Disclaimer: The characters in this story belong to MCA/Universal Studios. They're not nine and I don't make any money of off them. If I did I'd be rich and I'm not.

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Finally the last of the soldiers ran back out of the forest. Xena put her sword back down in the sheath on her back and looked around to see if any of the Amazons were injured. No one seemed to be badly hurt, just a few bruises and small cuts.

She walked over to Ephiny and put her hand on the Amazon's shoulder. "Are you okay?"

"Yes Xena, I'm fine. Everyone else seems to be as well. Thanks for the help."

The warrior just smiled. She turned around, facing the trees a bit further away and whistled for Argo. Then turned back to Ephiny again "We better get back to the Amazon village before our little Queen decides that we have been gone too long and comes after us." She said with a half laugh.

Xena had managed to persuade Gabrielle to stay with some of the Amazons and guard the village in case any soldiers got past her, Ephiny and the other Amazon warriors. The black-haired warrior knew that there was no chance of that happening, and even if it did they wouldn't find the village no matter how hard they tried. She only wanted to keep the bard safe, and she had been very surprised that it actually had worked. But they had been gone quite a while now and started to get worried that the Amazon Queen might get tired of waiting and decide that she would come and help.

Ephiny smiled and nodded as she answered "Yeah, we better get back."

When they entered the village, Gabrielle came running and threw herself around the warrior's neck, hugging her. "I'm so glad you're alright. Is everyone else okay?"

"Yes, everybody is fine my Queen" Ephiny answered and then continued walking, waving to the others to follow, giving Xena and Gabrielle some privacy.

The Amazons had sensed the attraction between the warrior and their Queen for a long time, in fact almost from the first time they had met them. They just hoped that the two women soon would come to their senses and do something about it.

Ephiny walked over to one of the two campfires and sat down. She occasionally glanced up at the two women where they were standing. She herself had feelings for the Warrior Princess but had never said anything. The love and the happiness that was glowing in Xena's eyes every time she saw Gabrielle told her that there was no point in saying anything. She knew that Gabrielle meant everything to the warrior, and as long as Xena was happy, she would be happy for her.

The Amazon smiled to herself as she thought of all the times she had seen the two women try to give a few hints to each other about their feelings, but none of them had been very successful. Both used any excuse to touch the other, whether it was to show how something had happened or when they playfully wrestled around on the ground. But the worst part was seeing one of them sad and the other trying to do everything in their power to give comfort. You could clearly see the hurt, the fear and the love coming from the comforting part. Trying to reach out, but not having the courage to reach all the way.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Xena and Gabrielle came to join her on the opposite side of the fire. "Why are you sitting here all by yourself?" Gabrielle asked as she sat down beside Xena.

"I'm just trying to ease off before going to bed. It's been a long day." Ephiny answered and stretched out her legs.

Xena looked at the two Amazons "Yes. It's been a long day for all of us. I'm just gonna check on Argo before it's time to turn in." The warrior stood up and gave the bard one last glance, then turned and walked away. The Amazon Queen turned her head and watched the warrior walking `till she was out of sight, then turned her focus back to the warm sparkling fire.

Ephiny could see the wondering loving eyes focused at the flames. She opened her mouth to ask why Gabrielle just didn't tell Xena how she felt, but she closed it again. She didn't want to make the Queen feel uncomfortable, so she thought that it was better to make Gabrielle start talking about it somehow. She just didn't know how.

After a few minutes of silence Ephiny started to feel a little awkward just sitting there quiet. She had to say something. "Xena is a really good friend to have around."

The bard looked up from the flames, trying to force a smile to her lips as she answered.  "Yes she is. Best friend I'll ever have." Then turned her eyes back to the fire again.

The Amazon could see that the tears weren't far away in the Queen's eyes. Ephiny took a deep breath and walked over to the bard and sat down beside her. She didn't really know what to do but after a few moments she put her arm around the Queen's shoulders. "Then why do you look so sad?"

A couple of tears ran down the bard's cheek, but there was no reply. She could see Gabrielle open her mouth, trying to get the words out, but nothing came. Instead she buried her face in her hands and started crying.

"Gabrielle, why can't you tell me what's wrong?" Ephiny whispered softly.

"It's just been a long day. Nothing to worry about." The bard tried to wipe the tears away.

Ephiny drew her hand gently up and down Gabrielle's back, trying to comfort her. Knowing that the young Queen wasn't going to tell her about it, she continued. "You know, if Xena comes back now she's going to think that it was I who made you cry, and then she will kick my ass."

The joke worked and Gabrielle laughed a little as she tried to wipe away the rest of the tears. When her eyes were dry she turned to Ephiny and smiled. "Thank you for being such a good friend. It's just that I have to work this one out on my own."

The Amazon smiled and nodded and gave her Queen a quick hug before rising to her feet.  "But if you ever feel like talking you know where to find me."

"I do. Thanks again" the bard answered and watched Ephiny walk into her hut.

Xena could see the bard sitting alone by the fire as she came back from her visit with Argo. She walked up to Gabrielle from behind and put her hands on the bard's shoulders.  "You okay?" she asked while gently massaging the blond woman's shoulders and neck.

"Yeah I'm fine" she answered and put one of her hands on top of Xena's as she continued "Shall we go to bed, I'm a bit tired."

Xena smiled and planted a kiss on the blond head. "Fine by me. I sure could use the rest."

They walked into Gabrielle's hut where they always slept when they were in the village. They got undressed and lay down under the cover in the big bed.

Sleeping together had become a habit, that neither of them wanted to break, during the years they had traveled together. Xena held the bard in her arms, stroking her back and shoulders `till they fell asleep. This night was no different.

When Gabrielle woke up the next morning, there was only her in the bed. She walked out to the others to get some breakfast. Nobody said a word, as they all knew that their Queen was not a happy morning person.

One of the Amazons gave her a plate with fish, which they had kept warm for her. When she almost had finished her fish, she started looking around. Her eyes searched for Xena but couldn't see her anywhere. "Where is Xena?" she asked as she kept looking around.

The Amazons kept looking at each other and at their Queen as if they were trying to decide who was going to give her the news.

Gabrielle looked at her warriors and asked again, now in an even more concerned voice. "What is it? Where is Xena? Has something happened to her?" The Amazons were still quiet, they just looked around at each other. Gabrielle stood up and shouted with a frightened voice. "For Zeus' sake, can someone please tell me where she is?!!"

One of the women took a small step forward and held her eyes focused on the ground as she tried to answer as nonchalantly as possible. "She….She's just down by the river.." The Amazon glanced up at the Queen before she continued "…with Ephiny."

Gabrielle felt like she just had been stabbed through the heart, and the Amazons could see the sad and hurt look in the bard's eyes even though the young blond tried to hide it. Gabrielle slowly sat back down by the fire where she had been sitting before, and continued eating as if nothing had happened. The same Amazon who had spoken earlier walked up to her Queen, knelt down in front of her and glanced up at the sad green eyes. "Are you alright my Queen?"

Gabrielle felt everything but alright. The only voice in her head kept asking what Xena could be doing with Ephiny alone at the river. She could only come up with one answer and she prayed deeply that it wasn't the right one. She looked at the young Amazon, kneeling in front of her and answered with a forced smile, "Of course I'm alright, why shouldn't I be. Xena is a big girl she doesn't need my permission to go to the river. I just wanted to know where she was that's all." She turned her eyes back to the now empty plate in her hands.

The young Amazon turned her head to the rest of the group and told them that it was time for combat practice. They all walked off, leaving the bard alone with her thoughts. Gabrielle's eyes were focused on the fire and her mind on the beautiful black-haired warrior. Her feelings for Xena were as deep and real as they had been for a long time. The truth was that she had never even considered the thought of Xena finding someone that would take the warrior away from her. She couldn't imagine not having Xena at her side, traveling with her, waking up with her or sitting by the campfire at night watching her eat, laugh, and sleep. She was the most beautiful thing when she was sleeping, so calm and so peaceful. There was nothing without the warrior by her side. But it was too late to say anything about her feelings now. She couldn't just go up to Xena and say `Congratulations on finding the love of your life. Oh, and by the way, I'm in love with you.'

The bard put the plate down on the ground, covered her face with her hands again, resting on her elbows, trying to find a solution to her mess. `What if I'd try to be a little more like her ideal warrior-type. Then maybe she will take me instead.' The bard thought about it for a few minutes. The theory was good, the only question was if it was just as good in practice.

After a while of deliberating with her own mind she convinced herself that there was nothing she could lose in trying. It would be worth every effort she could make to try and win the Warrior Princess' heart.  The bard ran to her hut, grabbed her staff, and run out to the fields where she knew the Amazon warriors would be practicing.

The women looked slightly surprised when their Queen asked if she could join them, but no one objected. Gabrielle put her body and soul in to everything she was doing, focusing deeply to get every move right.

After several hours of hard training the warriors and their Queen returned to the village. When Gabrielle entered the village she saw Xena and Ephiny sitting close by the fire laughing and talking.

The bard tried her best not to show how much it bothered her to see the two women together. She grabbed a plate and sat down on the opposite side of the same fire. Xena smiled and looked at the bard. "Hey Gabrielle. I saw you at the field. You're getting really good with that staff, but I thought you didn't like combat practice. If I had known, I could have taught you a thing or two."

"Yeah well….I guess that if I'm going to get any better I might as well train with the best" Gabrielle answered shortly without lifting her head from her plate, afraid that the jealousy would show in her eyes. "Xena.." she continued still staring at her plate, "can I borrow Argo for a few hours?"

She didn't have to look at Xena to know the expression on her face, she could feel it all the way across the fire. The black-haired warrior's eyes were wide open and her chin was halfway to the ground. Gabrielle had never liked horses, they were too high and she was afraid to fall off. The bard had told Xena that she didn't mind taking care of Argo as long as she didn't have to ride her.

Xena's thoughts started to spin around in her head. `Why in the world would Gabrielle want to borrow Argo?' The young blond never got on a horse if it wasn't absolutely necessary, and now she was asking to borrow her horse for a few hours. She looked at the bard. "Gabrielle are you alright?"

"I'm fine." The bard glanced up at the warrior "So can I?"

Xena looked as if she was in shock. "Yes…sure…of course you can." she answered even though she still had trouble knowing if she really got the question right.

The warrior spent the rest of the dinner occasionally glancing up at Gabrielle, trying to figure out what she was up to. The bard, on the other side of the fire, kept her eyes focused at the plate and thought of her plan. `I will show you, Warrior Princess, that I can be just as good as that blond Amazon you have beside you.'

Xena could see the wondering in her friend's face, but she knew that now was not the time to discuss what it was that troubled her. It was better to wait `till they were alone so they could talk things over.

After dinner the bard took Argo and headed to the field. The young blond had trouble even staying in the saddle but after a while she started to get the hang of things.

Over four hours had passed and Gabrielle still hadn't come back. Xena started to get a little worried about her friend as she was sitting by the fire with Ephiny. "Do you think I should go after her?" the warrior asked as she turned to face the Amazon.

"No. This is something that she needs to do by herself. She is not a little girl anymore. Let her sort out her thoughts." Ephiny looked at the beautiful warrior in front of her. When she saw the sad face, she leaned closer and gave Xena a hug of comfort as she continued "Give her two more hours. If she isn't back by then, you can go and get her."

It felt as if she had been smacked in the face with a flour bag when Gabrielle got back to the village and saw the two women hugging by the fire. Xena saw her through the corner of her eye and broke the hug. "There you are. I was beginning to get worried. How was your ride?"

The jealousy that the bard was feeling made her want to run over to Ephiny and strangle her for taking the warrior away from her, but she managed to keep a straight face. The bard's answer was cold and short. "Fine. Didn't you think I could do it?"

Xena got to her feet and looked at the young blond. "That is not what I meant. I know you can do whatever you put your mind to. Why do I get the feeling that you're angry with me about something?"

Gabrielle jumped off the horse and screamed "Well if you weren't so busy with your friend over there, maybe you would…." She cut herself off from finishing the sentence. Instead she ran in to her hut and slammed the door shut.

Xena sat back down by Ephiny and buried her face in her hands. "What am I going to do, every day she just pushes me further and further away."

The Amazon stroked her on the back. "Talk to her. You need to tell her what is going on." And then the Amazon walked away, leaving the warrior alone by the fire.

She sat there for about an hour before she decided that Ephiny was right. She had to talk thing over with Gabrielle. She got up and walked into the hut.  "Gabrielle I need to talk…" Xena cut herself off as she saw the young beautiful bard sleeping in the big bed. `Great, I finally get the chance to talk to you, and you are sleeping.' Xena stood there for a while, and just watched the sleeping bard. "Well I guess it will have to wait `till tomorrow. I don't know if you will like what I have to say, but I hope you will understand." Xena whispered before she got undressed and laid down under the covers by the bard.

The next morning when Gabrielle woke up she could hardly move. Her body was stiff from the hard training the day before. She had pain in muscles she didn't even know she had. She carefully turned her head to see if Xena was lying beside her. She wasn't. The bard made an effort to get up but it was no use, the pain was too great. After a little while she decided to try again and this time she managed to get on her side.

She lay there and watched the empty space where Xena had been sleeping. She thought about how much she missed waking up in the arms of her sweet warrior. Her hand gently stroked the pillow where she had hoped Xena's head would be. But it wasn't and it probably never would be again. A lonely tear ran down her cheek.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the door to the hut opened. Gabrielle's back was turned to the door so she couldn't see who it was, but she knew that there was only one person who would enter her royal hut without knocking. Her Amazons would never enter without permission. "Good morning Xena." She said without even trying to turn herself.

The bard couldn't help but smile when she heard the sweet and gentle voice of her warrior friend. "Do you mean beside the fact that I can't move and that it hurts in every single part of my body?"

"I thought so. Try to roll over on you stomach and I'll massage your back." The warrior walked over to Gabrielle and put her hands on her shoulders, helping her to roll over.

The young blond shivered when she felt the warm, soft hands on her body. The hands slowly traveled up and down her back, up to her neck, out on her shoulders and down her arms, smoothly working out the knots. Gabrielle moaned at every touch. "It feels so good."

"Well that is kind of the point you know." Xena answered smiling as she kept on moving her hands over the naked body.

After a long time of silence, besides the bard's moaning, Xena started talking again. "Why were you so angry with me yesterday?"

The bard opened her eyes and tried to come up with a good explanation. "I…I was just in a bad mood. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to take it out on you." She tried to sound as sincere as possible.

She heard Xena's voice again as the hands left her body. "That's all I can do for you right now. Hope it feels better."

"It feels great. At least now I can move." Gabrielle sat up and put on her clothes. "I've got to go to the field and get some training done. Is it okay if I take Argo with me?"

Xena's eyebrows rose on her forehead. "What in the world has gotten in to you? Why the sudden urge for combat training? You hate fighting, and now all of a sudden you want to practice every day, and on top of that you're riding."

"I want to be a better fighter! Why should that be so strange!?" The bard half-screamed.

The warrior walked over to the bed and sat down, facing her friend. "Gabrielle, what is bothering you? Why can't you talk to me like you used to do?"

Gabrielle melted at the sweet, whispering sound coming from the warrior on the bed. She looked at the sad baby blue eyes and the hurt expression on Xena's face and her heart almost broke at the sight. The bard slowly walked over to her friend and sat down beside her.

How was she going to explain the feelings she was having for the black-haired beauty? She had had many opportunities to say something, but she never did and now it was too late. "Xena, I…you are my best friend and I know I can talk to you about a lot of things, but this is something I have to work out on my own."

Gabrielle carefully caressed the beautiful woman's cheek with the back of her fingers. She would have given anything to just kiss those red lips in front of her. They looked so soft…She slowly, very slowly, started to lean forward when a knock on the door broke her off. Her hand left Xena's face and she flew up to a standing position. `Gods, what am I doing'??

The second knock brought her back to reality again. She walked over to the door and opened it. There stood Ephiny. The bard felt the jealousy wash over her again. "What do you want?!!"

The Amazon looked at the angry bard. "I was just looking for Xena."

"She's on the bed all ready for you." Gabrielle said as she stormed out the door slamming her shoulder into Ephiny as she passed by. She jumped up on the horse and kicked Argo into a gallop.

Ephiny stood stunned in the doorway looking over at Xena who was still sitting on the bed. "I guess that she didn't take it that well." The Amazon said as she walked over to the warrior and sat down beside her.

"No, I haven't had the chance to talk to her about that yet. There is something else bothering her." She turned her head to face the blond Amazon in front of her and continued "I'd better go and talk to her before things get any worse."

Xena got up and walked out from the Queen's hut, leaving Ephiny alone on the bed.

Out on the field, Gabrielle was riding back and forth in a high speed. Xena shouted the bard's name, but the bard kept riding without answering. The warrior repeated the process a few times but with the same outcome.

"Will you stop torturing my horse and talk to me?!" Xena shouted.

When the young blond refused to stop, Xena whistled Argo in to a halt, which sent Gabrielle flying off the horse and onto the ground. The warrior ran towards Gabrielle.  "Are you alright?" she shouted as she was running.

The bard slowly got up and touched her nose with her hand. When she removed it she saw the blood on the palm of her hand. Gabrielle looked up at Xena, who had almost reached the place where the bard was standing, and shouted back to her. "Are you crazy? What are you trying to do, kill me?"  She turned around and was just about to run off when Xena grabbed her. They wrestled on the ground for a couple of minutes before the warrior managed to get the fighting bard on her back. Xena was sitting on the younger woman's stomach and held her hands to the ground. "Calm down Gabrielle. What is it with you?"

Gabrielle tried to get loose but it was useless. When the bard finally calmed down, Xena loosened the grip around Gabrielle's arms but remained sitting on her. "What have I done to make you so angry?"

Now Gabrielle started crying instead and drew her hands up to cover her face. Xena got off the bard's stomach and sat down beside her, pulling the young blond in her lap. "Gabrielle please talk to me. I don't want to fight with you. Why can't you tell me what it is?"

"I don't want to loose you Xena." Gabrielle sobbed out.

The warrior looked at the crying bard. "What are you talking about? I'm not going anywhere."

The bard removed her hands from her face. "Well that's just the problem. You're not going anywhere, you're staying here."

Xena looked as she had a big question mark written all over her face. "What in the world are you talking about?"

"You know damn well what I'm talking about." Gabrielle answered as she got to her feet and walked away from the warrior.

Xena was sitting alone in the middle of the field and just watched as Gabrielle walked away from her.

When Xena arrived at the village she jumped off the mare's back and started looking for her friend. She looked everywhere but the bard was nowhere to be found.

When Xena saw Ephiny sitting by one of the fires, she walked over to her. "Have you seen Gabrielle?"

"I don't understand what has gotten in to her. Every time I open my mouth she gets angry."

Ephiny took a deep breath and crossed her arms on her chest. "Are you really that stupid? Can't you see that she is jealous?"

Xena's eyes widened and she sat down beside the Amazon.

Ephiny leaned forward "She thinks that you are with me."

Several hours passed before Gabrielle came back to the village. She walked straight in to her royal hut and closed the door. When she turned around she saw Xena sitting on the bed.

"Gabrielle, come and sit here with me. I need to explain something to you." The warrior said, clapping her hand on the bed. The bard rolled her eyes a little but did as she had been told.

"I had a talk with Ephiny today.." the warrior paused before she continued "And I'm not in love with her, if that is what you think."

Gabrielle turned her head towards Xena with a skeptical expression on her face. The warrior smiled as she looked in to the doubting green eyes. "I'm telling the truth. I don't love Ephiny in that way. I never have."

Xena was sounding very convincing and the bard started to believe her. The young blond was starting to feel a little stupid and turned her eyes to face the floor. "I'm sorry Xena. Even if you were in love with her, I had no right to act the way I did."

There was a time of silence but after a short time Xena broke it. "I have something else to tell you and I want you to be quiet `till I've finished."

The bard looked up at the warrior's baby blue eyes and gave a small nod.

"I've been trying to figure out a way to tell you this.." she paused and took a deep breath "..I've learned so much about myself since I met you. You have taught me the value of love and friendship. You are the source to my entire being. The thing is that maybe

She searched the bard's eyes for some kind of reassurance, that she wasn't making a mistake by telling her friend what she was about to.

The bard's heart skipped a beat and hope was starting to build up inside her, hoping that the warrior could feel the same way she did.

Xena saw the warmth andlove that was glowing behind the deep green eyes and that was all the reassurance that the warrior needed. She lifted up her hand and carefully caressed the young bard's cheek. Gabrielle looked deep in to the sea blue eyes in front of her. Then closing her own eyes, she placed her own hand on top of the warrior's on her cheek. Xena smiled as she felt all the feeling of insecurity lift from her shoulders. Gabrielle moved her hand to touch the beautiful blue eyed face. "I love you Xena."

The warrior leaned forward and kissed bard's soft and warm lips. The bard put her arms around the warrior's strong neck and held her close as she leaned back on the bed.

Ephiny was sitting outside by the fire, smiling to herself. She hadn't seen anyone coming out from the hut, so there was only one thing they could be doing. 'It sure was about time.' She said to herself and then turned her focus back to the fire.