Written February 1997

Xena had been quiet since Gabrielle went into her second telling of her adventure with Joxer. Hanging on the luscious bard's every word. She listened as her pulse quickened. Gabrielle could always move her with a story. Especially as passionate as she told them. She smiled, knowing that storytelling wasn't the only thing Gabrielle did with passion. There were times when the amazon bard could seduce the warrior woman with a glance, a smile, the way her honey-red hair flowed when turning her head.

'And she thinks I'M beautiful? My sweet, you just don't give yourself credit.' Xena's thoughts took a side saddle as Gabrielle went into the fight in the town square when Joxer was about to be executed.

'That idiot! If she had been hurt trying to save his miserable hide! I'd-I'd! Oooh! It would be ugly!' The warrior princess thought. She turned and became totally absorbed in her gorgeous amazon's words.

"And then, Joxer the Brave, at that moment at least, somersaulted through the air to my side. He wrapped his arms around my waist, leaned over me as he kissed me---" Xena grabbed her wrist.

"HE WHAT?!" Xena's voice was one part anger, three parts jealousy. Gabrielle stopped short and looked at her lovely warrior. She knew this would come up eventually.

"Heh-Heh- I didn't mention that before?" Gabrielle smiled slightly as Xena glared at her. She melted, she knew that she had purposely omitted that fact earlier that evening. Now, her bardic license had made her open up and spill the beans.

"No, I don't think you did." Yep, she was in trouble. Why didn't she just be honest and tell her earlier?

'Because she would have killed him instead of helping the poor schmuck out, that's why. Well, Ms. Amazon Princess Bard. How are you going to talk your way out of this one?' Gabrielle's train of thought was interrupted by Xena's words.

"We'll camp over the next ridge. That is, if you can stop daydreaming about your boyfriend!" That hurt. Xena was not going to make this explanation any easier.

"You can be pretty petty when you want to be. Y'know that?" Xena just shot her a dirty look and kept walking.

Xena looked like she was sulking as they entered the clearing. She unsaddled Argo and went fishing. Gabrielle set up camp and sat down to think.

"How am I going to convince her nothing happened? Well, that's a lie. The spell he was under affected every woman he touched. Ugh! He not only touched me! He kissed me!" The bard hadn't known she was talking out loud when Xena walked back into the firelight. She looked at her lover, fishing hadn't done anything to sweeten her disposition. She had doen well at the stream. She cleaned them and put some on a spit to cook. They ate in silence and prepared for a bath.

All attempts at playfulness were a waste. Xena was going to be a hardcase about this one. She washed her hair and bathed quickly. She left Gabrielle alone at the stream and the bard tried to organize her thoughts enough to talk to Xena. For some reason, Xena's jealousy was strange. Why was she so insecure about this? She got out of the stream and dried off. She was going to find some way to convince Xena she was being silly. She left her towel wrapped around herself, and set about preparing for bed. She noticed Xena was willing to sleep with her. Xena lay down and faced away from her.

Gabrielle felt her heart tighten when Xena literally hugged the extreme edge of their bed. She wanted to say something, but she couldn't find the words.

She heard her lover's voice break the silence.

"Was he good?" Gabrielle barely heard the question.

She turned over and looked at Xena.

"I asked you if he was good."

Damn! How to answer that one! She tried for tact, and got anything but.

"Well, yeah. Look, he had a spell of Aphrodite cast on him! Any woman would have fell in love with him." That didn't come out right. Xena looked at her pointedly.

"Even you?" Xena looked hurt, but Gabrielle couldn't lie. She swallowed, and answered.

"Yeah, but I snapped out of it. I kept comparing it to the kisses you give me. The one he gave me didn't come close." She stroked Xena's cheek, smiling as Xena took her hand and pulled her close.

"Really? And which of my kisses did you compare it to?" Xena's hurt was replaced with a slight grin, she lay ontop of her amazon bard, resting on her elbows. Xena was grateful for the fact that they had long since gotten used to sleeping together naked. Gabrielle was so warm, she felt like a small bonfire. A bonfire built from desire. She shuddered at the feel of her warrior's toned muscles sliding over her naked form. She would never get used to the feel of it. She prayed she never would. She smiled up at the beautiful warrior, she knew she would never get used to anything her warrior did for her in the name of love. She tried to steady her voice. "A-A-All of them." she stammered. Xena arched an eyebrow and smiled.

"All of them?" She asked. Gabrielle only nodded. "Like this one?" She Leaned down and kissed Gabrielle's forehead.

"Yes." she answered. Xena smiled as she kissed and nibbled Gabrielle's left earlobe. "And this one?" "Yes." Gabrielle jerked. Xena looked down at her, she was enjoying her torture. "Ah, and this one?" She gently nipped Gabrielle's throat and shoulders, sucking on the tender flesh.

"Y-Yes!" Gabrielle was fidgeting in ecstacy.

"And what about this one?" She leaned in close and Brushed her lips against Gabrielle's lightly, then feircely, as her tongue met the bard's. She sucked on Gabrielle's tongue before playfully biting her bottom lip. Her knee having gently parted Gabrielle's legs and rubbing against her center.

"Yeesss!" Gabrielle moaned as her lover released her hold on the bard's bottom lip.

'She's so wet!I've got her where I want her, now. Stay focused.' Xena mused.

Staying focused was going to be difficult ,however. She moved down her amazon bard's body, until she reached those firm breasts. She played her tongue around each nipple, tracing intricate designs before taking an erect nipple in her mouth, raking her teeth gently over the tender flesh.

"How about this one?" Xena was enjoying the spasms that rocked her lover's body. Gabrielle's blue-green eyes locked on her lover's azure eyes.

"Yes. Please, don't tease me like this! I told you. The only way Joxer had any effect on me was while under Aphrodite's spell." Gabrielle's voice was pleading with her warrior to take this test to its logical conclusion.

"Not yet, my amazon beauty. I want your opinion on one more kiss. Then, the fun can begin." She trailed her jet black hair down to Gabrielle's center, she was so close to the edge! Xena smiled as she kissed the lips of Gabrielle's entrance, she nibbled as she took Gabrielle's hard button in her mouth. She gently sucked as her lover writhed in ecstacy on the bedrolls. SHe started with only her lips teeth and tongue, eventually graduating to each of these tools. She then inserted her right index finger as Gabrielle twined her fingers in her lover's midnight kissed hair. Gently holding her there. Gently, but forcefully.

Gabrielle's legs locked over the warrior's powerful shoulders. Xena loved the feel of her bard's toned thighs against her skin. It intoxicated her, she lost her focus, but only for a few seconds. She continued to suck on her lover's flesh, and found the spot that drove Gabrielle crazy. She then slowed down, letting the younger woman rest, but only for a few seconds. She renewed her onslaught felt Gabrielle's hips come up off the bedrolls, she cradled her lover's hips in her arms to keep her from slamming back down too hard. She stayed there, savoring the sweet tastes that now flowed into her hungry mouth. She wanted to stay there forever, but had to ask the question.

"What about that kiss?" She stared at her bard and saw all the love that was hers and hers alone. Gabrielle traced the lips before her with her tongue and answered with a passionate kiss of her own. After they broke from the kiss and caught their respective breath, the amazon bard spoke.

"No one could ever kiss me like that and have the effect you just had, will always have on me. Blessed by a godess or not. There's only one Godess in my life. Every morning, every night, every waking moment. That Godess is YOU, my love. I need no other." She smiled as her warrior stifled a tear.

"Go to sleep, love." Xena lay to the side of her bard as Gabrielle wrapped her arms around Xena and rested against a soft breast. She kissed the soft flesh and spoke softly.

"I have to remember to thank Joxer the next time we see him." Xena opened one eye, then the other, puzzled.

"Whatever for?" the warrior asked.

"If I knew a kiss from him would earn me so many kisses from you, I'd let him kiss me again." She thought about that. "On second thought, I think I'd rather pass on him kissing me again. Ever. He's got Falafel breath! Ugh!" Xena quirked her eyebrows and Gabrielle burst out laughing, Xena joining in soon after. They laughed and cuddled until Morpheus took them into his gentle embrace, wrapping them in the gentle blanket of night, and the sparkling sand of dreams and love were the lullabye.

THE END