The Cloak

Xena set the sword between her outstretched legs and began rubbing the stone down the edge of the blade. With her head turned down, she was able to observe her golden haired companion without being noticed. The autumn night brought with it a drop in temperature, causing Gabrielle to don her cloak. It was a rare treat and one which the warrior wholeheartedly enjoyed. There was something so incredibly sexy to her about the way the woolen garment looked on the bard. Of course, Gabrielle could wear a potato sack and Xena would find it sexy. Many a time her fantasies during self-pleasuring centered around the young Amazon. The cloak tonight was an added bonus. Xena knew it wouldn't be long before she'd have to make a trip through the woods to 'check things out' before going to bed.

Gabrielle leaned forward to retrieve her cup of tea from the edge of the fire, causing the cloak to fall open in the process. When she sat up and brought the drink to her lips, the dark green covering fell off her shoulder. Xena, whose mind had been working overtime with lascivious thoughts, gulped and looked up to see green eyes staring back at her. "It's cold," she said matter-of-factly as she rose and crossed to Gabrielle's side, tugging the cloak back into its original position before returning to her own side of the fire.

"Cool, not cold," the bard corrected. "If it was cold you'd have your cloak out too."

"It's cold. I just have warmer blood than you do." Xena wasn't kidding. Right now she felt quite warm and it had nothing to do with the evening temperature.

"You know," Gabrielle grinned and rose to her feet. "Why is it that no matter where we set up camp, you always manage to find a log or rock to lean against?"

Xena gave her most innocent face and glanced at the large rock behind her. "It's not my fault you don't think about it before I do."

"You never offer to share either." Gabrielle crossed the short distance and stood between the warrior and the fire.

"There's not enough room for both of us to lean against it," Xena protested, confident that the bard couldn't come up with a return comment. She should have known better. Gabrielle grinned before reaching down and taking the sword away. A few seconds later she was snuggled between Xena's legs, her back comfortably pressed up against the warrior's chest.

"There, that's much better."

"Uh, if you're there, I can't sharpen my sword," Xena pointed out, her lips only a scant distance from an earlobe that practically begged to be nibbled.

"Hmm, guess you have a problem then," the bard replied, adjusting herself a little more. "I'm comfortable and I'm not moving."

"Well, your hood is scratching my neck. If you want to stay, the cloak goes." Secretly, Xena didn't want the cloak to go but the itching was far too annoying. Gabrielle responded by standing up long enough to reverse the cloak, placing the opening at the back and turning it into a makeshift blanket before sitting down again.

"Better?"

"Now you can't do any writing," the warrior pointed out. Gabrielle looked down and saw that it was true, her hands were beneath the cloak, unable to work a quill.

"I guess you're right. Oh well." She snuggled back, resting her head against Xena's upper chest. "Maybe we can just sit and stare at the stars." Without thought, her hands rested against well muscled thighs, pushing Xena's internal temperature up another notch. "Did you ever wonder what stars are made of?"

"Mostly diamonds, I would imagine," the warrior replied, her voice a bit huskier than she intended. Gabrielle's head was tucked nicely under her chin, allowing her to inhale the bard's scent with each breath.

"Hmm, they sure are pretty tonight." The bard's hands absently stroked the supple skin beneath them. "You know, growing up in Poteidaia, I saw the stars every night but somehow it just doesn't seem the same."

"You didn't sleep under them like you do now," Xena pointed out. Gabrielle's gentle touch was driving her crazy but she didn't dare mention it for fear that the bard would stop. Instead she 'casually' let her hands slip around the bare waist and rest against well-developed abs.

"You know this is nice. It isn't often that you hold me." She reached over and pressed against the hands on her belly. "I like this." Her hand returned to Xena's thigh and now began to stroke up and down the muscled length. "People never realize that you have a soft and gentle side."

"And people never realize that you have a wicked streak in you." At the bard's shocked expression, she continued. "Do you remember what you said to Leah, the Hestian priestess?"

"What? That was a long time ago, at least a moon or more. I don't remember-"

Xena grinned and lifted her head up. "Something about not having a problem knowing yourself, if I recall." Her grin widened when the firelight revealed the bard blushing furiously.

"I didn't think you knew about that," Gabrielle murmured. She stilled her wandering hands, much to Xena's relief/dismay.

"Ah, you should know by now that there's very little I don't know about you. Leah came up to me later and informed me that the speeding chariot to Tartarus had plenty of room on it for people who don't know enough to keep their hands to themselves...or not to themselves as the case may be."

"Hey," the blushing bard gave Xena's right thigh a sharp swat. "I certainly won't be the only one on that particular chariot, Miss 'I need to take a look around, I'll be back in a little while'."

Now it was Xena's turn to be embarrassed. Silence reigned for several heartbeats before she spoke. "I didn't think you knew."

"I knew," Gabrielle replied, her hands resuming their journey. "When do you think I did it?"

"I guess I never really thought about it," the warrior lied. Ever since Leah had said something to her, Xena tried to figure out when the bard masturbated but it never occurred to her that while she was busily bringing herself to climax that Gabrielle was doing the same thing. "So you...when I'm out...and...how long have you been doing that?"

The bard forced herself not to smile too much at Xena's discomfort. "I'm sure not as long as you have." She stilled her hands, letting the warm palms rest atop the bronzed thighs. "I dunno. For a while now."

"A while? A while like a few moons or a while like since we first met the Amazons?"

"Actually..."

"Actually what?" Xena leaned forward, trying to see the bard's face as if to convince herself that she was talking to the same woman that she'd been traveling around with for the last three summers.

"You remember when we had to face the Titans?"

"You mean when a well-intentioned virgin released the Titans?"

"You know that was embarrassing for me, having everyone know I was a virgin." She leaned back, forcing the warrior to relax against the rock. "After we turned them back into rock...the next night I did it." Gabrielle stared at the fire, losing herself in the memory of her first foray into self-pleasure.

"Why then?" Xena barely remembered the face of the boy-monk that was so smitten with the young bard. "Because of that boy?"

"No. Do you remember the fight we had? About me feeling that you treated me like a child?"

"I remember." Xena was greeted with silence as she put the rest of the puzzle together in her head. "You mean you did it because of me? To prove you were an adult?"

"I did it because that's what adults who are hot and bothered do. I don't do it every night or even as much as you do. Just when the urge strikes me." She pulled her feet up and sat cross-legged, forcing Xena to separate her thighs to accommodate. Gabrielle leaned forward, peeling her bared back away from the soft brown leather. "Can we talk about something other than my sex life, or lack thereof?"

Xena wasn't about to let it go that easily. Refusing to relinquish her hold on the bard's midriff, she pulled back gently, forcing Gabrielle back against her. "Hey, it's not like my bed's been warmed by anyone lately." Her fingers drew idle circles just above the Amazon's navel. "In fact, if I remember correctly, you've had it more recently than I have."

"You mean you haven't...since when? Marcus?" Gabrielle asked as she turned, letting her cheek rest against the warm swell of the warrior's left breast. Her arms went around the older woman and she closed her eyes at the comforting sensation.

"Well, not quite that long, but long enough."

"Oh." Gabrielle decided not to pursue that line of questioning, although her mind worked feverishly to figure out who Xena could have been with. After a half-dozen possibilities entered and exited her mind, she gave up. "Do you miss it?"

"Sometimes. You?"

"No...well, yeah...I guess so." Gabrielle stared at the fire, letting several breaths pass before explaining herself. "I miss...some things."

Xena wasn't certain she wanted the conversation to get any more detailed than it had. They were entirely too close and the bard's hand was now rubbing her back in a most distracting way. She was about to suggest that they turn in early when she felt Gabrielle take a deep breath and release it slowly.

"I miss having someone touch me...like that. It's just not the same, you know?"

"I know," Xena gave an understanding smile. "There are some things that you just can't recreate by yourself."

"Yeah," Gabrielle nodded in agreement, her cheekbone rubbing against the warrior's nipple through the leather. She gave a short chuckle. "You know, it's hard to believe that someone as beautiful as you hasn't had it in a while. You must get offers. Well, I know you get offers, but I mean offers from men that look like they know what a bath is."

"Oh, I get those once in a while, but I'm too busy fighting off the men that want to play with a certain fair haired bard."

"Oh please, there's no way that men are going to notice me when you're around." She leaned forward and hooked the strap of her bag, pulling it back with her.

"Gabrielle, I started defending your honor quite a long time ago. I'd bet more than half the men I pummel senseless when we're in a tavern were because they've said something about you."

"Really?"

"Mm hmm." A throbbing began deep inside the warrior as she continued along the dangerous path. "You remember that good looking man at the Boar's Head a few days ago?"

"Oh yeah, the cute one...until you broke his jaw, that is." Gabrielle picked her head up and looked into deep blue eyes. "He was interested in me?"

"Yes. Well...he was interested in part of you, anyway."

"What part? My breasts?"

"No."

"My ass?"

"No."

"My..." she looked down at the area in question.

"No."

"Then what?"

Unable to resist, Xena brought her hand up and let a finger rest against far-too-soft lips. "He seemed to think that you'd be a good kisser."

"For that you broke his jaw? Because he wanted a kiss?"

"It wasn't just the kiss, Gabrielle, it was where he wanted you to kiss him." She waited a moment for the implication to sink in before giving a self-satisfied grin. "He's lucky his jaw was the only thing I broke." She put her hand on the side of the bard's head and gently urged the young woman to resume her previous position. "I can't stand by and listen to anyone speak of you that way, don't ever ask me to." Xena felt a soft rumbling against her chest. "What?"

"Nothing," Gabrielle smiled against the soft leather. "It's just...you remember when you went to get Argo shod?"

"Yeah, just before we left Thessaly."

"You remember that guy passed out in front of the tavern?" the bard asked as she sat up, rearranging the cloak into it's proper position with the opening in the front.

"The one with the bloody nose?"

"How do you think he got that bloody nose?" She reached out and pulled a small package wrapped in cloth and leather twine out of her bag. Xena tried to see what it was but the bard's hand retreated under the cloak. "He was interested in your ass, by the way." She turned around to face the warrior.

"I guess I need to thank you for defending my honor." Xena saw the bards hands busily moving beneath the cover of the cloak but couldn't determine exactly what they were doing.

"Close your eyes."

"What?"

"Close your eyes. Come on, Xena, trust me."

"Gabrielle, what are you up to?"

"Come on, trust me." The bard arched up onto her knees and leaned forward, keeping her hands hidden beneath the dark green wool. "Come on, close those baby blues."

Reluctantly, the warrior nodded and closed her eyes. She gave a short grunt when she found herself caught between the rock at her back and the bard at her front. "Gabrie-"

The rest of the word was cut off when Xena felt something soft and sweet slip into her mouth.

"I picked up some honey covered dates when we were in town," Gabrielle said joyfully as she watched the smile break out on the warrior's face. "I knew you liked them, so I couldn't help picking up...a few."

"Oh, very good." Xena's ears perked up. "A few? How many is a few?"

"A few, more than a couple but less than a bunch."

"Gabrielle..."

"Nope, I'm not falling for it." Their bodies were pressed together, the bard's breath just barely touching Xena's face when she spoke. "You'll eat them all up tonight and then I won't have any to bribe you with in the future."

"You know I can't eat just one." She tried to reach into the cloak but found her hands slapped away.

"You behave, warrior brat, or I'll eat them all myself." Gabrielle made good on her threat by reaching up and popping one of the treats into her mouth. "Mmm." She made a show of licking her fingers before running her tongue slowly over her lips. "Sweet."

Thoughts of the tasty treat warred with other thoughts running rampant through Xena's mind. Gabrielle's little show just guaranteed that she needed to get away from camp for a little while or she'd never wind down enough for sleep tonight. The bard reached beneath the cloak again. "You want more?" She pulled out another small piece of honey covered fruit and brought it up to the warrior's lips only to pull it back at the last instant. "Uh uh uh, you didn't ask nicely." Gabrielle moved her hand in the air teasingly.

Xena's hand shot out and covered the smaller one in a firm grip, bringing it to her mouth. "Please," she said before plucking the treat out from the bard's fingers with her teeth. The warmth of Gabrielle's fingers had caused the honey to stick to them. Without thinking and perhaps talking herself out of it, Xena closed her lips around the honey coated fingers and began licking them clean.

"You don't play fair. You're stronger than I am."

"You shouldn't tease me," Xena replied, releasing her grip and smacking her lips proudly. The warmth spreading within her picked up steam as she wondered if the fingers that were just in her mouth were the same ones that Gabrielle used to pleasure herself.

"Oh, you poor baby," she reached in and pulled out another date. "Here." This time she was sure not to tease the warrior, the little tongue dance on her fingertips sparked something deep within. She wondered if Xena would take a walk tonight...she hoped so.

"So..." She reclined along the warrior's length again, this time one arm out of the cloak, her hand resting on Xena's right shoulder strap, fingertips still tingling from being licked. "He thought I would be a great kisser, huh?"

"Gabrielle..."

"Well, he could be right, you know. Well, not about that, I don't like that, but kissing mouth to mouth. I am a bard, you know."

"I'm sure you're a very good kisser," Xena replied. Her arms were outside the cloak, holding the relaxed bard against her. She decided that there were some definite drawbacks to the cloak, namely that it kept her from being able to rest her hands on Gabrielle's soft skin.

"You think?" She propped herself up to look into the warrior's eyes, resting her forearms on Xena's upper chest.

"I don't know, Gabrielle. I've never kissed you like that." She swallowed hard when green eyes looked at her thoughtfully, then down at her lips, then back up. "Gab, I..."

"Have you ever thought about it?" the bard whispered. "Kissing me...like that?"

"Would you want me to ever think about you...like that?" Xena countered.

"Would you want me to want you to think about me like that?"

"Don't answer my question with a question."

"You did," Gabrielle pointed out. "Besides, the original question was whether you thought I was a good kisser."

"And I told you that I couldn't answer that because I didn't know." Normally Xena wouldn't have let the round and round conversation go on so long, but she didn't dare let it go now, she was too close.

"Do you want to find out?"

"Do you want me to find out?" Xena was answered with a shy smile and an equally shy nod. "Come here."

Slowly, slower than either thought they could stand, their lips met. For long moments they were content just to share the contact, to feel the others lips against their own. But the soft moan and gentle press of Gabrielle's body against hers made Xena make the first move. Her tongue slipped out and she smiled at how quickly the bard's mouth parted to let her in. She tasted the honey on the Amazon's tongue while her hands clenched and unclenched the firm ass hidden just beneath the cloak. Gabrielle didn't surrender completely, however, and Xena soon found her mouth being thoroughly explored by the bardic tongue. The oral dance went back and forth until both women were panting for breath and even then they were reluctant to part.

"W-well," Xena gasped as she fought to restore the equilibrium decimated by the feel of Gabrielle's warm wet muscle in her mouth.

"Yes, um...well." The bard shook her head as if to clear it. "You kiss very..." try as she might, she just couldn't come up with any word that remotely described how the kiss felt. She smiled in defeat. "I can't describe it."

"Same here," Xena replied, her voice definitively husky. "I mean...I think I need more than one to make a proper decision."

"Oh you do, huh?" Gabrielle favored her with eyes that said the request was more than welcome. This time the bard's hands didn't stay still. The cloak fell open as she reached up to bury her fingers in Xena's hair. No longer encumbered by fear, both women let their desire and passion show through in the delicious kiss. The warrior's hands worked their way into the cloak, prowling about for the clasp that held the bard's belt in place. She found it, but being kissed senseless made it hard for Xena to work the simple hook. Too frustrated to wait, her hands slid down until they discovered bare thighs, then moved upward again, pushing the leather skirt with them.

"Oh gods," Gabrielle groaned when she felt callused fingers slip under her breeches. She put a hand on the warrior's chest and pushed up. "Wait."

Thinking that she moved too far too fast, Xena sent her hands into a hasty retreat. "I'm sorry, I..."

"Shh, it's okay. Here, let me help." She stood up and brought her fingers to the leather tie that held the cloak to her body.

"No, leave it on," Xena husked. It was partly opened, revealing a thin glimpse of what the warrior normally saw every day. Somehow being denied the full view was more exciting at the moment. Gabrielle nodded and her shyness returned. Her hands withdrew behind the cloak, causing it to close. Xena gave a small pout and almost voiced a protest when she saw the hands moving behind the dark green curtain. Her eyes followed the shrouded hands as they moved up to the center between the bard's breasts. The hidden fingers moved and soon Gabrielle removed the form fitting green top from her body. She slipped one hand out and tossed the material in the general direction of the saddlebags. Xena saw a brief flash of white skin before the cloak closed again, punishing her once more. Gabrielle sat down, forming a tent around herself with the dark green wool.

"Are you nervous?" she asked, staring at the warrior only a body length away.

"Are you?"

"Let's not start this again." They both smiled for a moment, feeling some of the tension dissipate. "I'm nervous, Xena, but...I don't want to stop." One red boot appeared from behind the cloak.

"I...I don't...," the warrior croaked, her mouth suddenly dry as the other boot appeared and the bard stood up. "Oh gods, please don't stop."

"Xena?"

"Mmm?"

"Do you think that maybe...well..." She reached over and slipped a finger between leather strap and skin.

"Oh, yeah, sure, right," the warrior practically babbled, fumbling with the laces to her boots. Gabrielle knelt down and rewarded her with a sweet kiss. Xena stripped quickly, finishing just as thin brown breeches sailed through the air to land with the rest of Gabrielle's gear. "Xena," she gave the warrior a sheepish smile. "You remember the dates?"

"Yeah," she didn't see any come out with the clothes and now wondered where they had been hidden.

"Well, you see, I only got five and I hid them here." Her hand went to the area between her breasts. Xena gave a slight whimper and leaned forward, wanting desperately to see what the cloak was hiding. The movement caused her breasts to sway in the pale moonlight, distracting Gabrielle for a moment. "The honey got stuck to my skin." With tantalizing slowness she opened the cloak, revealing one date covered with honey resting between perfect breasts.

Xena gave out a soft groan and pulled the bard to her. They kissed as she worked one hand behind the Amazon's back and the other beneath the cloak to gently cup the left breast. "Is this something you've missed?" she growled as her forefinger and thumb found an erect nipple to fondle.

"Yesss," Gabrielle hissed, arching hard into the touch. "Xena...oh...Xena, I can't...I can't stand up any longer."

The warrior wasted no time pulling the young woman against her.  She resumed her position leaning against the large flat rock while the bard straddled her thighs, their mouths busily working away. Gabrielle sat up and opened the cloak, revealing the date and honey stuck to her skin. She let out a gasp as Xena's mouth affixed itself to her chest.

Gabrielle's senses were on overload. Her hands were happily buried in Xena's hair, her ears were treated to sucking sounds coming from between her breasts and her skin tingled wherever it was touched by the warrior's lips and tongue. Having strong hands squeezing her rear in a rhythmic fashion only served to add to that overload. When those warm lips closed around her aching nipple, it almost sent her over the edge. "Oh gods, Xena, YES!" She ground her hips against the warrior's belly, smearing it with her wetness. When one lone finger slid between her folds and touched her most intimate point, there was no holding back for Gabrielle. She cried out something that only remotely sounded like her lover's name before going limp.

Xena's hands quickly wrapped around the bard while she whispered nonsense words into the young woman's ear. With Gabrielle's head on her chest, the warrior was able to see her hands and arms outlined by the cloak. Slowly she moved them down, watching with rapt fascination as they rounded over firm curves. The bard let out a small moan and moved up slightly, burying her head into the warrior's neck and making it easier for Xena to reach the area Gabrielle most wanted her to touch.

The cloak may have kept Xena from seeing what was happening, but she certainly could feel it. Her fingers danced in slick wetness, brushing back and forth with the lightest touch over the aroused clit. Her hips moved up in reaction to every downward thrust of the bard's thigh between hers. A thin sheen of sweat built up between their bodies as they continued to rub against each other, the friction deliciously sweet to Xena's nipples. Gabrielle's mouth was suctioned to her neck and she had no doubt that morning would find a rather large and pronounced hickey there. When she slowed her fingers and poised one just outside the bard's entrance, Gabrielle responded by stilling her hips and spreading her thighs apart even more. "Do it, Xena," she whispered, her breath coming in hot pants. "Please, do it...unggh."

When her finger slid into the tight moist depth, Xena believed that there could be no better feeling. The cloak outlined the bard's steadily moving hips, teasing the warrior with what she could feel but not see. She added a second finger, causing the woman on top of her to cry out and grind her thigh harder against Xena's overheated center. She picked up the tempo, forcing her fingers in deeper with every thrust until she could go no more. There she felt around for that one special place that she knew would send Gabrielle over the edge. She wasn't disappointed as the bard's hips took on a frenzied motion. "Xe-Xena, oh please...please don't stop." Her words trailed off to simple grunts as she rose the final notches toward ecstasy. "Oh...oh gods...I, I...OH!"

Gabrielle sat up straight, trapping the warrior's wrist between their thighs and impaling herself on the long fingers. The only sound heard was their breathing as the bard's body pulsed its release over Xena's fingers. Unable to resist, the warrior pulled her fingers back slightly and forced them in as deep as she could, making Gabrielle cry out as another orgasmic roll swept through her body. She pushed the cloak off her shoulders, revealing for the first time that evening all the treasures she had to offer the warrior princess. For Xena, the sight and feel of her fingers buried deep within the bard coupled with the strong thigh pressing against her clit were too much. She cried out, frantically jerking her center against the bard's strong thigh. She knew Gabrielle could feel her pulsing by the way the young Amazon gripped her shoulder in a matching rhythm. She squeezed the bard tight against her body as they both shuddered with the aftershocks of their powerful orgasms.

With the little bit of strength she had left, Xena carried Gabrielle over to their bedrolls. There they exchanged murmured words of love coupled with gentle caresses. Feeling utterly spent, Xena was certain the bard would simply want to cuddle and they would soon fall asleep. She even closed her eyes in contemplation of it. That thought went the way of the wind, however, when she felt warm lips close around her right nipple. She opened her eyes, expecting to see a head of golden hair, but instead saw only a rounded hump of dark green wool. "Gabrielle...take this off," she urged. The bard answered by switching breasts, her fingers taking up where her mouth had left off. Xena was helpless to the desire coursing through her veins. Her hand slid over the wool, finding the outline of the bard's fingers. With gentle but firm pressure, she guided Gabrielle downward until she felt the cool digits slipping between her hot folds. She looked down again but still saw nothing but the cloak that covered the bard. Then she saw it, the flash of reddish-blond hair, the face paled by the moonlight, green eyes darkened by night and shadows. "Lie back," the bard quietly commanded, her fingers sliding up and down the length of the warrior's sex. "That's right, lie back and let me love you."

Xena's hips flew upward as Gabrielle entered her with two fingers. Two became three and the warrior became a helpless pile of flesh and bones, quivering under her lover's touch. She felt the bard's other hand come down and slide through her wetness. When she heard Gabrielle slurping those fingers clean then slowly remove the other hand from her body, Xena groaned loudly with anticipation. She felt the bard's weight settle between her legs, gentle fingers spreading her folds apart, then a stab of pure pleasure as Gabrielle's tongue found its mark. Xena couldn't lift her head if she wanted to, the joyous feeling was so intense. She settled for threading her fingers into the bard's hair and holding her in place. Gabrielle's tongue was everywhere, pleasing and teasing but not letting her go any higher. She floated in this nameless place for an eternity and an instant before the bard focused her attentions on the swollen bundle of nerves. An arrow shot into the sky couldn't reach the height that Xena traveled on her lover's tongue. Light passes gave way to firm flicks which gave way at the very end to intense suckling. Her hands pressed against Gabrielle's head and for several heartbeats neither woman breathed. She pulled the bard up with her as her hips made one final rise and froze in place. "Oh Gabrielle..."

Xena was on her back, the bard comfortably snuggled up against her body. The fire had long since died down but safe in each others arms, neither seemed to notice.

"So am I?"

"Are you what?"

"Am I a great kisser?"

"Hmm," Xena cracked an eyelid open catching a glimpse of the morning sun coming over the horizon. "I'm having some trouble remembering certain details about last night. I think we're going to have to try it again."

"Oh really?" Gabrielle's voice took on a sexy timber that caused the warrior to shiver. "And just when would you like to try it again?"

"Now would be nice."

"Yes it would," the bard agreed, covering them both with her cloak.

THE END 

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