyes and looked at Ulysses.

“It is so my Queen,” he said and Xena smiled at him then crooked her finger at him, beckoning him over, “come here,” she said and he moved over to her as if he were under a spell. “And what services can you perform?” She asked him as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and he placed his hands on her waist. “Any and all,” he said as he leaned in so close that their lips brushed against one another, “I can be a great body servant,” he said and Xena grinned at that. “I bet you could,” she said then moaned as he kissed her passionately.

“Let’s take this conversation somewhere a bit more comfortable,” Xena said when the kiss ended and Ulysses nodded. She got out of the tub followed by Ulysses, then they dried themselves off. “I think I could use a good body massage,” she said as she wrapped the towel around her body and looked at Ulysses as she used another towel to dry her hair. “Grab some oil and I’ll see you in the bedroom,” she said then left the bath chamber. Ulysses watched her go then continued to dry himself off as well as his hair. He grabbed a fresh towel and wrapped it around his waist before he walked over to a table that held different soaps and oils.

He grabbed a vile of oil with a smell of roses, one of the many smells he loved on Xena. Once he had the vile he walked into the bedroom and found Xena sitting at the dresser brushing her hair which was mostly dry and with her brushing it would all become dry. Just when Ulysses walked into the room there was a knock at the door, “better now than later,” Xena said and Ulysses sat the oil down and went to answer the door. It was their dinner being delivered and Ulysses took it from the servants, balancing the tray on one hand as he closed the door and locked it.

“Our dinner,” he said as he walked into the room with the tray, “sit it on the table we’ll eat it later,” Xena said and that’s just what Ulysses did. Ulysses looked at Xena who stood and approached the bed, she took off her robe and threw it on the bottom of the bed. She laid down on the bed on her stomach and Ulysses just stood there looking at her. “Start massaging,” Xena said and Ulysses snapped out of his trance, grabbed the oil and walked over to the bed. “Wait,” Xena said and she turned her head to the side and looked at Ulysses, she reached her hand out and pulled the towel free, so that Ulysses was standing there naked, “that’s better,” she said with a grin then laid her head down.

Ulysses swallowed hard, sure that his body would betray him and his intentions to give his wife a massage without really wanting anything in return even though he did. He let out a calming breath then poured some of the oil into the palm of his hand, placed the vile on the table, rubbed his hands together to warm the oil before he placed his hands on Xena’s shoulders and began the massage. He started at her shoulders and began to work his way down, Xena held on tight to the pillow she was laying on and moaned as Ulysses worked on muscles she used today and those that needed relaxing.

When he got to her lower back he wasn’t sure if he should continue down her butt or just skip it and head to her legs. “Keep going,” she said and so he poured more oil into his hand and began massaging her butt and Xena moaned as she pushed into the bed and Ulysses swallowed hard as he felt himself rising to erection. It had been hard before while he was giving her a massage but now that he was touching her butt it was becoming even harder. “Mmmm…that feels sooo good,” she said with a grin on her face and she happened to open her eyes and see what her getting a massage was doing to Ulysses. Her grin turned into a smile and she let Ulysses continue on with the massage until he was finished and by then he wasn’t the only one who showed proof of how the massage had affected them.

When he was finished or when he thought he was finished, Xena rolled onto her back and looked at Ulysses. “Do the front now,” she said and he looked at her and he realized he wouldn’t be able to do that and Xena grinned when she saw the look in his eyes so she decided to take pity on him. “Come here,” she said as she smiled at him while she held up her open arms. Ulysses let out a breath as he grinned and walked over to the bed, “why do you torture me so?” He asked as he laid down between her legs and she looked down as she felt his extreme hardness, “torture?” She asked with a raised eyebrow, “I don’t think so,” she said with a grin and Ulysses grinned at her before he kissed her softly.

From that point on, they slowly began to make love, exploring each other’s bodies to the fullest. An hour later the two bodies on the bed were covered completely by the covers on the bed. “Unn…un…oh yeah,” Ulysses moaned under the sheet as Xena continued to move against him. “Aaa…aahhhh…eeeaaaa,” Xena let out a high pitched cry as she climaxed and Ulysses continued to moan and groan as he did as well. Xena threw the covers back with the help of Ulysses and she tilted her head back with a smile on her face and she breathe in air. Ulysses laid beneath her pulling in air as well, their bodies covered in sweat but they were both sated from the wondrous love making they just experienced.

“You were amazing,” Ulysses said to Xena as he ran his hands over her sides and she grinned as she removed some hair from her face that was glued by sweat. “Mmmm…so were you,” she said then leaned down and placed a kiss on his neck making her way over to his ear. “I loved the way you paid attention to my body,” she whispered in his ear just before she sucked on his earlobe and Ulysses grinned as he rose his head and met Xena for a soft, gentle, sweet kiss. A kiss between lovers, that portrayed their love, their need for each other rather than their desire and passion. When the kiss ended they looked into each other’s eyes and Xena laughed as Ulysses rolled her onto her back and he lay half on the bed and half between her legs.

“I love you so much,” Ulysses said softly as he looked into Xena’s eyes while caressing her thigh and she smiled as she looked into his eyes while caressing his arm. “And I love you…so much,” she said as she caressed his cheek and Ulysses looked into her eyes a while longer before he turned his head and kissed the palm of her hand. Her hand turned and he also wound up placing a kiss on her fingers just above her rings, “and I know how much you love me by this rock on my finger,” she said with a grin and Ulysses chuckled as he laid down next to Xena who turned on her side so that she was looking at Ulysses. “That ring doesn’t begin to put a dent in the love I have for you,” he said and Xena grinned at him.

“You could have placed a piece of string around my finger and I would have still said yes,” she said and they moved closer so that they were but a breath a part. “Saying the words ‘I do’ was the proudest, most happiest moment of my life,” Xena said and Ulysses grinned. “You know, I was nervous that day, I wanted everything to be perfect not for me but for you. Xena, you are the very air that I breathe, I honestly don’t know how I survived all these years without you, without loving you, without your love,” he said and Xena grinned to herself as she looked down for a moment and as she looked down a lone tear rolled down her eye, it wasn’t a tear of sadness but one of extreme happiness and content.

Ulysses removed the tear with his thumb and Xena rose her eyes and looked at Ulysses. “These moments are becoming often,” Xena said. “What moments?” He asked, “the ones where you say such beautiful things that I am left speechless, unable to reply and tell you how I feel, unable to express to you those great, unfathomable feelings that your create in me.” She said and Ulysses smiled at her and Xena looked at him as she placed her hand on his cheek, “the way you look at me and when you smile, I know my world is alright…it’s alright,” she said and Ulysses looked at her unable to say anything. “Now I’m the one who’s speechless,” he said with a grin and Xena chuckled at him.

“Although you know,” he said as he picked Xena’s hand up and kissed the inside of her wrist, “the way you expressed your love for me earlier,” he placed another kiss on her forearm, slowly making his way up as he talked and Xena grinned at him. “Is always a great way, anytime anywhere,” he said and Xena chuckled, Ulysses’ current kiss on her shoulder. “I am yours my love,” he said then leaned in and kissed her softly. “When you want me you can have me,” he whispered and Xena grinned as she brushed her lips against his while she ran her fingers through his hair. “Mmmm…I like the sound of that,” she said and they both chuckled.

“I might take you up on that offer in Cleopatra’s throne room,” Xena said and Ulysses pulled back and looked at Xena. “I knew you had a wild side but…” Ulysses said and Xena laughed at him. “The throne room Xena?” He asked and she looked at him with a look of lust and desire in her eyes that he would soon come to love. “What? You not up to the challenge?” Xena asked in a sultry tone as she ran her finger down Ulysses’ chest and he grinned at her, “oh I’m always up for the challenge but what about you?” He asked knowing that this was breeching into the subject of the part of himself that he kept from Xena, that he had kept hidden for a while.

“I aim to please,” she said then sat up some and looked down at Ulysses. “I know there’s a part of yourself you keep hidden from me and I also know you think you’re protecting me from it by not letting me see that side of you, by not letting me experience it. But Ulysses, I am your wife, your partner and friend and I want you to share that part of yourself with me. I can handle it Ulysses, believe that, all the sexual desires that you have, that you crave, I am here and willing,” Xena said and Ulysses looked at her and nodded. “I know and for a long time I thought that I would have to hide that part of myself forever but I know you accept me for who I am and I know deep down you can handle this part of me.”

He said and Xena grinned, “I’m glad that that’s finally sunk in,” she said and Ulysses smiled at her. “How about something to eat?” He asked as he sat up in the bed, “yeah, I have worked up an appetite,” she said and Ulysses chuckled as he shook his head at her while getting out of the bed. He walked naked over to the table, grabbed the tray and walked back over to the bed. He sat the tray down first before he got in and he and Xena began eating their dinner, having skipped lunch due to the expedition they were on. Gemini jumped on the bed and Ulysses threw her a piece of meat and Xena smiled at him because she could remember a time when he really didn’t want to be bothered with the wolf. Time passed and they finished their dinner, laid around and talked for a while before they went to sleep.

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